Author: News Desk

“Private-sector employers must commit to ensuring employee wages are safeguarded and paid on time via the Wages Protection System.”, said the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, MoHRE. In a statement on Wednesday, the UAE ministry noted that employers must adhere to Ministerial Decree No. 739 of 2016 concerning the protection of wages, as well as employment contracts signed by employers and employees. The ministry advised that employers that have granted employees ‘early leave’ – as part of precautionary measures during the coronavirus pandemic – must expedite the required documentation to register such consent, via a temporary supplementary annex to…

The Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) Hospital outpatients clinics and pharmacy will close on Sunday, a public holiday in compensation the International Workers’ Day, which falls on Friday (May 1) already a day-off. The SMC Hospital emergency pharmacy and inpatients’ pharmacy will continue to operate 7/7, round the clock, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced in a circular. Visits to SMC inpatients will be suspended on Sunday (May 3) which was declared a day-off in compensation the International Workers’ Day, which falls on Friday (May 1). North Muharraq Health Centre, Hamad Kanoo Health Centre in Riffa and Youssef Abdulrahman Engineer Health…

COVID-19 patients on the antiviral remdesivir recovered more than 30 percent faster than those on a placebo, the results of a major clinical trial showed Wednesday as a top US scientist hailed the drug’s “clear-cut” benefit. It represents the first time any medication has been shown to improve outcomes against the COVID-19 illness, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives globally and brought the world economy to a grinding halt. A statement by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that Fauci heads said that patients on the drug had a 31 percent faster time to recovery than those…

Facebook shares rose more than 8% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the company announced its first-quarter results. Earnings (EPS): $1.71 Revenue: $17.74 billion Daily active users (DAUs): 1.73 billion Monthly active users (MAUs): 2.6 billion Average revenue per user (ARPU): $6.95 Facebook said it is now seeing signs of stabilization after seeing an initial steep decrease in advertising revenue in March. This echoes what Google on Tuesday said it saw in its own advertising business. The company’s revenue came in at $17.74 billion, up nearly 18% from the $15.08 billion the company reported in the first quarter of 2019. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv expect $1.75 in earnings per share…

Spain has ruled out any early reopening of its tourism sector and Germany is set to extend a travel warning for all leisure trips outside the country until mid-June, casting further doubt on when would-be holidaymakers will be able to venture abroad again. With airline fleets mostly grounded, cross-border train traffic slashed and many EU countries, including France, requiring all arrivals bar their own citizens to formally justify their journey, leisure travel within Europe is at a near standstill. “We have not yet reached the point where we can recommend carefree travel,” the German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said on Wednesday. Arancha González…

Saudi Arabia will be allowing the entry into and exit from Qatif province on Thursday. This is a part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19). Qatif was in lockdown since March 8. Meanwhile, the Saudi MOH on Wednesday announced 1,325 new coronavirus cases and 169 recoveries. Most cases were reported in Makkah (356), followed by Riyadh (203), Madinah (225), and Jeddah (224). The total cases in the Kingdom stand now at 21,402 and recoveries at 2,953. 157 people passed away due to the virus, including 5 deaths reported today.

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa today received, at Al-Safriya Palace, a number of senior members of the Royal Family, Deputy Premier His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa, Royal Family Council Vice-Chairman HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Royal Court Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa and Royal Family Council director-general Shaikh Salman bin Khalid Al-Khalifa. They congratulated HM the King on the holy month of Ramadan, wishing him good health and happiness and the Kingdom of Bahrain and its people further progress and prosperity. HM the King exchanged with them greetings on this blessed occasion, thanking them…

The government is working on a mega plan to deploy a raft of naval ships as well as military and commercial aircraft to evacuate thousands of Indians stranded in the Gulf and other regions after the nationwide lockdown ends, official sources said. The government has already reached out to several states asking them to make necessary arrangements for the Indians when they are brought back home under the multi-agency operation. The Civil Aviation Ministry has conveyed to the core group planning the operation that it is ready to make the available majority of the nearly 650 commercial planes including freighters…

The UAE Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that 549 new cases were found among various nationalities, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 11,929, including cases receiving treatment, recoveries, and deaths. 9,502 patients are still receiving treatment. An additional 26,195 COVID-19 tests were performed. About 148 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,329. “The recovered cases constitute 20 percent of all infections in the country.”, said Dr. Al Shamsi.

Inspector General Major-General Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa paid a visit to the Royal Academy of Police (RAP) where he was received by RAP Commandant, Brigadier Fawaz Al Hassan, and officers. He was briefed about the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and ensure the safety of RAP affiliates. The plan includes steps while entering the academy, along with the disinfection procedures and social distancing. He was also informed about online education for cadets.