NPT pull-out threat · 2019. 4. 29. · Tasnim news agency, which could not be immediately veri - fied, shows a light blue colour - ed drone with the name “Ababil III” written

UK, EU holidaymakers warned against Turkey travel London

British tourists are be-ing told to be vigilant if travelling to Turkey af-

ter security officials warned of “terror nests” in bordering countries posing a significant threat to holidaymakers, An-adolu News Agency reported yesterday.

The Anadolu statement said that cells in Afrin “pose a threat to Turkey.”

The warning comes as more

Europeans — especially tourists from the UK — travel to Turkey for their summer holidays.

British nationals made up 2.3 million of annual visits to the country in 2018.

Despite Daesh militants at-tacking foreigners and Turk-ish citizens in recent years, the Turkish government has said Kurdish militia are to blame for the unrest.

Anadolu tweeted: “There are currently 8,000-10,000 terror-

ists in the Afrin region near Aleppo, near the Turkish-Syr-ian border, which has been be-sieged by the PYD/PKK.

“Terrorists are now hiding in shelters and pits in residen-tial areas in Afrin after Turkey pointed out the region was a nest for terrorists.

“No US soldiers are currently in Afrin while around 100 Rus-sian military police are located in Tel Rifat, Tel Acar and Kefer Cenne areas.”

03 Best e-services honoured

04‘Arab region needs research institutes, indigenous think tanks’

05Ophthalmologist jailed as patient loses eyesight after medical error

8

Most Sri Lanka radicals killed or arrested: PM 6WORLD

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Halle Berry ‘broke three ribs’ on John Wick setsHalle Berry says she broke three ribs while shooting for the upcoming film “John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum”. P14

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200 FILS ISSUE NO. 8096

IRGC’s terrorist designation an overdue recognition of reality

Megan Fox files to dismiss divorce from husband 14 CELEBS

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Selection process for Crown Prince scholarship programme begins

• Dr Gessling said the next step will be for the Programme to select a minimum of 60 candidates based on the results of the qualifying tests and their Grade Point Average.

TDT | Manama

The Crown Prince’s In-ternational Scholarship Programme (CPISP) has

started the assessment process for about 280 scholarship ap-plicants from governmental and private schools, as well as Bah-rainis studying overseas.

The Programme, in co-op-eration with Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF), held qualifying tests at BIBF headquarters to assess candi-

dates’ English language and crit-ical reasoning skills.

Speaking on the process, CPISP Director Dr Cynthia Gessling said the assessment included an online computer-based test of English Proficiency, in addition to three critical reasoning tests to assess verbal, numerical, and

diagrammatical reasoning. For applicants currently stud-

ying outside of Bahrain, the Pro-gramme arranged for applicants to take the tests under super-vised conditions at an appropri-ate location.

Dr Gessling said the next step will be for the Programme to

select a minimum of 60 candi-dates based on the results of the qualifying tests and their Grade Point Average.

The candidates, who will be announced by the end of May of this year, will then undergo various training and preparation courses for standardised testing

throughout the summer and the next academic year until the final ten recipients are selected next March.

Dr Gessling confirmed that the program received a total of 290 applications during the sub-mission period of March 3 – 21, 2019.

The Programme’s application criteria, includes Bahraini cit-izenship, a GPA of 97 per cent or higher, and enrolment in the 11th grade (or equivalent) with graduation in 2020.

Applicants take up the qualifying exam.

290students from and

outside the Kingdom have applied for the

prestigious scholarship.

NPT pull-out threat Iran says leaving nuclear treaties possible

• An Iranian parliamentary delegation visited North Korea in December, and North Korea’s top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, visited Iran in August.

• The United States has ramped up sanctions on Iran since President Donald Trump withdrew from its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers last year.

Tehran

Quitting a treaty designed to stop the spread of nu-clear weapons is one of

Iran’s “numerous choices” af-ter the United States tightened sanctions on Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted saying by the state media yesterday.

Washington has decided not to renew exemptions from US sanctions to buyers of Iranian oil, in an effort to cut Iran’s vital oil exports to zero.

“The Islamic Republic’s choices are numerous, and the country’s authorities are con-sidering them... and leaving NPT (nuclear Non-Prolifera-tion Treaty) is one of them,” state broadcaster IRIB’s website quoted Zarif as saying.

Meanwhile, Zarif said he will visit North Korea as both coun-tries struggle under US sanc-tions, Arab News reported.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted him saying that the visit is being planned and a

date will be announced soon.The United States has ramped

up sanctions on Iran since Pres-ident Donald Trump withdrew from its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers last year.

The US has tightened sanc-tions on North Korea to try to persuade it to give up its nucle-ar weapons.

An Iranian parliamentary delegation visited North Korea in December, and North Korea’s top diplomat, Ri Yong Ho, visit-ed Iran in August.

In another development, US Central Command Chief Gen Kenneth McKenzie said that the United States would de-ploy the necessary resources to counter any dangerous ac-tions by Iran, Sky News Arabia reported.

“We’re gonna continue to reach out to our partners and friends in the region to ensure that we make common cause against the threat of Iran,” Mc-Kenzie, on an official visit to the Gulf region, was quoted as saying by Sky News Arabia.

“I believe we’ll have the re-

sources necessary to deter Iran from taking actions that will be dangerous,” he said, adding, “We will be able to respond ef-fectively.”

A video published by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which could not be immediately veri-fied, shows a light blue colour-ed drone with the name “Ababil III” written on the wings in Far-si and Latin script.

It is seen taking off from a desert base near the sea, as the soundtrack of an action movie plays in the background, and flies over first an escort ship and then an aircraft carrier with fighter planes parked on the deck.

“The naval force of Sepah (the Guards’ Farsi name) is aware of all the movements of American forces in the region and the Gulf and closely monitors them,” Tasnim wrote.

The Islamic Republic’s choices are numerous and leaving NPT is one

of them. ZARIF

Colombo accepts Trump’s offer Colombo

Sri Lanka has accepted US President Donald

Trump’s offer to help in-vestigate deadly blasts that struck churches and hotels, as the island nation marked a week since the devastating attacks.

Suicide bombers attacked multiple sites inside and outside the capital on Easter Sunday, killing 268 people and injuring more than 500.

A week has passed since the trauma and shock of that day’s events. Church-es across the country sus-pended Sunday masses, with worshippers asked to stay at home and watch a broadcast of a service attended by Pres-ident Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wick-remesinghe and opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The mass was led by Arch-bishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith in Colombo.

Victory for socialists Madrid

Spain’s ruling Socialists (Vox) are on course to

be the biggest party in the third election in four years, but have fallen short of a majority.

PM Pedro Sánchez’s party is set to win under 29 per cent and would need the support of left-wing Pode-mos and possibly Catalan nationalists to form a gov-ernment.

For the first time since military rule ended in the 1970s, a far-right party is set to enter parliament.

Vox opposes multicultur-alism, feminism and unre-stricted migration.

Turkey has, of late, become top tourist destination for European and Arab travellers.

02MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

Good morning! As a line of a classical Chinese poem goes, “Spring and

autumn are lovely seasons in which friends get together to climb up mountains and write poems.” On this beautiful spring day, it gives me great pleasure to have you with us here at the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF). On behalf of the Chinese government and people and in my own name, I extend a very warm welcome to you all!　　　　Two years ago, it was here that we met for the First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, where we drew a blueprint of cooperation to enhance policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity. Today, we are once again meeting here with you, friends from across the world. I look forward to scaling new heights with you and enhancing our partnership. Together, we will create an even brighter future for Belt and Road cooperation.　　　　Dear Colleagues and Friends,　　　　The joint pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to enhance connectivity and practical cooperation. It is about jointly meeting various challenges and risks confronting mankind and delivering win-win outcomes and common development. Thanks to the joint efforts of all of us involved in this initiative, a general connectivity framework consisting of six corridors, six connectivity routes and multiple countries and ports has been put in place. A large number of cooperation projects have been launched, and the decisions of the first BRF have been smoothly implemented. More than 150 countries and international organizations have signed agreements on Belt and Road cooperation with China. The complementarity between the BRI and the development plans or cooperation initiatives of international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the Eurasian Economic Union and between the BRI and the development strategies of the participating countries has been enhanced. From the Eurasian continent to Africa, the Americas and Oceania, Belt and Road cooperation has opened up new space

for global economic growth, produced new platforms for international trade and investment and offered new ways for improving global economic governance. Indeed, this initiative has helped improve people’s lives in countries involved and created more opportunities for common prosperity. What we have achieved amply demonstrates that Belt and Road cooperation has both generated new opportunities for the development of all participating countries and opened up new horizon for China’s development and opening-up.　　　　An ancient Chinese philosopher observed that “plants with strong roots grow well, and efforts with the right focus will ensure success.” The Belt and Road cooperation embraces the historical trend of economic globalization, responds to the call for improving the global governance system and meets people’s longing for a better life. Going ahead, we should focus on priorities and project execution, move forward with results-oriented implementation, just like an architect refining the blueprint, and jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.　　　　— We need to be guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. We need to act in the spirit of multilateralism, pursue cooperation through consultation and keep all participants motivated. We may, by engaging in bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation, fully tap into the strengths of all participants. Just as a Chinese proverb says, “A tower is built when soil on earth accumulates, and a river is formed when streams come together.”　　　　— We need to pursue open, green and clean cooperation. The Belt and Road is not an exclusive club; it aims to promote green development. We may launch green infrastructure projects, make green investment and provide green financing to protect the Earth which we all call home. In pursuing Belt and Road cooperation, everything should be done in a transparent way, and we should have zero tolerance for corruption. The Beijing Initiative for Clean Silk Road has been launched,

which represents our strong commitment to transparency and clean governance in pursuing Belt and Road cooperation.　　　　— We need to pursue high standard cooperation to improve people’s lives and promote sustainable development. We will adopt widely accepted rules and standards and encourage participating companies to follow general international rules and standards in project development, operation, procurement and tendering and bidding. The laws and regulations of participating countries should also be respected. We need to take a people-centered approach, give priority to poverty alleviation and job creation to see that the joint pursuit of Belt and Road cooperation will deliver true benefits to the people of participating countries and contribute to their social and economic development. We also need to ensure the commercial and fiscal sustainability of all projects so that they will achieve the intended goals as planned. 　　　　　　Dear Colleagues and Friends, 　　　　This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Seven decades ago, through the arduous struggle carried out by several generations of Chinese people and under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, New China was founded. We Chinese have since stood up and held our future in our own hands. 　　　　Over the past seven decades, we in China have, based on its realities, constantly explored the way forward through practices, and have succeeded in following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Today, China has reached a new historical starting point. However, we are keenly aware that with all we have achieved, there are still many mountains to scale and many shoals to navigate. We will continue to advance along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, deepen sweeping reforms, pursue quality development, and expand opening-up. We remain committed to peaceful development and will endeavor to build a community with a shared

future for mankind. 　　　　Going forward, China will take a series of major reform and opening-up measures and make stronger institutional and structural moves to boost higher quality opening-up.　　　　First, we will expand market access for foreign investment in more areas. Fair competition boosts business performance and creates prosperity. China has already adopted a management model based on pre-establishment national treatment and negative list, and will continue to significantly shorten the negative list. We will work for the all-round opening-up of modern services, manufacturing and agriculture, and will allow the operation of foreign-controlled or wholly foreign-owned businesses in more sectors. We will plan new pilot free trade zones and explore at a faster pace the opening of a free trade port. We will accelerate the adoption of supporting regulations to ensure full implementation of the Foreign Investment Law. We will promote supply-side structural reform through fair competition and open cooperation, and will phase out backward and excessive production capacity in an effective way to improve the quality and efficiency of supply. 　　　　Second, we will intensify efforts to enhance international cooperation in intellectual property protection. Without innovation, there will be no progress. Full intellectual property protection will not only ensure the lawful rights and interests of Chinese and foreign companies; it is also crucial to promoting China’s innovation-driven and quality development. China will spare no effort to foster a business environment that respects the value of knowledge. We will fully improve the legal framework for protecting intellectual property, step up law enforcement, enhance protection of the lawful rights and interests of foreign intellectual property owners, stop forced technology transfer, improve protection of trade secrets, and crack down hard on violations of intellectual property in accordance with law. China will strengthen cooperation with other countries in intellectual property protection, create

an enabling environment for innovation and promote technological exchanges and cooperation with other countries on the basis of market principles and the rule of law. 　　　　Third, we will increase the import of goods and services on an even larger scale. China is both a global factory and a global market. With the world’s largest and fastest growing middle-income population, China has a vast potential for increasing consumption. To meet our people’s ever-growing material and cultural needs and give our consumers more choices and benefits, we will further lower tariffs and remove various non-tariff barriers. We will steadily open China’s market wider to quality products from across the world. China does not seek trade surplus; we want to import more competitive quality agricultural products, manufactured goods and services to promote balanced trade. 　　　　Fourth, we will more effectively engage in international macro-economic policy coordination. A globalized economy calls for global governance. China will strengthen macro policy coordination with other major economies to generate a positive spillover and jointly contribute to robust, sustainable, balanced and inclusive global growth. China will not resort to the beggar-thy-neighbor practice of RMB devaluation. On the contrary, we will continue to improve the exchange rate regime, see that the market plays a decisive role in resource allocation and keep the RMB exchange rate basically stable at an adaptive and equilibrium level. These steps will help ensure the steady growth of the global economy. Rules and credibility underpin the effective functioning of the international governance system; they are the prerequisite for growing international economic and trade relations. China is an active supporter and participant of WTO reform and will work with others to develop international economic and trade rules of higher standards. 　　　　Fifth, we will work harder to ensure the implementation

of opening-up related policies. We Chinese have a saying that honoring a promise carries the weight of gold. We are committed to implementing multilateral and bilateral economic and trade agreements reached with other countries. We will strengthen the building of a government based on the rule of law and good faith. A binding mechanism for honoring international agreements will be put in place. Laws and regulations will be revised and improved in keeping with the need to expand opening-up. We will see that governments at all levels operate in a well-regulated way when it comes to issuing administrative licenses and conducting market oversight. We will overhaul and abolish unjustified regulations, subsidies and practices that impede fair competition and distort the market. We will treat all enterprises and business entities equally, and foster an enabling business environment based on market operation and governed by law.　　 These measures to expand opening-up are a choice China has made by itself to advance its reform and development. It will promote high-quality economic development, meet the people’s desire for a better life, and contribute to world peace, stability and development. We hope that other countries will also create an enabling environment of investment, treat Chinese enterprises, students and scholars as equals, and provide a fair and friendly environment for them to engage in international exchanges and cooperation. We are convinced that a more open China will further integrate itself into the world and deliver greater progress and prosperity for both China and the world at large.　　　　Dear Colleagues and Friends,　　　　Let us join hands to sow the seeds of cooperation, harvest the fruits of development, bring greater happiness to our people and make our world a better place for all!　　　　In conclusion, I wish the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation a full success!　　　　Thank you　

Keynote Speech by H.E. Xi JinpingPresident of the People’s Republic of ChinaAt the Opening Ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International CooperationBeijing, 26 April 2019

Working Together to Deliver a Brighter FutureFor Belt and Road Cooperation


Best e-services honoured Ministry of Interior, SCW, Ministry of Finance among the eGovernment Excellence Award winners

• Since its launch in 2008, the eGovernment Excellence Award is one of the most significant national initiatives that have clearly contributed in encouraging innovation.

• The ‘Best eGovernment Website’ award was granted to the Central Bank of Bahrain for its website.

TDT | ManamaMohammed Zafran

Amidst the Kingdom cele-brating excellence in em-bracing latest technolo-

gies, some of the best e-services

were awarded during a ceremo-ny held yesterday.

The event held at Gulf Hotel in Adliya was organised by the Information and eGovernment Authority.

His Highness Shaikh Mo-hammed bin Mubarak Al Khal-ifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology, patronised the eGovernment Excellence Award 2019 Cere-mony in the presence of heads of Shura Council and Council of Representatives, along with other Deputy Prime Ministers, a number of dignitaries, ministers and guests.

