Day: July 9, 2024

Hebron – Ma’an – Two young men escaped death after an agricultural tractor swept away and hit the vehicle they were riding in, causing moderate to above-moderate injuries to the tractor driver and the two young men.

Media activist in Beit Ummar, Muhammad Ayyad Awad, reported that citizen Muhammad Khaled Abdul Majeed Bahr, 57 years old, sustained injuries and bruises in various parts of his body after the agricultural tractor he was driving swept away and hit a vehicle with two young men from Beit Ummar inside, who were injured. All the injured were transferred to the Hebron Governmental Hospital to receive medical treatment.

Source: Maan News Agency

Manama, Shaikh Khalifa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Governor of the Southern Governorate, met with Okai Asako, the Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The meeting discussed the longstanding bilateral relations between Bahrain and Japan.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

HEBRON – Ma’an – Large forces of the occupation army and military vehicles raided several areas in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, at dawn on Tuesday, and stormed several citizens’ homes and arrested a former prisoner and a child.

Media activist in Beit Ummar, Muhammad Ayyad Awad, reported that the occupation forces raided the areas of Shaab al-Sir, Asida and the center of Beit Ummar, where the soldiers stormed several homes, smashed external and internal doors, destroyed furniture and belongings of these homes, and detained their owners in separate rooms. The soldiers treated the homeowners with extreme violence.

Awad added, ‘During this, the former prisoner Aktham Yousef Hassan Akhlil, 35 years old, was arrested, where the occupation soldiers severely beat him before arresting him, and the child Raad Awad Hassan Awad, 14 years old. Before the occupation forces withdrew, the soldiers fired live bullets, sound bombs and gas bombs, which led to a number of citizens suffering from suffocation and fai
nting, some of whom were treated by the Red Crescent ambulance in Beit Ummar.’

Source: Maan News Agency

Manama, Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, has reiterated the government’s commitment to enhancing and advancing the industrial sector, a vital pillar of Bahrain’s national economy.

During an inspection tour of factories in the Bahrain Industrial Area in Sitra, as part of the ministry’s efforts to track developments in the industrial sector and identify its requirements and plans.

Minister Fakhro highlighted the Industrial Sector Strategy 2022-2026, aimed at boosting the sector’s GDP contribution, promoting exports of local origin, and creating significant employment opportunities for Bahraini citizens. He emphasised the strategy’s focus on guiding the sector towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, adopting circular carbon economy principles, and enhancing environmental and social governance. The strategy also aims to foster investment in technological infrastructure, digitalise manufacturing processes, and optimise supply chain efficiency through Gulf-wide industrial integration.

During the visit, Minister Fakhro received updates on operations at Sayed Junaid Alam factory, specialising in soap, detergents, cleaning products, perfumes, and cosmetics, as well as Wires International, involved in manufacturing various formed metal products. He reviewed their production capabilities and services offered.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Ramallah – Ma’an – The Palestinian Family Protection and Planning Association in Ramallah launched today, Tuesday, the project “Providing urgent sexual and reproductive health services to communities affected by the escalation of violence in Palestine” with funding from the Japanese people.

Sami Al-Natsheh, the association’s president and a member of the International Federation’s Board of Trustees, said, ‘The project aims to reach marginalized areas and provide reproductive health and maternity services, given the difficulty of accessing them due to the Israeli occupation.’

Al-Natsheh explained that the project’s services will include health and laboratory care, social, psychological and developmental services, in addition to basic care related to public health and reproductive and sexual health.

According to Al-Natsheh, the association aims to reach more than 40,000 beneficiaries of this project through mobile clinics equipped with specialized teams from the association.

Al-Natsheh stressed that the ass
ociation, which has branches spread across Palestine, continues to provide its services despite the destruction of its headquarters in Gaza and its targeting by the Israeli occupation.

For his part, the Japanese Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and Representative of Japan to Palestine, Nakashima Yuichi, expressed his happiness to participate in launching this important project, expressing his gratitude to the Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association and everyone who contributed to organizing this event.

The Japanese Ambassador expressed his deep sorrow over what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank, stressing the importance of supporting sexual and reproductive health services in light of the major humanitarian challenges.

