Author: News Desk

Tokyo,: The Tokyo Olympics cost $1.8 billion less than anticipated, local organizers said Wednesday, 4 1/2 months after the Games ended. Organizers said the estimated official costs were $13.6 billion. Officials said part of the reduction was because there were no fans — forced by the pandemic — and therefore vastly reduced labor costs. They also said other outlays were lower than expected. Official estimates over the last year said the costs would be $15.4 billion.. However, government audits over several years suggested the real costs were much higher — perhaps twice the official estimates. Organizers indicated final expense figures…

Al Hilal Hospital organized an event at Al Hilal Salmabad Auditorium on 20th December to celebrate the 50th National Day of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Ceremony took place with speeches and cake cutting, attended by the MEMBERS OF MP PARLEMENT Mr. Ibrahim Al-Nafi’i, Mr. Youssef bin Ahmed Al-Thawadi, Ms. Zainab Abdul-Amir, Municipal Representative Mr. Ahmed Al-Maqhawi and a few more special guests. Ms. Zahraa Baqer, CEO of Consulting and Organization of Exhibitions and Conferences gave the speech and valued Al Hilal for organizing such a wonderful event. Every one congratulated His Highness King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on…

New Delhi: Priyanka Chopra had been trending big time ever since she dropped her last name on her Instagram profile. In a recent interview ,  Priyanka Chopra addressed the hype around her name change and said, “I don’t know. I wanted the username to match my Twitter, I guess. I just find it really amusing that everything becomes such a huge deal to people. It’s social media, guys. Just chill out.” After the actress dropped her surname Chopra and her husband Nick Jonas’ surname Jonas from her social media handle, speculations about the couple’s split started surfacing on social media. However, they…

The death toll from a shipwreck off Madagascar’s northeastern coast has risen to at least 64 after 25 more bodies were discovered, maritime authorities said Wednesday. A wooden vessel, believed to be a cargo ship carrying passengers illegally, sank in the Indian Ocean on Monday with 130 people on board. Forty-five passengers were rescued and around 20 remain missing. The search for survivors continues. “Twenty-five bodies were found this morning near Sainte-Marie islands, probably due to sea currents, which brings the death total to 64,” gendarmerie general Zafisambatra Ravoavy. NDT

KHARTOUM :  Sudan Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has told a group of national political and intellectual figures that he intends to resign in the coming hours, two sources close to Hamdok. Hamdok was reinstated on Nov. 21 following a coup a month earlier that saw the military take power and end a transitional partnership with political parties. While several political forces took part in drafting the agreement, according to the sources, it has faced widespread criticism from parties and the general public. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people marched on the presidential palace rejecting both military rule and Hamdok’s…

BRUSSELS :  European Union countries are expected to agree to limit to nine months the duration of COVID-19 certificates for travel around the bloc, three EU sources told Reuters, but some states are concerned that such a limit could hinder travel. Separately, the EU executive proposed at an internal meeting with health experts from member states on Thursday to impose PCR tests on all incoming travellers from outside the bloc, two of the sources said, a step prompted by a lack of firm information so far on the risks posed by the Omicron coronavirus variant. The EU introduced COVID-19 passes…

Saudi Arabia : From music festivals and mega-projects to hotel openings and new direct flights, 2021 has been a year of new beginnings for Saudi Arabia. Part of the country’s ambitious 2030 plan to bring Saudi Arabia to the world, historic AlUla, home to the country’s first Unesco heritage site at Hegra, continues to expand its offering, with experiences such as Hegra After Dark and art events such as Desert X AlUla 2022. The 52-hectare ancient city in the north-western part of the country welcomed its first direct flight from Dubai in November, opening up options for a whole new generation of intrepid travellers. Saudi airline flynas now runs three direct…

MOSCOW :  The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated his demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for “tensions that are building up in Europe.” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at a meeting with Russia’s top military brass came just days after Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. The demands — contained in a proposed Russia-U.S. security treaty and a security agreement between Moscow and NATO — were drafted…

Vienna : The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe urged governments on Tuesday to prepare for a “significant surge” in coronavirus cases across the continent due to the omicron variant, which is already dominant in several countries. “We can see another storm coming,” WHO Europe regional director Dr. Hans Kluge said at a press conference in Vienna. “Within weeks, omicron will dominate in more countries of the region, pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink.” Omicron has been detected in at least 38 of the WHO European region’s 53 members, Kluge added, noting that it is already…

Bahrain :  The Deputy King, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, extended his congratulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, following the successful launch of the first Bahrain-UAE satellite, Light-1. HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad highlighted that this vital project advances the Kingdom’s comprehensive development, led by His Majesty the King. HRH the Deputy King commended the efforts of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Adviser, Commander of the Royal Guard, and Secretary-General of the Supreme Defence Council, for this scientific achievement. His Royal Highness expressed his pride in Team Bahrain’s…