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A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Oman SATS Company and Oman Charitable Organization (OCO) to exempt ground handling costs for OCO.
The MoU comes within the framework of supporting humanitarian efforts provided by OCO in various countries of the world through Muscat International Airport.
The MoU was signed by Sheikh Aymen Ahmed Al Hosni, Chairman of Oman SATS and Mohammed Hamoud Al Dihli, CEO of OCO.
Source: Oman News Agency
An agreement was inked here today between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources and Fisheries Development Oman (FDO) for FDO to handle managing and operating the Ministry’s fish farming centre at Al Bustan area.
The agreement aims to commercially manage and operate the centre. It is also expected to contribute to producing approximately 9 million of marine fish fry.
The agreement targets boosting cooperation in carrying out research in the field of fish farming.
Moreover, the agreement was signed by Dr. Saud Hamoud Al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources and Sheikh Nasser Sulaiman Al Harthy, Chairman of FDO’s Board of Directors.
Source: Oman News Agency
Iraq and Saudi Arabia discussed opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the field of renewable energy, and to benefit from the capabilities and expertise of Saudi companies in this field.
This came during a meeting between Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz Bin Salman and Iraqi Electricity Minister Ziyad Fadel in Riyadh.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the two Ministers discussed developments in the electrical interconnection project between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which in turn will contribute to “supporting the reliability of electrical networks in the two countries and achieving economic savings.”
The project will also promote “achieving the optimal mix of energy for electricity production, supporting the absorption of electrical networks for the entry of renewable energy, benefiting from the capabilities and expertise of the Saudi company (Aqua Power) in this field, and developing future projects in Iraq,” according to the Agency.
For its part, the Iraqi side was briefed on the financial and regulatory reforms witnessed by the electricity sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past three years, and the possibility of exchanging experiences between the two countries in this field.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
A member of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Jamal Cougar, affirmed that there is no fear of the financial deficit in the state budget for the year 2023.
Cougar said in a statement to the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA): “The financial deficit in the state budget for the year 2023 will be covered from the existing financial surplus, which is around 30 trillion dinars, and the approval of the budget in the fifth month means that the previous 5 months are not counted from the year, and therefore the government cannot spend the entire budget during the remainder of the fiscal year, so there will be a rounded amount of money to the next year, up to 20 trillion dinars, to be returned to the government.
He made it clear that there is no fear of a financial deficit in the salaries of employees and retirees, because it is fully insured in the 2023 budget.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
The Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aluminium Bahrain BSC (Alba) to explore areas of collaboration and ongoing training opportunities.
Under the terms of the agreement, the BIBF will provide training to Alba staff in diverse business domains such as Accounting, Finance, Design Thinking, Project Management, Procurement, and Supply Chain amongst other topics.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Alba, one of Bahrain’s leading industrial companies, and offer our expertise in training and development. The MoU will enable us to share knowledge and resources, while providing training to enhance the skills of Alba employees,” BIBF’s Director Dr. Ahmed Al Shaikh said.
“This partnership aligns with the BIBF’s mission to support the development of human capital in Bahrain’s key industries, and we look forward to working closely with Alba to design tailored training programs that cater to their specific requirements and enhance the skills of their workforce,” he added.
Alba’s Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali said that training is the essence of our people’s transformation and being one of Bahrain’s flagship assets comes with a greater social responsibility towards our national employees and the local community at large.
“Our partnership with BIBF supports the Company’s ESG Roadmap’s priorities. This MoU is an example of the continuous collaboration between Bahrain’s industrial and educational sectors as it supports the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and its aspirations for more specialized and competitive competences in the labour market,” he added.
The BIBF remains committed to supporting the development of human capital in Bahrain’s key industries and creating more specialized and competitive competencies in the labor market.
Source: Bahrain News Agency (BNA)
The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has provided a series of quality services for 19,608,573 worshipers and Umrah performers at Grand Mosque since the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan until yesterday, Tuesday.
According to the presidency, 1,045,104 Zamzam water bottles were distributed, 30,257,874 litres of Zamzam water were consumed, 655,990 litres of carpet sterilizers were used, and 105,810 litres of hand sanitizer were provided.
The services included robot-operated sterilization devices, which consumed 103,625 litres, and using 653,360 litres to sterilize surfaces, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
As a result of the efforts exerted by the presidency, 901,951 people benefited from the humanitarian and social services provided.
Source: Bahrain News Agency (BNA)
Interior Minister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, today visited the Open Prison Complex.
Chief of Public Security, Interior Ministry’s Undersecretary and Director-General of Verdict Enforcement and Alternative Sentencing attended.
The visit aimed to inspect the situation of inmates and the progress of the open prison programme, being implemented by the General Directorate of Verdict Enforcement and Alternative Sentencing to promote human rights in Bahrain.
The Interior Minister asserted the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to enhance the enforcement of the Alternative Sanctions and Measures Law, in which the open prison is one of its essential phases. The law is within the reform era of HM the King and reflects his wisdom and consideration of convicts’ social and humanitarian aspects. The project also represents a delightful side of Bahrain’s human rights accomplishments.
