Author: News Desk

Unemployment among Saudi Arabian citizens in the first quarter fell below 12% for the first time in four years, official figures released on Tuesday showed, but they did not capture the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Unemployment fell to 11.8% from 12% the previous quarter, the General Authority for Statistics said. “Data in these statistics do not yet reflect the impact of COVID-19 crisis as they were collected early in the first quarter,” it said in a statement. Saudi economic reforms launched in 2016 aimed to create millions of jobs and reduce the unemployment rate to 7% by 2030. But…

Oman has registered six deaths and 1,262 new cases of coronavirus, of which the majority of the case are from citizens by 968 and the rest 294 from foreigners, taking the total cases to 48,997. The death toll reached 224 after reporting the new deaths. ♦ Oman to launch nationwide COVID-19 survey from July 12 Meanwhile, 1,854 new recoveries were announced, bringing the total to 31,000. 4,007 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, across the sultanate. So far the 217,194 COVID-19 tests have been conducted.

Bahrain has reported 454 new cases of coronavirus, among 273 expatriate workers, 179 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 2 are travel-related, and 3 are travel-related, after conducting over 9,900 additional COVID-19 tests on Monday. The death toll stands at 98, as one new death was reported in the kingdom. Meanwhile, 529 additional recoveries from COVID-19 were reported. The total cases have driven to 29,821 of which 25,178 have recovered, which means that over 84 percent of the confirmed cases have recovered from the virus. Currently, there are 4,545 active cases. Also, there are 39 COVID-19 cases receiving treatment, of…

The world is treating the health and economic symptoms of the coronavirus pandemic but not the environmental cause, according to the authors of a UN report. As a result, a steady stream of diseases can be expected to jump from animals to humans in coming years, they say. The number of such “zoonotic” epidemics is rising, from Ebola to Sars to West Nile virus and Rift Valley fever, with the root cause being the destruction of nature by humans and the growing demand for meat, the report says. Even before Covid-19, 2 million people died from zoonotic diseases every year, mostly in poorer…

Lionel Messi wants to stay with Barcelona until the end of his career, says club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, amid rumors the star is unsettled. The 33-year-old’s relationship with the club has come under considerable strain this year and his future with the Catalans had been called into question with his contract up next season. Despite reports that Messi was looking for a potential way out, Bartomeu remains confident his man will stay at Barcelona for many more years to come. “Messi has said he will end his working and footballing life at Barca,” he told Spanish network Movistar. “I’m not going to explain…

UAE records 528 cases, and one fatality from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total cases in the country to 52,068. The new death takes the total fatalities to 324. The new cases were found after conducting more than 28,000 coronavirus tests across the country. Meanwhile, 424 new recoveries were also announced, bringing the total recoveries to 40,721. This means that over 78 percent of the confirmed cases have fully recovered from the virus. ♦ UAE restructures government, as it deals with coronavirus impact Also, over 2 million COVID-19 tests are expected to be conducted in the coming two…

The World Health Organization (WHO) is reviewing a report that suggested its advice on the novel coronavirus needs updating, after some scientists told the New York Times there was evidence the virus could be spread by tiny particles in the air. The WHO says the COVID-19 disease spreads primarily through small droplets, which are expelled from the nose and mouth when an infected person breaths them out in coughs, sneezes, speech or laughter and quickly sink to the ground. In an open letter to the Geneva-based agency, 239 scientists in 32 countries outlined the evidence they say shows that smaller…

A committee probing a gas leak at an LG Polymers-run plant in southern India that killed 12 has found the company was negligent and had no preventive mechanisms or warning systems, an Indian state government said on Monday. Toxic styrene gas leaked from the plant near the southern city of Visakhapatnam in May, choking many who were sleeping and hospitalizing hundreds. “There were no proper preventive mechanisms to avert such incidents and the warning siren facility was also not in order,” the Andhra Pradesh government statement on the committee’s findings said. The government said there had been a lack of…

Israel reimposed on Monday a series of restrictions to fight a spike in coronavirus infections, including the immediate closure of bars, gyms and event halls. In public remarks at a special cabinet session on the health crisis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had to reverse course to avoid a wider lockdown that could paralyse its economy, where unemployment is just above 20%. The Bank of Israel on Monday forecast a 6% economic contraction. “The pandemic is spreading – that’s as clear as day. It is rising steeply daily and it is dragging with it, contrary to what we had…

The UAE is moving forward towards accomplishing more global achievements in the field of space, as the Emirates Mars Mission, “Hope Probe,” will launch in nine days. The Hope Probe, the first Arab project aims to explore other planets, is a message of hope to all peoples of the region to revive the rich history of Arab and Islamic scientific achievements. It also reflects the UAE’s ambitious and ongoing efforts to defy the impossible. The probe’s launch team members, currently in Japan, held a media interview remotely via video conferencing, where they expressed their pride at participating in the pioneering…