FACEBOOK /nobmedia [email protected] ......2018/11/26 · Adel Abdulrahman Assoumi. A second round will be held in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth

02 Strong brotherly ties

03 Nation marching ahead

04Second round of polls in 31 parliament seats

8

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Manama

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa yesterday welcomed HRH Prince Mohammed bin

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and De-fence Minister of Saudi Arabia, and the accompanying delegation at the Sakhir Air Base.

HRH Prime Minister Prince Khali-fa bin Salman Al Khalifa, HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, and senior officials were also present.

An official reception ceremony was held at the Sakhir Palace where the national anthems of the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia and Kingdom of Bahrain were played.

HM the King and HRH Saudi Crown Prince inspected the Guards of Honour lined up to salute them.

A mission of honour chaired by For-eign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa was formed to ac-company HRH the Saudi Crown Prince.

The Saudi delegation also comprised Royal Court Advisor HRH Prince Turki bi Mohammed bin Fahad bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior HRH Prince Abdu-laziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Commerce and investment Dr Majid Al Qassabi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Jubeir, Minister of Informa-tion Dr Awad Al Awad and General In-telligence Director Khalid Al Humaidan.

Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said the visit “high-lights the two Kingdoms’ approach based on continuous communication and coordination at all levels regarding all issues and in various forums”.

He said: “The visit confirms that Sau-di Arabia will remain, as it has always been, supportive of Bahrain’s efforts towards achieving further accomplish-ments and development in all areas.”

He reiterated, “Bahrain’s support to Saudi Arabia to continue its pioneering role in defending the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations and reinforcing regional and international peace and security.”

Before arriving in the Kingdom, HRH Saudi Crown Prince was in the UAE as

part of his regional tour. During the visit Mohammed bin Salman met with Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on the sidelines of the 10th Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Saudi Crown Prince, his UAE counterpart and Shaikh Maktoum at-tended and oversaw the final round of the 2018 Grand Prix season, which was attended by several officials, dignitaries and heads of states from a number of countries.

On the sidelines of the major inter-national event, Mohammed bin Salman also met with King Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain and Chechen lead-er Ramzan Kadyrov.

Bahrainis abroad to vote in second round tomorrow

3,600Bahrainis cast their votes abroad in the first round of polls to parliament and

municipal councils.

Adel Al Assomi (First Constituency, Capital Governorate)

Isa Al Kooheji (Fourth Constituency, Muharraq Governorate)

Hisham Al Asheeri (Sixth Constituency, Muharraq Governorate)

Fatima Abbas (Second Constituency, Northern Governorate)

Abdulnabi Salman (Sixth Constituency, Northern Governorate)

Preparations have been made to ensure that citizens abroad

exercise their right without any

hindrances. ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

Ahmed Al Ansari (Third Constituency, Southern Governorate)

Fawzia Zainal (Fifth Constituency, Southern Governorate)

Mohammed Al Sisi (Eighth Constituency, Southern Governorate)

Isa Al Dossary (Tenth Constituency, Southern Governorate)

• The committee said the voting process abroad would be held from 8am-8pm.

TDT | Manama

The 2018 Election Execu-tive Committee announced that 29 embassies, consu-

lates and diplomatic missions of the Kingdom would host the sec-

ond round of the parliamentary elections tomorrow.

The second round will be held for candidates for the Council of Representatives of 31 constitu-encies, as nine candidates won the first round, the Executive Committee stated.

The committee said the voting process abroad would be held from 8am-8pm depending on the local time of the city where the embassy, consulate or diplomatic

mission is located.It said, in coordination with

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bahrain’s diplomatic mis-sions abroad, preparations have been made to ensure that cit-izens eligible for voting listed in the voter register to exercise their voting right, in case of their presence abroad on polling day.

The number of citizens who cast their votes abroad in the first round reached 3,600 Bah-rainis.

See pages 4-5

A grand welcome His Majesty welcomes Saudi Crown Prince HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Sakhir Air Base

CR fees from Dec 1 Manama

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tour-

ism announced to all own-ers of companies and private commercial establishments registered with the ministry that the commercial activi-ties fees will be applied from December 1, 2018.

The new rate of fees will be BD100 for up to three activities, while additional business activities will be charged BD100 each. The ministry said it will not charge any activities fees im-posed by other government agencies.

Showers disrupted traffic in many places across the Kingdom yesterday. The Meteorological Directorate forecasts an unsettled weather with scattered rain showers for today. Amidst scattered rains in the KIngdom, authorities yesterday urged citizens and expatriates to avoid rain-related accidents.

Rain chaos

His Majesty holds talks with HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the presence of HRH the Premier and HRH the Crown Prince.

HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman embraces a child who greeted him upon his arrival at Sakhir Air Base.

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Strong brotherly ties

His Majesty, HRH the Premier and HRH the Crown Prince with HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His Majesty with HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman inspect the Guard of Honour.

His Majesty, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman receive envoys to the Kingdom. His Majesty, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman receive members of the Bahrain Cabinet.


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Nation marching ahead HRH the Premier lauds the democratic atmosphere in which the first round of elections took place

• The Prime Minister made the statements while receiving, at the Gudaibiya Palace yesterday, senior officials, intellectuals, cultural figures and journalists.

• The Prime Minister expressed hope that the new MPs will succeed in serving their country and in living up to the expectations of the citizens who elected them to achieve what they hope for on all levels.

Manama

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa

has asserted that every phase in Bahrain’s national march is laden with achievements and gains, adding that thanks to the determination and resolve of the

leadership and the people, the future is promising and a land-mark achievements lie ahead.

HRH the Prime Minister stressed that cooperation has al-ways characterised the govern-ment’s relations with the Leg-islative Branch, noting that the Executive-Legislature partner-ship will certainly deepen with the new Council of Represent-atives as its members enjoy the confidence of the government and the citizens who elected

them to be their representatives in the “House of the People” and by an unprecedented popular participation.

HRH Premier called for the need to always be united, and to avoid division through removing its causes, including the misuse of social media networks.

The Prime Minister made the statements while receiving, at the Gudaibiya Palace yesterday, senior officials, intellectuals, cultural figures, journalist, me-

dia personnel and scores of cit-izens, with whom he reviewed local and international issues.

HRH the Premier praised the democratic atmosphere in which the first round of the parliamentary and municipal elections took place, hailing the Bahraini people’s great keenness to vote, which, he said, reflects the extent of the Bahraini citi-zens’ awareness and loyalty to the homeland.

“I would like to say thank you

to the people of Bahrain from the bottom of my heart for their stances and support for their country under all circumstances. Indeed, Bahrainis have always done the same, and we hope that every new phase is better than the previous one. We hope that the next phase will be richer, brighter and safer for Bahrain and its people,” he said.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that the new MPs will suc-ceed in serving their country and in living up to the expectations of the citizens who elected them to achieve what they hope for on all levels.

HRH Premier affirmed that the government has been and will remain keen to cooperate with the Legislative Branch in

everything that would serve the development efforts and benefit the citizens.

The Prime Minister stressed that everyone should continue working dedicatedly and with a positive spirit for the best in-terests of Bahrain, emphasising the importance of unity in facing everything aimed at disturbing society.

“Bahrain is the land of good and love. We are one people, and I pray to Allah the Almighty to guide all of us on the right path to enhance Bahrain’s progress in various fields,” he added.

HRH Premier hailed the Bah-raini youth’s unwavering keen-ness to preserve their country’s security and stability, highlight-ing the government’s constant desire to provide opportunities for Bahraini male and female citizens to contribute effectively to building a better present and future for the nation.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to unify stances in or-der to carry on the kingdom’s de-velopment, renewing his warn-ing against the danger of the misuse of social media networks and its role in disseminating fake and misleading news and infor-mation.

HRH the Premier receives senior officials, intellectuals and journalists.

I would like to say thank you to the people

of Bahrain from the bottom of my heart

for their stances and support for their country under all

circumstances. HRH THE PREMIER

Second round of elections for the undecided parliamentary and municipal seats will take place on Dec 1 Manama

The Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, Head

of the High Committee Overseeing the Integrity of the Elections, yesterday announced the final results of the first round parliamentary and municipal elections conducted on Saturday all over the Kingdom’s governorates.

In the Capital Governorate, the first parliament constituency was won by Adel Abdulrahman Assoumi. A second round will be held in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth constituencies.

In the Muharraq Governorate, the fourth constituency was won by Issa Abduljabbar Mahmoud Alkooheji. A

second round will be held for the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh and eight constituencies.

In the Northern Governorate, the second and sixth constituencies were won by Fatima Abbass Mohammed Qassim and Abdulnabi Salman Ahmed Nasser, respectively. A second round will be held for the first, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, elev-enth and twelfth constituencies.

In the Southern Governorate, the third, eighth and tenth constituencies were won by Ahmed Yousef Mohamed Abdulqader Al Ansari,Fowzia Abdullah Yousef Zainal, Mohamed Ibrahim Ali Mohanna Al Seesi Al Buainain, Issa Yousef Abdullah Mohammed Al Dosari, respectively. A second round will be held for the first, second, fourth, fifth,

sixth, seventh, ninth

Municipal electionsIn the Muharraq Governorate, the

second, sixth and eighth constituencies were won by Hassan Farouq Hassan Al Douy, Fadhil Abbass Hassan Ahmed Al Oud and Abdulaziz Thamir Khalifa Hazza Al Kaabi. A second round will be held in the first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh constituencies.

In the Northern Governorate, the sec-ond constituency was won by Badriya Ibrahim Abdullah Mohammed Abdel-hussain. A second round will be held for the first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth constituencies.

In the Southern Governorate: the sev-

Second round of polls in 31 parliament seats

Counting in progress at one of the electoral committee offices.

Muharraq Governorate

First Constituency: Hamad Al Kooheji, Mohammed Al Hussaini

Second Constituency: Ibrahim Al Nafeei, Ibrahim Al Hammadi

Third Constituency: Mohammed Isa, Mohammed Jassim Al Olaiwi

Fifth Constituency: Mahmood Al Mahmood, Khalid Buanq

Seventh Constituency: Ammar Qambar, Yousif Abdulghaffar

Eighth Constituency: Yousif Al Thawadi, Abulrahman Bu Ali

Southern Governorate

First Constituency: Ahmed Al Amer, Nasreen Maarouf

Second Constituency: Isa Al Qadhi, Mohammed Al Ahmed

Fourth Constituency: Ali Ahmed Zayed, Mohammed Al Maarifi

Sixth Constituency: Abdulrazzaq Al Hattab, Mohammed Darwish

Seventh Constituency: Ali Al Noaimi, Ahmed Al Tamimi

Ninth Constituency: Nawar Al Mutawwa, Bader Al Dossary

Bahrain Tamils, a non-profit organisation involved in many social activities in the Kingdom, has sent relief materials to the cyclone-hit areas of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Cyclone Gaja, which ripped through South India last week claimed 45 lives. The relief materials were well packed in 85 cartons and sent to Chennai. Arrangements have been done for the relief materials to reach each and every village in the affected delta region using small vehicles.

Gaja relief


VAT Seminar 4PM News in association with ‘eGo Smart Solutions’ held a Seminar on ‘VAT Law and its Implications on SMEs in Bahrain’. The Daily Tribune Director and CEO Abdul Jaleel Abdulla and Consultant Chartered Accountant Riyas Parat from Alchemist Consultants explained the possible impacts of VAT on small and medium-sized businesses in the Kingdom. VAT is scheduled to be implemented in Bahrain from January 1, 2019. The SMEs including small cold stores and cafeterias also will become a taxable entity. The aim of the seminar was to create awareness and clarify loads of confusion.

Justin H Siberell, US Ambassador to Bahrain, visited the Shri Krishna (Hindu) Temple in Manama on Saturday. He was accompanied by his wife and mother as well as other guests, including Shaikha Hessa, Serendipity Chairman Yousuf Salahuddin and Ajoor Textiles Proprietor Nabeel Ajoor. They were received by Honorary Chairman Sushil Muljimal and other committee members, and accorded a ceremonial welcome with ‘tilak’ and flower garlands. The guests were briefed about the temple background, festival celebrations, VIP visitors and charitable activities conducted by the Temple Managing Committee and the support for #TeamBahrain vision of HRH the Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

US envoy visits temple

Second round of polls in 31 parliament seats enth, eighth and tenth constituencies were won by Abdullah Ahmed Ibrahim Bubshit, Badr Saleh Abdulaziz Al Draib Al Tameemi and Hezzam Ibrahim Mufrej Al Dosari. A second round will be held for the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth constituencies.

Shaikh Khalid congratulated His Maj-esty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Sal-man Al Khalifa the Prime Minister and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, and the Bahraini people on the success of the national parliamentary and municipal elections first round, with a participation rate of 67 per cent for the parliamentary polls and almost 70pc for the municipal polls.

The second round of elections for the

undecided parliamentary and municipal seats will take place on Saturday, Decem-ber 1.

The 2018 elections have seen a record number of women candidates, with 39 women filing nominations for the elections to the House of representatives and eight for municipal councils.

The relative proportion of younger vot-ers taking part in the elections also showed a significant increase, with more than 50,000 young men and women eligible to vote for the first time.

In all, 430 candidates stood for the elec-tions – 293 for the House of Representa-tives, and 137 for municipal councils.

The polling – and the count – were mon-itored by 231 observers from four civil soci-ety associations in addition to the National Institute for Human Rights.

