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200 FilsSaturday, March 25, 2017 Issue No. 7331 Today’s Weather

Max Min

26°C 19°C

@realDonaldTrump

Today, I was thrilled to announce a commitment of $25 BILLION & 20K AMERICAN JOBS over the next 4 years. THANK YOU Charter Communications!

Mubarak freed from detention

8P 06

Ministry cracks whip on schools

IS claims ‘suicide’ blast near Bangladesh airportDhaka

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility

late yesterday for a suspected suicide bomb attack outside the Bangladeshi capital’s main international airport, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist communications.

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Six Russian troops killed in ChechnyaMoscow

Six Russian soldiers were killed in Chechnya yesterday

when gunmen tried to storm their base in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

The base belongs to Russia’s National Guard, a branch established last year to defend borders and counter extremism. It is subordinate directly to President Vladimir Putin and has bases in the country’s volatile North Caucasus regions, including Chechnya.In a statement, the National Guard said the rebels tried to storm the base in heavy fog at around 2:30 am local time (2330 GMT on Thursday) but were spotted by a group of soldiers who opened fire. “Six of the attackers were destroyed,” the statement said. “During the armed combat, six military were killed and there are wounded.” - AFP

shrunk byMuhannad Mansour/[email protected]

Manama

Bahrain’s oil and gas revenue has declined by half from BD16 million to BD8m in the past three years, Oil Minister Shaikh

Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said in a reply send to the House of Representatives, yesterday.

The oil and gas revenue stood at BD16,097,075 in 2014, which fell to BD9,326,997 in 2015 and BD8,106,000 in 2016, the Minister said. Shaikh Mohammed’s answers came as a reply to the queries raised by MP Mohammed Al Emmadi in January with regard to revenues from oil and gas production in the past three years. The minister’s answer, which also included the latest data on the gas industry, will be discussed on Tuesday during the weekly House of Representatives’ meeting in the presence of the minister.

Shaikh Mohammed also informed the House of Representatives that BD2,239,000 was generated in 2016 out of the oil and gas income from Abu Sa’afah oil field, which is a joint facility of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that produces around 300,000 barrels of oil on a daily basis.

Though the revenues have fallen, international crude oil prices have recovered from below $40 per barrel, but it is far below the $75 recorded in 2010.

Muhannad Mansour/[email protected]

Manama

The Education Ministry has suspended the registrations

of 10 private schools as a penalty for violating government stipulations regarding the safety and security of students.

The suspensions will continue until these institutions

rectify the violations that harm the students.

The schools suspended for the next academic year are: The Riffa and Manama branches of Talent International and the Infant School; City International School in Hidd; Quality Education School in Manama; the New Horizon School in Manama and Jannusan; Bangladeshi School

in Manama; Eastern School in Manama; Al Fajr School on Budaiya Highway; Sacred Heart School in Manama; Capital School in Manama; and Creativity Private School in Manama and Janabiya.

These schools were repeatedly warned against gross violations of government stipulations by the Education Ministry.

A statement issued by the Ministry claimed that the schools were notified more than once about the violations but did not respond to the Ministry’s warnings.

“As a result, registration for the school year 2017-2018 has been suspended. More deterrent action will be taken against the schools to ensure the protection of students and

parents,” the Ministry said.“These violations harm

the students’ interests and their rights to receive quality education in return for the fees paid by the parents,” the Education Ministry’s statement said, adding that these schools completely disregarded the safety and security requirements of the schools.

(Continued on Page 3)

Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa

Saturday, March 25, 20172Paris

For the 11th year running, cities worldwide will turn their lights off

today to mark Earth Hour in a global call to action on climate change.

But the moment of darkness should also serve as a reminder, activists say, of another problem that gets far less attention: light pollution.

More than 80 per cent of humanity lives under skies saturated with artificial light, scientists recently calculated.

In the United States and western Europe, that figure goes up to 99pc of the population, most of whom cannot discern the Milky Way in the night sky.

Artificial lighting has been shown to disturb the reproductive

cycles of some

animals and the migration of birds that navigate using the stars, and to disorient night-flying insects.

For humans, circadian rhythms that regulate hormones and other bodily functions can also be thrown out of whack by too much light at night.

Even the most ardent critics of light

pollution are not saying cities should go dark, or that lighting is not an essential element of urban life.

But society needs to address a growing list of concerns, they suggest.

“In general, it’s getting worse,” Diana Umpierre, president of the International Dark-Sky Association, said of light pollution in her home state of Florida. And things are moving in the wrong direction, she said.

“We are predicted to have 15 million more residents in the next 50 years” -- with all the extra lighting that entails.

One of the biggest challenges in fighting light pollution is convincing people that “brightness” is not synonymous with “safety”, said Umpierre.

T h e American Medical Association (AMA) raised another red flag, this time about light-emitting diodes, better known as LEDs. “Some LED lights are harmful when used as street lighting,” AMA board member Maya Babu said in a statement.

Not only do the bluish, high-

intensity lights create a view-obscuring glare, they have “five times greater impact on circadian sleep rhythms than conventional street lamps,” the AMA concluded.

The new technology also obscured our view on the night sky even more than traditional city lighting.

“LEDs could double or triple the luminosity of the sky” -- which means the stars get lost against the background, said the authors of a 2016 world atlas of night sky brightness.

Bit by bit, citizens are starting to push back.

A petition circulating in Madrid is calling for a scientific study on the safety and health impacts of

LED lighting.

In the Canadian cities of Quebec and Montreal, along with Phoenix in Arizona, public pressure has already pushed city officials to install “yellow” LEDs, which are thought to be less disturbing. (AFP) Racing camels are seen on their way to a training session following a

raining day in Al-Ain near the United Arab Emirates-Oman border

3Saturday, March 25, 2017

Nod to impose fee on expat studentsMuhannad Mansour/[email protected] Manama

The educational costs of expatriates will soon go up

as the parliamentary committee has approved imposition of a hefty annual fee of BD400 on non-Bahraini students studying in public schools.

The decision comes after the educational authorities gave their nod to go-ahead with the fee despite human rights

concerns. MPs will vote this Tuesday on the report of the council’s Services Committee, which amended and passed a proposal to impose the fees on foreign students in public schools.

The services committee adjusted the request submitted by MP Jalal Kadhim in 2015 to amend the Article 7 in the existing Law 27 of the year 2005 with respect to educational services in the Kingdom.

The current law stipulates

that fundamental (primary and intermediate) and secondary education should free for all in public schools in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The paragraph which stipulates exempting students from countries offering free education to Bahrainis was amended by the committee to only include locals and GCC nationals in the beneficiaries’ list of free education services in the Kingdom.

The committee’s report comes after its members met and consulted several governmental authorities, including Education Ministry and the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR).

Education Ministry insisted that the fees should be regulated within the frame of the law and in accordance with Article B/107 of the

Kingdom’s Constitution, which reads, “The provisions of governing the collection of taxes, duties and other public monies, and the procedures for their disbursement, shall be prescribed by the law.”

The ministry supported the proposal saying, “The increase of the numbers of expats in the country creates a burden on educational services, especially during the stumbling economic situations that are presently witnessed. Imposing fees on foreign pupils studying in public schools is a strategy followed by many countries in the world, including GCC states.”

On its part, NIHR called for establishing a special committee in the ministry to look into special cases and exempt those who can’t afford to pay the fees.

Safety, security violatedContinued from page 1

According to the Ministry, the schools

violated security and safety requirements stipulated for buildings, constructed additional buildings without the Ministry’s permission, did not adher to the approved curricula and the legal recruitment procedures and taught subjects that are not permitted by the Ministry.

The Ministry added that the detection of the violations comes as a result of the continuous inspection visits to private educational establishments by teams of the

concerned departments in the Ministry.

Parents worriedThe Ministry’s announcement immediately went viral on social networks. However, several schools denied the Ministry’s accusations and criticised it, claiming that they were not notified or given the chance to defend their institutions.

DT News obtained a copy of a message circulated by Creativity Private School administration on What’sApp, claiming that the teams’ visits were conducted during the past

two weeks and no warnings or notifications were given to the school’s administration.The administration affirmed that the school is committed to the ministry’s academic and safety norms, and that the warning and the statement are “unfair to the school”. On the other hand, parents expressed their concerns over the decision and how it may affect their children.

“We are worried about our children’s future. In case the schools are shutdown, where will we enrol our children. Will there be any vacancy in other schools. Suddenly changing the school environment will affect the children. Some of these schools have been operating for almost three decades, how come the Ministry only noticed the violations now. Some parents paid the school fees for the next year in advance. Who will compensate them,” said a Bahraini mother of two.

28,000 Bahraini students in private schoolsEducation Minister

Dr. Majid Al Nuaimi stated recently that more than 28,000 Bahraini children are studying in private schools.

In his reply to parliamentary questions on the matter, Dr. Al Nuaimi clarified that the latest figures show that 28,859 Bahraini students are enrolled in private schools across the Kingdom.

More related information will be discussed during

the upcoming weekly meeting of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The Ministry detected the

violations after continuous inspection

visits to private educational

establishments

Lawmakers will vote this Tuesday on the report of the House of

Representative’s Services Committee, which amended and passed a proposal to impose the fees on foreign students

in public schools

Harpreet Kaur\DTNN [email protected]

Manama

A fire broke out in an abandoned building

commonly called as “Kuwaiti Building in the Capital yesterday, causing no human injuries.

Eyewitnesses informed that the blaze erupted at the “Kuwaiti Building” in Gudaibiya at around 4pm and that Civil Defence fire-fighters swiftly reached the scene and doused the flames.

Interior Ministry confirmed

the incident on its official Twitter account stating, “Civil Defence extinguished a fire in a building in Gudaibiya. Police are on the scene.”

No injuries have been reported as the building has been evacuated a few years ago for safety reasons. However, investigations are continuing to determine the cause behind the accident.

This is the third blaze to occur this week, as two other incidents were reported at the Traditional Market in Isa Town and a warehouse in Mina Salman Industrial Area.

Fire breaks out in abandoned building

The ‘Kuwaiti Building’ which was damaged in the fire

Dr Majid Al Nuaimi

Saturday, March 25, 20174

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of this newspaper.)

In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as the first World Water Day (WWD). Since then

the WWD is globally celebrated with a specific theme to draw wider public attention to the importance of water for mankind and for our future generations.

Water is essential to our survival, it is essential to human health. The human body can last weeks without food, but only days without water. Thus, water is at the core of sustainable development. From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social well-being and growth, affecting the livelihoods of billions.

World Water Day is an opportunity to learn more about water related issues and understand the magnitude of problem, being aware and inspiring others, taking action to make a difference. Each year, UN-Water, sets a theme for WWD corresponding to a current or future challenge. The theme for WWD 2017 is ‘Why Waste Water?’

World Water Day is about taking action to tackle the water crisis. Today, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours queuing or walking to distant sources, and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water. This year’s WWD theme supports the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) item 6.3 on improving water quality and reducing, treating and reusing wastewater.

Daily huge quantities of all the used and wastewater from our residences, industries, commercial centers and agriculture flows back to the water bodies or land without being treated or reused, polluting drinking, bathing and irrigation and losing valuable nutrients and other recoverable materials.

Reducing and safely treating and reusing wastewater promotes food security, health and wellbeing as well as conserve the finite resource. The fact is that over 80% of all waste water generated is not used again. The waste water instead goes back into ecosystems which it sometimes pollutes. With the feasible treatment process, this “waste water” could be recycled into “new or usable” water.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 7.5 liters per capita per day to meet domestic demands. Around 20 liters per capita per day will take care of basic hygiene needs and basic food hygiene. Poor water quality and absence of appropriate sanitation facilities are deadly, some 5 million deaths per year are caused by polluted drinking water. The WHO estimates that providing safe water could prevent 1.4 million child deaths from diarrhea each year.

Irony of the fact is that people in affluent areas are still consuming excess water and are ignorant about the looming water shortages. With the threat of dwindling water and energy resources becoming increasingly real and water price escalation, it is important for every person to contribute to the conservation of water.

World Water Day is a global day creating awareness on the subject and urging people to take appropriate actions for its conservation and avoiding it’s misuse. Celebrating WWD means that we need to conserve water, as excessive water use will generate more waste water which is also to be collected, transported, treated and disposed.

We need to understand that 60% of total household water supply is used inside the home in three main areas: the kitchen, the bathroom and the laundry room. Saving water is easy for everyone to do. Let us try the following water conservation tips at home:• Turnoffthewatertapwhiletoothbrushing,shavingandface

washing.• Clean vegetables, fruits, dishes and utensils with minimum

water. Don’t let the water run while rinsing. • Runwashingmachineanddishwasheronlywhentheyarefull.• Usingwater-efficientshowerheadsandtakingshortershowers.• Learningtoturnofffaucetstightlyaftereachuse.• Repairandfixanywaterleaks.The WWD message is to respect our water resources. ACT NOW

& DO YOUR PART.

Head of Waste Disposal Unit, Supreme Council for Environment, Bahrain. ([email protected])

WORLD WATER DAY 2017: Water and Jobs

Manama

Nearly 500 labourers from India, working in

several companies in Bahrain, have reportedly sought help of the Ministry of External Affairs in India as the trend of difficulties faced by them is continuing unabated.

The news of their plight came to light after a group of workers employed in a private company in Bahrain appealed to the government for support through social media networks, reported a national newspaper from India.

The group said at least 500 workers had not received salary for months and were living on food handouts, reported the Hindu on Friday.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, however, took up the matter and instructed the Indian Embassy in Manama to extend all possible help to them.

“Indian embassy in Bahrain is informed of the matter and will help them,” she said in reply to the followers seeking intervention on her Twitter page.

The Indian embassy in Bahrain, however, said in a reply: “The matter has been taken up with the local Govt. Mission is working for a speedy resolution to the issue.”

Telangana government has also reached out to Ms Sushama Swaraj seeking to free 29 Indian workers employed in a company in Saudi Arabia, the report added.

Ms Swaraj has instructed the Indian embassy in Riyadh also to look after the case, which is known to be

still unfolding, the Hindu reported.

However, reports about labourers in GCC countries being put to various difficulties, including salary denial, have been increasing, and the incidents in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are reported to be the latest in the series.

Despite these, the GCC countries have the largest number of overseas Indian workers and remain a source of foreign remittances to the Indian economy, the report said.

Indian workers

labouring in vain

DT News [email protected]

Manama

A Bahraini youth, injured in the shootout in Diraz in

January last, is reported to have died in the hospital yesterday.

He was in a state of comma for the last two months after he was shot in the head.

Mustafa Hamdan, 17, was declared dead by Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) authorities yesterday, after reportedly succumbing to his wounds.

According to a statement issued by the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR), the deceased was injured during a shootout between members of a group of masked men early in the morning of January 26 in Diraz.

The statement said it was matter of deep concern that young Bahraini boys were being kidnapped and injured. Besides the death of Mustafa, two youngsters, aged 16 and 26, were injured in the incident and rendered temporarily incapacitated, which was a clear case of the breach of law, said the statement.

The NIHR also mourned the assassination of First-Lieutenant Hisham Al Hammadi in the incident.

Hamdan injured in shootout dies

Indian workers at a con-struction site. Courtesy: New York Times


Several members of the House of Representatives

are set to vote for a proposal to auction “distinguished” number plates of cars and other vehicles and direct the income from it to the state’s public budget, reports said on Friday.

Jamal Dawood, MP, said the aim of his submission is to increase the state revenue.

The idea of owning “distinguished numbers” are getting popularised among the people and communities, and auctioning such numbers would only help the state to increase its revenue, said

reports quoting Dawood.He was reportedly

submitting the proposal to the councils of Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee.

The committee, authorised to give the nod, however, studied the implications of the proposal and reviewed the feedback from the General Directorate of Traffic before

passing it.According to reports,

auctioning is already an existing strategy in the UAE, Qatar and Egypt, and are reported to be selling certain numbers for over USD5 million. However, the proposal needs to be passed in the House of Representatives and Shura council before referring to the government for implementation.


Vehicles choke gas stations


Manama

A study by the DTNews has revealed that each petrol

station in Bahrain is providing gasoline and diesel for over 14,500 vehicles.

Vehicles make a long line every other day at the gas stations to fill their vehicles with gasoline and diesel.

Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al

Khalifa said, according to the data released by the General Directorate of Traffic, there are 653,040 vehicles in Bahrain registered by the end of 2016, and 45 stations currently in operation.

The minister was replying to a question raised by MP Khalid Al Shaer in the House of Representatives on the number of land and marine petrol stations currently operating in Bahrain.

The minister was also

responding to points raised on the demand of constructing more petrol stations at vital areas such as Manama, Budaiya and Galali.

More analytically, Shaikh Mohammed said that “there are seven marine petrol stations at different ports to provide boats with gasoline, and 45 land stations to provide diesel and gasoline.

More details will be discussed in the weekly convention of the MPs on Tuesday, he said.

Move to sell ‘special’ number plates for price


A female Asian doctor, who reportedly was

undertaking illegal abortions, was arrested the other day.

The arrest was made by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and

Forensic Science with the help of the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), the reports said.

The police launched investigation on a tip-off from the Directorate before the arrest was made.

Large quantities of pills

and injections used for the abortions and various currencies were seized from the doctor, said reports.

According to the Directorate, legal proceedings will be initiated before the woman will be handed over for public prosecution.

Doctor arrested for illegal abortions

Revenue from the auction will be directed

to the state exchequer

A special number plate sold in Dubai for USD 5 million

Vehicles lining up at a gas station in Bahrain


Several members of the House of Representatives

are set to vote for a proposal to auction “distinguished” number plates of cars and other vehicles and direct the income from it to the state’s public budget, reports said on Friday.

Jamal Dawood, MP, said the aim of his submission is to increase the state revenue.

The idea of owning “distinguished numbers” are getting popularised among the people and communities, and auctioning such numbers would only help the state to increase its revenue, said

reports quoting Dawood.He was reportedly

submitting the proposal to the councils of Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee.

The committee, authorised to give the nod, however, studied the implications of the proposal and reviewed the feedback from the General Directorate of Traffic before

passing it.According to reports,

auctioning is already an existing strategy in the UAE, Qatar and Egypt, and are reported to be selling certain numbers for over USD5 million. However, the proposal needs to be passed in the House of Representatives and Shura council before referring to the government for implementation.


Vehicles choke gas stations


Manama

A study by the DTNews has revealed that each petrol

station in Bahrain is providing gasoline and diesel for over 14,500 vehicles.

Vehicles make a long line every other day at the gas stations to fill their vehicles with gasoline and diesel.

Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al

Khalifa said, according to the data released by the General Directorate of Traffic, there are 653,040 vehicles in Bahrain registered by the end of 2016, and 45 stations currently in operation.

The minister was replying to a question raised by MP Khalid Al Shaer in the House of Representatives on the number of land and marine petrol stations currently operating in Bahrain.

The minister was also

responding to points raised on the demand of constructing more petrol stations at vital areas such as Manama, Budaiya and Galali.

More analytically, Shaikh Mohammed said that “there are seven marine petrol stations at different ports to provide boats with gasoline, and 45 land stations to provide diesel and gasoline.

More details will be discussed in the weekly convention of the MPs on Tuesday, he said.

Move to sell ‘special’ number plates for price


A female Asian doctor, who reportedly was

undertaking illegal abortions, was arrested the other day.

The arrest was made by the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and

Forensic Science with the help of the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), the reports said.

The police launched investigation on a tip-off from the Directorate before the arrest was made.

Large quantities of pills

and injections used for the abortions and various currencies were seized from the doctor, said reports.

According to the Directorate, legal proceedings will be initiated before the woman will be handed over for public prosecution.

Doctor arrested for illegal abortions

Revenue from the auction will be directed

to the state exchequer

A special number plate sold in Dubai for USD 5 million

Vehicles lining up at a gas station in Bahrain

MIDDLE EAST6 Saturday, March 25, 2017

Cairo

Hosni Mubarak, the former Egyptian

autocrat toppled during the 2011 Arab Spring, was freed yesterday from the military hospital where he spent much of the past six years in detention.

The release of the 88-year-old Mubarak had been cleared earlier this month after a top court finally acquitted him of involvement in protester deaths during the 2011 revolt that ousted him.

His lawyer Farid al-Deeb said that the former president had gone home to a villa in Cairo’s Heliopolis district.

Mubarak had reportedly suffered health problems during his detention. He was briefly imprisoned until he slipped in a prison shower and was then transferred to the military hospital.

Mubarak was accused of inciting the deaths of

protesters during the 18-day revolt, in which about 850 people were killed as police clashed with demonstrators.

He was sentenced to life in jail in 2012 in the case, but an appeals court ordered a retrial which dismissed the charges two years later.

Egypt’s top appeals court on March 2 acquitted him of involvement in the killings.

Throughout his trial prosecutors had been unable to provide conclusive evidence of Mubarak’s complicity -- a result, lawyers said, of having hastily put together the case against him in 2011 following

demonstrations.In January 2016, the

appeals court upheld a three-year prison sentence for Mubarak and his two sons on corruption charges.

But the sentence took into account time served. Both of his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were freed.

On Thursday, a court ordered a renewed corruption investigation into Mubarak for allegedly receiving gifts from the state owned Al-Ahram newspaper.

He is also banned from travel.

During his detention, Mubarak had remained defiant and denied wrongdoing.

“When I heard the first verdict I laughed. I said: ‘Ha!’,” he told a private broadcaster after his 2012 sentencing.

“I did nothing wrong at all,” he said. (AFP)

Mubarak freed from detention

Mubarak left a military hospital on Friday where

he spent much of the last six years

Cairo

An explosion killed an Egyptian man yesterday

in Cairo, the interior ministry said.

The blast in the Maadi district, caused by a “strange metal device”, killed a 35-year-old doorman as he cleaned a garden, the ministry said in a statement.

His wife and two sons were injured in the explosion.

Islamist militants have set off bombs in Cairo, usually targeting policemen, since the 2013 overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood politician.

His overthrow led to a deadly police crackdown that killed hundreds of Islamist protesters, and an insurgency

centred in the Sinai Peninsula that killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen.

Maadi is a large district that houses embassies and expatriates as well as middle and working class areas.

The site of the explosion was not close to any embassies, some of which had been threatened by jihadists over the past few years.

Cairo blast kills Egyptian man

Ankara

Twelve Syrian refugees including five children

drowned and three were missing after a migrant boat sank off Turkey’s Aegean coast yesterday, local media reported.

The bodies of the dead, also including two women, were discovered along the shore in the western province of Aydin, the private Dogan news agency reported.

Seven others were picked up alive, the agency said, adding that all of those on board were Syrian refugees.

The boat capsized after strong waves and winds, Dogan reported, as it was probably attempting to reach the Greek island of Samos.

Two Turkish suspected

people-smugglers who had been on the boat were also detained, the agency added.

The deaths come less than a week after the first anniversary of an EU-Turkey agreement to halt migrant arrivals in Europe, which has sharply reduced the number of crossings to the bloc from Turkey.

But Ankara has raised alarms in Brussels by threatening in recent weeks to scrap the agreement, which came into force after an estimated 1.26 million migrants reached Europe in 2015.

Europe and Turkey are locked in a bitter dispute after Turkish ministers were blocked from campaigning on the continent for a “yes” vote

in next month’s referendum on boosting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers.

According to the International Organization for Migration, there were around 363,000 migrant arrivals in Greece in 2016 after the Turkey-EU accord.

Under the deal, Turkey undertook to tighten its maritime borders and break up the people-smuggling networks that help migrants to make the risky crossing, in exchange for billions of euros in support for refugees in Turkey.

Ankara has also criticised the EU for failing to fulfil its promise to give visa-free travel in the Schengen zone nations to Turks as part of the agreement. (AFP)

12 dead as migrant boat sinks off Turkey coast

Sinking refugee boat (representational image)

Mubarak during the trials (File image)

Police at the explosion site


Washington

Donald Trump suffered a major political blow

yesterday as he was forced to ask Republican leaders to pull an emblematic health care bill that failed to gather enough support in Congress.

House Speaker Paul Ryan “talked to the president at three o’clock yesterday and the president asked the speaker to pull the bill,” a leadership aide

in the House of Representatives said.

Trump had put his reputation as a dealmaker on the line with the vote, even as Republican rebels threatened to torpedo their own party’s attempt to repeal and replace Obama’s signature health care law.

The US leader, who made repealing Obamacare a headline campaign pledge, was to deliver an Oval Office statement after

the stinging defeat, which called his much-vaunted deal making skills into serious question.

Trump threw his full political weight into the negotiations with recalcitrant Republicans, mostly ultra-conservatives concerned the new plan was too similar to Obamacare and would cost the government too much.

On Thursday evening -- after a first delay to the vote -- Trump issued a stunning ultimatum

to his party demanding a vote Friday and warning that if he were to lose, Obamacare would stay in force and he would move on to other items on his agenda.

But despite the Republicans’ comfortable majority in Congress and the president’s vocal backing, they failed to win over the rebels, forcing them to pull the bill at the last minute to avoid a humiliating defeat. (AFP)

Trump forcedto pull health

care bill

Tunis

Tunisia yesterday summoned the British ambassador to the North African country

to protest against what it called an “unjustified” ban on electronic devices on flights to the United Kingdom.

The foreign ministry’s head of European affairs, Mohamed Mezghani, told ambassador Louise de Sousa that Tunisia was “surprised” it was not consulted or informed of the decision ahead of its announcement.

The ban on large electronics devices was “unjustified and does not reflect the security situation in Tunisia”, he said. Mezghani also cited a 2016 report by the International Civil Aviation Organization which he said described airports in Tunisia as among the “safest” in the world.

Aden

At least 20 rebels and seven soldiers were killed over the past 24 hours in ongoing fighting in

southern Yemen, a military source said yesterday. Clashes erupted Thursday between government

loyalists and Shia Huthi rebels in Shabwa province, the scene of intense fighting earlier this year, the source said. Shabwa was also among the southern provinces targeted this month by a string of US raids on Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Yemen’s conflict is rooted in a wave of 2011 protests initially demanding economic reform.

The protests soon spiralled into calls for the resignation of then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down after deadly clashes and is now allied with the Iran-backed Huthis. (AFP)

Tunisia calls in UK envoy over ban

27 killed in south Yemen clashes

Arabian Oryx are seen at the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Um al-Zamool, near the United Arab Emirates’ border with Saudi Arabia on March 24, 2017. The sanctuary stretches over an estimat-ed area of 8,900 square kilometres and currently hosts nearly 155 of the species, which were reintroduced into the its natural habitat in the UAE in a five-year conservation plan launched by UAE’s late ruler Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, after fears of their extinction.

-KARIM SAHIB (AFP)

The Arabian OryxIsrael, US end talks without settlement deal

Jerusalem

Israel and the United States concluded talks in

Washington on advancing peace with the Palestinians, without agreeing on one of the thorniest issues -- Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

The US delegation, led by President Donald Trump’s special representative Jason Greenblatt, reiterated the president’s “concerns regarding settlement activity,” a joint statement read of the four-

day talks, which ended late Thursday. The Israelis “made clear that Israel’s intent going forward is to adopt a policy regarding settlement activity that takes these concerns into consideration,” the statement read.

The Trump administration is looking for ways to revive peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

Israeli settlement building in east Jerusalem and the West Bank is seen as illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace as they are

built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

Much of the international community has raised increasing alarm over settlement expansion, saying it is gradually eating away at prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure from members of his coalition to advance settlement construction, which was a major source of contention with the Obama administration.

US President Donald Trump

BUSINESS8 Saturday, March 25, 2017

Twitter eyes paid ‘premium’ service for power users

Samsung backs away from split

The survey this week showed Twitter is looking at building a more powerful version of Tweetdeck, the dashboard that many use to manage their accounts. An upgraded Tweetdeck would put Twitter in competition with third-party services for social media accounts such as Hootsuite or Social Flow, which allow users to manage mul-tiple accounts and measure the impact of their messages.

Twitter has begun surveying members on a paid subscription service that would give frequent users more tools for using the social network for marketing, journalism and other fields.

“Twitter is consider-ing offering a more advanced TweetDeck experience, with more powerful tools to help marketers, journalists, professionals, and oth-ers in our community find out what is happen-ing in the world quicker, to gain more insights, and see the broadest range of what people are saying on Twitter,” survey participants were told.

$4.99 per monthIn the survey, participants were asked if they would be will-ing to pay $4.99 per month for the advanced tool, and were asked if other price points would be acceptable.

RealtimeThe tool, if

deployed, “will be designed to make it easier

than ever to keep up with multiple interests, grow your audience, and see even more great content and infor-

mation in real-time,” according to the

survey.

Big boost Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research said the new tier of service may provide a boost for Twitter.

Seoul

The world’s biggest smartphone maker

Samsung, assailed by a shambolic recall and embroiled in South Korea’s wide-ranging corruption scandal, yesterday backed away from a planned corporate restructuring.

Following the embarrassing recall of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and under pressure from activist shareholders to improve corporate governance, Samsung Electronics said last year that it was considering splitting the company in two.

Its vice-chairman Lee Jae-Yong, heir to the parent S a m s u n g g r o u p , has since b e e n arrested a n d indicted f o r b r i b e r y , a l o n g

with four other senior executives, in connection with the graft scandal that saw ex-president Park Geun-Hye impeached.

But at the Samsung Electronics annual general

meeting in Seoul, board chairman Kwon Oh-Hyun said the firm had reviewed legal and tax issues around

proposed division into a holding company and an

operating unit, and identified “some negative effects”.

He did not elaborate, but told shareholders:

“At this moment, it seems difficult to carry it out.”

Various Samsung units have cross-

shareholdings in other parts of

the group, a byzantine

structure that enables the Lee family to control the business empire, which has revenues equivalent to a fifth of South Korea’s GDP.

Corruption scandalBut Samsung Electronics had so far been unable to recruit “foreign directors who have experience as chief executive officers of global companies” to join it, he said “due to uncertainties in the internal and external environment surrounding the company”.

Vice-chairman Lee has effectively been at the helm of the Samsung group since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014. His indictment sent shockwaves through the company and triggered the announcement of a major reform of its top-down management style.

The corruption scandal centres on the former president’s secret confidante

Choi Soon-Sil, who is accused of using her ties with the head of state to force local firms to “donate” nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations, which Choi allegedly used for personal gain.

Samsung was the single biggest donor to the foundations and is also accused of separately giving millions of euros to Choi to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany. In total it handed over nearly $40 million.

One of the favours Lee allegedly sought from Park was state approval for a controversial merger of two Samsung units in 2015, seen as a key step to ensure a smooth transfer of power to him. The deal was opposed by many shareholders eventually went through after the national pension fund -- a major Samsung shareholder -- approved it.

Turkish Airlines says use laptops until boardingAnkara

Turkish Airlines said yesterday passengers can

use their laptops until they board in a bid to make them “more comfortable” after US and Britain introduced bans on large electronic devices in the cabin of flights from certain countries’ airports.

“Laptops, tablets and other electronic devices may be used until the boarding gate where they will be handed over” to the airline’s staff, Turkish Airlines said in a statement.

Turkish Airlines said the devices given would then be tagged at the gate for “safe and secure transportation”, placed in a special area in the cargo hold of the aircraft and returned to their owners upon arrival at the destination.

The aim was to make sure passengers were “more comfortable” as the bans were implemented, the Turkish flagship carrier added.

The airline said

passengers would still be able to use the internet on board with their mobile phones.

Turkish Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan said Ankara had taken the issue to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) where it would make the necessary arguments against the ban, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Washington and London to withdraw the bans on Turkey.

“I hope that these nations, the United States and Britain, will review this and withdraw it as soon as possible,” Erdogan said in a televised interview.

Washington decided to ban electronic devices bigger than mobile phones on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in seven Middle Eastern countries and Turkey. (AFP)

Representative picture

Kwon Oh-Hyun, co-vice chairman and co-chief executive officer of Samsung Electronics Co

This file photo taken on January 7, 2014 shows Samsung at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas

BUSINESSSaturday, March 25, 2017 9

Washington

President Donald Trump’s administration said yesterday it has given final approval for TransCanada to build the Keystone XL

oil pipeline, a project his predecessor Barack Obama had blocked over environmental concerns. The 1,180-mile (1,900-kilometer) conduit would carry oil from Canada’s tar sands to US Gulf Coast refineries, with some 870 miles winding through the United States.

Ottawa

Canadians paid 2.0 per cent more in February for goods and services than a year earlier, the government statistical

agency said. The inflation rate year-over-year was a tick lower than the 2.1pc forecast by analysts after rising in January to 2.1pc. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the consumer price index declined 0.2pc -- in line with expectations.

Sigmar Gabriel

US gives final nod for Keystone oil pipeline Canada inflation rises to 2.0pc

German foreign minister

US competitors may hope that the new US government would be ready to allow them unfair dumping competition, even when that infringes the rules. We Europeans can’t allow that. In my judgement it’s extremely important to take a clear position and not to start transatlantic trade dialogue with the new US government with a negative and unjustified decision

In Social Media, Be Where Your Customers Are“Know where your customers are hanging out online. You don’t have to be every-where. Be where your customers are … and c o m m u -nicate with them there.” – Laurie McCabe, Partner SMB Group, SMB-GR.com

It’s all About Mindset and Positive Thinking“Our first three years were brutally tough… every day was about survival. Then I remembered a lesson from my father. Your mind is everything, yet it’s not what you know, but rather how you deal with it. It is about your mindset and positive thinking.” – Clate Mask, Founder and CEO, Infusionsoft

A Handwritten Thank You Note Will Wow Customers“One simple way to ‘wow’ customers is thank-you cards — a handwritten note, a thank-you card saying ‘thank you for buying from me’.” – Ramon Ray, Technology Evangelist, SmallBiz

Technology.com

Share Information on Facebook That is Great for Your Customers“Having a Facebook presence as a real estate professional is vitally important. Buyers and

sellers are there. Make sure you are sharing information that is great for the consumer,

not just real estate people.” – Bill Harney, CEO, Keeping Current Matters

Never Stop Networking. Don’t Give Up“Never stop networking, never stop pushing. It’s easy to give up when everybody around you … is tell-

ing you ‘you can’t do it’. You have to be around positive

people. Then push on.” – Tom Force, Owner, ICE Keytags

Twitter Provides Powerful Market Research

“Twitter is the best thing that ever happened to small business owners. You can listen to your competi-tors or customers, and they don’t even know you’re listening.” – Melinda Emerson, Author of Succeed as Your Own

Boss

Wearable Tech Keeps You Fit“The ‘wearables’ tech trend

is keeping people fit, keep-ing them active, and keeping

them in toe with their fitness goals.”

– Tishin Donkersley, Editor in Chief, AZTechBeat.com

To Get PR, Offer Yourself up as a Thought Leader“If you are a local small business, look at local media for PR. Read those publications, forge relationships, find out what types of stories the journal-ists are covering, and offer yourself up as a thought leader on a topic.” – Laura Collins, PR at Infusionsoft (smallbi-ztrends)

Whether it’s about how to use social media, getting through the early dark days of a startup, or about marketing your business, getting advice can help you succeed

Amman

While Middle Eastern airlines grapple with

carry-on bans for laptops on flights to the US and Britain, one carrier is encouraging passengers to do the unthinkable: actually talk to each other.

Royal Jordanian, one of the airlines affected by new restrictions on electronic devices bigger than mobile phones on direct flights to the US and UK, has released a tongue-in-cheek list of in-flight alternatives to staring at a screen.

“Read a book. Say hello to the person next to you. Meditate,” are among the 12 lighthearted suggestions posted on its Facebook page this week.

The post, which has received close to 10,000 likes, also advises customers to “enjoy the miracle of flight” and “analyse the meaning of life”.

Washington decided to ban electronic devices bigger than mobile phones on direct flights

to the United States from 10 airports in seven Middle Eastern countries and Turkey.

Britain followed with a similar ban from five countries from the Middle East and northern Africa and Turkey.

The US ban will affect around 50 flights per day from nine airlines, and the British ban will hit 14 carriers.

Royal Jordanian, which operates direct flights to London, New York, Detroit

and Chicago, followed up its popular post with another alternative in-flight activity: “Or do what we Jordanians do best... stare at each other!”

The British ban affects 14 airlines: British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2.com, Monarch, Thomas Cook, Thomson, Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airways, Atlas-Global Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Egyptair, Royal Jordanian, Tunis Air and Saudia.

says Royal Jordanian airlines

The US ban will affect around 50 flights per day

Laptop ban? Don’t worry’, just ‘talk to each other’

Russia cuts key rateMoscow

Russia’s central bank cut its

key rate yesterday for the first time in six months and said more cuts were coming, offering a welcome boost to the country’s struggling economy.

Falling inflation gave the central bank the leeway to shave a quarter-point off its headline rate and to promise more easing down the road.

The central bank announced the cut to 9.75 per cent from

10pc after a regular monetary policy meeting.

Russia’s economic activity is in sore need of a boost as it struggles to emerge from two years of recession caused by the slump in oil prices and Western

sanctions imposed over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

The central bank last cut its interest rate in September, by half a percentage point to 10pc.

Friday’s move came as the “inflation slowdown overshoots the forecast, inflation

expectations continue to decline and economic activity recovers,” the central bank said.

It said inflation had dropped to 4.3pc from 5pc in January.

The central bank announced the cut to 9.75pc

BUSINESS Saturday, March 25, 201710

COUNTRY/CURRENCIES SELLBUY

Rates are for indication purpose only. For firm rates or for currencies not listed above please call Bahrain Financing Company. Telephone: 17228888, Website: www.bfc.com.bh

COUNTRY 1 US DLR 1 UK STG 1 SFR 100 YEN

BAHRAIN 0.3770 0.4699 0.3732 0.3316

KUWAIT 0.2855 32.4614 0.2826 0.2511

OMAN 0.3849 0.3888 0.3810 0.3385

QATAR 3.6420 3.6791 3.6052 3.2032

UAE 3.6730 3.7105 3.6359 3.2304

SAUDI 3.7500 3.7883 3.7121 3.2982

AUSTRALIA 0.2971 0.2947BANGLADESH 0.00506 0.00475CANADA 0.2945 0.2914DENMARK 0.0569 EGYPT 0.0361 0.0219EURO 0.4059 0.4038HONGKONG 0.04983 0.04943INDIA 0.00582 0.00577INDONESIA 0.00002997 0.00002894IRAN TUMAN 0.00010959 IRAQI DINAR 0.000294 JAPAN 0.003520 0.003450JORDAN 0.5346 0.5351KOREA 0.00038401 KUWAIT 1.2580 1.242MALAYSIA 0.087500 0.0873NEW ZEALAND 0.2767 0.2744NORWAY 0.0473 NEPAL 0.00387 0.00353OMAN 0.97962 0.98262PAKISTAN 0.00365 0.00360PHILIPPINES 0.00777 0.00753QATAR 0.10381 0.10376SAUDI ARABIA 0.10061 0.26810SINGAPORE 0.2730 0.2710SOUTH AFRICA 0.03120 0.03110SRI LANKA 0.00277 0.00249SWEDISH 0.0451 .SWITZERLAND 0.3826 0.3801SYRIA 0.001740 0.0123TAIWAN 0.012800 THAILAND 0.010990 0.010990TURKEY 0.1105 UNITED KINGDOM 0.4796 0.4766UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 0.102800 0.102810UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 0.37800 0.37805YUAN 0.058500 0.0585

London

World markets wobbled in unsteady trading

as investors looked to a key vote on US healthcare reform whose passage is seen as crucial to the future of Donald Trump’s growth agenda.

The four-month rally in global stocks came to a juddering halt this week as the new president struggled to garner enough support from his own Republican party for a bill repealing ObamaCare.

There are fears the bill’s failure would throw a spanner in the works for his other big-ticket pledges on infrastructure spending, tax cuts and deregulation -- key drivers of the markets’ surge.

A vote on the reforms pencilled in for Thursday was put back a day, with the White House saying it would definitely pass. Nevertheless Trump turned up the pressure on lawmakers yesterday.

“After seven horrible years of ObamaCare (skyrocketing premiums & deductibles, bad healthcare), this is finally your

chance for a great plan!,” Trump tweeted.

Wall Steet equities opened to the upside, while London and Frankfurt treading water in afternoon trading.

“The threat of a rejection in Congress for Trump’s Obamacare replacement has brought about significant doubts over his ability to pass his corporate tax cut this week,” noted IG analyst Joshua Mahony.

“However, Trump has indicated that should the healthcare reforms not pass, he would simply move on to his other plans, such as cutting corporate taxes.”

The administration gave lawmakers an ultimatum Thursday, warning that if the bill failed then Obamacare -- which Republicans have vilified since its inception seven years ago -- would stay in place and Trump would move on to the rest of his agenda. Greg McKenna, chief

market strategist at CFD and FX provider AxiTrader, added that the bill’s success would be a major positive for Trump.

And Toshihiko Matsuno, head of investment information at SMBC Friend Securities, said: “Even though the vote was delayed, the fact that it will take place

Friday probably means the Republican plan will pass.”

However, McKenna added: “If it fails then the whole house of cards that’s been built up since the election can come crashing down as traders and investors wonder what the heck will happen to tax and infrastructure plans.”

Markets on edge before healthcarevote

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.08 percent at 7,335.19

Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 0.03 percent at 12,042.87

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.3 percent at 5,017.08

EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,443.16

New York - Dow: UP 0.2 at 20,694.24

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.9 percent at 19,262.53 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: UP 0.1 percent at 24,358.27 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.6 percent at 3,269.45 (close)

Oil - West Texas Intermediate: UP 22 cents at $47.92 per barrel

Oil - Brent North Sea: UP 11 cents at $50.77

Closing Bell

London

Germany’s Deutsche Bank revealed yesterday that it

has picked a site for its new British headquarters.

The lender has entered into exclusive talks with British property developer Land Securities over a 25-year lease, starting in 2023, for a building under construction in London’s City finance district at 21 Moorfields, near Moorgate tube. “Deutsche Bank today announced plans to move to a new London

headquarters in 2023,” said UK chief executive Garth Ritchie in an internal memo.

“Staff are due to begin transferring to the building from the second half of 2023, subject to an agreement to lease being reached and planning consents being obtained.”

The move will bring some comfort to British politicians and business leaders who are concerned that the City’s cherished status as a global financial centre will be diminished by Brexit.

Deutsche Bank picks new HQ

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange


Saturday, March 25, 2017 11

Sierra Leone pastor’s 709-carat find

As a self-employed miner with a valid government

permit, Momoh is entitled to the proceeds of the sale due on April 5 in Freetown, apart from the four percent the government legally takes for valuation and export, plus an undetermined level of income tax.

Momoh has emphasised that his workers will also benefit from what could be an astronomical sum of money.

Without a professional

assessment of the diamond’s potential flaws and colouring, it is impossible to value the stone.

However, a polished stone cut from the Jonker, which is the 10th largest gem-diamond ever recovered at 726 carats, will go on sale in Hong Kong in May.

A single 25-carat portion of that stone is likely to sell for $2.2 million to $3.6 million (2 million to 3.4 million euros), or $88,000

to $144,000 for a single carat, according to one expert.

Momoh is clear where the money will go: straight back to Kono, where he was born, to develop his mining business, support his wife and three children, and to the local community where so many live in desperate circumstances.

“The people dealing with the diamond,” he said, “I hope they are as honest with me as I have been with them.” (AFP)

Freetown

Evangelical preacher Emmanuel Momoh prayed for five

years that he would discover the diamond he needed to pull his family out of poverty in eastern Sierra Leone.

The 39-year-old pastor obtained his first mining licence in 2012 when the paltry income he received from the Deeper Life Church in Kono, the country’s key mining district, was stretched too thin for his growing family.

Momoh went on to build a small business of 18 employees, digging and sifting through gravel with pickaxes and hoes day after day, never finding gems larger than a speck in the dirt.

“Diamonds are extremely hard to find on the ground, it requires patience, hard work and prayers,” Momoh said by telephone in Freetown, where his life is now taking a very different direction after finding what he believes was a gift from God.

The preacher declined to meet in person, citing security reasons, but pictures he provided show an angular, wide-eyed man wearing a suit that is too large, adding to his overall air of boyishness.

On March 13, the pastor was working in a village named Koryadu when a cry went up from one of his men in Krio, the most widely spoken language in Sierra Leone and used by Momoh

throughout the phone interview.“God don bless we tiday,” the

worker shouted, brandishing a rock the colour of pale honey and as large as a child’s fist.

“We washed the diamond properly and put down our tools. Every one of us was in a jubilant mood,” the pastor said.

“I couldn’t sleep that night, we were all praying for what God has done for us.”

Ethical dilemmaMomoh took the diamond the next day to be weighed by the kind of Lebanese dealer who once purchased the single-carat gems he sold to buy food, supplies and to pay his workers’ wages.

At 706 carats, an amount that would later rise to 709 when it was placed on the government’s official scales, Momoh’s diamond was between the 10th and 15th largest ever found worldwide, experts said.

Such a find by a so-called artisanal miner, the term for workers who use basic tools or their bare hands to sift the earth, is exceedingly rare, and Momoh faced an ethical dilemma.

“I was tempted by many close friends who told me to smuggle the diamond to neighbouring Guinea Conakry,” he said, thereby avoiding paying any tax on the diamond.

Diamond smuggling has

harrowing associations for many in Sierra Leone.

Cross-border diamond trafficking fuelled the country’s civil war of 1991-2002, when rebels allowed traders to exploit diamond mines and ship the gems abroad, largely via Liberia.

These became known as “blood diamonds”, since most of the labour was done by enslaved members of the population, who were killed or maimed if they refused.

Momoh thought of his workers and the degradation mining had wreaked on their bodies.

The hard physical labour usually caused hernias and exhaustion, he said, while injuries are also common during digging in pits and washing the dirt.

When a pit suddenly collapses in the unregulated informal mines of Sierra Leone, deaths are common, he said, though nobody has died at any of the sites he mines.

Most of the diggers are also vulnerable to malaria and often contract parasites by drinking from polluted streams. Momoh paid their medical bills.

He made a decision about the diamond.

“Being a man of God, I decided to hand it over to local authorities,” Momoh said, a choice that caused a global sensation, and he was soon invited to Freetown to meet President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Imminent sale

8 This file photo taken on March 16, 2017 shows a 706-carat diamond in Freetown, Sierra Leone.



Supreme Council for Youth & Sport Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee President & Royal Charity Organisation (RCO) Chairman HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa received Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sport Affairs Abdul Hussain Abdul Redha Abtan. Shaikh Nasser lauded the growing relations between both countries and keenness to further enhance them at all levels. The Iraqi minister underlined his country’s keenness to boost cooperation with Bahrain, lauding the kingdom’s efforts to promote the youth and sport momentum

Minister of Labour and Social Development Jameel Humaidan received Muharraq Municipal Council Chairman Mo-hammed Abdulla Al-Sinan and discussed efforts to enhance the standard of community services in cooperation with government departments and civil establishments. Muharraq municipal councillor, representative of the 2nd con-stituency Najm Abdulla Al-Sinan, was also present

Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa met in Washington yesterday the Secretary of State of the United Sarawak of America Rex Tillerson, and discussed the progress of the outstanding historical relations between Bahrain and the United States of America and the means to bolster these ties at the political, economic, trade, security and defense levels. Separately, the Minister met US Senator John McCain in Washington. Discussion focused on anti-terrorism efforts

Minister of Housing Basim Alhamer received a delegation of the French-Bahraini Friendship Group at the French National As-sembly. The delegation, led by its Secretary-General, MP Jean-Luc Reitzer, and comprising MPs and businessmen, visited the main projects implemented by the ministry, including the Northern City

Pakistani Ambas-sador Javed Malik hosted a Diplomatic Reception to cele-brate Pakistan Day at The Ritz Carlton Bah-rain. The event was attended by senior members of the Roy-al Family, Diplomats and senior govern-ment officials. Paki-stani Ambassador paid tribute to the historic brotherly relations between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Bahrain

Pakistan School held a gath-ering of around 250 parents who expressed their full support and solidarity to the Board of Management of the school. The meeting was at-tended by the Chairman Board of Management, Vice Chairman and other office bearers of the school. The gathering further pledged their confidence and de-manded strict legal action against those elements who tried to sabotage the smooth functioning of the school and to bring bad name to the image of the school


Supreme Council for Youth & Sport Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee President & Royal Charity Organisation (RCO) Chairman HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa received Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sport Affairs Abdul Hussain Abdul Redha Abtan. Shaikh Nasser lauded the growing relations between both countries and keenness to further enhance them at all levels. The Iraqi minister underlined his country’s keenness to boost cooperation with Bahrain, lauding the kingdom’s efforts to promote the youth and sport momentum

Minister of Labour and Social Development Jameel Humaidan received Muharraq Municipal Council Chairman Mo-hammed Abdulla Al-Sinan and discussed efforts to enhance the standard of community services in cooperation with government departments and civil establishments. Muharraq municipal councillor, representative of the 2nd con-stituency Najm Abdulla Al-Sinan, was also present



Pakistani Ambas-sador Javed Malik hosted a Diplomatic Reception to cele-brate Pakistan Day at The Ritz Carlton Bah-rain. The event was attended by senior members of the Roy-al Family, Diplomats and senior govern-ment officials. Paki-stani Ambassador paid tribute to the historic brotherly relations between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Bahrain

Pakistan School held a gath-ering of around 250 parents who expressed their full support and solidarity to the Board of Management of the school. The meeting was at-tended by the Chairman Board of Management, Vice Chairman and other office bearers of the school. The gathering further pledged their confidence and de-manded strict legal action against those elements who tried to sabotage the smooth functioning of the school and to bring bad name to the image of the school

13

Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa met in Washington Marillyn Hewson, Chair-woman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin, a company specialized in military in-dustries. During the meeting, the minister took pride in the high level of the cooperation between Bahrain and Lockheed Martin Company. Separately, the Minister met Congresswoman Kay Granger, member of the Financial Committee at the US House of Representatives and reviewed ways to enhance bilateral relations and defence cooperation

Electricity and Water Af-fairs Minister Dr. Abdul-hussain Mirza received of-ficials from Capital Impact Partners and Philips, and discussed with them in-vestment opportunities in solar energy and energy efficiency. The delegation was led by Capital Alliance Managing Partner Fawzi Al Aradi and PoaloCervini from Philips. The minister welcomed the visitors, who presented their proj-ects and activities in the field of investment in solar energy, efficiency of audit-ing and consultation in ra-tionalizing consumption

Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club High Commit-tee Deputy Chair-man HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa attended the twen-tieth horse race of this season at Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club in Raffa, Sakhir. Royal Family members, representatives of sponsors and horse-racing fans were also present at the event

The first edition of the flower show opened yesterday in Hoorat A’ali area. It showcased a wide variety of local roses and flowers. The ex-hibition is organised in cooperation be-tween the National Initiative for Agricul-tural Development and Agriculture and Marine Resources Directorate in Works, Municipalities Af-fairs and Urban Plan-ning Ministry



The UN World Tourism Organisa-tion (UNWTO) held at its head-quarters yesterday a special ceremony to inaugurate Presi-dent of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, as UNWTO Special Am-bassador for the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 in recogni-tion of her contribution to the promotion of sustainable cultur-al tourism. UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, senior cul-tural and tourism sector officials, diplomats and media personali-ties attended the ceremony


Emma Watson‏ @EmmaWatson

Thank you to everyone who saw our film Beauty and

the Beast! I saw so many lovely photos of families at the cinema together! Love,

Em x

14 Saturday, March 25, 2017

Actor Chris Pratt, who is back on a restrictive diet to get into action-hero

shape for ‘Jurassic World 2’, has hit out at body shammers for trolling him over his changed physique.

Pratt, 37, has been posting a series of videos on Instagram called “What’s My Snack” during which he shows fans what he is eating while on set of the sequel to ‘Jurassic World’. But some followers commented o n the latest edition that the actor looks ‘skeletal’ in the clip.

“So many people have said I look too thin in my recent episodes of #WHATSMYSNACK. Some have gone as far as to say I look ‘skeletal’. Well, just because I am a male doesn’t mean I’m impervious to your whispers. Body shaming hurts.” (TOI)

Los Angeles

Actress Amy Schumer has left the film “Barbie” over a scheduling conflict.“Sadly, I’m no longer able to commit to

‘Barbie’ due to scheduling conflicts. The film has so much promise, and

Sony and Mattel have been great

partners. I’m bummed, but look forward to seeing ‘Barbie’ on the big screen,” Schumer

told variety.com.The big screen

adaptation of Mattel’s iconic toy line was expected

to start production on June 23, but Schumer’s busy

schedule includes a lengthy promotional

tour for her new comedy “Snatched”, which

opens in May, as well as an upcoming shoot for

Rebecca Miller’s “She Came to Me”. (IANS)

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez said, it’s ‘still challenging’

for women to have a ‘meaty role’ in movies.

The 47-year-old star, who played the role of singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez in ‘Selena,’ considers herself lucky enough to be able to have landed the role.

“(‘Selena’) was a meaty role, but it was few and far between, especially for Latinos to have a role like that.

“I think it’s still challenging for women, especially being Latina. Thinking about ‘Selena’ 20 years ago and to have a role like that, I was very lucky,” Lopez said. (TOI)

Justin Timberlake

Timberlake is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Born and raised in Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

Emma Watson‏ @EmmaWatson

Thank you to everyone who saw our film Beauty and

the Beast! I saw so many lovely photos of families at the cinema together! Love,

Em x


Actor Chris Pratt, who is back on a restrictive diet to get into action-hero

shape for ‘Jurassic World 2’, has hit out at body shammers for trolling him over his changed physique.

Pratt, 37, has been posting a series of videos on Instagram called “What’s My Snack” during which he shows fans what he is eating while on set of the sequel to ‘Jurassic World’. But some followers commented o n the latest edition that the actor looks ‘skeletal’ in the clip.

“So many people have said I look too thin in my recent episodes of #WHATSMYSNACK. Some have gone as far as to say I look ‘skeletal’. Well, just because I am a male doesn’t mean I’m impervious to your whispers. Body shaming hurts.” (TOI)

Los Angeles

Actress Amy Schumer has left the film “Barbie” over a scheduling conflict.“Sadly, I’m no longer able to commit to

‘Barbie’ due to scheduling conflicts. The film has so much promise, and

Sony and Mattel have been great

partners. I’m bummed, but look forward to seeing ‘Barbie’ on the big screen,” Schumer

told variety.com.The big screen

adaptation of Mattel’s iconic toy line was expected

to start production on June 23, but Schumer’s busy

schedule includes a lengthy promotional

tour for her new comedy “Snatched”, which

opens in May, as well as an upcoming shoot for

Rebecca Miller’s “She Came to Me”. (IANS)

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez said, it’s ‘still challenging’

for women to have a ‘meaty role’ in movies.

The 47-year-old star, who played the role of singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez in ‘Selena,’ considers herself lucky enough to be able to have landed the role.

“(‘Selena’) was a meaty role, but it was few and far between, especially for Latinos to have a role like that.

“I think it’s still challenging for women, especially being Latina. Thinking about ‘Selena’ 20 years ago and to have a role like that, I was very lucky,” Lopez said. (TOI)

Justin Timberlake

Timberlake is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Born and raised in Tennessee, he appeared on the television shows Star Search and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club as a child. In the late 1990s, Timberlake rose to prominence as one of the two lead vocalists and youngest member of NSYNC, which eventually became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.


“5 Broken Cameras” provides a grim reminder — just in case you needed one — of the bitter

intractability of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A chronicle of protest and endurance, punctuated by violence and tiny glimmers of hope, this documentary is unlikely to persuade anyone with a hardened view of the issue to think again. For anyone who retains an interest in the human contours of the situation, however, the movie is necessary, if difficult, viewing.

For while it is hardly neutral — presenting an extended, highly personal view of life in a West Bank village adjacent to Israel’s controversial security fence — “5 Broken Cameras” is much more than yet another polemical bulletin from an embattled region. It may seem perverse to praise an eyewitness account of political trauma for its formal accomplishments, but for a project like this to claim the attention of an audience it has to justify itself as cinema. There is no shortage of information and opinion about the Middle East, and this film, made collaboratively by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, is partly a piece of advocacy journalism. But it is also a visual essay in autobiography and, as such, a modest, rigorous and moving work of art.

Mr. Burnat, a Palestinian farmer in the tiny town of Bilin, was given his first camera in 2005, when his youngest son, Gibreel, was born. Almost simultaneously, the Israeli Army began building a barrier between Bilin and a nearby Jewish settlement.

The residents of Bilin, outraged as their olive groves were bulldozed by the military and burned by settlers, organized weekly protests, attended by left-wing Israelis and sympathizers from other countries. In 2007 the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the barrier rerouted, and four years later, after village access to some of the land was restored, the demonstrations were called off. Mr. Burnat’s was not the only camera present at these protests, but the footage he shot, which is accompanied by after-the-fact voice-over narration and part of a video diary of his daily life, is especially poignant and intimate. (nytimes.com)

American DJ, musician who has worked with Macklemore since 2008 on his hits like ‘Thrift Shop,’ ‘Same Love,’ and ‘Can’t Hold Us.’

March 25, 1988

Steve Aoki performs at the SiriusXM Music Lounge at 1 Hotel South Beach yesterday in Miami, Florida. (AFP)

Ben Affleck recently took his children to Disneyland and spent a fun-filled

day with them. The 44-year-old actor was spotted enjoying the rides with his kids and also interacted with fans. “The kids love spending time with their dad and vice versa,” a friend of the actor said.

One of the onlookers, who rode ‘It’s a Small World’ with Affleck, noted the actor was wearing a Batman backpack.

The source, however, did not specify which of his kids - Violet, 11, Seraphina, 7, and Sam, 5 - accompanied him to the amusement park. The ‘Superman v Batman’ star even stopped to pose for a photograph with a fan’s young daughter, who also tweeted about meeting Affleck. (TOI)

BOOK FAIR

Date: March24 -30, 4pm-10pm Venue: KCA Auditorium Segaya Kerala Catholic Association(KCA) in association with 4PM News will be organizing a Book Fair from March 24 to 30 at the KCA-VKL auditorium in Segaya with lot of cultural programmes. There will be ‘Varnam 2017’ a paint-ing competition for school children on Friday 11am onwards and a solo cartoon exhibition ‘Pravasoottan’ by V.R Sathyadev from 7.30pm onwards. On Saturday (March 25) 7.30pm, Dar Al Shiffa Medical Centre Dr Razia Muhammed will give an awareness talk on health issues. A seminar and discussion on changing literary writing style and reading habits will be held on Sunday 7.30pm. A quiz based on Malayalam literature will be held on March 27, Monday at 7.30pm. The other programmes: March 28, 7.30pm : Poetry Evening. March 29, 7.30pm: Folk songs. March 30,7.30pm : Tribute to Malayalam poet Vayalar Ramavarma. The Book Fair will be offering 25%discount on all books .There will be books on children’s literature, fiction, non-fiction, and general references. For more details contact 17579871/36458398/38382100.

LADIES NIGHT WITH 50% DISCOUNTDate: Every Tuesday Venue: The Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention & Spa Ladies night out with 50% off for the ladies at all our restau-rants, lounges and Spa!!For more info 17713000

SUNDAY GLOWDate : Every SundayVenue : Gulf Spa - Gulf Hotel Get 15% off upon your choice for one of the Gulf Spa lus-cious body scrubs that leave you glowing: Aromatic Basil and Mint, Sweetness Sugar or Summer Skin Cooler!!

MOTHER’S DAY IN ZAHLE RESTAURANTDate : Every SundayVenue : Zahle Restaurant - Gulf Hotel Have a Lebanese Mother’s Day at the iconic Zahle with excel-lent food and lively entertainment, as the restaurant presents an evening of authentic Arabian galore!! When you dinin at Zahle, mum gets to eat

for FREE!! Mezze, grills, kebab and so many more delicious dishes await! On March 21 from 7pm onwards!

RED CARPET FASHION SHOW Date : March 31and April 1 Venue : Al Taj Ballroom, Sheraton Bahrain Hotel. ahrain Fashion Night and Exhibition titled ‘Red Carpet’ will take place on March 31and April 1 at Al Taj Ballroom, Sheraton Bahrain Hotel. Chairperson of Medpoint Events, Shaikha Noora Al Khalifa Al Khalifa in association with Fuchsia Events and Management is bring-ing the Fashion Show and lifestyle exhibition to Bahrain for the 3rd consecutive year. Being the 3rd successful year of Red Carpet, the organizers have received an overwhelming response from both local as well as international designers. “The Glamorous Fashion Night “on the 31st March will be a flamboyant Fashion Show along with an Exquisite Dinner for our guests. The Fashion show will be hosted in collaboration with the fin-est fashion choreographers, Makeup artist, and hair stylist from Bahrain. The Fashion show will be staged for VVIP, VIP invitees from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.We have Designers from Saudi, Morocco, Pakistan, India, Dubai, showcasing their latest Couture collections, the event will be followed by a B to B Exhibition on the 1st April 2017. A part of the revenue from the event will be given to a local Charity in Bahrain, Shaikh Noora said. Fashion Show Timings : March 31, 7 pm onwards (Ticket for the Fashion show & Dinner: 20 BD). Exhibition Timings: 31st March: 2pm -7pm; 1st April: 10am – 8pm.

THE SEAFARERDate : 22 Mar ch 7 pm - 25 Mar ch 11 pm Venue : Manama Theatre Club- Manama. The Manama Theatre Club will be performing acclaimed Irish playwrights’ ‘The Seafarer’ - a dark comedy, a supernatural ghost story and a modern day story of guilt and the demon ‘drink’. It is Christmas Eve, and Sharky, erstwhile fisherman/van driver/chauffeur, gathers with friends at the dingy flat he shares with his can-tankerous blind brother to drink booze and play cards. As the brothers drink Christmas Eve into C hristmas Day with friends old (Ivan and Nicky) and new (the dapper and sinister Mr Lockhart), Sharky is reminded of a bar-gain he made in prison—and suddenly finds himself playing a game of poker with is soul set as the highest possi-ble stake. Conor McPherson is one of Ireland’s leading playwrights and his work has been performed through-out UK and America including The Weir, Port Authority, Dublin Carol, and Shining City, which premiered on

Broadway.

PAACT MUSICAL PROGRAMDate : April 21 Venue : Jashanmal Auditorium, Indian School, Isa Town INTERADS in association with Palakkad Arts and Cultural Theatre (PAACT) is organ-izing a musical program ‘Pathinte Niravil Paact-Swaralayam’ on Friday, April 21 at Jashanmal Auditorium, Indian School, Isa Town. The morning session, Chembai Sangeetholtsavam 2017 Season 4, from 9am to 2.00pm will be devoted to Indian classical music followed by a melodious even-ing event, Niloltsavam 2017 Season 4 from 5.00pm until 11pm.In case of enquiries, please contact PAACT President Jyothykumar Menon on 39851646.

PEARLING PATH WALKATHONDate : Today , 8:30am Venue : Muharraq Meeting Point: Al-Hala Cub Parking In cooperation with the Bahrain Road Runners (BRR), the Pearling Path Walkathon, will gather around 300 participants who will walk the Path back and forth starting from Al-Ghous house in the South, to the Seyadi house in the North, with a total distance of 6.5 km. Along the walk, information on each property of the Pearling Path will be available high-lighting the history and story of the building and its relation to the Pearling narrative.

GUITARIST PACO RENTERIADate : 6 April 2017, 8:00pmVenue : Cultural Hall Paco Rentería is México´s most successful guitarist at present and is in fact considered by critics as one of the best in the world. To date, he has composed over 300 pieces that illustrate his inimitable musical style. Rentería performs hundreds of con-certs annually in front of legions of fans around the globe, including some of the world’s most prominent ven-ues with the likes of Carlos Santana and Luciano Pavarotti. His memorable concerts are renowned for their high levels of excitement, energy and emo-tion.

OUD TRIODate : 27 Mar 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm Venue : Alliance Francaise Bahrain- Isa Town On the occasion of the month of the Francophonie, the French Embassy in Bahrain and the Alliance Française (Isa Town) are organizing an “Oud Trio” perfor-mance by 3 musicians coming from different regions to showcase the blend of cultures through their musi-cal performance.

THE PEARLING PATH EXHIBITIONDate : 18 April - 4 August, 8:00am

- 8:00pmVenue : Bahrain National Museum Four years after the inscrip-tion of the “Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy” site on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the exhibition will showcase the built vision for the site through architectural models, images, studies and mock-ups of the different components of the project. From the conservation aspects to the new architectural interventions, the exhibition will give an in-depth over-view of this unique project that aims to spearhead the rehabilitation of the Old City of Muharraq.

BOOK SIGNING WITH MELISSA VAN MAASDYK

Date : 25 March 12 pm – 1 pm Venue : Words BookstoreCafé- Jannusan Love Apples: Why get mar-ried? London-based food writer Kate Richmond can conceive of no good reason. She’s seen where it got her mother and so has written her own recipe for life, relishing her career, with men on the side – including a delicious love match in Daniel Price. But when a cyclone curdles her plans for the summer issue of Be magazine while on assignment in Mauritius, she manipulates love to save her career, setting herself on a tempestuous course that will upturn some long-held beliefs. Set in the glamorous, racy world of magazines and suffused with sensual descriptions of food – plus recipes – Love Apples delves into love, marriage, infidelity, and why people continue to invest in a convention so prone to failure.

RISE OF THE SAMURAI

Date : 25 March 12 pm - 26 March 12 amVenue : ORA Restaurant Lounge- Manama Take time to deliberate. But when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and come to be part of ‘’Rise of the Samurai’’ every Saturday at ‘’Ora’’ for 21BD choice of the special mix sushi platter or set menu with 4 courses with unlimited selected bever-age. Onward from 12 am until 12 pm.


HOW TO REACH US “Out & About’, a

ready reckoner for the events taking place on the

island, is published from Friday to Tuesday. To be included,

please use one of the following: [email protected], or

call 38444680.

TRACESDate: March 23,24&25Venue: Bahrain Bay Fresh, urban and seriously high energy, contemporary circus trail-blazers, the hit show Traces is more than just a display of acrobatic brilliance through film clips and narration. Set to a fantastic soundtrack ranging from Rock ‘n’ Roll to Blues to Hip Hop, this thrill-a-minute show is presented by the inter-nationally acclaimed circus phenomenon “The 7 Fingers”. The charismatic artists’ lives are revealed as we, the audience, are gradually drawn into their story. By the final, dramatic climax of the show, we are on the edge of our seats, willing them to pull off the seemingly impossible! “A spectacular delight that will rob you of your breath” (Sunday Times). “A fix of pure urban adrenaline Mad, pulse-raising magic” (New York Times)Attachments area

BAHRAIN FARMERS MARKET Date: On Saturdays Venue: Budaiya Gardens

The fifth edition of the Bahrain Farmers Market is open at the Budaiya Gardens. More than 40 Bahraini farmers are participating to provide a variety of local agricultural products. Many leading local restaurants will participate to present local food and drinks with the aim of introducing local food to the visitors of various nationalities. Bahrain Farmers Market targets promoting Bahrain’s agricultural products and highlighting the development taking place in Bahrain’s agricultural sector. It also aims to contribute to improving the Bahraini farmers’ income through a marketing system prepared by the Agriculture and Marine Resources to assist in meeting the farmers’ aspirations. Bahrain Farmers Market will be open every Saturday until April 29 from 8 am to 12 noon.

: Bahrain best classifieds www.newsofbahrain.com


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ALWARDI CLEANINGCleaning contracts & General cleaning services.Sofa curtain shampooing.Curtain steam cleaning.Marble grinding and mirror polishing. Supplying cleaning staffs. Call 33717930

CERTIFICATE ATTESTATION & UNIVERSITY VERIFICATION from India, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, UK, USA, Australia. Contact UROGULF : 34211 944, 3733 4647, 38 271 275, urogulfbahrain@gmail. com, [email protected], www.muble.com

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Steamed Sea bass with Vegetables; Sebzeli Levrek BugulamaThis delicious steamed sea bass stew with vegetables, Levrek Bugulama, is healthy, easy and makes a complete meal with all the fresh vegetables in it. Tomatoes, onions and green bell or pointy peppers add a lovely, clean flavor in their own juice. Slices of lemon and parsley also add a delicious, refreshing taste to this all in one pot, healthy dish, packed with flavor. You can use any other white fish fillet of your choice.

Author: Ozlem WarrenRecipe type: Healthy Turkish Fish StewsCuisine: TurkishServes: 4

Ingredients 4 fillets of sea bass – or any other white fish of your choice- 1 red onion onion, quartered and thinly sliced 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped 3 medium tomatoes, quartered and thinly sliced 2 green bell peppers or pointy peppers, deseeded and sliced in stripes 15 ml / 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 lemon, sliced thinly 4 fl. oz./ ½ cup water 60 ml / 4 tbsp. olive oil Salt and ground black pepper to taste 5ml/1 tsp red pepper flakes – optional to serve Handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped – to decorateInstructionsHeat olive oil in a large, heavy pan. Stir in the chopped onions and peppers. Sauté until soft, for4-3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, lemon juice and water. Cover and cook over medium to lowheat another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off.Place the fish fillets over the cooked vegetables. Spread the sliced tomatoes and lemon over thefish. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.Cover and cook over medium to low heat for 8 to 10 minutes (please check the cooking timerequired for the fish of your choice at its packaging, take care not to overcook the fish.)Once cooked, sprinkle the chopped parsley over and serve hot. You can serve steamed potatoesor this delicious baked potatoes, peppers, red onion and olives with cumin and red pepper flakesat my blog, by the side.

Smoothies & ice lollies

18 Saturday, March 25, 2017COOL ZONE

S OU UKD

CROSSWORDYESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

Your star today

Across Down

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

How to play: Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

(Mar 21st - Apr 20th)

(Apr 21st - May 21st)

(May 22nd - Jun 21st)

(June 22nd - July 23rd)

(July 24th - Aug 23rd)

(Aug 24th - Sep 23rd)

(Sep 24th - Oct 23rd)

(Oct 24th - Nov 22nd)

(Nov 23rd - Dec 21st)

(Dec 22nd- Jan 20th)

(Jan 21st - Feb 19th)

(Feb 20th - Mar 20th)

There’s an explosive quality about the day. You may walk along, minding your own business, when someone accidentally bumps into you. Your first reaction may be to push that person back. Carelessness on the part of others may cause you to get worked up into fits of rage. Do your best to keep these tendencies under control, especially when driving.You have a tremendous amount of drive and enthusiasm to help you move forward in your projects. Be careful that you don’t act hastily or impulsively. Be careful of starting out on a new path without having a good idea about where it’s going. Rash decisions may lead to dangerous situations, so know what direction to go in before you start the car. Be safe.A relationship with a close partner may get a bit confused. You could react quickly to a situation without really thinking before speaking. There may be some confusion in your mind about whether to stay silent or take a more aggressive route and blurt out everything you feel. It’s important that you find an equal balance of both.You may run into a great deal of opposition from just about every quarter. The most frustrating part about this is that even the people you turn to for help will transform the situation into an even bigger mess. Instead of finding relief, you may find more complications and misunderstandings. Perhaps you need to take the situation into your own hands.

You’re becoming much more perceptive. At the same time, your psyche and unconscious knowing are also more acute. You may find that you know more about the way someone feels than that person does. More than likely, this sort of perspective is causing you to want to take aggressive action in order to shake people up and help them open their own eyes to the situation at hand.

You’re likely to act with great immediacy. You will instantly know what to do in a situation, especially a crisis. You’re likely to be thinking at top speed and moving with efficiency and courage. You should feel strong knowing that there’s a terrific support system surrounding you in case things go awry.

If someone tries to criticize you, don’t be afraid to defend yourself. Other people aren’t going to be afraid to speak their minds, and you shouldn’t either. You may feel like someone is prodding you with a stick. They probably just want to get some sort of reaction out of you. Be honest about how you feel and explain your statements instead of just being curt.

Be a friend to someone new and lend a hand to a greater cause than just your own advancement. Ally with people by offering your support instead of asking for it. Give more of yourself and you will find that in the long run you will receive a great deal more than you ever would have asked for. Be generous to the people around you and form collective goals that will benefit everyone.

You’re apt to feel stronger within, helping you to connect the inner and outer sides of your personality. You may feel like you have all your troops united on a common front and are making tremendous progress toward reaching your goals. Don’t stop. Your momentum is strong. Things you set in motion now will have a tremendous effect that will continue to increase over time.

The gas is on. One spark can cause an explosive fireball. There’s a tremendous amount of potential energy to the day just waiting to be unleashed. Know what you’re getting into before you light that match. The effects of your actions will ripple for some time. That said, go ahead and set the situation on fire. Perhaps there’s an issue brewing that can no longer be ignored.

This is truly a day of new beginnings. You can start a fresh cycle of emotions and understanding that can help you develop the quality and depth of your relationships. Note that all levels of your relationships will be affected in some way. Take time to consider the fact that you’re at the starting line. Focus and align yourself with your goals.

Stop dwelling on old projects and routines based on situations that have long since expired. Note the changes that have occurred around you and adjust your plans. This is a good time to honestly examine your situation. Being aggressive in your approach toward improvement and change means letting go of what no longer serves you.

1- Swiss peaks;; 5- Single things;; 10- In the sack;; 14- Pout;; 15- 2:1, e.g.;; 16- Miami’s county;; 17- Next largest scoop after tea;; 19- High- ranking NCO;; 20- Aviator;; 21- Leather covering for the ankle;; 23- Teachings;; 26- Straddling;; 27- Recorded;; 28- Diving seabird;; 29- Mellow Mel;; 30- Chick of jazz;; 31- NYC airport;; 34- Would ___ to you?;; 35- His and her;; 36- Small gull;; 37- Able to;; 38- Connected series of rooms;; 39- King with a golden touch;; 40- Protects;; 42- Vehement speech;; 43- Unintelligent;; 45- Minter;; 46- Sheets and such;; 47- Seine spot;; 48- Concert halls;; 49- Moving the eyeball;; 54- Cong. meeting;; 55- Ways to the pins;; 56- Unruly crowds;; 57- Freelancer’s encl.;; 58- “Family Ties” mom;; 59- Toward sunrise;;

1- Invoice no.;; 2- Mauna ___;; 3- Alehouse;; 4- Identical;; 5- Bearish;; 6- Scruffs;; 7- Like ___ not;; 8- Juan’s uncle;; 9- Singer;; 10- Look up to;; 11- French national holiday;; 12- Created a border;; 13- Raison ___;; 18- Run away with a lover;; 22- Razor brand;; 23- Living in flowing water;; 24- ___ Gay;; 25- Fibrous quality;; 26- Eagle’s home;; 28- Writers of verse;; 30- Reproach;; 32- Class;; 33- Goose genus;; 35- Litmus;; 36- Wearisome;; 38- Spahn teammate;; 39- Brit’s half-note;; 41- Discomfort;; 42- Knobbed;; 43- At ___ for words;; 44- Cassette half;; 45- Men;; 47- Insignificant;; 50- “Silent” prez;; 51- Get thee ___ nunnery;; 52- Delivery room docs;; 53- Queue after Q;;

BEETLE BAILEY R

Antwerp: murder chargedon driver

z #PollToday

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Do you think Obamacare should be pulled off?

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Yemen official’s son killed in suspected Qaeda attack

Two years to the day after the deadly Germanwings crash in the French Alps, the father of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz spoke out Friday to dispute official findings that his son delib-erately downed the plane.

Japan deployed hundreds of soldiers to help cull more than 280,000 chickens on Friday, officials said as they try to contain further outbreaks of a highly contagious strain of avian flu.

One person was killed and three others wounded in an attack apparently targeting a Yemeni official’s car on Thursday, a security source said.


The Hague

The International Criminal Court yesterday ordered

297 victims of ex-Congolese warlord Germain Katanga to each receive “a symbolic” $250 in damages for a brutal 2003 attack on their village, in the tribunal’s first such award.

Awarding both individual and collective damages, the court also found that Katanga was liable for $1-million of the total material, psychological and physical damage caused, estimated by the court

to stand at $3.7-million. Katanga was sentenced

by the ICC to 12 years in jail in 2014, after being convicted on five charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the February 2003 ethnic attack on Bogoro village in troubled Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He was accused of supplying weapons to his militia in the attack in which some 200 people were shot and hacked to death with machetes.

New Delhi

An Indian airline said yesterday it had

cancelled a booking by a Hindu nationalist lawmaker who repeatedly hit an Air India steward with his sandal in a row over which seat to take.

Ravindra Gaikwad has admitted to hitting the 60-year-old employee of the national carrier 25 times because he was denied a business class seat on a flight to New Delhi from his home town of Pune.

Yesterday Indigo, a private airline, said it had cancelled Gaikwad’s return booking and banned him from future flights.

Airlines including Air India have said they are considering a no-fly list that would ban disruptive or violent passengers.

Moscow

Russia denied allegations by the commander of

NATO that Moscow may be assisting the Taliban as the insurgents fight US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

“These claims are absolutely false,” Zamir Kabulov, head of the Russian foreign ministry’s department responsible for Afghanistan and the Kremlin’s special envoy in the country, told RIA Novosti state news agency.

“These fabrications are designed, as we have repeatedly underlined, to justify the failure of the US military and politicians in the Afghan campaign. There is no other explanation.”

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, US General Curtis Scaparrotti, told lawmakers in Washington on Thursday that he had witnessed Russia’s influence grow in many regions, including in Afghanistan.

In a statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Scaparrotti said Moscow was “perhaps” supplying the Taliban.

In February General John Nicholson, the US commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, testified that Russia is encouraging the Taliban and providing them with diplomatic cover in a bid to undermine US influence and defeat NATO.

ICC awards $250 each to Congo war crimes victims

Even if there is a certain amount of defence equipment or facilities, it is for maintaining the freedom of navigation”

-Li Keqiang Premier of China

Japan culls 280,000 more birds for avian flu

29 inmates escape Mexico prison through tunnelAt least 29 inmates escaped from a prison in northern Mexico through a tunnel, authorities said Thursday, the latest embarrassing jail-break for the country.

Russia denies supplying Taliban after NATO claim

Shoe attack: Indian airline bars lawmaker

Brussels

A man has been charged with terror offences

including attempted murder after he was arrested driving at high speed into a crowded shopping area in the Belgian port city of Antwerp, prosecutors said yesterday.

However, a source close to the investigation said on condition of anonymity that investigators could not confirm if it was a terrorist attack and said the driver made little sense during interrogation.

Other sources said the charges could be interpreted as a “precautionary measure” in order to keep the suspect in detention.

The suspect, a 39-year-old Tunisian identified as Mohamed R., was charged with “an attempt to murder in a terrorist manner, an attempt to hit and wound

in a terrorist manner and arms infractions,” the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The authorities said they found a rifle and bladed weapons in the car after they arrested the suspect on Thursday.

The incident came a day after a similar attack on the British parliament killed four people plus the attacker. Wednesday was also the first anniversary of the Brussels suicide bombings in which 32 people died.

Mohamed R. drove at high speed through the busy Meir shopping area in Antwerp, forcing people to jump out of the way, authorities said.

He also ignored an initial order to stop by soldiers.

The Antwerp incident put Europe further on edge after the London attack and the incident at Paris’s Orly

airport last Saturday when a man was shot dead after grabbing a soldier’s rifle.

Investigators said the man in Antwerp was clearly “under the influence of something” but it was not clear what substance.

He was not in a state to be questioned by police until Friday, a source said.

“His explanation made no sense” and “it is not confirmed that it amounts to a terrorist attack”, the source added.

“Recently, he lived in his car -- given the mess we found in there -- between Belgium and the Netherlands where he was also checked by police,” the source said.

Interrogated by French police, a friend of the suspect’s said the weapon in the boot of the car had been there for a long time and did not work. (AFP)

Jindo

South Korea’s sunken Sewol ferry was sailed away from

its watery grave yesterday, beginning its final journey nearly three years after it went down with the loss of more than 300 lives.

A flotilla of powerful tugs towed the wreck, lying on its side on a platform between two giant salvage barges, towards a semi-submersible that will finally bring it into port.

The 145-metre ship was brought to the surface in a complex salvage operation believed to be among the largest recoveries ever of a wreck in one piece, a key demand of the families of the dead.

“The Sewol began its move towards the semi-submersible at 16:55,” (0755 GMT) the maritime ministry said in a statement.

The rusted, silted hull stood high out of the water, with both its white superstructure

and blue bulbous bow exposed as it was taken towards the Dockwise White Marlin, a huge vessel standing by in deeper waters to bring it to Mokpo on the mainland, for investigations and a search.

Almost all the dead were schoolchildren and it is thought that nine bodies still unaccounted for may be trapped inside the sunken ship.

“Today is the last day of the neap tide and we must

finish loading the Sewol to the submersible,” Lee Cheol-jo, a ministry official in charge of the operation told reporters earlier, referring to when tides are at their weakest.

Around 450 workers were involved in the painstaking salvage. The Sewol has a displacement of 6,825 tonnes but is now estimated to weigh between 8,000-8,500 tonnes including the silt piled up inside.

South Korea’s sunken Sewol ferry starts final journey

Father disputes co-pilot guilt on Germanwings crash

x

Sewol ferry being moved

The trial at ICC

Police vehicle near the attack site

Miami

Second seed Karolina Pliskova

cruised into the third round of the Miami Open, the Czech beating American qualifier Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3 on Thursday.

While her serve was not at its best, the 25-year-old Pliskova

never looked in danger, comfortably dominating while winning 78 percent of return points.

“There were a few tight games but I think I was pretty solid. It went quite easy and I was really happy to spend only an hour out there because its pretty hot and humid and so I am happy to save some power for the later matches,” said Pliskova.

“The serve wasn’t really great and hasn’t been for the last few weeks but I think my game from the baseline

was better, it’s improving, my backhand is better, I was feeling pretty good just want to improve the serve a bit now,” she added.

Pliskova reached the semi-finals of Indian Wells

last week and she said she was keen to avoid a repeat of

last year when she made the last four in California but fell at the first

hurdle in Miami.“It’s a big tournament and I

wanted to make it better this year. I will be ready for the next one,” said the Czech, whose twin sister Kristyna is also in the Miami field.

Slovakian fourth seed Dominika Cibulkova needed to dig deep to fight past Paraguayan qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg.

The 90-minute encounter was far tougher for Cibulkova than the 6-3 6-2 scoreline suggests and she was relieved with the win.

“I just stayed aggressive,” she said. “It was my first match here, so it was pretty hot and it wasn’t easy conditions. But I made it through.”

Cibulkova faces another tough test, though, against Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, who fought her way past Croatian 29th seed Ana Konjuh 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (6/8), 6-2.

Agnieszka Radwanska beat China’s Wang Qiang 7-6, 6-1 and Caroline Wozniacki comfortably went through 6-1, 6-2 against Varvara Lepchenko.

Sixth-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza was trounced 6-0 in the first set by American opponent Christina McHale and was down 3-2 on McHale’s serve in the second when rain began. Play was eventually cancelled for the day and McHale will look to complete the upset on Friday.

London

Anthony Crolla hopes to repay his loyal supporters

when he fights champion Jorge Linares for the World Boxing Association lightweight belt in front of his Manchester home crowd today.

Crolla’s fans were out in force for Friday’s weigh-in at the Radisson hotel in Manchester, northern England, where both boxers weighed in at 9st 8lbs 7oz (60.8 kg) -- well within the lightweight limit.

They will be hoping to see Crolla regain the title he lost to the Venezuelan in September, in a

bout that also took place at the Manchester Arena.

“Every time it (the support) grows and it grows, and that’s just people who come out to see me step on the scales in my boxer shorts,” said Crolla.

“It means the world and these (supporters) are one of the motivations that gets me out of bed in the morning and to work as hard as what I do,” the 30-year-old added.

“It’s going to make me bite down on that gumshield even

harder tomorrow (Saturday) to make sure those belts stay in Manchester.”

SPORTSSaturday, March 25, 201720

Other results:(jockey/horse):

Race 1: Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad

Al Khalifa Cup for all classes of

locally bred 3 years only. 1,200

metres straight BD2,000.

1) Broug/Hussain Makki

2) Marami/Adnan Jaffar

3) Mayyas/Alberto Sanna

4) Al Barea/Ali Samir

Race 2: For locally bred handicap

(0-60) 3 years and upwards. 1,000


1) Lazzaz/Ali Samir

2) Caped Crusader/Ahmed Makki

3) Rayaash/Alberto Sanna

4) Question Mark/Brett

Doyle

Race 3: Shaikh Sultan bin Hamad

Al Khalifa Cup for Arabian Horses,

third, fourth and maiden classes 3

years and upwards. 1,000 metres

straight BD2,000.

1) Al Jellaby 1656/Hassan Al Saffar

2) Al Saqlawy 1657/Hussain Makki

3) Tuwaisan 1659/Alberto Sanna

4) Al Musannas 1552/Abdulla

Faisal


Al Khalifa Cup for imported handi-

cap (0-110) 3 years and upwards.

1,600 metres BD3,000.

1) Empiricist/Salem Ghoolam

2) Emerald/Hassan Al Saffar

3) Pleasure Bent/Stephane Ladjadj

4) Silversmith/Andrew Elliott

Race 5: Shaikh Khalifa bin Hamad

Al Khalifa Cup for handicap


metres BD2,000.

1) Madinat Jumeirah/Brett Doyle

2) Fadhaa/Saleem Ghoolam

3) Crown Of Aragon/Ali Samir

4) Telefono/Marco

Race 6:

National Guard Cup for locally

bred 3 years and upwards. 1,600

metres BD3,000.

1) Shamikh/Andrew Elliott

2) No Doubt/Brett Doyle

3) Zalazel/Alberto Sanna

4) Wayne Looney/Abdulla

Faisal

Crolla wants winPliskova eases through in Miami

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic

Anthony Crolla

Manama

Second favourite Dutch Masterpiece owned by Ramadhan Stable, trained by Jaber Ramadhan and

ridden by Abdulla Faisal won the seventh and final race for the Silver Cup sponsored by the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club for imported three years and upwards over 1,200 metres straight and worth BD3,000 at the 20th race meeting of the season yesterday at the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club in Sakhir.

Coming in second a half length behind was Muraweg owned by Al Buainain, trained by Yousif Al Buainanin and ridden by Hussain Makki, followed in third by a head was Bazaruto owned by Ali Nabeel Abdulla Dadulla, trained by Abdulla Haji and ridden by Hassan Al Saffar.

Fourth place a further length and a quarter behind was Blood Moon owned by Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Isa Al Khalifa, trained by Abdulla Kuwaiti and ridden by P Convertino.

Masterpiece rides to victoryA scene from the race

Miami

Second seed Karolina Pliskova

cruised into the third round of the Miami Open, the Czech beating American qualifier Madison Brengle 6-1, 6-3 on Thursday.

While her serve was not at its best, the 25-year-old Pliskova

never looked in danger, comfortably dominating while winning 78 percent of return points.

“There were a few tight games but I think I was pretty solid. It went quite easy and I was really happy to spend only an hour out there because its pretty hot and humid and so I am happy to save some power for the later matches,” said Pliskova.

“The serve wasn’t really great and hasn’t been for the last few weeks but I think my game from the baseline

was better, it’s improving, my backhand is better, I was feeling pretty good just want to improve the serve a bit now,” she added.

Pliskova reached the semi-finals of Indian Wells

last week and she said she was keen to avoid a repeat of

last year when she made the last four in California but fell at the first

hurdle in Miami.“It’s a big tournament and I

wanted to make it better this year. I will be ready for the next one,” said the Czech, whose twin sister Kristyna is also in the Miami field.

Slovakian fourth seed Dominika Cibulkova needed to dig deep to fight past Paraguayan qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg.

The 90-minute encounter was far tougher for Cibulkova than the 6-3 6-2 scoreline suggests and she was relieved with the win.

“I just stayed aggressive,” she said. “It was my first match here, so it was pretty hot and it wasn’t easy conditions. But I made it through.”

Cibulkova faces another tough test, though, against Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, who fought her way past Croatian 29th seed Ana Konjuh 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (6/8), 6-2.

Agnieszka Radwanska beat China’s Wang Qiang 7-6, 6-1 and Caroline Wozniacki comfortably went through 6-1, 6-2 against Varvara Lepchenko.

Sixth-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza was trounced 6-0 in the first set by American opponent Christina McHale and was down 3-2 on McHale’s serve in the second when rain began. Play was eventually cancelled for the day and McHale will look to complete the upset on Friday.

London

Anthony Crolla hopes to repay his loyal supporters

when he fights champion Jorge Linares for the World Boxing Association lightweight belt in front of his Manchester home crowd today.

Crolla’s fans were out in force for Friday’s weigh-in at the Radisson hotel in Manchester, northern England, where both boxers weighed in at 9st 8lbs 7oz (60.8 kg) -- well within the lightweight limit.

They will be hoping to see Crolla regain the title he lost to the Venezuelan in September, in a

bout that also took place at the Manchester Arena.

“Every time it (the support) grows and it grows, and that’s just people who come out to see me step on the scales in my boxer shorts,” said Crolla.

“It means the world and these (supporters) are one of the motivations that gets me out of bed in the morning and to work as hard as what I do,” the 30-year-old added.

“It’s going to make me bite down on that gumshield even

harder tomorrow (Saturday) to make sure those belts stay in Manchester.”


Other results:(jockey/horse):

Race 1: Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad

Al Khalifa Cup for all classes of

locally bred 3 years only. 1,200


1) Broug/Hussain Makki

2) Marami/Adnan Jaffar

3) Mayyas/Alberto Sanna

4) Al Barea/Ali Samir

Race 2: For locally bred handicap



1) Lazzaz/Ali Samir

2) Caped Crusader/Ahmed Makki

3) Rayaash/Alberto Sanna

4) Question Mark/Brett

Doyle


Al Khalifa Cup for Arabian Horses,

third, fourth and maiden classes 3

years and upwards. 1,000 metres

straight BD2,000.

1) Al Jellaby 1656/Hassan Al Saffar

2) Al Saqlawy 1657/Hussain Makki

3) Tuwaisan 1659/Alberto Sanna

4) Al Musannas 1552/Abdulla

Faisal


Al Khalifa Cup for imported handi-

cap (0-110) 3 years and upwards.

1,600 metres BD3,000.

1) Empiricist/Salem Ghoolam

2) Emerald/Hassan Al Saffar

3) Pleasure Bent/Stephane Ladjadj

4) Silversmith/Andrew Elliott

Race 5: Shaikh Khalifa bin Hamad

Al Khalifa Cup for handicap


metres BD2,000.

1) Madinat Jumeirah/Brett Doyle

2) Fadhaa/Saleem Ghoolam

3) Crown Of Aragon/Ali Samir

4) Telefono/Marco

Race 6:

National Guard Cup for locally

bred 3 years and upwards. 1,600

metres BD3,000.

1) Shamikh/Andrew Elliott

2) No Doubt/Brett Doyle

3) Zalazel/Alberto Sanna

4) Wayne Looney/Abdulla

Faisal

Crolla wants winPliskova eases through in Miami

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic

Anthony Crolla

Manama

Second favourite Dutch Masterpiece owned by Ramadhan Stable, trained by Jaber Ramadhan and

ridden by Abdulla Faisal won the seventh and final race for the Silver Cup sponsored by the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club for imported three years and upwards over 1,200 metres straight and worth BD3,000 at the 20th race meeting of the season yesterday at the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club in Sakhir.

Coming in second a half length behind was Muraweg owned by Al Buainain, trained by Yousif Al Buainanin and ridden by Hussain Makki, followed in third by a head was Bazaruto owned by Ali Nabeel Abdulla Dadulla, trained by Abdulla Haji and ridden by Hassan Al Saffar.

Fourth place a further length and a quarter behind was Blood Moon owned by Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Isa Al Khalifa, trained by Abdulla Kuwaiti and ridden by P Convertino.

Masterpiece rides to victoryA scene from the race

Saturday, March 25, 2017 21SPORTS

Doha

Maverick Vinales survived a high-

speed crash to maintain his iron-grip on the Qatar MotoGP yesterday, finishing the second day of practice comfortably the fastest man on the track.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, who had already dominated under the Losail floodlights in Thursday’s opening session, clocked a best time of 1min 54.316sec on his Yamaha to lead Suzuki’s

Andrea Iannone (0.532sec behind) and Honda’s defending world champion Marc Marquez (0.596).

Nine-t ime wor ld champion Valentino Rossi, the Yamaha teammate of Vinales, struggled for a second day in succession, finishing 10th on the time charts at 1.098sec behind the flying Spaniard.

Former world champion Jorge Lorenzo, who left Yamaha for Ducati at the end of last season, suffered even

more, ending in 12th place at 1.145sec off the blistering pace set by Vinales.

Vinales, who moved from Suzuki in the winter before going on to dominate all four pre-season testing sessions, had escaped unscathed from a crash earlier in the day.

Rossi’s struggles had earlier on Friday led to 1993 world champion Kevin Schwantz suggesting that the great Italian, now 38 years old, may even retire at the end of the season should he be outpaced

and outshone by Vinales in the championship.

“Do I think he’ll retire at the end of the year if Maverick hands him his ass weekend in, weekend out? He possibly could,” Schwantz told motorsport.com.

Sunday’s night-time race in Qatar is the first of 17 rounds in the 2017 championship.

However, Rossi can at least boast impressive form at the desert circuit, having won there on four occasions.

Vinales survivescrash to maintain iron-grip

Manama

The International Tennis Federation (ITF)

Futures Men’s Professional Tournament gets underway today with 16 men’s qualifying matches from 10am at the Bahrain Tennis Club premises in Juffair.

Qualifying also continues tomorrow to determine who will play in the singles event set to start on Monday and finish with the finals on Saturday.

A doubles competition will also get underway on Monday and finish on Saturday.

This Championship is being held for the six consecutive years under the patronage of HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and President of Bahrain Olympic Committee.

Bahrain’s Kareem Abdulnabi will take on Switzerland’s Andrew Ruppli ranked 1,154 at 10am and compatriot Yousif Dhaif will be in action later in the day

against Germany’s Jonathan Morr ranked 1,939.

Players from Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Turkmenistan, Sweden, India, Spain, Netherlands, UAE, Egypt, France, Slovakia and hosts Bahrain are in the fray for qualifying with U$15,000 in prize money up for grabs.

Top seeds in the main singles are Tallon Griekspoor (Netherlands, ranked 318), Michal Konecny (Czech Republic, 362), Filip Horansky (Slovakia, 368) and Sanjar Fayziev (Uzbekistan, 380).

The tournament director is Bahrain Tennis Club board member Ali Khonji, while Qatar’s Dr Ashraf Hamouda heads the panel of referees and is assisted by Bahrain’s Ahmed Al Hawaj.

Other referees include Kuwaitis, Abdel Raoof Abdel Salam, Ali Al Mutairi and Hassan Ashkanani, from Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Al Ajaji, Yousuf Turayf and Jassim Akakah and from Morocco Abdelhaq Jawar, while 20 Bahrainis have been appointed as line judges.

ITF Futures getsunderway today

Manama

The Ritz-Carlton (B) defeated Westin by seven

runs in the latest matches of The Ritz Carlton Bahrain Sixth Inter Hotel Charity Cricket Tournament 2017 at the Ritz-Carlton Staff Recreation area.

Batting first, The Ritz-Carlton were bowled out for 48 in 5.4 overs with Zeeshan (16 off 5 deliveries, 1x6, 2x4) top scoring and Shahzad (two for eight) the best of the bowlers.

In reply, Westin were

restricted to 41 for three in its six overs with Shahzad (29 off 13, 2x6, 1x4) the main scorer and Iftikhar (one for three) the best bowler.

24 teams are in the fray playing round-robin group matches followed by the knockout stage with the final set for this Tuesday, with this year’s official charity being the Child Wish Society.Other Results: 1) Gulf Hotel 50/3 in 6

overs (Deen 31 off 13 balls 3x4, Linesh 1/4) bt

The Domain Hotel and Spa 37 in 5.1 (Jaidu 15 off 7, 1x6, 1x4, Ravidra 1-4) by 13 runs.

2) Intercontinental Regency (A) 43/3 in 5 (Qammar 16 off 11 balls 1x6, Yasir 2/2) bt Diplomat Radisson Blu 42/6 in 5.5 (Yasir 14 off 13, 1x4. Qammar 2/1) by three wickets.

3) Four Seasons (A) 21/5 in 4 (Ali 6 off 6, Namal 2/2) bt K Hotel 20 in 3.2 overs (Majid 8 off 2 balls 2x4, Shahid 3/4) by 1 wicket.

Inter Hotel Cricket:Ritz-Carlton (B) win

DT News NetworkManama

Heinrich Haussler from Bahrain Merida Pro

Cycling Team is still not ready to start racing due to a knee injury and is currently undergoing physiotherapy with electric waves and it is not known yet, when he will be able to return to the track.

Dr. Carlo Guardascione a member of Bahrain Merida medical staff, explained Haussler’s condition: “The accidental injury, which occurred at the end of November 2016, caused him severe left knee sprain with capsular edema. The first instrumental examinations, including MRI showed an important edema by impact of the left femoral condyle and a suspicion of cartilage damage.”

After many orthopaedic specialist visits in Germany and additional consultations in Italy and Croatia, Haussler underwent an arthroscopic surgery in Austria on December 31 to remove the synovial plica and patellar cartilage brushing. After the surgery he immediately began a programme of functional recovery both with bike and swimming, physiotherapy and

local therapies.A training camp in

Benidorm in January 2017 caused a significant slowdown of the recovery programme, so Haussler was visited by another orthopaedic specialist, who proposed a variant of the functional recovery programme but confirmed the need of a rather long recovery time.

“The same knee has been injured in the past”, concludes Dr. Guardascione. “All specialists that he has seen, including arthroscopic surgeon, with proposed therapies can’t give an exact date for his return. We will need to be patient and see how it will goes in the following weeks and how the knee reacts with the proposed therapies and adequate training programme.”

Haussler said, “All I can really say is that I still have problems with my knee and I’m doing many different therapies, exercises and physio to try to resolve the problem so I can start racing again. It has been going on for many months now but I am doing everything possible to get back to a level where I can

start racing again. I’m back on bike at the moment and small steps have been made but I will still need some more time to heal 100%.”

Tristan Hoffmann, one of the sports directors, commented: “We are all very sorry that Heinrich cannot join us on the races for now. We miss his spirit, his experience and leadership skills. For now, all we know is that he needs time to heal properly and we are not sure yet when he will be able to r a c e again.”

Knee injury: Haussler needs more time

The Ritz-Carlton B

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Spanish rider Maverick Vinales


Football2018 World Cup qualifying,

Group D

Group I

Group G

CONCACAF zone:

Africa Cup of Nations 2019 qualifying, first leg:

International friendlies:

European zone:

Republic of Ireland 0 Wales 0Austria 0 Moldova 0Georgia 1 Serbia 3

Turkey 2 Finland 0Croatia 1 Ukraine 0Kosovo 1 Iceland 2

Italy 2 Albania 0Liechtenstein 0 Macedonia 3Spain 3 Israel 1

United States 2 Honduras 1Trinidad and Tobago 1 (5) Panama 1 (6)Mexico v Costa Rica

Comoros 2 Mauritius 0

Russia 0 Ivory Coast 2Libya v TogoMorocco v Burkina FasoTunisia v CameroonMauritania v Benin

Ivory Coast beat Russia

Moscow

England-based pair Jonathan Kodjia of Aston

Villa and Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha fired Ivory Coast to a 2-0 win over Russia in a friendly at Krasnodar yesterday.

It was Russia’s third defeat in six matches since Stanislav Cherchesov took over as manager in August -- the other two coming against Costa Rica and Qatar last year.

Ivory Coast’s caretaker coach Ibrahim Kamara admitted his side had ridden their luck.

“It was a tough match, like we expected,” he told the press. “We had to endure tough pressure.

“Our team are young and a defeat would not have been a disaster for us -- but I’m happy we won tonight.

“Russia’s players looked really strong. Today it was just rough luck on the home team.”

French-born forward Kodjia put the visitors 1-0 up just before the half-hour mark after latching onto a pass from inside the Ivory Coast half and driving into the Russian box before firing home from an angle despite pressure from Spartak Moscow defender Ilya Kutepov.

Russia poured forward after the break looking for an equaliser but poor finishing left the boisterous capacity 34,000 crowd in Krasnodar frustrated.

Zaha sealed the win with 20 minutes to go after picking up the ball just outside the area and dribbling past four players before hammering home a shot from the edge of the six-yard box just under the crossbar.

Cherchesov, who was appointed after the country’s disastrous Euro 2016 campaign, faces the daunting task of trying to rejuvenate the team

ahead of next year’s World Cup on home turf -- he has set his players the goal of reaching the semi-finals.

He rang the changes with Friday’s team including only CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev and Spartak winger Alexander Samedov from the team that represented Russia at Euro 2016 last June in France.

“We created several clear chances to score in the second half,” Cherchesov said. “Unfortunately we failed to level, squandering all of them.

Man City hit with UEFA fineLondon

Manchester City have been fined 18,000 euros by UEFA

for three offences during their Champions League tie with Monaco at the Etihad Stadium last month, European football’s governing body said on Friday.

City were found guily of three charges concerning a pitch invasion, the throwing of objects from the crowd and a delayed kick-off during the last-16 first leg match on February 21.

News of UEFA’s sanctions came on the same day that City accepted a misconduct charge from England’s ruling Football Association relating to the behaviour of their players during last weekend’s Premier League draw with Liverpool.

In a separate development, the FA published its reasons for imposing a £35,000 ($44,000, 41,000 euros) fine on City last month for breaching anti-doping rules.

Charges against City were levelled in January following an alleged third violation of ‘whereabouts’

rules in the last 12 months.Clubs must provide accurate

details of training sessions and player whereabouts so they are

available for drug testing at all times.

Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola (2L) speaks with referee Michael Oliver after the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England,

Russia’s midfielder Alexander Erokhin (back) and Ivory Coast’s mid-fielder Cheick Doukoure vie for the ball during their international

friendly football match between Russia and Ivory Coast in Krasnodar

Scores as of closing

Saturday, March 25, 2017 23SPORTS

Dharamsala

Injured Indian skipper Virat Kohli said yesterday he would play the

fourth Test against Australia only if he was 100 per cent fit, keeping up the suspense over his participation in the series decider.

Kohli, who injured his shoulder during the drawn third Test in Ranchi, said he would undergo fitness tests before taking a final call on whether to take the field in the fourth and final Test which begins Saturday.

“Obviously if I am 100pc fit for the game (that) is the only condition on which I will take the field,” Kohli, 28, said at the pre-match press conference in Dharamsala.

“The physio can explain better (the risks of playing despite carrying an injury). I don’t know the magnitude of the risk but all I know is the fitness tests, if I go through them I will take the field.”

On Thursday the Indian team management rushed in uncapped batsman Shreyas Iyer as a cover for Kohli, who has led India to victory in nine of their last 12 Tests at home.

Kohli has had a disappointing series against Australia, managing just 46 runs in the first three Tests of a series between the world’s top two sides which is tantalisingly poised at 1-1 as it reaches its climax.

Kohli, who batted in the nets Friday, said the full extent of an

injury could only be known in match conditions and that he would strictly follow the advice of the physiotherapist.

“Those are the things you need to keep in mind, the physio wants to give it a bit more time till I test myself,” said the right-hander.

“And probably we will take a call on it later tonight or tomorrow (Saturday) so I think we will have to give that much time more for me to make that call with the physiotherapist.”

‘Rahane more chilled out’Rival captain Steve Smith said India would still be in very good hands if Kohli was forced out of action, with Ajinkya Rahane having proved his credentials as a stand-in during the Ranchi Test.

Kohli was off the field during most of Australia’s first innings in Ranchi but he did come out to bat at his usual number four position and took the field during Australia’s second innings.

“He (Rahane) is probably a bit more chilled out on the field, probably not as emotional but I think he understands the game really well,” said Smith.

“I have been fortunate enough to play a fair bit of cricket with Ajinkya and I think he reads and understands the game really well.”

Smith and Kohli have been at loggerheads since the Indian skipper accused his opposite number of systematically abusing the Decision Review System (DRS) during the second Test in Bangalore.

Kohli, who has been compared in the Australian press to US President Donald Trump, has especially come under scrutiny both over his form and his conduct under pressure.

Smith however sought to put the controversies on the back burner, saying the team was focused on playing good cricket over the next five days.

“As I said, it’s an exciting time for this team. For me it’s not about worrying about the end or the result,” said Smith, as Australia chase their first Test series win in India in 13 years.

“It’s about focusing on our process and making sure we do those really well. If we can do again and do it for a little bit longer than we did it in Ranchi or Bangalore, then hopefully the result will take care of itself.”

Australia only need to avoid defeat in Dharamsala to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. (AFP)

India’s Kohli in doubt for Australia showdown

HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Olympic Committee, has triumphed in his category in the Duathlon Competition which was held at Durrat Marina. The event was a three stage contest composed of a 5km run, followed by 20km cycling and concluding with a 2.5km running race. After the event, Shaikh Nasser stressed the importance of organising such a competition which is now spreading worldwide to raise awareness of the benefits of sport and a healthier life and thanked all involved in organising the event and making it a huge success

India’s captain Virat Kohli (C) warms up with teammates

Australia’s captain Steve Smith gestures during a

training session

Lo Port, Spain

Alejandro Valverde took control of the Tour of Catalonia by winning his

second stage of this year’s edition ahead of Chris Froome and Alberto Contador.

Spaniard Valverde broke clear of three-time Tour de France winner Froome and twice Tour laureate Contador in the final kilometre to win the 182km fifth stage and take the overall leader’s white jersey from American Tejay Van Garderen.

Valverde had started the day fourth

overall due to the penalty his Movistar team incurred during the opening stage team time-trial they had originally won on Monday.

That cost him the overall lead but he proved strongest on the steep (average 9 percent gradient) final 8.4km climb up to Lo Port.

“On the (final) climb I had the legs, I calculated the distance to here, to the finish line (and went for it),” said Valverde, who won the Tour’s other hilltop finish too.

“The team was great today, we were out front the whole way,” he said.

Briton Froome and Spain’s Contador came in 13sec behind and now sit second and third overall at 21sec and 47sec respectively.

Van Garderen lost almost two minutes and dropped to sixth at 1:18.

Melbourne

Lewis Hamilton was hailed as being “in a league of his own” yesterday

as he burned off his rivals in the year’s opening practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix.

The triple world champion bossed the field and held a half-second gap over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and his new Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the afternoon session.

Britain’s Hamilton followed up his field-leading fastest lap of 1 minute, 24.220 secs in the morning run with a blistering 1:23.620 in the late afternoon.

It was around one-tenth of a second off Vettel’s circuit record of 1:23.529, posted for Red Bull in qualifying ahead of his 2011 race victory.

“Hamilton is in a league of his own at the moment,” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said.

“His one-lap pace was really good and he took the ultrasofts for 17 laps and was stable. I’m happy.”

Ferrari were expected to press Hamilton and the Mercedes team after superior times in pre-season testing, but on the evidence of the opening two sessions Hamilton is again the driver to beat in Sunday’s season-opener.

“I’m super-happy to be back in the car, particularly after a first day

like that. It was 99 percent perfect,” Hamilton said.

“We’ve shown good form so far on both the long and short runs and we got every lap done that we wanted to. The tyres performed really well today too.

“I’ll be pushing as hard as I can to win this race.”

Hamilton’s time was more than three seconds faster than his best lap in last year’s corresponding free practice in Melbourne.

Finland’s Bottas slotted smoothly into the Mercedes team environment with a best lap of 1:24.176.

“I definitely feel like I can make a step forward tomorrow. It’ll be a busy evening for us looking through all the data to see where we can improve, but it’s a reasonable start,” Bottas said.

Ferrari improved markedly on their opening practice, with Vettel unleashing the second best lap time in FP2 with 1:24.167 while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was fourth with 1:24.525.

“We (were) very happy at testing -- times looked good, but here is where it matters,” Vettel said.

“The car hasn’t changed much and it’s good to be back but we can still improve.”

The Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were

over a second behind Hamilton and half-a-second off Vettel’s Ferrari.

Verstappen missed out on the later long runs after damaging his car’s floor when running over the gravel on the exit of turn 10.

The second session was stopped after a big crash for Renault’s Jolyon Palmer, who lost the rear of his car on the last corner and spun into the barriers.

“I’m fine,” Palmer told his team over the radio. The shunt damaged the car’s rear suspension, while the rear wing was detached.

Palmer missed the remainder of the session, in a blow to his preparations for the weekend race.

Brazilian Felipe Massa stopped his Williams car at Turn 11 after reporting he could not engage gears,

and walked back to the team garage.

The troubled McLaren team had no on-track breakdowns on the opening day with Fernando Alonso finishing in a respectable 12th place.

SPORTS

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P23 India’s Kohli in doubt for Australia showdown

Hamilton dominates

Timin

gs

FP21. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes 1:23.620, 2. Sebastian Vettel (GER) Ferrari 1:24.167, 3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes 1:24.176, 4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari 1:24.525, 5. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull 1:24.650

FP11. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes 1:24.220, 2. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes 1:24.803, 3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Red Bull 1:24.886, 4. Max Verstappen (NED) Red Bull 1:25.246, 5. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Ferrari 1:25.372

Valverde wins stage to take Catalonia lead

Movistar’s Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton

Documents

HOME | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN ......2017/03/25 · Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that produces around 300,000 barrels of oil on a daily basis. Though the revenues have