Yuichi explained that the Government of Japan has contributed US$500,000 to support this project in the West Bank, with the aim of providing basic medical care and sexual and reproductive health services through clinics in Ramallah, Hebron, Halhul and Bethlehem, with a
focus on managing cases of gender-based violence.

In the same context, Dr. Fadwa Bakhdeh, Regional Director of the Arab World Regional Office of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, emphasized the strategy of international support for reproductive and sexual health provided by the Federation to Palestine, stressing the importance of the strategic partnership between the Federation, the people and the Japanese government.

Dr. Afif Al-Atawneh, Director General of Public Health, stressed the importance of the partnership between the Association and the Ministry of Health, praising the role of the Association and thanking the Japanese people for their support, calling on other countries to fund such projects, pointing out the need to give Gaza priority after the war.

Issa Al Rabdi, the association’s program director, praised the cooperation, stressing that health is the cornerstone of a dignified and productive life, pointing to the major challenges facing marginalized areas in obtaining basic heal
th care.

At the end of the ceremony, Executive Director Mrs. Amal Awadallah presented the services that the association will provide and explained the project’s objectives, stressing the great support that the association received from the Japanese government to achieve sustainable health goals in light of the difficult circumstances that the region is experiencing.

Source: Maan News Agency

Manama, The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA) held its 18th regular meeting in its fifth session, chaired by Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Khalifa, President of SCIA.

During the meeting, the council congratulated His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the royal family, the people of Bahrain, and the entire Islamic nation on the new Hijri Year 1446.

The council commended the directives and visions outlined by HM King Hamad during this week’s Cabinet session to promote national action across various domains.

Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed emphasised HM the King’s efforts to preserve Bahraini values rooted in Arab and Islamic traditions, respect for all religions and pride in its heritage and noble values.

He commended HM King’s directives to develop an action plan aimed at preserving the historical and cultural identity of Bahrain’s buildings and cities, while addressing infrastructure r
equirements essential for historical areas.

The council commended HM the King’s commitment to strengthening Arab unity, promoting peace and good relations among neighbouring countries, rejecting discrimination, and refraining from aggressive policies and proxy wars, as well as efforts to promote peace, security, and stability in the region.

The council praised HM King Hamad’s support of religious occassions, including Ashoora, within HM the King’s commitment to upholding public rights and freedoms, particularly religious rituals and events. They also commended the government’s efforts, headed by HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in cooperation with relevant entities to ensure the success of the annual commemoration of Ashoora. The council emphasised that these freedoms embody Bahrain’s fundamental principles of religious tolerance and coexistence. Participants also commended the collaboration and efforts of all involved parties, including official and civil entities in this regard.

Additionally, the
council congratulated Bahrain’s pilgrims for completing Hajj. They commended the Kingdom’s efforts, under the leadership of HM the King, in managing the affairs of pilgrims, ensuring their well-being and providing comprehensive services, facilities, \and support. The council also commended the efforts of the Supreme Committee for Hajj and Umrah Affairs, the Bahrain Pilgrimage Mission, and all licensed Bahraini Hajj tour operators.

The council hailed the successf of the Hajj season for the year 1445 AH, underscoring the efforts of Saudi Arabia, led by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.

The council condemned the ongoing aggressive actions and violations by Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and across the occupied Palestinian territories. This includes ongoing illegal settlement activities in the occupied West Bank, which led to the tragic
loss of life and displacement of thousands of innocent civilians, mainly children and women. The council emphasised that these actions are flagrant violations that contravene all religious, moral, humanitarian, legal, and international norms, principles, and treaties.

The council urged the international community to take a firm stance for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. It called for implementing international resolutions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensure the delivery of humanitarian and relief assistance in a comprehensive, secure, sustainable, and unhindered manner. The council underscored the importance of granting the Palestinian people their rightful entitlement to establish an independent state.

Furthermore, the council discussed the topics on the agenda, including the preparations for the Islamic Dialogue Conference to be held under the patronage of HM King Hamad. This conference is held following the call from His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Imam Sheikh of A
l Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, at the ‘Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence’, which was hosted in the Kingdom in November 2022.

