Author: News Desk

Bahrain has reported 643 new cases of coronavirus, among 371 expatriate workers, 262 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 10 are travel-related, after conducting over 7,900 additional COVID-19 tests on Monday. The death toll stands at 65, as 2 new deaths were reported in the kingdom. Meanwhile, 443 additional recoveries from COVID-19 were reported. The total cases have driven to 22,407 of which 16,419 have recovered, which means that over 73 percent of the confirmed cases have recovered from the virus. Currently, there are 5,480 active cases. Also, there are 148 COVID-19 cases receiving treatment, of which 37 are in a critical…

Apple on Monday provided a glimpse at upcoming software changes designed to make the iPhone even easier to use and announced underlying hardware changes to its line of Mac computers. The preview of the next version of the iPhone’s operating system, known as iOS 14, highlighted Apple’s annual conference for computer programmers and mobile app makers. The event, which was delayed for three weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, took place in virtual form via a webcast from the company’s Cupertino, California, headquarters. In recognition of the pandemic, Apple’s next iPhone operating system will include an option to put a…

U.S. President Donald Trump will expand an existing visa ban to include certain non-immigrant work visas as part of a move to protect U.S. workers amid the economic devastation tied to the coronavirus pandemic, a senior administration official said on Monday. Trump will block the entry of foreign workers on H-1B visas for skilled workers and L-1 visas for workers being transferred within a company through the end of the year, the official said. The president will also block seasonal workers on H-2B visas, with an exception for workers in the food service industry. The move comes despite opposition from…

Saudi Arabia announced it would hold a “very limited” hajj this year, with pilgrims already in the kingdom allowed to perform the annual ritual as it moves to curb the coronavirus pandemic. But the decision to limit the hajj, scheduled for late July, is fraught with political and economic peril and comes after several Muslim nations pulled out of the ritual. “It was decided to hold the pilgrimage this year with very limited numbers… with different nationalities in the kingdom,” the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing the hajj ministry. “This decision is taken to ensure the hajj is performed…

The record levels of new daily COVID-19 cases are due to the fact that the pandemic is peaking in a number of big countries at the same time and reflect a change in the virus’ global activity, the World Health Organization said. At a media briefing on Monday, WHO’s emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said that “the numbers are increasing because the epidemic is developing in a number of populous countries at the same time.” Some countries have attributed their increased caseload to more testing, including India and the U.S. But Ryan dismissed that explanation. “We do not believe this…

Bahrain has announced the death of an 87-year-old male citizen from coronavirus. The total deaths have soared to 65. It’s the second death recorded on Monday. The MOH expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased. The total cases have driven to 21,764 of which 16,419 have recovered, which means that over 74 percent of the confirmed cases have recovered from the virus. Currently, there are 5,280 active cases. Also, there are 169 COVID-19 cases receiving treatment, of which 31 are in a critical condition. So far the country has conducted 477,788 tests, as per the government statics. Also Read: Bahrain…

UAE records 378 cases, and 1 fatality from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the total cases in the country to 45,303, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP). The new death takes the total fatalities to 303. 631 new recoveries were also announced, bringing the total recoveries to 33,046. This means over 72 percent of the confirmed cases have fully recovered from the virus. The new cases were found after conducting more than 40,000 coronavirus tests across the country. Abu Dhabi has eased restrictions to allow movement between its cities for all residents starting on Tuesday but…

Hours after a Pakistan Cricket Board doctor admitted that the England tour is dangerous under the current circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic, three players have tested positive for the virus, the board confirmed. The PCB said on Monday evening that Haider Ali, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan – have tested positive for Covid-19. The PCB medical team is in touch with the players who have been advised to immediately go into self-isolation, PCB said in a statement. The players had shown no symptoms until they had been tested in Rawalpindi on Sunday ahead of the Pakistan men’s national cricket…

Saudi Aramco’s acquisition of petrochemical maker SABIC will accelerate the company’s downstream strategy and transform it into a global petrochemical player, an official of the state oil giant told al-Arabiya TV. “We expect long-term demand for petrochemicals to grow, with the sector expected to record the fastest growth in oil demand to 2040,” said Abdulaziz al-Gudaimi, a senior vice president at Aramco. Also Read: Saudi Arabia records 3,393 new cases Saudi Arabia to block 231 websites that violate laws Saudi Arabia to launch $4 billion tourism development fund

As part of relentless efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Dubai authorities are continuing to increase the provision of COVID-19 testing across government and private hospitals and drive-through centres. The emirate’s various testing facilities have completed a total of over 612, 000 COVID-19 tests as of 19 June, according to the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre. Ensuring the widespread availability of COVID-19 testing is part of an integrated plan to further curb the spread of the virus and offer immediate medical care to infected people at hospitals, accredited facilities and quarantine centres. Comprehensive measures are undertaken by the emirate to…