|Manama Jordan King replaces PM · 2018-05-06 · Aziz University in Jeddah, Tabuk University, Taif University and Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University. Esraa Albuti, an executive

04Spinning discs in a man’s world

05Cop killer loses plea against death penalty

06Bahrain-UK economic ties set to grow

11

Anger, jokes as Duterte kisses worker on stage 12WORLD

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Morgan Freeman back at work Actor Morgan Freeman was spotted back at work in Savannah, Georgia, on Friday. The outing comes amid his ongoing legal battle with CNN over its report that he sexually har-assed or was inappropriate towards women. P17

TUESDAYJUNE 2018

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ISSUE NO. 7768

How successful CEOs manage their middle phase?

Grande talks about her fans ‘all of the time’ 17 SHOW

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Govt revenue rose to BD2.01bn last year • The deficit represented 10.2pc of the GDP at current prices for the fiscal year 2017, against 13.6pc for the fiscal year 2016.

TDT|Manama

The government’s final state-

ment for the year 2017, which the government referred to the House of Representatives, showed a rise of 16 per cent in revenues when compared to 2016, but at the same time it was lower than the revenues approved in the state budget.

The government attributed this to the change in oil prices. The state budget is based on $ 55 per barrel of crude oil, while the average price of a barrel

over the past year was $ 51.5, which led to a decline in oil revenues by 4pc.

The public revenues of the state during the past year amounted to BD2.01 billion, while in 2016 it was BD1.897bn, which means that revenues in-creased by BD304 million.

The State’s final account re-cord decreased the public defi-cit to BD1.336bn compared to BD1.6bn in 2016. At the same

time, the deficit was 2pc higher than the budget deficit.

The deficit represented 10.2pc of the GDP at current prices for the fiscal year 2017, against 13.6pc for the fiscal year 2016.

The Cabinet chaired by HRH the Premier yesterday approved the audited consolidated finan-cial statement for the fiscal year ending December 2017 before forwarding it to the legislature.

1.336billion Bahraini dinars was the public deficit

in the year 2017.

Jordan King replaces PM Move aims to defuse protests by thousands over tax hike following IMF-backed reforms

• While some celebrated the change of government, the head of the Professional Unions Association said a strike planned for Wednesday would go ahead unless the draft income tax law was withdrawn.

• Police chief Major General Fadel Al Hamoud said security forces had detained 60 people for breaking the law in protests so far, and 42 security force members had been injured, but protests remained under control.

Amman

Jordan’s King Abdullah replaced his prime minister yesterday in a move to defuse the biggest protests

in years, over IMF-backed reforms that have hit the poor.

Government plans to hike taxes have brought thousands of people onto the streets in the capital Amman and other parts of Jordan since last week, shaking a

US-allied Arab country that has remained stable through years of regional turmoil.

King Abdullah appointed Omar Al Razzaz, a former World Bank econo-mist, to form the new government after accepting Hani Mulki’s resignation, a ministerial source said. Razzaz was ed-ucation minister in Mulki’s government.

In his letter accepting the resignation, King Abdullah praised Mulki for his “bravery in taking difficult decisions that do not gain popularity”, and asked him to stay on in a caretaker role until the new government is formed.

While some celebrated the change

of government, the head of the Profes-sional Unions Association said a strike planned for Wednesday would go ahead unless the draft income tax law was withdrawn.

Police chief Major General Fadel Al Hamoud said security forces had de-tained 60 people for breaking the law in protests so far, and 42 security force members had been injured, but protests remained under control.

“Rest assured, Jordan is a safe and secure country, and things are under control,” said Major General Hussein Hawatmeh, head of the Gendarmerie se-curity department, appearing along with Hamoud at a news conference.

Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel, has navigated years of instability at its borders, including wars in Iraq and Syria and conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

But the instability has hit the economy of a country that is poor in resources and hosts close to 700,000 Syrian refu-gees. Unemployment among Jordanians stands at 18.4 per cent, according to Jor-dan’s department of statistics.

Public anger has grown over govern-ment policies since a steep general sales tax hike earlier this year and the abolition of bread subsidies, both measures driven by the International Monetary Fund.

Jordanian protesters raise their hands during a demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s office.

Razzaz is a Harvard-educated economist who

served with the World Bank in both Washington

and the region.

KNOW

DID

First batch of women receives driving licences in Saudi Riyadh

Marking an his-toric moment, Saudi Arabia’s

General Directorate of Traffic issued first driv-er’s licences to 10 women yesterday.

The Kingdom is all set to allow women driving in three weeks. An offi-cial statement said the 10 women who were issued licences already held in-ternational licences. They took a brief driving test and eye exam before be-ing issued the licences at the General Directorate of Traffic in Riyadh.

Following the issuance of licences, a video showing a woman receiving here Saudi driving licence went viral

online. The social media was also abuzz with the news and excited Saudis took to Twitter to express their feel-ings on this historic day.

“Thousands of congratulations to the daughters of the

homeland, being issued the first licence in Saudi Arabia,” a tweet read.

This measure is part of the traffic depart-ment’s preparations to implement a royal de-cree allowing women to drive in Saudi Arabia.

In September 2017, a royal decree an-nounced the end of a decades-long ban on women driving.

Five Saudi universi-ties have launched driv-ing schools for women: Princess Nourah bint

Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, Tabuk University, Taif University and Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University.

Esraa Albuti, an executive director at Ernst & Young, shows her driving licence issued by the General Department of Traffic in Riyadh yesterday.

A Saudi woman buckles her seat belt before doing a driving test at the General Department of Traffic in Riyadh yesterday.

Palestinian govt warns Israel Gaza

The Palestinian govern-ment yesterday warned

Israel against plans to de-duct funds from the Pales-tinian tax revenues to com-pensate Israelis living near the Gaza Strip for a wave of arson attacks.

Israel, which collects the Palestinian tax revenues on behalf of the Palestinian Au-thority, announced plans to compensate Israeli farmers in the Gaza area peripheries whose fields were burnt by Palestinian action.

The Palestine News Agen-cy quoted Palestinian gov-ernment spokesman Yousef Al-Mahmoud describing the Israeli plans as “an act of robbery and banditry.”

‘Iran set to boost enrichment capacity’ Tehran

Iran’s top leader said yester-day he had ordered prepa-

rations to increase uranium enrichment capacity if a nu-clear deal with world powers falls apart after the US with-drawal, and he vowed never to accept limits on Tehran’s ballistic missile programme.

Tensions between Iran and the West have resurged since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with Teh-ran, calling it deeply flawed.

European signatories are scrambling to save the accord, which they see as crucial to forestalling an Iranian nuclear weapon, by seeking to ring-fence trade with Iran against new US financial sanctions to dis-suade Tehran from quitting the deal.

02TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2018

For further details, please visit the Central Bank of Bahrain’s website:www.cbb.gov.bh effective issuance date.

The Central Bank of Bahrain announces the upgrading of the security feature of the BD 5 banknote by adding the “Spark Live Truspin” feature instead of the Hologram feature. The upgraded banknote will retain the existing design, colour, size and other security features of the current banknote.

The Central Bank of Bahrain will issue the

upgraded banknote into circulation effective Tuesday, 5th June 2018, and this banknote shall be legal tender for the full value thereof as per article (14) of the Central Bank of Bahrain and Financial Institutions Law 2006.

The upgraded banknote will be in circulation alongside the current banknote, which will be withdrawn gradually from circulation.

Upgrading ofBahraini Dinar(BD 5 Denomination Banknote)

سباركاليف

تروسبين

SparkLive

Truspin

Front Sideالجهة األمامية

Back Sideالجهة الخلفية

Denomination BD 5فـئــة 5 دنـانـيــر

Manama

The Cabinet chaired by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa yesterday endorsed a draft-law

on amending some provisions of Edict 74/2007 on granting 10-year residency permits to foreign investors on a self-sponsorship basis.

The move follows the directive of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister to the Interior Minister.

Under the bill, two-year, five-year and ten-year self-sponsorship residency permits will be issued for foreign investors for BD200, BD400 and BD600, respectively.

Among other things, the Prime Minister in-structed service ministers to follow up on the pro-gress of projects which had been decided following their field visits to villages and towns.

The session requested the competent authorities to ban the importation of fruits and vegetables from Kerala, India, following the outbreak of the “Nipah” virus there, until the epidemic situation there is back to normal.

It also discussed an MoU between Bahrain’s

Ministry of the Interior and its French counterpart on security cooperation and coordination between them in combating terrorism and its financing. Presented by the Minister of Interior, the MoU was referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs.

HRH the Premier extended warmest congratu-

lations to outstanding students, and all those who passed the final exams for this school year, wishing them successful academic and professional careers.

The Cabinet reviewed a draft-law on amending the law on regulating advertisements, which was prepared based on a proposal by the Council of Representatives.

The bill was referred to the Representatives Council, along with a memorandum highlighting the government’s opinion on it.

The session also saw HRH the Premier in-structing the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning to control street advertisements.

Cabinet nod for 10-year residency

for investors HRH the Premier

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday visited the Majlis of Al Dosseri family, the Majlis of Al Kooheji family and the Majlis of the sons of the late Abduljabbar Al Kooheji. HRH the Crown Prince stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to achieve the objectives of Bahrain’s comprehensive development programme, led by HM King Hamad. He reinforced that Bahrain’s longstanding commitment to economic diversification has ensured it is able to turn challenges into opportunities, noting in particular the role of Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 and its underlying principles of sustainability, competitiveness and fairness in driving sustainable economic growth.

Housing Minister Bassim Al Hamer yesterday received UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative Ameen Al Sharkawi. They discussed latest developments in preparation of Bahrain’s first national voluntary review of its implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, which will be presented to the high-profile political forum at the UN Economic and Social Council in July.

Adviser to HM the King for Economic Affairs, Dr Hassan Fakhro received Dr Jassim Haji, researcher on institutional, economic, and technological culture, who presented to him a copy of his book entitled “Lessons in Inst i tut ional Culture”. Fakhro expressed his thanks to the writer’s dedication, wishing him further success.

03

big story

TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2018

• Sources say females patients suffering from sickle cell attacks are admitted to room D, which has only eight beds and this room is always crowded because of high number of female patients.

• The SMC had recently opened a new building for sickle cell patients with 90 beds exclusively for males, while women patients are still accommodated in the old building which has only 25 beds.

• There’s no cure for most people with sickle cell anemia. But treatments can relieve pain and help prevent problems associated with the disease.

TDT|Manama Abbas Al Mughanni

Many female sickle cell patients allege the quality of treatment they receive at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) is

inferior when compared to male patients. They say suffering is the same, be it man or

woman, and hence the Health Ministry should bridge the “gender gap” in its efforts to offer better treatment for patients.

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of ane-mia, a condition in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout your body.

Normally, the red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through your blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells become rigid and sticky and are shaped like sickles or cres-cent moons. These irregularly shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or

block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

There’s no cure for most people with sickle cell anemia. But treatments can relieve pain and help prevent problems associated with the disease.

The SMC had recently opened a new building for sickle cell patients with 90 beds exclusive-ly for males, while women patients are still accommodated in the old building which has only 25 beds.

“Even waiting durations are longer for us,” a female sickle cell patient, who doesn’t want to be named, said. “Male patients never wait more than 20 minutes before they are taken to a doctor, but our situation is different. We have to wait for hours before getting a call.”

“It is really difficult to wait, sometimes with severe pain.”

It is learnt that only doctors attend to female patients, while there are four doctors for male patients.

Bahrain Society for Sickle Cell Anaemia president Zakaria Al Kadhem acknowledges this difficulty.

“I am confident that this issue would be addressed soon. All procedures regarding male patients have been very successful and the same would be applied to female patients as well,” he said.

Another female sickle cell patient, on grounds of anonymity, said most often female patients suffering from sickle cell attacks are referred to emergency doctors and not spe-cialised doctors.

“How can an emergency doctor attend to a

sickle cell patient? He has to see other emergency patients,” she lamented.

Sources say females patients suffering from sickle cell attacks are admitted to room D, which has only eight beds and this room is always crowded because of high number of female patients.

“Sometimes you can see women patients suffer-

ing from sickle cell attacks lying on the corridors here and crying out of severe pain,” the sources added.

They say room D has only one wash room, making things more difficult for women patients. “Many women patients prefer going home rather than being here. For them suffering pain seems to be much better than sufferings in room D.”

Women sickle cell patients

allege gender bias at SMC

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Urge authorities to offer similar facilities provided to male patients

I am confident that this issue

would be addressed soon. All procedures

regarding male patients

have been very successful and the

same would be applied to female patients as well.

MR AL KADHEM

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia, a condition in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry ade-

quate oxygen throughout your body.

KNOW

DID


My career initially started off with playing at parties like

family weddings, schools,

university and institute carnivals

and simple birthday parties

LEILA

• Despite being an academic heavyweight with a master’s degree, Leila preferred to take a different road.

TDT|Manama Harpreet Kaur

Leila Sohrab, the first fe-male DJ in the GCC, is on top of the world, for she

has overcome several obstacles in her unique career journey.

A qualified DJ with certificates from the London Academy of Music Production in the United Kingdom, she has many feathers in her cap.

Speaking to Tribune, she said, “I started Djing at the age of 18 becoming the first Arab female to

enter the profession. It was very challenging in the beginning as it was entirely men’s terrain.”

“My career initially started off with playing at parties like fam-ily weddings, schools, univer-sity and institute carnivals and simple birthday parties,” Leila recalls her beginnings.

In 2008, Leila got her first break when she was booked for a performance in Dubai and this was followed by shows at Qatar, Saudi, Oman, Kuwait, France, Italy, Egypt and Jordon.

“Well, when I first started I had nothing, no money, no net-work, no assistance, no proper skills. All I had was was my love for music, so I had to work very hard to learn, save money for the DJ system and market myself.

“To me being a DJ means you should have the ability to control people’s heartbeats and happi-

ness through music and I loved to see happy people.”

Despite being an academic heavyweight with a master’s de-gree, Leila preferred to take a different road. “When you opt a different career path, the chal-lenges are many. And only with

strong determination we can overcome them.”

“I still remember back in the days I used to carry the heavy speakers and equipment on my own. I bought a van and was driv-ing it on my own and I handled everything form booking to han-dling equipment and song record-ing all my own.

There were no schools to teach me, no trustworthy males to partner up with. All I did for big events was rent the equipment. Even many companies were not straightforward to me for being a female. It was not easy at all.”

Leila bought her first DJ set in 2001 with her humble savings. She worked hard to master tech-nologies and other aspects of the profession. “When I look back, I feel really proud for selecting the right career path and proving that it was a right choice.”

Spinning discs in a man’s

world Leila, the first female Arab DJ, is

all set to conquer the world

SCE teams up with LuLu Hypermarket to launch campaign against plastic bags TDT|Manama

Coinciding with the World Environment Day, which falls today, the Supreme

Council for Environment (SCE), in co-operation with LuLu Hyper-market, launched an environmen-tal initiative aimed at minimising the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags “by promoting the use of both reusable and biode-gradable bags”.

SCE Chief Executive Dr Mo-hamed Mubarak Bin Daina, emphasized that the initiative

is intended to enhance bilateral cooperation between Govern-mental organizations, private companies, and firms to promote environmental awareness in the Kingdom.

He pointed out that the initi-ative, being carried out by LuLu Hypermarket, aims to provide consumers a sustainable alterna-tive to harmful bags, which remain non-biodegradable for hundreds of years. He praised LuLu Hyper-market’s continuous efforts in up-holding social and environmental responsibility in Bahrain.

Dr Daina called upon people to overcome the utilisation of non-biodegradable plastic ma-terials, citing that over one mil-lion water bottles worldwide are bought every minute and over five trillion plastic bags are used every year.

“The theme of this year’s World Environment day, “Beat Plastic Pollution”, has further risen the need for root solutions to mini-mize plastic pollution, which is on the rise. Solutions without social partnership and close cooperation on the part of various countries

will not be useful as the volume of pollution worldwide calls for teamwork to confront the dangers of plastic pollution.”

On his part, LuLu Hypermar-ket director, Juzer Rupawala, ex-pressed his gratitude for the sup-port rendered by the SCE and for assisting the Kingdom in having a cleaner and greener environment. He emphasised that “the adoption of reusable bags by consumers will contribute enormously to-wards a clean surrounding and we urge all our customers to join hands with us for a better world”.

LuLu Hypermarket

will today distribute

6,000 reusable bags free of charge

to all LuLu customers.

KNOW

DID

Dr Daina and Mr Rupawala along with other officials at the launch.


Cop killer loses plea against death penalty Cassation Court rejects appeal filed by the 31-year-old

• Among the defendants, seven were sentenced to life in prison, while the remaining four were given 10 years behind bars.

• A colleague of the deceased officer said earlier Mr Fareed was killed as he was on his way to perform evening prayers.

TDT|Manama

A 31-year- old terror ist on a death row after being convict-ed of murdering a police of-

ficer has exhausted all his legal op-

tions to escape the capital punishment. The Kingdom’s top court - the Cas-

sation Court - has rejected his appeal after hearing the case for the second time. The court had earlier asked the High Criminal Appeals Court to rehear the case, which confirmed the capital punishment.

Twelve defendants were convicted of murdering police officer Mahmood Fareed, including Salman Isa, aged 31, who was given death penalty.

Among the defendants, seven were sentenced to life in prison, while the remaining four were given 10 years behind bars. All defendants had their nationality revoked according to the new anti-terror law approved in 2013.

The defendants were convicted of

premeditated murder. They used SIM cards belonging to Asian labourers to make calls to mobile phones for remotely detonating homemade ex-plosives in East Eker. They were also charged with attempted murder and being part of a terrorist cell that car-ried out a spate of bombings targeting policemen.

The 24-year-old police officer was patrolling the area when the explosion happened and he suffered injuries to his legs and abdomen. He was rushed to the

BDF Hospital but died after a few hours. Another officer suffered minor injuries in the blast, which a group calling itself Saraya Al Ashtar (Al Ashtar Brigades) claimed responsibility for.

Among the defendants was a teenag-er. The 19-year-old student told pros-ecutors he was given orders by the 31-year-old mastermind, who spear-headed the attack, to carry out surveil-lance on the armoured vehicle eight days before the blast.

“He headed the group and told us that we were going to plant an ex-plosive to murder a cop,” the teenage student said in his statement to pros-ecutors.

He added, “He handed out instruc-tions to everyone in the group. My role was to survey a police armoured vehicle which was always stationed in Eker. I carried out surveillance every day, from 7 pm to 9 pm.”

“Four of my accomplices helped me as well and I then placed a wooden plank to mark the area where the ar-moured police vehicle was always sta-tioned.”

A colleague of the deceased of-ficer said earlier Mr Fareed was killed as he was on his way to perform evening prayers.

1212 defendants were

convicted in the case.

Martyr Mahmood Fareed

Council planning to raise rents at Central Market • We have visited the market to identify the most important needs, thanks to the cooperation and coordination between the various stakeholders.

TDT|Manama

The Capital Council is mulling plans to increase rents at the Central Mar-

ket, according to council mem-ber Iman Al Qahatani.

She said the rents were not revised since the eighties and it is high time the council takes right steps in this regard.

“The Central Market has witnessed remarkable develop-ments over the past few years,

especially in terms of security and cleanliness.

We have visited the market

to identify the most important needs, thanks to the cooperation and coordination between the

various stakeholders. “Increasing rents is necessary

to develop the market and raise its level. We also plan to develop

the loading and unloading area and seek to find an alternative area for trucks, so that the place opposite to the street looks bet-ter.”

Among the ongoing plans ready for implementation, Ms Al Qahatani said the work on water park would be completed by September 2019. “The con-struction of the outer wall of the park has begun covering 6.57 hectares. The cost of the development will be nearly BD 3.3 million. The wall is expected to be completed in September 2018. The park will open in Sep-tember 2019.

“The capital is the first tour-ist destination in Bahrain, and the level of services will have a positive impact on our tourism. There are other service and lei-sure projects coming,” she added.

Engineering fraternity gives thumbs up to social housing boom • Mazen Al Omran, a leading engineering consultant and the president of a related grouping, said the Housing Ministry is on track when it comes to distributing units.

• Dr Jasem Al Sahli, an engineering consulting firm director, welcomed the Housing Ministry’s efforts to distribute units to beneficiaries.

TDT|Manama

The engineering fraternity in the Kingdom ex-pects the Housing Ministry to complete the distribution of units to all applicants within

a span of four years. They feel the target is achievable with the ministry

distributing more than 5,000 units in every three months.

Mazen Al Omran, a leading engineering con-sultant and the president of a related grouping, said the Housing Ministry is on track when it comes to distributing units.

“Things are getting easier now. Beneficiaries can even make modifications to the houses by taking permission from municipality authorities concerned. They need to go the ministry.”

Echoing a similar view, Masoud Al Hermi, who heads the Society of Engineers, said both the Hous-ing Ministry and Works Ministry should boost the co-ordination to help the beneficiaries.

Dr Jasem Al Sahli, an engineering consulting firm director, welcomed the Housing Ministry’s efforts to distribute units to beneficiaries.

“I am sure the ministry will complete dis-tributing units within next four years. The ministry should consult beneficiaries before drawing final plans on house designs to meet their requirements.”

Beneficiaries can now make modifications

to the houses by taking permission from municipality

authorities concerned.

MR AL OMRAN

Both the Housing Ministry and

Works Ministry should boost the

co-ordination to help the

beneficiaries. MR AL HERMI

The ministry should consult beneficiaries

before drawing final plans on house designs to meet their

requirements. MR AL SEHLI

Increasing rents is necessary

to develop the market and raise

its standards. MS AL QAHATANI

Labour Court orders BD26,000 payout

• According to plaintiff ’s lawyer Bushra Mayouf, her client, an Indian expat, joined the company on February 1, 2008, as a manager for a monthly salary of BD1,200.

TDT|Manama

The Labour Court yes-terday ordered a com-

pany to pay 22 months sal-ary after he approached the court over unpaid sal-aries.

“The plaintiff will receive BD26,000 along with 6 per cent interest ruled by the court. The company will also have to bear the plaintiff ’s legal expenses apart from return flight ticket.”

According to plaintiff ’s lawyer Bushra Mayouf her client, an Indian expat, joined the company on Feb-ruary 1, 2008, as a manag-er for a monthly salary of BD1,200.

“And the company failed to pay his salaries from Octo-ber 2014 to September 2016. My client stopped work after not getting salaries for 22 months and approached the Labour Court.”

He headed the group and told us that we were going

to plant an explosive to murder a cop.

CONVICTED TEENAGER


Bahrain-UK economic relations set to grow

Bahrain a top priority for the UK government, says envoy

• The ambassador observed that the Bahraini economy has been showing remarkable progress owing to various reforms undertaken by the government.

TDT|Manama

Economic ties between Bahrain and Britain are set to grow in the coming

years, said British Ambassador to Bahrain Simon Martin yes-terday.

“Both countries are benefit-ting from the economic ties and we should enhance it to boost

the opportunities for people be-longing to both nations,” he said.

“Trade and commercial re-

lations are important to us. As British Foreign Trade Minister William Fox said last week, Brit-ain’s GDP has risen, and we are looking forward to rebuild our global economic ties with sev-eral countries, especially in the backdrop of Brexit,” Mr Martin pointed out.

The ambassador observed that the Bahraini economy has been showing remarkable progress owing to various re-forms undertaken by the gov-ernment.

“The recent discovery of oil and gas is going to further boost this growth. There are a lot of infrastructure development programmes being carried out across the Kingdom, which will deliver big results in the years to come,” he remarked, adding that many British companies

are contributing in a big way to boost the Kingdom’s infra-structure.

When asked about the UK signing new trade agreements with countries in the region in light of Brexit, Mr Martin said, “We are very much interested to develop economic partnerships outside the EU. And, of course, Bahrain and other countries in the region is a top priority.”

Many British companies are

contributing in a big way to boost

the Kingdom’s infrastructure.

MR MARTIN

14,000Bahraini students are

studying in various British universities.

Bahrain among top countries offering work-life balance

• The list also included Oman which occupied ninth place with 43.5 working hours for expatriates a week.

• Many expats who participated in the poll said they feel satisfied with their jobs and life in Bahrain.

Manama

Bahrain has brought about a new achievement by clinching second place in a list of the top 10 countries that provide a balance between work and life.

The list was released by InterNations, a global company spe-cialised in this kind of researches on expatriates.

With 42.9 working hours a week, Bahrain came second after Denmark and before Norway.

The list also included Oman which occupied ninth place with 43.5 working hours for expatriates a week.

Many expats who participated in the poll said they feel sat-isfied with their jobs and life in Bahrain.

InterNations company relied in its rating on interviews with around 13,000 expats living in 188 regions.

It found out that the happiest people and most capable of striking a balance between work and life do not necessarily work less hours.

However, the places where they live provides high quality of life that meets standards including housing, education and environment.

Manama

Member of the Supreme Coun-cil for Islamic Affairs, Shaikh Abdulhussain bin Al Shaikh

Khalaf Al Asfoor, has opened the “Ad-liya Mosque”, in the presence of Gaffer

Endowments Council Chairman, Shaikh Mohsen bin Al Shaikh Abdulhussain Al Asfoor.

Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Shaikh Nasser Al Asfoor, Northern Gov-ernor, Ali Al Asfoor, MP Dr. Shaikh Majeed Al Asfoor, Jaffari Endowments Council

members, Acting Board Chairman, offi-cials and guests also attended the opening ceremony.

In a statement, Jaffari Endowments Council Chairman stressed the keenness of the Jaffari Endowments Directorate to encourage the righteousness and phi-

lanthropy initiatives, being distinctive features of Bahrain throughout history.

He lauded the distinguished initiative of Shaikh Abdulhussain bin Al Shaikh Khalaf Al Asfoor in building the mosque.

He said that the foundation stone of the mosque was first laid in the 1970s,

and then the mosque was revamped and re-built.

Mahmoud Tarada delivered a state-ment on behalf of the mosque’s worship-pers. He expressed thanks and apprecia-tion to Shaikh Abdulhussain bin Al Shaikh Khalaf Al Asfoor for building the mosque.

Shaikh Abdulhussain along with Northern Governor Ali Al Asfoor and other officials and dignitaries.

Adlıya Mosque

opens

Chinmaya Society, Bahrain in co-ordination with BalBharathi Group conducted a Blood donation camp on the 1st of June 2018. The camp was held in the Salmaniya Blood Bank. Overall about 150 donors came forward and participated for the noble cause. Chinmaya Society conducts the Blood donation camp on an annual basis during the month of Ramadan.

Rising Stars Gavel Club hosted their new club officers induction ceremony at Hotel Tropicana. The Executive Committee consists of Hridam Saha (President), Mariam Mansoor (VP Education), Siddhanth (VP Membership), Akshata (VP Public Relations), Sanjana (Treasurer), Astrelle Samy (Secretary), Kavin (Segt-at-arms) and Shruthi Anand (Past President). The new committee was inducted by BGCC Chairman DTM Ahmed Rizvi along with Counsellors DTM Rosaline Roy Charlie, DTM Gowri Muthukumaran, Coordinators TM Alka Kumari and Archana Jalan.

07

business


This region has taken

relatively larger steps towards

developing its ecosystem

of FinTech; investments are

still concentrated in a few countries

ADNAN AHMED YOUSIFCHAIRMAN AND CEO, BAB

FinTech making rapid growth in region: BAB chief FinTech investments grew nearly tenfold in 2013 to 2017 and the value of transaction exceeded $50 billion in 2017

• Governments in the region are playing a leading role in promoting the innovations of FinTech industry

TDT|Manama

Organisations operating FinTech in the region h a s i n c re a s e d s ev-

en-fold, according to Adnan Ahmed Yousif, Chairman and CEO of Bahrain Association of Banks (BAB) and former pres-ident of Union of Arab Banks.

“FinTech is in the interest of all public and private parties; governments, banks, custom-ers, FinTech technology com-panies and businesses. It has led to rapid growth in global investments over the past five years. The index shows that the value of FinTech investments grew nearly tenfold in 2013 to 2017 and the value of transac-tion exceeded $50 billion in 2017,” Adnan said in a recent article entitled “FinTech and its Banking and Economic Di-mensions”.

“Although the ecosystem of financial technology is still growing in the Middle East and North Africa, FinTech adoption is gaining momentum between existing banks and other com-panies,” he said.

“This region has taken rel-atively larger steps towards developing its ecosystem of FinTech; investments are still concentrated in a few coun-tries. Governments in the re-

gion are playing a leading role in promoting the innovations of financial technology, while the participation of international companies working in the field of financial technology to give a greater impetus in this direc-tion,” he said. In a recent survey of 12 countries in the Middle

East, the number of start-up companies in financial tech-nology has increased sevenfold since 2009, with investments in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. These start-ups have emerged in com-petition with banks, which also use digital technology to move to more customer-centric busi-ness models.

“While Internet penetration is still limited in some coun-tries, telecom companies have entered their markets and are currently providing mobile pay-ment services. Payment and lending solutions are the bulk of investments in financial tech-nology in the region in line with global trends,” he said.

The percentage of start-up companies in payment and lending is 50 per cent and 30pc, respectively. However, cash transactions remain dominant, and financial technology re-mains a relatively small channel for SMEs to access financing.

Adnan pointed that financial technology offers significant advantages that can alleviate many critical challenges faced by Arab and developing coun-tries. In addition to improving the efficiency of financial ser-vices and improving customer service, financial technology can contribute to the broader objectives of inclusive growth, diversification of the economy and financial stability through several channels.

“FinTech can provide alter-native sources of financing for families and SMEs through mar-ket-based lending platforms such as peer lending and online trade finance,” he said.

Justin Siberell, US Ambassador to Bahrain, with Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Krešimir Kucko and Deputy Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi during a meeting at the airline’s headquarters in Manama. They discussed the airline’s long-term network expansion plans, which will see the airline reach North America by 2023. Gulf Air’s incoming fleet of 39 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft will see by end-2018 the arrival of five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and two Airbus A320neo aircraft. In total, Gulf Air will receive 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners by end-2020.

Adnan Yousif

KPMG sees robust outlook for deal making in Mideast • The auditing firm expects Saudi diversification to drive M&A deal making

• Next 12-24 months exciting for M&A in ME

TDT | Manama

Middle East will witness a robust year ahead in

deal-making, thanks to the di-versification efforts of Saudi Arabia, according to a report by global auditing firm KPMG.

“The next 12-24 months will be an exciting time for M&A in the Middle East,” said Ram-achandran Narayanan, Partner and Head of Advisory at KPMG adding: “Most of the activities will be driven by Saudi as the country is undertaking a mas-sive transformation to diversi-fy its’ oil-dependent economy.”

The report, KPMG Interna-tional’s 2018 M&A Predictor, expects the predicted appetite and capacity for deals to in-crease by 5pc and 17pc, respec-tively. This compares well with 2017 when predicted appetite was relatively flat at 1pc. The sectors that it expects to ac-celerate growth in the Middle East are technology, social in-frastructure, financial servic-es, healthcare, education and consumer retail.

“The UAE is still considered as a prominent business hub in the Middle and I expect the

following sectors to remain robust in relations to M&A deal-making: e-commerce, hospitality, logistics, financial services and consumer retail,” Ramachandran stressed.

Anshul Deobhakta, Director and Head of M&A at KPMG added and said: “Consolidation is expected to emerge in these sectors as larger established players from overseas markets will look to make inroads in the Arabian Gulf countries as they see a huge potential in the growth prospects in some of these sectors.”

Anshul Deobhakta

Ramachandran Narayanan

iGA’s IT service management systems get ISOTDT|Manama

Information & eGovern-ment Authority (iGA)

was granted the ISO Cer-tificate ISO20000:2011 for the IT service management systems which successful-ly met all regulations and requirements during the auditing process by the in-ternationally certificated Bureau Veritas; hence, the Authority is one of the first governmental entities to get the international certificate. The certification confirms iGA efforts in developing advanced IT infrastructure and work environment.

IPO: Aramco getting leaner Creates a subsidiary to house its multibillion-dollar pension fund and could spin off its aviation division

• Move to help achieve higher prices for its shares

• Listing likely to happen next year

• Value expected at a minimum of $2 trillion

• Analysts have valued Aramco at $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion

Reuters | Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco has created a subsidiary to house its multibillion-dollar pension

fund and could spin off its avi-ation division, sources said, as it restructures some assets not related to oil and gas ahead of its planned initial public offer-ing (IPO).

The move is designed to streamline Aramco’s operations and could make it easier to value since its business risk would be clearer and that may help it achieve a higher price for its shares, financial and industry sources told Reuters.

“This makes Aramco a leaner company,” said one source famil-iar with Aramco’s plans.

The state-owned oil giant de-

clined to comment on the pen-sion fund move or plans for its aviation division.

Aramco created the new sub-sidiary for its in-house multi-billion-dollar retirement fund management unit about six months ago, sources familiar with the matter said.

The fund, now called Wisayah, is being run by a small team of financial professionals in Dhah-ran, where Aramco’s headquar-ters is based, one of the sources said.

“This is best practice. It sets up nice clean lines so the money

can’t be used for other business activities,” a second source fa-miliar with the move told Reu-ters.

The listing of Aramco, which is likely to happen next year, is the centrepiece of the govern-ment’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan to diversify the kingdom’s economy beyond oil.

Crown Prince Mohammed has said he expects the IPO to value Aramco at a minimum of $2 trillion, meaning a sale of 5 per cent could raise $100 bil-lion to help fund Vision 2030 projects.


Aramco has its own schools, housing,

airline fleet and hos-pitals that are used

by its roughly 55,000 employees as well as

their families

Saudi Aramco oil field complex facilities at Shaybah in the Rub’ al Khali desert.(Courtesy of The National)

Planes and hospitals

Besides the pension fund, two sources said Aramco

could spin off some non-oil units such as its aviation di-vision, by either forming a joint venture to manage it or bringing in an outside com-pany to operate the fleet.

Aramco Aviation operates about 10 jets such as Boeing 737s and Embraer 170s, as well as helicopters that trans-fer employees and visitors to oil and refining plants across Saudi Arabia.

Aramco formed a joint venture with US construc-tion firm Jacobs Engineering Group last year to take on the project management of government infrastructure and other projects not re-lated to oil, as part of its IPO preparations.

Another joint venture that falls outside the traditional scope of an oil company is Ar-amco’s Johns Hopkins Aram-co Healthcare Company JV created in 2013 with the U.S. hospital to provide medical care for Aramco employees and their families.

One source said the joint venture may open up to the public and not just serve the company’s employees.

KNOW WHAT

IATA says rising fuel costs, geopolitics to hurt profit in 2018

• Global airlines cuts profit outlook as they expects oil price of $70 a barrel this year

Reuters | Sydney

Global airlines yesterday slashed their forecast

for industry profits in 2018 on a spike in fuel costs, while warning higher in-terest rates and a host of geopolitical tensions would add to operating risks.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents about 280 carriers, said the industry is expected to post a $33.8 billion profit this year, 12 per cent below a previous forecast of $38.4 billion.

But passenger yields, a proxy for air fares, are expected to rise by 3.2pc this year, the first annual gain since 2011 as a strong-er global economy drives growth in demand, IATA said.

“It’s certainly true to say that 2018 is a tougher year, but airlines are doing a good job,” IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac told re-porters at the association’s annual meeting, adding that most of the profit decline was due to higher oil prices.

IATA expects an average oil price of $70 a barrel this year, up from $54.90 last year and its previous pre-diction of $60.

The less upbeat earnings outlook is a drop from a re-cord $38 billion in 2017.

Airline profits could cov-er the industry’s high cost of capital for a fourth year, attracting investment for new fleets and infrastruc-ture. But IATA warned air-lines were still operating on a knife-edge compared to many industries.

CrediMax officials during a ceremony held to donate more than BD 200,000 to over 80 charitable societies across Bahrain as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme during the Holy Month of Ramadan

Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) officials posing for a group photo session during a meeting of the Scientific Research and Innovation Committee of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) at the company’s headquarters. Chairman of the GPCA’s Scientific Research and Innovation Committee Dr Mu’ayyad bin Issa Al-Qurtas presided over the meeting held in the presence of GPCA Secretary-General Dr Abdulwahab Al Saadoun and attended by 25 of its members, all representatives of its affiliated companies. Specialists in scientific research from universities in the region also attended and exchanged views and ideas as well as the committee’s objectives during the next phase

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba)’s Power Distribution System (PDS) Project achieved its first major milestone with the energisation of the new 33 kV Switch House 7 (SH7), which was marked by a high-level delegation visit comprising Dietmar Siersdorfer - Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Middle East and Siemens LLC United Arab Emirates and Manuel Kuehn - Senior Vice President Business Development on 30 May 2018. Alba’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Ali Al Baqali, Chief Power Officer Amin Sultan and Director Power and Utilities Steve Davison welcomed the Siemens’ delegation

Turning car emission into ink!

• A team of Indian engineers has figured out a way to bring some good from choking generator exhaust: they are capturing it and turning it into ink.

Reuters | New Delhi

As the summer heat takes hold in New Delhi, two

things are inevitable: power cuts and air pollution from the diesel generators that then kick in. But a team of Indian engineers have figured out a way to bring some good from the choking exhaust fumes.

They have created what they say is the first device to capture emissions specifically from diesel generators. The soot from the fumes is then turned into ink.

“We have created a product that can capture the smoke particles out of the exhaust of diesel generators by 70-90 per

cent in a plug and play fash-ion. We are aiming to bring down the pollution levels in the major cities of India by very significant percentage in a very short span of time,” said Co-founder of Chakr Innova-tion, Arpit Dhupar.

The inventors say their de-vice, which attaches to gen-erators, captures up to 90pc of soot particles from cooled diesel exhaust.

Their company has so far installed 50 devices, earning more than 200,000 dollars in revenue in the first year.

It has so far sold more than 500 kg of collected soot, which has been used to create more than 20,000 litres of ink.

Representative picture


GUlf markets end higher Reuters | Riyadh

Gulf markets mostly end-ed higher yesterday, led by Dubai and Qatar and

fuelled by heavyweight stocks, while Saudi Arabian market stayed firm for the second straight day following appoint-ment of new market-friendly labour minister.

The Dubai index jumped 1.6 per cent, on a 2.6 pc gain by the market’s largest listed develop-er, Emaar Properties, which hit a one-month high, closing at 5.4 dirhams.

Shares in DAMAC Properties reached a four-week high, rising 2.6 pc to 2.4 dirhams.

A monthly Reuters poll of leading Middle East fund man-agers, published on Thursday, found sentiment shifting in fa-vour of United Arab Emirates equities after their poor perfor-mance so far this year.

Fifty-four pc of managers now expect to raise their allo-cations to UAE equities in the next three months and none plan to reduce allocations, the most positive balance since Jan-uary 2017. The managers cited

valuations, which have become cheap compared to booming markets such as Riyadh.

Saudi was flat to positive as investors were upbeat with the appointment of a prominent businessman as labour minis-ter and as they await a possible MSCI upgrade to emerging mar-kets status on May 20.

Saudi index added 0.1 pc. Heavyweight National Com-mercial bank rose 1.14 pc and

Almarai jumped 4.5 pc.Al Rajhi Bank closed 1.4 pc

down, reversing a two day rally during which it jumped 3.6 pc, after businessman Ahmed bin Suleiman al-Rajhi, a son of the bank’s founder, was named la-bour minister.

The market as a whole is pos-itive about Rajhi’s appointment because he was a key figure in the private sector’s lobbying of the government to make its aus-

terity and labour policies less damaging to businesses. The extent to which he may actu-ally change policy is not clear, however.

In Abu Dhabi, the index was up 0.2 pc as Emirates Telecom rose 1.2 pc and Dana Gas jumped 2>8 pc.

In Doha, the index rose 2.1 pc, with main support coming from Industries Qatar that jumped 4.1 pc and Qatar National Bank that went 2.8 pc higher.

Egypt’s main index lost 1.6 pc with most of its 30-listed stocks closing on a negative note.

Property developer Talaat Mostafa fell 9.8 pc and Com-mercial International Bank lost 1.1 pc.

A Saudi trader observes the stock market on monitors at Falcom stock exchange agency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Closing BellSAUDI 0.1% » 8,335 points.

DUBAI 1.6% » 3,035 points.

ABU DHABI 0.2% » 4,577 points.

QATAR 2.1% » 9,117 points.

KUWAIT 0.2% » 4,720 points.

BAHRAIN at 1,265 points.

OMAN 0.4% » 4,585 points.

EGYPT 1.6% » 16,404 points.

Oil prices slip as supply grows Reuters | London

Oil prices slipped yesterday as US production hit a re-

cord high and OPEC members considered boosting supply.

Benchmark Brent crude oil lost $1.26 a barrel, or 1.6pc, reaching a low of $75.53 before recovering to $76.29, down 50 cents, by 1330 GMT.

US light crude was unchanged at 65.81 a barrel. The US contract lost about 3pc last week after a decline of nearly 5pc the previ-ous week.

“A sea of red is washing over the energy complex as rising US production coupled with a looming relaxation in OPEC-led cuts sends bulls scurrying for the exits,” said Stephen Bren-nock, analyst at London broker-age PVM Oil Associates.

US crude production climbed in March to 10.47 million barrels per day (bpd), a monthly record, data from the Energy Informa-tion Administration showed last week.

US drillers added two oil rigs in the week to June 1, bringing the total to 861, the most since March 2015, energy services

company Baker Hughes said on Friday. That was the eighth time drillers have added rigs in the past nine weeks. [RIG/U]

Arab oil ministers agreed over the weekend on the need for continued cooperation between members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other big producers to balance global sup-ply, Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA reported on Sunday.

OPEC ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emir-ates, Kuwait and Algeria, along with their counterpart from non-OPEC Oman, met unoffi-cially in Kuwait on Saturday.

OPEC meets formally on June 22 to set oil policy. It is expected to agree to raise output to cool the market amid worries over Iranian and Venezuelan supply

and after Washington raised concerns that the oil rally was going too far, OPEC sources fa-miliar with the discussions told Reuters last month.

Saudi Arabia and Russia have discussed boosting output to compensate for supply losses from Venezuela and to address concerns about the impact of US sanctions on Iranian output.

Russia’s largest oil producer, Rosneft, will be able to restore 70,000 bpd of oil output in only two days if global production limits are lifted, Renaissance Capital wrote in a client note.

Hedge funds and other money managers have cut their bull-ish wagers on US crude futures and options, according to data released on Friday, as oil prices slumped on mounting oversup-ply fears.

France’s PSA group begins to suspend Iran joint venturesParis

PSA Group has begun to suspend its joint venture activities in Iran, the

French carmaker said yester-day, following the withdrawal of the United States from a nuclear pact signed with the country.

European signatories are scrambling to save the accord, which they see as crucial to forestalling an Iranian nuclear weapon, by protecting trade with Iran against the reim-position of U.S. sanctions to dissuade Tehran from quitting the deal.

“The group has begun to suspend its joint venture activ-ities, in order to comply with US law by Aug. 6,” PSA said in a statement.

“With the support of the French government, the Groupe PSA is engaging with the US authorities to consider a waiver.”

The suspensions of its joint ventures do not alter PSA’s cur-

rent financial guidance, the group said, adding that its Ira-nian activities accounted for less than 1 percent of revenue.

Major French companies operating in Iran include PSA, known for its Peugeot and Citroen brands, and its rival Renault .

Vegetable prices jump as India farmers go on strike

Reuters | Mumbai

Vegetable prices jumped as much as 10 per cent in

major Indian cities, including Mumbai and Delhi, as a four-day old strike by millions of farmers curtailed supplies.

Farmers began their 10-day protest on Friday to press de-mands such as farm loan waiv-ers and higher prices for pro-duce such as cereals, oilseeds and milk.

“Wholesale prices of some vegetables like tomatoes and french beans have risen due to lower supplies,” said a Mum-

bai-based vegetable vendor Mahesh Gupta.

Outbreaks of rural discon-tent poses a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who promised when he came to power in 2014 to double farm incomes in five years.

Farmers in eight Indian states have restricted supplies of vegetable and milk to the cities’ markets.

“We are distributing milk and vegetables to the poor and needy, but we’ve decided not sell,” said Ramandeep Singh Mann, a farmer based in the northern state of Punjab.

$76.29Was the price of

benchmark Brent crude by 1330 GMT

Representative picture (Courtesy of Hindustan Times)

Rich nations spend $100 billion a year on fuels despite making climate pledgesLondon

The world’s major industrial democracies spend at least

$100 billion each year to prop up oil, gas and coal consump-tion, despite vows to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, a report said on Monday ahead of the G7 summit in Canada.

Britain, Canada, France, Ger-many, Italy, Japan and the Unit-ed States - known as the Group of Seven (G7) - pledged in 2016 to phase out their support for fossil fuels by 2025.

But a study led by Britain’s Overseas Development Insitute (ODI) found they spent at least $100 billion a year to support fossil fuels at home and abroad in 2015 and 2016.

Researchers scrutinised and scored each country against indicators such as transparency, pledges and commitments, as well as their progress towards ending the use, support and

production of fossil fuels.France was ranked the high-

est overall, scoring 63 out of 100 points, followed by Germany (62), Canada (54) and the UK (47), the report said.

The United States scored lowest with 42 out of 100 points due to its support for fossil fuel production and its withdrawal from a 2015 global pact to fight climate change.

The 2015 Paris agreement committed nations to curb-ing greenhouse emissions and keeping the global hike in tem-peratures “well below” 2 de-grees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.

Britain scored the lowest on transparency for denying that it provided fossil fuel subsidies, even though it supported tax breaks for North Sea oil and gas exploration, the report said.

The study, which was co-au-thored by Oil Change Inter-national, the International Institute for Sustainable De-velopment and the Natural Re-sources Defense Council, urged G7 governments to set concrete plans to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 as pledged.

India names RBI deputy governor

New Delhi

The government yes-terday appointed IDBI

Bank Ltd Chief Executive Officer Mahesh Kumar Jain as a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for three years.

Jain, who is also the man-aging director of the state-run lender, had previously led Indian Bank for a cou-ple of years, Rajeev Kumar, secretary, Department of Financial Services at the Ministry of Finance, said in a tweet.

Mahesh Kumar Jain

KNOW WHAT

A Nasa recon-struction shows

that the pace of temperature increase over

recent decades outstrips any-thing that has occurred since the year 500.

Turkish inflation climbs in MayIstanbul

Turkey’s consumer pric-e s j u m p e d a h i g h -

er-than-forecast 1.62 per cent in May, data showed yesterday, boosting expectations that the central bank will hike interest rates again on Thursday.

At an emergency meeting on May 23, the central bank (CBRT) raised rates by 3 per-centage points to support the ailing lira. The currency had tumbled after President Tayyip Erdogan said he would exert influence over monetary policy after Turkish elections on June 24. After the inflation data,

the lira rallied to below 4.6 against the dollar from 4.6563 at Friday’s close. It eased back to 4.6180 by 0845 GMT, 18pc weaker this year.

Clothing prices rose 5.21pc and transport prices 2.32pc in May, driving the CPI rise, the data showed. Core “C” infla-tion, excluding energy, food, drink, tobacco and gold, rose to 12.64pc year-on-year from 12.24 a month earlier.

Moody’s placed Turkey’s sovereign Ba2 ratings on re-view for a downgrade, while Fitch placed Turkish banks’ ratings on Rating Watch neg-ative.

KNOW WHAT

Iran agreed a long-term deal on its nuclear

programme with the P5+1 group

of world powers - the US, UK,

France, China, Russia and Ger-

many in 2015

GREAT ACHIEVEMENT IS USUALLY BORN OF GREAT SACRIFICE, AND IS NEVER THE RESULT OF SELFISHNESS. NAPOLEON HILL

QUOTE OF THE DAY


C I V I L I A N ’ S T R I B U N E

Hon. Chairman Najeb Yacob Alhamer | Editor-in-Chief Mahmood AI Mahmood | Deputy Chief Editor Ahdeya Ahmed | Chairman & Managing Editor P Unnikrishnan | Advertisement: Update Media W.L.L | Tel: 17579900, Fax 17256470, Email: [email protected] | Newsroom: Tel: 17579911, Email: [email protected] & circulation: Tel: 38444692/17579877 | Email:[email protected] | Website: www.newsofbahrain.com | Printed and published by Al Ayam Publishing

PETER KUJAWINSKI

While living in Calgary, the headquarters of Cana-da’s oil and gas industry,

I occasionally heard people in the business say their pipelines were cursed. The country was brimming with oil and gas, and yet battles over proposed pipelines had limited the ability of producers to get those re-sources to market.

The story of the latest controversy, an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, took a significant turn on May 29 when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced it would nationalise it. The govern-ment’s purchase of Trans Moun-tain from the Houston-based ener-gy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion in Canadian dollars underscores just how diffi-cult it has become to build fossil fuel projects, at least in wealthy, dem-ocratic countries, long thought to pose fewer political and social risks than developing countries.

The Trans Mountain project has turned this calculation on its head, mainly because of growing envi-ronmental opposition. Kinder Mor-gan’s chief executive, Steven Kean, seemed to foresee the sale when he said on April 18, “It’s become clear

this particular investment may be untenable for a private party to un-dertake.”

The Trans Mountain expansion will nearly triple the capacity of the existing pipeline that runs from the province of Alberta to the west coast of British Columbia. In early April, Kinder Morgan Canada suspended most work on the project, despite having spent hundreds of millions of dollars on it and receiving ap-provals from Canadian regulators. It cited grass-roots resistance and opposition from British Columbia’s provincial government as the pri-mary reasons.

In response, Alberta’s premier, Ra-chel Notley, vowed that her oil-rich province would work with Kinder Morgan “to establish a financial re-lationship that will eliminate inves-tor risk.” Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed his government’s sup-port for the pipeline and promised financial aid to make it happen. That ultimately led to the federal gov-ernment’s decision to buy Trans Mountain and force the pipeline’s expansion.

“Our government’s position is clear: It must be built and it will be built,” the finance minister, Bill Morneau, said on May 29.

I was the United States consul gen-eral in Calgary in 2013 when Kinder Morgan first announced this project. At the time, the high price of oil was spurring big investments in Alberta’s oil sands, also known as the tar sands, the extensive deposits of crude oil in

the province’s northeast. The Trans Mountain expansion would largely follow the route of the existing pipe-line, theoretically minimising envi-ronmental and community concerns. Kinder Morgan also had a reputation as a company willing to go the extra mile in its outreach to communities. Many assumed it would move along without much trouble.

But today, all of the big Canadi-an pipeline projects of that era are either delayed or dead. Northern Gateway, a pipeline from Alberta to the west coast, and Energy East, a pipeline from Alberta to Canada’s east coast, have been canceled. The future of Keystone XL, perhaps the most notorious of pipeline projects, is still mired in court battles. And Enbridge’s Line 3 expansion, from Alberta to Wisconsin, is in limbo

because of concerns in Minnesota.When I lived in Calgary, the words

“social license” dominated conver-sations about fossil fuels develop-ment. In other words, what com-bination of deeds and words from the oil and gas industries would persuade society to allow them to expand as much as they wanted? Now one of the questions being de-bated is whether oil and gas should be allowed to expand at all.

Of course, plenty of Canadians and Americans favour oil and gas production. A poll conducted by the research firm Abacus Data for the Ecofiscal Commission, an independ-ent group seeking to align Canada’s economic and environmental aspi-rations, found that 60 per cent of Canadians wanted to develop their fossil fuel resources while transi-tioning “to a lower carbon future.” Today’s pipeline difficulties do not spell the end of fossil fuels in Cana-da, but they do suggest their growth may be constrained. It is hard to im-agine that the oil and gas industries will ever receive the broad societal approval — social license — that they had in the 1950s when the original Trans Mountain pipeline was built.

Traditional considerations like jobs and royalties now compete with the fear of oil spills, pollution and of course, climate change. There is no more telling example of the impact of these environmental con-cerns than Kinder Morgan selling its prized Trans Mountain pipeline.

Political and societal risks are on

the rise for fossil fuel companies in Canada, the United States and Europe. These risks are rooted in opposition from environmental and indigenous groups, communities su-ing over the costs of climate change, and some local and regional govern-ments, even as the Trump adminis-tration advances a fossil fuel agenda.

Some companies, like Total and BP, are responding by adding more clean energy to their portfolios or by acquiring clean-energy startups. They will look for ways to embrace the transition to a cleaner energy future, figuring that they’ll do well as long as they keep supplying en-ergy that the world needs, no matter what form it takes.

Some major banks have an-nounced they will curtail financing of carbon-intensive projects like coal mines or developing the oil sands region. The latest to do so was the Royal Bank of Scotland, which announced its decision the same day that the Canadian government said it would nationalize the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Companies that focus exclusively on high carbon energy production increasingly will find themselves on the wrong side of a shifting so-ciety. Their social license is being withdrawn. This will not happen overnight, but there is no doubt it is happening.

(Peter Kujawinski, the United States consul general in Calgary from 2012

to 2015, is a Chicago-based writer and consultant.)

Check-in at door steps It will be great if airlines can send their staff

to passengers’ addresses to carry out check-in process.

Passengers can travel to the airport without carrying the baggage, which would be more com-fortable. Passengers can save time and can directly go to immigration for a hassle free flight journey. They can spend more time in airport shops or lounges instead of check-in counter queues.

Check-in agents could issue the boarding pass after collecting the baggage at home, office or hotel rooms and this service could start 24 hours before the departure time.

Airlines could offer a mobile app for checked-in baggage notification to track the bag in next phase to avoid missing cases.

Hotels can implement check-in and checked baggage process at the hotel reception itself so that passengers can travel to airport without any inconvenience.

I hope the authorities concerned will consider this suggestion to implement home check-in soon with the support of check-in agents and check-in van would be more helpful for pas-sengers.

Sunil Thomas Ranny

Canada’s fossil future in limbo

The decision to nationalise the trans

mountain pipeline underscores the

country’s growing ambivalence about

fossil fuels.

Political and societal risks are on the rise for fossil fuel com-panies in Canada, the United

States and Europe. These risks are rooted in opposition from environmental and indigenous

groups, communities suing over the costs of climate

change, and some local and regional governments.

Email: [email protected]

1849Denmark becomes a constitutional monarchy by the signing of a new constitution.

1968Robert F. Kennedy, a U.S. presidential can-didate, is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestini-an. Kennedy dies the next day.

1984Operation Blue Star: Under orders from India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi, the Indian Army begins an invasion of the Golden Temple, the holiest site of the Sikh religion.

2017Six Arab countries—Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates—cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY


TOP

4TWEETS

04

02

03

01

After cutting all con-tact with continental

Europe, Britain will have enough food & medicine to last three weeks.

@MKupperman

Finally, some welcome signs of much-need-

ed EU reform. We cannot continue to depend on others for our security & prosperity. The world is changing & Europe must keep moving forward! #FutureOfEurope

@guyverhofstadt

Sheikh Zayed’s legacy lives on, he treasured

equality, treating everyone as a “special soul” and wel-coming residents and visi-tors from across the globe.These timeless principles are woven into the fabric of the #UAE today.

@RobinG_F

Trump/Macron call last week described

as “terrible” to @CNN. Source: “Macron thought he would be able to speak his mind, based on the relationship. But Trump can’t handle being criti-cized like that.”

@Sarah_Boxer

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

editorial stances)

Every leader understands the im-portance of his first hundred days in office and his final months on

the job. Very little attention has been focused on the time between those stag-es — on how chief executives can make the most of the middle years of their tenure. How can CEOs build on early successes? How can they continue to have an impact?

To find answers, we identified 146 CEOs of large-cap companies who left their jobs during the period from 2011 to 2016 after serving at least six years. Next we pinpointed a subset whose com-panies outperformed their industries during their time at the helm or who had high overall total shareholder return performance. We conducted detailed, structured interviews with 22 of them.

Five themes emerged as essential to success in leaders’ middle years: the importance of resetting ambitions to avoid losing momentum; the need to attack silos and fix broken processes; the imperative of rejuvenating leadership talent; the value of building internal and external mechanisms for dissent and disruptive ideas; and the need to deploy leadership capital on bold moves that could help the company succeed over a long horizon.

KEEP RAISING THE LEVEL OF AMBITION

At the start of their tenure, CEOs tend to address the most urgent issues and make their mark on the company. By midterm, as stability sets in, the organi-sation risks sliding back into what former DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman (2009-2015) calls “the old normal.” Having assumed leadership during the global financial crisis, Kullman instituted wide-ranging portfolio and operating changes, but once the crisis had passed, the pace of organisational change began to flag. So she traveled to plants and offices around the world to reinforce the new vision and formed a corporate planning group to conduct inside-outside assessments of each business. In the middle years as CEO, Kullman told us, “you’ve got to infuse people with the will to continue to focus on the changing environment and

say that if you aren’t moving, somebody is going to run you over.”

As they stretch their aspirations and those of their people, CEOs should guard against organisational exhaustion. “There’s an old principle that if the big gear at the top of the organisation makes a half turn, the small gears low in the or-ganisation have to spin four times,” said Sandy Cutler, a former CEO of the power management company Eaton (2000-2016). “Organisations have to be careful at the top not to constantly change the game plan.”

ATTACK SILOS AND BROKEN PROCESSES

Tom Watjen recalled arriving for high-level meetings at Unum, the insur-ance company he led (2003-2015), to find his top 30 executives in cliquish groups with their regional and functional col-leagues. It was essential to get the groups to trust one another, share ideas and focus on external rather than intramural competition. “You have to find people for whom it’s second nature to work across different businesses,” Watjen told us. To shatter the silos delineating Unum’s three core businesses, Watjen used his middle years to “cross-pollinate” ideas and experiences. He moved executives across units and worked to connect cor-porate functions to the needs of the op-erating businesses.

It’s easy for new leaders who are focused on the big picture to overlook key internal processes. Hence, as CEOs enter the middle years, fixing glitch-es in the “operating system” — which can mean anything from establishing consistent procedures for assessing talent to systematizing the approach to budgeting — needs to become a priority. Former Stanley Black & Decker CEO John Lundgren (2004-2016) worked with his team to refine and formalize the company’s operating system, with an emphasis on measuring individual performance and linking compensation to key metrics such as margin accretion and cash conversion. “We gave manage-ment the tools,” he said. “It was about operational efficiency and eliminating complexity.”

REJUVENATE TALENTMost new CEOs shake up or recast the

top leadership team. Successful long-term leaders recognize that adjustments must continue in the midterm. “A mis-take a lot of people make is to get com-placent about assessing talent,” observed Edward Breen, a former CEO of the se-curity systems firm Tyco International (2002-2012). Breen saw to it that Tyco assessed top leaders annually, asking, “Do I have a team that can win the Super Bowl?” The process was formalized and cascaded down through the company, and every year the leaders at each lev-el acted on the evaluations. Tyco also conducted monthly operating reviews, which Breen found to be an excellent way of appraising his team’s ambition and energy levels.

BUILD MECHANISMS FOR DISSENT AND DISRUPTIVE IDEAS

CEOs in midtenure worry about be-coming predictable or shut off from new ideas. “After three or four years people have an understanding of how you respond in different scenarios,” said former Home Depot CEO Frank Blake (2007-2014). “Everybody knows what you want to hear, so that’s what they tell you.” He — like many others we spoke with — worked to avoid that pitfall.

For instance, early in his tenure Blake had closed a number of store formats that were underperforming. People

continued to come up with new format ideas, but he tended to reject them. By his midterm, employees had stopped making such recommendations. Blake recognized that this was a problem and took steps to emphasize his openness to all kinds of ideas. He began devoting more time to internal outreach, holding skip-level meetings and dinners with store associates.

SPEND LEADERSHIP CAPITAL ON BOLD, LONG-TERM MOVES

Having used their early years to build credibility with the board, investors and employees — and gain confidence in their own leadership — successful midtenure CEOs can make bold strategic moves. Several CEOs placed large strategic bets or completed transformational deals in their middle years. Joe Papa, a former CEO of the pharmaceuticals manufactur-er Perrigo (2006-2016), recalled having an epiphany while driving to work and seeing a Perrigo delivery truck headed to a customer site. “I realized it was all about getting more products on the truck, and it forced me to think about how to do that,” he said. This insight led to the acquisition of PBM Holdings, an infant formula manufacturer, which Papa considers one of Perrigo’s most successful deals.

CONCLUSION

A CEO’s middle phase isn’t just about reaping what was sown in the early years — nor is it about continuing to do what brought success then. Leaders need to look at the organization and the markets in which it plays with fresh eyes and keep evolving their strategy and approach to their team. They can’t take their foot off the gas — if anything, they need to push down harder.

(Rodney Zemmel is the managing partner of McKinsey’s New York and Northeast offices,

where he advises CEOs and other senior execu-tives on top management issues. Matt Cuddihy

is an associate partner at McKinsey in Boston and a leader in its health care and strategy

practices. Dennis Carey is the vice chairman of Korn Ferry. He is a co-author of “Talent Wins: The New Playbook for Putting People First.”)

How successful CEOs manage their middle phase? Most new CEOs shake up or recast the top leadership team. Successful long-term

leaders recognise that adjustments must continue in the midterm

A CEO’s middle phase isn’t just about reaping what

was sown in the early years — nor is it about continuing to do what brought success then. Leaders need to look at the organisation and the

markets in which it plays with fresh eyes and keep

evolving their strategy and approach to their team.

1849Denmark becomes a constitutional monarchy by the signing of a new constitution.

1968Robert F. Kennedy, a U.S. presidential can-didate, is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestini-an. Kennedy dies the next day.

1984Operation Blue Star: Under orders from India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi, the Indian Army begins an invasion of the Golden Temple, the holiest site of the Sikh religion.

2017Six Arab countries—Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates—cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY


TOP

4TWEETS

04

02

03

01

After cutting all con-tact with continental

Europe, Britain will have enough food & medicine to last three weeks.

@MKupperman

Finally, some welcome signs of much-need-

ed EU reform. We cannot continue to depend on others for our security & prosperity. The world is changing & Europe must keep moving forward! #FutureOfEurope

@guyverhofstadt

Sheikh Zayed’s legacy lives on, he treasured

equality, treating everyone as a “special soul” and wel-coming residents and visi-tors from across the globe.These timeless principles are woven into the fabric of the #UAE today.

@RobinG_F

Trump/Macron call last week described

as “terrible” to @CNN. Source: “Macron thought he would be able to speak his mind, based on the relationship. But Trump can’t handle being criti-cized like that.”

@Sarah_Boxer

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

editorial stances)

Every leader understands the im-portance of his first hundred days in office and his final months on

the job. Very little attention has been focused on the time between those stag-es — on how chief executives can make the most of the middle years of their tenure. How can CEOs build on early successes? How can they continue to have an impact?

To find answers, we identified 146 CEOs of large-cap companies who left their jobs during the period from 2011 to 2016 after serving at least six years. Next we pinpointed a subset whose com-panies outperformed their industries during their time at the helm or who had high overall total shareholder return performance. We conducted detailed, structured interviews with 22 of them.

Five themes emerged as essential to success in leaders’ middle years: the importance of resetting ambitions to avoid losing momentum; the need to attack silos and fix broken processes; the imperative of rejuvenating leadership talent; the value of building internal and external mechanisms for dissent and disruptive ideas; and the need to deploy leadership capital on bold moves that could help the company succeed over a long horizon.

KEEP RAISING THE LEVEL OF AMBITION

At the start of their tenure, CEOs tend to address the most urgent issues and make their mark on the company. By midterm, as stability sets in, the organi-sation risks sliding back into what former DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman (2009-2015) calls “the old normal.” Having assumed leadership during the global financial crisis, Kullman instituted wide-ranging portfolio and operating changes, but once the crisis had passed, the pace of organisational change began to flag. So she traveled to plants and offices around the world to reinforce the new vision and formed a corporate planning group to conduct inside-outside assessments of each business. In the middle years as CEO, Kullman told us, “you’ve got to infuse people with the will to continue to focus on the changing environment and

say that if you aren’t moving, somebody is going to run you over.”

As they stretch their aspirations and those of their people, CEOs should guard against organisational exhaustion. “There’s an old principle that if the big gear at the top of the organisation makes a half turn, the small gears low in the or-ganisation have to spin four times,” said Sandy Cutler, a former CEO of the power management company Eaton (2000-2016). “Organisations have to be careful at the top not to constantly change the game plan.”

ATTACK SILOS AND BROKEN PROCESSES

Tom Watjen recalled arriving for high-level meetings at Unum, the insur-ance company he led (2003-2015), to find his top 30 executives in cliquish groups with their regional and functional col-leagues. It was essential to get the groups to trust one another, share ideas and focus on external rather than intramural competition. “You have to find people for whom it’s second nature to work across different businesses,” Watjen told us. To shatter the silos delineating Unum’s three core businesses, Watjen used his middle years to “cross-pollinate” ideas and experiences. He moved executives across units and worked to connect cor-porate functions to the needs of the op-erating businesses.

It’s easy for new leaders who are focused on the big picture to overlook key internal processes. Hence, as CEOs enter the middle years, fixing glitch-es in the “operating system” — which can mean anything from establishing consistent procedures for assessing talent to systematizing the approach to budgeting — needs to become a priority. Former Stanley Black & Decker CEO John Lundgren (2004-2016) worked with his team to refine and formalize the company’s operating system, with an emphasis on measuring individual performance and linking compensation to key metrics such as margin accretion and cash conversion. “We gave manage-ment the tools,” he said. “It was about operational efficiency and eliminating complexity.”

REJUVENATE TALENTMost new CEOs shake up or recast the

top leadership team. Successful long-term leaders recognize that adjustments must continue in the midterm. “A mis-take a lot of people make is to get com-placent about assessing talent,” observed Edward Breen, a former CEO of the se-curity systems firm Tyco International (2002-2012). Breen saw to it that Tyco assessed top leaders annually, asking, “Do I have a team that can win the Super Bowl?” The process was formalized and cascaded down through the company, and every year the leaders at each lev-el acted on the evaluations. Tyco also conducted monthly operating reviews, which Breen found to be an excellent way of appraising his team’s ambition and energy levels.

BUILD MECHANISMS FOR DISSENT AND DISRUPTIVE IDEAS

CEOs in midtenure worry about be-coming predictable or shut off from new ideas. “After three or four years people have an understanding of how you respond in different scenarios,” said former Home Depot CEO Frank Blake (2007-2014). “Everybody knows what you want to hear, so that’s what they tell you.” He — like many others we spoke with — worked to avoid that pitfall.

For instance, early in his tenure Blake had closed a number of store formats that were underperforming. People

continued to come up with new format ideas, but he tended to reject them. By his midterm, employees had stopped making such recommendations. Blake recognized that this was a problem and took steps to emphasize his openness to all kinds of ideas. He began devoting more time to internal outreach, holding skip-level meetings and dinners with store associates.

SPEND LEADERSHIP CAPITAL ON BOLD, LONG-TERM MOVES

Having used their early years to build credibility with the board, investors and employees — and gain confidence in their own leadership — successful midtenure CEOs can make bold strategic moves. Several CEOs placed large strategic bets or completed transformational deals in their middle years. Joe Papa, a former CEO of the pharmaceuticals manufactur-er Perrigo (2006-2016), recalled having an epiphany while driving to work and seeing a Perrigo delivery truck headed to a customer site. “I realized it was all about getting more products on the truck, and it forced me to think about how to do that,” he said. This insight led to the acquisition of PBM Holdings, an infant formula manufacturer, which Papa considers one of Perrigo’s most successful deals.

CONCLUSION

A CEO’s middle phase isn’t just about reaping what was sown in the early years — nor is it about continuing to do what brought success then. Leaders need to look at the organization and the markets in which it plays with fresh eyes and keep evolving their strategy and approach to their team. They can’t take their foot off the gas — if anything, they need to push down harder.

(Rodney Zemmel is the managing partner of McKinsey’s New York and Northeast offices,

where he advises CEOs and other senior execu-tives on top management issues. Matt Cuddihy

is an associate partner at McKinsey in Boston and a leader in its health care and strategy

practices. Dennis Carey is the vice chairman of Korn Ferry. He is a co-author of “Talent Wins: The New Playbook for Putting People First.”)

How successful CEOs manage their middle phase? Most new CEOs shake up or recast the top leadership team. Successful long-term

leaders recognise that adjustments must continue in the midterm

A CEO’s middle phase isn’t just about reaping what

was sown in the early years — nor is it about continuing to do what brought success then. Leaders need to look at the organisation and the

markets in which it plays with fresh eyes and keep

evolving their strategy and approach to their team.

Anger, jokes as Duterte kisses worker on stageOpposition senator says the president’s action ‘was grave abuse of authority’

Reuters | Manila

A kiss by Philippine Pres-ident Rodrigo Duterte on a Filipino woman’s

lips while on an official visit in South Korea sparked anger and jokes yesterday, as feminists denounced what they called his “perverted way” of taunting his female critics.

Many Filipinos, however, thought it was a harmless kiss intended to be fun.

The 73-year-old Duterte, whose critics have labelled him a misogynist and say his comments are derogatory and demeaning towards women, dismissed the kiss as just a “gimmick” to entertain support-ers at a meet-and-greet event in Seoul.

Social media was abuzz with photos and videos of Duterte on stage before a crowd of Filipinos on Sunday night, when he asked an unidentified au-dience member to kiss him in exchange for a book he was handing out.

The woman, who admitted

she is married and appeared excited to see Duterte in person, agreed.

Duterte then told the cheer-ing crowd of about 3,000: “Don’t take it seriously. It’s just for fun, a gimmick.”

State-run Philippine News Agency identified the woman as Bea Kim and posted a brief video interview with her on its Facebook page.

“There wasn’t malice in it,” she said. “For me, for him, it didn’t mean anything.”

Duterte’s controversial re-marks about women include numerous jokes about rape and have incensed activists and for-eigners, most notably, Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton. But none have dented the hugely popular leader’s domestic sup-port.

Women’s rights advocates in the Philippines recently launched an online #BabaeAko (I Am A Woman) campaign to send a message that they were

not taking Duterte’s “sexist” statements sitting down.

“You don’t have to kiss that woman if you want to entertain people,” said Joms Salvador, secretary-general of Gabriela Women’s Party.

“The fact that you thought that kissing the woman would entertain people...that’s some-thing really sick.”

Opposition Senator Risa Hon-tiveros said that even though the kiss was consensual, it was a “grave abuse of authority”.

12

world


Duterte kissed the woman on stage

KNOW

BETTER

In the aftermath of a violent rape in 1989, Duterte was caught on tape saying he “should have been

first”

Suicide bomber kills 14 at Kabul meeting• Attacker detonated his explosives near a tent where Muslim scholars had gathered to discuss peace efforts

Reuters | Kabul

A motorcycle suicide bomber killed 14 people near a gath-

ering of Muslim clerics in the Afghan capital yesterday after they had issued a fatwa against suicide bombings, officials said, in the latest in a series of attacks to hit Kabul.

The bomb exploded at the en-trance to a giant tent, near resi-dential buildings in the west of Kabul, after most the clerics had left, a witness said. Women liv-ing nearby were crying as they gathered with their families.

The bomb killed seven clerics, four security officers and three people whose identities were unknown, a senior government official said.

No g r o u p i m m e d i a t e l y

claimed responsibility for the attack, which underlines dete-riorating security ahead of par-liamentary and district council elections set for Oct. 20.

The Taliban, fighting to re-store strict Islamic rule after their 2001 ouster at the hands of U.S.-led troops, denied in-volvement.

More than 2,000 religious scholars from across the coun-

try began meeting on Sunday at the Loya Jirga (Grand Council) tent, denouncing years of con-flict. They issued a fatwa, or re-ligious ruling, outlawing suicide bombings and demanding that Taliban militants restore peace to allow foreign troops to leave.

A series of bombings in Kabul has killed dozens of people in recent months and shown no sign of easing during the Mus-

lim holy month of Ramadan.On Wednesday, gunmen

armed with assault rifles and grenade launchers stormed the heavily fortified headquarters of the interior ministry, battling security forces for more than two hours.

In April, two explosions in Kabul killed at least 26 people, including nine journalists who had arrived to report on an ini-tial blast and were targeted by a suicide bomber.

A week earlier, 60 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when a suicide bomb-er blew himself up outside a vot-er registration centre in the city.

Militant group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for many attacks in Kabul but se-curity officials say several are much more likely to be the work of the Haqqani network, a group affiliated with the Taliban.

Provincial cities have also been hit as the Taliban have stepped up operations across the country since they an-nounced the beginning of their annual spring offensive in April.

Doyouthinkhesaurus: Thai ‘T-Rex’ cop gives traffic safety lessons

AFP | Nakhon Nayok, Thailand

A high-fiving Thai traffic cop who shrugs off the

heat -- and the bemused glanc-es of passers-by -- to wear a T-rex costume to work says his prehistoric uniform is teaching kids road safety and convincing parents to obey traffic laws.

Sargent Tanit Bussabong has around 20 different outfits he reserves for traffic duty out-side a kindergarten in Nakhon Nayok, a few hours outside Bangkok, including Minnie

Mouse and a bear.But he says the green, fur-

ry dinosaur outfit -- complete with tiny arms -- is “the most popular” with children and their parents.

A year after he first donned the costume, which makes him look as though he is riding a T-rex, Tanit says amused chil-dren are learning to trust au-thority and wait before cross-ing the road.

“They are happy, so am I,” he told AFP, adding that their “parents are also developing more respect for traffic laws.”

Thai police sargent Tanit Bussabong directs traffic wearing a costume where he appears to ride a T-rex dinosaur outside a school in Nakhon Nayok

Afghan security forces keep watch at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan

Falling meteor lights up the night sky over ChinaDaily Mail | Beijing

People in south-west China were left stunned as a blaz-

ing meteorite illuminated the night sky of Yunnan Province on Friday night.

Footage of the spectacular phenomenon shows the mete-orite shooting across the sky in a flaming path as it enters the earth’s atmosphere at about 9:41pm.

The meteorite then smashed into a villager’s home, leaving a hole on its clay roof, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

‘There was a loud noise,’ said Mr Yan, a villager in the autonomous prefecture Xish-uangbanna. ‘It almost sounded like a plane.’

‘The entire sky lit up and it seemed that something was falling from the sky,’ he said.

The video, filmed by wit-nesses in Jinghong city, shows a bright white object accompa-nied by a fiery orange tail curv-ing through the sky, putting up a dazzling light show.

The entire city skyline was

seen lit up for a split second as the meteorite passed through the night sky.

It ended up hitting the clay roof of a villager’s house in the suburbs, leaving bits of debris scattered in the area.

Each cosmic rock appeared to be around the size of an egg, and has a shiny black surface with patches of grey substance showing underneath.

The Xishuangbanna Earth-quake Administration stated that the sighting has a 70 per cent chance of being a ‘small fireball meteor’, according to China News.

After preliminary investi-gations at the village, experts from Beijing confirmed the small rocks to be ordinary chondrites, according to the CCTV report.

Ordinary chondrites are rocks that originate from as-teroids and are called ‘ordi-nary’ as they comprise about 85 per cent of all meteorites that were found on Earth, ac-cording to Science Trends.

SMILE

A blazing meteorite was caught on cam-era shooting across

the sky on Friday

A blazing meteorite illuminated the night sky of Yunnan province in China on Friday night

West Ham manager mugged at gunpointReuters | Santiago

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini and his

wife were mugged by armed robbers in Chile on Saturday, ac-cording to local media reports.

Pellegrini, who is from Chile, and his wife were with two

friends near a restaurant in the Santiago suburb of Vitacura when the armed gang targeted them. The robbers stole a hand-bag belonging to Pellegrini’s wife Carola Pucci before they fired at police as they escaped in a stolen car.

Former Manchester City

manager Pellegrini, 64, was unharmed in the incident and thanked police for their quick response in a tweet in Spanish.

“Congratulations @Carab-dechile for quick and coura-geous reaction. Hopefully more facilities will be granted to solve the crime,” Pellegrini tweeted.Manuel Pellegrini

Great Dane helps heal rescued wild horsesDaily Mail | Los Angeles

A sweet and heroic Great Dane dubbed Barkley

spends his days happily serving as a therapy dog for wild horses rescued from neglected homes, auctions and kill pens around the world.

The Instagram account Sky-Dog Sanctuary shows incredible photos and videos of the dog and horses spending time with one another at the picturesque ranches located in Mariposa, California and Bend, Oregon.

Charming footage seen on the social media page shows train-ers helping care for the horses and donkeys as the dog interacts with them and even provides hugs and other gestures.

‘When Barkley the Great Dane met Bodhi son of Goliath and Red Lady. The love and re-spect between different animals is so inspiring and glorious,’ one video caption read.

‘It’s a joy to witness... the cut-est souls in the world meeting

for the first time.’The happy horses are seen

grazing and wandering freely around the open fields alongside rescued friends.

The patient and gentle ‘ranch manager’ Barkley spends time with the wild mustangs and donkeys when he’s not napping or playing with his human own-ers.

‘Barkley keeping watch over rescued mustang Rhys as the sun goes down at skydog malibu - sleep tight and thank you for following us,’ a caption below a photo of the Great Dane looking out for the horses read.

Another heartwarming aspect of the ranches is that managers employ individuals in addiction recovery and working in 12 step

programs - as well as veterans, its website states.

A top priority of SkyDog Sanctuary on social media is to promote adoption for the wild horses through the Bureau of Land Management.

Furthermore, the 501c3 non-profit aims to reunite mustang families and form new bonds between horses brought in.

Trump says has power to pardon himself

• The US President also suggested he wouldn’t do that as he has done nothing wrong

Reuters | Washington

US President Donald Trump yesterday said he had com-

mitted no wrongdoing but has the “absolute” power to pardon himself, echoing an sweeping argument put forth by his law-yers amid the US special coun-sel’s investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

In the memo to US Spe-cial Counsel Robert Mueller, which was sent in January and reported on by the New York Times on Saturday, Trump’s

lawyers argued the president could not have obstructed the investigation, given the powers granted to him by the US Con-stitution.

One of Trump’s lawyers on Sunday also spoke of Trump’s broad claim to power, saying the president probably could pardon himself but was unlikely to do so.

“As has been stated by numer-ous legal scholars, I have the ab-solute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong?” Trump said in a Twitter post yesterday, reiterating his claim that the Russia investigation was a “witch hunt.”

“The appointment of the Spe-cial Counsel is totally UNCON-STITUTIONAL,” Trump said in another post.

Several pardons already is-

sued by Trump also have raised questions about his use of the presidential pardon power. Last week he pardoned Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative pundit convicted of campaign finance crimes, and last year he par-doned former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who campaigned for Trump before being con-victed in a case regarding racial profiling.

Critics say Trump has un-dermined the rule of law with pardons based on political con-siderations.

The rebukes came again yes-terday as several Democratic lawmakers pushed back against Trump’s claim and noted that Mueller’s investigation has already led to multiple indict-ments, including against several Trump aides who have pleaded guilty.

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the

absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that

when I have done nothing wrong?

DONALD TRUMP


SMILE

Guatemala’s volcano explodes againDisaster agency fears death toll could climb even higher; Around 300 people injured since Sunday

Reuters | El Rodeo

A hot flow of mud, ash and gas swept down from Guatemala’s Fuego

volcano yesterday, after a new explosion in the morning inter-rupted disaster workers pulling bodies from the brown sludge known as a pyroclastic flow that engulfed the village of El Rodeo.

The morning eruption also halted rescue efforts on the southern slopes of Fuego, Span-ish for “fire”. The national disas-ter agency raised the death toll to 38 from 25 on Sunday, but it was unclear whether more bod-ies had been found or whether more people died in Monday’s eruption.

The day after the volcano’s eruption, its biggest in more than four decades, residents in the capital Guatemala City woke to sweep ash from rooftops and streets. Technicians assessed whether the runway at the in-ternational airport was clear enough to restart commercial flights.

“The landscape on the volcano is totally changed, everything is totally destroyed,” government volcanologist Gustavo Chigna said on local radio.

A Reuters witness near the volcano said more people had

been evacuated beyond a 5 mile (8 km) perimeter from the site after the new explosion.

Fuego, one of several ac-tive volcanoes in the Central American country, is near the colonial city of Antigua, a UNE-

SCO world heritage site that has survived several volcanic erup-tions. The latest activity from Fuego is mostly on the far side of the volcano, facing the Pacific coast.

Around 300 people have been

injured since the eruption on Sunday that sent columns ash and smoke 6.2 miles (10 km) into the sky, dusting several regions with ash.

CONRED shared a photo show-ing the flows of gas and mud sweeping down a mountainside and across a broad valley, en-gulfing a small village.

Firefighters and rescue workers look for bodies and survivors at an area affected by the eruption of the Fuego volcano in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala

KNOW WHAT

“Fuego” is famous for being almost

constantly active at a low level. Small gas

and ash eruptions occur every 15 to 20 minutes, but larger eruptions were rare

The affectionate Great Dane even gives the horses and donkeys hugs

Barkley, the adorable ‘ranch manager’ Great

Dane takes pride in caring for rescued

wild horses and even gives them hugs

T Rex snarls at visitors to Paris botanical gardenAFP | Paris

Trix, an eight-tonne Ty-rannosaurus rex, will find

a home at Paris’ Jardin des Plantes for three months from Wednesday, greeting visitors in attack mode, with her ter-rifying, toothy snarl mounted at eye level.

The female in her 30s, un-earthed in Montana in the United States in 2013, has a fully intact skull and is among the best preserved T-rex fossils ever found -- the first real skeleton of the spe-cies ever to be displayed in France, according to the Nat-ural History Museum behind the exhibit.

At 12.5 metres (41 feet) in length and four metres high, Trix can be viewed at the botanical garden’s Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology from Wednesday to September 2.

“This specimen is one (of three) of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the world, with nearly 75 per cent of the bones in excel-lent form,” said the museum.

Travelling around Europe,

the ferocious carnivore’s re-mains will be mounted in typ-ical T-rex attack pose, bent over with its neck low to the ground, its massive jaws stretched wide in a 1.5-metre skull, staring straight into the visitor’s face.

The skeleton is estimated to be about 67 million years old, which means Trix died shortly before the presumed asteroid strike that wiped out most life on Earth, and all non-avian dinosaurs, some 65.5 million years ago.

The exhibition will also in-clude reconstructed examples of Trix’ favourite prey, includ-ing a duck-billed, vegetarian hadrosaur, said the museum.

A skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur will be displayed at the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris

FBI agent’s gun discharges during dance floor backflip

AP | Denver

His dance moves were a killer. But his backflip

could have proved fatal.An off-duty FBI agent was

impressing a crowd at a downtown Denver distillery and bar with break-dance moves and an improvised backflip – until his handgun tumbled out of his waist-band holster and a round went off as he picked it up, injuring another club-goer.

The victim was hit in the lower leg and taken to a lo-cal hospital but is expected to be OK, according to Den-ver Police.

The incident occurred at around 12.35am at Mile High Spirits, a cavernous distillery and tasting bar.

FBI agent’s gun fires as he scrambles to pick it up

Melania Trump to skip G7, N Korea summitReuters | Washington

President Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, will

skip this week’s G7 summit in Quebec and does not plan to attend the planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korea, the White House said on Sunday.

Melania Trump attended the G7 meeting in Italy last year. The US first lady, 48, has not been seen in public since May 10 when she and the presi-dent welcomed home three Americans who had been held prisoner in North Korea.

She underwent a surgical procedure on May 14 to treat a benign kidney condition and was released from the hospital on May 19.

First lady Melania Trump participates in a celebration of military mothers and spouses at the White House in Washington

Drastic plastic: Vietnam beach awash with tide of blue waste • Officials in charge of the beach at Da Loc have struggled to keep up with the rising tide of waste

Reuters | Thanh Hoa, Vietnam

There’s almost more plastic than sand on this long, tree-lined beach: Plastic hel-mets, plastic fur-

niture and the plastic leg of a shop mannequin all jut out of an

ocean of blue plastic bags.Just south of the capital Ha-

noi, the once-peaceful and clean beach of Da Loc in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa province, has been slowly suffocating under the weight of plastic waste for dec-ades.

“Plastic bags have been waste here since the first day we started using them,” said Pham Thi Lai, 60, a local seafood pro-cessor.

“They put everything in a plastic bag. If they’re preserv-ing shrimp or preserving fish, they put it in a plastic bag,” Lai

said of local fishermen, many of whom shuck clam shells and dry shrimp between the mounds of plastic waste on the beach.

“When they finish they just throw the bags into the ocean. The trash floats to wherever the sea level rises,” she said.

Vietnam is the fourth-largest contributor to marine plastic pollution globally, a 2015 study by the University of Georgia showed.

Globally, eight million tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean every year, killing marine life and entering the human food

chain, according to the U.N. En-vironment Programme.

The latest example was a pilot whale that died in Thailand with some 80 pieces of plastic rubbish found in its stomach.

The theme of World Envi-ronment Day today is beating plastic pollution, with a call for citizens, companies and civil so-ciety groups to organise the “big-gest-ever worldwide cleanup”.

Yesterday, 41 embassies and international organisations in Vietnam signed a pledge to combat plastic pollution in the country.

14

features


Team studies bones to identify the disappeared

in MexicoThe bone fragments are among the remains of

tens of thousands of people who have simply disappeared in Mexico’s long and bloody drug war

KNOW

BETTER

An Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team expert notes data at a lab in Cuauhtemoc, Mexico, collected from recovered bone fragments of victims who were dissolved or burned in drums

AP | Ciudad Cuauhtemoc, Mexico

A p a i r o f r u b -ber-gloved hands carefully sepa-rates the red “Ev-idence” tape from

a paper bag and empties the contents onto a table. Hun-dreds of burnt bone fragments spill out.

The fragments look like bits of volcanic pumice. Yet for the hands that gently smooth them out over the table top, each one bears a name and holds a piece of a story that nobody knows, but that someone, somewhere is desperate to hear.

The fragments laid out by investigators for the Argen-tine Forensic Anthropology Team are among the remains of tens of thousands of people who have simply disappeared in Mexico’s long and bloody drug war. These particular bones come from one of three isolated ranches in the city of Cuauhtemoc in the northern border state of Chihuahua, where bodies of victims were dissolved or burned in drums. Nearby stand boxes and bags of other evidence bearing the names of the places and conditions in which they were found, such as “Dolores Ranch” and “(Bone) Frag-ments stained with diesel.”

As President Enrique Pena Nieto prepares to leave office later this year, another admin-istration has come and gone with little progress in solving one of Mexico’s biggest prob-lems: the disappeared. Distrust of Mexican authorities runs deep, and many families see the Argentine experts as the only ones to offer any answers to suffering that has stretched on for a decade or more.

In January, Mexico passed a “very important” law that

introduces good methods for conducting searches and clas-sifying crimes, said Ariel Du-litzky, director of the Human Rights Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin. But the law still needs funding and politi-cal will for enforcement, and it will only work together with a crackdown on corruption, he said.

Meanwhile, the disappear-ances continue: 21,286 during this administration so far since Dec. 1, 2012.

Cuauhtemoc, a rural hub that marks the entrance to the imposing Sierra Tarahumara mountains, has only 170,000 people, but is nicknamed “the capital of the disappeared” for its relatively high rate of abductions. The local state prosecutor’s office has listed 676 disappearance cases in the region since 2008, and 395 are missing just within the city.

One of the largest cases is of the Munoz family, where eight people disappeared sev-en years ago.

The family doesn’t gath-er much anymore at the old, tree-shaded railway workers’ house on the outskirts of Cu-auhtemoc. They were hold-ing a Father’s Day celebration there in June, 2011, when their world came crashing down.

In the afternoon, some strangers came around and threw out insults, according to family members. A fight broke out, and the family called po-lice. Officers came but didn’t do anything. One of the Mu-noz men took a radio from a patrol car and threw it out the window, sparking angry threats from the police, the family said.

A few hours later, a dozen pickup trucks with armed, uni-formed men wearing ski masks turned up at the house.

“We all ran,” said Emma Veleta, the family matriarch, standing next to a banner with the photos of her husband, four sons, a grandson and a nephew who were taken away that day.

They took eight men in all. The authorities have made lit-tle progress since in finding out what happened.

Disappearances in Mexi-co are rarely solved because corruption complicates in-vestigations and encourages impunity. And resources are scarce. Experts say Mexico’s levels of violence are similar to those found in war zones, but its forensics capacity is that of a nation at peace.

Disappearances in Mexico really started to take

off in 2006, when President Felipe

Calderon launched an offensive against

the drug cartels

Fishermen boats are seen at a beach covered with plastic waste in Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam

15

entertainment


C R O S S W O R D

S U D O K U

Across

1- ...___ forgive our debtors; 5- Writing instrument; 8- River in central Switzerland; 12- Dregs; 13- Stupid person; 15- Summer coolers; 16- Salt Lake City hoopsters; 17- Prince Valiant’s wife; 18- Puts two and two together; 19- Imaginary; 22- British verb ending; 23- Figs.; 24- European chain; 26- Agreement; 29- You got that right!; 31- Luau chow; 32- Woody inhabitants of forests!; 34- Wooden shoe; 36- Army N.C.O.; 38- Fertile area in a desert; 40- And here it is!; 41- Felt sore; 43- Mexican mister; 45- Nectar collector; 46- Finally!; 48- Worldwide; 50- Mater preceder; 51-

B E E T L E B A I L E Y

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

How to playPlace 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.

Y O U R S T A R T O D A Y

AriesYou may have been looking forward to a social event, group activity, or perhaps a get-together with a lover today, but circumstances beyond your control throw some unexpected obstacles in your way. Don’t panic.

TaurusAlthough you’ve been feeling especially strong phys-ically over the past few days, today you might feel a little under the weather. You could even experience some giddiness. This is nothing to worry about, but you should try to take it easy. Don’t exercise if you don’t feel up to it.

GeminiEmotional matters could hit the fan today at a social event or group meeting of some kind. Those around you are apt to be feeling especially stressed and volatile, Gemini, so be prepared for anything. Try to stay out of passionate confrontations, and don’t try to put oil on troubled waters. At times like this, such attempts only cause unwanted attention to focus on you. Stay centred.

CancerStress might be getting the better of a household mem-ber today. This person feels emotionally volatile. The least irritation could set off a temper tantrum. Try to ease the pressure by staying out of the way. Don’t offer advice, however well intentioned it may be.

LeoFriends, neighbours, and relatives could be feeling especially stressed out and explosive today. This isn’t a good day to initiate intense communications with them. Keep your talk light and inconsequential. This is a great day to stay home and read, especially since your mind is particularly receptive to unusual ideas.

VirgoThe economy could well take a small dip, and you might hear from people expressing concerns about fi-nancial matters. Don’t take them to heart, and certain-ly don’t worry about your own financial condition. The trend will probably reverse itself soon, and this time in the right direction. Take no drastic action just yet.

LibraOppressive stress on you or those close to you could cause disconcerting upsets within your relationships today. Try to be objective and work things out ration-ally instead of going to pieces. Avoid being sucked into quarrels where you might say things you’ll regret. Don’t let this temporary situation get the best of you.

ScorpioStress could take a toll on you today. You might tempo-rarily lose your ambition and be left wondering if it’s all really worth it. This isn’t a good day to start projects or engage in important discussions. Stay home and get some rest if you can.

SagittariusSurprising new developments in close friendships or love relationships could come your way today. Some-one might move away or perhaps move closer to you. This could prove a little unsettling at first, but you’ll be happy once you get used to the idea.

CapricornUnexpected developments might interfere with your home life or with plans to spend a quiet evening with your family. This could have you feeling a little down at first, but don’t let it get to you. Whatever you do today might open doors that will benefit both you and those close to you.

AquariusYou may be looking forward to talking on the phone with someone dear who lives far away, but circum-stances beyond your control could get in the way. Perhaps you keep missing each other, or problems with computers or phones throw a monkey wrench into the works.

PiscesAlthough business and money matters continue to go well, some rather unsettling news regarding either your finances or the economy in general could reach you today. However, don’t accept as truth anything you hear until you check the facts. The planetary energies now lend themselves to the spread of rumour, gossip, and misinformation. This is definitely the day to hang on to your objectivity.

HST’s successor; 52- Have title to; 54- Pertaining to ownership; 61- Witches; 63- Having wings; 64- ___ Little Tenderness; 65- Venus de ___; 66- More healthy; 67- Footnote abbr.; 68- Pace; 69- Affirmative reply; 70- Actress Russo;

Down1- Grad; 2- ___ precedent; 3- Pay period, perhaps; 4- Ancient ascet-ic; 5- Voting-pattern predictor; 6- ... ___ saw Elba; 7- Brief letter, paper money; 8- Battery size; 9- Capital of Ethiopia; 10- Ohio nine; 11- Latin being; 13- Conductor; 14- Maritime; 20- Gravy _____; 21- Building wings; 25- H.S. junior’s exam; 26- Puccini classic; 27- 90° angle; 28- You can get a rise out of it; 29- Of Thee ___; 30- Alpine song; 31- Largest book of the OT; 33- Legal conclusion?; 35- ___ kwon do; 37- Narrate; 39- Military person; 42- Moist; 44- Sat on the back of a horse; 47- Mother of Isaac; 49- Superior; 52- Resistance units; 53- Hold on!; 55- Oil of ___; 56- Lacking color; 57- Numbered rds.; 58- Commedia dell’___; 59- Tatum’s dad; 60- Ivy League school; 62- Dip in liquid;

W O R D O F T H E D A Y

Proficient Definition: well advanced in an art, occupation, or branch of knowledge

Did You Know?

If you are proficient or adept at some-thing you are skillful—perhaps even expert. Proficient, adept, skillful, and expert are all synonyms, but subtle differences can be discerned between these terms as well. Proficient usually describes pure ability that comes from training and practice (“a proficient writer”). Adept suggests an in-

nate ability as well as a learned skill (“an adept card player”). Skillful suggests being very able at a particular task (“a skillful sur-geon”). Expert suggests having a thorough knowledge of a subject as well as being very skillful at working in it (“expert in the martial arts”).

16 TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2018

JUNE Ramadan Day Imsak Fajr Sunrise Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha5 20 TUE 03:02 am 03:12 am 4:45 am 11:36 am 03:02 pm 06:28 pm 07:58 pm

All three Rotary clubs of Bahrain organised a joint Ghabga at Bushido hotel. The clubs involved were Rotary club of Sulmaniya, Rotary club of Manama, Rotary club of Adliya and Rotaract club of Bahrain. Many dignitaries and guests attended.

Nass Commercial, the Turnkey Industrial Solutions provider of Nass Corporation B.S.C., wel-

comed its staff to the Annual Ramadan Ghabga, held at Al Noor Tent in Elite Resort and Spa Hotel last Thursday.

The highlight of the event was the Surprise Announcement of Promo-tion for three of its diligent employees. The Director of Nass Commercial, Mr Bashar Nass attended the event and re-warded the Organisation’s tenured staff

and the most outstanding performers during the year.

Mr. Louie Mark, was promoted to hold the position of Deputy Manager, in the Company; while Mr. Amr Zaid, was promoted to After Sales Manager.

Ms. Fatima Ali, was also promoted to hold the Head of Administration and HR, after three years of dedication and hard work.

The evening was a success and the management was delighted with the

impressive turn out. The night started with the speech from Mr. Ahmed Saber, General Manager, where he thanked everyone for the hard work and per-formance. Everyone got the chance to participate in games and raffles.

VIVA Bahrain held its annual Ramadan Ghabga for its staff members at the VIVA Masaya Pavilion at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain, in the presence of VIVA’s CEO Mr. Ulaiyan Al Wetaid and members of the management. The event featured different entertainment interactive activities, including several quizzes and surprises.

Employees of Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and managing body of Bahrain International Airport (BIA), distributed 9000 Iftar meal boxes to passengers at the airport to break their fast. BAC’s annual Iftar Sa’em campaign, which will run for the entire month of Ramadan, is part of the company’s social responsibility strategy of promoting charitable acts and contributing towards the wellbeing of the local community.

NBB has made a donation to Sh. Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Cardiac Centre as part of its ongoing donations and contributions programme. NBB Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jean Christophe Durand presented the cheque to Sh. Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Cardiac Centre Director, Dr. Resan Humood Al Badran. The cheque presentation ceremony was attended by NBB’s Board Secretary, Mr. Nasser Mohammed Nasser (first from right) and BDF Administrator, Mr. Eid Al- Eid.

Surprise Ghabga for Nass Staff

GFH Financial Group celebrated its annual Ramadan Ghabga with its employees. The event, which was held at the Al Areen Palace and Spa, included many entertainment activities and raffle draws, and it comes as part of the celebration of the holy month of Ramadan and to enhance ties of solidarity and harmony among all employees of the group.

17 TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 2018

VEERE DI WEDDING (HINDI/ACTION/DRAMA/HISTORY)

John Abraham, Boman Irani, Diana Penty

DANA CINEMA 10:45,13:00,15:15,17:30,19:45,22:00,00:15CINECO (20) 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 PM + 12.00 MNSEEF (I) 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 SAAR 9.00 + 11.30 WADI AL SAIL 8.30 + 11.00

PARMANU ( HINDI/ ACTION/ DRAMA/ HISTORY )

John Abraham, Boman Irani, Diana Penty

DANA CINEMA 13:30, 18:30, 23:30CINECO (20) 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 SEEF (II) 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30SAAR8.15 PMWADI AL SAIL 8.30 + 11.00

ARAVINDANTE ( MALAYALAM / DRAMA )

Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sreenivasan, Nikhila, Urvasi

DANA CINEMA 11:00,16:00,21:00SEEF (I) 10.30 AM + 12.45 + 3.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 9.45 PM + 12.00

PANCHAVARNA THATHA ( MALAYALAM / COMEDY )

Tovino Thomas, Pia Bajpai, Suhasini, Rohini, Pabhu

DANA CINEMA 10:30,13:15,16:00,18:45,21:30,00:15SEEF (I) 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 AL HAMRA DAILY AT: 12.00 + 3.00 + 6.00 + 9.00 PM + (12.00 MN THURS/FRI)

DEADPOOL 2: 2D (ACTION/ADVENTURE /COMEDY)

Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz

DANA CINEMA 10:45,15:30,20:15 CINECO (20) 12.30 + 3.00 + 5.30 + 8.00 + 10.30 PM + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI) DAILY AT (IMAX 2D): 1.15 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PM DAILY AT (VIP II): 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.30 + 6.00 + 8.30 + 11.00 PM DAILY AT (VIP I): 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 PM + 12.00SEEF (II) 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 PM + 12.00 SAAR 8.45 + 11.15

WADI AL SAIL 9.00 + 11.30

SOLO: STAR WARS STORY: 3D (ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY)

Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke

DANA CINEMA 13:00,17:45,22:30CINECO (20) (IMAX 3D): 10.30 AM + 3.45 PM 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 PM + 12.00 MNSEEF (II) 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 SAAR11.00WADI AL SAIL 8.30 + 11.15

DISTORTED ( ACTION / MYSTERY / THRILLER )

Christina Ricci, John Cusack, Brendan Fletcher

DANA CINEMA 10:45,12:30,14:15,16:00,17:45,19:30,21:15,23:00,00:45CINECO (20) 11.45 AM + 1.45 + 3.45 + 5.45 + 7.45 + 9.45 + 11.45SEEF (II) 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 PM + 12.00 WADI AL SAIL 9.15 + 11.15

SHOW DOGS (ACTION / ADVENTURE / COMEDY)

Alan Cumming, Natasha Lyonne, Will Arnett

DANA CINEMA 11:00,12:45,14:30,16:15,18:00,19:45,21:30,23:15,01:00CINECO (20) 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 PM + 12.00SEEF (II) 11.15 AM + 1.15 + 3.15 + 5.15 + 7.15 + 9.15 + 11.15 SAAR9.00 + 11.00 WADI AL SAIL 9.30 + 11.30

ARMED RESPONSE 2D DIGITAL (ACTION/HORROR/THRILLER )

Wesley Snipes, Anne Heche, Dave Annable

DANA CINEMA 11:00,12:45,14:30,16:15,18:00,19:45,21:30,23:15,01:00CINECO (20) 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30SEEF (II) 11.00 AM + 1.00 + 3.00 + 5.00 + 7.00 + 9.00 + 11.00

ABHIYUDE KATHA ANUVINTEYUM (MALAYALAM/ROMANCE)


DANA CINEMA 10:45,13:00,15:15,17:30,19:

45,22:00,00:15SEEF (I) 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45

BHAVESH JOSHI SUPERHERO (HINDI/ACTION/DRAMA)

Priyanshu Painyuli, Harshvardhan Kapoor, Ashish Verma

DANA CINEMA 11:00,14:00,17:00,20:00,23:00CINECO (20) 1.30 + 4.45 + 8.00 + 11.15SEEF (II) 12.00 + 3.00 + 6.00 + 9.00 PM + 12.00

ABHIYUM ANVUVUM (TAMIL / ROMANCE / COMEDY)


DANA CINEMA 10:30,12:45,15:00,17:15,19:30,21:45,00:00SEEF (I) 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15

AVENGERS: INFINTY WAR (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE)

KAREN GILLAN, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., TOM HOLLAND

CINECO (20) 12.00 + 3.00 + 6.00 + 9.00 PM + 12.00 MNSEEF (II) 12.00 + 3.00 + 6.00 + 9.00 PM + 12.00

RAMPAGE(PG-15) (ACTION/THRILLER/SCI-FICTION)

DWAYNE JOHNSON, JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, WILL YUN LEE

CINECO (20) 10.30 AM + 12.45 + 3.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 9.45 PM + 12.00

RAAZI (PG-15) (HINDI/THRILLER/DRAMA)

ALIA BHATT, VICKY KAUSHAL, JAIDEEP AHLAWAT

CINECO (20) 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 SEEF (II) 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30

BREAKING IN (PG-15) (THRILLER/CRIME)

GABRIELLE UNION, BILLY BURKE, RICHARD CABRAL

CINECO (20) 11.15 AM + 1.15 + 3.15 + 5.15 + 7.15 + 9.15 + 11.15

LIFE OF THE PARTY

(15+) (COMEDY) MELISSA MCCARTHY, GILLIAN JACOBS,

JULIE BOWEN

CINECO (20) 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30

PETER RABBIT (PG) (ADVENTURE/COMEDY/FAMILY)

ROSE BYRNE, DOMHNALL GLEESON, SAM NEILL

CINECO (20) 11.00 AM + 1.00 + 3.00 + 5.00 + 7.00 + 9.00 + 11.00

A QUIET PLACE (15+) (THRILLER/HORROR/DRAMA)

EMILY BLUNT, JOHN KRASINSKI, NOAH JUPE

CINECO (20) 11.30 AM + 3.45 + 8.00 PM + 12.15

A WRINKLE IN TIME (PG-13) (ADVENTURE/FANTASY)

STORM REID, OPRAH WINFREY, REESE WITHERSPOON

CINECO (20) 1.30 + 5.45 + 10.00

MASHA & THE BEAR (G) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY/FAMILY)

ANGELICA KEAMY, BORIS KUTNEVICH

CINECO (20) 10.45 AM + 12.45 + 2.45 + 4.45 + 6.45 + 8.45 + 10.45

TOMB RAIDER (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE)

ALICIA VIKANDER, HANNAH JOHN-KAMEN, WALTON GOGGINS

CINECO (20) 11.45 AM + 4.30 + 9.15

OVERBOARD (PG-15) (COMEDY/ROMANTIC)

ANNA FARIS, EVA LONGORIA, EUGENIO DERBEZ

CINECO (20) 2.15 + 7.00 + 11.45

102 NOT OUT (PG) (HINDI/COMEDY/DRAMA)

AMITABH BACHCHAN, RISHI KAPOOR, JIMIT TRIVEDI

SEEF (II) 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30

KASAL (THE WEDDING) (15+) (FILIPINO/DRAMA/ROMANTIC) NEW

BEA ALONZO, DEREK RAMSEY, PAULO AVELINO

SEEF (I) 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30

Ariana Grande has over 56 million followers on Twitter as of April 2018

KNOW WHAT

at Seef District too

Um al Hassan +973 17728699

Seef District +973 17364999

Mendes’ album tops chartIANS | Los Angeles

Singer Shawn Mendes has topped the Billboard Top 200 with his self-titled third album. This marks his third consecutive number one al-

bum release.“Unreal. Thank you to every single person who

made this happen! I love you guys so much,” Mendes tweeted yesterday.

The album was released via Island Records in May. Upon arrival, it captured number one spot on iTunes in over 80 countries.

The album follows “Illuminate” which included the number one hit song “There’s nothing holdin’ me back”, and “Handwritten”

which included the smash hit song “Stitches”.

Morgan Freeman back at workIANS | Los Angeles

Actor Morgan Freeman was spotted back at work in Savannah, Geor-

gia, on Friday. The outing comes amid his ongoing legal battle with CNN over its report that he sexually harassed or was inappropriate towards women.

The 81-year-old actor celebrated his birthday by filming scenes for his new movie “The Poison Rose” with co-stars John Travolta and Famke Janssen, reports dailymail.co.uk.

The Oscar winner could be seen exiting a car in a dark navy pin striped suit and was later spotted in a tan coloured suit.

The movie’s cast includes Peter Stor-mare of “Fargo” fame, “All Eyez On Me” actress Kat Graham and John’s very own daughter Ella Bleu.

Meanwhile, the most physical of the

allegations in the original CNN report was one from an unnamed production assistant who described Freeman lift-ing up her skirt repeatedly on the set of “Going In Style” in 2015.

Morgan Freeman Dennis calls for transparency in music IANS | Los Angeles

Singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis wants more

“transparency” in the mu-sic industry.

In an interview with BANG Showbiz, the “Just another dream” hitmaker said it is important that, in light of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movement, women speak up about what has happened to them, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“There’s a lot of women who have had these kind of experiences in the mu-sic industry and I think it’s really important that the transparency exists so that we are able to come forward and identify these issues,” Dennis said.

“I’ve had my own issues. I think it really helps to talk about it actually, I mean, only with my close friends, I haven’t revealed any other details,” she added.

“I’ve had my own issues. I think it really helps

to talk about it actually, I mean,

only with my close friends, I haven’t

revealed any other details”

CATHY DENNIS Cathy Dennis

Grande talks about her fans ‘all of the time’Femalefirst | Los Angeles

Ariana Grande talks about her fans and their lives “all the time”.

The ‘No Tears Left To Cry’ hit-maker has a hugely passionate fan base - who have been nick-named Arianators - and the bru-nette beauty has revealed that the love goes both ways.

Taking to social media in a se-ries of Twitter posts, the 24-year-old star wrote: “Love y’all so much it consumes me tbh... i’m so v proud of you all & the people you’re becoming. i’ve been creep-ing on your asses and taking to u for years now and i must say i’m endlessly proud.

“u make my heart like... beam tbh. forreal... like i love u sm and am so proud always and

talk ab u all the time to everyone in my life and they think i’m nuts (sic)”

Ariana’s tweets come shortly after she revealed that she also feels “inspired” by the LGBTQ community.

The chart-topping star penned a note to the community in hon-our of Gay Pride Month. Ariana Grande

Eminem fuels Minaj datingAFP | Los Angeles

Eminem on Sunday fuelled rumours that he was dating Nicki Minaj,

creating an ultimate hip-hop power couple -- and one which few would have anticipated.

Eminem addressed speculation of the relationship as he headlined the Governors Ball festival in New York -- although his phrasing was odd enough to leave lingering doubts.

“I’m going to tell you something

about Nicki that she don’t even know,” Eminem told the crowd.

“We go together!” he said to cheers. “That’s all I wanted to say. Thank you for letting me get that off my chest.”

Minaj, one of the most influential women in hip-hop, suggested a rela-tionship with Eminem late last month when she contributed a verse to the song “Big Bank” by rapper YG.

“Told ‘em I met Slim Shady / Bag the Em / Once he go black he’ll be back again,” she said.

Nadal edges closer to French Open crownRafael Nadal will face Argentinian Diego Schwartzman for a semi-final spot

AFP | Paris

Rafael Nadal moved a step closer to an incredible 11th

French Open title yesterday by seeing off German Maximil-ian Marterer in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.

The world number one’s 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory over the world number 70 saw him equal the record of 12 last-eight ap-pearances at Roland Garros, which was set by Novak Djok-ovic the day before.

Top seed Nadal, who celebrat-ed his 32nd birthday on Sunday, is now on his own in third on the all-time list for most match wins at Grand Slam events with 234 victories after passing Jimmy Connors.

He powered 39 winners past Marterer, who pushed the Span-iard as hard as he could without ever threatening an upset.

Nadal will face Argentini-an Diego Schwartzman for a semi-final spot, after the 11th

seed staged a thrilling come-back to down sixth seed Kevin Anderson 1-6, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2.

“The third set was very diffi-cult, Maximilian is a good play-er,” said Nadal, who has now won 37 consecutive sets at Ro-land Garros, just four short of

Bjorn Borg’s record set between 1979 and 1981.

Nadal was caught cold in the opening stages as some big hit-ting from Marterer brought him the first two games.

But it didn’t take Nadal long to figure out his opponent, reel-ing off four straight games en

route to an inevitable one-set lead. The 16-time Grand Slam champion raced through the second set in just 38 minutes, breaking his opponent’s serve twice. But Marterer -- who was playing in the main draw for the first time -- moved into a 3-1 lead early in the third as he threat-ened to become the first man to take a set off Nadal at Roland Garros since the Spaniard’s 2015 quarter-final defeat by Djokovic.

18

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KNOW WHAT

Rafael Nadal is now on his own in third on the all-time list for most match wins at Grand

Slam events

Serena exits before Sharapova clash • Williams forced out with muscle injury

• Sharapova given walkover into quarter-final

Reuters | Paris

American Serena Williams’ audacious attempt to win the French Open for a

fourth time ended in crushing anti-climax yesterday as injury, rather than an old foe, forced the 36-year-old to admit defeat at Roland Garros.

The scene had been set for Williams in her ‘superhero’ cat-

suit to take on Russian ice queen Maria Sharapova in a fourth-round clash that had assumed top-billing. But shortly before the two old warriors were due on court, the 23-times grand slam champion instead stepped into a news conference room to announce she was pulling out.

Williams, playing in her first Grand Slam tournament since giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia last September, said she had suffered a pectoral muscle injury in her impressive third round victory against Germany’s Julia Goerges.

“Unfortunately I’m having some issues with my pec muscle. Right now I can’t actually serve it’s kind of hard to play,” she told a room packed with reporters.

“I’m having an MRI (scan) to-morrow, I’m going to stay here to see the doctors and see as many specialists as I can. I won’t know (how serious the injury is) until I get those results.”

Williams had worked hard to get back in shape and, despite starting the tournament with a notional ranking of 451 and having played only four matches this year, she actually looked ca-pable of going all the way.

Dressed in the black bodysuit with a red band around the waist she resembled a superhero -- not just a supermum -- and was playing as if she had never been away.

Williams beat Australian 17th seed Ashleigh Barty in the sec-ond round.

Serena Williams

Unfortunately I’m having some issues with my

pec muscle. Right now I can’t

actually serve it’s kind of hard

to playSERENA WILLIAMS

Rafael Nadal reacts

Kerber downs Garcia to end French singles hopes

• Angelique Kerber will next face world number one Simona Halep

Reuters | Paris

Angelique Kerber ended the French presence in the

singles’ draws at Roland Gar-ros when she saw off seventh seed Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-3 in the fourth round yesterday

Angelique Kerber, seeded 12th, played from the back of the court throughout the match, making it impossible for her 24-year-old opponent to develop her attacking game.

Kerber will next face world number one Simona Halep af-ter the Romanian demolished Belgian Elise Mertens 6-2 6-1.

Kerber only hit 11 winners but Garcia made 36 unforced errors, meaning the German was never under too much

pressure.Garcia had reached two

semi-finals in top-tier events on clay this season, but in front of her home fans on Court Su-zanne Lenglen she was unable to produce her best tennis.

The Frenchwoman briefly threatened a comeback when she pulled a break back for 5-3 after saving four match points.

Angelique Kerber

Pep Guardiola banned for two matches by UEFAReuters | London

Manchester City manag-er Pep Guardiola was

banned for two matches by UEFA yesterday after being found guilty of communicat-ing with his staff despite being sent to the stands in his team’s Champions League quarter-fi-nal second-leg defeat by Liv-erpool.

Guardiola’s suspension for one of the matches has been deferred for a probationary period of one season, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Discipli-nary Body said in a statement.

The Spaniard was dismissed for protesting against a disal-lowed goal in City’s 2-1 defeat, but was found guilty of contin-uing to communicate with his technical staff.

Champions League run-

ners-up Liverpool were fined 29,000 euros for violations in three matches in the compe-tition, including “acts of dam-age” by fans who attacked City’s bus during the first leg of the quarter-final at Anfield.

UEFA fined Liverpool 20,000 euros for violations by fans in the first-leg tie, including setting off fireworks, throw-ing objects and crowd distur-bances.

Pep Guardiola

Any Murray eyeing grass-court returnBBC | London

Britain’s Andy Murray is still aiming to be fit for the

grass-court season and will make a statement this week, says his mother Judy.

The Scot, who has not played competitively since Wimbledon last year, had a hip operation in January.

Murray, 31, has won Wim-bledon twice and this year’s tournament starts on 2 July.

“He’s doing the rehabilita-tion.

He’s been back on the court in the last couple of days,” Judy said.

“His goal was always to try and be ready for the grass-court season and that is still his goal, so fingers crossed.”

The next event the former world number one could play in is the grass-court Libema Open in Rosmalen, the Netherlands,

from 11 to 17 June.But former Fed Cup captain

Judy says her son - now the British number two behind Kyle Edmund - will not risk playing at Wimbledon if he is not ready.

“Any player who has been out injured, it takes you a bit of time to get back to top form,”

she said.“When he had his back sur-

gery in 2013 he was back play-ing within three months, but it took him the best part of a year to get back to his top form.

“You need matches to build up your match fitness. You are not going to come back and start where you left off.

Andy Murray

India captain urges stay-away fans to fill stadiumReuters | Mumbai

As European clubs flock to India looking for

footholds in a potentially huge market, the lack of in-terest in the national side has prompted captain Sunil Chhetri to launch an impas-sioned plea for fans to show their support by attending matches.

Cricket-mad India may be home to 1.3 billion people but the country is a mas-sive under-achiever as far as soccer is concerned, yet to make a single appearance at the World Cup finals and languishing at a lowly 97th in the FIFA rankings.

They did qualify for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil but withdrew ahead of the tournament.


Frodeno dominates Ironman Kraichgau McMahon takes runner-up spot in all-Canadian podium at Ironman 70.3 Victoria; Ben Kanute defends his title at Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco

• Bahrain Endurance 13 Team racked up the wins this weekend at races in Europe and North America

• Jan Frodeno led out of the 1.9-kilometer non-wetsuit lake swim alongside training partner Nick Kastelein

TDT | Manama

Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau was the first time Jan Frodeno raced reigning Ironman

world champion Patrick Lange since the latter’s win in Kona last year, but Frodeno made quick work wrapping up the win in 3 hours, 49 minutes, and 5 seconds -- more than six min-utes ahead of Lange.

The two-time Ironman world champion and Olympic gold medallist led out of the 1.9-kilo-meter non-wetsuit lake swim alongside training partner Nick Kastelein.

The two then rode legally with each other on the bike leg before Frodeno put on the after-burners in the latter third of the 90-kilometer distance.

He started the half marathon with a clear five-minute lead, and certainly seemed out to make a statement as he recorded

the day’s fastest run. Lange eventually pulled

ahead of Kastelein, but was not able to bridge the gap to first place.

Across the pond in the USA, Ben Kanute successfully de-fended his title at the iconic Es-cape from Alcatraz Triathlon in

San Francisco. The American led the swim

through the choppy waters of the bay, then put his strength and handling skills to the test on the hilly bike leg, then held off challenger Cameron Dye on the run to win with seconds to spare.

Brent McMahon took home the runner-up spot in an all-Ca-nadian podium at Ironman 70.3 Victoria. He led out of the swim and rode in the front group until Cody Beals attacked to gain a four-minute advantage at the dismount line.

McMahon started the run in third place, but by the halfway mark had moved up a spot be-fore running out of road. Nathan Killam took the final podium spot.

Kanute and Ashleigh Gentle race for their respective teams at the WTS Mixed Relay Series in Nottingham on June 7, fol-lowed by individual races at WTS Leeds.

Daniela Ryf also returns to action at Ironman 70.3 Swit-zerland, while Javier Gomez takes on his first full distance at Ironman Cairns.

Jan Frodeno celebrates victory

Elias Boudegzdame applauds Bahrain’s initiatives in Europe• Bahrain has made entry into European sports media industry with Brave CF in 2018

TDT | Manama

Elias Boudegzdame, feather-weight champion of Brave

Combat Federation has praised the initiatives by the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of sports in Europe.

In 2018, Kingdom of Bahrain has made entry into Europe-an sports media industry with

Brave Combat Federation. This marks the first time a major sports event is hosted in Europe

by a global initiative operated and found in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

“I would like to congratulate His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa for mak-ing this huge moment possi-ble. This ushers a great future for the sport and motivates the athletes even further. Such in-itiatives have brought together Middle East and Europe closer and will create amazing oppor-tunities for athletes around the world. The Kingdom of Bahrain has become a major power in the world of martial arts due to such revolutionary initiatives,” said Boudegzdame.

Elias Boudegzdame

Daryl Impey storms Dauphine sprint

• Michal Kwiatkowski retains the yellow overall leader’s jersey

AFP | Rhône-Alpes, France

Daryl Impey of the Aus-tralian Mitchelton team

punched the air in victory after unexpectedly dominating a bunch sprint yesterday’s stage of the eight-day Criterium du Dauphine.

A smiling and relaxed Im-pey, 33, told reporters at the finish line he had not expected his win, nor to feel so strong as he easily outpaced Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe into second.

Sky’s Polish rider Michal Kwiatkowski retains the yel-low overall leader’s jersey after his victory in the prologue, a 6.6km time trial on Sunday.

Alaphilippe tried to drop the

peloton 4.5km from the Loire finish line at Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert when he accelerated up the final climb, which may have cost him dearly in the eventual bunch sprint.

Just a kilometre from home, Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali also made a break for the line only to suffer the same fate as Alaphilippe when he too was reeled in by Sky’s efforts to keep 2014 world road race champion Kwiatkowski, who finished fifth, in yellow.

“I didn’t think I had the legs today,” Impey said. “But when the sprint started I was in a great position, really, I wasn’t expecting it.”

Tuesday’s 181km rolling run from Montbrison to Belleville includes four category 3 climbs and one category 4, but may also finish in a bunch sprint.

The race culminates with four consecutive summit fin-ishes.

Daryl Impey celebrates after crossing the finishing line

‘It is an honour to go against Sangiao’ TDT | Manama

John Kavanagh, Head coach of SBG Ireland and the Pres-

ident of Irish Mixed Martial Arts Federation has made a statement regarding the main event of Brave 13: Europe Evolution. In the main event, the contender from SBG Ire-land trained by Kavanagh will face the champion from Team lakay, Philippines trained by Mark Sangiao. Sangiao is one among the most respected coaches in Asian MMA and this marks the second time two of the greatest coaches in the world are pitted against each other.

“It is a great honour to go against Coach Sangiao again. I presume they will look to grind out a victory on the mat. I don’t believe there is a 135 pound fighter in Brave Combat

Federation that can even sur-vive the first round with Frans Mlambo if they try and strike with him,” said Kavanagh.

Mark Sangiao is one among the most respected coaches in Asian

MMA and this marks the second

time two of the greatest coaches in the world are pitted against

each other

KNOW WHAT

MMA: Brave CF confirms star studded event in Belfast• Carlos Kremer will return to Brave CF as the cage announcer

• Irish musician, Jack Lukeman will make a special performance

TDT | Manama

Brave Combat Federation has announced a major lineup of

celebrities, sportspersons, busi-

nessmen and cultural icons at Brave 13: Europe Evolution host-ed on 9th June at the SSE Arena in Belfast, United Kingdom.

The event has already an-nounced in the presence of two time World-Boxing Champion Amir Khan.

Hollywood actor and celebrity announcer, Carlos Kremer will return to Brave Combat Federa-tion as the cage announcer.

A cast of celebrities and VIP guests including cast members from Game of Thrones and Vikings are confirmed for the event.

Irish musician, Jack Lukeman will make a special performance on the night. During the occa-sion of the announcement of celebrity presence, Brave Com-bat Federation also announced that it will host the 2018 Brave International Combat Week in Bahrain later this year, which will feature the 2018 IMMAF World Championships.

Montreal ‘tough circuit’ for McLaren, says AlonsoBBC | London

McLaren are braced for a difficult race at this

weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.

The team feel the Mon-treal circuit, where straights and slow corners predomi-nate, will expose their car’s two biggest weaknesses, which are in those areas.

Sunday’s race will be the 300th grand prix for Spain’s two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

“This will certainly be a tough circuit for us, but we’re making progress race by race,” said the McLaren driver, 36.

“A little bit of the dra-ma or changeable weather we’ve seen in Canada so many times could offer us some opportunities.”

After six races this sea-son, McLaren are fifth in the constructors’ championship and Alonso seventh in the drivers’ championship.

Those positions owe a lot to Alonso’s ability to turn poor qualifying positions into stronger race results - the car’s lack of pace is reflected by the fact he has only managed to qualify in the top 10 twice.

Alonso has finished fifth, seventh three times and eighth in the six races, and retired from the last event in Monaco with a gearbox failure.

McLaren are undertaking a review of their technical department following their disappointing start to the season.

The event has already announced in the presence of World-Boxing champion Amir Khan

Al Abed left out as Saudi name WC squadFahad Al Muwallad, Yahya Al Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari included in squad

Reuters | Riyadh

Winger Nawaf Al Abed has been left out of Saudi

Arabia’s squad for the World Cup finals as Juan Antonio Piz-zi’s side finalise preparations for their first appearance at the tournament since 2006.

Al Abed, a key member of the squad during qualifying and who was instrumental in Al Hilal reaching the 2017 Asian Champions League final, has struggled with injury since the turn of the year and the 28-year-old failed to make it into Pizzi’s final 23-man selection. Goal-keeper Assaf Qarny, defenders Saeed Al Mowalad and Moham-med Jahfali, and midfielder Mo-

hammed Al Kuwaykibi were also cut from a 28-man prelim-inary squad named last month.

Argentinian Pizzi has includ-

ed Fahad Al Muwallad, Yahya Al Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari after the trio spent four months on loan in Spain with Levante, Leganes and Villarreal before returning to their parent clubs.

Saudi Arabia’s squad are all currently contracted to clubs in the country’s domestic league, with 10 on the books of back-to-back Saudi Premier League champions Al Hilal. A further seven play for Jeddah’s Al Ahli, who won the title in 2016.

The Saudis, beaten 3-0 by Peru in Switzerland in a friendly on Sunday, face hosts Russia in the opening game of the World Cup on June 14, the first time an Asian nation has played in the competition’s curtain-raiser.

Guerrero stuns Saudi twice on Peru return Reuters | St Gallen, Switzerland

Peru captain Paolo Guerre-ro celebrated his reprieve from a doping ban in style

on Sunday, scoring twice in a 3-0 friendly win over Saudi Ara-bia three days after being given the all-clear to play at his first World Cup.

The 34-year-old netted Peru’s second and third goals as they outclassed their fellow World Cup qualifiers in the Swiss town of St Gallen after Andre Carrillo had opened the scoring with a stunning volley.

The game was played in a rau-cous atmosphere in front of a capacity 18,000 crowd, nearly all Peruvians who had travelled from neighbouring countries for a glimpse of their team which has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.

“I am very happy to come back with two goals but we have to keep our focus, nobody can take away our concentration,” Guerrero told reporters. “We played a very good game today and we have to keep this unity.”

Peru, who face Denmark, France and Australia in their first-round group, dominated the game as they extended their

unbeaten run to 14 games.They quickly took control and

Carrillo fired them in front in the 20th minute, controlling the ball on his chest and scor-ing with a half-volley after a clearance was headed straight to him.

Then came the moment the crowd had been waiting for as Guerrero, Peru’s all-time lead-ing scorer, snapped up a re-bound in the 41st minute to add the second.

He capped the performance with an emphatic downward

header in the 64th minute after Carrillo tricked his way down the left before providing a pin-point cross.

It was Guerrero’s first appear-ance for Peru since the World Cup qualifier in Argentina last October when he tested pos-itive for a cocaine byproduct — contained in a tea he drank and which he says he ingested unknowingly.

Guerrero was initially banned for 12 months by FIFA, reduced to six on appeal.

That ended in early May but his dream of playing in his first World Cup appeared to have been wrecked days later when it was increased to 14 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).


P L A Y E R O F T H E D A Y

Sadio ManeOne of the leading players in the continent, Mane became the most expensive African player in history when he moved to Liverpool for £34 million in 2016. His strength, speed and skill make him a major asset to Senegal.

Peru’s Paolo Guerrero celebrates his goal

9 days to go……

KNOW

BETTER

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BETTER

It was Paolo Guerrero’s first appearance for Peru since the

World Cup quali-fier in Argentina

last October

Saudi Arabia’s squad are all

currently con-tracted to clubs in the domestic

league

Sane misses out, Neuer makes Germany squad

Reuters | London

Attacking midfielder Leroy Sane was a surprise omis-

sion from Joachim Loew’s final Germany squad for the World Cup finals yesterday as goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was named among the 23 players heading to Russia for the de-fending champions.

Neuer made the squad de-spite playing in just one official game, a friendly against Aus-tria on Friday, since breaking a bone in his foot in September but talented 22-year-old Sane was the highest-profile play-er excluded. The Manchester City midfielder, goalkeeper Bernd Leno, forward Nils Pe-tersen and defender Jonathan Tah were the four players that failed to make the cut from Loew’s provisional list.

Sane, who joined the English

champions in 2016, had been a surprise addition to Germa-ny’s Euro 2016 squad two years ago but this time he was over-looked by Loew, who opted to take the more physical Julian Brandt to Russia instead.

“It was a very tight deci-sion between him and Julian Brandt which went in favour of Brandt,” Loew said. “There are better days in the life of a national team coach, when you have to send four amazing players, who deserve to be at the World Cup, home.

“It’s like being at the airport check-in counter en route to Moscow and you are not al-lowed to board the plane.”

Germany captain Neuer will also be their first choice keeper for the tournament, ahead of designated number two Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Kevin Trapp.

Leroy Sane

© GRAPHIC NEWSSource: FIFA

Saint Petersburg Stadium Saint Petersburg Stadium 2017OpenedZenit St. PetersburgHome team

UEFA capacity67,000Spaceship-like new stadium, designed bynoted Japanese architect Kisho Kurosawa,has retractable roof and sliding pitch

Jun

Jul

Morocco - IranRussia - EgyptBrazil - Costa RicaNigeria - Argentina

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Round of 16 matchFirst semi-finalThird-place match

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R U S S I A

Nawaf Al Abed

Egypt’s Salah optimistic of recovery ahead of match

• Egypt play Belgium in their final warm-up game on Wednesday

• Mohamed Salah missed Egypt’s goalless draw with Colombia last Friday

Reuters | Cairo

Liverpool and Egypt for-ward Mohamed Salah is

showing positive signs of re-covery from a shoulder injury ahead of the World Cup later this month. The 25-year-old ended a breakthrough season for Liverpool in disappointing fashion when he was with-drawn injured in the first half of the Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid in Kiev on May 26.

The Egyptian walked off the pitch in tears as the injury cast a doubt over his World Cup participation but the striker who scored 44 goals in his de-

but campaign on Merseyside appears more optimistic as he continues his recovery.

“Good feelings... ,” Salah said on his official Twitter account along with a picture of him at the gym.

The Egyptian Football Fed-eration allayed fears of Salah’s World Cup absence last week, saying in a statement that the playmaker was expected to be sidelined for a maximum of three weeks. Salah missed Egypt’s goalless draw with Co-lombia last Friday as the North Africans continue their World Cup preparations.

Egypt play Belgium in their final warm-up game on Wednesday before opening their WC campaign against Group A rivals Uruguay.

Mohamed Salah Belgium retains KompanyBBC | London

Defender Vincent Kom-pany has been named in

Belgium’s 23-man squad for the World Cup despite being an injury doubt - but striker Christian Benteke misses out.

Manchester City captain Kompany, 32, suffered a groin injury during Saturday’s goal-less draw with Portugal.

Manager Roberto Martinez said he would make a decision on the centre-back’s fitness closer to their opening match against Panama on 18 June.

He also said dropping Crys-tal Palace’s Benteke was his “toughest decision”.

Kompany has had a series of injuries over the past five sea-sons, although he was able play without problems for Premier

League champions Manches-ter City from January until the end of the campaign.

Martinez said he can call up a replacement until 24 hours before the Panama game.

“He is a true leader - his leadership is essential for us,” the Spaniard added.

The former Everton boss has trimmed his squad from 28 players, with Real Sociedad’s former Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj keep-ing his place.

Vincent Kompany

Documents

|Manama Jordan King replaces PM · 2018-05-06 · Aziz University in Jeddah, Tabuk University, Taif University and Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University. Esraa Albuti, an executive