Government Sector winners of the award included the Minis-try of Interior, Supreme Council for Women and the Ministry of Finance under the ‘Best Govern-ment-to-Government eService (G2G) category.

The award for ‘Best eGovern-ment Integrated Services for Individuals or Businesses’ was won by the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning (Municipalities Affairs) for its Benayat Building Permit System.

Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities’ social media ac-counts won the ‘Best Practice in Community eParticipation’ award; and the award ‘Best Ap-plication for Smart Devices’ was granted to the Electricity and Water Authority for its EWA App.

The ‘Best eGovernment Web-site’ award was granted to the Central Bank of Bahrain for its website.

Private Sector winners includ-ed the Bahrain Airport Services for their iBAS Service, which won the ‘Best eServices’ award; AlRa-wi Media WLL won for its AlRawi App in the ‘Best Application for Smart Devices’ award.

Individuals sector winners comprised Mohamed Ahmed Al Buainain for the ‘Best eCon-cept’ award, which was granted for his submitted project which enhances contact with the gov-ernment through the implemen-tation of artificial intelligence in ‘Tawasul’ system.

The second winner for the ‘Best eConcept’ award was giv-en to Zainab Jaafar Akwaid for her automated solution for ob-structed traffic between involved parties.

The third winner for the ‘Best eConcept’ award was given to Ahmed Mohamed AlBuainain for his concept eBelediye project.

The eCitizen award was given to the two citizen winners Mo-hammed Abdulraheem Hasan Bucheeri for obtaining the high-est value of transactions across all eGovernment channels dur-ing 2018 and Moahmmed Abdul-jalil Ebrahim Jassim Shehab for

achieving the highest number of transactions across all eGovern-ment channels during 2018.

“I am pleased to patronise this annual ceremony,” stated His Highness Shaikh Moham-med, who highlighted what the Kingdom has achieved in the ICT field, keeping abreast with the rapid international advance-ments in light of the informatics evolution.

Since its launch in 2008, the eGovernment Excellence Award is one of the most significant na-tional initiatives that has clear-ly contributed in encouraging innovation and established the principle of excellence; it has enabled it to grow and develop every year in the ICT sector.

“Its delivery for the culture of knowledge amongst society segments and entities has rep-resented a base of developing services and support of infra-structure as well as sustainable

development.” “Adopting initiatives that mo-

tivate innovation and excellence has made the Kingdom a model of modernisation and progress regionally in the field of support-ing online excellence.

“The award has added to Bah-rain’s records of accomplish-ments, the latest being achieving the 26th rank globally and fifth in Asia, fourth internationally in the telecommunications infrastruc-ture index,” the deputy premier elaborated.

During the ceremony, Informa-tion and eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive Mohamed Ali AlQaed expressed his grat-itude for His Highness Shaikh Mohammed for his generous pa-tronage for the award and sup-port since its first launch in 2008.

He also expressed his pride for holding the award’s 10th year hand-in-hand with concerned public entities.

The Deputy Premier with ministers, senior government officials, dignitaries and other award winners.

BAC steps up preparations for new terminal launch with additional recruitmentTDT | Manama

The Bahrain Airport Com-pany (BAC) held a cer-emony to welcome 20

Tahleeq Three participants, 13 new Hala Bahrain employees, and seven new ICT department help desk team members.

The additional recruitment is an important component of the new Passenger Terminal Build-ing launch and reflects the BAC’s continued commitment to Bah-rainisation.

In attendance were BAC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, Vice Pres-ident of Human Resource and Administration, Hind Mahmood, Vice President of ICT, Najwa Abdulrahim and other BAC man-agement team members.

Tahleeq 3 is the biggest ca-pacity building intake in the training series to date. Partici-pants will work within different BAC departments, including ICT, Development and Technical, Commercial and Marketing and

Human Resources gaining theo-retical knowledge and practical experience.

After completing the four-year training programme, graduates will join BAC as full-time em-ployees, working in specialised fields that support the develop-ment of the Kingdom’s aviation sector.

Hala Bahrain’s new junior agents will play important roles at the new Passenger Terminal Building, ensuring that the in-creased number of passengers expected enjoy a welcoming, stress-free, and convenient air-

port experience. They will provide a range of

services, including meet & greet , concierge, lounge management, transportation, and more, which reflect the warm hospitality the Kingdom is known for.

Meanwhile, the new ICT team members will the first line of response through the help desk and will provide vital technical support to ensure BAC’s systems work efficiently and effectively.

Mr Al Binfalah said: “We look forward to working with our new team members in the lead up to the official launch of the

Passenger Terminal Building later this year. Having the right people in place is essential to achieve the Airport Modernisa-tion Programme’s (AMP) objec-

tives of building capacity and transforming the overall airport experience and increasing the aviation sector’s contribution to the local economy.

“The BAC remains commit-ted to developing its talent pool and training young Bahrainis to assume leadership roles in specialised aviation fields. Hala Bahrain’s hospitality and sup-port services are key pillars in defining the new Passenger Ter-minal customer experience, and its team members will play a major part in ensuring the King-dom’s gateway stands out among

the world’s leading airports.”He added: “Over the past five

years, the Tahleeq programme has grown from strength to strength. Working alongside the AMP’s international consultants, contractors and suppliers of various equipment and systems enables participants to gain the required expertise to work in various disciplines within the aviation sector.

“The new batch will also be able to learn from the experi-ence of the programme’s first graduates, who are now working as full-time BAC team members.”

The AMP is a milestone in the Kingdom’s aviation history and the Tahleeq programme is close-ly linked with its development.

The 20 participants from the first batch graduated in 2018 are now playing important roles within the AMP.

The second batch of 20, who joined in 2017, are continuing to develop their skills while mak-ing contributions to the AMP’s progress.

Al Sadr statement on Bahrain rapped Abu Dhabi

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs and International Co-oper-ation has affirmed that it is fol-

lowing with great concern and extreme anxiety the statements issued by the Republic of Iraq towards the sisterly country of Bahrain and its leadership.

“The interference in the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain and any contempt or breach of the noble status of its leadership is objectionable meddling that can never be accepted,”

it said in a statement issued yesterday.The ministry reiterated that “any

failure in containing the abuse in re-lations between sisterly countries will only lead to widening the gap and heightening tension in a time we are in a dire need for co-operation and for respecting national sovereignty and adhering to the principle of non-in-tervention”.

“Within this context, we are urging our brothers in the sisterly country of Iraq to commit to the principles of respect for sovereignty and non-inter-

vention in order to strengthen Arab links and contribute to deepening sta-bility in the region,” added the state-ment.

Separately, Al Meethaq Parliamen-tary Bloc, Al Ajam Grand Community Centre, Bahrain Parliamentary Bloc also rapped the statement by the Iraqi cleric on the Kingdom.

Earlier, the Shura Council con-demned the statement. “The Shura considers the statement as an unac-ceptable insult to the Kingdom and its leadership, a blatant interference in

the country’s internal affairs, an obvi-ous violation of international law and conventions and an abuse of the nature of relations between Bahrain and Iraq.”

The council lauded historical rela-tions between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Iraq and demanded the Iraqi gov-ernment to confront those provocative voices and deter those crises-causing stances.

It stressed its categorical rejection of any form of abuse or interference in the kingdom’s affairs by any individual or party.

The newly-joined staff with BAC top officials.

20participants from the

first batch graduated in 2018 are now playing

important roles within the airport modernisation

programme.

The interference in the internal affairs of the

Kingdom of Bahrain and any contempt or breach of the noble status of its

leadership is objectionable meddling that can never be

accepted. UAE FOREIGN MINISTRY


‘Arab region needs research institutes, indigenous think tanks’ Manama

The countries across the Arab region need to focus on establishing indigenous

think tank or research institutes to utilise the information to ad-dress the issues or to formulate national policies with clear objec-tives in their respective societies, said Abdullah Khalifa Al Tha-wadi, member of the Council of Representatives and Chairman of Human Rights Committee.

“There is a need to promote the research perception across the society and research institutes or think tanks need to tackle is-sues in the national perspective and then such input should be utilised by the government or legislators in the policy making for the benefit of the political and

economic sectors,” MP Al Tha-wadi told Bahrain News Agency on the sidelines of the second DERASAT forum.

In the Arab region, there has been no major focus on research and development as lack of fund-ing and lacklustre attitude to-wards research and think tanks remains key issues to address in

future to keep abreast with the global shift, he added.

“The question of non-avail-ability of funds or less funds continue to hamper research projects in the Arab world,” he said, adding that there is a huge gap in funding, for example, in research related projects when we compare the developed and

the developing nations.Talking about the key steps

for utilising outcome of any re-search for the policy making, Mr Al Thawadi highlighted three key areas including access to information for researchers fol-lowed by analysis of collected information, which according to him, should be carried out

professionally and then make the end results available to the decision makers, legislators and government to come up with a national policy basis on the re-search findings.

DERASAT, he added, has emerged as an example espe-cially under the leadership Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al

Khalifa who as its Chairman has brought tall stature to this institution.

“There is a research depart-ment within the parliament and whenever any specific informa-tion is required, we get appropri-ate and correct perspective on all issues which need to be debated or discussed,” he pointed out.

A panel discussion in progress at the forum.

Over 400 persons set to benefit from alternative sentence order

Interior Minister meets parliamentary and Shura committeesTDT | Manama

Over 400 inmates (451 in-dividuals including 388 men, 52 women and 11

minors) will benefit from the recently-introduced alternative sentence law, Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Ab-dulla Al Khalifa said yesterday.

This came as General Shai-kh Rashid along with Justice Minister held a co-ordination meeting with the legislative members headed by Speaker Fawzia Zainal.

He said that the Interior Ministry had drafted a compre-hensive guide that includes the implementation mechanisms of the alternative penalties in co-ordination with the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Ju-dicial Council and association of the private sector and NGOs to provide community service-re-

lated job opportunities.The minister highlighted the

reinstating of the nationality as part of the constitutional values and the reform approach of HM the King for a better future for citizens.

General Shaikh Rashid hailed the wisdom of HM the King and

his directives to promote the supreme interest of Bahrain.

He revealed that the reinstat-ing of the nationality doesn’t mean cancelling, not imple-menting or reducing the sen-tences of those convicts.

He highlighted that the na-tionality law tackles the revok-

ing of the citizenship in article 10, as it grants the Interior Min-ister the right to refer the case of an individual, who causes harm to the Kingdom’s interests and goes against the loyalty to the nation to the Cabinet for the required steps.

The Speaker welcomed the

attendees, highlighting that the meeting was part of the co-oper-ation between the legislative and executive authorities to meet the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Ms Zainal highlighted that the meeting aimed to inform MPs of the latest development in Bahrain and discuss security and legal cooperation. She hailed the efforts of both ministries in the protection of security and sta-bility and the supreme interest of the nation, and activation of the National Plan to Promote the Spirit of Belonging to the Nation and Reinforce the Values of Nationalism.

She highlighted the recent lo-cal developments, including the royal order to reinstating the cit-izenship of 551 convicts whose nationality had been revoked as per court rulings.

The royal order is in line with

the provisions of Article 24 bis of Law 58/2006 with respect to the Protection of the Com-munity against Terrorist Acts stipulating that rulings related to citizenship withdrawal will not be effective unless HM the King approves them.

She stressed need to promote the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence between members of Bahraini society. She said that the current stage required joint efforts to enhance the supreme national interest under the leadership of HM the King.

She asserted that the Shura Council and the Council of Rep-resentative stand with the gov-ernment in promoting security through drafting laws that pro-tect the national security and the interests of the public, as well as promoting the comprehensive development process.

General Shaikh Rashid, Shaikh Khalid, Ms Zainal along with other legislative members at the co-ordination meeting.

Joint action urged to end terror Manama

Moderate Arab coun-tries are the safety net against external inter-

ference and hegemony schemes, thanks to their initiatives and practical and effective measures to combat terrorism, the Chair-man of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International and Energy Stud-ies (Derasat), Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said.

This came as he inaugurated the 2019 forum on “The Role of Research Centres and their Impact on Middle East Policies” which brought together over 300 delegates from across the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, yesterday.

Shaikh Abdulla stressed the need for new initiatives and realistic visions through joint efforts driven by scientific re-search and strategic thinking as a decisive factor in determining future options.

Moderate Arab countries have

been effective and practical in combating terrorism and de-fending the nation issues and unity, he said.

“Therefore, we were not sur-prised by the hostile and sys-tematic campaigns that have targeted these countries and at-tempted to divert them from the implementation of their reform plans and regional efforts, es-pecially as these countries have come a long way in the consoli-dation of their progress equation that includes security, reform and development,” he said.

Derasat aims to fulfil its na-tional mission through the an-nual forum as well as to con-tribute to the development of a new path of progress and part-nership, he added.

This includes highlighting the unique and pioneering position of Bahrain as a centre for dia-logue and understanding as well as a beacon to promote peace, freedoms and peaceful coex-istence.

“Throughout its history, Bah-

rain has embodied noble human values and has contributed ef-fectively to just causes. Bahrain aspires to cooperate with all to end the roots of tension and the causes that drain the capabilities of our countries.

“The Middle East is also wit-nessing profound challenges and radical transformations. It has become a volatile and un-stable arena and the ground for internal conflicts and the spread of the terror epidemic.

“Chaos and sectarianism have turned into a state-sponsored industry and into an illegal trade for regimes.

“Our region is facing what we might call as the syndrome of chaos and sabotage, which in-volves three stages - the pene-tration of societies, followed by chaos and terrorism, and finally the collapse of national institu-tions,” Shaikh Abdulla said.

“The rapid developments in the region led Derasat to

launch the Centre for Arab Studies as an intellectual and research entity that expresses our identity and values. Ideas and thoughts should be in the service of peace and develop-ment through organising joint events, exchanging knowledge, boosting research co-operation and focusing on the role of re-search centres in supporting decision-making, enlightenment and public awareness,” Shaikh Abdullah said.

“We have a common destiny and shared goals. We need to develop thinking patterns and mechanisms of action period-ically to improve our present and build our future. This crit-ical stage requires new initi-atives and realistic visions to deal effectively with the threats lurking in the region. There is no room for wishes or isolated individual movements and we do need joint efforts driven by scientific research and strategic thinking to determine our future options.”

Minister hails award for excellence Manama

Interior Minister, Gener-al Shaikh Rashid bin Ab-

dullah Al Khalifa expressed sincere thanks and appre-ciation to His Highness Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Tech-nology, Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa for patronising the eGovern-ment Excellence Award 2019 Ceremony, and the tenth an-niversary of the award.

He said the event en-couraged all sectors to be creative, promote excel-lence and provide the best. He said that the award has become a national ap-proach and a great motive towards modernisation and development in in-formation technology and communication.

Dr Shaikh Abdulla speaks at the forum.


Kingdom of Bahrain

The Bahrain Petroleum Company BSC (Closed) hereby invites tender for the following:

Tender Title Tender No. Initial Bond(BD)

TenderFees (BD)

Tender Submission

Day Date Time

DESIGN, FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION

OF BAPCO LUBRICANT SIGNAGE ATSELECTED LUBRICANTS DEALERS

T190048 (43) 500/- 15/- 21st May, 20193:00 pm

Interested Vendors with proven experience in providing the above services may contact Bapco Procurement Department at the Refinery on Telephone 17752995, 17755845, 17757054 or 17757044 to obtain the appropriate tender documents after depositing the non- refundable tender fees as specified above in Bapco’s bank account. Tender Documents can be collected from Porta Cabin No.118 (Procurement Department – Tendering Unit) located outside the Refinery, on the corner of the road, close to the Contractor’s Gate from Monday 29th

April 2019 to Wednesday 15th May 2019 between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm (During Ramdhan between 09:30 am and 11:30 am) on Mondays & Wednesdays only. Vendors should deposit full contact details with the Procurement Department. An Initial Bond should be enclosed for the amount specified above or 1% of the bid value, whichever is lesser, payable by a Certified Cheque, Manager cheque, letter of guarantee or insurance policy. The bond shall remain valid throughout the tender period specified in the relevant tender documents.

