Author: News Desk

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…

HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs and President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, expressed his delight at mare Al Raya’s victory in d’Arengerg Cup which was held in Chantilly, France. HH Shaikh Nasser confirmed this win underscores the leading position occupied by Al Raya at the international level following several noteworthy victories recently, confirming Bahrain’s development in the horse racing sport.  HH Shaikh Nasser praised the performance of Al Raya which allowed her to overcome a group of elite competitors, affirming that this achievement is…

U.S. and Taliban negotiators are close to a deal that would open the way for peace in Afghanistan, a top U.S. official said on Sunday, as the insurgents followed their weekend assault on the strategic center of Kunduz by attacking a second northern city. Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born U.S. diplomat overseeing negotiations for Washington, said he would travel to the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday for consultations after wrapping up the ninth round of talks with Taliban officials in Qatar. “We are at the threshold of an agreement that will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to…

Recycling rubble, particularly in countries pummelled by war, is one way to limit the environmental damage caused by extracting sand and rock, according to Pascal Peduzzi of UN Environment. “Syria is experiencing a horrible and tragic war – whole cities will have to be razed and rebuilt,” the expert told. “Construction materials must be recycled or we will have quarry problems.” In neighboring Lebanon, which experienced its protracted civil war (1975-190), a multitude of illegal quarries has already left gaping wounds in the mountainsides. Environmentalists worry there could be an uptick in extraction to feed an eventual reconstruction of Syria.…

Defending champion Naomi Osaka consoled a tearful Coco Gauff after a crushing US Open victory Saturday in a showdown billed as “the future of women’s tennis” while Rafael Nadal cruised into the last 16. World number one Osaka overpowered 15-year-old Gauff 6-3, 6-0 in 65 minutes to keep her title defense on track before sharing a warm embrace with an opponent overwhelmed by the occasion in the New York spotlight. The emotional clash was followed by tearful on-court interviews, Osaka asking Gauff to join her with the microphone as they met at the net. “It was kind of instinctive because…

Customs officials caught a Polish man was after trying to smuggle nearly 100 tarantula spiders in his luggage, at Cayenne Airport, French Guiana, regional officials told Saturday. The prefecture said the man attempted to carry a bag containing 38 adults and some 50 young as well as dozens of egg-filled cocoons through the airport at Cayenne, the capital of the French overseas department bordering Brazil and Surinam. He was arrested on Sunday, August 25 as he prepared to board a flight to Paris, having packed the creatures “in plastic bottles” hidden among his luggage, the prefecture said. Officials said the…

In South America, the Amazon basin is ablaze. Halfway around the world in central Africa, vast stretches of savanna are going up in flame. Arctic regions in Siberia are burning at a historic pace. While the Brazilian fires have grown into a full-blown international crisis, they represent only one of many significant areas where wildfires are currently burning around the world. Their increase in severity and spread to places where fires were rarely previously seen is raising fears that climate change is exacerbating the danger. Hotter, drier temperatures “are going to continue promoting the potential for fire,” said John Abatzoglou,…