DUBAI: Militants attacked a Bahraini police bus near the Jidhafs area outside the capital Manama, killing one policeman and wounding eight others, the interior ministry said on Friday.
The attack targeted the bus on the Khalifa bin Salman highway, the ministry said, adding that the militant group used a handmade bomb.
“Investigations are underway to determine the circumstances of this premeditated terrorist attack and arrest the group involved,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The incident was the latest in a series of attacks targeting policemen in the country where the US Fifth Fleet is based.
The government blames the attacks on Shiite militants it says are backed by Iran to destabilize the country, a charge Tehran denies.
This month, a blast wounded five policemen on Budaiya road, near Manama, while they were guarding a procession by Shiite Muslims marking the annual Ashura festival, which commemorates the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein some 1400 years ago.
Bomb attack kills one Bahraini policeman, wounds eight
Bomb attack kills one Bahraini policeman, wounds eight
Ex-PM Khan to meet party’s negotiating committee today amid talks with government
- Khan’s party kicked off negotiations with government to break political deadlock in country last month
- PTI this week urged the government to provide it “unfettered” access to former prime minister in jail
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan is scheduled to meet members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party today, Sunday, who are part of a committee formed by him to hold political consultations with the government, the National Assembly’s spokesperson said in a statement.
The PTI and the government kicked off negotiations last month to break the political deadlock in the country. The last round of talks between both sides on Jan. 2 ended inconclusively after Khan’s party demanded more time to meet and consult the ex-PM before submitting their demands in writing.
Khan’s party on Tuesday demanded the government provide it “unfettered” access to the jailed ex-premier in Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison.
The PTI has previously stated two demands: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved Khan supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
“The government has arranged a meeting of the negotiation committee at Adiala Jail following the Speaker’s message,” the National Assembly’s spokesperson said.
It added that the meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m. local time.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His PTI party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
Talks between the two sides opened days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement, and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023 protests.
Malala Yousafzai says ‘Israel has decimated the entire education system’ in Gaza
- Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai on Sunday said she would continue to call out Israel’s violations of international law and human rights in Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai on Sunday said she would continue to call out Israel’s violations of international law and human rights in Gaza.
The education advocate was speaking at a global summit on girls’ education in Muslim nations hosted by Pakistan and attended by representatives from dozens of countries.
“In Gaza, Israel has decimated the entire education system,” she said in an address to the conference.
“They have bombed all universities, destroyed more than 90 percent of schools, and indiscriminately attacked civilians sheltering in school buildings.
“I will continue to call out Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.”
Yousafzai was shot when she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl by Pakistani militants enraged by her education activism.
She made a remarkable recovery after being evacuated to the United Kingdom and went on to become the youngest ever Nobel Prize winner at the age of 17.
“Palestinian children have lost their lives and future. A Palestinian girl cannot have the future she deserves if her school is bombed and her family is killed,” she added.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
During the attack, Palestinian militants took 251 people hostage, of whom 94 remain in the Gaza Strip, including 34 the Israeli military has declared dead.
Israel’s attack on Gaza has killed 46,537 people, the majority civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory considered reliable by the United Nations.
Saudi Arabia de-risks investments to attract foreign SMEs: Al-Falih
- Initiative seeks to empower industrial investments and foster sustainable development
- Program also aims to build value chains by encouraging international SMEs to collaborate with local Saudi firms
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is de-risking investments for foreign small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage their entry into the Kingdom, according to a senior official.
In an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the Standard Incentives for the Industrial Sector program, Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih said the initiative aims to attract international SMEs that have been integral to supply chains in their home countries for decades.
The announcement follows a joint effort by the ministries of industry and mineral resources and investment to allocate SR10 billion ($2.66 billion) to activate standardized incentives for the industrial sector.
The initiative, approved by the Cabinet last month, seeks to empower industrial investments, foster sustainable development, and enhance Saudi Arabia's global industrial competitiveness.
“De-risking is a key component. Come to Saudi Arabia. We will de-risk the investment for you,” Al-Falih said, emphasizing the government’s commitment to creating a business-friendly environment.
He added: “We will do matchmaking with the Saudi investors, and then they can, hopefully, recreate, and maybe we innovate with them to do something bigger for what they are doing in their home country.”
The program also aims to build value chains by encouraging international SMEs to collaborate with local Saudi firms, fostering innovation and shared growth.
“I think the Kingdom has been doing well in attracting large multinationals. However, when we go to Germany, we find out 70 to 80 percent of the German GDP is by SMEs, who may only operate in Germany and Europe. They don’t know the Middle East. They don’t know Saudi Arabia,” Al-Falih explained.
He continued: “As we build these value chains, we need to help our SMEs in Saudi Arabia by bringing with them some international SMEs that have been doing some of this production and manufacturing, feeding the large OEMs for decades in their own home country.”
While Saudi Arabia has successfully attracted large-scale investments in multi-billion-dollar projects like the green hydrogen initiative, Lucid, and Ceer, Al-Falih noted that mid-sized companies face unique challenges. These include a lack of credit history, limited local ecosystems, and rising costs of funding and production.
“By us having this tool available to us, if it’s a new product, differentiated product, that will plug a missing component or a link in a value chain, we can do it quickly, and these companies will be able to bridge that gap and move quickly, so that’s the intention,” he said.
The initiative aligns with the Kingdom’s collaborative government approach, with policies shaped by the Localization and Balance of Payments Committee chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The program also leverages Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location — connecting three continents — its open market, and low customs tariffs to attract both international and local investors.
Speaking at the event, Al-Falih described the incentives as a significant step toward achieving Vision 2030’s goals and the National Investment Strategy, which aim to attract and develop industrial investments while elevating the Kingdom’s industrial competitiveness.
Saudi Arabia allocates $2.66bn to activate Standard Incentives Program for the industrial sector
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced the allocation of SR10 billion ($2.66 billion) to activate the Standard Incentives Program for the industrial sector, following a Cabinet approval last month.
The announcement was made during the Standard Incentives for the Industrial Sector event on Jan. 11.
According to a press statement, the initiative seeks to spur growth in the industrial sector by accelerating investments and achieving sustainable industrial development in the Kingdom to elevate the competitiveness of the Saudi industries globally.
Developing the industrial sector is crucial for Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom, under its Vision 2030 program, is pursuing an economic diversification journey by reducing its dependence on oil revenues.
“These incentives were developed within the framework of an integrated governmental effort, characterized by collaboration with various relevant government entities, particularly the pivotal role played by the Localization and Balance of Payments Committee,” said Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef.
He added: “This committee serves as the overarching body for shaping policies, directions, and initiatives that enhance the empowerment of industrial investments and support national talents.”
The statement said the incentives program offers coverage of up to 35 percent of the initial project investment, capped at SR50 million for each qualifying initiative.
The program is divided evenly across the project lifecycle, granting 50 percent during construction and the remaining 50 percent during production.
The first phase of this program will target investments in chemical conversion industries, the automotive sector, and machinery and equipment, the statement added.
The incentives program will be rolled out to other industry segments in subsequent phases in the latter part of the year.
“This program is the first of its kind in the region and aims to enable the manufacturing of products that are not currently produced in the Kingdom. It opens new horizons for high-quality investments and allows local and international investors to benefit from the unique capabilities the Kingdom possesses,” said Alkhorayef.
He added: “The Standard Incentives Program has been designed to focus on achieving localization and local content targets, as these are fundamental elements for sustainable development.”
The minister further said that through the program, Saudi Arabia aims to empower industries that enhance the utilization of the Kingdom’s natural resources and increase reliance on local talent, contributing to reducing imports, strengthening the balance of payments, and fostering economic resilience.
During the event, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih said that the Standard Incentives Program marks a significant step toward realizing the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the National Investment Strategy.
“The program seeks to achieve the Vision 2030 goals in the short and medium term, including increasing non-oil exports to 50 percent of the size of the non-oil economy and localizing critical materials essential to the economy,” said Al-Falih.
He added: “Today, the industrial sector contributes to an investment that accounts for 40.8 percent of the gross domestic product. The industrial sector accounts for approximately 30 percent of foreign direct investment.”
Al-Falih also said that most of the licenses granted by the Ministry of Investment to international companies are in the manufacturing industry sector.
The investment minister added that 571 international companies have opened their regional headquarters in the Kingdom, most of which are industrial firms.
“We will provide these companies with enablers and incentives through various programs. Our role is to promote ourselves and enable various sectors to be competitive and ensure that all key sectors, as everyone has mentioned — starting with the industrial sector — are indeed attractive for investment,” said Al-Falih.
Al-Falih said that these incentives, in their current form, are expected to energize the industrial movement in the Kingdom, according to the statement.
The investment minister added that projections indicate that the initiative is expected to generate an estimated SR23 billion annually in GDP from the targeted projects.
During the event, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said each sector should understand its role in achieving its objectives.
He added that the Standard Incentives Program aims to launch economically viable projects, ensuring sustainable development in the Kingdom.
“Through this program, we also aspire to achieve sustainability by launching economically viable projects, creating quality job opportunities for Saudi men and women, and fostering innovation and creativity in industrial sectors,” said the energy minister.
He added: “We believe this methodology, centered on empowering industrial projects, will contribute to the gradual expansion of these investments, broadening the industrial base for both investors and the Kingdom as a whole.”
Prince Abdulaziz said these initiatives, in the future, will grow into leading companies that enrich the national economy, diversify income sources, steady the balance of payments, and boost non-oil exports.
Faisal Al-Ibrahim, Saudi Arabia’s minister of economy and planning, said that the program has been developed to grow and deepen the industrial base, which will significantly impact the overall non-oil economy.
“We look forward to seeing non-oil activities increase in number and become more sustainable. Therefore, it is important to design these incentives in a way that does not create additional dependency on them,” said Al-Ibrahim.
He added: “Instead, they should create dynamism in the private sector, enabling it to mature and reach a stage where it grows, continues to produce, and competes sustainably.”
According to Al-Ibrahim, the nation wants to create a dynamic private sector that relies on itself and benefits from the incentives program.
“We measure success through the creation of high-quality jobs, increased productivity, higher non-oil exports, and an overall increase in investment in the Kingdom, leveraging global value chains,” added Al-Ibrahim.
During the event, the Minister of State and member of the Council of Ministers, Hamad Al-Sheikh, said that the objective of the standard incentives program is to equip the industrial sector and investors in the Kingdom.
“The goal is to empower the industrial sector and investors, ensuring clarity regarding application mechanisms, evaluation criteria, and a clear process for prioritization in case multiple investors apply for the same opportunity,” said Al-Sheikh.
Al-Sheikh added that the program aims to encourage new waves of small and medium-sized factories to produce innovative and economically prioritized products for the national economy.
He said the incentives program promotes technology transfer and is expected to improve the trade balance through local production.
PIA flight lands in Paris after four-year ban, marking return to Europe
- PIA’s first flight to Paris in over four years departed from Islamabad on Friday
- Europe’s aviation safety agency suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in EU in June 2020
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani national airline’s first flight to Paris in over four years landed in the French capital this week, state-run media reported on Sunday, marking the resumption of its operations to Europe.
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight departed for Paris from Islamabad on Friday. The airline said on Friday that it was resuming two direct weekly flights to Paris.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in the EU in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani aviation authorities to ensure compliance with international standards.
EASA, United Kingdom and United States authorities suspended permission for PIA to operate in the region after Pakistan began investigating the validity of pilots’ licenses following a deadly plane crash that killed 97 people. In November 2024, the EASA announced it had lifted the ban.
“Pakistan International Airlines’ first flight to France has landed at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after a gap of more than four years,” Radio Pakistan reported.
The report said that PIA passengers and crew were warmly received in Paris on Friday by Pakistan Charge d’Affairs Huzefa Khanum along with the Pakistani diaspora.
“The passengers who reached Paris via direct flight from Islamabad expressed pleasure over reduced travel time and quality service experienced by them,” it said.
PIA, however, remains barred from operating flights to the UK and the United States. The airline flies to multiple cities inside Pakistan, including the mountainous north, as well as to the Gulf and Southeast Asia.
PIA, which employs 7,000 people, has long been accused of being bloated and poorly run — hobbled by unpaid bills, a poor safety record and regulatory issues.
Pakistan’s government has said it is committed to privatizing the debt-ridden airline and has been scrambling to find a buyer. Late last year, a deal fell through after a potential buyer reportedly offered a fraction of the asking price.
The government hopes the opening of European routes, which officials expect will be followed by a similar announcement by the UK later this year, will boost its selling potential.
PIA posted losses of $270 million in 2023, according to local media. Its liabilities were nearly $3 billion, about five times the total worth of its assets.
In the same year, amid a national economic crisis, dozens of domestic flights were canceled when it could not afford fuel for its planes.
PIA came into being in 1955 when the government nationalized a loss-making commercial airline, and enjoyed rapid growth until the 1990s.