• Quotation should be deposited in the tender box provided at the Bapco Refinery North Gate Security Office Reception, before 03.00 pm on the tender submission date.

• This tender is subject to the provisions of Legislative Decree No.36 of 2002 with respect to Regulating Government Tenders & Purchases and the Legislative Decree No.37 of 2002 with respect to the Tender Law’s implementing regulations.

• The following conditions shall be complied with:

1. Enclose a copy of the Commercial Registration Certificate valid for the current year, and be in conformity with the subject tender.

2. Submit quotations on Form No.Bapco 3499/2(5/99).3. Enclose a copy of Certificate of Compliance with the Employment Percentage for Bahraini Manpower

issued by the Ministry of Labour.4. Ensure to stamp with the official seal on all the original documents and copies thereof, which form

part of the offer.5. Award of Purchase Agreement to a Contractor who is not on Bapco’s Approved List of Contractors will

be subject to successful pre-qualification.

• This announcement is to be read as part of the Tender Documents.

Ophthalmologist jailed as patient loses eyesight after medical error

Doctor allegedly commits medical error while performing cataract surgery TDT | Manama

A renowned ophthalmolo-gist was yesterday sen-tenced to two months

in jail after being convicted of committing a medical error that caused complete loss of vision to a female patient three years ago.

The man was sentenced by the Minor Criminal Court, which found him guilty of causing a permanent disabil-ity to the victim, and ordered him to pay BD50 to suspend the execution of the sentence.

According to the statements

presented by the plaintiff, the victim’s son, the victim was undergoing a cataract surgery at the doctor’s centre.

“The son said the procedure was unusually lengthy and the doctor came out of the opera-tion room informing them that some complications occurred and the patient needs to be tak-en to a retinal therapy special-ist in Kuwait.”

Court files showed that the son rushed his mum to the said doctor, as she suffered severe bleeding in the eye.

In Kuwait, the victim and

her son were informed that the doctor here had committed a serious medical error that com-pletely damaged the patient’s retina and caused complete loss of vision in her eye.

The son informed the prose-cutors that his mother under-went two urgent surgeries in Kuwait that cost over BD6,100 (KWD5,000).

The woman regained 20 per cent of her vision after the sec-ond surgery. The son claimed that the defendant kicked him out of the centre when he de-manded him to compensate the

cost of the surgeries.The doctor, who was sum-

moned after the son lodged a complaint against him, claimed during the interrogation that he had decided to perform the surgery after the same proce-dure was successfully done to the victim’s other eye, adding that he has been practicing ophthalmology in the Kingdom for around 40 years.

He told the interrogators that some complications occurred during the surgery because of “medical issues”.

The doctor also said he ad-vised the patients’ relatives to take her to a specialist in Ku-

wait. The doctor added that he rejected the relatives’ demands of paying them the cost of the surgeries that were done in Kuwait.

A report issued by the Dis-ciplinary Committee in the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) proved that the loss of vision was caused by a medical error committed by the doctor, who the author-ity said had violated medical norms in dealing with compli-cations, which led to damag-ing the retina and causing her blindness.

The plaintiff said the procedure was

unusually lengthy and the doctor came out

of the operation room informing them that some complications

occurred. COURT DETAILS

Unionist acquitted in gold bars fraud case

TDT | Manama

A renowned Bahraini un-ionist was yesterday acquitted by the Minor

Criminal Court of providing fi-nancial and investment services without an authorisation from the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB).

The man was arrested when a complaint was received from a woman claiming that she had bought a gold bar from a shop owned by the defendant for BD10,000 on an instalment ba-sis, but later found out that the

bar was worth not more than BD1,500.

The man was referred to the court by the Public Prosecution after accusing him of offering financial and investment ser-vices, by selling goods on an instalment basis without ob-taining the necessary permit from CBB, and in violation of the CBB Law.

The court acquitted him on technical grounds stating that the sale of the goods, whether on cash or instalment payment basis, are subject to the provi-sions of the Civil Law and not subject to the CBB Law as men-tioned in the complaint.

Two weeks in prison for ‘car dancer’

• She was charged with making indecent and immoral acts.

TDT | Manama

The Lower Criminal Court has sentenced a GCC woman to two weeks be-

hind bars for committing public

indecency. The woman was arrested af-

ter a 50-second video went viral showing her dancing from a moving car in Juffair.

According to prosecutors, her face was covered and she made immoral gestures while dancing to loud music from the car, which was driven by her boyfriend, also a GCC national.

Investigations led to the ar-rest of both of them and the

woman revealed to prosecutors that she was in a party mood.

“We spent the night at an Ara-bian party and we left at around 2.00 am. I saw the sunroof open and I decided to stand up and look through it.

“Then I danced and I made some gestures by my hands while the road was congested,” the woman said.

She was charged with making indecent and immoral acts.

Survey reveals narrowing gender gap in many sectors

Jeddah

The first-ever nationwide study of female participa-tion in Saudi Arabia’s econ-

omy and society has highlighted the barriers facing women seek-ing to bridge the gender gap in the country, Arab News reported.

Using data collected from 15,000 households across the Kingdom, the study not only re-vealed major advances in wom-en’s roles in health and education, but also the stronger measures needed to improve participation in the economy and legislation.

The Participation of Saudi Women in Development study is the most wide-ranging survey to be conducted on the social, economic, health and education-

al experiences of women in the Kingdom.

It is the result of an innovative partnership between the National Observatory for Women at King Saud University, the Kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the charity Alwaleed

Philanthropies and UN Women. The study assessed women’s

participation and development in 56 areas across five sectors: Economic, health, educational, legislation and social.

Using official records gathered by GASTAT and household data, the study provided a value be-tween zero and one, with a score closer to one indicating a small gender gap.

The findings provide an overall score of .62 for women’s partici-pation in development and show narrow gender gaps in health (.98) and education (.92), indicating the systems and programmes in these areas allow equal opportunities for women to participate in the Kingdom’s development.

The man was accused of selling goods on

an instalment basis without obtaining

the necessary permit from CBB, and in

violation of the CBB Laws.

PROSECUTORS

A video showing the accused dancing from a moving car, had gone viral.

15,000households across Saudi Arabia were surveyed to

obtain data.

06

world

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

Bashir is wanted by The Hague-based tribunal for gen-ocide, war crimes

and crimes against humanity for his

alleged role in the conflict in Darfur,

but the 75-year-old has repeatedly

denied the charges against him

What happened yesterday is a step to have a civilian authority.We are happy about the progress in the

talks, but we are still waiting for

the composition of the council and the civilian government

MOHAMED AMIN

ONE OF THOUSANDS OF DEMONSTRA-TORS CAMPED OUTSIDE THE ARMY

HEADQUARTERS

KNOW WHAT

Sudan protesters hail breakthrough• A new transitional civilian government is expected to be formed to run the day-to-day affairs

• Bashir and other regime figures could be tried in Sudan

• Sudan urged to join the International Criminal Court

AFP | Khartoum, Sudan

Sudanese protesters yes-terday welcomed a break-through in talks with army

rulers who agreed to form a joint civilian-military council, paving the way for the civilian admin-istration demanded by demon-strators.

Saturday’s agreement would replace the existing 10-member military council that took power after the army ousted veteran leader Omar al-Bashir on April 11 amid massive protests.

“What happened yesterday is a step to have a civilian au-thority,” said Mohamed Amin, one of thousands of demonstra-tors who have been camped for weeks outside the army head-quarters.

“We are happy about the pro-gress in the talks, but we are still waiting for the composition of the council and the civilian government.”

The joint civilian-military council will be the overall ruling body, while a new transitional civilian government is expected to be formed to run the day-to-day affairs of the country, a key demand of protesters.

That civilian government will work towards having the first post-Bashir elections.

“When we have a civilian gov-ernment, then we can say our country is on the right track,” said Amin.

The demonstrators said they will pursue their sit-in until a civilian administration is set up.

“Last night’s agreement is a step forward in the stability of our country. But I don’t think we will leave the sit-in until we achieve our demand of a civil-ian government,” said protester Sawsan Bashir.

Protest leader Ahmed al-Rabia confirmed the decision to form a joint council.

“We are now in consultation about what percentage of the council should be represented by civilians and how much by

the military,” said Rabia, who is involved in talks.

Yesterday, protest leaders from the Alliance for Freedom and Change met to discuss the progress of talks with the mili-tary council.

Later, the joint committee bringing together the military and protest leaders was expect-ed to resume talks.

Lengthy talksActivists say the new council

could be a 15-member body, with eight civilians and seven army generals.

The decision to have a joint council came after hours of talks on Saturday, the first by a joint committee representing the cur-rent ruling military leadership and protesters.

Bashir was ousted by the army

after months of protests against his three-decade rule.

Thousands of demonstrators, braving volleys of tear gas fired by security forces, reached the sprawling military headquarters on April 6, demanding that the army support those opposing Bashir.

Five days later, the army top-pled Bashir and took power through the transitional military council.

Protest leaders had previously held several rounds of inconclu-sive talks with the council after Bashir was ousted.

The military council has so far insisted that it has assumed power for a two-year transition-al period.

Western governments have expressed support for protest-ers’ demands, but Sudan’s key Gulf Arab lenders have backed

the military council, while Afri-can states have called for more time for the army to hand over to civilians.

Buses bringing protesters kept arriving Saturday at the protest site, with hundreds of demon-strators coming from the eastern province of Kassala, an AFP pho-tographer said.

Call to join ICCAs the joint committee met on

Saturday, top opposition lead-er and former premier Sadiq al-Mahdi told reporters Sudan should “immediately” join the International Criminal Court.

The war in Darfur erupted in 2003 when ethnic minori-ty rebels took up arms against Khartoum’s Arab-dominated government, accusing it of social and political marginalisation.

The United Nations says about 300,000 people have died in the conflict, with another 2.5 mil-lion displaced, many of them still living in miserable camps across the western region of the country.

Protest group spokesman Amjad Farid told reporters that Bashir and other regime figures could be tried in Sudan.

“We are not seeking retali-atory measures against them, but we want to rebuild our jus-tice system to hold them ac-countable for their crimes,” he said.

Mahdi, who was forced from office by Bashir in a 1989 coup, said the army’s ouster of the vet-eran leader was “not a military coup”.

But he warned that Bashir cronies were still clinging on to power despite the upheaval.

“The toppled regime might still try to do a coup,” he said without elaborating.

Sudanese protesters from the city of Kassala, sitting atop a bus, arrive to join the sit-in outside the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum

Most Sri Lanka radicals killed or arrested: PMColombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan forces have killed or arrested most of the

radical Islamists linked to the Easter suicide bombings and the country is ready to return to normality, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.

But the prime minister said the government had planned tougher laws to deal with Isla-mist extremists and that foreign clerics teaching in Sri Lanka illegally will be expelled.

The Easter Sunday bombings that left 253 dead were carried out by a “small, but a well or-ganised group,” Wickremesin-ghe said in a statement.

“Most of them have been arrested. Some have died,” he said. “Now we are able to return to normality.”

“We should all now help re-store the normal life of the com-munity.”

Three churches and three hotels were targeted by sui-cide bombers in the attacks in which at least 40 foreigners were killed.

More than 100 people have been detained since the attacks. Authorities have said there are

about 140 followers of the Is-lamic State group in the coun-try.

Wickremesinghe confirmed that a number of would-be su-icide bombers had taken their lives when confronted by se-curity forces on Friday night in the east of the country.

Fifteen people died in a clash with security forces when three suicide bombers blew them-selves up at a jihadist safe house on Friday night.

“Jihad terrorism should be ended immediately. For that

we will bring new and tougher laws,” the prime minister said.

“There are several foreign-ers working as teachers in our country without work visas. In consultation with the Muslim religious affairs ministry and the home ministry, we will ex-pel them from the country,” he added.

The government on Saturday used emergency laws to ban the extremist National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), which was ac-cused of carrying out the Easter attacks.

Sri Lankan Christian devotees light candles as they pray at a barricade near St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo

New York Times apologizes for anti-Semitic cartoonWashington, United States

The New York Times on Sat-urday apologized for pub-

lishing an anti-Semitic cartoon in its international print edition featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

The cartoon, which appeared in Thursday’s newspaper, de-picted Netanyahu as a guide dog wearing a Star of David col-lar and leading a blind Trump -- who was wearing a kippah, or a Jewish skullcap.

In an apology published on Twitter by the Times’s opinion section -- which will also ap-pear in print on Monday -- the newspaper said the drawing

“included anti-Semitic tropes.”“The image was offensive,

and it was an error of judgment to publish it,” it added.

A caricature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump published in the New York Times’ international edition

Male model dies after collapsing on catwalkSao Paulo, Brazil

A Brazilian model died Sat-urday after collapsing on

the catwalk during a show on the last day of Sao Pau-lo Fashion Week, organizers said.

“SPFW has just received the news of the death of model

Tales Soares, who suddenly took ill during the Ocksa show,” the organization said in a state-ment, without giving a cause of death.

The 26-year-old model fell while turning to leave the run-way. Medics immediately at-tended to him in front of hor-

rified onlookers, according to local media reports.

“We offer our sincere con-dolences to Tales’ family,” it said, while label Ocksa said on Instagram its entire team was “shocked” by the death of Soares, who was signed to Base MGT modelling agency.


There is nothing to do so maybe we’re

going to die because we won’t get any

help. We are black and poor, we don’t

have anything

JAMAL AMISSE

SMILE

‘May be we’re going to die’Mozambique families count cyclone cost

• Kenneth, which has killed five people, struck northern Mozambique late Thursday

AFP | Macomia, Mozambique

Soaking mattresses, bent corrugated iron sheets, some wooden chairs and

two slender chickens are about all that Assane Maulana and his wife Maria Mendosa were able salvage from the wreckage of their wood and mud home.

They laid out all their pos-sessions neatly around a murky puddle, as their five children looked on quietly, and the chick-ens pecked for food in thick clumps of mud.

Mendosa, 37, cooked cassava paste on a small wood fire and her husband picked through the devastation wrought by Cyclone Kenneth on Nacate, a village of a few hundred people in Mozam-bique’s far north.

“We were inside the room, and the roof started to fly, and then the house fell apart because it was it was a mud house,” said Maulana, 62.

“Now we are sleeping under the palm trees. I don’t have a job, and I have five children... Everything is gone in my agri-cultural plot, there’s just a little bit of cassava left.”

“Tonight we’re going to eat some maize and beans. We don’t have much food,” added his wife.

Clothes and sheets dried on a palm tree nearby.

Mendosa said the cyclone was “too bad” for their children Piz-

ere, Naturesa, Ancha, Ida and Luigi.

Before the storm which rav-aged Mozambique, southern Tanzania and Comoros from Tuesday, Nacate was a neat vil-lage on the road between Pemba and Macomia.

It had a school, a towering cellular mast, a modest corner shop and a tea room.

While the concrete class-rooms and reinforced steel tow-er survived, the tea room was destroyed.

A crumpled yellow satellite dish lay in front of the Impa-la Salao da Cha tea house and inside the roofless structure, a muddy green plastic wineglass lay on its side.

“The wind and the rain broke my shop,” said Impala’s owner Andrane Bacar, 45, whose shorts were decorated with cartoon cockerels.

“I’m not going to build an-ything else because I had two houses and this shop. Everything is destroyed. I don’t have the means to rebuild. I’ll just try to rebuild one home, and I cannot

even do this.”Another business nearby, the

corner shop, had also lost its roof in the storm which has claimed at least five lives since it made landfall.

But shopkeeper Jamal Amisse had worked round the clock to repair the damage and prepare the store to reopen.

“Here in the village, as you see, 300 houses have been destroyed. Everything,” said Amisse, 37, as four teenage boys played foot-ball in the road near the fallen

village sign.“There is nothing to do so

maybe we’re going to die be-cause we won’t get any help. We are black and poor, we don’t have anything.”

In Macomia, just 10 kilometres (six miles) north of Nacate along a potholed road peppered with fallen trees, generators whirred as technicians battled to recon-nect the town’s 90,000 people.

