Author: News Desk

New Zealand said on Monday it was extending a ban on cruise ships arriving in the country as it looks to safeguard borders as new cases emerge of people arriving in the country with the coronavirus. “We are extending the current cruise ship ban which was due to expire on the 30th of June,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a news conference. PM Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday called in the military to oversee the facilities and to manage border defences. The government has suspended all exemptions to quarantine rules and said no one is to leave the isolated hotels…

Police in The Hague said they detained some 400 people on Sunday after demonstrators refused to leave a protest against the Dutch government’s social-distancing measures put in place to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Several thousand protesters had gathered in the Malieveld area in The Hague, close to the Dutch seat of government, even though the rally had been banned by the municipality. “We have detained some 400 people today. A large number of them have been since let go,” the police said on Twitter. The authorities had allowed a brief protest to go ahead in the afternoon before…

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said on Sunday that the military serves the will of the people and its mission is to defend democracy, adding fuel to a raging debate about the armed forces’ role amid rumbling fears of political instability. Bolsonaro was speaking in Rio de Janeiro at the funeral of paratrooper who died the day before in an accident at an air base. His comments come as his supporters and detractors gathered in cities across the country, in a stark symbol of the polarization in Latin America’s largest country. “Our mission, the mission of the Armed Forces, is to…

Bahrain has reported 434 new cases of coronavirus, among 273 expatriate workers, 158 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 3 are travel-related, after conducting over 7,300 additional COVID-19 tests on Sunday. The death toll stands at 63, as 3 new deaths were reported in the kingdom. Meanwhile, 629 additional recoveries from COVID-19 were reported. 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 5,282 active cases. Also, there are 169 COVID-19 cases receiving treatment, of which 32 are in a…

Serbia’s ruling conservative party led by President Aleksandar Vucic is set for a landslide win in Sunday’s parliamentary election, results projected by Ipsos and CeSID pollsters showed. The projection shows the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) on track to win 62.4% of the votes, while the Socialist party – a junior coalition partner in the outgoing government – is seen coming second with 10.7% of the votes. The centre-right Serbian Patriotic Alliance led by former water polo player Aleksandar Sapic is seen in third place with 4.1% of the votes. Polling stations were equipped with face masks and hand sanitisers for…

No win for Liverpool on the longest day of the year, and an even longer wait maybe to clinch the title. When you’ve been waiting 30 years — and then had the coronation delayed by three months because of a pandemic — patience is expected. The quietest of the 236 Merseyside derbies, with fans denied access to Goodison Park, produced no goals as Everton held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw on Sunday. Liverpool is an unprecedented 23 points in front. But it is now no longer so certain that a victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday at Anfield will seal…

One of the most wanted Mexican cartel leaders threatened the government and his arch-foes in highly unusual video messages, including one where he can be seen fighting back tears after his mother was detained over the weekend. Jose “El Marro” Yepez, leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, that has been a thorn in the side of the President Andres Lopez Obrador’s government due to his gang’s industrial-scale siphoning of petroleum from state-run oil company Pemex. In one of the videos widely shared on social media, Yepez can be seen lashing out against the government after his mother was…

Bahrain has announced the death of a 64-year-old male citizen expatriate from coronavirus. The total deaths have soared to 63. It’s the third death in one day. The MOH expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased. The total cases have driven to 21,331 of which 15,790 have recovered, which means that over 74 percent of the confirmed cases have recovered from the virus. Currently, there are 5,478 active cases. Also, there are 181 COVID-19 cases receiving treatment, of which 31 are in a critical condition. So far the country has conducted 470,409 tests, according to the government statics. “The cases in…

Grigor Dimitrov said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the cancellation of an exhibition event in Croatia where top-ranked Novak Djokovic was scheduled to play. Dimitrov, ranked No. 19 and a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist, is the highest-profile current player to say he has the virus and his announcement on his Instagram page comes at the end of a week when the U.S. Open said it would go forward. The professional tennis tours have been suspended since March and are planning to resume in August. Dimitrov said he was making his condition public because he wanted to…

HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and Bahrain Olympic Committee President has chaired the weekly meeting of the Coordination, Execution and Follow-up Committee “Estijabah” (Response) which was held through a video call. The meeting was attended by MPs Ghazi Al Rahma, Mahmoud Al Bahrani, Abdullah Al Doseri, Dr. Ali Al Nuaimi Zainab Abdulameer. Bahrain Football Association (BFA) Chairman Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and several presidents of national clubs were also present. HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa welcomed the attendees, valuing the decision of the Cabinet session,…