p2 bahrain-saudi ties ‘worth emulating’

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Staunch partners in nation building

Biden to pull out all US troops in Afghanistan before September 11Washington

President Joe Biden will remove all US troops

from Afghanistan before this year’s 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, said a US official.

The move ends Ameri-ca’s longest war around five months later than planned.

Biden has “reached the conclusion that the Unit-ed States will complete its drawdown — will remove its forces from Afghanistan — before September 11,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

Bahrain-Saudi ties ‘worth emulating’

His Majesty King Hamad and King Salman provide unwavering support for progress

• Shaikh Salman co-chairs first meeting of Saudi-Bahraini Coordination Council’s Economic Committee

• They stress the need to continue boosting bilateral partnership to achieve common goals

TDT | Manama

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s “strong and deep” rela-tions are based on solid

foundations of partnership and joint coordination at all levels, Finance and National Econo-my Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said yester-day. They are a role model to be emulated and a source of pride, he added.

This came as Shaikh Salman and Saudi Finance Minister Mo-

hammed bin Abdulla Al Jadaan, acting Economy and Planning Minister, co-chaired the first meeting of the Economy, Ener-gy, Trade and Industry Coordi-nation Committee of the Sau-di-Bahraini Coordination Coun-cil. The panel is one of the five committees emanating from the Saudi-Bahraini Coordination

Council, chaired by His Roy-al Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and the Saudi Crown Prince, Depu-ty Prime Minister and Defence Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Shaikh Salman highlighted

the fruitful outcomes and distin-guished cooperation and com-plementarity between the two brotherly countries as a result of the unwavering interest of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

He indicated that the first

meeting of the committee adds to the ongoing coordination ef-forts between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in the economic, trade and investment fields aimed at carrying on joint fruitful coop-eration in order to enhance bi-lateral relations towards more progress and prosperity for the two kingdoms.

Shaikh Salman speaking at the virtual meeting

Saudi Arabia is Bahrain’s largest economic partner

thanks to their well-established relations, resulting in numerous

joint economic and trade initiatives

and projects that have contributed

to supporting their economic growth

FINANCE MINISTER SHAIKH SALMAN BIN KHALIFA AL KHALIFA

Last update - 9:00 pm13 April 2021

(First dose) (Second dose)

Individuals vaccinated

02WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021

Staunch partners in nation buildingHM the King lauds legislative branch ‘pivotal role’ in Kingdom’s progress and development

• His Majesty receives Shura and Representatives Council leaders at Safriya Palace as they exchange Ramadan good wishes

TDT | Manama

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has praised the Shura and

Representatives Councils for their contributions and dedi-cated efforts in nation building.

HM the King lauded the pivot-al role of the legislative branch in serving the development march, boosting the democrat-ic approach, defending the su-preme interests of the nation and achieving citizens’ aspira-tions.

This came as His Majesty re-ceived Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh and Rep-resentatives Council Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal at Safriya Palace yesterday.

The legislative leaders extend-ed to HM the King heartfelt con-gratulations on the Holy Month of Ramadan, wishing him many happy returns, abundant health and happiness as well as further growth, security and prosperity

to the Kingdom of Bahrain.HM the King exchanges Rama-

dan good wishes with Chairman Al Saleh and Speaker Zainal, thanking them for their noble feelings marking the occasion.

His Majesty reviewed with them local issues, including the latest developments in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

He praised the Councils’ initi-atives in supporting the national efforts to effectively handle the pandemic, stressing the king-dom’s ability to overcome chal-lenges with strength, determina-tion and collective cooperation.

Wise leadershipChairman Al Saleh paid trib-

ute to HM King Hamad, hailing his wise leadership to achieve sustainable development.

He praised the royal support to the legislative branch of gov-ernment, lauding Bahrain’s land-mark development strides in the prosperous era of HM the King.

Al Saleh expressed congrat-ulations to HM the King on the

holy month, wishing Bahrain and its loyal people, the Arab and Islamic nations more progress. In a statement after meeting HM the King, he lauded the royal affirmation of the values of tol-erance and amity.

The Shura Council head com-mended the royal follow-up of national efforts aimed to combat

the coronavirus, hailing HM the King’s directives to provide vac-cines for citizens and residents free of charge.

He praised the pivotal role played by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in following up the implementation of the measures issued by the National Medical Taskforce for Combat-ing COVID-19.

HM King received yesterday Royal Family Council members who extended to him sincere congratulations and best wishes on the Holy Month of Ramadan. Personal Representative of HM the King, HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, National Security Advisor, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, also attended the meeting.

KNOW WHAT

HM the King praised the Councils’ initia-tives in supporting

the national efforts to effectively handle the pandemic, stressing the kingdom’s ability

to overcome chal-lenges with strength,

determination and collective coopera-

NBR holds an interactive virtual VAT workshop

• Entities’ representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises attend event

TDT | Manama

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) held a

virtual workshop on VAT core concepts, as part of its commitment to raise payers’ awareness of all Vits aspects to ensure effective implementa-tion through its various stages.

The NBR virtual workshops, which was attended by en-tities’ representatives from small and medium-sized en-terprises, are dedicated to in-crease businesses awareness of VAT procedures.

They also include a ques-tion-and-answer session to

respond to all relevant inquir-ies by NBR representatives via high-quality visual con-nection that enables effective communication between all parties.

The NBR will continue or-ganising virtual workshops in the upcoming phase. Interest-ed VAT payers may pre-register by filling out the workshop registration form through the NBR’s website at www.nbr.gov.bh to enable NBR represent-atives to communicate and share upcoming workshops relevant details.

For inquiries related to VAT or to report any violations, our call center can be reached out on 80008001 available 24 hours, 7 days a week, or through vat@nbr.gov.bh.

In addition to leveraging the information available on NBR’s website (www.nbr.gov.bh), In-stagram, Twitter and YouTube channel (@bahrainNBR).

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia bilateral relations discussed

Focus on ways to develop Bahrain and Italy relations

GCC-Swiss cooperation reviewed

Health Ministry Undersecretary participates in virtual GCC

meeting

Saudi Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political and Economic Affairs Ambassador Eid Mohammed Al Thaqafi received yesterday Bahrain Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Shaikh Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. They discussed strong fraternal relations between both countries and issues of common interest.

