Category: General

Manama, The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) announced the launch of the "Bahrain Summer Toy Festival," slated to begin on July 1st at Exhibition World Bahrain. This month-long extravaganza marks a significant addition to Bahrain's tourism calendar, reinforcing its stature as a premier destination in tourism and entertainment across the region. Tickets for this event will go on sale starting June 26th through Platinum List at https://bahrain-toy-festival.platinumlist.net/. Operating hours for the Bahrain Summer Toy Festival will be from 2pm to 10pm on weekdays and 12pm to 10pm on weekends, ensuring ample opportunity for visitors to experience its offerings. Distinguished as the first of its kind in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the festival promises an enchanting blend of entertainment and interactive activities tailored to diverse interests. Highlights include presentations by 25 renowned international brands featuring beloved children's characters, complemented by a rich tapestry of internati onal theatrical performances crafted to captivate audiences of all ages. Throughout its various sections, the festival promises an unparalleled family experience brimming with entertainment and fun, offering a unique opportunity for families and children to enjoy summer festivities in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dedicated areas will cater specifically to girls, featuring prominent personalities, beloved dolls, engaging activities, and unique experiences. Highlights include a special fashion show where girls can actively participate. Additionally, a dedicated corner for boys will cater to diverse interests, offering thrilling games for Marvel enthusiasts and PlayStation aficionados. Attendees can also engage in crafting activities to create face masks inspired by famous Marvel characters, test their skills in games like sponge cube boxing, and participate in challenges that enhance both physical and mental abilities, all designed to captivate their enthusiasm and focus. To ensure a delightful experience filled with joy and pleasure for the entire family, a dedicated corner has been set up specifically for young children, offering a safe and entertaining environment tailored to their age group. A standout feature of the festival includes a special concert in July featuring artist Rasha Rizk, aimed at the future generation and fans of "Spacetoon" memories. This event will feature appearances by well-known personalities, promising visitors an opportunity to create lasting memories and enjoy delightful moments. Toy enthusiasts will also have a unique chance to purchase souvenirs and gifts from stores like Harry Potter and Vanco, adding to the festival's charm. Discover the exciting lineup of upcoming tourism and entertainment events throughout Bahrain's vibrant summer and beyond! Stay informed by visiting the official Bahrain Calendar managed by BTEA at Calendar.bh. Explore what's in store and plan your unforgettable experiences today! Source: Bahrain News Agency

Amman, The Jordanian Public Security Directorate announced the seizure of explosive materials hidden in a commercial warehouse in the capital, Amman, two days after explosives were seized inside a house in the capital as well. The Directorate said, in a statement broadcast by Jordan News Agency (Petra), that investigations by the security services in the case of the southern Marka area resulted in reaching another location where the same people hid explosive materials in the Abu Alandah area. The security services cordoned off and isolated a commercial store in the area that was used to store explosives, as bomb disposal experts dealt with the site where it was detonated, it added. The Jordanian Public Security Directorate confirmed that the bombing operations ended with the highest levels of professionalism and without any significant injuries or damage, noting at the same time that the case is still under investigation. Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: The Ministry of Labour, through its Department of Qualifying Skills Development, concluded on Tuesday a training course for job seekers, part of the second cycle of "Jahez" vocational readiness program, held in collaboration with the Qatar Academy of Finance and Business. Over two days, participants learned how to craft and refine their CVs, understanding different resume types, selecting suitable formats, and avoiding common errors. They also received training on how to effectively prepare for and succeed in job interviews. The training course came within the framework of the efforts of the Ministry of Labour to qualify citizens seeking employment and provide them with the necessary skills to enhance their professional readiness and improve their access to the jobs offered in the labour market. This is in line with the Third National Development Strategy, which aims to increase the proportion of the national workforce in the total workforce in the country, increase the proportion of Qataris in the pr ivate and joint sectors, and make a radical shift toward a more productive labour market. Source: Qatar News Agency

Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud on Tuesday arrived in the Chinese capital Beijing for an official visit. According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the minister along with the escorted delegation will hold several meetings to review the bilateral relations. They will also discuss fields of cooperation and other topics of common interest, the agency added, without giving further details. China successfully mediated a reconciliation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March last year, ending years of tensions between the two regional countries. Source: National News Agency - Lebanon

Moscow, Four people were injured and dozens of buildings were damaged in attacks launched by Ukraine, Tuesday, on the Russian Belgorod region. Governor of Belgorod Province, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that at least six drones launched by Ukraine over Yakovlevsky were destroyed, noting that two people were injured there by shrapnel. He added that another person was injured when a drone was shot down over the city of Belgorod, which is the administrative center of the region, in addition to a woman who was also injured in a village. Damage was caused to dozens of buildings and cars throughout the area, Gladkov added. Since the outbreak of the war between the two countries, both Moscow and Kyiv have been announcing losses inflicted by each side on the other, without being able to independently confirm the information, in light of the continuing confrontations for about three years. Source: Qatar News Agency

He pointed out: The blood of the martyrs demands that we not compromise, that we do not compromise, that we do not change, that we do not change, that we do not weaken, and that we do not despair:. He said, "The movement provided all possible flexibility and agreed without hesitation to all the projects that were proposed, provided that the result would be a cessation of crimes, an end to the aggression, and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip." He continued, "We still maintain that any agreement that does not guarantee a ceasefire and an end to the aggression is a rejected agreement, and our position will not change at any stage." His statement said, "The enemy chose to escalate and invaded Rafah, closed the crossings, and caused humanitarian disasters and a terrible famine throughout the Strip." He added, "The international community is required to take action to stop the aggression, bring in aid, and provide the necessities of life for our people and people." He said, "All ideas about the next d ay and internal house arrangements must be purely Palestinian, and no one has the right to interfere in them, neither the occupation nor anyone else." Source: Maan News Agency

Ramallah - Ma'an - Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa said on Tuesday that the government is working with full determination to prevent a decline in the level of services provided to citizens, and to fulfill its financial obligations to all parties. He stressed that the government continues to fulfill its obligations towards employees in the Gaza Strip, despite the objection of the Israeli side and its punitive measures in deducting the value of what we pay to our people in Gaza from the clearance value, which doubles the cost to the government. He also stressed in his speech at the beginning of government session No. 12 that the government will not allow the success of the extremist leadership in the occupying state to weaken its ability to provide basic services to citizens and fulfill its financial obligations towards employees, service suppliers, contractors and others, through the financial war waged by the occupation. He said that the government is working on several paths in order to provide the necess ary financial resources, by making continuous efforts with a group of sisterly Arab countries and a group of European countries, as well as the European Union and international financial institutions, to mobilize financial support for the public treasury at this critical stage, adding, 'We have found a promising response.' From many of these parties and an understanding of the sensitive situation and its economic, social and security repercussions.' He added: "We also continue to work with a number of friendly parties in order to secure the release of our funds seized by the Israeli side in practices that violate international law and the signed agreements." He stressed, "Although we are confident that the financial situation will improve in the coming months, we are also still working to ensure that at least part of this money arrives within the next two weeks so that we can fulfill our obligations." The Prime Minister said: 'This year, the situation was different in light of the inability of 39,000 of ou r students in the Gaza Strip to sit for the high school exams, and this is very painful for us.' He added: "However, we are happy and appreciative of our colleagues in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and all those who supported them for the exceptional effort they made to ensure that around 1,536 male and female students took the exam in 29 countries outside Palestine, the most important of which is the Arab Republic of Egypt. We thank the Arab Republic of Egypt and all those who contributed to enabling around 1,100 of our students to take the high school exam in Egypt." He pointed to the efforts undertaken by the Ministries of Social Development and Labor to provide assistance to social segments that were negatively affected by the war on Gaza and the aggression on the West Bank, as the Ministry of Social Development is working to expand the base of beneficiaries of its support from 130,000 families to 300,000 families in the Gaza Strip, and 15,000. A family in the West Bank, in addition to the Ministry's effort to support and provide social protection for people with disabilities, wounded children, the elderly, women, and the marginalized who are now in shelter centers, and to provide sponsorships for orphans, whose number has reached 22 thousand orphans due to the war in the Gaza Strip. He touched on the efforts made by the Ministry of Labor to provide financial support and health insurance, and to provide job opportunities for a number of workers who lost their jobs as a result of the aggression, through the implementation of several projects, including wage support in various sectors such as agriculture, construction and services through the Palestinian Employment Fund, and other projects such as the "Cash for Work" project for working women, in addition to supporting agricultural projects and livestock through the Cooperative Labor Authority. It also provides zero-interest loans to establish small projects in cooperation with the Monetary Authority, as well as enhancing vocational training programs in cooperation with training centers, in addition to the Ministry's efforts in cooperation with the private sector and the General Union of Palestinian and Food Industries to provide job opportunities. He pointed out that the government's efforts are not limited to dealing with today's challenges, as it plans to launch a group of initiatives that will be able to achieve the desired financial and economic stability, and the most important of these initiatives are: -The Energy Security Initiative, specifically relying on alternative energy sources, reducing dependence on importing it from abroad, and reducing the cost of energy services. -Health services localization initiative to improve the quality of health services and reduce the cost of purchasing the service. - The digital transformation initiative and the need to use technology more in providing our government services. - An initiative to develop the social protection, social insurance and social security system, specifically social protect ion for the poor, needy and unemployed. - The Economic Empowerment Initiative and its importance in stimulating the economy and creating job opportunities in the next stage. He added that all relevant ministries are working hard to implement government initiatives and develop other initiatives, in order to raise the ceiling of government services in a way that contributes to providing better services to our people. Source: Maan News Agency

Gaza - Ma'an - 3 citizens were martyred and a number of others were injured, Monday, as a result of the Israeli occupation bombing a group of citizens in the Beach Camp, west of Gaza City. The official agency reported that the occupation targeted citizens in the vicinity of a supply center in the camp, and transferred the martyrs and wounded to the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The death toll from the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip since October 7 last year rose to 37,626 martyrs and 86,098 wounded, the majority of whom were children and women. Source: Maan News Agency