The council reviewed the results of the joint meeting held by His Eminence Dr. Al Tayeb, and the delegation of the Muslim Council of Elders, in preparation for Bahrain’s hosting of the Islamic Dialogue Conference in early 2025. The conference will bring together participants including prominent Islamic scholars and institutional experts from around the world.

The council also discussed a memorandum from the general secretariat concerning the issuance of the Bahraini Hijri calendar for the year 1446 AH in various formats (wall, notebook, and desk versions of both types), under the directives of HM the King. The council expressed their appreciation for HM the King for supporting and approving the calendar’s annual printing. They praised the efforts of the Supreme Committee for the Bahraini Calendar, led by Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed,
the technical committees, and the General Secretariat of the Council for their efforts in preparing, printing, and distributing the calendar.

The council reviewed the report from the Sharia Opinion Committee concerning a draft law forwarded to the council by the government. Additionally, the council approved the recommendations outlined in the committee’s report.

The council discussed the report of the mosque construction committee, which highlights the progress in implementing the council’s plan for mosque reconstruction. The report documented the latest developments in six mosque projects supported by the council, as well as five additional projects supported by donors under the council’s supervisions.

The council was informed on the decision of the Board of Directors of the Holy Quran Recitation and Teachers Preparation Institute to grant accreditation to students who have fulfilled the graduation criteria, according to the academic plan in the Holy Qur’an Teacher Diploma Programme.

Source: Bahrain Ne
ws Agency

Ramallah-Ma’an- The Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs and the Prisoners’ Club said that the number of arrests among lawyers since the beginning of the war of extermination has reached no less than 30 lawyers, including two female lawyers.

The Prisoners Authority and the Prisoners Club added, in a joint statement, today, Tuesday, on the occasion of Palestinian Lawyer’s Day, that the occupation carried out systematic crimes against lawyers during their arrests, and they were subjected to all retaliatory measures, as are all detainees in the occupation’s prisons.

They stressed that the occupation has historically targeted lawyers and human rights activists, and this has escalated over the past few years, with the increasing talk about the possibility of prosecuting the occupation in the International Criminal Court, and prosecuting Palestinian human rights and civil institutions.

The Authority and the Club continued that the arrests are one aspect of the restrictions on the work of Palestinian lawyers. Since t
he beginning of the war of extermination, legal teams working in human rights institutions, specifically those who visit and represent detainees, have been subjected to many restrictions on their work, with the aim of undermining their role, as well as with the aim of keeping the Palestinian detainee completely isolated from the world, in addition to the series of restrictions imposed on lawyers working in military courts, which constitute a major shift in the ability to continue performing their work within the occupation’s military courts in order to follow up on the cases of detainees.

In a previous statement by the Authority and the Club, the most prominent restrictions imposed by the occupation on lawyers were reviewed, as the prison administration prevented them from visiting detainees at the beginning of the aggression. After attempts by the relevant institutions, the lawyers were able to resume visits, although a large number of obstacles remained, most notably: the prison administration deliberately
declared a state of emergency upon the lawyer’s arrival at the prison in order to cancel the visit after he had traveled a long distance for it, and this was repeated many times, in addition to procrastination in providing responses to requests to submit a visit, which sometimes extended for two weeks or more, in addition to the attacks and threats that detainees were exposed to in prisons before and after they left to meet the lawyer. It also recently prevented a group of lawyers from making visits to detainees.

The Commission and the Club pointed out that the occupation continues to impose the crime of enforced disappearance against the majority of Gaza detainees, by preventing legal teams and the Red Cross from communicating with them, noting that the institutions’ recent attempts after the amendments that affected some of the regulations related to Gaza detainees, enabled some lawyers to visit a limited number of them under strict procedures, such that the lawyer is subjected to a complete search, and is
prevented from entering any paper with any notes on it for the detainee.

The Authority and the Club stressed the importance of the great and important role played by Palestinian lawyers, especially in the phase of the war of extermination that we are witnessing, and the unprecedented level of crimes, and called for the necessity of working to protect the role of legal teams and supporting them by international human rights institutions in the face of the series of restrictions to which they are exposed, in order to carry out their important and necessary role at all levels.

