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Bahrain’s King attends Queen Elizabeth’s luncheon

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attended a lunch banquet hosted by Her Majesty Queen of the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in the British Capital, London. The luncheon was also [...]

HM King Hamad attends Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee celebrations

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Women, and HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, [...]

Dr Fakhro holds talks with US Dept of Com advisors

Industry and Commerce Minister Dr. Hassan Abdulla Fakhro received here a delegation from the US Department of Commerce advisors, led by lawyer and international Consultant James Phillippe. Dr. Fakhro lauded the outstanding deep-rooted Bahraini-US ties, expressing the constant keenness of [...]

The 12th Gulf Radio and Television Festival concludes

The 12th Gulf Radio and Television Festival concluded with Bahrain clinching two gold prizes and four silver ones. The honouring ceremony was held in the presence of Information Affairs Authority President Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa. Head of the [...]

Russell Investments emerges top equity provider in the GCC

Russell Investments, the global asset manager and one of only a few firms that offer actively managed, multi-asset portfolios and services that include advice, investments and implementation, has received an award for “Best Group over 3 years in the Gulf” [...]

International Workers Day celebrations kick off today

Under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) will organise on Saturday the annual celebration marking the International Workers Day. HM the King delegated Labour Minister Jamil Humaidan [...]

Global businesses plan Libya as new destination

Tax and Audit experts from Deloitte Middle East were prominent speakers in ‘Libya Focus Day’, a seminar held by MEED in Dubai. Deloitte leaders provided valuable insights on the overview of Libya’s taxation and accounting framework and helped provide attendees [...]

Etihad Airways in code-share deal with Safi Airways

Etihad Airways will gain better access to Kabul following the signing of a code share agreement with Safi Airways, the leading international airline of Afghanistan. Under the deal, effective since Tuesday 15 May, Etihad Airways has placed its two-letter ‘EY’ [...]

Prosecution may question doctor on unlawful autopsy

The Head of Public Prosecution, Nayef Yousif, announced that further investigation into the cause of death in the case of Yousif Ahmed Abbas has taken place in light of a second autopsy that appears to have been conducted through unofficial [...]

BJA members to elect new board today

Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) General Assembly is set to convene at 10 am its meeting at Al-Oroba Club hall on Saturday to elect the new board members. The previous general assembly was adjourned for two weeks for the want of [...]

GCC bloc ripe for economic integration: Study

An analytical economic study prepared by the expert in economy and Gulf University Professor Dr. Mohammed Al-Sheikh confirmed that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has become significantly qualified to achieve further comprehensive economic integration under the umbrella of the Gulf [...]

Bahrain’s oil production to increase 100%: Minister

Oil production is set to increase from 50,000 to 100,000 barrels per day over the next five years, according to Energy Minister Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza. Dr Mirza, who was chief guest at a business luncheon hosted by [...]

Bahrain-German diplomatic ties turn forty

Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa sent a letter to his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle marking the 40th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Germany. He praised the two countries’ tremendous achievements over the [...]

Islamic finance industry stabilises global financial system

The intrinsic strengths of Islamic financial services industry, if fully explored, could help build a robust, resilient and just financial system that not only supports growth and economic activity but also ascertains a more inclusive financial system. This was among [...]

Surge in broadband use drives upgrade of Saudi telecom sector

Telecom operators in the Saudi Arabia are busy readying their networks for ‘Triple Play’ to provide Voice, Data and Video, without compromising on quality in order to meet new customer demands and competition. Most of the renowned ones have already [...]

Fitch withdraws BLOM Bank’s support rating

Fitch Ratings has affirmed and simultaneously withdrawn BLOM Bank’s support rating at ’5′. The affirmation reflects Fitch’s assessment of the likelihood of the bank receiving support from the Lebanese state, should this become necessary. While Fitch believes that the Lebanese [...]