Full judicial supervision of all stages of the electoral process has guaranteed its integrity, according to Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry sources.

The parliament has significant powers to hold the government to account. These in-clude the right to approve the State Budget and the upcoming Government Action Plan.

231observers from four

civil society associations monitored the polls.

Capital Governorate

Second Constituency: Sawsan Kamal, Faisal Bin Rajab

Third Constituency: Mahdi Sharar, Mamdouh Al Saleh

Fourth Constituency: Ammar Al Bannai, Abdulrahman Bumjaid

Fifth Constituency: Ahmed Al Saloom, Nasser Al Qaseer

Sixth Constituency: Ali Al Atish, Dr Masooma Abdulrahim

Seventh Constituency: Zainab Abdulamir, Afaf Al Mousawi

Eighth Constituency: Fadhel Abbas, Mohammed Ashoor

Ninth Constituency: Ammar Hussain, Dr Zahra Haram

Tenth Constituency: Ali Ishaqi, Eman Showaiter

Twelfth Constituency: Mahmood Al Bahrani, Maryam Madan

Northern Governorate

First Constituency: Kaltham Al Haiki, Habib Shabib Third Constituency: Abdulla Al Dossary, Hafedh Al Dossary

Fourth Constituency: Ghazi Al Rahmah, Nedhal A Shomali

Fifth Constituency: Ahmed Yousif Ghuloom, Sayed Falah Hashem

Seventh Constituency: Munir Soroor, Ahmed Al Damistani

Eighth Constituency: Abdullah Al Thawadi, Abdulrahman Al Najdi

Ninth Constituency: Abbas Al Omani, Yousif Zainal

Tenth Constituency: Mohammed Al Ammadi, Bassim Al Maliki

Eleventh Constituency: Mohammed Buhamood, Ali Al Fadhli

S E C O N D R O U N D C A N D I D A T E S

In all, 430 candidates stood for the elections; 293 for the House of Representatives and 137 for municipal councils


Jordan lauds Bahrain polls

Amman

Jordan has welcomed the successful parliamentary and municipal elections

held in Bahrain on Saturday.Jordan’s Minister of State

for Media Affairs, and Govern-ment Spokesperson, Jumana Ghunaimat, congratulated the government and the people of Bahrain on the success of the democratic process, which, she said, achieved the highest voter turnout in the history of elections in Bahrain.

The popular participation in the elections indicates an im-portant political phase in the future of Bahrain, Ghunaimat said, expressing hope for fur-ther progress and prosperity for the Kingdom of Bahrain and its people.

HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa yesterday received a cable of congratulations from HH the Amir of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah Al Jabir Al Sabah, mark-ing the success of the 2018 parliamentary and municipal elections.

HH the Amir of Kuwait ex-tended utmost congratulations to HM the King and people of Bahrain on the success of democratic elections that wit-nessed an unprecedented vot-ers’ turnout. Which reflected their adherence to their demo-cratic experience in the service of their homeland.

He wished the Kingdom of Bahrain further progress and prosperity under the royal leadership and government.

His Majesty received a con-gratulatory cable from Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endow-ments Minister, and Chair-man of the High Committee to Oversee the Integrity of the Elections, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa on the success of the 2018 parliamentary and municipal elections.

The minister extended deep-est congratulations to HM the King on the landmark success of the parliamentary and mu-nicipal elections, paying trib-ute to citizens who answered the call of duty, thus embody-ing their awareness of the land-mark achievements under the reform project, which was ini-

tiated by HM the King through the National Action Charter.

He hailed the high turn-out which marked the polls on November 24 across Bah-rain under judicial oversight, commending judges for their keenness on enabling voters to exercise their constitutional right.

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa received a cable of congratulations from Bahrain Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (BCCI) on the success of the 2018 parlia-mentary and municipal elec-tions.

On behalf of BCCI board and the trading and industrial com-munity, he extended deepest congratulations to HRH the Premier on the success of the democratic polls which were held yesterday. The BCCI chief hailed the positive atmosphere and massive turnout which re-flected the spirit of citizen-ship and allegiance to HM the King’s leadership and the na-tion’s march of development and reform.

HRH Prince Salman bin Ham-ad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Min-ister, received a cable of con-gratulations from Chairman of Bahrain Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (BCCI), Sameer Nass, on the success of the 2018 parliamentary and municipal elections.

The BCCI Chairman, on be-half of trade and commerce community, extended congrat-ulations marking the success of the 2018 elections, which em-bodied the spirit of citizenship and loyalty to HM the King and homeland.

67per cent was the turnout

in the polls held to elect parliamentarians and municipal council

members.

06

world

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2018

“Not in my lifetime”Sri Lanka President vows never to reappoint ousted premierAFP | Colombo, Sri Lanka

President Maithripala Sirise-na yesterday reignited the

power struggle that has crip-pled Sri Lanka's government for more than a month, vow-ing never to reappoint arch-ri-val Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister.

Wickremesinghe's party has a majority in parliament and Sirisena's bid to bring back the country's former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse has already failed. But Sirisena choked back tears in a meeting with foreign correspondents as he accused Wickremesinghe, who he sacked on October 26, of being "highly corrupt".

"Even if the UNP has the ma-jority I told them not to bring Ranil Wickremesinghe before me, I will not make him prime minister," he said, referring to Wickremesinghe's United Na-tional Party.

"Not in my lifetime," he add-ed. Sirisena dismissed Wick-remesinghe following a host of personality and political clashes since they formed a coalition in 2015. He named Rajapakse as new premier and tried to dissolve parliament but the Supreme Court and legis-lators blocked the president's moves.

Wickremesinghe, who oc-cupies the prime minister's residence, and Rajapakse, who has the premier's official offic-es, have both refused to back

down. But the country officially has no prime minister, height-ening international fears about Sri Lanka's stability and loom-ing foreign debt repayments.

Sirisena told foreign corre-spondents at his official res-idence that he will appoint a commission to investigate cor-ruption under Wickremesinghe since January 2015.

"He is corrupt. His economic policies are not good for lo-cal industries. He pursed an extremely liberal form of gov-ernment that is not compatible with our culture."

Sirisena fought back tears as he recalled how he asked Wickremesinghe to step down in February when their respec-tive parties were beaten in local council elections.

"I told him that we lost the election because his economic policies had failed. I told Ranil in this very room to step down, but he refused," Sirisena said.

Wickremesinghe, Sirisena

Iraq’s Green Zone opening delayedThe zone was reopened in 2015, but was sealed off shortly

• Earlier this week, Iraqi authorities began removing concrete barriers

AFP | Baghdad, Iraq

The partial reopening of Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone to through

traffic, planned for yesterday, has been postponed for several days, a government official said.

The enclave has been home to Iraq’s parliament, government offices, United Nations agencies and western embassies since the US-led invasion that top-pled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. Earlier this week, Ira-qi authorities began removing concrete barriers to ease access to a key route that cuts across the enclave, ahead of a planned opening on Sunday, reportedly at the orders of Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi.

But yesterday morning, a government official said that “the reopening will not take place before the next two days, or perhaps by the end of the week”.

“An important thoroughfare will be opened, but we must secure its surroundings and seal access to perpendicular streets,” the official said on con-dition of anonymity.

The road leads from the banks of the Tigris River north-west through the Green Zone

and into other parts of Baghdad.Authorities say allowing

through traffic would ease con-gestion in other parts of the city.

But on either side of the route lie the offices and homes of Ira-qi officials and international diplomats.

The UK embassy and the UN informed staff members they were implementing tougher safety measures inside the zone from Sunday, citing an “elevat-ed threat level.”

The US embassy has de-clined to comment on the reopening.

The Green Zone, ringed by blast walls topped with barbed wire and guarded by Iraqi secu-rity forces, remains inaccessible for most Iraqi citizens.

Even if the planned opening

goes ahead, Baghdad residents would not be able to access the rest of the zone by car or on foot. Abdel Mahdi, who was appointed premier in October, is keen to portray Iraq as fully secured, nearly a year after the Islamic State group was ousted from its last urban strongholds.

Previous prime minister Hai-dar al-Abadi had also ordered the zone reopened in 2015, but it was sealed off again after only a few days.

It was rumoured at the time that objections by the US em-bassy -- which has the tight-est security regulations of all in the Green Zone -- were the reason.

On Saturday, Baghdad’s res-idents voiced scepticism that this time would be different.

One of the entrances to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone

Around 100 Syrians struggle to breathe after ‘toxic’ attackDamascus, Syria

Around 100 Syrians have been hospitalised with

breathing difficulties in Alep-po, state media and a monitor said Sunday, after allegations rebels fired “toxic gas” on the regime-held city the previous day.

A rebel alliance in nearby Idlib denied any involvement in the alleged attack.

State news agency SANA re-ported “107 cases of breathing difficulties” in an updated toll on Sunday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said a total of 94 peo-ple were hospitalised, but most had been discharged and the 31 cases that remained were not critical.

Late Saturday, state media accused rebels of launching an attack with “toxic gas” on the northern city in what health official Ziad Hajj Taha said

was a “probable” chlorine at-tack. On Saturday, men, wom-en and children were treated at an Aleppo hospital for breath-ing difficulties.

Some were sitting, while others lay down, breathing through with oxygen masks.

The regime controls Alep-po city, but rebels and jihad-ists are present to the west of the city in the country’s last major opposition bastion of Idlib.

B u t a r e b e l c o a l i t i o n there on Sunday denied involvement.

Other groups in the area in-clude the jihadist-dominated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance and the Al-Qaeda-linked Hur-ras al-Deen group, neither of whom have commented on the alleged attack.

The conflict has killed more than 360,000 people and dis-placed millions, according to the Observatory.

A Syrian girl receives treatment at a hospital in the regime controlled Aleppo

© GRAPHIC NEWSSources: Associated Press, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

First flight of aircraft with ion driveA team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have

successfully flown the first aircraft with no moving parts. The modelplane uses “ionic wind” propulsion that creates no emissions

HOW PLANE FLIES: Scientists used bungee cords to launch aircraft,with ionic wind technology powering rest of flight

Electrical powerStack of lithium-polymerbatteries supply 40,000volts via lightweightpower converter

ResearchTen test flights madeinside MIT sports hall,each flight coveringabout 55m

Wingspan: 5mAircraft weight: 2.45kgSpeed: 4.8m per second

Positive electrodeSeries of thin wiresstrung beneath wing

Negative electrodeThin airfoil towards back of wing

Airfoil, which is negativelycharged to 20,000 volts, attractspositive nitrogen ions

Neutral air molecules stream outbehind plane, generating thrustthat creates forward flight

Electric field Aircraft movement Ionic wind

Neutral air molecule

Positivenitrogen ion

Wire Airfoil

1 2Wires charged to 20,000 volts,spurring atmospheric nitrogen

molecules to lose electrons andbecome positively charged

Nitrogen ions moving betweenelectrodes collide millions of

times with neutral air molecules,transferring energy to them

Ion flies with no moving partsGraphic News

A team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of

Technology have successfully flown the first aircraft with no moving parts. The model plane uses “ionic wind” propulsion that creates no emissions.

The flow of ions is produced aboard the plane and gener-ates enough thrust to propel the plane over a sustained, steady flight, according to engineers.

The MIT airplane has a series of thin wires at the front that generate a powerful electric field. The field strips electrons from air molecules, turning the molecules into positively charged particles called ions. Those ions flow toward neg-atively charged parts of the plane, colliding with ordinary air molecules and transferring energy to them. That produces a wind that provides thrust for the plane.

Suspected militant attack kills 12 in north MozambiqueMaputo, Mozambique |

Twelve people have been killed in a suspected

Islamist militant attack in northern Mozambique, with thousands of villagers fleeing into neighbouring Tanzania, police sources said yesterday.

Hardline Islamists have launched several attacks in the majority -Muslim prov-ince during the last year, stoking unrest just as Ma-puto pushes ahead with oil and gas development in the region.

Early Friday, “there was an attack in Nangade dis-trict, where there are no security patrols. The attack-ers killed 12 people, mostly women and children,” a po-lice source in Cabo Delgado province, who asked not to be named, said.

The attack took place in the village of Chicuaia Velha, just a few kilometres (miles) from Tanzania, forc-ing several thousand people to seek safety cross the bor-der, police said.

Ghosn denies allegations: mediaTokyo, Japan

Nissan’s former chair-man Carlos Ghosn has

denied allegations of finan-cial misconduct, claiming he had no intention of mak-ing false reports, Japanese media said yesterday.

The Brazil-born tycoon, who has not spoken publicly since he was arrested last Monday, told prosecutors he did not intend to under-state his income on financial reports, public broadcaster NHK said.

Without exercising his right to remain silent, Ghosn advocated his view to prosecutors, NHK said, quoting unnamed sources.

Ghosn was sacked as Nis-san chairman Thursday, a spectacular fall from grace for the once-revered boss whose arrest and ouster have stunned the business world.

Ukraine says Russia rams navy tugboat off CrimeaKiev, Ukraine

Ukraine’s navy said that Russia’s border guards

rammed one of its tugboats in the Black Sea off Mos-cow-annexed Crimea on Sunday in “openly aggres-sive actions.”

Ukraine said the inci-dent took place as three of i ts ships including two small warships were heading for the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov, an area of height-ened tensions between the countries.


We are studying the 2006 case. We are asking

anthropologists what they do when they kill

an outsider. We are trying to understand the group psychology.

