Author: News Desk

India : No-frills airline Go First on Tuesday apologised to passengers who were left behind in a coach at Bangalore airport on Monday and said an inadvertent oversight in the reconciliation of the flight to Delhi led to the incident. The Delhi-bound G8-116 from Bangalore to Delhi reportedly left without any of its nearly 55 passengers on Monday. The passengers were left waiting in a shuttle bus for boarding.”The airline has decided to offer all affected passengers one free ticket for travel on any domestic sector in the next 12 months,” Go First said, adding it has also initiated an…

Dammam : The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has announced today the laying of the foundation stone for upgrading and developing two container terminals at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) concession signed with Saudi Global Ports (SGP) valued at over 7 billion riyals. According to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the project is set to take the national maritime regulator a step closer to realizing its Saudi Vision 2030-inspired roadmap centered around optimizing port operations and modernizing infrastructure to build a booming and sustainable maritime ecosystem while fulfilling the aspirations of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS)…

Manama : On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, today received the credentials of 11 newly appointed ambassadors to the Kingdom of Bahrain, during a ceremony held at Sakhir Palace. HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister received the credentials of: -The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, HE Marc Trenteseau -The Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana, HE Mohammad Habibu Tijani -The Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, HE Vladimir Gonzalez -The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, HE Liselotte…

Manama : Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani today attended the first session of the 2023 Diplomatic Forum themed “Diplomatic Practices”. The session was attended by senior ministry’s officials, heads of diplomatic and consular missions abroad, as well as heads of departments and directors. Ambassador to the UK Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Ambassador to France Dr. Mohammed Abdulghaffar Abdulla, Ambassador to the USA Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador to the Thailand Mona Abbas Mahmoud Radhi and Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies Director General Dr. Shaikh Muneera bint Khalifa Al Khalifa…

Washington : The World Bank slashed its 2023 growth forecasts on Tuesday to levels teetering on the brink of recession for many countries as the impact of central bank rate hikes intensifies and the world’s major economic engines sputter. The development lender said it expected global GDP growth of 1.7% in 2023, the slowest pace outside the 2009 and 2020 recessions since 1993. In its previous Global Economic Prospects report in June 2022, the bank had forecast 2023 global growth at 3.0%, reports Reuters. It forecast global growth in 2024 to pick up to 2.7% — below the 2.9% estimate…

The UAE will enforce a blanket ban on single-use plastic shopping bags from January 1, 2024, it was announced on Tuesday. State news agency Wam said a ministerial resolution prohibits the import, production and circulation of single-use plastic shopping bags from next year. This will serve as the prelude to banning products made of single-use materials. From January 1, 2026, the country will ban plastic or foam products like cups, plates, cutlery, containers and boxes. These include spoons, forks, knives, chopsticks, straws and stirrers. The pan-UAE measures aim to protect the environment from plastic pollution. The decision limits the consumption…

Manama : President of the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, has announced that a new customer services and billing system will be launched in early February. The new system is part of EWA’s comprehensive development strategy, and is focused on advancing digital transformation in the authority in order to enhance the quality of services provided to customers. The President of EWA stressed that the new system is comprehensive and capitalises on the latest technologies used in securing optimum service delivery. Turning to the advantages of the new system, Kamal bin Ahmed explained that facilitation of electricity…

Manama : Education Minister Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma today received a delegation from US Boston University led by College of Education and Human Development Dean Professor David J. Chard and other senior officials. Undersecretary for Policies, Strategies and Performance Nawal Ibrahim Al Khater and Bahrain Teachers College Acting Dean Dr. Lucy Bailey attended the meeting. The minister welcomed the delegation, currently on visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain within the framework of the cooperation agreement signed between Boston University and Bahrain Teachers College. Under the deal, a Master’s Program in Educational Leadership has been launched, attracting students from inside and outside the…

Manama :  Interior Ministry Undersecretary of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA)  Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa asserted the importance of community partnership to promote interaction and fast response to citizens and residents, per the directives of Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. He said that the NPRA allocates interaction channels with the public to receive their inquiries, suggestions and complaints. He said that in 2022, the Communication Centre received 63,000 calls and the National Suggestion & Complaint system “Tawasul” received 50,000 requests. He highlighted that a specialised team had handled all calls and requests, and…

Manama : His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received a cable of thanks from the President of Singapore Halimah Yacob in reply to HM’s congratulations on her country National Day. President Yacob expressed thanks and gratitude to HM the King and wished him abundant health and happiness and the people of Bahrain further progress and prosperity.