Bahrain Ambassador to Italy Dr Nasser Mohammed Al Balooshi met with Italian Senate Defence Committee Chairperson Roberta Pinotti. They reviewed relations between the two friendly countries and ways of developing them. They also discussed various regional and international issues of common interest, stressing the importance of exchanging visits between officials of the two friendly countries. They also pointed out the importance of regional forums and conferences hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain and Italy, such as Manama Dialogue, Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference, Bahrain International Air Show and the Mediterranean Dialogue in Rome, in promoting cooperation and historical relations between the two friendly countries.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Nayef Falah Mubarak Al Hajraf received yesterday the Swiss Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Andreas Schaller. They discussed ways to enhance GCC-Swiss relations, as well as the latest regional and international developments of common interest. They also reviewed areas of bilateral cooperation in many fields, such as education, artificial intelligence, technology, health and economy.

Health Ministry Undersecretary Dr Walid bin Khalifa Al Manea participated in the 16th meeting of health ministries undersecretaries in GCC countries, to discuss COVID-19 developments. The meeting, held remotely, reviewed the measures taken by each country to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as the developments related to the vaccination campaigns, discussing the experiences of each of the GCC countries and the mechanisms for distributing the vaccine, and the importance of exchanging information. They urged citizens and residents of GCC countries to fully adhere to preventive measures such as: wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, and maintaining physical distancing, especially in the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Electronic platforms successEducation Ministry has provided students with special needs 28,646

virtual lessons since the start of current academic year

• An opportunity to monitor their knowledge, skills and behavioural level, as well as ensuring their academic progress

TDT | Manama

Various electronic plat-forms such as the educa-tional portal and virtual

classrooms have benefitted stu-dents with special needs during this pandemic.

The Education Ministry is succeeding in its continuous efforts to ensure the sustaina-bility of educational services to all students since the spread of the coronavirus pandemic

Aside from the modern plat-forms, the Ministry has activat-ed all available communication channels with students and their parents adding to the suc-cess of the educational process.

Minister Dr Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi stressed the impor-tance of the participation of the students with special needs in

remote lessons in providing an opportunity to monitor their knowledge, skills and behav-ioural level, as well as ensuring their academic progress.

He pointed out that since the start of the current academic year 2020/2021, a total of 28,646

direct lessons have been provid-ed for those students.

They are broken down as fol-lows: 5,736 lessons for students with intellectual disability and Down syndrome; 10,416 for stu-dents with Autism spectrum disorder; 10,863 for students with learning difficulties; and 1,631 for students with speech and language impairments.

Dr Al Nuaimi highlighted the Ministry’s keenness to commu-nicate with the parents of stu-

dents with special needs on a regular basis, out of its belief on the importance of partnership with them.

He noted that during the current circumstances, parents of those have been contacted 33,173 times via phone calls, text messages, e-mail, the ClassDojo and WhatsApp application, in order to get re-assured about the progress of virtual lessons and follow up on the students’ mastery of competencies.

The Ministry is keen on

communicating with the parents of students with special needs on a regular basis,

out of its belief on the importance of partnership with

them EDUCATION MINISTER DR MAJID BIN

ALI AL NUAIMI

Online teaching and learning are intellectually challenging for students with special needs

Supply of goods sufficient during Ramadan

• Ministry intensifying regulatory campaigns to prevent spread of virus

TDT | Manama

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism

has intensified its efforts to se-cure the supply of appropriate quantities of various commodi-ties for the Holy Month of Ram-adhan.

Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani said that it is part of the monitoring campaigns to ensure the continuity of work with preventive measures to prevent the spread of the coro-navirus.

The Minister stressed that the local market enjoys a great abundance of goods with wide variety at usual prices, pointing out that people should not rush for goods, instead they should be cautious in taking measure to protect their health and for the safety of everyone when shopping.

He stressed the importance of everyone’s commitment, whether shopkeepers or visi-tors, to follow the precaution-ary measures announced in advance to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Regarding shops and restau-rants, Al Zayani stressed the need for them to implement plans and measures that ensure a safe environment for their visitors through adhering to

the stipulated precautionary measures.

He called on all shops and restaurants to prevent what may cause any crowding, noting that the Ministry, through the Inspection Department, will tighten supervision during the holy month, and that any abuse or negligence in the procedures will lead to taking appropriate action immediately.

Local market enjoys a great abundance of goods with wide variety at usual prices

Collect and distribute Zakat Al Fitr through electronic platforms• NGOs and charitable societies urged to follow COVID precautionary measures

• Labour Minister’s call aimed at preserving everyone’s health and safety during Ramadan

TDT | Manama

Non- Governmental Or-ganizations (NGOs) and

charitable societies must con-tinue to apply all precaution-ary measures and instructions issued in advance regarding the obligation not to set up breakfast tables for fasting people during the Holy Month of Ramadan, in addition to re-placing the kiosks for collect-

ing and distributing Zakat Al Fitr with electronic platforms and applications only.

This was stressed by Labour and Social Development Min-ister Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan.

This is part of the directives of the Coordinating Com-mittee headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and the recommendations of the National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus to preserve the health and safety of everyone during the holy month.

The Ministry has taken many initiatives and measures to en-sure that NGOs obtain licences to collect money electronical-ly since 2017 to facilitate the process of electronic cash do-nation without harming any community groups benefiting from the donations .

Filipino Ambassador meets two Bahrain human rights officials

TDT | Manama

Philippine Ambassador Al-fonso Ver welcomed Bah-

rain Human Rights Watch So-ciety (BHRWS) Secretary Gen-eral Faisal Fulad at Philippine Embassy in Mahooz.

They hailed the strong re-lations between Bahrain and the Philippines and high-l ighted cooperation and partnership in human rights, peace and COVID-19 vaccine support.

Ambassador Ver praised His Royal Highness Prince Sal-man bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the

Crown Prince and Prime Min-ister, for his comprehensive COVID-19 directives to safe-guard the health of citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

He also thanked HRH Prince Salman for supporting expatri-ates to get vaccinated, provid-ing medical assistance, and ex-tending humanitarian support to all the needy.

Fulad urged all expatriates in Bahrain to get vaccinated.

BHRWS is committed to en-suring the welfare and protec-tion of expatriates’ rights in the Kingdom.

From left, Fulad, BHRWS Workers Rights Committe Director Lyn Le. Altarejos and Ambassador Ver

Jail sentences on bribery case upheldTDT | Manama

The High Appeals court upheld the jail terms

issued in the case involv-ing public employees at the General Directorate of Traf-fic who received bribes in return for fixing the results of driving exams.

Two employees at the General Directorate of Traf-fic are said to have been re-ceiving bribes in order to allow the driving licence ap-plicants to pass, regardless of their driving proficiency.