DEPENDRA PATHAKPOLICE CHIEF

Indian police face-off with tribe in American missionary killingPort Blair, India

Indian officers had a nervous long-distance face-off with

the tribe who killed an American missionary, in their latest bid to locate his body on a remote island, police said yesterday.

The police team, who took a boat just off Indian-owned North Sentinel island on Sat-urday, spotted men from the Sentinelese tribe on the beach where John Allen Chau was last seen, the region’s police chief Dependra Pathak said.

Using binoculars, officers -- in a police boat about 400 metres from the shore -- saw the men armed with bows and arrows, the weapons reportedly used by the isolated tribe to kill Chau as he shouted Christian phrases

at them.“They stared at us and we were

looking at them,” said Pathak. The boat withdrew to avoid any chance of a confrontation.

Police are taking painstaking

efforts to avoid any disruption to the Sentinelese -- a pre-neolithic tribe whose island is off-limits to outsiders -- as they seek Chau’s body.

The death of the 27-year-old on November 17 has cast a new spotlight on efforts to protect one of the world’s last “uncon-tacted” tribes whose language

and customs remain a mystery to outsiders.

Fishermen who took Chau to North Sentinel -- which is one of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal -- said they saw the tribe burying the body on the beach.

The Sentinelese normally attack anyone who goes to the island and Pathak said police are monitoring to see if there is a repeat of an incident after two fishermen who strayed onto the island were killed in 2006.

One week after their deaths, the bodies of the two Indians were hooked on bamboo stakes facing out to sea. “It was a kind of scarecrow,” Pathak said.

“We are studying the 2006 case. We are asking anthropol-ogists what they do when they

kill an outsider,” the police chief added. “We are trying to under-stand the group psychology.”

Though Chau’s death is offi-cially a murder case, anthropol-ogists say it may be impossible to retrieve the American’s body and that no charges will be made against the protected tribe.

Seven people, including six fishermen who were involved in ferrying Chau to North Sentinel, have been arrested.

The fishermen have ac-companied the police teams to the island to help efforts to pinpoint where Chau was killed. Anthropologists and tribal welfare experts who have had the previous rare con-tacts with the Sentinelese have been heavily involved with the inquiry.

Sentinelese shot arrows at the Coast Guard chopper which tried to retrieve bodies of 2 fishermen in 2006 (Courtesy of Indian coast guard)

Uganda party boat capsizes killing 30 • The vessel carred close to a hundred revellers

• overloading and bad weather were likely to blame

• First responders were among the victims

• Lake Victoria is the site of many boat disasters.

AFP | Mutima, Uganda

Thirty people drowned and more than 60 were feared dead after a pleasure boat

sank in Lake Victoria, Ugandan police said Sunday, in the latest such incident on Africa’s largest body of water.

“Thirty bodies have been re-covered and 27 people rescued,” said police spokesperson Zura Ganyana, adding the boat had sunk 150 metres (yards) from the lakeshore.

“According to one of the sur-vivors there were more than 90 people on board,” said Asuman

Mugenyi, director of operations for the Uganda police.

Witnesses claimed the vessel may have been rushed back into service following a renovation in order to take advantage of the profitable end-of-year party season.

The boat carrying nearly 100 revellers sank in bad weather on

Saturday in the latest deadly in-cident to affect passenger boats on Africa’s largest lake.

Lawn games at the Mutima Country Resort, close to the capital Kampala, were pushed aside Sunday to make way for an open-air morgue where police collected the bloated bodies of victims.

Boat rides, with drinking, dancing and music, are popular on the lake.

“It’s a big party,” said Wash-ington Serunjogi, whose sister Justine Namayanja was missing after taking the cruise on Sat-urday.

“Justine had been on three cruises before and I knew some-

thing was wrong yesterday be-cause she always updated her WhatsApp and Facebook with selfies but last night she didn’t,” Serunjogi said.

Serunjogi said that, like many Ugandans, his sister did not know how to swim.

James Matovo, a 26-year-old youth leader at the Buzin-dere fish landing site who saw the boat capsize on Saturday evening, said it had been “cold and very windy” when the boat pitched over.

He said that rescue services were slow to respond.

“If people had help earlier so many more people would have survived,” Matovo said.

Instead, local fishermen went to help.

“We rushed to help but the passengers couldn’t swim and when we got beside them with our boats they grabbed us,” he said.

Matovo said some of the res-cuers also drowned as a result.

“People kept coming on the fishing boats and (one man) was overwhelmed. He was pulled down and he drowned,” he said.

“I’ve seen a lot of accidents but nothing as bad as this,” said Matovo, who -- along with other witnesses -- had recently seen the boat being fixed up.

Ugandan Navy personnel and local fishermen collect bodies of victims by capsized cruise boat on lake Victoria

Swiss vote on bid to preserve cow hornsGeneva, Switzerland

Switzerland was voting yes-terday on an eclectic range of

measures including a proposed constitutional amendment to preserve cow horns spear-headed by a livestock farmer who was inspired by talking to his herd.

Also on the ballot, which is part of Switzerland's direct de-mocracy system, are controver-sial legal revisions that define the ways insurance companies are allowed to spy on suspected welfare cheats as well as a right-wing proposal that would give

Swiss judges supremacy over world courts.

But much of the public atten-

tion has been centred on farmer Armin Capaul, who forced a national vote on safeguarding

cow horns following an upstart campaign that began with few resources and no political sup-port.

The proposal does not call for a ban on dehorning. Instead, it seeks a constitutional amend-ment that would create incen-tives for farmers to let horns grow.

Capaul has maintained that despite attention heaped on him after he defied the odds and secured the more than 100,000 signatures needed to force a national vote, he is not the story.

Swiss farmer Armin Capaul poses with one of his cows ahead of the nationwide vote on his initiative on cow horns, near Perrefitte, northern Switzerland.

More rain expected in Saudi Arabia

Arab News | Riyadh

The General Directorate of Civil Defense has

urged citizens and expatri-ates to take utmost precau-tions in view of the warning about the continued inclem-ent weather, heavy rain and flash floods that are expect-ed to hit different regions of the Kingdom.

Intermittent rains have been lashing the capital city since the early hours of Thursday while weather ex-perts have predicted more rain for the next few days.

Prof. Mansour Almaz-roui, director of the Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research at the Jed-dah-based King Abdul Aziz University (KAU) told Arab News that light to heavy rains would continue to oc-cur in the Kingdom includ-ing the capital city.

He said the current rain-fall system is likely to pre-vail over Saudi Arabia until Nov. 26, 2018, and is expect-ed to unleash rain and thun-derstorms in some places of central, northeastern, east-ern and some southwest-ern parts of the Kingdom including Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.

Morocco navy finds fifteen migrants dead in stranded boatRabat, Morocco

Morocco’s navy on Satur-day found the bodies of

15 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa on board a boat strand-ed at sea for days and rescued 53 survivors, a military source said.

Coastguards recovered “15 lifeless corpses” from the ves-sel in the Mediterranean Sea after it was left drifting for four days following engine failure on its way to Spain, the source said. The 53 other survivors on board, including eight wom-

en, were taken to the port of Nador.

Increasing numbers of Moroccans and sub-Saharan migrants are seeking to en-ter Spain, either by sea or by smuggling themselves into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which are in Morocco and are the only European ter-ritories in Africa.

The International Organi-zation for Migration says that some 51,000 migrants have ar-rived in Spain by sea this year, and that over 630 have died or gone missing trying.

Picture courtesy of Arab News

SOMEONE IS SITTING IN THE SHADE TODAY BECAUSE SOMEONE PLANTED A TREE A LONG TIME AGO. WARREN BUFFETT

QUOTE OF THE DAY


Hon. Chairman Najeb Yacob Alhamer | Editor-in-Chief Mahmood AI Mahmood | Deputy Editor-in-Chief Ahdeya Ahmed | Chairman & Managing Editor P Unnikrishnan | Advertisement: Update Media W.L.L | Tel: 38444692, Email: [email protected] | Newsroom: Tel: 38444680, Email: [email protected] & circulation: Tel: 38444698/17579877 | Email:[email protected] | Website: www.newsofbahrain.com | Printed and published by Al Ayam Publishing

BARIA ALAMUDDIN

A week is a long time in Israeli politics. First, De-fence Minister Avigdor

Lieberman resigned over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s truce with the Palestinian faction Hamas in Gaza. Then Israeli Ed-ucation Minister Naftali Bennett unsuccessfully demanded the post of defence minister, which Netanyahu insisted on taking for himself.

To discourage Bennett and others from jumping ship, Net-anyahu has pledged to shift his Cabinet even further rightward, knowing that new elections would imperil the continued existence of the most rightwing governing coalition in Israel’s history.

This renewed lurch to the right is bad news for the region. There are indications that Netanyahu is envisaging a bloody series of incursions into Palestinian ter-ritories. There has been a flurry of evictions of Palestinians and demolitions of East Jerusalem homes, with renewed momen-tum for legalisation of West Bank land seizures.

Recent days have seen an ac-celeration of anti-Palestinian measures by Israel’s Supreme Court, including rejecting an ap-peal against eviction by Palestin-ian residents of East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, and rejection of a petition against measures by a settler organisa-tion to evict some 700 Palestini-ans from their homes.

A commentary in Israeli newspaper Haaretz called these measures a “rubber stamp for injustice,” saying such measures represent the conclusion of Jus-tice Minister Ayelet Shaked’s “conservative and reactionary” revolution of Israel’s legal sys-tem.

Also last week, bulldozers destroyed a street of shops in Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, depriving dozens of families of their livelihoods. Shuafat was established before Israel’s 1967 occupation, yet in 50 years not a single building permit has been issued for the camp, leaving the area vulnerable to frequent Israeli demolitions. This new demolition is under-stood to be the largest since the camp’s establishment.

Furthermore, Netanyahu has his eyes on Syria’s occupied Go-lan Heights, lobbying US Presi-dent Donald Trump to recognise Israel’s annexation of the region. The US ambassador to the UN,

Nikki Haley, recently changed America’s traditional position of abstaining in an annual UN vote on the Golan’s status. Haley im-plied that atrocities by the Syri-an regime justified handing the territory to Israel in perpetuity.

Netanyahu coaxed Trump into eliminating funding for 5.5 mil-

lion registered Palestinian refu-gees supported by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon and elsewhere endure a miserable existence in crammed, unsanitary conditions, prevented from working or integrating. In Syria, huge numbers of Palestin-

LISA PRYOR

One of the most quoted lines about Australia goes as follows: “Australia is

a lucky country run mainly by second-rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people’s ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are of-ten taken by surprise.”

These words, published in 1964 by the Australian journalist and intellectual Donald Horne in his seminal book “The Lucky Country,” still ring true more than five decades later. Even more so in the current moment, as Australia has grown from a lucky country to perhaps the luckiest.

Australia recently passed Swit-zerland to become home to the wealthiest people in the world, if considered on the basis of medi-an adult wealth, one of the better measures of wealth among the general populace. Foods once reserved for dinner parties — salmon, avocado, raspberries — are now found in our children’s lunchboxes. More Australians are travelling overseas than ever before, choosing destinations such as the ski fields of Japan because they are cheaper than skiing closer to home. We are a nation of people pretending we are not wealthy, with leaders who indulge us in this fantasy.

But our growing wealth is dis-tributed in a way that has fed

insecurity. A series of real estate booms have disproportionate-ly excluded the young and less wealthy. This insecurity is fed by political leaders who, in the Aus-tralian vernacular, are obliged to indulge even the propertied and privileged in the cognitive dissonance that they are “doing it tough.”

For all our good fortune, there is a sense in the country that these times, the best of times, have not brought out the best in us. They have certainly not brought out the best in our po-litical leaders and policymak-ers. More than ever, we have the sense that our country is run by second-rate people, with second-rate ideas.

This year, we have a new prime minister, as we often do. In the last decade, Australia has changed leaders as if it were a game of musical chairs — or Ita-ly. The new prime minister, Scott Morrison, deposed the previous prime minister from his own party in August, for reasons that remain unclear.

Morrison’s leadership style has been marked by an appeal to a fictional idea of Australia that is far from our multicultural and highly urbanised reality. His is an Australia of white blokes who love their footy (rugby) and their beer, who still use archaic col-loquialisms like “fair dinkum,” (a phrase used to emphasise that what the speaker is saying is genuine and unvarnished), whose highest aspirations in life are cheap electricity and tax breaks on multiple investment properties.

The first months of his leader-ship have been an embodiment of Donald Horne’s worst fears.

In October, Morrison floated the idea of moving the Australian Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (“other people’s ideas” — in this case, President Donald Trump’s) and was tak-en aback when it angered our near neighbour and close trading partner Indonesia (“taken by surprise”).

Not long after, senators from his party voted in favour of a motion by a far-right politician stating that it is “OK to be white,” a meme popular with white su-premacists on the Internet, and

condemning “the deplorable rise of anti-white racism.” This vote was later explained away as an “administrative process failure.”

Morrison spent early Novem-ber undertaking a fair dinkum bus tour of the northern state of Queensland, with copious photo opportunities of him fair dinkum eating meat pies and drinking beer. During the tour it became apparent that rather than travelling on the tour bus plastered with his likeness, he was in fact flying between des-

tinations on a Royal Australian Air Force VIP jet.

A recent survey of Australians by the Australian National Uni-versity captures the declining confidence in our political lead-ers, a disease that is not unique to Australia of course. The Aus-tralian Values Study released in October notes, “Although Aus-tralians remain supportive of the concept of democracy and broadly satisfied with how the political system is operating, their confidence in specific po-litical organisations continues

Australia: Wealthy but still second rate

Israel’s Cabinet lurches

even further rightward

The Arab world must play the central role in seeking peace, but only by standing firm on

Palestinian rights

For all our good fortune,

there is a sense in the

country that these times,

the best of times, have not brought

out the best in us

1986Iran–Contra affair: U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces the mem-bers of what will become known as the Tower Commission.

1986The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of committing war crimes as a guard at the Nazi Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.

1990The Delta II rocket makes its maiden flight.

1991National Assembly of Azerbaijanabolishes the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblastof Azerbaijan and renames several cities back to their original names.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY

C I V I L I A N ’ S T R I B U N E

Real peace is only attained when nations receive

justice and recognition of their rights. Real peace is not just something signed off by leaders; it must find sympathy with the peoples themselves: Israelis, Pales-

tinians and Arabs.


TOP

4TWEETS

02

03

01

The courts in India can quickly address

minor matters like reg-ulating fireworks on Diwali, but Ram Jan-mabhoomi, the most prominent court case in modern India, is still subject to delay after decades. Does any oth-er judiciary in the world ignore or postpone such crucial cases?

@davidfrawleyved

We’re not just tackling crime.

We’re tackling its root causes. That’s why we set up the Violence Reduction Unit.

@MayorofLondon

04

Like a great come-dian once said,

America is the only country where people stampede each other in a mall just one day after giving thanks for what they already have.

@RobNelsonABC7

Would be very SMART if Mexi-

co would stop the Car-avans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originat-ing countries would not let them form (it is a way they get cer-tain people out of their country and dump in U.S. No longer). Dems created this problem. No crossings!

@realDonaldTrump

Disclaimer: (Views expressed by columnists are personal and need not necessarily reflect our

editorial stances)

ians have been caught up in the horrors of the war.

In 1948, it made political sense for Palestinians in these states to remain apart, in readiness for a return to their homeland. But it is a scandal to find them frozen in the same miserable limbo 70 years later — a nation whose en-

tire lives have been put uselessly on hold.

Netanyahu and his US allies now seek to abolish their right to return to their homeland by denying that these refugees even exist. The US ambassador to Isra-el, David Friedman, is at the fore-front of this denial campaign,

describing Palestine’s diaspora as “refugees who never spent a day of their lives in Israel.”

This steady grind of eviction and dispossession looks set to continue. This is how Netanyahu has consistently behaved while in office, and when Israeli elec-tions eventually do take place next November, he is poised to cling to power for a fifth term. A fresh democratic mandate would afford him a thin claim to immu-nity from prosecution, given the perfect storm of corruption cases encircling him.

This includes large kickbacks allegedly received by close aides in a $2 billion submarine deal. Netanyahu’s minister responsi-ble for law enforcement, Aryeh Deri, has been indicted on fraud and money-laundering charges. Astonishingly, Deri’s previous term as interior minister ended with him receiving a three-year jail sentence in 2000 for similar offences, yet Netanyahu allows this incorrigible and unrepentant criminal to remain in his post.

I have always vocally support-ed peace efforts, yet in today’s climate there is no peace to be had. If senior Trump adviser Jared Kushner’s peace plan sees the light of day, America will pile pressure on the Arab world to compel the Palestinians to accept whatever scraps are scornful-ly tossed in their direction. Yet

whatever financial sweeteners and outright bribes are offered (with Arab Gulf states expected to pay the bill), this is a vision for “peace” through dispossession.

We know that Kushner’s plan will hand East Jerusalem and perhaps the Golan to Israel, abol-ish the right of return and legiti-mise sprawling settlement blocs that dice the West Bank into rib-bons. The plan will feature glossy language about offering the Pal-estinians a lasting peace, yet this is akin to the “eternal peace” of-fered to a terminally ill patient when the doctor finally turns off the life-support machine.

Real peace is only attained when nations receive justice and recognition of their rights. Real peace is not just something

signed off by leaders; it must find sympathy with the peoples them-selves: Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs. We cannot fault Oman’s motivations in seeking dialogue, yet such unilateral initiatives le-gitimise Netanyahu’s efforts to murder the Palestinian cause.

Moderate US Jews fear that the current trajectory is disastrously shortsighted, exacerbating re-gional tensions for cheap polit-ical gain. They are also appalled by the surge in anti-Semitism fuelled by Trump’s xenopho-bic policies, exemplified by the Pennsylvania synagogue mass shooting by a far-right extremist. After unsustainably handing Ne-tanyahu everything he demands, they fear a post-Trump backlash.

The Arab world must play the central role in seeking peace, but only by standing firm on Pales-tinian rights. Whether on East Jerusalem, the Golan, refugees or land thefts, Netanyahu and Trump must understand that by tossing such tasty morsels of raw meat to insatiable extreme-right allies, this dismemberment of the Palestinian nation can never be wrapped up and sold to the Arab world as a recipe for peace.

(Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broad-caster in the Middle East and the UK.

She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed nu-

merous heads of state.)

to fall.”Recent years have been ones

of good luck, but also thwarted opportunity. We have become a Ponzi scheme of a nation where every problem can be solved by ever rising property prices — that’s how we build personal wealth and accumulate tax rev-enue, which is then fed back into the system to further inflate prices.

We have become a funny sort of wealthy. A country wealthy enough to offer corporate tax cuts and subsidies to the coal industry, but not wealthy enough to afford action on climate change or high-quality care for the elderly. A country where those living in poverty on unem-ployment benefits get too much, but those with investments in real estate and stocks are still “doing it tough,” and should not lose their tax breaks, because that would be “the politics of envy.”

Still lucky, still second rate.What I am saying should not

be mistaken for cultural cringe, another Australian disease in

which we think ourselves less-er than the grander cultures of elsewhere. I am not saying the country where I have gladly cho-sen to spend my life should be more like the United States, or more like Britain. I have much higher hopes for my country than that.

We are better than our govern-ment, and better than our worst impulses. If we can shake off the small thinking of our leaders, we can provide a model of a way forward for other countries, at a time when the world is strug-gling with political volatility, ex-tremism and a sense that worse is to come.

Beyond the current malaise, our system has much to recom-mend it. We have compulsory voting — on paper ballots, on a Saturday — which we treat as a community event as much as an administrative task. We have universal health care, in which access to coverage is not linked to employment, so people are freer to change jobs and start their own businesses without worrying about their health. Our crime rates are low, and we have strict gun laws, which were introduced by a conservative leader and are embraced by al-most all.

But if we are to provide lead-ership to other countries, we need to let go of the fantasies of the past, face our new reality, grow up, be serious, be brave and demand leaders who are not less than this.

Or perhaps we will have to leave that job to New Zealand.

(Lisa Pryor, a medical doctor, is the author, most recently, of “A Small

Book About Drugs” and a contributing opinion writer.)

Australia: Wealthy but still second rateBut if we are to provide

leadership to other countries, we need to let go of the fantasies of the past, face our new reality, grow

up, be serious, be brave and demand leaders who are

not less than this.

Nearly 68 per cent of the voters came to poll-ing booths to exercise

their democratic rights on the elections day. This shows the seriousness a large number of citizens attach to the democrat-ic process.

These successful elections will undoubtedly add one more feather to Bahrain’s cap. I am pretty sure that the country will see more success in terms of voters and participating can-

didates in turn fostering the democratic process.

It is a matter of fact that a large number of voters were un-happy with the previous term lawmakers, simply because they failed to address or attend to the issues faced by the voters in their constituencies.

I hope it won’t happen this time. With many youthful and women faces among the win-ners, the fresh blood infused into the parliament will make it

more accountable and dynamic. Parliamentarians should be

aware that their jobs are not mere jobs, but an act of service through which they should aim at bringing prosperity and wel-fare to the society.

I wish all the winners the very best to carry out their du-ties in turn bringing smiles in the faces of people, who voted for them, after bestowing huge trust.

Yasmin Khureshi

Election success reflects patriotism

1986Iran–Contra affair: U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces the mem-bers of what will become known as the Tower Commission.

1986The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of committing war crimes as a guard at the Nazi Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.

1990The Delta II rocket makes its maiden flight.

1991National Assembly of Azerbaijanabolishes the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblastof Azerbaijan and renames several cities back to their original names.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY

C I V I L I A N ’ S T R I B U N E

Real peace is only attained when nations receive

justice and recognition of their rights. Real peace is not just something signed off by leaders; it must find sympathy with the peoples themselves: Israelis, Pales-

tinians and Arabs.


TOP

4TWEETS

02

03

01

The courts in India can quickly address

minor matters like reg-ulating fireworks on Diwali, but Ram Jan-mabhoomi, the most prominent court case in modern India, is still subject to delay after decades. Does any oth-er judiciary in the world ignore or postpone such crucial cases?

@davidfrawleyved

We’re not just tackling crime.

We’re tackling its root causes. That’s why we set up the Violence Reduction Unit.

@MayorofLondon

04

Like a great come-dian once said,

America is the only country where people stampede each other in a mall just one day after giving thanks for what they already have.

@RobNelsonABC7

Would be very SMART if Mexi-

co would stop the Car-avans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originat-ing countries would not let them form (it is a way they get cer-tain people out of their country and dump in U.S. No longer). Dems created this problem. No crossings!

@realDonaldTrump

Disclaimer: (Views expressed by columnists are personal and need not necessarily reflect our

editorial stances)

ians have been caught up in the horrors of the war.

In 1948, it made political sense for Palestinians in these states to remain apart, in readiness for a return to their homeland. But it is a scandal to find them frozen in the same miserable limbo 70 years later — a nation whose en-

tire lives have been put uselessly on hold.

Netanyahu and his US allies now seek to abolish their right to return to their homeland by denying that these refugees even exist. The US ambassador to Isra-el, David Friedman, is at the fore-front of this denial campaign,

describing Palestine’s diaspora as “refugees who never spent a day of their lives in Israel.”

This steady grind of eviction and dispossession looks set to continue. This is how Netanyahu has consistently behaved while in office, and when Israeli elec-tions eventually do take place next November, he is poised to cling to power for a fifth term. A fresh democratic mandate would afford him a thin claim to immu-nity from prosecution, given the perfect storm of corruption cases encircling him.

This includes large kickbacks allegedly received by close aides in a $2 billion submarine deal. Netanyahu’s minister responsi-ble for law enforcement, Aryeh Deri, has been indicted on fraud and money-laundering charges. Astonishingly, Deri’s previous term as interior minister ended with him receiving a three-year jail sentence in 2000 for similar offences, yet Netanyahu allows this incorrigible and unrepentant criminal to remain in his post.

I have always vocally support-ed peace efforts, yet in today’s climate there is no peace to be had. If senior Trump adviser Jared Kushner’s peace plan sees the light of day, America will pile pressure on the Arab world to compel the Palestinians to accept whatever scraps are scornful-ly tossed in their direction. Yet

whatever financial sweeteners and outright bribes are offered (with Arab Gulf states expected to pay the bill), this is a vision for “peace” through dispossession.

We know that Kushner’s plan will hand East Jerusalem and perhaps the Golan to Israel, abol-ish the right of return and legiti-mise sprawling settlement blocs that dice the West Bank into rib-bons. The plan will feature glossy language about offering the Pal-estinians a lasting peace, yet this is akin to the “eternal peace” of-fered to a terminally ill patient when the doctor finally turns off the life-support machine.

Real peace is only attained when nations receive justice and recognition of their rights. Real peace is not just something

signed off by leaders; it must find sympathy with the peoples them-selves: Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs. We cannot fault Oman’s motivations in seeking dialogue, yet such unilateral initiatives le-gitimise Netanyahu’s efforts to murder the Palestinian cause.

Moderate US Jews fear that the current trajectory is disastrously shortsighted, exacerbating re-gional tensions for cheap polit-ical gain. They are also appalled by the surge in anti-Semitism fuelled by Trump’s xenopho-bic policies, exemplified by the Pennsylvania synagogue mass shooting by a far-right extremist. After unsustainably handing Ne-tanyahu everything he demands, they fear a post-Trump backlash.

The Arab world must play the central role in seeking peace, but only by standing firm on Pales-tinian rights. Whether on East Jerusalem, the Golan, refugees or land thefts, Netanyahu and Trump must understand that by tossing such tasty morsels of raw meat to insatiable extreme-right allies, this dismemberment of the Palestinian nation can never be wrapped up and sold to the Arab world as a recipe for peace.

(Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broad-caster in the Middle East and the UK.

She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed nu-

merous heads of state.)

to fall.”Recent years have been ones

of good luck, but also thwarted opportunity. We have become a Ponzi scheme of a nation where every problem can be solved by ever rising property prices — that’s how we build personal wealth and accumulate tax rev-enue, which is then fed back into the system to further inflate prices.

We have become a funny sort of wealthy. A country wealthy enough to offer corporate tax cuts and subsidies to the coal industry, but not wealthy enough to afford action on climate change or high-quality care for the elderly. A country where those living in poverty on unem-ployment benefits get too much, but those with investments in real estate and stocks are still “doing it tough,” and should not lose their tax breaks, because that would be “the politics of envy.”

Still lucky, still second rate.What I am saying should not

be mistaken for cultural cringe, another Australian disease in

which we think ourselves less-er than the grander cultures of elsewhere. I am not saying the country where I have gladly cho-sen to spend my life should be more like the United States, or more like Britain. I have much higher hopes for my country than that.

We are better than our govern-ment, and better than our worst impulses. If we can shake off the small thinking of our leaders, we can provide a model of a way forward for other countries, at a time when the world is strug-gling with political volatility, ex-tremism and a sense that worse is to come.

Beyond the current malaise, our system has much to recom-mend it. We have compulsory voting — on paper ballots, on a Saturday — which we treat as a community event as much as an administrative task. We have universal health care, in which access to coverage is not linked to employment, so people are freer to change jobs and start their own businesses without worrying about their health. Our crime rates are low, and we have strict gun laws, which were introduced by a conservative leader and are embraced by al-most all.

But if we are to provide lead-ership to other countries, we need to let go of the fantasies of the past, face our new reality, grow up, be serious, be brave and demand leaders who are not less than this.

Or perhaps we will have to leave that job to New Zealand.

(Lisa Pryor, a medical doctor, is the author, most recently, of “A Small

Book About Drugs” and a contributing opinion writer.)

Australia: Wealthy but still second rateBut if we are to provide

leadership to other countries, we need to let go of the fantasies of the past, face our new reality, grow

up, be serious, be brave and demand leaders who are

not less than this.

Nearly 68 per cent of the voters came to poll-ing booths to exercise

their democratic rights on the elections day. This shows the seriousness a large number of citizens attach to the democrat-ic process.

These successful elections will undoubtedly add one more feather to Bahrain’s cap. I am pretty sure that the country will see more success in terms of voters and participating can-

didates in turn fostering the democratic process.

It is a matter of fact that a large number of voters were un-happy with the previous term lawmakers, simply because they failed to address or attend to the issues faced by the voters in their constituencies.

I hope it won’t happen this time. With many youthful and women faces among the win-ners, the fresh blood infused into the parliament will make it

more accountable and dynamic. Parliamentarians should be

aware that their jobs are not mere jobs, but an act of service through which they should aim at bringing prosperity and wel-fare to the society.

I wish all the winners the very best to carry out their du-ties in turn bringing smiles in the faces of people, who voted for them, after bestowing huge trust.

Yasmin Khureshi

Election success reflects patriotism

10

business


Overall, I think this is the max that we can all do, both Theresa May

and her government as well as the European

UnionMARK RUTTE

DUTCH PRIME MINISTER

This is the best deal possible for Britain, this is the best deal possible for Europe

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER

EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT

It is important that everyone in the UK is aware that the result

that is now available is the result

AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR

SEBASTIAN KURZ

This is a historic day that evokes ambivalent

feelings. It is tragic that Great Britain

leaves the EU after 45 years

ANGELA MERKEL

GERMANY CHANCELLOR

EU leaders approve Britan’s Brexit deal

• Baton now in the hands of May, says EU

• UK’s May faces a major battle to get the agreement through

• Arrangements made for a 21-month post-Brexit transition phase

Brussels, Belgium

European Union leaders yesterday approved a his-toric Brexit deal, handing

the baton to British Prime Min-ister Theresa May who must now convince her sceptical party and country to support it.

European Commission Presi-dent Jean-Claude Juncker said Brexit was a “tragedy”, but he and other leaders meeting in Brussels warned the withdrawal terms were now set.

“This is the best deal possible for Britain, this is the best deal possible for Europe,” Junck-er said, after a special summit meeting to sign off on the agree-ment.

“This is the only deal possi-ble,” he said, adding a warning: “Those who think by rejecting the deal, will have a better deal, will be disappointed in the few seconds after rejecting the deal.”

May faces a major battle to get the agreement through the House of Commons before Brex-it day on March 29, with MPs of all parties -- including her own -- saying they will oppose it and try to negotiate a better deal.

“It is important that everyone in the UK is aware that the result that is now availawble is the re-sult,” said Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.

“It will certainly not be re-negotiated and there will be no further room for manoeuvre.”

‘Sad day’Dutch Prime Minister Mark

Rutte added: “Overall, I think

this is the max that we can all do, both Theresa May and her government as well as the Eu-ropean Union.

“No victors here today, no-body winning, we’re all losing -- but given that context, this is acceptable.”

Juncker, head of the bloc’s ex-ecutive arm, earlier said it was a “sad day”.

“To see a country like Great

Britain... leave the EU is not a moment of joy nor of celebra-tion, it’s a sad moment and it’s a tragedy,” he said.

Germany’s Chancellor Ange-la Merkel hailed the deal as a “piece of diplomatic art” but admitted that it left her with sadness.

“This is a historic sum-mit and also historic day that evokes ambivalent feelings,”

she said. “It is tragic that Great Britain leaves the EU after 45 years.”

The leaders gathered in Brus-sels on Sunday morning to sign off the terms of Britain’s with-drawal and an outline political declaration on the future rela-tionship.

May, who arrived in Brussels on Saturday evening for final talks with Tusk and Juncker,

later joined her EU colleagues for the highly symbolic moment.

Forged during 17 months of tough negotiations, the with-drawal agreement covers finan-cial matters, citizens’ rights, Northern Ireland and arrange-ments for a 21-month post-Brex-it transition phase.

Tusk said on the eve of the summit that “no-one will have reasons to be happy” when Brex-

it happens, but he said the terms agreed would “reduce the risks and losses”.

European Parliament presi-dent Antonio Tajani said a “large majority” of MEPs were in favour of the deal.

But in London, eurosceptics in May’s Conservative party and their Northern Irish allies argue the agreement keeps Britain too close to the EU and have vowed to oppose it.

“To do that we need to get on with Brexit now by getting be-hind this deal,” she said.

Tensions on fishingThe summit risked being de-

railed by a late objection to the deal by Spain over the British territory of Gibraltar.

The impasse was resolved when Britain promised to con-tinue bilateral talks with Madrid after Brexit .

There are concerns in EU cap-itals about fishing rights and commercial rules Britain must follow to maintain access to the bloc’s markets.

A diplomatic source said the minutes of Sunday’s summit meeting of the 27 leaders would record those concerns.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (C) kisses EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (R) next to European Council President Donald Tusk (L) at the end of a press conference following a special meeting of the European Council to endorse the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and to approve the draft political declaration on future EU-UK relations

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and her husband Philip John May (R) laugh together outside the door of 10 Downing Street in central London (file)

Participants of a seminar hosted by Bahrain Economic Development Board celebrating Bahraini women day during a group photo session. The event, attended by over 100 from the public and the private sector, was held at the Arcapita building in Bahrain Bay.

UAE’s long-term visa schemeReuters | Dubai

The United Arab Emirates will offer long-term visas

to property investors, senior scientists and entrepreneurs.

Detailed rules approved by the cabinet offer five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least $1.4 million, as long as ownership is not based on loans, state news agency WAM reported.

Renewable 10-year visas

will be provided to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least 10 million dirhams, if non-real estate assets ac-count for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring spouses and children into the country. Other rules offer five-year visas to entrepreneurs and 10-year visas for scien-tists and researchers with top qualifications. Outstanding students can stay for five years.


A delegation of teachers from the United States during a visit to the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) held in coordination with the American-Arab Chamber of Commerce. The delegation was headed by Lucy Graham and included representatives from 10 American educational institutions and officials from the American Arab Chamber of Commerce. The visitors were received by GPIC Corporate Support General Manager Fadel Al Ansari and members of the executive management.

Mohammed Rashid Mohammed, the winner of a four-wheel drive vehicle in the final draw of National Bank of Bahrain’s (NBB) Mastercard promotion campaign which ran from May-August 2018. The keys were presented to him by Abdulaziz Al Ahmad, the Chief Executive – Retail, Commercial & SMEs at NBB. The prize was unveiled during an event held to celebrate the winner’s birthday at the Four Seasons Hotel in the presence of NBB officials.

Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza receiving a delegation from New Link Company specialized in the implementation of projects in various fields, including renewable energy. The company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hakbani Group expressed their desire to cooperate in the fields of renewable energy and raising the efficiency of energy in Bahrain by offering modern technologies in energy efficiency. The meeting was attended by Alexander Al Samahiji, Acting Director of the Sustainable Energy Unit.

Register for “Mastering eCommerce Masterclass” TDT | Manama

Registration has opened for the second batch

of “Mastering eCommerce Masterclass” which will be held from 3 to 6 December 2018. The course launched in early November is held by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism in cooperation with Thinks-mart and supported by Tamkeen.

Under the initiative of the Bahrain eCommerce Acade-my, the Training course will highlight the basic skills of eCommerce, concepts need-ed to manage eBusiness, and benefits of eCommerce ap-plications for businesses.

Ministry to start collecting Activities fees TDT | Manama

Bahrain will start collect-ing commercial activi-

ties fees from 1 December 2018, the Ministry of Indus-try, Commerce & Tourism announced.

The new fees will be “BD100 for up to three ac-tivities, while additional business activities will be charged BD100 each”.

The statement also said it will not charge any activ-ities fees imposed by other government agencies.

The new mandate is valid for all commercial compa-nies and individual insti-tutions registered with the Ministry of Industry, Com-merce and Tourism.

Hi-tech Singapore bets big on drones

Companies have already started testing the devices specially designed by the govt for commercial useAFP | Singapore, Singapore

Hi-tech Singapore is plan-ning to roll out a swarm of drones for tasks that

include delivering parcels, in-specting buildings and provid-ing security, but safety and pri-vacy concerns mean the initia-tive may hit turbulence.

Companies have already start-ed testing the devices for com-mercial use, mainly in an area of over 200 hectares (500 acres) dotted with high-rise buildings and shopping malls, specially designated by the government for the trials.

It is part of the affluent city’s drive to embrace technological innovation, as well as an effort to tackle a manpower shortage in a country of just 5.6 million, which relies on foreign migrant workers in many low-paying sectors.

Commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles is already taking off around the world, in areas as diverse as crop-spraying and surveying for insurance claims, but Singapore’s push represents a particularly ambitious bet on the technology.

Singapore’s civil aviation au-thority has got behind the pro-ject, saying it recognises the po-

tential for drones “to transform mobility and logistics”, and is working with industry players as it seeks to shape regulations for the sector.

During recent tests, a drone buzzed through the air, snap-ping pictures of a tower block’s facade, trials for a system that could see laborious human in-spections of the city’s ubiquitous high-rises replaced by automat-ed checks.

“Today’s existing building in-spection process is extremely slow, expensive, tedious, prone to accidents, fatigue and human error,” said Shawn Koo, chief technical officer of H3 Zoom, a unit of the firm H3 Dynamics, which is behind the tests.

Such inspections are typical-ly carried out by workers from South or Southeast Asia, who hang precariously outside build-ings on platforms suspended by

ropes.The new system will see

high-resolution images taken by drones and analysed to check for defects, with inspections tak-ing a few days rather than a few weeks, as they do at the moment. H3 Zoom hopes to fully launch the inspections next year.

Robotic guardsDrones are also being tested

as robotic guards by local firm

ST Aerospace. At i ts command centre,

screens show a simulated secu-rity breach in a fence. A black drone is deployed, which chases an intruder while transmitting live images that direct security officers towards him to make an arrest.

Tests have also been carried out for drone parcel delivery while a hospital operator plans to use the devices to transport blood samples and specimens between its hospitals and cen-tral laboratory.

But transforming the futuris-tic vision into reality faces hur-dles. The prospect of having a drone suddenly whizz by your apartment or office has sparked privacy concerns in the land-scarce city.

Angry Singaporeans called for police to investigate after a video circulated on social media in September showing a recrea-tional drone flying close to a residential building, while some private condos have banned the devices.

Koo from H3 Zoom conced-ed that many people still had “misconceptions” about drones: “Some might view it as a spy-ing vehicle, others might think drones are out there to do harm.”

Staff members of Singapore technology firm H3 Dynamics preparing to fly a drone to inspect a building facade in Singapore

Italy PM ‘confident’ to avoid sanctionsRome, Italy

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said

he was “confident” Rome could avoid unprecedent-ed EU sanctions over its big-spending budget, reject-ed by Brussels.

Rome’s coalition govern-ment insists its 2019 budget will help kickstart growth in the eurozone’s third largest economy and reduce debt, but the EU says the coun-try risks “sleepwalking into instability” and increasing its already massive debt burden.

12MONDAY, NOVEBMER 26, 2018

ABB, Siemens CEOs to visit Saudi for conferenceReuters | Zurich

The chief executives of ABB and Siemens are travelling

to Saudi Arabia to attend a sup-plier conference.

ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer and Joe Kaeser from Siemens will travel to Dammam for an event organised by Saudi Ara-mco called In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) which is due to take place on Monday and

Tuesday. During his trip Spiess-hofer will visit an ABB factory in Dammam, and will also meet representatives from Saudi Ar-amco, one of ABB’s most impor-tant customers in the region.

Among other attendees at the IKTVA event are Paal Kibsgaard from Schlumberger and Jeff Miller, CEO of oilfield services company Halliburton.

“Alongside being a responsible partner to our customers, we

act as a responsible employer to our workforce. Therefore, our CEO will meet some 200 employees at our plant in Dam-mam during his trip to Saudi Arabia,” ABB said in a statement yesterday.

“In addition, the CEO will also be meeting one of our most im-portant customers in the region in order to foster further dia-logue with them.”

A person familiar with the

situation said Spiesshofer was only taking part in the opening ceremony, and would not be a speaker or a panelist.

Siemens confirmed the at-tendance of Kaeser.

“This is a business trip to the Middle East where Mr. Kaeser will visit customers and busi-ness partners in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Ara-bia among others,” a Siemens spokesman said.Ulrich Spiesshofer

Aston Martin to more than double production by 2025: CEOReuters | Abu Dhabi

Luxury carmaker Aston Martin, has not yet seen

a slowdown in its key mar-kets and aims to more than double the number of cars it makes by 2025, its chief executive said yesterday.

The British automaker, whose sports cars feature in James Bond films, is on target to produce 6,400 vehicles this year despite the pressures of slow-ing Chinese demand and worries over the impact of Brexit.

The company is looking to manufacture 14,000 cars by 2025 with the size of the company growing four-fold from what it was in 2014, said CEO Andy Palmer.

It will also become a very profitable company, he said.

In 2017, Aston Martin made a pre-tax profit of 87 million pounds ($111 mil-lion), its first annual pre-tax profit since 2010.

Palmer dismissed the no-tion that there was a slow-down in key markets. In the year-to-date the company saw turnover grow 185 per-cent in the U.S; 133 percent growth in Asia-Pacific and 118 percent growth in Chi-na, he said.

“The retail part is not in dispute. China was slow, but not for us,” he said.

Malaysia says former PM Najib’s office ordered changes to 1MDB audit reportReuters | Kuala Lumpur

The office of former Ma-laysian premier Najib

Razak ordered changes to a 2016 audit report of scandal-plagued state fund 1MDB, including removing mention of financier Low Taek Jho’s presence at a board meeting, authorities said.

Financier Low has been described as a central player in the alleged corruption and money laundering at 1MDB, according to Ma-laysian and US authorities investigating the fund. He had no official role in 1MDB, but advised on investments and negotiated deals for the fund, the authorities have said.

Najib, ousted in a May 9 election by Prime Minis-ter Mahathir Mohamad, is facing multiple charges of graft, abuse of power and criminal breach of trust re-lated to 1MDB.

In a statement dated Saturday, Malaysia’s audi-tor-general Madinah Mo-hamad said “several” find-ings from the audit report submitted in February 2016 to Najib had been “dropped and amended”.

“The former prime min-ister ordered the deletion of the paragraph containing two versions of the 1MDB financial statement for the year ended 2014 and direct-ed an investigation to be carried out by the enforce-ment authorities,” she said.

'Green fuel': Bananas to help wean Angola off oil

AFP | Caxito, Angola

Boxes of still-green banan-as were shifted one-by-one from a towering stack

of crates into a refrigerated ship-ping container.

Stamped "From Angola, with love", the fruit is shipped to consumers 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) away and are part of Luanda's drive to diversify its economy and wean itself from its dependence on oil.

Novagrolider, a private-ly-owned company, produces several dozen tonnes of banan-as every week to be shipped to Portugal.

The firm, founded 10 years ago with Portuguese investment, has become a poster child for the economic transformation that the Angolan government is seeking.

At Novagrolider's Caxito 600-hectare (1,500-acre) plan-tation 60 kilometres northwest of Luanda, the banana plants, protected with blue plastic bags, bend under the weight of their fruit.

In a nearby hangar with a corrugated iron roof, two staff delicately dip the freshly-picked bunches into vast washing pools.

The bananas are meticulously sorted after being washed and weighed with as many as 4,000 boxes prepared daily.

The best-looking fruit is ear-marked for dispatch to foreign markets with the rest kept for sale locally.

"We have two grades -- do-mestic and export," said supervi-sor Edwin Andres Luis Campos as he watches the production line closely.

"Domestic will be sold here in Angolan supermarkets in about four or five days. Export will be shipped to Europe in refriger-ated containers that will arrive in Europe in between 20 and 25 days."

Novagrolider's output has grown exponentially in recent years and its parent company, Grupolider, which has inter-ests in transport and property as well, employs 3,500 people.

It grows mangoes, pineapples and watermelons as well as ba-nanas on its four fruit farms in Angola.

After a cautious start, compa-ny boss Joao Macedo's appetite and ambition grew rapidly.

"Two years ago we started exporting to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo -- but that wasn't viable because of the state of the roads," said Macedo in his air-conditioned

office in Luanda.

Bananas, our ’green fuel’ "Despite competition from

South America, the quality of our products nonetheless allows us to sell in Portugal and Spain. And that's not all."

Macedo hopes to double pro-duction to 170,000 tonnes an-nually and establish a foot-hold in the lucrative South African market.

Back in Caxito, the province's top agriculture official shares Macedo's enthusiasm.

"We're financially encourag-ing small-scale farmers to in-crease the size of the areas they cultivate," said Eliseo Mateos.

"Until now they've mostly used their production for sub-sistence, but now we want them to grow more so they can sell their crops at market.

"Bananas are our 'green fuel' -- here we have one possible way of diversifying the economy."

In the decade that followed the bloody 27-year civil war that ended in 2002, Angola enjoyed strong double-digit growth fuelled by oil, which accounts for 90 percent of Angola's ex-ports and 70 percent of govern-

ment revenues.But the slump in the price of

crude in 2014 shook the eco-nomic model of the country, which is one of the poorest in Africa, locking it into a vicious cycle of economic contraction.

Unbridled inflation, recession, soaring debt and mass unem-ployment all followed.

'Persuade Angolans them-selves'

President Joao Lourenco vowed to revive the economy when he took power one year ago.

Lourenco targeted expanding the agricultural sector, which could provide many Angolans with employment. While oil had brought in revenue for the government, it did not cre-ate many jobs or widespread wealth.

And by producing more at home, the country would need to use less foreign currency to import food products.

Legislation to lure foreign in-vestors has won plaudits from observers including Carlos Rosado de Carvalho, the editor of the leading Expansao eco-nomic magazine.

But he warned the road to prosperity will be long and winding.

"We need foreign assistance because we lack the capi-tal, technology and a trained workforce," said Rosado de Carvalho.

"They also have to persuade Angolans themselves to invest in their agriculture. And for that, they'll absolutely have to sort out the problem of property ownership."

Currently the law states that all land is the property of the state, a legacy of the country's post-independence Marx-ist-Leninist system.

"It took me three or four years to find land," said Novagrolider's Macedo.

"Until now, we haven't had any state assistance. If we had help with fuel, exports or train-ing, we'd develop much faster."

Despite the hurdles, he is convinced of farming's poten-tial.

"With government support and organisation, the agricul-tural sector could be the driving force of this country's develop-ment".

Edwin Campos, packing state supervisor talks in a banana farm run by Angolan agro-livestock group Novagrolider, talks in his office in a banana farm

A banana farm close to the town of Caxito, set up by Angolan agro-livestock group Novagrolider, in Bengo Province, about 60Km from the Capital, Luanda

A worker tends to young plants in a banana farm close to the town of Caxito, set up by Angolan agro-livestock group Novagrolide

Stamped “From Angola, with love”, the fruit is shipped to consumers 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) away and are part of Luanda’s drive to diversify its economy and wean itself from its dependence on oil.

Packed bananas are seen in a banana farm close to the town of Caxito

13 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2018

ROBIN HOOD (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE) NEW

TARON EGERTON, EVE HEWSON, JAMIE

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PM DAILY AT (VIP): 12.00 + 5.15 + 10.30 PMCITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 12.30 + 2.00 + 3.00 + 4.30 + 5.30 + 7.00 + 8.00 + 9.30 + 10.30 PM + 12.00 MN + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI)CITYCENTRE DAILY AT (VIP I): 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.30 + 6.00 + 8.30 + 11.00 PMSEEF (I) DAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM + (12.45 MN THURS/FRI)SAAR DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 8.45 + (11.15 PM THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45 PM

RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (PG) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

JOHN C. REILLY, SARAH SILVARMAN, GAL

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 1.30 + 3.45 + 6.00 + 8.15 + 10.30 PMCITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.45 + 3.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 9.45 PM + 12.00 MNCITYCENTRE DAILY AT (3D): 11.45 AM + 2.00 + 4.15 + 6.30 + 8.45 + 11.00 PMSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45 PMSAAR DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 2.00 + 4.15 + 6.30 + 9.00 PM + (11.15 PM THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45 PM

WIDOWS (15+) (CRIME/THRILLER/DRAMA) NEW

VIOLA DAVIS, MICHELLE RODRIGUZ,

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 12.15 + 3.00 + 5.45 + 8.30 + 11.15 PM OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT (VIP): 2.30 + 7.45 PMCITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 PM + 12.00 MN + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI) CITYCENTRE DAILY AT (VIP II): 12.00 + 2.45 + 5.30 + 8.15 + 11.00 PMSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 PMSAAR DAILY AT: 12.00 + 5.45 + (11.30 PM THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 12.15 + 3.00 + 5.45 + 8.30 + 11.15 PM

NOBODY’S FOOL (18+) (COMEDY/ROMANTIC) NEW

TIFFANY HADDISH, MISSI PYLE , COURT

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 2.00 + 4.15 + 6.30 + 8.45 + 11.00 PM CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45 PMSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.15 + 4.30 + 6.45 + 9.00 + 11.15 PMSAAR DAILY AT: 2.30 + 6.45 + (11.00 PM THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30 PM

SHABAB SHAYAB (PG) (ARABIC/COMEDY/DRAMA) NEW

SAAD EL FARAJ, SALLOUM HADDAD,

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30 PM CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30 PM + (12.30 MN

THURS/FRI)

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 PM + 12.00 MN SAAR DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.30 + 4.45 + 9.00 PMWADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 1.45 + 5.45 + 9.45 PM

DRAMA (PG-13) (MALAYALAM) NEW

MOHANLAL, KANIHA, ARUNDATHI NAG

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 1.45 + 4.45 + 7.45 + 10.45 PM SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 2.15 + 5.15 + 8.15 + 11.15 PM + (12.30 MN THURS/FRI)AL HAMRA DAILY AT: 9.00 PM + (12.00 MN THURS/FRI)

TAXIWALA (PG-15) (TELGU) NEW

VIJAY DEVERAKONDA, PRIYANKA

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.45 + 5.30 + 8.15 + 11.00 PM SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PMAL HAMRA ON THURSDAY 22ND: 12.00 NOON + 3.00 + 6.00 PM

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (PG-13) (ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY)

EDDIE REDMAYNE, KATHERINE WATER

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 2.00 + 5.00 + 8.00 + 11.00 PM CITYCENTRE DAILY AT (IMAX 3D): 11.00 AM + 2.00 + 5.00 + 8.00 + 11.00 PMCITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 12.00 + 3.00 + 6.00 + 9.00 PM + 12.00 MN + (12.45 MN THURS/FRI)SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 2.45 + 5.45 + 8.45 + 11.45 PM + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI)SAAR DAILY AT: 2.45 + 8.30 PMWADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 2.00 + 5.00 + 8.00 + 11.00 PM

THE GRINCH (G) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

ANGELA LANSBURY, BENEDICT CUMBER

BATCH, RASHIDA JONESOASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 PMCITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 4.00 + 9.15 PMSEEF (I) DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 12.45 + 2.45 + 4.45 + 6.45 + 8.45 + 10.45 PM

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (15+) (MUSICAL/DRAMA/BIOGRAPHY)

RAMI MALEK, LUCY BOYNTON, GWILYM

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 1.45 + 7.45 PM

MALICIOUS (18+) (THRILLER/HORROR) NEW

BOJANA NOVAKOVIC, JOSH STEWART,

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 1.45 + 3.45 + 5.45 + 7.45 + 9.45 + 11.45 PM SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.30 + 2.30 + 4.30 + 6.30 + 8.30 + 10.30 PM + (12.30 MN THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 3.45 + 7.45 + 11.45 PM

HUNTER KILLER (PG-15) (ACTION/THRILLER)

GERARD BUTLER, GARY OLDMAN,

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PM SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PM

JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN (PG) (COMEDY/ACTION/ADVENTURE)

ROWAN ATKINSON, OLGA KURYLENKO, E

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 PM + 12.00 MN SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30 PM

THUGS OF HINDOSTAN (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE)

AAMIR KHAN, KATRINA KAIF

OASIS JUFFAIR DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 4.30 + 10.30 PMCITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 12.45 + 6.00 + 11.15 PM SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 1.30 + 4.45 + 8.00 + 11.15 PM

VENOM (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE)

TOM HARDY, MICHELLE WILLIAMS

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30 PM SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 4.00 + 8.15 PM

NIGHT SCHOOL (PG-15) (COMEDY)

KEVIN HART, TIFFANY HADDISH

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 1.45 + 4.00 + 6.15 + 8.30 + 10.45 PM

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS (PG) (ADVENTURE/FANTASY)

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, MACKENZIE FOY,

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.30 + 4.45 + 9.00 PMSEEF (I) DAILY AT: 2.00 + 6.15 + 10.30 PM

EL BADLAH (PG-13) (ARABIC/COMEDY)

TAMER HOSNY, AKRAM HOSNI

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.30 + 2.30 + 4.30 + 6.30 + 8.30 + 10.30 PM

SMALL FOOT (PG) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

CHANNING TATUM, JAMES CORDEN,

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 12.45 + 2.45 + 4.45 + 6.45 + 8.45 + 10.45 PM

THE MEG (PG-15) (ACTION/THRILLER)

JASON STATHAM, RUBY ROSE, BINGBING

CITYCENTRE DAILY AT: 2.30 + 6.45 + 11.00 PM

BEL CANTO (15+) (DRAMA) NEW

JULIANNE MOORE, KEN WATANABE,

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 3.00 + 5.00 + 7.00 + 9.00 + 11.00 PM

IKARUS ISLAND (PG) (ARABIC/COMEDY) NEW

JARRAH ALONAN, MOHAMMED BASH,

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 1.00 PM

‘Captain Marvel’ is a big moment for

diversity: BenIANS | Los Angeles

Actor Ben Mendelsohn, who is featuring in an upcoming “Captain

Marvel” movie, believes that the film will lead to more diver-sity in the movie industry.

In an interview to holly-woodreporter.com, Ben said:

“ “I think we have something really special here, and that

all comes from a finely crafted script, it’s abso-lutely beautiful.

“Obviously this is a big moment for Marvel,

and hopefully a

sweeping change for inclusion and diversity in the industry.”

Ben will be seen playing the part of Talos, leader of an alien invasion of Earth in the film.

The movie, which is the first to feature a solo female hero (Brie Larson as Captain Mar-vel), is being produced by Nate Moore. It also features Marvel Studios’ first female director, Anna Boden.

Ben Mendelsohn

Munn replies to fan who couldn’t click a photoANI | Washington

Actor Olivia Munn responded to a fan, who is a pilot by profession,

who got cold feet as soon as he saw his crush -- actor Olivia Munn, in front of him.

The pilot who was highly excited to click a photo with his celebrity crush missed the change as it was too over-whelming a situation for him.

It happened after Olivia got on the plane that was scheduled to be flown by the pilot in question here, reported Fox News.

The pilot, Adam J. Liston who was excited about Munn being on the plane, started chatting about it to this wife. Despite his wife telling him to go and click a picture with her, Liston being his paranoid self, missed his chance.

Liston even sent a photo of his distressed self to his wife after missing his only chance.

His wife Mandi on Thurs-day took up the initiative to post his chat on twitter and tagged Olivia Munn, in order to draw her attention to this issue.

“My pilot husband’s “free pass” celebrity crush was on his flight last night and he froze ??????.. @oliviamunn @TheEllenShow @AdamJLis-ton,” his wife tweeted.

Munn who reciprocated a few moments later wrote, “I would’ve taken the pic, but he never asked. ??????? Tell your husband I said thanks for flying us safely and Happy Thanksgiving”.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor flaunts her baby bump

IANS | London

Singer Sophie El-lis-Bextor flaunt-

ed her baby bump in a sparkling purple mini

dress.She is expecting her

fifth baby in less than two months, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Ellis-Bextor was every inch the glow-ing mother-to-be as she attended Amazon’s Home of Black Friday event, here on Friday, reports d a i l y m a i l .co.uk.

The singer, 39, showed off her seven-month baby bump in a sparkling deep purple mini dress as she posed up, before taking to the stage.

The sparkling sequin gown revealed the star’s blooming stomach while also drawing the eye to her toned legs.

She teamed the dress with sheer tights and add-ed height with black and gold heels. Her tresses were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow, fluttery lashes and a scarlet lipstick.

The “Murder On The Dancefloor” hitmaker who

is due to give birth on January 11, married The

Feeling bassist Richard Jones in 2005 and are parents to sons Sonny, 14, Kit, nine, Ray, six, and Jesse, two.

Bono felt ‘emasculated’ when he lost his voice

IANS | London

Singer Bono admitted that he felt “emasculated” when he

lost his voice during his Sep-tember show in Berlin.

In an interview to Q maga-zine, the The U2 frontman said

that he struggled due to the smoke in the arena and people around him were “alarmed”, reports femalefirstco.uk.

“It was emasculating. I didn’t know quite what it was. I had nothing wrong with my voice before the show.

“It wasn’t laryngitis. That’s what made people alarmed. It was some al-lergic reaction and it just turned it off. Turned off the voice,” added Bono.

Despite the group’s years of success, the 58-year-old singer thinks it’s taken him until now to be as “great” as the rest of the band.

He said: “I shouldn’t tell you this but the band played some New York show i n M a d i s o n Square Garden

(this year). And I looked around and I went, ‘Oh my, this is the most potent t h i s b a n d h a s e v e r been.”

Bono

Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Olivia Munn

King Kohli steers India to victory

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 61 helped the tourists to draw series

• Set 165 to win off their 20 overs, India made 168-4 with two balls to spare

AFP | Sydney

Ca p t a i n Vi r a t Ko h l i smashed an unbeaten 61 to steer India to victo-

ry with two balls to spare in the third and final Twenty20 against Australia yesterday, ensuring the series ended all square.

The prolific batsmen lived up to his reputation, coming in when the two openers fell in quick succession after an en-tertaining 68-run partnership to prevent Australia earning bragging rights ahead of their four Test series starting next month.

The home team won a nail-biting and rain-affected first match in Brisbane by four runs, with the second in Mel-bourne abandoned due to per-sistent showers.

“I thought overall skill-wise we were better today,” said Kohli. “When out openers get into the zone they are difficult to stop. There were a few nerv-ous moments in between, but

(for me) it’s always easy when the guys at the top do what they do.”

After losing the toss and being told to bowl, India re-stricted Australia to 164-6, with all-rounder Krunal Pandya taking four wickets and D’Arcy Short top-scoring on 33.

Despite losing, Australian captain Aaron Finch said he was proud of the team.

“The way we fought was out-standing,” he said. “Still fair bit of work to do but we’re going in the right direction which is nice. Feeling good for the Tests.”

Australia were boosted by strike bowler Mitchell Starc being back for his first T20 in-ternational in two years, replac-ing Jason Behrendorff.

He caused opening batsmen Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dha-

wan trouble but they took apart Nathan Coulter-Nile at the oth-er end, each cracking a huge six in plundering 29 runs off his first two overs.

Their confidence was soaring and the strokes were majestic as they hammered 22 off Marcus Stoinis’ opening over.

Finch brought Starc back in desperation and he delivered, trapping Dhawan lbw for a highly-entertaining 41 off 22 balls.

14

sports


at Seef District too

Um al Hassan +973 17728699 Seef District +973 17364999

There were a few nervous moments

in between, but (for me) it’s always easy when the guys at the top do what

they doVIRAT KOHLI

India’s batsman Virat Kohli plays a shot

IndiaR. Sharma b Zampa 23S. Dhawan lbw Starc 41V. Kohli not out 61KL.Rahul c Couler-Nile b Maxwell 14R. Pant c Carey b Tye 0D. Karthik not out 22Extras (lb1, w6) 7Total (four wickets, 19.4 overs) 168

AustraliaD. Short lbw Pandya 33 A. Finch c Pandya b Yadav 28 G. Maxwell c Sharma b Pandya 13B. McDermott lbw b Pandya 0A. Carey c Kohli b Pandya 27 C. Lynn run out (Bumrah) 13 M. Stoinis not out 25 N. Coulter-Nile not out 13 Extras (b1, lb2, w9) 12Total (six wickets, 20 overs) 164Result: India won by six wickets. Series drawn 1-1

Pakistan post big total • Haris Sohail, Babar Azam notch hundreds in second Test against New Zealand

AFP | Dubai

A career-best hundred from Haris Sohail and a maid-

en century from Babar Azam helped Pakistan post a big total to boost their chances of a se-ries-levelling win against New Zealand in the second Test in Dubai yesterday.

Sohail knocked a snail-paced 147 in nine hours and 34 min-utes while Azam made an un-beaten 127 to steer Pakistan to an imposing 418-5 declared on day two at Dubai stadium.

New Zealand negotiated nine overs without losing a wick-et for 24 under lights in over-cast conditions before umpires called off the day with two overs remaining.

Opener Jeet Raval was un-beaten on 17 with three bound-aries while Tom Latham was five not out.

With the Dubai stadium pitch starting to turn ace leg-spinner Yasir Shah could be the key to Pakistan gaining a big first in-nings lead.

New Zealand, who lead the series 1-0 after a narrow four-run win in the first Test in Abu Dhabi last week, still trail by 394 runs with all ten wickets intact.

Sohail improved on his pre-vious best of 110 scored against

Australia at the same venue last month while Azam passed his previous best of 99, against Aus-tralia in Abu Dhabi last month.

He added an invaluable 186 runs for the fifth wicket with Azam as the two frustrated the New Zealand’s attack in the first two sessions.

The Pakistani batsmen add-ed 82 between lunch and tea, scoring faster than in any of the pervious sessions.

Pakistani batsman Babar Azam (R) plays a shot as New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling looks on

Abdulrazzaq claims BTA junior titleTDT | Manama

Abdulrazzaq Al Henabi claimed the title in the

10-and-under category of the BTA Junior Tennis Tour-nament, organised by Bah-rain Tennis Academy (BTA), at the Dilmun Club, Saar. The preliminary rounds of the 12-and-under category also took place during the event.

In the 10-and-under cate-gory, eight players returned for the quarter-finals. Ali

Al Ahmed, Ahmed Riyaan, Abdulrazzaq Al Henabi and Ahmed Al Sayed won

through to the semi final round in which Ali over-came Ahmed Riyaan and Ab-

dulrazzaq defeated Ahmed Al Sayed. In the play-off for third place Ahmed Al Sayed was successful in overcom-ing Ali. Then, in the final match, Abdulrazzaq claimed the title over Ahmed Al Ri-yaan in a tight encounter that ended 7-1, 6-7, 7-4.

In the 12-and-under-cat-egory, players took part in a round-robin format com-petition in two groups. At the conclusion of the group stage, four players had earned place in semi-finals.

12-and-under competitors with Tournament Director, Dan Barrie

Bassali ease past AwanTDT | Manama

BDS Bassali defeated Awan CC by 4 wickets in CBA Di-

vision B T20 Final.Awan won the toss and

elected to bat first. Faisal (60) and Yasir (54) put a hundred run partnership for the second wicket which helped Awan to put a big target of 183 at the end of 20 overs.

Rafi took three wickets for Bassali, chasing the target BDS Bassali opener went for cheap runs, in middle order Asif (68) and Saqib (48) took the responsibility and played a match winning knock. Basaali reached the target in 19th over

and lift the wining Trophy.

Brief Score: BDS Bassali 183/6 in 19 overs (Asif 68, Sa-qib 48, Bilal 3/31) beat Awan CC 182/9 in 20 overs (Faisal 60, Yasir 54, Rafi 3/43) by 4 wickets

Other AwardsWinners: BDS Bassali Runners up: Awan CC Man of the Match Final –

Asif –BDS Bassali Best Batsman of the Tour-

nament – Zaheer – BDS Bassali Best Bowler of the Tourna-

ment – Rafi – BDS Bassali Best All-Rounder of the

Tournament – Satya – Strikers

CBA DIV B T20 winners and Runners up pose for a group photo

ISB student wins CBSE badminton event

TDT | Manama

Indian School student Rachel Jacob Cherickal

has won gold medal in the mixed doubles category of the CBSE National Badmin-ton Championships held in Vadodara in Gujrat.

The 17-year-old is the first girl from Bahrain to win a gold medal in the CBSE Na-tional Badminton Cham-pionship. Rachel Jacob is Grade XII student at the ISB IsaTown Campus.

Rachel had won gold medals in the Badminton Doubles category of various events organised inside and outside Bahrain.

Rachel Jacob Cherickal

Brave 18 paves path for expansion of MMA

TDT | Manama

Brave Combat Federation announced that following up on the success of Brave

18 hosted in Bahrain, expansion plans for specific regions will be carried out in 2019.

Brave 18 marked the biggest event by the fastest growing mixed martial arts organisation in the world for 2018. Three championship titles were con-tested in the fight night which was attended by some of the biggest names in the sport in-cluding Khabib Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley.

Derivative projects will be carried out in the coming years in locations around the world to cater to the growing demand for the sport. The popularity and demand for the sport already prompted Brave Combat Feder-ation to announce its initiative to host an event in Philippines in 2019.

The growing number of spon-

sors and the critical and com-mercial success of the initiative which is found by HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa has also brought global atten-tion to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Brave CF was able to gain global sponsors and partners to sup-port its initiatives and to expand to various global destinations.

“Brave 18 was an iconic event

that redefined the capabilities of sports initiatives. The mag-nitude of success is staggering that the initiative is on track of constant expansion and to deliv-er results bigger and better than ever before. The organisation will close the year strong and this will be a statement,” said Mohammed Shahid, President of Brave Combat Federation.


The popularity and demand for

the sport already prompted Brave

CF to announce an event in Philippines

in 2019

KNOW WHATHH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa alongside Khabib Nurmagomedov at Brave 18

Brazilian fighter inspired by Khabib’s remarkTDT | Manama

Felipe Efrain fought one of the highly acclaimed bouts

at Brave 18 which is a clear front runner for the fight of the night. UFC lightweight cham-pion, Khabib Nurmagomedov was among the dignitaries who praised the contender for his performance against Ste-phen Loman, the iconic world champion from Philippines.

Efrain battled the fighter from Team Lakay in a back and forth bout which lasted all the five rounds. Efrain, who trains under the veteran coach, Diego Lima at Chute Boxe has confirmed that he will return strong after his disappointing quest for the world champion-ship title.

Soon after the bout Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was one among the first fighters

to be a part of the KHK MMA Fight Team in Bahrain, entered the cage to congratulate the fighters. Efrain is the young-est fighter from Brazil at 23 years of age to contest for the bantamweight world champi-onship at Brave CF.