The Interior Minister hailed the follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, citing HH’s directives to provide the beneficiaries with opportunities to be reintegrated into society within the criminal justice system and the rule of law.
He said that the milestones of the alternative sanctions project, including the recently announced 558 beneficiaries after they were presented to the Public Prosecution during Ramadan, assert dedication and determination of the project that has covered 5,432 inmates since 2018. He affirmed that the positive outcomes of the project reflect that it is moving on the right track.
During the visit, the Interior Minister was briefed by the Director-General of Verdict Enforcement and Alternative Sentencing, Shaikh Khalid bin Rashid Al Khalifa, on the rehabilitation and training programmes and services provided to the beneficiaries of the open prison programme. It comes as a continuation of the successes of the alternative sanctions project. The brief highlighted the cooperation with INJAZ Bahrain, the Nasser Vocational Training Centre and several concerned directorates of the Interior Ministry.
He was also informed about the facilities and services provided to inmates and the workflow, along with a presentation by some beneficiaries of the open prison. They hailed the rehabilitation and training programmes and services provided to them. In addition, INJAZ Bahrain highlighted programmes provided to the beneficiaries in the second phase to prepare them for the labour market.
The Interior Minister thanked the General Directorate of Verdict Enforcement and Alternative Sentencing for its role in implementing modern reformation and rehabilitation initiatives to ensure the programme’s success and promote national human rights accomplishments.
He also appreciated the role of public authorities and private organisations in supporting the programme. He wished the best to all in serving the nation.
Source: Bahrain News Agency (BNA)
Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Chairman of the Parliamentary Delegation’s Executive Committee, Ahmed bin Salman Al-Musallam, has affirmed the keenness of the Shura and Representatives councils to implement the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to enhance the kingdom’s global status.
This can be done through activating the role of parliamentary diplomacy, and carrying on constructive cooperation with the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to achieve the goals of the nation and the citizens across various fields, he said.
Addressing the first meeting of the Parliamentary Delegation’s Executive Committee, Speaker Al-Musallam expressed the pride of the Shura and Representatives council in meeting HM King Hamad, to whom they submitted their replies to the keynote speech HM had delivered while opening the first session of the Sixth Legislative Term.
He also appreciated HM the King’s commendation of the efforts being exerted by the two chambers of the kingdom’s bicameral National Assembly to implement initiatives and proposals to develop the legislative and oversight performance, as well as HM’s praise of the kingdom’s wide-ranging achievements, and resolve to carry on enhancing its civilisational approach.
The Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Delegation reviewed the topics on its agenda, including the letters addressed to it by Arab, Asian, Islamic and international parliamentary associations to take part in meetings and conferences.
It also reviewed the recommendations of the symposium on “The Role of the Gulf Legislative Councils in Consolidating Intra-Investment and Supporting the National Economy”, in addition to the reports on the kingdom’s participation in recent parliamentary meetings.
Source: Bahrain News Agency (BNA)
The Saudi Stock Index (TASI) ended today’s trading session up, gaining 86.34 points to close at 10935.39 points, with deals worth SAR 4.6 billion.
The number of traded shares reached 153 million, with shares of 133 companies increasing in value while the shares of 81 companies closed in decline, according to SPA.
The Saudi Parallel Stock Index (NOMU) closed higher today, gaining 123.04 points to close at 20235.61 points, with a trading amount worth SAR 14.5 million. The number of traded shares exceeded 240,000.
Source: Bahrain News Agency (BNA)
The National Earthquake Center has announced recording eight weak tremors over the 24 past hours.
The Center said in a statement that the stations of the National Seismic Monitoring Network monitored on Tuesday evening until 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning a quake 28 km west and northwest of Homs, 4 tremors in Liwa Iskenderun and 3 Tremors in Turkey.
The center added that all the tremors ranged between 2.1 and 3.7 magnitudes on the Richter scale and they have occurred at different depths reaching up to 38 km.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency
Supplying Ukraine with Western weapons and air defense missiles threatens the global air traffic, Russian Foreign Ministry has affirmed.
“Western weapons which find their way to Ukraine are spreading all over the world, to the zones of other regional conflicts, falling into the hands of organized crime, terrorists and extremists … The necessity to raise the issue of security of civil air traffic in the world, including over Europe, will soon arise,” the ministry said in a statement cited by Sputnik.
The ministry believes that Western arms “put into the hands of the criminal Ukrainian government and mercenaries are killing the civilian population, including women and children, in the Donetsk and Lugansk republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.”
The ministry noted that “the EU and its member-states transferred to Kiev arms and military equipment worth more than 12 billion euros, delivered heavy weapons, planes, tanks, agreed to supply the Ukrainian armed forces with 1 million artillery shells by the end of the year, and do not prevent the recruitment of mercenaries in their countries.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that “any speculations by the European Union about its peacekeeping in the current conditions are very hypocritical since the EU is not undertaking any efforts toward a political settlement.”
“Moreover, the EU is already de facto participating in the Ukraine conflict. It provides political cover for any crimes, provocations, and staging carried out by the Ukrainian regime,” the ministry said.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency