Author: News Desk

 The Greek government has announced emergency measures to deal with what it calls “huge waves” of asylum seekers arriving from Turkey amid mounting fears of the 2015 migrant crisis being replayed on the country’s shores. With boatloads of men, women, and children once again arriving on the Aegean islands, the new center-right administration vowed to bolster patrols along sea borders that are being targeted with renewed vigor by people-smugglers. “We are seeing huge waves being brought in by traffickers using new methods and better and faster boats,” the country’s civil protection minister, Michalis Chrysochoidis, said after the measures were announced at…

At least six people have been killed and one person is missing in Kenya after flash floods at a national park swept away their tour group, according to authorities. The incident on Sunday occurred at Hell’s Gate National Park in the Rift Valley region, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said on its Twitter account. “Six bodies of the flash flood victims have been recovered, leaving one tourist missing. The search and rescue operation continues as we reach out to next of kin to share details of the sad incident and plan together next course of action,” KWS tweeted on Monday. The group…

The Sultanate’s national carrier, Oman Air, has announced that it has canceled over 300 flights in September 2019. The company made the decision following the Public Authority of Civil Aviation’s directive that suspended all activity of the Boeing 737 Max airliner. “As a result of the Public Authority for Civil Aviation directives on suspending operations of Boeing 737 Max, we have canceled certain flights in the period between July 7 to October 1, 2019. We are rebooking guests on alternative/next available flights to their destinations. We advise all our guests who are due to travel during the same period to…

Oman’s budget deficit has dropped to the lowest level in five years, bolstered by a rise in government revenues and a slight decrease in spending, according to figures released by the sultanate’s National Centre for Statistics and Information (NSCI). Oman’s budget deficit declined by 53 percent to RO 660.6 million ($1.71mn) in the first half of 2019, compared to RO 1.4 billion ($3.63bn) during the same time last year. Largely due to higher revenues from oil, gas and corporate tax, total government revenues rose 11.4 percent to RO 5.515 billion ($14.32bn) between January and June, up from RO 4.948 billion…

The Ministry of Education will not sign contracts with expatriate teachers and will cover shortages by hiring Kuwaiti graduates, children of Kuwaiti women and Bedoons who have valid security IDs, official sources said. This decision was made in an attempt to prevent a problem that happened last year when the ministry hired teachers living in Kuwait but later discovered violations in work permits given to them before coming to Kuwait. The education ministry had then to terminate expat teachers’ contracts at the instructions of the Civil Service Commission and Public Authority for Manpower, the sources said. “One of the terminated contracts belonged…

High utility bills are reported to be weighing down on residents, expats, and businesses as many claims they are unable to cope with the rising costs. Speaking to Gulf Insider, MP Ahmed Al Ansari said that “It is worthless to live in a place where your entire salary is going towards expenses. As a Bahraini, even I struggle to pay my bills. The rise has affected both Bahrainis and expats alike,” According to a Gulf Daily News front-page headline last month, the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) received a record 195,000 calls in the past four months, sparked due to increased…

Effective October 1, 2019, Bahrain International Airport (BIA) will introduce new baggage acceptance rules to eliminate jams in the Baggage Handling System that cause shutdowns, delays, and inconvenience to passengers and airlines.   Items that will no longer be permitted include round and irregular shaped bags, irregular shaped bags tied with a  loose rope or string, bags with loose straps, and blanket wrapped bags. Items such as baby strollers, bicycles, wheelchairs, and golf bags will be still allowed. The new system features an 8.6-kilometer conveyer belt and will be capable of processing up to 4,800 bags an hour. Follow us on Twitter…

The street of Mashtan has become the new hub for illegal car stunts according to some residents. The residents of the street which is located in the area of Bukwara in Riffa, have made several complaints stating that a group of youngsters is performing illegal car drifts from midnight till dawn. A resident of the area said that he filed many complaints but the issue persists. He added that the disturbance is pushing him to consider selling his house and moving to a quiet area. The youngers also hold competitions to determine whose vehicle can produce the loudest sound which is an…

Thousands of protesters blocked roads and public transport links to Hong Kong airport on Sunday in a bid to draw global attention to their fight for greater democracy for the Chinese-ruled city which is facing its biggest political crisis in decades. Passengers entered and left the terminal freely and planes were taking off and landing but trains were suspended and approach roads to the airport impassable as protesters erected barricades and overturned trolleys at the airport and in the nearby new town of Tung Chung. The MTR subway station was closed and demonstrators smashed CCTV cameras and lamps with metal…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to annex all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, he said on Sunday, reiterating an election promise made five months ago but again giving no timeframe. Settlements are one of the most heated issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians have voiced fears Netanyahu could defy international consensus and move ahead with annexation with possible backing from U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally. “With God’s help we will extend Jewish sovereignty to all the settlements as part of the (biblical) land of Israel, as part of the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said in…