Manama, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, chaired the meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communications Technology today. The meeting was attended by committee members including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications, Cabinet Affairs, Education, Industry and Commerce, and the CEO of the Information and eGovernment Authority. At the beginning of the meeting, the Interior Minister highlighted the royal directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, which have been instrumental in developing the national electronic infrastructure, achieving strategic aspirations, and the kingdom's economic recovery plan through digital sustainability, while also enhancing cybersecurity. He praised the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for all aspects of the technology sector, which has led to significant regional and international advancements in this field. A fter approving the minutes of the previous meeting and following up on the issued decisions, the committee discussed the agenda items. The government team responsible for developing 500 government services reported that 480 services have been completed, resulting in the reduction of documents, streamlined application processes, and improved website interfaces. Additionally, the team is working on developing 300 new services. The committee commended the efforts of the government team. The Interior Minister called for an awareness plan to familiarise citizens and residents with these government services, how to use them, and their benefits. The committee then reviewed and approved several development proposals, based on customer satisfaction indicators, to enhance the efficiency of government entities. The committee also discussed ongoing efforts and initiatives related to leveraging artificial intelligence technologies in delivering government services. The committee reviewed the latest updates on the natio nal early warning system for disasters and emergencies. This system aims to establish a comprehensive framework for issuing timely and reliable public warnings through official sources to manage emergencies, ensuring the safety of citizens and residents and reducing economic losses. In conclusion, the Interior Minister thanked the committee members for their dedication to improving government services for all citizens and residents through continuous communication and coordination. Source: Bahrain News Agency
NIHR receives UAE delegation
Manama, The Secretariat General of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) received a delegation from the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) of the United Arab Emirates. The visit aimed to enhance cooperation, exchange expertise, and learn about the best practices for effectively managing the organisation's complaints system and call centre. The delegation members were received by Yasser Ghanim Shaheen, Secretary General of NIHR. The delegation was briefed on the NIHR's role in upholding human rights, procedures for receiving complaints and providing legal assistance. It was shown practical demonstrations of complaint management and monitoring operations as well as classifying and archiving complaints. Source: Bahrain News Agency
Gold prices fall to $2,409.54 per ounce
Tokyo, Gold prices declined on Monday as the dollar strengthened, with investors awaiting comments from Federal Reserve officials and economic data for further clues on US interest rates. Spot gold fell 0.1% to $2,409.54 per ounce. US gold futures dropped 0.2% to $2,414.70. Among other precious metals, spot silver rose 0.4% to $30.88 per ounce, platinum fell 0.3% to $995.80, and palladium declined 0.7% to $962.50. Source: Bahrain News Agency
CBB 12 Month Treasury Bills oversubscribed by 108%
Manama, This week's BD 100 million issue of Government Treasury Bills has been oversubscribed by 108%. The bills, carrying a maturity of 12 months, are issued by the CBB, on behalf of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The issue date of the bills is July 18, and the maturity date is July 17, 2025. The weighted average rate of interest is 6.10% compared to 6.09% of the previous issue on June 20. The approximate average price for the issue was 94.191% with the lowest accepted price being 94.115%. This is issue No. 118 (ISIN BH00037122P7) of Government Treasury Bills. With this, the total outstanding value of Government Treasury Bills is BD 2.110 billion. Source: Bahrain News Agency