<!----> Subsidies on electricity bills will be lifted over a period of four years to minimise the economic impact on consumers, Bahrain’s energy minister has announced. Bahrain has approved plans to cut subsidies for domestic energy and water as part of measures taken to help plug an estimated $4 billion budget deficit for 2016. It already axed subsidies for meat and gasoline at the end of last year, but analysts have warned that the country must seek to phase in subsidy cuts to reduce the Read more [...]

Manama, Jan. 31 (BNA): Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed R. Alzayani received the United Nations World Tourism (UNWTO) Consultant Ludwig G. Rieder. The meeting, attended by Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority (BTEA) Acting Chief Executive Officer Shaikh Khalid bin Humood Al Khalifa, discussed topics of common interest and means to benefit from international expertise in Read more [...]

Manama, Jan. 31 (BNA): Pakistan-based JS Bank has officially opened its first branch office outside of its home country, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, targeting the GCC, and eventually the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The announcement follows the awarding of a wholesale conventional banking license to JS Bank by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) last year. As the eighth licensed Pakistani wholesale bank in Bahrain, JS Bank will serve Read more [...]

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has awarded medals to five navy commanders who detained 10 American sailors earlier this month. The US Navy personnel were held after their two patrol boats crossed into Iran's waters on 12 January while on their way from Kuwait to Bahrain. The sailors were released a day later after Read more [...]

SHARM AL-SHEIKH, Egypt Jan 31 Bahrain's Al Baraka Islamic Bank "BARKA.BH plans to open a sharia-compliant bank in France next year as the lender seeks to expand into Europe, Chief Executive Adnan Ahmed Yousif said on Sunday.France has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe but cultural and legal obstacles have impeded the development of its Islamic finance industry."We were in the midst of launching an Islamic bank in France, but with the global financial crisis the project was halted, Read more [...]

Manama, Jan. 31 (BNA): Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba), one of the top industrial employers in the Kingdom of Bahrain and a leading aluminium smelter in the world, is proud to have achieved above the industry benchmark of 5% training hours of the total man hours in 2015. The Company has achieved this figure successfully for three years in a row, thus reiterating its commitment towards employee training and development. Alba has one of the most Read more [...]

Manama, Jan. 31 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has lauded the kingdom’s outstanding deep-rooted model of co-existence and tolerance, stressing that such values will remain distinctive features of the Bahraini society thanks to the Bahraini people’s awareness and intellectual and cultural maturity. While receiving a number of senior state officials, Read more [...]

Commercial Officers from the US Embassy will promote bilateral trade between Bahrain and the United States at Gulf Industry Fair 2016, the showcase for industrialization in the GCC, taking place next week in the kingdom. The event, held under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, takes place from February 9 to 11 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. Gulf Industry Fair 2016 is strategically sponsored by Bahrain Read more [...]

AhlulBayt News Agency - Bahrain's level of freedom continued to deteriorate according to the index of political rights and civil liberties that Freedom House uses to determine the freedom status of countries across the world. For the seventh consecutive year, Freedom House has classified Bahrain as "Not Free".This came in the annual report entitled "Freedom in the World" issued by Freedom House on Wednesday (January 27, 2016).The organization said that Bahrain "with little pushback from Read more [...]

A new international campaign to promote Bahrain as a top tourist destination is being launched, a report said. Brand Bahrain will focus on the country’s heritage, culture, business-friendly environment and artistic talent, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication, adding that the project is being spearheaded by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) in co-ordination with the Economic Development Board. “We will share with the world Bahrain’s stories, messages Read more [...]