Source: Maan News Agency

Manama, The Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) announced the implementation of 616 inspection campaigns and visits, during the period of 30 June to 6 July 2024, which resulted in the detention of 50 violating and irregular workers, while 118 violators were deported.

The inspection campaigns and visits also resulted in monitoring a number of violations related to the provisions of a number of regulating laws, especially the LMRA and the Residency Laws in the Kingdom of Bahrain, noting that legal measures were taken regarding the observed violations.

The authority pointed out that 600 inspection visits were carried out on various shops in all governorates, in addition to 16 joint inspection campaigns, that included 11 campaigns in the Capital Governorate; 2 campaigns in the Muharraq Governorate; 1 campaign in the Northern Governorate, and 2 campaigns in the Southern Governorate.

The government entities that participated in the campaigns are the Ministry of Interior, represented by the Nationality, Pas
sports and Residence Affairs (NPRA), and the Governorate’s respective Police Directorate, the General of Verdict Enforcement and

Alternative Sentencing, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

The authority affirmed the continuation of joint coordination with government agencies to intensify inspection campaigns in all governorates of the Kingdom, and to address any violations or practices that negatively affect the stability and competitiveness of the labour market or harm economic and social security of the Kingdom.

The LMRA renewed its request of all members of society to support the efforts of government agencies in addressing illegal labour practices, by reporting violations via the authority’s website www.lmra.gov.bh or by calling the authority’s call centre on 17506055 or via the government’s Suggestions and Complaints System (Tawasul).

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Ramallah – Ma’an – The Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced today the availability of a number of scholarships in Morocco and Tunisia for the year 2024-2025, in the fields of master’s, doctorate, and higher specialization in medicine.

The Ministry called on students wishing to compete for these scholarships to visit its website http://www.mohe.pna.ps to view all the details.

Source: Maan News Agency

London, The Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB) kicked off a five-day strategic visit to the United Kingdom, led by Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of Bahrain EDB, and accompanied by senior executives from the investment promotion agency.

The visit aims to promote the growing investment opportunities in Bahrain and strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. It will also include a series of high-profile events, strategic business meetings, and roundtable discussions with a curated list of existing and potential investors across priority sectors, namely financial services and manufacturing.

The strategic meetings will feature Bahrain’s public and private sector leaders promoting business opportunities within the Kingdom. Representatives from leading UK firms like PWC Middle East will also attend, showcasing successful expansions and highlighting Bahrain’s investor-friendly environment.

Alkhulaif emphasised that this strategic visit
offers a platform to highlight Bahrain’s strategic advantages and dynamic investment opportunities in key sectors, with the UK being a primary target market for Bahrain EDB.

“Through these curated events and strategic meetings, with the support of Team Bahrain, we aim to build lasting partnerships that will drive more investment in the country, leading to sustainable economic growth and job creation,” she added.

Bahrain EDB is set to host two roundtable sessions, the first in collaboration with Sovereign Strategy, the consulting and public relations firm with a global footprint, and the latter with TheCityUK, an industry-led body representing UK-based financial and related professional services. Both sessions were held under Chatham House rules, offering the opportunity to exchange views through discussions with C-level policymakers and industry leaders, while promoting Bahrain’s ease of doing business, highly skilled talent pool, and business-friendly investment environment.

On the sidelines of the visit,
in partnership with Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club (REHC), Bahrain EDB will additionally host key investors at the Newmarket July Festival, networking with strategic partners, potential investors, and business affiliates.

Bahrain and the United Kingdom have a longstanding bilateral relationship spanning over two centuries, fostering continuous development and cooperation at various levels. This is demonstrated by their non-oil trade, which exceeded USD 443 million as of 2023.

Numerous leading UK companies, such as Unilever, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, Standard Chartered, HSBC, Reckitt Benckiser, Mott Macdonald, and PWC, have established a significant presence in Bahrain. Notably, PWC Middle East has recently launched its regional service centre in Bahrain, pledging to hire 250 Bahrainis.

Source: Bahrain News Agency