“It was a remarkable ex-perience when Khabib Nur-magomedov spoke about my fight at Brave 18. Not only did he say that the bout was one among the most exciting to watch but also detailed about the game plan. He pointed out that I should have gone for the volume of strikes which is one of my strengths but be careful about my opponent’s wrestling at the same time. It was mind blowing to learn that Khabib was a part of the KHK MMA fight team and the team works closely with Khabib Nurmago-medov”, said Efrain.

HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Stephen Loman, Felipe Efrain and Khabib Nurmagomedov at Brave 18

Neymar, Mbappe could be fit to face LiverpoolAFP | Paris

Paris Saint- Germain coach Thomas Tuchel

said his two star forwards in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could be fit to face Liverpool in the Champions League.

The pair were injured on international duty and missed PSG’s 1-0 league victory over Toulouse but Tuchel said Saturday that he is hopeful they can both feature in what could prove to be a must-win tie for the French club against the Reds on Wednesday.

“They’re getting better every day, we have time before now and Wednes-day. It’s good for us. I think they’ll be able to play,” the German told television pro-gramme Telefoot on TF1.

Sane salutes ‘unbelievable’ SterlingAFP | London

Leroy Sane hailed Ra-heem Sterling as “un-

believable” on Saturday after the England wing-er inspired Manchester City to a 4-0 rout of West Ham.

Sterling was unstoppa-ble at the London Stadium as Premier League leaders City racked up their eighth successive win in all com-petitions.

He set up the opening goal for David Silva and tapped in the second him-self with a cool finish from Sane’s cross.

Bahraini triathlete runner up in African-Arab championshipTDT | Manama

Bahraini triathlete Moham-med Al Ghais won the sec-

ond place of the 2018 Luxor ATU Duathlon African Cham-pionships and Pan Arab Cham-pionships, which saw the par-ticipation of 400 triathletes of both genders and age groups, representing 44 African and Arab nations.

Al Ghais showed strong per-formance from the first stage of the race, swimming, and short-ened the distance between him and the athletes in the lead. He scored a record timing in the cycling stage and advanced more on the ranking. In the running stage, the final stage, Al Ghais scored a good timing that qualified him to win the second position of the championship.

Commenting on the big achievement, Al Ghais said: “The race was very difficult and the competition shown by

the rest of the contenders was strong. Most of the participants previously took part in historic international races and have good experience. This made my mission more difficult, but I gave all my energy at the three stages of the race and finally made it to the podium.”

Al Ghais thanked HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khali-

fa, Representative of HM the King for Charity and Youth Affairs, President of the Su-preme Council for Youth and Sports and President of Bah-rain Olympic Committee for his endless support that re-sulted in achieving an ad-vanced position in such a well-known championship in the region.

Mohammed Al Ghais celebrates on the podium

Monfaredi claims jiu-jitsu bronze

TDT | Manama

Bahrain’s Ali Monfaredi won a bronze medal in the

77-kilogram class during the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship which took place in Sweden recently.

HH Shaikh Khalid bin Ham-ad Al Khalifa applauded the extraordinary performance shown by the Bahraini fight-er during this international event, which evidenced the Kingdom’s youth’s abilities and potentials.

The First Deputy Presi-dent of the Supreme Coun-

cil for Youth and Sports and President of Bahrain Athlet-ics Association, President of Bahrain Athletics Association and Honourary President of Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation (BMMAF) also con-gratulated the board mem-bers of the BMMAF on the occasion.

HH Shaikh Khalid confirmed that this honourable result in this contest reflects the inter-est and concern of HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bah-rain, in developing sports in Bahrain.

Ali Monfaredi celebrates after winning the event

First-ever GT4 season finale set for GT Festival at BICTDT | Manama

Only a few days remain before the Bapco Bahrain GT Festi-

val takes Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) by storm, and for those competing in the first-ev-er GT4 International Cup, the event is set to mark a spectacular end to their 2018 racing season.

Organised and promoted by SRO Motorsports Group, the newly created event to be held this Friday and Saturday will bring together an impressive group of teams and drivers cur-rently competing in GT4 series

across the globe, making for a fitting conclusion to what has been a landmark year for the

category.Launched by SRO in 2006,

the GT4 concept has enjoyed

rapid growth in recent seasons, with domestic and internation-al championships featuring in-creasingly competitive grids. This led to calls for a standalone event that drew GT4 entrants from around the world and the resulting GT4 International Cup has been well received.

A field of 21 cars made up of two-driver crews will contest the inaugural race, with class honours at stake in the Pro-Am (Gold-Bronze), Silver Cup (Sil-ver-Silver) and Am (Bronze-Bronze) categories.

The two-day event format will see a pair of free practice sessions take place on Friday, allowing competitors more than two and a half hours to learn the BIC track and optimise set-ups for the evening’s sessions.

These will set the grids for a pair of 60-minute qualifying races, with the first staged on Saturday morning and a second in the afternoon. The results of these will establish the starting order for the final showdown: a 60-minute main race under the lights on Saturday evening.

GT4 cars in action during a race

England close in on whitewash win over Lanka

AFP | Colombo

In a day of sublime and ri-diculous cricket, Jos Buttler

halted a batting collapse while Moeen Ali claimed key wick-ets yesterday to keep England on track for victory in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka.

The home side were reeling at 53-4 at the close of the third day as they chased an unlike-ly 327 to avoid suffering only their third whitewash series defeat on home territory.

Dilruwan Perera took Ke-aton Jennings lbw with the first ball of the third day to shake England who at one stage looked in trouble on 39-4 after more failures by their top-order batsmen.

But after the scare, spinner Lakshan Sandakan made basic blunders that set the tone for England to score 230 and set their sights on a third straight win.

The left-arm spinner had Stokes caught at cover on 22, then at slip on 32, only for re-plays to show Sandakan had

overstepped the bowling line on each occasion.

Stokes had to be called back from his march to the pavilion both times. He shook his head in disbelief as he walked off for lunch.

Aubameyang winner extends Arsenal’s unbeaten runAFP | Bournemouth

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang extended Arsenal’s unbeat-

en run to 17 matches with the goal that sealed a 2-1 win at Bournemouth yesterday.

Unai Emery’s side took the lead through Jefferson Lerma’s bizarre own goal before Josh King equalised on the stroke of half-time at Dean Court.

Aubameyang netted his eighth league goal of the season midway through the second half to lift the fifth placed Gunners within a point of the top four in the battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The north Londoners have been revitalised since Emery replaced Arsene Wenger in the close-season and this was an-other test passed by the Span-iard.

After three successive home draws against Liverpool, Sport-ing Lisbon and Wolves, it was essential Arsenal got back to winning ways.

Emery left German playmaker Mesut Ozil on the bench and was without French striker Al-exandre Lacazette due to a groin injury.

But Arsenal were still strong enough to consign Bourne-mouth to a third successive defeat as Emery’s decision to switch to a back three for the first time paid dividends.

Bournemouth thought they were ahead early on, but David Brooks was flagged offside as he slotted home King’s through ball.

Arsenal went up the other end and Lucas Torreira rattled the foot of the post with a fierce shot, with Alex Iwobi only able to lash the rebound high and wide.

Arsenal took the lead in the

30th minute when Lerma acci-dently volleyed Sead Kolasinac’s cross past Bournemouth goal-keeper Asmir Begovic as he stretched in a failed attempt to clear.

Iwobi drew a smart stop out of Begovic as the visitors looked to double their advantage before the break, but instead their run of not leading at half-time this season continued.

Cardiff are the only other top-flight side yet to hold a half-time lead in the league this season and King’s smart finish with the last meaningful kick of the opening 45 minutes ensured Bournemouth went in level.

When Aubameyang spurned a good chance after Henrikh Mkhitaryan had rolled in his team-mate, Arsenal fans began to call for the introduction of Ozil. But the supporters who made the trip to the south coast were celebrating the lead in the 67th minute.

Aubameyang made amends for his earlier miss, sliding in to score from six yards after anoth-er Kolasinac cross.

Ryan Fraser shot straight into the arms of Bernd Leno as Bournemouth chased a second equaliser.

Lerma almost atoned for his own goal but struck a post with his low drive before Leno had to be alert to push the ball behind after it looped towards goal off the foot of Sokratis.

Hami vrooms ahead as Alonso waves goodbye

Formula One world champion finishes season in style as he secures victory at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

• Mercedes-GP driver claims fourth victory at Yas Marina Circuit and his 11th win of the season

• Hulkenberg suffered horror crash in first lap

AFP | Abu Dhabi

New five-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton kept his cool

in a incident-filled final Grand Prix of the season yesterday to claim his 11th win of the cam-paign in Abu Dhabi.

The 33-year-old Briton, who started from his 83rd pole po-sition, came home 2.5 seconds ahead of his main title rival, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, on the day Fer-nando Alonso bade farewell to F1.

Retirement-bound Alonso finished just outside the points positions for McLaren as the two-time champion taking 11th in his 311th and final GP.

Hamilton’s win came after a race that began with an horrific opening lap crash from which Nico Hulkenberg escaped un-hurt despite his Renault car catching ablaze and barrel-roll-ing into the track-side barriers.

Hamilton’s victory completed a season of total dominance for the Englishman. “I am so happy right now,” he said, before prais-ing Vettel. “I know next year he’s

going to come back stronger.”Vettel responded generously.“He deserves to be champion,”

Vettel said. “It’s been a tough year and I tried until the last lap.”

Dutchman Max Verstappen finished nearly 13 seconds back in third, ahead of his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo -- who is mov-ing to Renault after 100th race for Red Bull -- and Valtteri Bot-

tas in the second Mercedes.Carlos Sainz came home

sixth for Renault ahead of Fer-rari-bound Charles Leclerc of Sauber, Sergio Perez of Force India, Romain Grosjean, who had tangled with Hulkenberg on the opening lap, and his Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen.

On a hot evening at the Yas Marina Circuit, after a series of farewells and pre-race the-

atre that included flag-waving Hollywood star Will Smith, the engines out-roared the hype as Hamilton made a perfect start from his 11th pole of the season to draw clear of Bottas.

Drama then intervened when Hulkenberg tangled with Gros-jean and was sent into an air-borne roll that saw him crash violently into the barriers as flames erupted.

“Get me out,” pleaded the German in his burning vehicle. “There’s fire. There’s fire.”

He was unhurt and climbed out after his car was manually rolled back by the marshals, who extinguished the blaze.


17matches have been played by Arsenal

without facing defeat this season

KNOW WHAT

F1 waved goodbye to Fernando Alonso, who raced for the final time

before moving on to pastures new

English Premier LeagueBournemouth 1 2 Arsenal

Wolverhampton 0 2 Huddersfield Town

English ChampionshipAston Villa 4 2 Birmingham City

Italian Serie AParma 2 1 Sassuolo

Bologna 0 0 Fiorentina

Empoli 3 2 Atalanta

Napoli 0 0 Chievo

Lazio 0 0 Milan

German BundesligaSport-Club Freiburg 1 1 SV Werder Bremen

Monchengladbach 2 1 Hannover 96

Spanish La LigaAthletic Club 1 1 Getafe

Sevilla 1 0 Real Valladolid

Espanyol 0 2 Girona

French Ligue 1Montpellier 2 2 Rennes

Nice 2 0 Lille

*Scores as of closing

England 1st innings 336Sri Lanka 1st innings 240 England 2nd innings (overnight 3-0)R. Burns lbw b D. Perera 7K. Jennings lbw b D. Perera 1J. Bairstow c K. Silva (sub) b D. Perera 15J. Root (c) c and b Pushpakumara 7B. Stokes c Pushpakumara b D. Perera 42J. Buttler st Dickwella b Sandakan 64Moeen Ali c D. de Silva b Sandakan 22B. Foakes not out 36Rashid c Dickwella b Pushpakumara 24S. Broad c K. Mendis b Pushpakumara 1J. Leach c Dickwella b D. Perera 0Extras (b3, lb4, w1, nb3) 11Total 230 (69.5 overs) 230Sri Lanka 2nd innings

D. Gunathilaka c Stokes b Moeen 6D. Karunaratne b Moeen 23D. de Silva lbw b Leach 0K. Mendis not out 15A. Mathews c Broad b Stokes 5L. Sandakan not out 1Extras (w3) 3Total (4 wkts, 17 overs) 53

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Cilic beats Pouille to win Davis Cup for CroatiaAFP | Lille, France

Ma r i n C i l i c b e a t France’s Lucas Pouille

in straight sets yesterday to give Croatia an unassaila-ble lead in the Davis Cup final.

Cilic won 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-3, to dethrone defending champions France and se-cure Croatia’s second Da-vis Cup, 13 years after their first.

Pouille took Cilic to a tie-break in the first set but could not mount a challenge in the next two, losing in two hours, 19 minutes.

Croatia won all three sin-gles matches in straight sets.

“It’s just a dream week-end, we all dreamed of play-ing as well all weekend,” said Cilic. “We did not even concede a service (in sin-gles).”

It was the last final in the traditional format before a radical reorganisation of the venerable competition.

“Yes, that makes it spe-cial,” said Cilic.

The victory gives Croatia some revenge for their foot-ball team’s defeat by France in the World Cup final in July.

“We can’t wait to be in Zagreb, like the football-ers when they came back from the World Cup,” said Zeljko Krajan, the Croatia captain.

England’s wicketkeeper Ben Foakes (R) celebrates after dismissing Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne (L)

Arsenal’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick (R) scores their second goal

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FACEBOOK /nobmedia [email protected] ......2018/11/26 · Adel Abdulrahman Assoumi. A second round will be held in the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth