ArchivesTag : government
Baby deaths blamed on bad planning
AN MP yesterday blamed Health Minister Dr Faisal Al Hamer for the growing death rate of premature newborn babies due to bad planning.
Sayed Jameel Khadim said that current specialised ICU facilities at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) were below international standards, where there were shortages of beds as well as insufficient numbers of nurses [...]
Bahrain to Form Anti-corruption Authority
Bahrain announced a plan to establish an authority to combat corruption cases in the public and private sectors.
The Minister of Interior, Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said in a speech on Tuesday to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day that the authority will be under the supervision of the Criminal Investigation Department and will [...]
‘Bribe-proof’ pay rises on the way
Judges and public prosecutors are to be given pay rises to make them bribe-proof, Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa said yesterday.
The announcement came as he revealed disciplinary action had been taken against several officials since new rules aimed at reforming Bahrain’s judiciary were introduced in 2007.
However, no details were [...]
New norms for construction projects
Every construction project in Bahrain will have to conform to a new set of guidelines from today. They were launched yesterday by the Works Ministry, which plans to supervise projects undertaken by ministry-assigned contractors to ensure that they abide by the new requirements.
A 21-chapter booklet stating the new technical requirements has been distributed to all [...]
Precise Biometrics Receives USD 268,000 Order
Precise Biometrics has received an additional order for hardware worth USD 268,000 in a Match-on-Card project for government employees. The order is a new follow-up order from an existing customer in the Middle East and comprises both hardware and Precise Match-on-Card(TM) licenses.
The delivery consists of Precise 200 MC readers, combined fingerprint and smart card readers [...]
Bahrain wealth fund posts $650 million profit
Bahrain’s $14 billion sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat said on Tuesday it posted a net profit of 245.8 million dinars ($652 million) in its first 18 months of operation and was planning to expand internationally.
Full StorySolving The Housing Shortage
Bahrain is working to provide housing for its citizens, and is looking at a number of proposals to shorten the long waiting lists for those seeking state assistance in obtaining a home.
In its submission to the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in April this year, the Bahrain Centre for [...]
Protect our values
The Cabinet yesterday stepped up its fight against sectarianism by setting up a watchdog committee. It is charged with ensuring strict adherence to national values in a move announced as Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired the weekly session at Gudaibiya Palace.
Headed by the Interior Ministry, the panel also features representatives from [...]
Visa ban for Bangladeshis
Bahrain has stopped issuing work permits to Bangladeshi nationals. The restriction follows directives issued late last night by Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
This was revealed by Ministry entry-points, search and follow-up assistant under-secretary Colonel Yousuf Al Ghatam in a statement.
Bangladesh Embassy Charge d’Affairs Saiful Islam said the move had left him and [...]
Laboured Reform
Bahrain is planning a major overhaul of the laws and conditions governing foreign labour, with proposed reforms giving greater protection to the rights of expatriate workers.
One of the central changes involves restructuring the visa system. Previously, foreign staff have had their permits to stay issued through their employers. The existing scheme has come under [...]
Action call after minister cleared
Opposition MPs yesterday threatened action after a parliamentary committee cleared a minister of masterminding a cover-up.
Cabinet Affairs Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatala Al Khalifa had always denied keeping Bahrain’s population explosion a secret.
However, he was let off the hook yesterday by a parliamentary committee, which decided no action should be taken against him.
Three of seven [...]
Deputies seek law to curb sorcery
“Bring me a person caught practising sorcery who is capable of bringing the evil spirit,” the Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Khalid bin Ali Abdulla Al Khalifa, told the Chamber of Deputies yesterday.
“The minister’s words are unconstitutional,” Al Asala Deputy Ibrahim Mohammed Bousandal said.
It all began when Al Wefaq MP Mohammed Youself Maezal told [...]
All clubs ’should be banned from serving alcohol’
MPs want all clubs and societies to be banned from serving alcohol or allowing its consumption at their premises, facilities and events.
Parliament yesterday approved the bill proposed by a group of MPs, despite reservations from Social Development Minister Dr Fatima Al Balooshi, who said that laws which regulate such activities were already existing.
“We already take [...]
Minister faces grilling by MPs
Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Minister Mansoor bin Rajab is to be questioned by a parliamentary committee later this month on alleged financial, administrative and constitutional violations, it was announced yesterday.
The financial and economic affairs committee, which met yesterday, is sending an official request to the minister, demanding he attends a meeting on April 28.
A second [...]
Open trucks ban ‘to cost BD1bn’
A ban on using lorries, trucks and other unsafe vehicles to transport workers could cost the construction industry BD1 billion, it was claimed yesterday. Firms have time until the end of the year to replace their makeshift transport with proper air-conditioned buses.
However, Bahrain Contractors’ Society president Nedham Kameshki said the move would have major implications [...]