The first defendant re-ceived seven years behind bars, while the second sus-pect was given six months in prison. Five other de-fendants are implicated in the case, all of whom are Asians.

They received jail sen-tences ranging between one year and three years behind bars each. All of them will be deported from the King-dom once they serve their jail time.

According to court files, one of the public servants was responsible for sched-uling test dates, while the other was an examiner.

They both worked hand in hand to ensure those who paid the bribes will be test-ed by the first defendant. They were getting the cus-tomers from the third de-fendant, who was offering his countrymen the oppor-tunity to pay BD300 to pass the driving exam.

Their arrangements were exposed after an Asian woman rejected the offer, and reported them to the police.

“He told me to pay BD300 and I will get my driving licence while disregarding my performance in the test,” the woman said.

Shura Chairman lauds Arab Parliament’s role in supporting Bahraini affairs

Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh received Arab Parliament Speaker Adel bin Abdulrahman Al Asoumi. He stressed the Arab Parliament’s important role in dealing with Arab issues and the attempts that the nation faces in terms of interfering in its internal affairs, destabilising security and stability, and trying to dominate its capabilities and decisions. Al Saleh noted the advancement of the Arab Parliament as an organisation that represents the opinion and aspirations of the Arab people. Al Asoumi praised Shura chairman’s support for the Arab Parliament’s role to address Arab and Islamic issues in light of the regional developments.

Staunch partners in nation buildingHM the King lauds legislative branch ‘pivotal role’ in Kingdom’s progress and development

• His Majesty receives Shura and Representatives Council leaders at Safriya Palace as they exchange Ramadan good wishes

TDT | Manama

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has praised the Shura and

Representatives Councils for their contributions and dedi-cated efforts in nation building.

HM the King lauded the pivot-al role of the legislative branch in serving the development march, boosting the democrat-ic approach, defending the su-preme interests of the nation and achieving citizens’ aspira-tions.

This came as His Majesty re-ceived Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh and Rep-resentatives Council Speaker Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal at Safriya Palace yesterday.

The legislative leaders extend-ed to HM the King heartfelt con-gratulations on the Holy Month of Ramadan, wishing him many happy returns, abundant health and happiness as well as further growth, security and prosperity

to the Kingdom of Bahrain.HM the King exchanges Rama-

dan good wishes with Chairman Al Saleh and Speaker Zainal, thanking them for their noble feelings marking the occasion.

His Majesty reviewed with them local issues, including the latest developments in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

He praised the Councils’ initi-atives in supporting the national efforts to effectively handle the pandemic, stressing the king-dom’s ability to overcome chal-lenges with strength, determina-tion and collective cooperation.

Wise leadershipChairman Al Saleh paid trib-

ute to HM King Hamad, hailing his wise leadership to achieve sustainable development.

He praised the royal support to the legislative branch of gov-ernment, lauding Bahrain’s land-mark development strides in the prosperous era of HM the King.

Al Saleh expressed congrat-ulations to HM the King on the

holy month, wishing Bahrain and its loyal people, the Arab and Islamic nations more progress. In a statement after meeting HM the King, he lauded the royal affirmation of the values of tol-erance and amity.

The Shura Council head com-mended the royal follow-up of national efforts aimed to combat

the coronavirus, hailing HM the King’s directives to provide vac-cines for citizens and residents free of charge.

He praised the pivotal role played by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, in following up the implementation of the measures issued by the National Medical Taskforce for Combat-ing COVID-19.

HM King received yesterday Royal Family Council members who extended to him sincere congratulations and best wishes on the Holy Month of Ramadan. Personal Representative of HM the King, HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, National Security Advisor, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, also attended the meeting.

KNOW WHAT

HM the King praised the Councils’ initia-tives in supporting

the national efforts to effectively handle the pandemic, stressing the kingdom’s ability

to overcome chal-lenges with strength,

determination and collective coopera-

NBR holds an interactive virtual VAT workshop

• Entities’ representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises attend event

TDT | Manama

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) held a

virtual workshop on VAT core concepts, as part of its commitment to raise payers’ awareness of all Vits aspects to ensure effective implementa-tion through its various stages.

The NBR virtual workshops, which was attended by en-tities’ representatives from small and medium-sized en-terprises, are dedicated to in-crease businesses awareness of VAT procedures.

They also include a ques-tion-and-answer session to

respond to all relevant inquir-ies by NBR representatives via high-quality visual con-nection that enables effective communication between all parties.

The NBR will continue or-ganising virtual workshops in the upcoming phase. Interest-ed VAT payers may pre-register by filling out the workshop registration form through the NBR’s website at www.nbr.gov.bh to enable NBR represent-atives to communicate and share upcoming workshops relevant details.

For inquiries related to VAT or to report any violations, our call center can be reached out on 80008001 available 24 hours, 7 days a week, or through vat@nbr.gov.bh.

In addition to leveraging the information available on NBR’s website (www.nbr.gov.bh), In-stagram, Twitter and YouTube channel (@bahrainNBR).

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia bilateral relations discussed

Focus on ways to develop Bahrain and Italy relations

GCC-Swiss cooperation reviewed

Health Ministry Undersecretary participates in virtual GCC

meeting

Saudi Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political and Economic Affairs Ambassador Eid Mohammed Al Thaqafi received yesterday Bahrain Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Shaikh Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. They discussed strong fraternal relations between both countries and issues of common interest.

Bahrain Ambassador to Italy Dr Nasser Mohammed Al Balooshi met with Italian Senate Defence Committee Chairperson Roberta Pinotti. They reviewed relations between the two friendly countries and ways of developing them. They also discussed various regional and international issues of common interest, stressing the importance of exchanging visits between officials of the two friendly countries. They also pointed out the importance of regional forums and conferences hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain and Italy, such as Manama Dialogue, Bahrain International Defence Exhibition and Conference, Bahrain International Air Show and the Mediterranean Dialogue in Rome, in promoting cooperation and historical relations between the two friendly countries.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Nayef Falah Mubarak Al Hajraf received yesterday the Swiss Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Andreas Schaller. They discussed ways to enhance GCC-Swiss relations, as well as the latest regional and international developments of common interest. They also reviewed areas of bilateral cooperation in many fields, such as education, artificial intelligence, technology, health and economy.

Health Ministry Undersecretary Dr Walid bin Khalifa Al Manea participated in the 16th meeting of health ministries undersecretaries in GCC countries, to discuss COVID-19 developments. The meeting, held remotely, reviewed the measures taken by each country to prevent the spread of the virus, as well as the developments related to the vaccination campaigns, discussing the experiences of each of the GCC countries and the mechanisms for distributing the vaccine, and the importance of exchanging information. They urged citizens and residents of GCC countries to fully adhere to preventive measures such as: wearing masks, avoiding gatherings, and maintaining physical distancing, especially in the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Call to take health measures seriously

Even after getting the vaccine, strictly adhere to precautionary measures: Health authorities

• Full compliance helps prevent people from spreading COVID-19, and from being infected themselves

TDT | Manama

The “spike” in the num-ber of coronavirus active cases is more often than

not a direct consequence of in-dividuals not following public health measures.

So to keep one self and the entire community safe against COVID-19, the National Med-ical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus has been con-sistently and tirelessly advising the public to strictly adhere to health guidelines and precau-tionary measures.

The best way to prevent the spread of virus is to wear face mask when heading out in pub-lic, observe social distancing, limit family gatherings, avoid large crowds, and get vaccinat-ed.

And even after getting the vaccine, health authorities still recommend people to not abandon all of them. Other pre-scribed protective measures also include doing more outdoor activities and washing hands frequently.

Properly wearing a mask can help keep everybody safe while navigating the pandemic.

While one should continue to wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes, avoid touching face and follow social distancing rules,

wearing a mask is an essential step to stay safe.

The most common way COV-ID-19 spread is through per-son-to-person contact. When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, they produce respiratory droplets that can travel about six feet and can land in the mouths or noses of those nearby.

COVID-19 can also be spread by people who don’t know they have the virus since they aren’t experiencing any symptoms. Because of this, health profes-

sionals recommend wearing masks or cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of the virus. In these circumstances, a mask can add an extra layer of protection.

While wearing a mask may not keep one from getting COV-ID-19, it can help lower the odds.

If a person is sick, a mask can help prevent germs from infect-ing others. If one is healthy, a mask can help keep respirato-ry droplets from someone who is sick from landing in his/her nose and mouth.

While we can’t quantify how effective it is to wear a mask, we do know it offers some pro-tection while not wearing one offers none. In short, we are all at the lowest risk when every-one wears a mask.

And remember, social dis-tancing and hand washing are very important safety precau-tions too that everyone should follow.

Studies show that even a dis-tance of three feet significant-ly decreases the spread of the coronavirus from one person to another. At six feet, the risk decreases even further, at nine feet even further than that, and so on, particularly in an indoor setting.

Scientific evidence is clear: prescribed protective meas-ures help prevent people from spreading COVID-19, and from being infected themselves.

KNOW WHAT

The best way to prevent the spread of virus is to wear face mask when

heading out in pub-lic, observe social distancing, limit

family gatherings, avoid large crowds, and get vaccinated.

Audit company owner faces trial

• Accused of failing to report suspicious transactions

TDT | Manama

An owner of a local audit company is set to face trial

for failing to meet the mon-ey-laundering requirements which compel him to report suspicious transactions.

According to a statement released by the Public Prose-cution, the Ministry of Indus-try, Commerce and Tourism reported the defendant after it was found that the compa-ny failed to live up to its ob-ligations when auditing local establishments.

“The company had com-mitted a number of violations when it was assigned to per-form the required audit pro-

cedures for various companies, including failure to implement the rules of due diligence to-wards clients and neglecting the application of the ap-proach based on risks, keep-ing records and documents, and the obligation to submit reports on suspicious opera-tions,” the statement explains.

The Public Prosecution heard the statements of the Anti-Money Laundering De-partment head at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism who discussed the pieces of proof that were gath-ered against the owner of the company.

The accused was questioned and admitted to the violations he committed, revealed the Public Prosecution in the statement, warning against violating the regulations and laws of money laundering and financing terrorism.

Horizon School-Bahrain welcomes students to new academic year

• The smiles on students spread the message of hope and new beginning

TDT | Manama

Th e N e w H o r i z o n School-Bahrain teachers

have remotely welcomed their students to the new academic year 2021-2022.

A welcome assembly was held on 5 April to mark the occasion.

It began with the singing of the Bahrain National Anthem. After seeking the blessings of God, the Academic Coordina-tor of Grade 1 to 3 addressed the gathering and welcomed all.

The School Counsellor shared a PowerPoint presenta-tion about eight Golden Rules to be followed during online classes and mandatory rules to be maintained whenever going out. A mesmerising song was sung by the teachers.

Principal Leena Verma de-livered a keynote address as she welcomed the students to the new academic session and motivated the teachers to excel in their future endeavours.

After the singing of the Indi-an National Anthem, the vote of thanks was given by the HoD of English Department.

After the assembly, an inter-active session was conduct-ed by the teachers with their respective classes. Students introduced themselves and shared their talents to their classmates.

The interactive session conducted by the teachers with their students

Advisor to HM King receives businessmanHis Majesty the King’s Advisor for Economic Affairs Dr Hassan bin Abdullah Fakhro received businessman Nasser Mohammad Jamil bin Mansour Al Arayedh, who presented his with a copy of his book entitled “Mansour Al Arayedh: The History of a Nation 1896-1968”. The Advisor expressed his pride in the edition which sheds light on Mansour Al Arayedh’s career in the country, wishing him further success in serving Bahrain under the constant care of His Majesty the King.

RCSI Bahrain explores opportunities for collaboration with South Korean Ambassador

South Korean Ambassador to Bahrain Hae-Kwan Chung, centre, visited the campus of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland–Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) to meet with senior officials, including RCSI Bahrain President Professor Sameer Otoom, centre right, Chief Operating Officer Stephen Harrison-Mirfield, right, Head of School of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Professor Stephen Atkin, centre left, and Recognition, Careers and Alumni Manager, Fadi Ghosn, left. The Ambassador’s visit featured a presentation of RCSI Bahrain’s operations and core pillars, a campus tour and a discussion on the opportunities of collaborating with medical universities in South Korea for student and staff exchange, as well as research partnerships.

CIBAFI holds online technical workshopTDT | Manama

The General Council for Is-lamic Banks and Financial

Institutions (CIBAFI), the glob-al umbrella of Islamic financial institutions, successfully con-ducted the second series of its online technical workshops for this year.

The two-day CIBAFI Tech-nical Workshop was entitled “Maqasid al Shariah in Islamic Finance”.

Following the successful se-ries of CIBAFI Online Technical Workshop on “Maqasid al Sha-riah in Islamic Finance” in Ar-abic and English languages in 2020, CIBAFI is committed to meeting the high demand from

its French speaking members stakeholders by delivering this workshop which covered the same agenda in the French language.

During the last decades, Is-lamic finance has seen rapid growth contributing more sig-nificantly to the global finan-cial industry. Islamic finance facilitates and encourages modern financial practices to be in line with Shariah princi-ples and requirements.

In the same context, CIBAFI always seeks to raise aware-ness about Islamic finance, which considers Maqasid al Shariah, one of the essential concepts that play a vital role in strengthening its growth.

Investcorp and Trilantic North America to Acquire RoadSafe Traffic Systems TDT | Manama

Investcorp and Trilantic North America, a leading,

growth-focused middle market private equity firm, yesterday agreeing to acquire RoadSafe Traffic Systems (“RoadSafe”) from ORIX Capital Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, RoadSafe is the nation’s largest provider of traffic con-trol and pavement marking ser-vices to roadway construction, state transportation, railroad and utility customers in the US RoadSafe also distributes high quality, innovative and durable traffic safety products and per-sonal protective equipment for traffic work zones. The compa-

ny operates from more than 50 locations with over 1,600 em-ployees, enabling it to service all 48 continental states.

RoadSafe is led by CEO Dave Meirick, an industry veteran of over 34 years, who will continue to lead the firm following the transaction.

Investcorp and Trilantic North America’s partnership with RoadSafe will focus on continuing the firm’s organic growth through expanding ge-ographically across the US and seeking to complete strategic, value-creating add-on acqui-sitions.

Mohamed Al Sada, Head of Bahrain and Kuwait for In-vestcorp’s Private Wealth, said: “This acquisition is another testament of our ability to in-

vest and execute on our growth strategy, and we hope that the company will continue to build on this progress with our part-nership.”

Charles Fleischmann, Partner at Trilantic North America, said,

“Private capital will play a cru-cial role in rebuilding and mod-ernizing U.S. infrastructure and we are thrilled to partner with the RoadSafe and Investcorp teams to strengthen this entre-preneurial business’ leadership position in a highly fragmented industry.”

Dave Meirick, CEO of Road-Safe stated, “We are excited to embark on this next chapter of our business with the sup-port of Investcorp and Trilantic North America. Their resourc-es, expertise and track-record will enable us to continue ex-ecuting on our growth strategy and better serve our clients. We look forward to the long-term benefits this partnership will unlock for our team, clients and communities.”

Mohamed Al Sada

Gulf Air in deal to transform Falconflyer with iFly Loyalty• Gulf Air has entered into this partnership as part of its ongoing digital transformation

TDT | Manana

Gulf Air announced selecting IBS Software as a partner to

enhance its Falconflyer loyalty programme (FFP) and provide Gulf Air with the flexibility to dynamically adapt its Falcon-flyer programme to meet the needs of travellers and enhance its members experience.

Gulf Air has entered into this partnership as part of its on-going digital transformation to deliver the best possible experience to its Falconflyer members.

IBS Software’s iFly Loyalty platform will transform the Falconflyer programme for both consumers and partners. Members will benefit from a revamped mobile app and a new customer experience designed to deliver personalised offers

and rewards. Programme partners will

benefit from an accelerated onboarding process and a new B2B engagement channel that will provide new insights and data to support effective partner management.

iFly Loyalty has been devel-oped to help anticipate traveller behaviour, giving airlines the ability to turn data into action-able insights, enabling loyalty programmes to adapt to chang-ing patterns of behaviour and quickly reconfigure their offer-ings to members. In addition,

iFly Loyalty will provide Gulf Air with the capability to run multiple loyalty programmes from a single platform.

“As we strongly move forward with our digital transformation strategy, we remain complete-ly committed to providing our loyal Falconflyer members with a compelling experience that delivers bespoke offers and redemption options that they value. We have partnered with IBS Software because we firm-ly believe they will assist us in significantly enhancing the way we reward our members, as well

as providing a more robust plat-form to our loyalty partners,” said Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Execu-tive Officer.

Anand Krishnan, Chief Exec-utive Officer, IBS Software, said, “We are working closely with Gulf Air to ensure our system has the flexibility required to change with the times and meet the needs of Gulf Air’s Falcon-flyers. We’re extremely excit-ed to play our role in helping Falconflyer go from strength to strength at a pivotal time in our industry.”

Captain Waleed AlAlawi Anand Krishnan

Bitcoin hits record before landmark Coinbase listing on NasdaqReuters | London

Bitcoin hit a record of $62,741 yesterday, ex-

tending its 2021 rally to new heights a day before the list-ing of Coinbase shares in the United States.

The largest US cryptocur-rency exchange’s listing on the Nasdaq on Wednesday is considered a landmark victory for cryptocurrency advocates.

Bitcoin is the world’s big-gest cryptocurrency, with growing mainstream ac-ceptance as an investment and a means of payment. It rose as much as 5% on Tues-day. Smaller rival Ethereum also reached a record high of $2,205.

The overall cryptocur-rency market capitalisation hit an all-time peak of $2 trillion earlier this month, according to data and mar-ket trackers CoinGecko and Blockfolio.

Major firms including BNY Mellon, Mastercard Inc and Tesla Inc are among those to have embraced or invested in cryptocurren-cies.

Bitcoin topped $60,000 early last month, fuelled by Tesla’s move to buy $1.5 billion of the digital cur-rency for its balance sheet. For the past two weeks, it had traded in a tight range.

“When bitcoin markets create new highs, the price often range-trades and we witness a round of prof-it-taking,” said James But-terfill of digital asset man-ager CoinShares.

Hey Siri, when is Apple’s next event? April 20Reuters

Siri, Apple Inc’s virtual assistant, might have

spilled the beans by telling users yesterday that the iP-hone maker is going to host a special event on April 20.

Siri, who is proficient at stone walling curious Apple fans quizzing it about new products and upcoming events by re-directing them to the company’s website, prematurely seemed to have revealed the plan to hold an event next Tuesday.

When asked by Reuters reporters about Apple’s next event on their iPhones, Siri responded by displaying a message that said, “the special event is on Tuesday, April 20th, at Apple Park in Cupertino, CA. You can get all the details on Apple.com.”The company was not immediately available to comment.

The reveal was first re-ported by tech news website MacRumors.

Apple typically launches new hardware in an event in March. This year, the com-pany did not have a product launch event and technolo-gy news websites speculat-ed that it will launch new iPad Pro models and other products before its annual developers’ conference in June. Known for splashy launches packed with hun-dreds of journalists at its sprawling campus, Apple has turned to virtual events since last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beijing summons 34 tech firms after record Alibaba fineAFP News

Chinese regulators have warned 34 technology

giants -- including Baidu and Tencent -- to “recti-fy” any anti-competitive measures, a statement said Tuesday, days after e-com-merce giant Alibaba was fined nearly $2.8 billion for abusing its dominant mar-ket position.

Companies summoned by the regulator include inter-net giants Baidu, Tencent and ByteDance, the owner of TikTok.

The 34 firms have been given one month to under-go “complete rectification” after conducting internal checks and inspections, the statement said, and to cor-rect any practices which “harms competition.”

UK economy grew in FebruaryReuters | London

Britain’s economy grew by 0.4% in February

from January as companies prepared for the lifting of a third coronavirus lockdown, according to official data which also showed a par-tial recovery in post-Brexit trade with the European Union.

Britain’s economy shrank by almost 10% last year, its biggest slump in more than three centuries and a more severe fall than in most Eu-ropean economies, as the country was battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tuesday’s data showed GDP remained 7.8% be-low its level a year earlier, shortly before the pandemic swept Europe, and was 3.1% lower than its level in Oc-tober, before the two latest lockdowns hammered Brit-ain’s huge services sector.

Still, a fast rollout of COV-ID-19 vaccines has raised the prospect of a bounce-back this year and in 2022.

Non-essential shops and outdoor hospitality venues reopened on Monday and Prime Minister Boris John-son hopes to relax most coronavirus restrictions before the end of June.

Batelco top-rated mobile network in Bahrain: OoklaTDT | Manama

Batelco has been rec-ognised by Speedtest by Ookla as Bahrain’s

Top-Rated Mobile Network for Q3-Q4 2020, based on speed-test feedback from mobile users in Bahrain. Speedtest Awards are based on six months of data collection, using feedback from people who use the Speedtest by Ookla App to test their network speed, and then respond to a ‘Rate your Provider’ survey.

Ookla, the company behind Speedtest, is the global leader in fixed broadband and mobile

network testing applications, data and analysis.

Ookla CEO Doug Suttles said, “This recognition is testament to Batelco’s exceptional net-work performance based on Ookla’s rigorous analysis of customer ratings provided with

Speedtest.”Batelco Network General

Manager Rashid Mohamed said that Batelco was delighted to receive the Top-Rated Mobile Network Award from Speed-test. “We are very proud of this achievement which recognizes our commitment to provide the best network in Bahrain.”

The Top-Rated Mobile Net-work Award presented to Batel-co is based on analysis by Ookla of customer rating data for the 3rd and 4th quarter of 2020.

Rashid Mohamed

“THE HUMAN RACE HAS ONE REALLY EFFECTIVE WEAPON, AND THAT IS LAUGHTER”MARK TWAIN

QUOTE OF THE DAY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021

1865 1903 1912 2003TODAY IN

HISTORYS President Abraham Lincoln is shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Wash-ington; he dies a day later

Dr Harry Plotz discovers a vaccine against typhoid (NYC)

RMS Titanic hits an iceberg at 11.40pm off Newfoundland

The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to

an accuracy of 99.99%

The world was now at a “critical point”

of the pandemic. The trajectory of this

pandemic is growing... exponentially. This is not the situation

we want to be in 16 months into a

pandemic, when we have proven control

measures

MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, THE WHO’S TECH-NICAL LEAD ON COVID-19

4TWEETS

If “Time” wins the Os-car this year, it will

be the first documen-tary directed by a Black woman to do so. Garrett Bradley’s talent makes her worthy of that mile-stone. This is one of the most intimate movies I have ever seen. #itsTIME

@BillGates

Tributes to those martyred in the Jal-

lianwala Bagh massacre. Their courage, hero-ism and sacrifice gives strength to every Indian.

@narendramodi

Today I’m thinking about Daunte Wright

and his family — and the pain, anger, and trauma that Black America expe-riences every day. While we await a full investiga-tion, we know what we need to do to move for-ward: rebuild trust and ensure accountability so no one is above the law.

@JoeBiden

Intensive care units in many countries are

overflowing and people are dying – and it’s to-tally avoidable. With a concerted effort to apply public health measures alongside #VaccinEqui-ty, we could bring this pandemic under control in a matter of months. The choice is ours.

@DrTedros

Disclaimer: (Views expressed by columnists are personal and need not necessarily reflect our

editorial stances)

137,439,641

2,962,156

110,576,391

Deaths

Recovered:

New cases

New deaths +171,225

+3,829

Country Total cases

new cases

Total deaths

New Deaths

Total recovered

Active cases

Egypt 211,307 12,487 159,999 38,821

Saudi Arabia

400,228 +951 6,773 +8 384,635 8,820

UAE 487,697 +2,022 1,537 +4 471,906 14,254

Kuwait 248,729 1,412 232,556 14,761

Oman 174,364 +1,335 1,798 +9 154,771 17,795

Qatar 191,979 +981 340 +5 170,787 20,852

Middle East

Country Total cases Total deaths

1 USA 31,997,453

2 India 13,699,048

3 Brazil 13,521,409

4 France 5,067,216

5 Russia 4,657,883

6 UK 4,373,343

7 Turkey 3,903,573

8 Italy 3,779,594

9 Spain 3,370,256

10 Germany 3,021,064

11 Poland 2,599,850

12 Colombia 2,552,937

13 Argentina 2,551,999

14 Mexico 2,281,840

G l o b a l t a l l y

C O V I D - 1 : 9 C o u n t r i e s w o r s t a f f e c t e d

Figures as of closing

News in brief u US federal health agencies yesterday recommended pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine after six recipients developed a rare disorder involving blood clots. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will hold an advisory meeting on Wednesday to review the cases. All the six recipients were women between the ages of 18 and 48. One woman died and a second in Nebraska has been hospitalized in critical condition, the New York Times reported, citing officials.

u The United States will deploy an additional 500 troops to Germany, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Berlin, marking a reversal of former President Donald Trump’s plans to withdraw about 12,000 troops from the NATO country. “We have ceased planning (for a

troop drawdown),” Austin said at a news conference with his German counterpart Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer yesterday. “I think our

assignment of an additional 500 troops speaks to the level of our partnership and our commitment to NATO,” he added.

u Austrian Health Minister Rudolf Anschober of the Greens, the junior partner in the conservative-led coalition, said on Tuesday he is stepping down, exhausted and sick from battling the coronavirus pandemic and occasionally other officials.“I ... do not want to break myself,” Anschober said in a short-notice statement to the media, describing blood-pressure problems that have caused him to take sick leave twice recently. “In the worst health crisis in decades the republic needs a health minister who is 100% fit. That is not currently me.”

u Fresh protests broke out Monday in Minneapolis despite a curfew implemented after a police officer fatally shot a young Black man, fueling tensions in a US city already on edge because of the George Floyd murder trial. Dozens of protesters waved signs and chanted slogans in front of the police station in Brooklyn Center, the suburb where Sunday’s killing occurred. Demonstrators taunted police through newly erected wire fencing around the station, and carried signs saying “Jail all racist killer cops,” “Am I next?” and “No justice, no peace.” Police fired tear gas at the protesters several times and ordered them to disperse. About 40 people were arrested, several officers suffered minor injuries and there was sporadic looting elsewhere in the area, law enforcement officials said.

US will base 500 additional troops in Germany

Austrian health minister steps down, exhausted by pandemic

Minneapolis under curfew after officer shoots Black motorist

US calls for pause on J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine KOTA SRIRAJ

Bahrain’s Startup’s Must Go Green

According to the International

Monetary Fund 2021 report,

Bahrain’s GDP growth is expected to come back by +2.3%

in 2021 and +2.8% in 2022, subject to the

post-pandemic global economic recovery.

The start-ups in Bahrain are expected to play a vital role in

this recovery

Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 is an ambitious and far-sighted strat-egy that focuses on shaping the vision of the government, society, and the economy by being based around the three guiding principles of

sustainability, fairness, and competitiveness. The comprehensive nature of the vision has not only ensured the protection and conservation of the environment along with crucial economic growth, but has also served as the backbone of a very healthy start-up ecosystem in Bahrain. As the world economy reeled under the impact of COVID19, Bahrain too experienced contractions in the economy owing to fluctuations in the oil industry. In fact the year 2020 saw the economy plummet to -4.5%.

However according to the International Monetary Fund 2021 report, Bahrain’s GDP growth is expected to come back by +2.3% in 2021 and +2.8% in 2022, subject to the post-pandemic global economic recovery. The start-ups in Bahrain are expected to play a vital role in this recovery. A study commissioned by StartupBlink confirms the significance of start-ups in the resurgence and revival of the Bahraini economy. According to the study findings, the UAE and Bahrain figure in the top 100 destinations for start-ups in the world. The report praised Bahrain’s enabling environ-ment in the form of collaborative start-up communities and framework of legal support systems for start-ups and entrepreneurs. Initiatives such as Start-Up Bahrain, Tamkeen and Bahrain FinTech Bay were particularly highlighted in addition to favourable tax conditions as the reasons for a flourishing start-up economy.

With such eminence and importance being associated with the start-ups in Bahrain, it is essential to ensure that these vibrant engines of economic growth have zero carbon footprint in the best interests of Bahrain’s delicate ecology and environment. In a world that is increasingly becoming mindful about the impacts businesses have on the environment, the start-ups in Bah-rain will do well to sensitise themselves on the ecological footprint of their businesses and how they can become pioneers in achieving a zero carbon start-up ecosystem in the Kingdom which will set gold standards not only for the GCC, but also for aspiring start-ups across the world.

As early as 2017, Bahrain was facing difficult challenges arising out of pollu-tion that saw the fine particulate mat-ter concentration go up to 56.1 per cent. As climate change and global warming keep getting worse, the environmental problems in Bahrain are expected to exponentially increase by 2050 unless the key drivers of economic growth that also sizeably contribute to an in-creasing carbon foot print in Bahrain do the needful to rein in pollution. The corporate social responsibility activi-ties of the businesses are one aspect of safeguarding the environment which are effective but not enough by them-selves to control the runaway pollution levels of these times.

Start-ups must set an example by showing that businesses and ecology can thrive hand-hand. As a beginning each start-up must opt for a green web hosting company for their websites. The green web hosting company would ensure that their servers are running 24/7 not on fossil fuel powered energy but renewable energy. This lends enormous eco-logical credibility for businesses starting newly especially in front of their clients who nowadays are very aware and appreciative of environmental responsibilities. The great part is that the green web hosting companies provide their services for the same cost as those whose servers are powered by fossil fuels.

The start-ups can also focus on “work-from-home(WFH)” philosophy which is highly advisable in these times of pandemic that mandates social distancing. WFH can also be instrumental in reducing the Co2 emissions of the company as air-conditioning and other energy consumption is drastical-ly reduced. The WFH way of life when combined with green commuting can pay rich ecological dividends for new businesses. Start-ups can incentivise the use of hybrid and electrical vehicles, carpooling and usage of public transport among their employees. This will not only go a long way in gen-erating awareness for the environment but will also meaningfully reduce carbon emission footprint of the start-up.

In addition to the above measures, the start-ups can adopt comprehen-sive recycling and upcycling policies by tying up with green vendors, this will ensure easing of e-waste generation and reduce pressure on landfills that are currently overburdened with electronic waste. The start-ups can also forge strategic collaborations with the government in order to become responsible stakeholders in the government efforts to preserve ecology and protect nature.

Today’s start-ups are tomorrow’s multinational companies. How green is the economy of the future will depend on how green today’ start-ups are.

Suspend sale of live wild mammalsReuters | Geneva

International agencies includ-ing the World Health Organ-isation urged countries yes-

terday to suspend the sale of live wild mammals in food markets, warning they may be the source of more than 70% of emerging infectious diseases in humans.

The guidance, aimed at ensur-ing the global food system is safe and sustainable, follows a WHO-led mission to Wuhan, China, to investigate the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“This + other recommendations will contribute to < the risk of emerging #zoonoses,” Peter Ben Embarek, the WHO official who led the January-February mission, said in a tweet.

The WHO, the World Organi-sation for Animal Health (OIE) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) urged national authori-ties to: “Suspend the trade in live caught wild animals of mamma-lian species for food or breeding purposes and close sections of food markets selling live caught

wild animals of mammalian spe-cies as an emergency measure unless demonstrable effective regulations and adequate risk as-sessment are in place.”

They said animals, particularly wild animals, were reported to be the source of more than 70% of all emerging infectious diseases in humans.

China last year banned trade in wildlife for human consump-

tion but legal loopholes allow some disease-prone species to be farmed, according to regional experts.

“This is not a new recommen-dation, but COVID-19 has brought new attention to this threat given the magnitude of its consequenc-es,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a news briefing.

The WHO-led team, which visit-ed the Huanan market in Wuhan

where the first human infections of COVID-19 were detected, said the new virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal.

“When wild animals are kept in cages or pens, slaughtered and dressed in open market areas, these areas become contaminated with body fluids, faeces and other waste, increasing the risk of trans-mission of pathogens to workers

and customers and potentially resulting in spillover of pathogens to other animals in the market,” the guidance said.

Most emerging infectious dis-eases such as Lassa fever, Mar-burg hemorrhagic fever and Ni-pah viral disease have wildlife origins, it said.

Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Japan to release treated Fukushima water into the sea

AFP News

Japan will release more than a million tonnes of treated wa-

ter from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean, the government said Tuesday, trigger-ing a furious regional reaction and fierce opposition from local fishing communities.

The process is not likely to begin for several years and could take decades to complete, but China quickly slammed the decision as “extremely irresponsible” and South Korea summoned the Jap-anese ambassador.

Japan’s government argues the release is safe because the water is processed to remove almost all radioactive elements and will be diluted.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has endorsed the re-lease, which it says is similar to the disposal of wastewater at nuclear plants elsewhere.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told a ministerial meeting that dis-posing of the water was an “inev-itable task” in the decades-long process of decommissioning the nuclear plant.

He said the release would hap-pen only “after ensuring the safety levels of the water” and alongside measures to “prevent reputational damage”.

Around 1.25 million tonnes of water have accumulated in tanks at the nuclear plant, which was crippled after going into meltdown following the 2011 tsunami.

It includes water used to cool the plant, as well as rain and ground-water that seeps in daily.

Around 140 cubic metres (5,000 cubic feet) of radioactive water was generated by the site every day in 2020

Teething problems: Bidens’ dog Major goes back to schoolAFP News

The Bidens’ rambunctious young dog Major is leaving

the White House again, this time for extra schooling in how to behave more like a presidential canine.

Michael LaRosa, a spokesman for First Lady Jill Biden, said Ma-jor would “undergo some addi-tional training to help him adjust to life in the White House.”

“The off-site, private training will take place in the Washington, DC area, and it is expected to last

a few weeks,” LaRosa said.The transition to the White

House has been tricky for the German Shepherd, a former res-cue pup.

In March, he was briefly sent back to the Biden family home in Delaware after at least one biting incident.

President Joe Biden told ABC News in March that his four leg-ged friend was merely over-pro-tective in the crowded White House complex.

The dog gets startled when

“you turn a corner and there’s two people you don’t know,” Bid-en said.

Although the dog already re-ceived some remedial training, that does not appear to have done the trick.

But while Major goes off to school, his elderly, fellow German Shepherd companion Champ will stay with his masters.

“Champ will be here,” LaRosa said.

Major, on the left, needs to go back to school, though Champ, on the right, stays at the White House

Chinese Premier calls for more communication between China, USReuters | Beijing

China and the United States should step up their com-

munication while managing their differences and respecting each other’s core interests, Chi-nese Premier Li Keqiang told a group of senior US executives yesterday.

China hopes the United States could work with Chi-na to meet each other halfway, said Li at a virtual conference with presidents and chief exec-utives from more than 20 large US companies.

“(We need to) step up dia-logue and communication, and expand practical cooperation, properly manage differences, and push Sino-US relations to-wards the direction of overall stability,” Li was quoted as say-ing by state television.

Bilateral ties had sunk to the lowest level in decades under the Trump administration, which accused China of com-mitting a range of misdeeds from intellectual property theft to the spread of the novel coro-navirus.

High-level talks in Alaska last month, the first since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, yielded no breakthrough.

The need for communica-tion was echoed by China’s state planner also on Tuesday when it told China represent-atives from over 40 US firms at a roundtable that it welcomed conversations with US firms on any complaint, including forced technology transfers and intel-lectual property rights.

“If you believe you’ve been harmed or bullied in China, tell us first,” Zhang Huanteng, vice director of the Department of National Economy at the NDRC.

“We’d feel very wronged if we aren’t aware of things and the US government tells us first,” said Zhang, adding that Chi-nese regulators were baffled when they first read the US Sec-tion 301 Report, which set off the Sino-US trade war.

NDRC Officials also briefed the firms present, including

Intel, Johnson & Johnson and IBM, on China’s 2021-2025 de-velopment plan, saying there is huge potential to collaborate on electric vehicles, carbon neu-trality and the digital economy.

“We hope the US business circle could work together with NDRC to push the great ship of Sino-US relations back to the track of healthy development as soon as possible,” said Gao Jian, vice director at the NDRC International Department.

Tao Lin, a vice president at Tesla, told reporters that she welcomed NDRC’s invitation to more dialogue.

“Officials at the NDRC are quite blunt - if we have any is-sues we can talk to them, so there’s no need for us to go to US headquarters, foreign govern-ments and then back to China,” she said.

One dead in Knoxville school shootingReuters

A high school student in Knox-ville, Tennessee opened fire on

his campus on Monday, wounding an officer, before being shot and killed by police.

The shooting erupted at about 3:15 p.m. at Austin-East Magnet High School on the east side of the city. It’s the latest in a string of shootings across the U.S. since mid-March.

Tennessee Bureau of Investiga-tion Director David Rausch told reporters Monday the wounded officer was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

“One officer returned fire. He was pronounced& the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, and has since been identified as a stu-dent at Austin East.”

Austin-East was locked down following the gunfire and parents who rushed to the scene were di-rected to pick up their children at a rear entrance.

Dislodged ship held in Suez Canal as talks continue

Reuters | Tokyo

A ship that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week in

March has not been given clear-ance to leave the waterway as discussions continue over a com-pensation claim made to the ves-sel’s owner Shoei Kisen, an official from the Japanese company said yesterday.

The Ever Given has been in a lake separating two sections of the canal since it was dislodged on March 29, as the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) conducts inves-tigations.

Yumi Shinohara, deputy man-ager with owner Shoei Kisen’s fleet management department, confirmed the canal had made a compensation claim but gave no further details.

A source with the Suez Canal Authority, who declined to be

named, said a court order had been issued for the ship to be held, adding that negotiations were still taking place.

Results of the SCA’s investi-gation were expected to be an-nounced by the end of the week, two canal sources added.

SCA Chairman Osama Rabie said on Egyptian TV last week that the Ever Given would not leave until the investigation was finished and compensation paid. He also said the canal had borne “great moral damage” as well as shipping fee losses and salvage operation costs. He has also said he hoped to settle matters amicably.

Ships typically have protection & indemnity (P&I) insurance, which covers third party liability claims including environmental damage and injury. Separate hull and machinery policies cover ves-sels against physical damage.

Ship Ever Given