Builders worked by the head-lights of their lorry to recon-struct the destroyed BCI bank

where the entire facade had been ripped off exposing cash machines and office furniture.

The workmen told AFP that nothing had been stolen and that the cash had been quickly removed following the branch’s destruction by Kenneth.

Opposite the bank a fallen overhead cable sagged after a pylon was damaged in the storm forcing pedestrians and drivers to pass perilously close to the high-voltage supply as it began to rain heavily.

Residents stand next to a road partially destroyed by floods after heavy downpours in Pemba

The damaged communities in Macomia district, Mozambique

Vietnam police bust $1bn illegal online gambling ringHanoi, Vietnam

Police in Vietnam broke up an online gambling

ring that had handled more than $1 billion in bets and arrested 22 people, reports said Saturday, in what is be-lieved to be the largest-ever internet betting operation in the communist country.

Massive raids in cities and provinces across the coun-try this week came after the discovery of hundreds of thousands of accounts tied to a ring processing an esti-mated $1.28 billion in funds, state-run Thanh Nien news-paper said.

The gambling ring was operating in a “sophisticat-ed manner that had been so difficult to detect”, the report said, citing police sources.

It explained that gam-blers who visited the web-site Fxx88.com were asked to deposit cash into banks in exchange for virtual money in coded accounts, mostly for football betting.

The accused hid the scope of the funds by using bank accounts with small amounts of money to con-duct transactions.

So far a total of 22 people have been arrested includ-ing 12 organisers, police said.

Paraglider dead after flying into a cliffSydney, Australia

Australian police were yesterday trying to re-

cover the body of a paraglid-er who crashed into a cliff face south of Sydney and fell to his death.

Police said that on Sat-urday afternoon they were called out to “a popular par-agliding location, following reports a glider had crashed into the side of the cliff.”

The man, who has not yet been formally identified, hit the cliff and dropped almost 200 metres (650 feet) down the sheer face. Police said the recovery effort was re-newed to recover the man’s body were underway early yesterday.

Elite US Navy SEAL facing crimes charges for killings in IraqLos Angeles, United States

Stabbing a teenage prisoner to death, picking off a young

girl and an old man with a sniper rifle and firing a heavy machine-gun into a residential area: these are some of the charges facing an elite US Navy SEAL on trial for war crimes while deployed in Iraq.

Special Operations Chief Ed-ward Gallagher, a decorated 39-year-old veteran of combat missions in Iraq and Afghani-stan, is still a hero in the eyes of many Americans and the right-wing Fox News channel -- and his case may even become a fac-tor in next year’s presidential elections.

Trump has weighed in on the case on Twitter, saying that he had intervened to ensure that

Gallagher -- who was nominated for the Silver Star for his service -- “will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court.”

Gallagher, a platoon com-mander of SEAL Team 7, will face a military tribunal at a Navy base in San Diego on May 28. He was arrested last September and has been held at the base ever since.

He was arrested after men under his command in the elite Navy unit were so horrified by his actions that they complained to their superiors, but were warned that their accusations could damage their careers, ac-cording to reports in The Navy Times and The New York Times this week.

Gallagher now faces charg-es of premeditated murder, at-

tempted murder and obstruction of justice. He could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty.

The crimes he stands accused of were committed in 2017 dur-ing a deployment in the northern

Iraqi city of Mosul. US special forces were fighting alongside Iraqi troops to take back parts of the town from Islamic State group fighters.

According to testimony at a

preliminary hearing last Novem-ber, members of Gallagher’s Al-pha platoon were so disturbed by his behavior that they tam-pered with his sniper rifle to make it less accurate, and would

fire warning shots to make civil-ians flee before he could open fire on them.

In May 2017, Iraqi troops cap-tured a wounded teenage Islam-ic State fighter who appeared to be around 15 years old.

Two members of the SEAL team said that as a medic was treating the fighter’s wounds, Gallagher stepped up without a word and stabbed the prison-er in the neck and side several times.

He then posed for a photo holding up the teenager’s head in one hand and the knife in the other, the two SEALs said. He went on to stand over the youth’s body and perform a re-enlist-ment ceremony while another member of the team held up a US flag, they said.

Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher in Iraq in 2017 (Courtesy of NYT)

Around 40 Republican members of Congress

have written an open let-ter demanding Gallagher -- who denies the charges against him -- be set free

until he stands trial.

Parents Maria Mendosa and Assan Madal with their children cook meal next to their totally destroyed home in the village of Nacate, south of Macomia


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 | Chairman & Managing Director P Unnikrishnan | Advertisement: Update Media W.L.L | Tel: 38444692, Email: [email protected] | Newsroom: Tel: 38444680, Email: [email protected] & circulation: Tel: 38444698/17579877 | Email:[email protected] | Website: www.newsofbahrain.com | Printed and published by Al Ayam Publishing

BARIA ALAMUDDIN

I am not alone in having argued for a long time that the US and the world should take the

bold step of designating the Is-lamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Not only has the IRGC spent 40 years sponsoring global acts of terrorism and militancy, but it has also been an instrument of state terrorism against its own citizens. President Donald Trump declared the IRGC to be “the Irani-an government’s primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.”

When 241 US service person-nel were murdered by a massive truck bomb in Beirut in 1983, hardly anybody in the West had heard of a new entity called Hiz-bollah. In reality, the attacks are understood to have been planned from the IRGC base in the Beqaa Valley. In the same manner in about 2007, sophisticated attacks by Iraqi militants that ultimately killed 603 US troops were coordi-nated from IRGC bases just across the border. Aerial footage even revealed a site inside Iran where Iraqi fighters had been trained for a notorious attack against the US HQ in Karbala in January 2007, which was carried out in retalia-tion for an American attempt to detain a convoy of senior IRGC figures in northern Iraq.

What would have been the point in designating dozens of paramilitary and terrorist forces in Iraq, Syria and the region, but not the organisation that acted as a midwife for bringing these entities into existence, then arm-

ing, training and commanding them? The IRGC Quds Force’s Qassem Soleimani took ghoulish pleasure in being photographed directing these forces from op-erations rooms in Aleppo, Fallu-jah, Damascus and Tikrit — with militia actions occasioned by crimes against humanity, sectar-ian cleansing and terrorisation of local populations.

The IRGC is a pre-eminent worldwide facilitator of terror-ism, including the botched 2011 conspiracy to assassinate the Sau-di ambassador to Washington; recent plots to murder Iranian oppositionists in European cap-itals; the 1996 Khobar Towers attacks that killed 19 US service personnel; and coup attempts and bombings in locations like Manama and Kuwait City. We should also not forget terrorist atrocities in Argentina; a bus bombing in Bulgaria; the bomb-ing of an airplane over Panama; an assassination attempt in India; and botched attacks in Kenya and Thailand. And the IRGC bank-rolled the Houthi takeover of much of Yemen, providing them with missiles with which to strike deep into Saudi Arabia.

With the onset of renewed sanctions, the IRGC is directing its proxies to upscale activities linked with narcotics, weapons and people smuggling; abduc-tions and extortion of local pop-ulations; and money laundering and sanctions evasion. Tehran is deploying its puppet politi-cians in Baghdad to campaign against the US military presence in Iraq, and the IRGC probably al-ready has plans for strikes against American forces as a means for upping the stakes. The US closed its Basra consulate last year after IRGC-backed militants launched missile strikes nearby — an un-fortunate signal of how easily for-

eign nationals can be intimidated into departing.

The fact that the IRGC and its proxies pose a potential threat to US forces isn’t a reason not to act against them (as parts of the US media are already arguing). Rather this demonstrates why these out-of-control transnation-al menaces urgently need bring-ing under control, before their regional dominance becomes uncontestable.

In the immediate aftermath of Trump’s announcement, Tehran risibly declared the US military to be a terrorist entity. Yet the IRGC has never been a regular military force. The IRGC was set up after the 1979 revolution as an ideolog-ical paramilitary force, parallel to Iran’s army. “Protecting the revolution” meant detaining, tor-turing and murdering thousands of students and activists who par-

ticipated in it, but did not share Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s hardline Islamist vision. To left-wing and nationalist forces who endured these purges, Khomeini and the IRGC hijacked their rev-olution, subverting it into some-

thing perversely contrary to pop-ular aspirations for freedom from tyranny.

As well as the IRGC sending tens of thousands of youths to their futile deaths as “human waves” of cannon fodder against heavy Iraqi artillery during the 1980s war, it remained the pri-mary enforcer of regime control against the Iranian nation. Each time there was unrest — such as in the late 1990s, 2009 and early 2018 — it was the IRGC that bloodily crushed all manifesta-tions of dissent.

With Ayatollah Ali Khamenei an ageing and sickening figure, the IRGC will determine the fu-ture path of this hated regime, becoming more politically dom-inant. President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif already have minimal influence in foreign policy files

like Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Yemen. It is IRGC figures like Soleimani who call the shots.

Designating the IRGC as ter-rorists can have real-world con-sequences, because the IRGC dominates many sectors of Iran’s national economy. Given the opacity of Iran’s economy and the difficulty of determining the real owners of various conglom-erates, banks and multinational companies must become even more wary of who they are really doing business with. Businesses and institutions in Iraq and Leb-anon will be forced to distance themselves from IRGC entities if they want to retain their interna-tional connections.

Designating the IRGC shouldn’t be seen as a move against Iran, but rather an action on behalf of the long-suffering Iranian peo-ple, who have endured decades of IRGC state terrorism. Trump has been rightly slammed for coun-ter-productive moves on Jerusa-lem, the occupied Golan Heights, immigration and trade. But let’s give credit where credit is due. This is a smart measure and an overdue recognition of reality, signalling that Tehran’s hostile regional actions carry conse-quences. The EU and worldwide national governments should fol-low suit.

In 2014, an international coa-lition of states came together to exterminate the terrorist menace of Daesh. With the recognition of the IRGC as the terrorist menace it is, will we now see coherent global efforts to eradicate this principal remaining nexus of re-gional and global terrorism?

(Baria Alamuddin is an award-win-ning journalist and broadcaster in the

Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has

interviewed numerous heads of state.)

DEPTH OF FRIENDSHIP DOES NOT DEPEND ON LENGTH OF ACQUAINTANCE. RABINDRANATH TAGORE

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The IRGC is a pre-eminent worldwide facilitator of terrorism, including the botched 2011 conspiracy to assassinate the Saudi

ambassador to Washington.


The fact that the IRGC and its proxies pose a potential threat to US forces isn’t a reason not to act against them

Tackle noise pollution or face consequences

I would like to draw the kind atten-tion of the concerned authorities towards increasing problem of noise

pollution. Increasing noise pollution is a big threat to the health the people; if it is allowed to go unchecked it may rob the people of their hearing capacity.

Increasing number of vehicles on the roads, rising growth of factories, loud-speakers etc. are various factors respon-sible for causing noise pollution.

It is the time that the authorities should strictly enforce the noise control laws. The use of loudspeaker should be stopped after specific time.

We can’t afford to take a myopic view towards noise pollution.

It interferes with speech. In the pres-ence of noise we may not able to follow, what the other person is saying.

Noise leads to emotional and be-havioural stress. A person may feel disturbed in the presence of loud noise such as produced by heating of drums.

It may permanently damage hear-ing. A sudden loud noise can cause severe damage to the eardrum.

Noise increases the chances of oc-currence of diseases such as head-ache, blood pressure, heart failure, etc.

Noise leads to increased heart beat, constriction of blood vessels and dilation of pupil.

It is a problem especially for pa-tients who need rest.

Noise may cause damage to liver, brain and heart.

S George


TOP

4TWEETS

04

02

03

01

My heart is breaking after today’s dead-

ly shooting at Chabad Congregation in San Diego—on the last day of Passover and 6 months to the day after the Tree of Life shooting. We as a nation must confront the terrifying rise of religious hate and violence. Love trumps hate.

@IlhanMN

I admire transformation of @RahulGandhi in

last 5 years. But he should show courage and over-haul entire Congress party in next 5 years. He cannot succeed with outdated netas and bored workers. Rahul needs new teams in states and grassroots levels to reach the winning post.

@waglenikhil

Despite the soaring temperatures, record

number of people joined the Sitapur rally. The people of India are at the forefront of the 2019 campaign. They have taken it upon them-selves to elect a strong, sta-ble, honest and nationalist government of the NDA.

@narendramodi

I’m heartbroken about the shooting at the syna-

gogue in #Poway, CA. This despicable act of Anti-Sem-itism on the last day of Pass-over, and 6 months after the #TreeofLifeSynagogue massacre, is sickening. May the victims’ families and the Jewish community know no more sorrow.

@SecPompeo

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

editorial stances)








1945The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.

1946The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes and indicts former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders for war crimes.

1951Tibetan delegates to the Central People’s Government arrive in Beijing and draft a Seventeen Point Agreement for Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan autonomy.

1953The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY



Bombings expose deep fractures in Sri Lanka’s leadership

Politicians are playing the blame game and there are fears a security crackdown will create an environment of impunity once again

Sri Lankans pray in the street near St Anthony’s Shrine one week on from the Easter Sunday attacks in Colombo.

Tackle noise pollution or face consequences Noise leads to emotional and be-

havioural stress. A person may feel disturbed in the presence of loud noise such as produced by heating of drums.






S George

DR THUSIYAN NANDAKUMAR

Sri Lanka is in crisis. A week on from the horrific bomb blasts on Easter Sunday,

claiming the lives of 253 people and injuring another 500, more than 100 suspects have been arrested and the net is widen-ing, with more thought to have been embroiled in the co-ordi-nated attacks. Two Sri Lankan militant groups thought to be the culprits, National Tawheed Jamaat and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim, have been banned from the country. With tensions high and a curfew in place, a fierce gun battle raged on Friday in Amparai on the east of the is-land during a raid on a safe house linked to the suspected mastermind of the bombings, Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran, whose wife and child were injured in the shoot-out. Fifteen people, including at least six children, were killed. Governments around the world have advised against travel to Sri Lanka and the already struggling economy has taken a massive blow.

Critically, the country’s politi-cal leadership has been plunged into turmoil once more, expos-ing deep fissures in the govern-ment, with politicians pointing fingers at one other for a series of catastrophic security lapses after it emerged that authorities were warned weeks beforehand of imminent attacks but failed to take action.

Amid attempts to shift blame over a catalogue of failures to prevent the massacres, Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena took aim at a familiar

target by claiming investigations into civil war atrocities and hu-man rights abuses committed by the military were to blame for a “weakening of the intelligence services”.

The Sri Lankan president is wrong on several counts. A dec-ade on from the end of the armed conflict in the island-state, in which the final months saw tens of thousands of Tamils killed, there have still been no prosecu-tions for abuses committed by the military. Despite a United Nations’ investigation conclud-ing there were credible reports of violations of international law, the Sri Lankan govern-ment has steadfastly refused to put any credible mechanisms in place to hold its troops ac-countable. A United Nations Human Rights Council reso-lution mooted in May 2009 to deplore atrocities committed on both sides of the civil war was blocked by the Sri Lan-kan government, together with its allies. Instead, Mr Sirisena himself has repeatedly vowed to protect soldiers from charg-es of war crimes. As recently as last month, he challenged the terms of a 2015 UNHRC resolution calling for greater accountability with external investigators, stating: “We need space to settle our own prob-lems without interference”.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s secu-rity apparatus remains far from weakened, particularly in the Tamil-dominated north-east, where tens of thousands of gov-ernment soldiers remain sta-tioned. Last year, an NGO report found widespread surveillance, harassment and intimidation

by the security agencies, who continue to maintain a tight grip over the local population. Another NGO report in 2017 found that militarisation in the region remained intense, with nearly one soldier for every two civilians in the Mullaitivu district alone.

The military continues to be heavily involved in civil-ian activities, including in the Batticaloa district, where one of the deadly church explo-sions took place and where National Tawheed Jamaat has its headquarters. And despite reports of human rights abus-es, Sri Lankan troops continue to receive international train-ing and partake in large-scale military exercises – all while defence spending continues to grow and remains the biggest expenditure in the country’s budget.

The Sri Lankan president’s claims of a victimisation of the military follows a familiar pat-tern of rhetoric that aims to deflect substantive criticisms

of his government’s failures and the serious questions it has failed to answer.

In the meantime, the secu-rity situation on the island has been further compounded by deep-rooted ethnic and reli-gious tensions, with the Mus-lim community now facing the threat of retaliatory violence. Addressing the grievances that have fuelled ethnic con-flict over the years might have helped mitigate some of these divisions. Yet, instead of ad-dressing endemic issues con-tributing to tensions, the Sri Lankan president’s response to search every household in the country, and deploying 10,000 soldiers to do so, threatens to exacerbate them further.

Emergency regulations have been enacted, clamping down on press freedom and granting the armed forces wide-ranging powers of search and arrest. Given the military’s chequered record, there are well-founded fears these moves will create an environment of impunity that enables the kind of abuses that became a regular occurrence during the armed conflict. Sri Lanka’s paramilitary Special Task Force in particular, which is carrying out several opera-tions in the East, was accused of a range of human rights abuses during the war, includ-ing extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

Mr Sirisena implement-ing such measures will likely strengthen the hand of former defence secretary Gotabaya Ra-japaksa, who, in the midst of the chaos this week, announced that he will run for president

in elections later this year. Mr Rajapaksa gained notoriety and popular support among the Sinhala electorate during the height of the armed conflict, when he and his brother, then president Mahinda Rajapaksa, oversaw the military campaign that ended in mass bloodshed. He has fashioned himself as the strongman that Sri Lanka needs in this crisis, pledging to tackle the spread of Islamist extremism and to strengthen the military and intelligence services. Yet it was under the Rajapaksas that extremist Sin-hala Buddhist groups such as the Bodu Bala Sena and their brand of right-wing nation-alism flourished, contribut-ing to outbreaks of violence against Muslims. And it was under their rule that human rights abuses were rife, media freedom stifled and corrup-tion widespread. A return to authoritarian control will only add to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s argument that Sri Lanka is in need of a crackdown, rather than leading to any introspec-tion on the factors that have left it with continuing violence.

As security experts from around the globe arrive on the island and international atten-tion continues to focus on Sri Lanka, the path to a more sus-tainable peace must be laid out. Despite Mr Sirisena’s claims to the contrary, accountability, a reform of the security services, and addressing the factors that fuel conflict will be key.

(Dr Thusiyan Nandakumar is a member of the editorial board of the

London-based Tamil Guardian )

The Sri Lankan president’s claims of a victimisation of the military follows a

familiar pattern of rhetoric that aims to deflect

substantive criticisms of his government’s failures and

the serious questions it has failed to answer.


TOP

4TWEETS

04

02

03

01

My heart is breaking after today’s dead-

ly shooting at Chabad Congregation in San Diego—on the last day of Passover and 6 months to the day after the Tree of Life shooting. We as a nation must confront the terrifying rise of religious hate and violence. Love trumps hate.

@IlhanMN

I admire transformation of @RahulGandhi in

last 5 years. But he should show courage and over-haul entire Congress party in next 5 years. He cannot succeed with outdated netas and bored workers. Rahul needs new teams in states and grassroots levels to reach the winning post.

@waglenikhil

Despite the soaring temperatures, record

number of people joined the Sitapur rally. The people of India are at the forefront of the 2019 campaign. They have taken it upon them-selves to elect a strong, sta-ble, honest and nationalist government of the NDA.

@narendramodi

I’m heartbroken about the shooting at the syna-

gogue in #Poway, CA. This despicable act of Anti-Sem-itism on the last day of Pass-over, and 6 months after the #TreeofLifeSynagogue massacre, is sickening. May the victims’ families and the Jewish community know no more sorrow.

@SecPompeo

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

editorial stances)








1945The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.

1946The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convenes and indicts former Prime Minister of Japan Hideki Tojo and 28 former Japanese leaders for war crimes.

1951Tibetan delegates to the Central People’s Government arrive in Beijing and draft a Seventeen Point Agreement for Chinese sovereignty and Tibetan autonomy.

1953The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY



Bombings expose deep fractures in Sri Lanka’s leadership

Politicians are playing the blame game and there are fears a security crackdown will create an environment of impunity once again

Sri Lankans pray in the street near St Anthony’s Shrine one week on from the Easter Sunday attacks in Colombo.

Tackle noise pollution or face consequences Noise leads to emotional and be-

havioural stress. A person may feel disturbed in the presence of loud noise such as produced by heating of drums.






S George

DR THUSIYAN NANDAKUMAR

Sri Lanka is in crisis. A week on from the horrific bomb blasts on Easter Sunday,

claiming the lives of 253 people and injuring another 500, more than 100 suspects have been arrested and the net is widen-ing, with more thought to have been embroiled in the co-ordi-nated attacks. Two Sri Lankan militant groups thought to be the culprits, National Tawheed Jamaat and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim, have been banned from the country. With tensions high and a curfew in place, a fierce gun battle raged on Friday in Amparai on the east of the is-land during a raid on a safe house linked to the suspected mastermind of the bombings, Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran, whose wife and child were injured in the shoot-out. Fifteen people, including at least six children, were killed. Governments around the world have advised against travel to Sri Lanka and the already struggling economy has taken a massive blow.

Critically, the country’s politi-cal leadership has been plunged into turmoil once more, expos-ing deep fissures in the govern-ment, with politicians pointing fingers at one other for a series of catastrophic security lapses after it emerged that authorities were warned weeks beforehand of imminent attacks but failed to take action.

Amid attempts to shift blame over a catalogue of failures to prevent the massacres, Sri Lanka’s president Maithripala Sirisena took aim at a familiar

target by claiming investigations into civil war atrocities and hu-man rights abuses committed by the military were to blame for a “weakening of the intelligence services”.

The Sri Lankan president is wrong on several counts. A dec-ade on from the end of the armed conflict in the island-state, in which the final months saw tens of thousands of Tamils killed, there have still been no prosecu-tions for abuses committed by the military. Despite a United Nations’ investigation conclud-ing there were credible reports of violations of international law, the Sri Lankan govern-ment has steadfastly refused to put any credible mechanisms in place to hold its troops ac-countable. A United Nations Human Rights Council reso-lution mooted in May 2009 to deplore atrocities committed on both sides of the civil war was blocked by the Sri Lan-kan government, together with its allies. Instead, Mr Sirisena himself has repeatedly vowed to protect soldiers from charg-es of war crimes. As recently as last month, he challenged the terms of a 2015 UNHRC resolution calling for greater accountability with external investigators, stating: “We need space to settle our own prob-lems without interference”.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s secu-rity apparatus remains far from weakened, particularly in the Tamil-dominated north-east, where tens of thousands of gov-ernment soldiers remain sta-tioned. Last year, an NGO report found widespread surveillance, harassment and intimidation

by the security agencies, who continue to maintain a tight grip over the local population. Another NGO report in 2017 found that militarisation in the region remained intense, with nearly one soldier for every two civilians in the Mullaitivu district alone.

The military continues to be heavily involved in civil-ian activities, including in the Batticaloa district, where one of the deadly church explo-sions took place and where National Tawheed Jamaat has its headquarters. And despite reports of human rights abus-es, Sri Lankan troops continue to receive international train-ing and partake in large-scale military exercises – all while defence spending continues to grow and remains the biggest expenditure in the country’s budget.

The Sri Lankan president’s claims of a victimisation of the military follows a familiar pat-tern of rhetoric that aims to deflect substantive criticisms

of his government’s failures and the serious questions it has failed to answer.

In the meantime, the secu-rity situation on the island has been further compounded by deep-rooted ethnic and reli-gious tensions, with the Mus-lim community now facing the threat of retaliatory violence. Addressing the grievances that have fuelled ethnic con-flict over the years might have helped mitigate some of these divisions. Yet, instead of ad-dressing endemic issues con-tributing to tensions, the Sri Lankan president’s response to search every household in the country, and deploying 10,000 soldiers to do so, threatens to exacerbate them further.

Emergency regulations have been enacted, clamping down on press freedom and granting the armed forces wide-ranging powers of search and arrest. Given the military’s chequered record, there are well-founded fears these moves will create an environment of impunity that enables the kind of abuses that became a regular occurrence during the armed conflict. Sri Lanka’s paramilitary Special Task Force in particular, which is carrying out several opera-tions in the East, was accused of a range of human rights abuses during the war, includ-ing extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

Mr Sirisena implement-ing such measures will likely strengthen the hand of former defence secretary Gotabaya Ra-japaksa, who, in the midst of the chaos this week, announced that he will run for president

in elections later this year. Mr Rajapaksa gained notoriety and popular support among the Sinhala electorate during the height of the armed conflict, when he and his brother, then president Mahinda Rajapaksa, oversaw the military campaign that ended in mass bloodshed. He has fashioned himself as the strongman that Sri Lanka needs in this crisis, pledging to tackle the spread of Islamist extremism and to strengthen the military and intelligence services. Yet it was under the Rajapaksas that extremist Sin-hala Buddhist groups such as the Bodu Bala Sena and their brand of right-wing nation-alism flourished, contribut-ing to outbreaks of violence against Muslims. And it was under their rule that human rights abuses were rife, media freedom stifled and corrup-tion widespread. A return to authoritarian control will only add to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s argument that Sri Lanka is in need of a crackdown, rather than leading to any introspec-tion on the factors that have left it with continuing violence.

As security experts from around the globe arrive on the island and international atten-tion continues to focus on Sri Lanka, the path to a more sus-tainable peace must be laid out. Despite Mr Sirisena’s claims to the contrary, accountability, a reform of the security services, and addressing the factors that fuel conflict will be key.

(Dr Thusiyan Nandakumar is a member of the editorial board of the

London-based Tamil Guardian )

The Sri Lankan president’s claims of a victimisation of the military follows a

familiar pattern of rhetoric that aims to deflect

substantive criticisms of his government’s failures and

the serious questions it has failed to answer.

10

business


UAE to deposit $250 mn in Sudan’s central bankAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emir-ates

The United Arab Emirates announced yesterday it would deposit $250 mil-

lion in Sudan’s central bank as part of a support package for the country following the over-throw of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.

The government-owned Abu Dhabi Fund for Development signed an agreement with the Sudanese central bank “con-firming the deposit”, the UAE’s official WAM news agency said.

Last week, Saudi Arabia and the UAE announced three bil-lion dollars (2.7 billion euros) in financial aid for Sudan.

The oil-rich Gulf states pledged to inject $500 million into the Sudanese central bank

and $2.5 billion to help provide food, medicine and petroleum products, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The deposit for the central

bank was aimed at shoring up the Sudanese pound, the SPA said.

In recent years Sudan has been hit by an acute lack of dol-

lars, a key factor behind the na-tionwide protests that led to the toppling of Bashir by the army this month.

Both Gulf nations have voiced backing for Sudan’s military rul-ers, who are facing calls from protesters to cede power to a ci-vilian transitional government.

The Sudanese currency had plunged even after the Unit-ed States lifted its 20-year-old trade embargo on the country in October 2017.

Expectations that the end of US sanctions would bring an economic recovery failed to ma-terialise, putting pressure on the pound.

The country’s economic cri-sis has deepened since the se-cession of South Sudan in 2011 that took away the bulk of oil earnings.

BCCI symposium on export of food products to Saudi Arabia

TDT | Manama

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Indus-

try (BCCI) held yesterday at “Bait Al Tijjar” a symposium on the new requirements for the export of food products as per Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

During the event, top offi-cials from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority explained the updated provisions for food import, the accreditation mechanism for a superviso-ry authority in the country of export, the evaluation proce-dures of supervisory authori-ties, the mechanism of approv-ing foreign food facilities, and the clearance requirements and procedures.

The speakers also shed a scope light on the main causes of rejecting food products and addressed the inquiries of the audience.

Speaking at the event were also the Executive Director of the Eastern Province branch

of the Authority Ahmed bin Abdul Latif Al Abdulhadi, the Director of King Fahad Causeway port Fahad Awad Al Sharari, and veterinarian Saleh Al Shaib, in addition to the Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health from the Ministry of Health Dr Mar-iam Al Hajri, the Assistant Undersecretary of Domes-tic Trade from the Ministry of Industry Commerce and Tourism Hameed Rahma, in the presence of officials from the Economic Development Board, Customs Affairs, Min-istry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Works Mu-nicipalities Affairs and Urban Planning.

In this regard, BCCI board member and head of the com-mittees’ coordination team Sonia Janahi reaffirmed the chamber’s commitment to holding similar events that aim at keeping the business community abreast of all re-lated updates to stimulate the development of the Bahraini private sector.

Officials and participants during the BCCI symposium on export of food products as per Saudi Food and Drug Authority

LuLu-HSBC announce Zero Interest promotionTDT | Manama

LuLu Hypermarket and HSBC Bank announced joining

hands for a Zero Interest Flexi promotion with repayment op-tions extending up to 12 months.

Starting today, customers us-ing the HSBC credit card to pay for purchases of a minimum amount of BD 100, can avail flexi instalment plans with zero per cent interest, their statement said.

The instalment plan is availa-ble over 3, 6, 9, and 12-month du-rations depending on customer preference.

“This exciting offer comes at a time when shoppers are preparing to ramp up their retail expenditure in time for the Holy Month and the festive season thereafter,” said LuLu Group Director, Juzer Rupawala.

He added: “LuLu Hypermar-ket is very pleased to work with HSBC to make spending more structured for our customers and repayments easier to plan.”

Sudanese civil society activists Muawia Shaddad (L) and Omar el-Digeir (R), two of the leaders from the protest movement led by the Alliance for Freedom and Change, give a press conference in the capital Khartoum (file)

LuLu and HSBC officials during the launch of a Zero Interest Flexi promotion

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, Sabah Salem Al Dosary, during a ceremony organised by Danube Home at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development premises to honour a number of Bahraini employees who joined the company since its inception in the Kingdom of Bahrain and completed ten years of exemplary service. A number of people who are differently abled were also honoured. The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Development distributed certificates of appreciation to the awardees

Gulf Air, Oman Air expand Codeshare deal

TDT | Manama

Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carri-

er, and Oman Air, the nation-al carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has expanded their ex-isting codeshare agreement to fly beyond Muscat and Bahrain effective from the upcoming summer schedule.

Gulf Air will place ‘GF’ code on Oman Air flights from Muscat to Salalah and Khasab in Oman, Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar in Tanzania, Goa and Lucknow in India, Kath-mandu in Nepal and Jakarta in Indonesia. Oman Air will place its ‘WY’ code on Gulf Air

flights from Bahrain to Tbilisi in Georgia, Baku in Azerbaijan, Gassim in Saudi Arabia and Beirut i Lebanon.

C o m m e n t i n g o n t h e codeshare extension, Gulf Air’s Chief Executive Officer Krešimir Kucko said: “Now Gulf Air passengers can ex-plore more destinations be-yond Muscat as they fly on Oman Air to different desti-nations in Oman, Africa, India and the Far East”.

Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO of Oman Air said: “We are sure the guests will find the award-winning services of Oman Air and the legacy ser-vices of Gulf Air a truly re-warding experience.”


KNOW WHAT

There is no doubt that the sanctions are in force and that any

company assumes bigger risks than they

did before this date

MARIANO DE ALBA

A WASHINGTON-BASED INTERNATIONAL LAW EXPERT FROM VENEZUELA.

US oil sanctions take effect on Venezuela• Venezuela used to rely on 120,000 barrels of light crude each day from the United States to blend with its heavier oil

• Trump administration said it would block any US assets of Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza

AFP | Washington, United States

US sanctions came into effect yesterday to block Venezuela’s economic

lifeline of oil exports, in what Washington hopes will be a ma-jor blow in its fledgling cam-paign to topple leftist President Nicolas Maduro.

As of 12:01 am Washington time (0401 GMT), the United States will take action against anyone who deals with state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA, or any entity in which the company holds at least a 50 percent stake.

It is among a volley of steps by President Donald Trump’s administration to oust Madu-ro and install opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized by more than 50 countries, in-cluding most in Latin America.