Fitch affirms Bank Audi S.A.L. at ‘B’; outlook stable

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Bank Audi S.A.L’s (Audi) long-term issuer default rating (IDR) at ‘B’ with a stable outlook and its viability rating (VR) at ‘b’. Audi’s long-term IDR is driven by its intrinsic strength, expressed by its VR. Audi’s [...]

Fitch affirms Byblos Bank at ‘B’; outlook stable

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Byblos Bank’s long-term issuer default rating (IDR) at ‘B’ with a stable outlook, short-term IDR at ‘B’ and viability rating (VR) at ‘b’. Byblos’ long-term IDR is driven by its intrinsic strength, expressed by its VR. [...]

Waqf Fund seeks strengthening Islamic Finance resources

The Waqf Fund, a Bahrain-based special fund to support Islamic finance training, education and research, which held its 16th Board of Trustees meeting, The board took stock of the ongoing programmes of the Waqf Fund and expressed its satisfaction that [...]

Trade & shipping are crucial for economic development

Trade and shipping are an integral part of creating prosperity and healthy economies. This means the topic of China Money and Ships 2012 has great significance, according to Chinese envoy to UK. “With the support of the financial sector, China’s [...]

Over 200 expats on ECL for loan default in Bahrain

Over 200 expatriates have been placed on the exit control list (ECL) since January this year, according to a top official at GDNPR. Ministry of Interior’s Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa confirmed [...]

Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination in focus at RUW workshop

Royal University for Women in Bahrain in co-operation of its partner West Virginia University will conduct a three-day workshop on forensic accounting and fraud examination from May 22-24. Dr. Scott Fleming, assistant professor of accounting, WVU College of Business and [...]

BBBF and StanChart sign partnership for SIGS

The Bahrain British Business Forum (BBBF) and Standard Chartered Bank announced their three year partnership in promoting the BBBF’s Special Interest Groups, which focus on the fields of Legal, Organisational Effectiveness, Construction and Financial Services, Security and ICT. Standard Chartered’s [...]

VCB reports net profit of $8m in Q1

Bahrain-based regional Islamic investment bank, Venture Capital Bank (VCBank), reported total income of $11.1 million and net profit of $8 million for the quarter ended 31 March 2012 compared with a loss of $2.9 million for the corresponding period in [...]

Bahrain to host 1st GCC future entrepreneurship forum

Mumtalakat Holdings Company (BSC) confirmed its strategic sponsorship of the 1st All-GCC Future Entrepreneurship Forum, set to be hosted in the Kingdom of Bahrain, organized by the Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) on 30-31 May 2012. Under the patronage of HRH [...]

Arab Parliamentary Union condemns Iranian interference

The Arab Parliamentary Union strongly condemned the Iranian interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs. In a statement issued today, it slammed the Iranian interference as being “flagrant, unacceptable, hostile and contravening the international law and norms. Parliament Chairman Khalifa bin Ahmed [...]

BJA elects new board members on Saturday

The Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) board elections will be held on Saturday at 10 am at Al-Oruba Club in Juffair. Ten candidates are still in the fray vying in the BJA board elections –Osama Al-Majid (Al-Bilad), Farid Ahmed (Al-Watan), Zainab [...]

GDNPR seeks ease in residency and visa procedures

The General Directorate for Nationality, Passports and Residence (GDNPR) constantly seeks to ease procedures regarding the issuance of work permits and visit visas to foreigner nationals in cooperation and coordination with the relevant authorities in the Kingdom, according to a [...]

Shaikh Fawaz opens 12th Gulf Radio and TV Festival

President of the Information Affairs Authority (IAA) Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa stressed that the host of the 12th Gulf Radio and TV Corporation Festival by the Kingdom of Bahrain coincides with the selection of Manama the 2012 capital [...]

Public Prosecution denies allegations for mistreating inmate

The Public Prosecution denied any mistreatment of detainees being held in custody at the Dry Dock prison. It issued a statement denying allegations posted on Al-Wefaq website and other political associations. “A Public Prosecution team visited the prison and inspected [...]