Just Friday, the Trump admin-istration said it would block any US assets of Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, confirming it has no desire to negotiate with Ma-duro, a socialist firebrand who presides over a crumbling econ-omy but has withstood three months of intense pressure.

Until the crisis, Venezuela exported 500,00 barrels a day to the United States, its largest customer, with PDVSA omnipres-ent, if not highly visible, through ownership of the Citgo refining and gas station chain.

The United States has already moved to put Citgo under the control of Guaido, who appoint-ed his own board.

Even though sanctions legally came into force Sunday, “the re-ality is that the oil trade between

the United States and Venezuela has been absolutely limited and fallen sharply,” said Mariano de Alba, a Washington-based international law expert from Venezuela.

But the sanctions will still have an effect, with Washington vowing to enforce them against any foreign company with inter-actions in the United States -- in-cluding the US financial system, which dominates the globe.

As of yesterday, “there is no doubt that the sanctions are in force and that any company as-sumes bigger risks than they did before this date,” de Alba said.

Searching for customersEnergy-hungry India was the

third-biggest buyer of Venezue-lan oil in 2017 after the United States and China and until re-cently had been a major source of cash.

But Indian companies have backed off in the face of US sanc-tions, making China and Russia the crucial economic and politi-cal backers of Maduro -- whose re-election last year was widely criticized for irregularities.

The sanctions take effect just as global oil markets are trend-ing higher after the United States similarly demanded that

all countries, notably India and China, stop buying oil from Iran.

The country nonetheless is facing a major economic crisis,

with projections that inflation could soar to a mind-boggling 10 million percent this year.

Some 2.7 million Venezue-lans have fled since 2015 faced with shortage of basic goods and medicine, according to UN figures.

One immediate problem for Venezuela is not its exports but its imports. It used to rely on 120,000 barrels of light crude each day from the United States to blend with its heavier oil. It will need to turn to other suppli-ers to sell its own crude, increas-ing production costs.

US-based consultancy Rapidan Energy Group says PDVSA’s pro-duction could temporarily fall by 200,000 barrels a day.

It would be a stunning fur-ther reduction for PDVSA which

pumped 3.2 million a day in 2008, a figure that had nose-dived to just 840,000 in March.

Blaming MaduroThe United States has wasted

no opportunity to blame Ma-duro and his late predecessor Hugo Chavez for Venezuela’s economic woes -- with Trump also trying to link their socialism to his Democratic foes at home.

Elliott Abrams, the US envoy leading the effort to oust Ma-duro, promised that “tens of bil-lions of dollars” will flow into Venezuela to rebuild its econ-omy.

“That recovery can only start when there is a fully inclusive government that represents all Venezuelans,” Abrams said Thursday.

But a study by two prominent left-leaning US economists, Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs, warned that the growing sanctions will “vastly” harm or-dinary Venezuelans.

The study, released by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, found that Venezue-la recorded more than 40,000 additional deaths between 2017 and 2018 as they blamed sanc-tions for shortages of food and medicine.

“American sanctions are de-liberately aiming to wreck Ven-ezuela’s economy and thereby lead to regime change,” Sachs said.

“It’s a fruitless, heartless, il-legal and failed policy, causing grave harm to the Venezuelan people.”

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed acting president Juan Guaido flutters a Venezuelan national flag during a rally, as part of the “Operation Freedom”, in La Victoria, Aragua state, Venezuela

Oil is the blood of Ven-ezuela’s crippled econ-omy, accounting for 96

percent of exports.

Seef Properties re-appoints Essa Najibi as Chairman

TDT | Manama

Essa Najibi has been re-ap-pointed as Chairman of the

Board and Dr Mustafa Al Sayed as the Vice Chairman of Seef Properties, the company said in a

statement. The Board of Directors for

the period from 2019-2022 are Abduljalil Mohamed Janahi, Eman Mustafa Al Murbati, Fuad Ali Taqi, Hamed Yousif Mashal, Hesham Abdulrahman

Al Rayyes, Mohamed Ebrahim Al Bastaki, Sattam Sulaiman Al Gosaibi and Yusuf Ahmed Al Hammadi.

The re-appointment of both Essa Najibi and Dr Mustafa Al Sayed comes in line with their

wealth of industry experience and knowledge-base which has enabled them to play key roles in taking Seef Properties’ to even greater heights, the statement by Seef Properties added.

Board members during a photocall

Trump pressed Japan’s Abe to build more vehicles in the US

Reuters | Washington

US President Donald Trump pressed Japanese Prime

Minister Shinzo Abe to have Japanese automakers produce more vehicles in the United States, according to a readout of their recent meeting pro-vided by the U.S. ambassador to Japan on Saturday.

The two discussed recent public announcements by Jap-anese car makers, including Toyota Motor Corp’s decision to invest more in US plants.

“We talked about the need to see more movement in that direction but I think the pres-

ident feels very positive that we will see such movement because all the economics sup-port that,” said Ambassador William Hagerty.

Trump told a campaign ral-ly in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Saturday that Abe said Ja-pan would invest $40 billion in U.S. car factories, though Trump did not give details on the timeline for the planned investments.

Toyota said last month it would exceed a 2017 pledge to invest $10 billion over five years with a new commitment to reach nearly $13bn over that period.

US President Donald Trump meets with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington


Closing BellSAUDI 0.1 pc » 9,266 pts

ABU DHABI 0.2 pc » 5,381 pts

DUBAI 0.4 pc » 2,776 pts

QATAR 0.4 pt » 10,406 pts

BAHRAIN 0.1 pc » 1,441 pts

OMAN 0.3 pc » 3,930 pts

KUWAIT 1.4 pc » 6,055 pts

Participants of a ‘Ceramic Pots’ workshop, tailored for teachers of the Ministry of Education and organised by Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), represented by the Handicrafts Directorate, during a graduation ceremony held on 18 April 2019 at Al Jasra Handicrafts Centre. The course, held between 7 and 18 April 2019, was conducted by Hussain Abdul Rahim and Maitham Ali and aimed to enhance the skills of 14 participants. The workshop focused on the basic skills and techniques of making pottery, the craft Bahrainis have been practising over the past decades.

Oil prices weigh on Gulf stocks• SABIC rises despite reporting drop in profits

• Samba down after profits fall

• Dubai Investments extends slump ex-dividend

Dubai, Reuters

Stocks closed lower across the Gulf yesterday with markets overshadowed by

a fall in oil prices.Saudi stocks eked out some

early gains then went into re-verse, closing 0.1 per cent lower. Al Rajhi Bank initially rose after posting an increase in profits last week but ended up with a 1.32pc decline on the day.

Oil prices fell 3pc on Friday, hitting sentiment across the re-gion, after US President Don-ald Trump again pressured the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to raise crude production to ease gaso-line prices.

Saudi Arabia’s Samba Finan-

cial Group ended 1.6pc lower, as the market digested its an-nouncement last week of a 7.4pc fall in profits, worse than ana-lysts’ estimates.

Riyad Bank managed to hold

onto gains, adding 2.4pc on its strong results last week.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) was up 0.5pc de-spite reporting a 38pc drop in first-quarter net profits, below

analyst expectations.Sabic has seen some selling

this month after Saudi oil gi-ant Aramco agreed to buy a 70pc stake in it from the Pub-lic Investment Fund at a slight

discount to the market rate in March.

Dubai’s stock index was 0.42pc lower, weighed down by a 1pc fall in Emaar Properties. Dubai Investments fell 5.4pc, extending a slump after going ex-dividend last week.

Abu Dhabi stocks were 0.21pc lower as First Abu Dhabi Bank fell 0.36pc.

Qatar’s stock exchange was down 0.42pc, pulled down by a 1.1pc fall in Qatar National Bank.

Kuwaiti stocks dipped 1.35pc. Boubyan Bank was down 4.8pc and other banks also traded low-er.

Egypt’s stock market was closed for a public holiday.

Traders on the floor of Bahrain Bourse (file)

Flyadeal’s decision on Boeing MAX ‘imminent’: CEOReuters | Dubai

Saudi Arabian budget air-line Flyadeal’s decision on

whether it goes ahead with an order for 30 Boeing 737 MAX jets is “imminent”, its chief execu-tive said yesterday.

The airline is reconsidering the order after two MAX jets fatally crashed in Ethiopia in March and in Indonesia in Oc-tober.

“We’ve kept an open position in terms of which way we will go on fleet given the situation with the MAX,” Con Korfiatis told Reuters at the Arabian Trav-el Market exhibition in Dubai.

“At the moment we still don’t have a decision but it is immi-nent.”

Flyadeal has ordered 30 Boe-ing 737 MAX 8s with purchasing options for 20 more in a deal Boeing said was worth $5.9 bil-lion at list prices.

The airline, owned by the government of Saudi Arabia through state carrier Saudia, has not finalised contractual terms and would be able to cancel the order if it wants to do so.

“It was effectively on the basis of an MoU (memorandum of understanding) subject to final agreements. We haven’t signed final contracts,” Korfiatis said

in an interview.Flyadeal would order the Air-

bus A320neo, a comparative nar-row-body jet it had considered when selecting the MAX, if it cancels the Boeing deal, he said.

Switching the order would not significantly affect the airline’s

expansion plans because due to a production backlog, it would have to wait several years to re-ceive the new Boeing jets.

Flyadeal, which operates 11 older, leased A320ceo aircraft, had planned to lease aircraft as it waited for the new planes.

The airline, which started flights in 2017, expects to have a fleet of around 50 leased and ordered aircraft by 2025, Kor-fiatis said.

The MAX is currently banned from flying in most countries after a total of 346 died in the

Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes.

Boeing is developing a soft-ware fix and new pilot training for regulatory approval in order to get the company’s best-selling plane recertified.

The additional training that Boeing is developing would be “relatively incremental” to what was already required, Korfiatis praised Boeing’s communica-tions with customers since the March crash that grounded the plane.

“Obviously this a significant issue for them and they are man-aging it very professionally.”

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 sits outside the hangar during a media tour of the Boeing 737 MAX at the Boeing plant in Renton, Washington

We’ve kept an open position in terms of which way we will

go on fleet given the situation with the

MAX. At the moment we still don’t have a decision but it is

imminent

CON KORFIATI

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF FLYADEAL

Fresh SAS woe as strike grounds 110,000 travellersCopenhagen, Denmark

A further 110,000 air passengers faced be-

ing left grounded after Scandinavian carrier SAS on Sunday cancelled 1,213 flights as pilot strike action spiralled.

Pilots demanding better pay and conditions walked off the job in Sweden, Den-mark and Norway on Fri-day and the disruption is now expected to hit some 280,000 travellers overall.

SAS had initially pre-dicted that 170,000 pas-sengers would be affected by the end of Sunday, but now says a further 667 Monday flights and 546 more due Tuesday will be annulled.

The stoppage by 1,409 pi-lots is affecting domestic, European and long-haul flights.

The Swedish Air Line Pilots Association, which initiated the strike, said Fri-day that months of talks had failed to find a solution to pilots’ “deteriorating work conditions, unpredictable work schedules and job in-security”.

Ecuador to appeal Amazon oil rulingQuito, Ecuador

The Ecuadoran govern-ment announced Sat-

urday it will appeal a ruling won by the country’s Wao-rani indigenous tribe that blocks oil companies’ entry onto ancestral Amazonian lands for exploration activ-ities.

The Ministry of Energy and Non-renewable Natural Resources said in a state-ment it “will appeal the de-cision, given that although documents and videos were presented and compliance with all standards was demonstrated, these were not taken into account.”

After two weeks of delib-erations, a criminal court in Puyo, central Ecuador, on Friday accepted a Waorani bid for court protection in Pastaza province to stop an oil bidding process after the government moved to open up around 180,000 hectares for exploration.

Ecuador’s constitution es-tablishes the “inalienable, unseizable and indivisible” rights of indigenous people “to maintain possession of their ancestral lands and ob-tain their free adjudication.”

BlacKkKlansman is a 2018 American biographi-cal crime film directed

by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel, David Rab-inowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Lee, based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stall-worth. The film stars John Da-vid Washington as Stallworth, along with Adam Driver, Lau-ra Harrier, and Topher Grace. Set in 1970s Colorado Springs, the plot follows the first Af-rican-American detective in the city’s police department as he sets out to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.

On review aggregator web-site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on 392 reviews, with an average rating of 8.29/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “BlacKkKlansman uses history to offer bitingly trench-ant commentary on current

events—and brings out some of Spike Lee’s hardest-hitting work in decades along the way.”[29] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 56 critics, indicating “universal

acclaim”. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A–” on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 85% positive score and a 67% “definite recommend”.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, writing: “It’s an entertaining spectacle but the brilliant tonal balance in some-thing like Jordan Peele’s satire Get Out leaves this looking a

little exposed. Yet it responds fiercely, contemptuously to the crassness at the heart of the Trump regime and gleefully pays it back in its own coin”.

For IndieWire, David Ehrlich gave the film a grade of “B+” and wrote that it is “far more frightening than it is funny”, and “packages such weighty and ultra-relevant subjects into the form of a wildly uneven but consistently entertaining night at the movies”.

13 MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

CHANGE OF NAME

NOTICE

OASIS JUFFAIR1-AVENGERS: ENDGAME (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVEN-TURE) NEW

BRIE LARSON, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., KAREN GILLANDAILY AT (ATMOS): (9.15 AM WED/THURS/FRI/SAT) + 12.45 + 4.15 + 7.45 + 11.15 PM DAILY AT (3D): 11.45 AM + 3.15 + 6.45 + 10.15 PM DAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 12.45 + 2.45 + 4.15 + 6.15 + 7.45 + 9.45 + 11.15 PM + (1.15 AM WED/THURS/FRI)DAILY AT (VIP): 12.15 + 3.45 + 7.15 + 10.45 PM

2-ATHIRAN (PG-15) (MALAYALAM) NEW FAHADH FAZIL, SAI PALLAVI, ATUL KULKARNI

FROM WEDNESDAY 24TH 7.30 PM ONWARDSDAILY AT: 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PM

3-ORU YAMANDAN PREMA KATHA (PG-15) (MALAY-ALAM) NEW

DULQUER SALMAN, SOUBIN SAHIR, SAMYUKTHA MENONFROM THURSDAY 25TH ONWARDSDAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 2.00 + 5.15 + 8.30 + 11.45 PM

4-KALANK (PG-15) (HINDI/ROMANTIC/DRAMA) VARUN DHAWAN, ALIA BHATT, MADHURI DIXIT

DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 1.30 + 4.45 + 8.00 +11.15 PM

5-DUMBO (PG) (ADVENTURE/DRAMA/FAMILY) COLIN FARRELL, MICHAEL KEATON, DANNY DEVITO

DAILY AT (KIDS CINEMA): 10.30 AM + 4.45 + 9.00 PM

6-MISSING LINK (PG) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

HUGH JACKMAN, ZOE SALDANA, ZACH GALIFIANAKISDAILY AT (KIDS CINEMA): 12.45 + 2.45 + 7.00 + 11.15 PM

7- MERA NAAM SHAJI (PG-15) (MALAYALAM) ASIF ALI, BIJU MENON, BAIJU

DAILY AT: 12.00 + 5.30 + 11.00 PM

8- JERSEY (PG-15) (TELGU) NANI, SHARDAH, SREENATH, SATHYARAJ

DAILY AT: 2.30 + 8.00 PM

CITYCENTRE(CITYCENTRE CINEMA SHALL REMAIN OPEN 24 HOURS ON WED/THURS/FRI.)

1-AVENGERS: ENDGAME (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVEN-TURE) NEW

BRIE LARSON, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., KAREN GILLANDAILY AT (ATMOS): 10.00 AM + 1.30 + 5.00 + 8.30 PM + 12.00 MNDAILY AT (IMAX 3D): 12.30 + 4.00 + 7.30 + 11.00 PM DAILY AT (VIP I): 1.15 + 4.45 + 8.15 + 11.45 PM DAILY AT (VIP II): 12.15 + 3.45 + 7.15 + 10.45 PM DAILY AT: 10.00 AM + 10.30 + 12.00 + 1.30 + 2.00 + 3.30 + 5.00 + 5.30 + 7.00 + 8.30 + 9.00 + 10.30 PM + 12.00 MN + (12.30 MN WED/THURS/FRI)

2-SHAZAM! (PG-15) (ACTION/COMEDY/ADVENTURE)ZACHARY LEVI, MARK STRONG (II), ASHER ANGEL

DAILY AT: 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PM + (12.30 MN WED/THURS/FRI)

3-KALANK (PG-15) (HINDI/ROMANTIC/DRAMA) *- VARUN DHAWAN, ALIA BHATT, MADHURI DIXIT

DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 1.45 + 5.00 + 8.15 + 11.30 PM

4-THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (15+) (HORROR/THRILLER)

LINDA CARDELLINI, RAYMOND CRUZ, PATRICIA VELASQUEZDAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 PM + 12.00 MN


DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 1.15 + 3.30 + 5.45 + 8.00 + 10.15 PM


HUGH JACKMAN, ZOE SALDANA, ZACH GALIFIANAKISDAILY AT: 12.15 + 4.45 + 9.15 PM

7-CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG-13) (ACTION/ADVENTURE) BRIE LARSON, GEMMA CHAN, SAMUEL L. JACKSON

DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 PM + 12.00 MN

8-LITTLE (PG-15) (COMEDY)REGINA HALL, ISSA RAE, MARSAI MARTIN

DAILY AT: 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30 PM

9-HELLBOY (18+) (ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY) DAVID HARBOUR, MILLA JOVOVICH, AND IAN MCSHANE

DAILY AT: 2.00 + 6.45 + 11.30 PM

10-STOCKHOLM (PG-15) (COMEDY/CRIME/DRAMA) ETHAN HAWKE, NOOMI RAPACE, MARK STRONG

DAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 3.30 + 7.45 PM + 12.00 MN

11-WONDER PARK (PG) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

BRIANNA DENSKI, JENNIER GARNER, KEN HUDSON CAMPBELL

DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 3.00 + 7.00 PM DAILY AT (ARABIC DUBBED): 1.00 + 5.00 PM

12-ESCAPE ROOM (PG-15) (THRILLER)TAYLOR RUSSELL, LOGAN MILLER, DEBORAH ANN WOLL

DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30 PM

13-NADI ELREGAL EL SERI (PG-15) (ARABIC/COMEDY) KARIM ABDULAZIZ, GHADA ADEL, MAJDE ALKIDDAWI

DAILY AT: 1.15 + 5.30 + 9.45 + 11.30 PM

14-THE UPSIDE (PG-15) (COMEDY/DRAMA) KEVIN HART, BRYAN CRANSTON, NICOLE KIDMAN

DAILY AT: 2.15 + 6.45 + 9.00 + 11.15 PM

15-COLD PURSUIT (15+) (ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA) LIAM NEESON, EMMY ROSSUM, LAURA DERN

DAILY AT: 1.45 + 6.45 + 11.45 PM

16-US (15+) (HORROR/THRILLER)LUPITA NYONG’O, ELISABETH MOSS, ANNA DIOP

DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 4.30 + 9.15 PM

17-GLASS (PG-15) (THRILLER) JAMES MCAVOY, BRUCE WILLIS, SAMUEL L. JACKSON

DAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 4.15 + 9.15 PM

SEEF (II)1-AVENGERS: ENDGAME (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVEN-TURE) NEW

BRIE LARSON, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., KAREN GILLANDAILY AT: 12.00 + 1.00 + 3.30 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 8.00 + 10.30 + 11.30 PM DAILY AT (3D): 10.45 AM + 2.15 + 5.45 + 9.15 + (12.45 MN WED/THURS/FRI)

2-STRIKE (PG) (MUNGO) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY) NEW

KEN STOTT, LIZZIE WATERWORTH, ALEX KELLYDAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 1.15 + 3.15 + 5.15 PM

3-LAYL KHARIJI ( ) (ARABIC/DRAMA) NEWKARIM QASSIM, SHARIF DOUSOUKI, MONA HALA

DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 3.00 + 7.15 + 11.30 PM

4-BOAR (18+) (HORROR) NEWNATHAN JONES, BILL MOSELEY, JOHN JARRATT

FROM WEDNESDAY 24TH 8.00 PM ONWARDSDAILY AT: 7.15 + 9.15 + 11.15 PM


DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 PM + 12.00 MN


DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 2.30 + 5.30 + 8.30 + 11.30 PM


LINDA CARDELLINI, RAYMOND CRUZ, PATRICIA VELASQUEZDAILY AT: 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30 PM


DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 2.00 + 4.15 + 6.30 + 8.45 + 11.00 PM


HUGH JACKMAN, ZOE SALDANA, ZACH GALIFIANAKISDAILY AT: 1.00 + 5.15 + 9.30 PM

10-CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG-13) (ACTION/ADVENTURE) BRIE LARSON, GEMMA CHAN, SAMUEL L. JACKSON

DAILY AT: 12.00 + 4.30 + 9.00 PM

11-STOCKHOLM (PG-15) (COMEDY/CRIME/DRAMA) ETHAN HAWKE, NOOMI RAPACE, MARK STRONG

DAILY AT: 2.30 + 7.00 + 11.30 PM

12-MASHA AND THE BEAR THE NEW ADVENTURES (G) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.15 + 2.00 + 3.45 PM

SEEF (I) 1-AVENGERS: ENDGAME (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVEN-TURE) NEW

BRIE LARSON, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., KAREN GILLANDAILY AT: 10.00 AM + 12.30 + 1.30 + 4.00 + 5.00 + 7.30 + 8.30 + 11.00 PM + 12.00 MN




DULQUER SALMAN, SOUBIN SAHIR, SAMYUKTHA MENONFROM THURSDAY 25TH DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 1.45 + 5.00 + 8.15 + 11.30 PM

4- MADHURA RAJA (PG-15) (MALAYALAM) MAMMOOTTY, JAI, ANUSREE, SALIM KUMAR, RAMESH

PISHARODYDAILY AT: 12.00 + 5.45 + 11.30 PM

5- MERA NAAM SHAJI (PG-15) (MALAYALAM)

ASIF ALI, BIJU MENON, BAIJU DAILY AT: 3.00 + 8.45 PM

SAAR1-AVENGERS: ENDGAME (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVEN-TURE) NEW

BRIE LARSON, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., KAREN GILLANDAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.30 + 1.45 + 4.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 8.45 + (11.00 PM WED/THURS/FRI)


FROM WEDNESDAY 24TH 7.30 PM ONWARDSDAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 2.00 + 8.00 PM


DULQUER SALMAN, SOUBIN SAHIR, SAMYUKTHA MENONFROM THURSDAY 25TH DAILY AT: 4.45 + (10.45 PM THURS/FRI)


DAILY AT: 2.45 + 8.00 PM


LINDA CARDELLINI, RAYMOND CRUZ, PATRICIA VELASQUEZDAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 12.45 + 6.00 + (11.15 PM WED/THURS/FRI)

AL HAMRA1-ATHIRAN (PG-15) (MALAYALAM) NEW

FAHADH FAZIL, SAI PALLAVI, ATUL KULKARNIFROM WEDNESDAY 24TH 7.30 PM ONWARDSDAILY AT: 3.15 + 9.15 PM + (12.00 MN THURS/FRI)


DULQUER SALMAN, SOUBIN SAHIR, SAMYUKTHA MENONFROM THURSDAY 25TH DAILY AT: 12.00 + 6.00 PM

WADI AL SAIL1-AVENGERS: ENDGAME (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVEN-TURE) NEW

BRIE LARSON, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., KAREN GILLANDAILY AT: 12.30 + 1.00 + 4.00 + 4.30 + 7.30 + 8.00 + 11.00 + 11.30 PM DAILY AT (3D): 12.00 + 3.30 + 7.00 + 10.30 PM




DAILY AT: 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM


DAILY AT: 3.15 + 8.15 PM


LINDA CARDELLINI, RAYMOND CRUZ, PATRICIA VELASQUEZDAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 1.15 + 6.15 + 11.15 PM


HUGH JACKMAN, ZOE SALDANA, ZACH GALIFIANAKISDAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 12.45 + 2.45 + 4.45 PM

M O V I E R E V I E W

I, NAVEEN MALIK S/O SURESH KUMAR, holding Indian Passport No. H0037158, dated 11.09.2008 issued at JALANDHAR having permanent residence at (full address in India) NAHAL PANDORI NIJJRAN, JALANDHAR, PIN: 144102, PUNJAB, INDIA, presently residing at (full address in Bwahrain) SH. ISA AVENUE, MUHARRAQ, BAHRAIN, will henceforth be known as (Given name) NAVEEN (Surname) MALIK.Objection(s) if any, may be forwarded to Embassy of India, P.O Box 26106, Bldg 1090, Road 2819, Block 428, Al Seef, Kingdom of Bahrain.

We at SHAKEEL TRADING COMPANY WLL (CR No-60539) would like to change the name of our existing branch CR 60539-13 ( Address: Block 227, Building 355, Road 2715, Busaiteen) from SHAKEEL TRADING COMPANY WLL to BAHRAIN PRIDE TRADING WLL.

BlacKkKlansman: a blistering return to form for Spike Lee

Laura Harrier and John David Washington in ‘BlacKkKlansman’

DON’T MISS IT

An idealistic black cop goes undercover in the Ku Klux Klan in Lee’s scorching peri-

od satire

14 MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019

For Reservations, Call:Umm Al Hassam 17728699 Seef District 17364999

Karen Gillan wants to direct Marvel filmLos Angeles

“Avengers” star Karen Gillan has a dream of directing a film for Marvel Studios.

“I keep asking Kevin Feige (Marvel Studios President) when that’s going to be. I’m still waiting,” she said during “The Big Ticket” podcast, reports variety.com.

G i l l a n “ w o u l d n ’ t j u s t d o a ny f i l m ” , though.

“I think it would need to be one where I had a strong feeling that I was the best person for the job. Obvi-ously that’s not every movie that comes your way,” she said.

The “Avengers: Endgame” actress also shared her antici-pation for the upcoming “Black Widow” film, which will finally see actress Scarlett Johansson in her first solo outing.

Asked why she thinks it took so long for the female superhero to get her own Marvel movie, Gil-lan said that it “does feel like she should already have one”.

“I think we’re only just starting to get together these female-led super-hero movies.

Actor Jessie Lawrence Ferguson deadLos Angeles

Actor Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, known for his

role as a police officer in the 1991 hit film “Boyz N The Hood”, has died. He was 76.

Jessie’s son Jace confirmed the news, saying the actor b r e a t h e d his last on F r i d a y a t their home in Palmdale, California, reports tmz.com.

The news portal reported that Jace found his father in his bed with the TV on and that he seemed to be healthy in the days leading up to his death.

Halle Berry ‘broke three ribs’ on John Wick sets

Los Angeles

Halle Ber-r y s a y s she broke

three ribs while shooting for the up-coming film “John

Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum”.

The actor, who plays So-fia, assassin friend of Keanu

Reeves’ titular character, said though she had a tough time working on the film, the injury was “like a badge of hon-our” for her.

“I broke three ribs when I was rehearsing for ‘John Wick’. It’s like a badge of honour for me, we don’t know how it hap-pened... I worked for a little

while with broken ribs until I could no longer do it.

“ ( I t ’s ) h o u r s and hours of stunt training, it’s gun training, it’s dog training, then it’s just strength train-ing on top of that with my trainer, and it’s watching my diet,” Berry told Extra magazine.

About working with Reeves, the actor said she was initially “terrified” about working with him.

“It was pretty amazing. It was a little terrifying at first because he’s so damn good, and I wanted to be on the same level as him. I didn’t want to disappoint him,” she said.

Zac Efron wants ‘The Greatest Showman’ sequel

Los Angeles

Actor Zac Efron says he is open to reprise his “The Greatest Showman”

character for a sequel.The 2017 musical

drama, featuring Hugh Jackman, Efron, Mi-chelle Williams and Zendaya, tells the true story of American showman PT Barnum, who is remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Cir-cus.

D u r-i n g h i s a p -

pearance on “The Graham Norton Show”, the 31-year-old actor said though Jackman is busy with other things, he is ready for a follow-up film.

“Hugh is working on all sorts of things, includ-

ing a one-man show. What’s next? I don’t know but I hope there is a sequel,” Efron said.

Jackman will be performing the tracks

from the musical on a worldwide arena

tour of his one-man

s t a g e s h o w t h i s year.

Chloe Grace Moretz in talks

for ‘Tom and Jerry’ film

Los Angeles

Chloe Grace Moretz is in negoti-

ations to feature in live-action/ani-mated hybrid film adaptation of clas-sic cartoon series “Tom and Jerry”.

The project , which hails from Warner Bros stable,

will see the animated versions of Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse. They will remain silent, just as they did in the original car-toon, reported Collider.

If finalised, Moretz, 22, will portray Kayla, a

new employee at a posh hotel where Jerry takes up

residence. She hires Tom, a struggling alley cat, to get rid

of Jerry but the pair soon work together to get rid of Kayla’s evil boss.

The film will be directed by Tim Story and he will also produce alongside The Story

Company’s Sharla Sumpt-er Bridgett.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ crushes box office records in $1.2 billion global debutLos Angeles

Superhero movie “Aveng-ers: Endgame” smashed box office records with

global ticket sales estimated at $1.2 billion through Sun-day, distributor Walt Disney Co said.

“Endgame” generated a jaw-dropping $350 million in the United States and Canada, the world’s largest movie market. The total far surpassed analyst estimates and the previous record of $257.7 million set a year ago by “Avengers: Infinity War.”

“Endgame” also set week-end records in China, Brazil, France, more than three doz-en other markets, Disney said.

The three-hour action spectacle is the final chapter in a story told in 22 Marvel Studios movies since 2007. It features popular comic-book characters such as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in a battle against the supervil-lain Thanos (Josh Brolin).

Megan Fox files to dismiss divorce from husband

Los Angeles

Actress Megan Fox and her husband Brian Aus-tin Green, also an actor,

have filed papers at a court here to dimiss their divorce case.

Fox filed for divorce in 2015 after five years of marriage to Green, citing irreconcilable differences. Then the two an-nounced they were having a third child together and recon-ciled the following year.

After three years of recon-

cilement, Fox was spotted at the court on Thursday to re-quest a dismissal in her on-going divorce case, reports people.com.

Fox and Green have three children - Noah Shannon, Bo-dhi Ransom, and Journey Riv-er. The third child, Journey, was born after their separation.

“During their separation, Brian always hoped Megan would change her mind about the divorce and he is very hap-py that she did,” a source told the site.

Lawrence, Russell take a trip

down memory laneLos Angeles

Ac t re s s Je n n i f e r Lawrence and di-rector David O.

Russell have opened up about how she almost wasnt in two of his movies.

Speaking at the Tribe-ca Film Festival on Saturday, Russell said Lawrence was the last person cast in both their first movie together, “Sil-ver Linings Playbook”,

and their second, “American Hustle”, re-

ports variety.com.For “Silver Lin-ings.. .”, Russell

s a i d : “ W e thought

you were too young and there were other actresses in the front of the line who were close to getting the role.” As for “American Hustle”,

however, Lawrence was busy with o t h e r m ov i e s and “technically not available”.

“I called her up on her vaca-

tion and I said, ‘I feel like I would be remiss as your

friend if I did not give you one last chance to say no to this role,” he re-called.

David O. Russell

Halle Berry

Jennifer Lawrence

Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green

Chloe Grace Moretz

Zac Efron

Vardy double deals fresh blow to Arsenal’s Champions League hopesAFP | Leicester

Jamie Vardy scored twice as Arsenal’s hopes of Champi-

ons League football suffered another serious setback as fa-miliar failings saw the 10-man Gunners lose 3-0 at Leicester yesterday.

It was the third time in sev-en days that the north London side, once renowned for an im-pregnable defence, had con-ceded three goals following 3-2 and 3-1 Premier League league defeats by Crystal Palace and Wolves respectively.

Leicester’s Youri Tielemans opened the scoring at the King Power Stadium in the second half and Vardy netted twice for the Foxes after the visitors had defender Ainsley Mait-land-Niles dismissed for two bookable offences before half-time.

The winning goals, however, owed little to that dismissal.

Arsenal failed to stop James Maddison’s cross or mark Tielemans as he stole in to head home the first, then were embarrassingly outwitted by a goal-kick from which Vardy poached the second with the help of a rebound off the cross-bar.

Uphill battle It left Unai Emery’s men

facing an uphill battle to force their way back into the top four, although victory in the Europa League could also secure a Champions League place.

Three defeats in a row, how-ever, have left Emery with a clear picture of the failings that linger from Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Maddison had a curling shot from the edge of the Arsenal penalty area deflected wide early on before Tielemans vol-leyed off target from a similar position.

Arsenal had shown little at-tacking threat but, when Mad-dison squandered possession on 22 minutes, the Gunners built a quick counter-attack from which they could have opened the scoring.

P i e r r e - E m e r i c k Aubameyang’s smart turn and pass fed Alex Iwobi and his cross from the left found Alex-andre Lacazette, who volleyed wide under pressure from Har-ry Maguire.

At the other end, Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno made a superb save to push Wifred Ndidi’s header from a corner over the crossbar.

Then, 13 minutes from the interval, Arsenal were nearly undone by Marx Albrighton’s straightforward ball over the backline.

Vardy beat Sokratis to collect

it but lofted a shot over the bar.Suddenly, though, Leices-

ter were hit by a rapid coun-ter-attack from the visitors, ending with a neat pass from Aubameyang to Iwobi and a good, low save from Kasper Schmeichel to keep out his shot.

The encouragement was short-lived for the Gunners, however, as nine minutes from the break Maitland-Niles, who had already been booked for a barge on Ben Chilwell, went in late on Maddison and collected a second yellow card, followed by the inevitable red.

Arsenal avoided further damage in the final moments of the first half as Tielemans fed Vardy but his shot was well saved at the near post by Leno.

Despite Arsenal’s introduc-tion of an extra defender and Leicester’s of an extra forward at the interval, the opening moments of the second half brought an evenly-matched contest.

That was until the 59th min-ute, when poor defending al-lowed Leicester to take the lead.

Albrighton and Maddison were given time to exchange passes before Maddison deliv-ered a cross which Tielemans strolled in between Sokratis and Laurent Koscielny to head home with little resistance.

15

sports


Our game-plan was to be strong

and our defensive moments and in

attacking moments to take our chances attacking their back

fourUNAI EMERY

Thiem clinches Barca title• Nadal’s conqueror Thiem cruised to victory for his second title of the year, adding to his triumph in Indian Wells last month

• Dominic Thiem won his 13th ATP title

AFP | Barcelona

Dominic Thiem overpow-ered Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-0 yesterday to win

the Barcelona Open title, boost-ing his credentials as a potential Roland Garros champion.

A day after knocking out 11-time Barcelona winner Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, the third-seeded Austrian claimed his second title in four events after beating Roger Federer at

Indian Wells last month.He is also the first Austrian

to take the Barcelona title since

Thomas Muster in 1996.“It’s such an honour to win

here, only the biggest champions

have done it,” said 25-year-old Thiem.

“I’m so happy and proud to join Muster here, now my name is on the trophy.”

Thiem hoisted the weighty 13-kilogram golden trophy in tri-umph in front of a full stadium on a cloudy, chilly day at a venue named for Nadal.

He has now reinforced his claim for a possible French Open title after losing the Paris final a year ago to Nadal.

Thiem needed just 73 min-utes to earn victory over his sev-

enth-seeded Russian opponent, who needed treatment on his shoulder late in the first set.

The Austrian got off to a slow start, losing his first serve, but made up for lost time by break-ing Medvedev twice in the first set before completely dominat-ing the second.

“I had troubles at the start,” Thiem said. “My slice was not working and he does not miss.

“My slice got better but I had to turn defence into offence, that was my only chance. He’s diffi-cult to play, dangerous from the baseline.

“There were a lot of long, tough rallies in the first set, I’m really happy I made it.”

Thiem will now have a few days off prior to the start of the next big date of the pre-Roland Garros calendar, the Madrid Masters.

The Austrian now owns 13 ATP titles and nine on clay, his favourite surface.

Austria’s Dominic Thiem returns the ball to Russia’s Daniil Medvedev

Dominic Thiem won his ATP Tour title on clay

KNOW WHAT

Jamie Vardy scores Leicester’s third goal against a demoralised Arsenal

Ritz-Carlton retains tournament title

TDT | Manama

The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain re-tained the title of eighth the

Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Inter-Ho-tel Charity Cricket Tournament 2019 with a thrashing win over Lagoon Beach Resort.

In the final match played between The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain and Lagoona Beach Resort & Spa Bahrain, batting

first Lagoona posted a 1st in-nings score of 62/2 in 6 overs with Swapnil scoring 26 not out from 15 balls and Ashish scoring 13 from 6 balls. Luqman and Adnan of The Ritz-Carl-ton Bahrain claimed 1 wicket each conceding 9 and 10 runs respectively.

In return, The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain chased the target in 5.3 overs for the loss of 2 wick-

ets. Salman scored 18 runs not out from 13 balls and Attiq who scored 24 not out from 10 balls was awarded man of the match. Younis and Iftiqar of Lagoona beach claimed 1 wicket each conceding 14 runs.

US$ 10,000 was raised from the charity tournament and will be donated to “Alia for early intervention”.

The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain team members celebrate the victory

Tight victory for Team Leah in FCTG tennis TDT | Manama

Team Leah defeated Team Alya 3-2 in division one

of the 15th FCTG Team Tennis Tournament, being held at Bah-rain Tennis Federation courts in Isa Town.

The tournament is sponsored by Grand Safir Hotel Bahrain and organized by Filipino Club Tennis Group (FCTG). Leah and Lloyd from Team Leah took the first win by walk over.

Alya and Bader from Team Alya scored 2-6, 6-4, 10-6 hard earned victory against Jerry and Nely to level the match at 1-1. Team Leah took the lead 2-1 when Chris and Felix de-feated Rawan and Mohammed 7-5, 6-7, 10-7.

Team Alya clawed its way back as Eyad and A.Ghaffar scored 6-2, 6-2 against Sheila

and Bushra levelling the match to 2-2.

In the decisive fifth match, Bon and Lito scored an all-im-portant 6-4, 4-6, 10-4 tight vic-tory against Enkhee and Ali to secure a 3-2 victory for Team Leah.

In Division One, Team Mundeng scored 4-1 win against Team Omar with Gierome and Manny earning 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ed and Raul then Romy and James double the lead with 7-6, 6-4 win over Omar and An-

gelito. Ferdie and Dan defeated Nilo and Pio 5-7, 6-3, 10-7. Greg and Edwin made it 4-0 after winning against Faro and Ace 0-6, 6-2, 10-5.

Renato and Jay-ar from Team Omar won a consolation victory against Mundeng and Bong 6-4, 6-7, 10-6.

Other ResultsDivision One: Team Viomel

beat Team Manny 3-2, Team Randy beat Team Roni 4-1, Team Vineeth beat Team Ald-win 3-2

Division 2 players Bon, Lito, Enkhee and Ali

Indian Club set to organize Ramadan Cricket TournamentTDT | Manama

The Indian Club is set t o o r g a n i s e R a m -

adan 7-A- Side Softball Cricket Festival at it ’s premises in Gudaibiya from 18th May to 22nd June.

This year’s tournament is expected to attract a good number of entries as teams vie not only for the trophies and cash prizes on offer, but also the glory and bragging rights of coming out on top in India’s no 1 sport.

Entries are invited for Men’s Open category. Each team will be allowed a squad of 9 players, with 7 taking the field for each match. En-try forms are available at the Club Reception & the last date for registration is 12th May.

The club has announced that the number of entries will be limited.

Aguero inches City closer to titleAFP | Burnley, United Kingdom

Sergio Aguero’s 20th Premier League goal of the season left

Manchester City just two wins from the title after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor yesterday.

Aguero, who has now scored nine times in his past eight appearances against Burnley, struck in the 63rd minute, with a shot that only just crossed the line despite the best efforts of defender Matt Lowton to keep it out, although goal-line technolo-gy was needed to award the goal.

The win takes City on to 92 points, one ahead of Liverpool, with two games to play.

Victories at home to Leicester a week on Monday, and away at Brighton the following Sunday will see Pep Guardiola’s side re-tain their English title.

For the first time in months, City’s elimination from the Champions League means they will crucially have a free mid-week to prepare for those key matches.

By contrast, Liverpool must travel to Newcastle next week-end, either side of the two legs of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, be-fore hosting Wolves on May 12.

City have now won 12 con-secutive Premier League games but they had to work to main-tain their composure against the Clarets.

Heaton frustrates City Guardiola’s side enjoyed the

bulk of possession, but found creating clear chances difficult. When they did, Burnley goal-keeper Tom Heaton was in ex-cellent form.

Heaton, a former Manches-

ter United reserve, made two excellent saves in the opening minutes of the second half. He was alert at his near post to beat

away Aguero’s shot, after Ra-heem Sterling’s neat flick had created the opening, before beat-ing out Bernardo Silva’s snap shot at the end of a goalmouth scramble.

Sean Dyche’s side knew before kick-off they were mathemati-cally certain of Premier League survival, yet played as if they too were fighting for the title.

Burnley even caused City the occasional first-half problem.

Jack Cork chested down a ball on the edge of the penalty area and then hit a shot that struck visiting captain Vincent Kom-pany full in the face.

As the home fans appealed for handball and screamed for a penalty, referee Paul Tierney put his whistle to his lips as if

considering awarding one. Tel-evision replays, though, showed he was right not to.

The Clarets’ best opening fell to Chris Wood, who was left to rue a poor first touch that denied him his big moment.

Played through by Jeff Hen-drick, the New Zealand forward allowed the ball to squirt away, and Ederson was bravely out at his feet to smother.

At times, City’s frustration threatened to boil over.

In the closing moments of the first half, Aguero over-hit a pass down the left for Leroy Sane, resulting in the ball rolling out of play, and the German re-sponded by turning to his team-mate and flinging his arms out in despair.

Eventually, though, City’s pa-tience was rewarded. Bernardo Silva’s low ball into the middle found Aguero, who, with his back to goal and minimal space to work with, managed to fash-ion a shot that beat Heaton.

Lowton, on the line, looked to have blocked the shot with his chest, but the ball looped up and just crossed the line before he could recover to clear it.

If City were hoping that goal would provide the platform for a comfortable final half-hour, though, they were to be disap-pointed as Burnley continued to give everything.

Few players were more com-mitted than Burnley’s Ben Mee, the boyhood City fan who used to captain their youth team.

He produced an extraordinary goal-line clearance to deny the visitors a second goal, stretching to hook the ball clear after sub-stitute Gabriel Jesus collected Kyle Walker’s crossfield pass, and had gone round Heaton to shoot towards what he thought was an empty net.

After that, City were content to run down the clock as they kept their cool to leave their northwest rivals with all three points.


English Premiere LeagueLeicester City 3 - 0 Arsenal

Burnley 0 - 1 Manchester City

Manchester United 1 - 0 Chelsea

Italian Serie AFrosinone 0 - 2 Napoli

Chievo 1 - 1 Parma

SPAL 1 - 1 Genoa

Sampdoria 0 - 0 Lazio

German BundesligaTSG 1899 Hoffenheim 1 - 4 VfL Wolfsburg

1. FC Nürnberg 0 - 0 Bayern Munich

Spanish La LigaValencia CF 0 - 1 Eibar

Girona 1 - 0 Sevilla

Real Sociedad 2 - 0 Getafe

French Ligue 1Amiens 0 - 0 Strasbourg

Angers 1 - 1 Reims

Caen 1 - 0 Dijon

Lille 5 - 0 Nîmes

Nice 3 - 0 Guingamp

St Etienne 2 - 0 Toulouse

*Scores as of closing

City have now won 12 consecutive Premier

League games but they had to work to main-tain their composure

against the Clarets

KNOW WHAT

Bottas claims Azerbaijan GP• ‘Proud’ Valtteri Bottas wins as Mercedes sweep home one-two again

• Fourth successive Mercedes 1-2 as they dominate in Baku

• Vettel third for Ferrari, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fourth

AFP | Baku, Azerbaijan

A determined Valtteri Bottas re-sisted an attacking final charge by his Mercedes team-mate

Lewis Hamilton to win yesterday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix and regain the lead in the 2019 drivers title race.

In a thrilling, closely-fought and dramatic race, the Finn came home 1.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton as Mercedes swept to a fourth successive season-opening one-two finish, the first team to do so since Ferrari in 1952.

It was Bottas’ second win this year and delivered some redemption after leading last year on the streets of Baku until his car suffered a puncture with three laps remaining.

“Yes, ha!” said the delighted Bot-tas. “Amazing job guys -- really, really strong. I am so proud to be part of this team.”

The two Mercedes men came home ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, Max Verstappen who was fourth for Red Bull and, after a storming effort,

Ferrari new boy Charles Leclerc, who started eighth on the grid and scored the fastest lap after a late pit stop.

“We are all performing really, really well,” said Bottas of the Mercedes team. “It was a tough race even though not that much was happening. Lewis put on pressure, but it was under control.”

His fifth win lifted him one point clear of Hamilton in the embryonic championship courtesy of his fastest lap in Australia. Bottas has 87 points, Hamilton 86 and Vettel has 52.

“Congratulations to Valtteri – he

drove a fantastic race, made no mistakes and deserved the win,” said defending five-time champion Hamilton.

“It was all lost in qualifying (for me), but it’s great for the team – the best start we’ve ever had.”

Vettel said: “There’s plenty of work for us to do, but at this point I think we need to maximise what we can. I think we had some pace, but we had to keep an eye on Max behind.”

On a clear blue-skied afternoon by the Caspian sea, Bottas, on pole for the eighth time, made a clean start and

held on as Hamilton, who had an even quicker getaway, drew alongside. The Finn, on the cleaner line, held on and rebuffed Hamilton twice more before the champion relented.

- Vettel in pursuit -Vettel stayed third, but his Ferrari

team-mate Leclerc climbed from 10th, having started eighth, to fifth by the end of lap eight. On lap 10, he passed Verstappen with aplomb at Turn One to go fourth behind Vettel.

The Racing Point team began the pit stops, followed by Daniel Ricciardo’s

Renault and then Vettel, attempting an under-cut for Ferrari, with a stop in 2.4 seconds.

Bottas responded by pitting in 2.8, after 12 laps, to leave Hamilton leading Leclerc by just four seconds. Bottas rejoined fourth behind Verstappen.

Hamilton came in after 13 laps as Leclerc passed to lead with Verstap-pen second and Bottas third. Hamilton rejoined fourth, two seconds clear of Vettel, thus negating the German’s ear-lier stop.

By lap 30, the top trio were separated by just 2.5 second, Hamilton closing on Bottas as Leclerc clung on.

On lap 32, Bottas dived past Leclerc to regain the lead while Ricciardo failed in a lunge on Kvyat at Turn Three where both ran off. The Australian then re-versed into the Russian’s Toro Rosso car causing both to retire.

Hamilton followed Bottas past Le-clerc on lap 33 and soon afterwards Vet-tel also went by. Finally, Leclerc pitted for fresh tyres after lap 35 and rejoined sixth, Ferrari having explained that an earlier stop was unworkable because the softer tyres would not last.

All this left Leclerc, who swiftly passed Gasly, more than 21 seconds adrift of Verstappen with 14 laps re-maining while the Mercedes duo set the pace with Vettel, third, in pursuit.

Gasly then slowed into a slip road to retire with a power failure, prompting the use of a brief Virtual Safety Car period that ended with Bottas pulling three seconds clear of Hamilton and Vettel closing up in a final five-lap dash to the flag.

Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas steers his car during the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Manchester City’s Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero (C) scores the opening goal