FACEBOOK /nobmedia [email protected] ......Khalifa, Dr Farid bin Yaqoob Al Meftah,...

Traditional values are underpinned by Islamic principles: Crown Prince

TDT | Manama

Bahrain’s traditional values are underpinned by Islam-

ic principles, said HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Su-preme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.

“These values remain at the centre of all development ef-forts, led by HM King Ham-ad,” said HRH CP during a visit yesterday evening to the Majlis of HH Shaikh Hamad bin Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The Crown Prince high-lighted the important role Majlises play in strengthening social connections. HH Shaikh

Hamad bin Mohamed bin Sal-man Al Khalifa expressed his gratitude for HRH the Crown Prince’s visit.

HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa accom-panied His Royal Highness during his majlis visit.

03 Ramadan without waste

04 Iran-backed terrorism

05 Britain bets on baby names

8

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NMS - DPS celebrates English WeekThe New MillenniumSchool, DPS Bahraincelebrated the ‘Eng-lish Week’ from 22nd April to 25th April 2019 with great ebul-lience.| P13

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200 FILS ISSUE NO. 8105

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No change in Qatar stance• HRH PM’s phone call to Qatari Amir focused on the social dimensions only: Premier’s court

TDT | Manama

HRH the Premier’s phone call to Qatari Amir was for exchanging Rama-

dan wishes and it doesn’t signal any change in Bahrain’s politi-cal stance, confirmed HRH the Premier’s Court yesterday.

“The phone call which was held between His Royal High-ness the Premier and the Amir of Qatar was restricted to ex-changing congratulations on the advent of the Holy Month of Ramadan,” said a statement published by Bahrain News Agency (BNA). The call by the Prime Minister HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa to Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to exchange

wishes on the first day of the Holy Month is a common tra-dition among GCC countries.

The rare exchange amid a two-year embargo “does not affect Bahrain’s commitment alongside Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to the implementation of the 2013 and 2014 agreements to which Doha had committed itself and the subsequent fair demands,” clarified the Minis-ter of Cabinet Affairs Moham-med bin Ibrahim Al Mutawa in a separate statement.

“There is no iota of truth to

the claims posted by social me-dia and their allegations about the statement are not in any way related to the reality on the ground,” Al Mutawa said adding: “Social media inter-pretation of his statement on BNA was incompatible with the facts.” The minister also af-firmed that ‘the phone call be-tween His Royal Highness the Prime Minister and the Amir of Qatar does not represent the official position of the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

The minister said this state-ment was made to clarify the official position of Bahrain and to stress the Kingdom’s com-mitments alongside Saudi Ara-bia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt vis-s-vis the need for Qatar to honour the pledges it made in 2013 and 2014.

The agreement contains commitments for signatories not to support terrorism or in-terfere in the internal affairs of other Gulf states.

Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Mutawa

US sending B-52s to ME against Iran ‘threat’ Washington, United States

The US Air Force is de-ploying massive B-52

Stratofortress bombers to the Gulf in response to an alleged possible plan by Iran to attack American forces in the region, the Pentagon said yesterday.

The US move comes in response to intelligence about a threat orchestrated by Iran, officials said.

HRH Crown Prince during a visit to the Majlis of HH Shaikh Hamad

Traditional values are underpinned by Islamic principles

and remain at the center of all

development effortsHRH CROWN PRINCE

02WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

Holy Quran Grand Prix concluding ceremony on May 13TDT | Manama

The Ministry of Justice, Is-lamic Affairs and Endow-

ments and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs will organise the concluding ceremony of the 24th edition of the Bahrain Holy Quran Grand Prix on May 13 at Ahmed Al Fateh Islamic Centre,

after Taraweeh Prayer.The ceremony will be held

under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Dr Farid bin Yaqoob Al Meftah, Undersecretary, Min-istry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, said.

Dr Al Meftah said the royal patronage of the prize over 24

years reflects HM the King’s keenness on serving the Holy Quran and promoting its teach-ings and values in the commu-nity.

He lauded the pioneering role of the prize’s founder late Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Khalifa in developing the com-petition.

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena receiving the credentials of Ambassador Abdulrahman Mohammed Al-Qaud as Ambassador of Bahrain to Sri Lanka, residing in New Delhi. The ambassador reaffirmed Bahrain’s solidarity with Sri Lanka in the recent heinous terrorist attacks, reiterating the Kingdom’s unequivocal position against all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism

Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa signing the logbook of congratulations on Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito’s accession to the throne at the Japanese Embassy in Bahrain. On this special occasion, the minister extended his profound congratulations to the Government of Japan, affirming the Kingdom of Bahrain’s pride in the distinguished relations between the two countries

Bahrain’s Ambassador to Turkey, Dr Ibrahim Yusuf Al-Abdullah taking part in the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum, organised by the Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) Working Group in Ankara. The ambassador delivered a speech in which he valued the role of the FTF Working Group and its members from Turkey, Netherlands, and Kuwait, to reintegrate terrorists and their families in their countries. He also affirmed that all religions reject all forms of violence, terrorism and extremism, calling for stronger international efforts to eradicate this scourge

Information Minister Ali bin Mohammed Al Romaihi receiving Diyar Al Muharraq Chief Executive Dr Maher Al Shaer. They discussed ways of boosting cooperation regarding many projects and proposals aimed at promoting the national media.

The Indian Community Relief Fund (ICRF) has organised a farewell meeting for its member Satheendran who is preparing to relocate to his hometown in India after 37 years of working in Bahrain. Satheendran has been closely involved in ICRF’s activities since in the inception and has served the organisation in various capacities. The farewell event was held on 6 May 2019 at the Indian Embassy premises in Seef. In appreciation of his invaluable support to ICRF, a memento was presented to Satheendran by P K Chowdhury, Second Secretary (Consular) at the Indian Embassy in the presence of ICRF Chairman Aruldas Thomas, ICRF Vice Chairman Dr Babu Ramadhandran, ICRF General Secretary John Philip and other ICRF members.

Members of the Board of Trustees of AlMabarrah AlKhalifia Foundation (MKF), headed by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Her Highness Shaikha Zain bint Khalid Al-Khalifa, with the German Ambassador to Bahrain Kai Boeckmann. The ambassador and his spouse Samira Rofa were briefed about MKF’s programmes, objectives and activities, as well as the most important initiatives achieved by the Foundation since its establishment. The two parties also discussed means of cooperation, as well as utilising and activating these means to benefit the students of the foundation

D T N _ 0 3 _ 0 3 0 8 2 0 1 8 . p d f

03

big story

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

For a Ramadan without waste

TDT | ManamaMohammed Zafran

Cleaning companies were placed on high alert in Bahrain in a bid to keep

the Kingdom clean during the Holy Month of Ramadan, ac-cording to work ministry offi-cials.

Waste management com-panies were ordered to dou-ble their efforts and prepa-rations, especially for food distribution places such as mosques.

“We need to double our cleaning efforts, as changes in work timings, habits as well as food distribution practices during Ramadan could result in the production of a higher amount of food waste,” said Nabil Mohammed Abu El Fath, Undersecretary Municipalities

Affairs. The decisions were taken dur-

ing a recent meeting held by the Ministry of works, Municipal-ities Affairs & Urban Planning with cleaning company repre-sentatives.

“Increased attention may be required in many places includ-ing places of food distribution such as mosques,” El Fath told the cleaning companies.

He also praised their efforts and successful cooperation among the two companies over the years.

The meeting was attended by Ministry of Works, Municipali-ties Affairs and Urban Planning, Assistant Undersecretary for Joint Municipal Services Wael Al Mubarak, and Bob Doig, a waste management adviser with the Ministry of Works, Munici-palities Affairs and Urban Plan-

ning and Estidama - a waste management centre which comes under the Ministry the Municipal Affairs.

Traffic planDirector-General of Traffic

Brigadier Shaikh Abdulrahman

bin Abdulwahab Al Khalifa said the government has developed a special traffic campaign for Ram-adan. The plan, he said, ensures more traffic patrol presence on certain roads and intersections.

“Special attention will be en-sured during evening hours at

important bridges,” he said.He also called on the public

to refrain from parking illegally near mosques and violating laws.

A warning was also issued against obstructing traffic, speeding and ignoring red light during Iftar time or engaging in

any other practices that would put lives in danger.

Special care for mosquesThe Southern Municipality

said they have special clean-ing programmes in place for mosques during the Holy Month considering the increase in the number of worshippers during the period.

The civic body also said they will implement special cleaning programmes to keep the streets clean in the municipality.

Work timeThe Parliament has requested

the government to reduce the work time for government offic-es to four and a half hours during the Holy Month. According to a proposal by the MPs, the work time for the government should be from 8:30 to 1:00 pm.

Special planning for cleaning at mosque premises

Nabil Mohammed Abu El Fath, Undersecretary Municipalities Affairs, (left) and Wael Al Mubarak (far right) with a senior official from a cleaning company

A tailored traffic plan is being implemented during Ramadan

Cleaning taking place

Arsonists lose appealTDT | Manama

The Court of Cassation has rejected the appeals of two

men who were found guilty, along with six others including a minor, for attacking police-men using Molotov cocktails and torching a police patrol vehicle.

The defendants were sen-tenced to seven years in jail and ordered to pay BD14, 000 as compensation for the vehicle they have burnt. The minor was jailed for three years.

According to court files, the incident occurred on 30 Janu-ary 2017 on Shaikh Zayed High-way near Aali. Records say, the defendants gathered there and

attacked a police patrol vehicle stationed there using Molotov cocktails.

The ensuing investigation led to the arrest of two of the defendants, who revealed the identities of others involved.

Public Prosecution accused them of arson, endangering people’s lives and damaging the vehicle belonged to Interior Ministry and serving terrorist purposes.

They were also accused of partaking in an illegal gathering to hinder public order.

Man sentenced in absentia caught after nine years TDT | Manama

A Bahraini drug trafficker, who managed to escape af-

ter spending nine years in the captivity of Iranian drugs lords, had a shock of his life when he landed in jail after returning to the Kingdom.

The man, according to his lawyer Abdulrahman Ghunaim, was unaware of the case regis-tered against him in the king-dom.

His gang was busted in a

police operation back in 2009 during an attempt to smuggle 50 kilograms of hashish into the Kingdom from Iran by sea.

The Bahraini man was tried in absentia, said lawyer Ab-dulrahman Ghunaim, who had filed an appeal against the ver-dict.

Ghunaim informed the court that his client was kept as a hos-tage by the drug lords in Iran to persuade his fellow gang mem-bers to smuggle Hashish into

Bahrain.The attempt, however, was

foiled by the Bahraini author-ities who arrested all those in-volved.

Following a trial, they were awarded jail terms varying be-tween three years and life in prison.

Nine years later, in 2018, the Iranian captivators finally re-leased the defendant.

The case is now being heard by the High Criminal Court.

The defendants were sentenced to seven

years in jail and ordered to pay BD14, 000 as compensation

for the vehicle they have burnt. The minor

was jailed for three years.


It’s now a lot riskier to do business with

Iran as the IRGC has permeated

all aspects of the Iranian economy. It operates front

companies around the world

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE NATHAN SALES

COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERROR-ISM AT THE STATE DEPARTMEN

We are not going to have peace or

stability or security in the Middle East

without weakening the Revolutionary

Guards

BRIAN HOOK

US SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAN AND SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR TO

THE SECRETARY OF STATE

Kerala Engineers Forum (KEEN4) organised “Kishore Kumar Musical night “ at Marmaris Hall, Salmaniya on 3 May 2019, as part of its Grand Finale to the activities of the 2018-19 executive committee headed by Wilson Lazar as President and Vinodkar Satish as the General Secretary and Vice President Vinod Das. Well known and award-winning singer, actress Mamta Mohandas was the chief guest of the event. Over 450 members including their families attended the event. The audience was treated to over 3 hours of non-stop music by singers. Mamta interacted with the audience and entertained the guests with her melodious singing. This was followed by dinner for all the guests. KEEN4 is one of the largest fraternities of Engineers in the Kingdom of Bahrain affiliated to Bahrain Society of Engineers. More than 1000 professionals occupying key positions in the Kingdom are members of KEEN4.

US calls for collaborative effort in GCC against Iran • US designates Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation

• IRGC has permeated all aspects of the Iranian economy

TDT/Manama

Harpreet Kaur

The US has called for a collaborative effort in GCC to fight terrorist or-

ganisation and to counter Iran-backed terrorism around the world.

A telephonic press briefing was held from the US Europe-an Media Hub in Brussels to discuss the US intent to desig-nate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its Qods Force, as a Foreign Ter-rorist Organisation (FTO) under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The speakers Brian Hook, US Special Representative for Iran and Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State, and Ambas-sador-at-Large Nathan Sales, Coordinator for Counterter-rorism at the State Department focused and discussed on the US designation of IRGC, as a foreign terrorist organisation and called for a collaborative effort from all GCC countries to reject organi-sations that foster terrorism.

Speaking to the press, Ambas-sador-at-Large Nathan Sales, Coordinator for Counterter-rorism at the State Department stated, “There’s no question that Iran acting through its IRGC is a threat to those countries in the region. That’s one of the prin-

cipal reasons why the Secretary has decided to designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist or-ganisation. Doing so enables us to more aggressively cut off the flow of money into the IRGC’s coffers.”

“This designation allows us to do is increase the financial pres-sure on the IRGC and deprive it of resources.”

“It’s now a lot riskier to do business with Iran as the IRGC has permeated all aspects of the Iranian economy. It oper-ates front companies around the

world. It’s now a federal crime to provide material support to the IRGC.”

“So any company that is con-sidering doing business with Iran should take very seriously the risk that in so doing it will be providing material support to the IRGC and potentially incur-ring federal criminal liability. In addition, there are immigration consequences to this designa-tion. People who provide mate-rial support or resources to the IRGC will no longer be admissi-ble to the United States.”

“We’ll be able to keep them out of our country, stop them from coming here to raise mon-ey for the IRGC or to commit other malign acts while here in the United States.”

“Well, we think countries have a choice to make. They can engage with Iran and take the consequences that follow, or they can engage with the United States and our allies and take the beneficial consequences that follow. As if you look at all the countries in the Middle East where Iran is active, and they all have something in common,” Nathan Sales added.

Brian Hook, US Special Rep-resentative for Iran and Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State further commented, “The IRGC is a terrorist organ-isation and has killed over 600 American soldiers in Iraq alone. That doesn’t include Lebanon and other countries thus we are not going to have peace or stability or security in the Mid-dle East without weakening the Revolutionary Guards.”

“They regularly threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz, they threaten and execute terrorism in Europe, Argentina, Asia, the Middle East. This is what they do for a living. It is identical to a deeply corrupt Mafia.”

“And I think Europe and our European allies understand that Iran has been able to leverage the Iran Nuclear Deal to ex-pand its ballistic missile testing, and that’s because the Iran Nu-clear Deal ended the prohibi-tion on Iran’s ballistic missile testing.”

“Thus, there is no better path to support the Iranian people than to pressure the regime from outside and to drive up the costs of its internal repression and its external terrorism.”

April was warmer than normal

TDT | Manama

April was slightly warmer than normal this year in the King-dom, according to newly released met data.

April is considered as transitional season period from winter to summer which usually associated with unsettled weather known locally as (Al-Sarrayat) which extends up to mid-May.

Northwesterly to Northerly winds accounted for 48 per cent of the observation. Easterly winds accounted 16pc of the observation with gusts reaching 48 knots on the 12th April at Bahrain International Airport.

Blowing dust reported on the first April. Visibility dropped to 1000 meters at Bahrain International Airport.

Mean temperature The mean temperature, according to the Meteorological

Directorate, of the month was 25.5 C which is 0.5 C above the long-term normal for April.

The highest mean monthly temperature ever recorded in Bahrain for April was 27.6 C which occurred in April 2017.

The mean maximum temperature of the month was 29.8 C which is 0.7 C above the long-term normal.

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 37.9 C which occurred on the 17th April at Bahrain International Airport.

Lowest 19.1 CThe mean minimum temperature of the month was 22.5 C

which is 1.0 C above the long-term normal. The lowest tem-perature recorded was 19.1 C set on the 13th April at Bahrain International Airport but recorded 17.2 C on the 23rd April at Durrat Al Bahrain.

The mean relative humidity for April was 54 per cent whereas the mean maximum relative humidity was 72pc and the mean minimum relative humidity was 33pc.

Six rainy daysThe month was wet with 6 rainy days, accumulating 31.3 mm

of precipitation at Bahrain International Airport. This goes on record as the fifth highest monthly total Pre-

cipitation for April at Bahrain International Airport since 1902 and 3 times more than the long-term normal for April which is 10.0 mm.

The highest monthly total rainfall recorded in April was 69.9 mm which occurred in April 1961.

Thunderstorms Thunderstorms occurred on 8 days. Heavy rain showers

associated with thunderstorm were reported at Bahrain In-ternational Airport on the 13th April accumulating daily total precipitation of 26.5 mm and this goes on record as the fourth highest daily total of Precipitation since 1948.

The highest daily total of precipitation for April was 63.1 mm which occurred on 7th April 1961 at Bahrain International Air-port. Trace amounts were recorded on the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 12th, 21st and 27th April 2019.

The total precipitation recorded for April 2019 at King Fahd Causeway was 66.8 mm whereas the total precipitation at Bah-rain International Circuit was 38.0 mm, at Durrat Al Bahrain was 26.4 mm and at Sitra island was 23.0 mm.

Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS) held an awareness-raising workshop “let’s say No-Tobacco” for intermediate students of Awal Boys School. The objective of this workshop was to reduce access to tobacco products amongst youngsters and create awareness in youth regarding the harmful effects of tobacco products and its complications to the life of oneself and others. The workshop coincides with World No Tobacco Day on 31 May


It’s now a lot riskier to do business with

Iran as the IRGC has permeated

all aspects of the Iranian economy. It operates front

companies around the world

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE NATHAN SALES

COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERROR-ISM AT THE STATE DEPARTMEN

We are not going to have peace or

stability or security in the Middle East

without weakening the Revolutionary

Guards

BRIAN HOOK

US SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR IRAN AND SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR TO

THE SECRETARY OF STATE

Kerala Engineers Forum (KEEN4) organised “Kishore Kumar Musical night “ at Marmaris Hall, Salmaniya on 3 May 2019, as part of its Grand Finale to the activities of the 2018-19 executive committee headed by Wilson Lazar as President and Vinodkar Satish as the General Secretary and Vice President Vinod Das. Well known and award-winning singer, actress Mamta Mohandas was the chief guest of the event. Over 450 members including their families attended the event. The audience was treated to over 3 hours of non-stop music by singers. Mamta interacted with the audience and entertained the guests with her melodious singing. This was followed by dinner for all the guests. KEEN4 is one of the largest fraternities of Engineers in the Kingdom of Bahrain affiliated to Bahrain Society of Engineers. More than 1000 professionals occupying key positions in the Kingdom are members of KEEN4.

US calls for collaborative effort in GCC against Iran • US designates Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation

• IRGC has permeated all aspects of the Iranian economy

TDT/Manama

Harpreet Kaur

The US has called for a collaborative effort in GCC to fight terrorist or-

ganisation and to counter Iran-backed terrorism around the world.

A telephonic press briefing was held from the US Europe-an Media Hub in Brussels to discuss the US intent to desig-nate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its Qods Force, as a Foreign Ter-rorist Organisation (FTO) under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The speakers Brian Hook, US Special Representative for Iran and Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State, and Ambas-sador-at-Large Nathan Sales, Coordinator for Counterter-rorism at the State Department focused and discussed on the US designation of IRGC, as a foreign terrorist organisation and called for a collaborative effort from all GCC countries to reject organi-sations that foster terrorism.

Speaking to the press, Ambas-sador-at-Large Nathan Sales, Coordinator for Counterter-rorism at the State Department stated, “There’s no question that Iran acting through its IRGC is a threat to those countries in the region. That’s one of the prin-

cipal reasons why the Secretary has decided to designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist or-ganisation. Doing so enables us to more aggressively cut off the flow of money into the IRGC’s coffers.”

“This designation allows us to do is increase the financial pres-sure on the IRGC and deprive it of resources.”

“It’s now a lot riskier to do business with Iran as the IRGC has permeated all aspects of the Iranian economy. It oper-ates front companies around the

world. It’s now a federal crime to provide material support to the IRGC.”

“So any company that is con-sidering doing business with Iran should take very seriously the risk that in so doing it will be providing material support to the IRGC and potentially incur-ring federal criminal liability. In addition, there are immigration consequences to this designa-tion. People who provide mate-rial support or resources to the IRGC will no longer be admissi-ble to the United States.”

“We’ll be able to keep them out of our country, stop them from coming here to raise mon-ey for the IRGC or to commit other malign acts while here in the United States.”

“Well, we think countries have a choice to make. They can engage with Iran and take the consequences that follow, or they can engage with the United States and our allies and take the beneficial consequences that follow. As if you look at all the countries in the Middle East where Iran is active, and they all have something in common,” Nathan Sales added.

Brian Hook, US Special Rep-resentative for Iran and Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State further commented, “The IRGC is a terrorist organ-isation and has killed over 600 American soldiers in Iraq alone. That doesn’t include Lebanon and other countries thus we are not going to have peace or stability or security in the Mid-dle East without weakening the Revolutionary Guards.”

“They regularly threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz, they threaten and execute terrorism in Europe, Argentina, Asia, the Middle East. This is what they do for a living. It is identical to a deeply corrupt Mafia.”

“And I think Europe and our European allies understand that Iran has been able to leverage the Iran Nuclear Deal to ex-pand its ballistic missile testing, and that’s because the Iran Nu-clear Deal ended the prohibi-tion on Iran’s ballistic missile testing.”

“Thus, there is no better path to support the Iranian people than to pressure the regime from outside and to drive up the costs of its internal repression and its external terrorism.”

April was warmer than normal

TDT | Manama

April was slightly warmer than normal this year in the King-dom, according to newly released met data.

April is considered as transitional season period from winter to summer which usually associated with unsettled weather known locally as (Al-Sarrayat) which extends up to mid-May.

Northwesterly to Northerly winds accounted for 48 per cent of the observation. Easterly winds accounted 16pc of the observation with gusts reaching 48 knots on the 12th April at Bahrain International Airport.

Blowing dust reported on the first April. Visibility dropped to 1000 meters at Bahrain International Airport.

Mean temperature The mean temperature, according to the Meteorological

Directorate, of the month was 25.5 C which is 0.5 C above the long-term normal for April.

The highest mean monthly temperature ever recorded in Bahrain for April was 27.6 C which occurred in April 2017.

The mean maximum temperature of the month was 29.8 C which is 0.7 C above the long-term normal.

The highest temperature recorded during the month was 37.9 C which occurred on the 17th April at Bahrain International Airport.

Lowest 19.1 CThe mean minimum temperature of the month was 22.5 C

which is 1.0 C above the long-term normal. The lowest tem-perature recorded was 19.1 C set on the 13th April at Bahrain International Airport but recorded 17.2 C on the 23rd April at Durrat Al Bahrain.

The mean relative humidity for April was 54 per cent whereas the mean maximum relative humidity was 72pc and the mean minimum relative humidity was 33pc.

Six rainy daysThe month was wet with 6 rainy days, accumulating 31.3 mm

of precipitation at Bahrain International Airport. This goes on record as the fifth highest monthly total Pre-

cipitation for April at Bahrain International Airport since 1902 and 3 times more than the long-term normal for April which is 10.0 mm.

The highest monthly total rainfall recorded in April was 69.9 mm which occurred in April 1961.

Thunderstorms Thunderstorms occurred on 8 days. Heavy rain showers

associated with thunderstorm were reported at Bahrain In-ternational Airport on the 13th April accumulating daily total precipitation of 26.5 mm and this goes on record as the fourth highest daily total of Precipitation since 1948.

The highest daily total of precipitation for April was 63.1 mm which occurred on 7th April 1961 at Bahrain International Air-port. Trace amounts were recorded on the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 12th, 21st and 27th April 2019.

The total precipitation recorded for April 2019 at King Fahd Causeway was 66.8 mm whereas the total precipitation at Bah-rain International Circuit was 38.0 mm, at Durrat Al Bahrain was 26.4 mm and at Sitra island was 23.0 mm.

Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS) held an awareness-raising workshop “let’s say No-Tobacco” for intermediate students of Awal Boys School. The objective of this workshop was to reduce access to tobacco products amongst youngsters and create awareness in youth regarding the harmful effects of tobacco products and its complications to the life of oneself and others. The workshop coincides with World No Tobacco Day on 31 May

05

world


Britain bets on baby names• Harry on Monday announced the birth of the couple’s first -- a son

AFP | Windsor, United Kingdom

Thrilled Britons bet on baby names and congrat-ulations poured in yest-

serday after Prince Harry and Meghan welcomed the royal family’s first known mixed-race member.

Harry on Monday announced the birth of the couple’s first -- a son who will be seventh in the long line to the British throne.

“This little thing is absolutely to die for,” Harry, 34, said with a giggle, delighted but somewhat overwhelmed.

Harry “was so genuine,” re-marked Mark Schultz, 57, an American queuing outside Windsor Castle with his wife Jeanelle and other tourists on Tuesday.

“Any time there’s a royal baby it’s exciting, but Meghan, she’s

one of ours,” Jeanelle added.The world has been buzzing

about Britain’s royals ever since Meghan, a 37-year-old TV star with partial African American ancestry, infused the family with a hip new vibe.

Her fairytale wedding last May to Harry was attended by A-list celebrities, including family friends George and Amal Clooney, the heartthrob actor and the high-powered human right attorney.

Meghan and Harry have been busy ever since changing tradi-tions, bringing the dynasty more into line with modern tastes and that little bit closer to the people.

The American last year made waves in Britain by closing her own car door -- a task usually performed by aides.

The couple also announced the birth -- “It’s a BOY!” -- to their 6.4 million followers on Instagram.

But perhaps most importantly, Meghan decided to ignore past practice by keeping the birth pri-vate and well out of the prying media’s eyes.

The attempt appeared to only generate even more in-terest from the tabloids, which published screaming headlines about unconfirmed details on how the 7 pound, 3 ounce (3.26-kilogramme) came into the world.

Sunrise babyWith the birth being private,

most UK media assumed Mon-day that Meghan had opted for a home delivery.

Not so, said The Daily Mail, announcing that “overdue Meghan’s home birth dream was dashed as she was secretly whisked to a London hospital on Sunday by Harry and his Scot-land Yard security team”.

The Sun, a competing tab-loid, breathlessly reported that Meghan was a “week overdue” and ended up being secretly rushed to a £15,000-a-night ($20,000, 17,500-euro) London hospital before giving birth “at exactly sunrise”.

The Daily Mail countered that the birth came three minutes later.

‘Baby Sussex’Britain has a long and proud

tradition of betting on just about everything, and the new arrival had the bookies busy for months.

Some shops stopped taking punts on female names because everyone -- somewhat inexpli-cably, based on rumours and anonymous tips -- assumed that it would be a girl.

The odds changed radi-cally Monday, with Albert, Oliver, Edward, Henry and Charles all surging to the top.

UK royal names are normally chosen from a relatively restricted pool of those used by past kings and queens.

“Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to choose UNUSUAL name for baby that UNIFIES the US and UK,” The Daily Express wrote, sparking a wild guessing game on Twitter filled with puns and jokes.

For now, British television sta-tions refer to the new arrival as simply “Baby Sussex”.

Jassim Mohamed AlseddiqiChairman

This information has been extracted from the condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended 31 March 2019which were approved by the Board of Directors on 2 May 2019 and reviewed by KPMG Fakhro. Earnings per share is updated in the above information as compared to prior publication on 3 May 2019.

Sh. Ahmed Bin Isa Al KhalifaVice Chairman

Sattam Sulaiman AlgosaibiChief Executive Officer

www.khcbonline.comLicensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain as a Retail Islamic Bank

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONAs at 31 March 2019

31 March2019

(Reviewed)

31 December 2018

(Audited)

138,345116,026342,442173,248119,61612,47650,02518,0816,251

17,3037,751

99,40143,637

327,640161,324108,678

11,52550,03918,081

6,25116,498

7,865

850,939

158,349120,470

70,41641,357

10,512

401,104

346,373

105,0008,225

(11,295)(29)

(729)

101,172

2,290

850,9391,001,564

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT For the three months ended 31 March 2019

Three months ended31 March

2019(Reviewed)

Three months ended31 March

2018(Reviewed)

Income from equity securities

Income from placements with financial institutions

Fees and other incomeTotal income before return to investment account holders

Income from financing assests and assets acquired for leasing

Less: Return to investment account holders before Bank’s Share as Mudarib

Expense on placements from financial institutions, non-financial institutions and individuals

Return to investment account holders

Profit for the period before impairment allowances

Total income

Staff cost Other expensesTotal expenses

Impairment allowancesPROFIT FOR THE PERIOD

Attributable to:Shareholders of the parent

Basic and diluted earnings per share (fils)

Non-controlling interest

Earnings per share

6,222

(3,316)

2151,278

6898,413

(2,949)

(2,090)

4,265

1,5781,2562,834

1,431(631)800

820(20)

800

0.86

859

7,276706

2,370Income from sukuks9

676(14)

11,014

4,112

(5,490)

1,678961

2,639

1,473

150(1,323)

176

150

(26)

0.19

2,174

(1,600)(3,027)(458)Finance expense on medium-term borrowing (559)

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS For the three months ended 31 March 2019

31 March2019

(Reviewed)

31 March 2018

(Reviewed)

FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED 31 MARCH 2019All amounts are in BD 000’s

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY For the three months ended 31 March 2018

Equity attributable to shareholders of the parent

31 March 2018(Reviewed)

Sharecapital

Statutoryreserve

Treasuryshares

Employeeshare

incentivescheme

Retainedearnings/

(Accumulatedlosses)

Total Non-controlling

interest

Totalequity

Balance at 1 January 2018 (as previously reported)

Total recognised income and expense for the periodLoss of controlTransfer to Zakah fund

105,000

105,000--

-

-

8,159

--

-

8,159

-

(10,212)

(10,212)-

-

--

(70)

(70)

--

-

-

10,162

(552)(441)

(24)820

820

113,039

102,325(441)

(24)820

820

115,684

(441)(292)

800

800

104,682Balance at 31 March 2018

Profit for the period

2,645Impact of adopting FAS 30 - - - - (11,069) (11,069) (11,069)-Balance at 1 January 2018 (restated) 105,000 8,159 (10,212) (70) (907) 101,970 104,6152,645

2,357-

(268)(20)

(20)Purchase of treasury sharesTransfer to Zakah fund

Employee share incentive scheme

Non-controlling interest

Treasury sharesStatutory reserveShare capital

Accumulated losses

2,264

100,739

1,001,564

150,770109,53834,58764,22611,275

105,0008,225

(11,715)(29)

(742)

370,396

Bank’s Share as a Mudarib

698

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

(Payments for) / Receipts from assets acquired for leasing, net(Disbursements) / Receipts from financing assets, net

Income from short-term placements recievedReturns paid to investment account holders

Payment for expensesOther receipts Contributions paid to charitable organisations

Withdrawal from financial institutions, net(Withdrawal) / Placements from non-financial institutions, net

Withdrawal from customers’ current accounts, net

Net payment to CBB reserve accountFinance expense on placement paid

Net cash from / (used in) operating activities

INVESTING ACTIVITESPurchase of sukukProceed from redemption / sale of sukukDividend from equity securities receivedPurchase of property and equipmentNet cash (used in) / from investing activities

Net cash used in financing activities

FINANCING ACTIVITIESTreasury shares, netRepayment of medium-term borrowing

Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalentsCash and cash equivalents at beginning of the periodCash and cash equivalents at end of the period

Cash and cash equivalents comprise:Cash and bank balances (excluding CBB reserve)Placement with financial institutions

(7,330)

(193)

1,29520,157

215(2,641)

(2,332)

(561)

15,174(24,689)

(1,810)(1,600)2,449Income from sukuk received

(22,318)

(11,279)13,561

23

2,112

-(455)

(455)

(20,661)92,296

71,635

26,59145,04471,635

Employeeshare

incentivescheme

Treasuryshares

Statutoryreserve

Sharecapital

TotalEquity

Total Non-controlling

interest

31 March 2019Equity attributable to shareholders of the parent

(Reviewed)

105,000

---

105,000

-8,225

-8,225

---

(11,295)--

(420)-

(11,715)

(29)

(29)-

---

101,172

100,739(189)(420)176176

Accumulatedlosses

(729)

(742)(189)

-176176

2,290

2,264--

(26)(26)

103,462

103,003(189)(420)150150

Balance at 31 March 2019

Total Liabilities, equity of investment accountholders, owner’s equity and non-controlling interest

For the three months ended 31 March 2019

Investment in equity securitiesInvestment in real estate

Medium-term borrowing

Balance at 1 January 2019

Total recognised income and expense for the periodProfit for the period

Payment to / ( Withdrawal from) investment account holders, net

(10,625)(11,947)

706(3,160)

(1,456)714

(6,199)(1)(5)

(10,932)(2,975)(3,027)

128,074

(12,011)--

(26)

(12,037)

(349)

(7,679)

108,358121,161

229,519

114,550114,969

229,519

(7,580)

2,768

181,792 (28,672)

528,165

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY


The popcorn seller who built his own plane

AFP | Tabur, Pakistan

The engine is from a road-cutter, the wings are burlap, the wheels are

borrowed from a rickshaw: a popcorn seller has caught the at-tention of the Pakistan Air Force by building his own plane.

The tale of Muhammad Fayyaz has captured the hearts of many in a nation where millions, just like him, have limited access to education and are fighting for opportunities.

“I was literally in the air. I couldn’t feel anything else,” Fayyaz said of his first flight in a machine he learned to build mainly from viewing TV clips and online blueprints.

Pakistan has been thrilled before by stories of scientific prodigies plucked from obscu-rity before -- notably, that of the engineer who said in 2012 that he had invented a car that could run on water -- a story that was later debunked by scientists.

But Fayyaz insists he flew and his claim is being taken seriously by the air force, whose repre-sentatives have now visited him multiple times, even issuing a certificate to commend his work, he revealed.

There has been a steady

stream of visitors wanting to view his creation, which now sits in the empty courtyard of his three-room home in the vil-lage of Tabur in central Punjab province.

Dreaming of a jet plane The 32-year-old said he had

dreamed of joining the air force as a child, but his father died while he was in still in school, forcing him to drop out at the eighth grade and do odd jobs to feed his mother and his five

younger siblings.As an adult, his passion for fly-

ing remained undiminished, so he took a wild gamble on a new dream and put everything he had into creating his own craft.

By day he worked as a pop-corn seller, by night as a security guard, saving every rupee he could.

The first thing he had to ac-quire was information -- begin-ning with watching episodes of the National Geographic Chan-nel’s Air Crash Investigation for insight into thrust, air pressure, torque, propulsion.

Cheap internet access in a nearby city helped fill the gaps, with Fayyaz claiming he spliced blueprints of planes he found online for his own creation.

He sold a piece of family land, and took out a 50,000 rupee ($350) loan from a micro-fi-nance NGO, which he is still paying off.

He used his meagre funds creatively, buying burlap sacks wholesale and persuading a kind workshop employee who had seen him scouting for materials to build him a propeller.

There was trial and error. Some equipment needed to be replaced, designs had to be al-tered, the wiring had to be re-worked.

His family worried he was ob-sessed.

“I kept telling him to stop. I kept telling him to concentrate on his family and work, he was being crazy over nothing. But he didn’t listen to a single word,” his mother, Mumtaz Bibi, recalled.

But Fayyaz kept going. And, at the end of it all produced a plane -- tiny, fragile, and painted a bright blue.

‘Locked up with criminals’In February this year, he said,

after more than two years of rid-icule, he was ready.

Fayyaz claims his friends helped him to block a small road which he used as a runway for that first flight attempt in Feb-ruary.

The plane reached 120kph be-fore taking off, Ameer Hussain, a witness who claims to have ridden alongside the plane in a motorcycle, told AFP.

“It was between two and two and half feet off the ground,” he said. “It flew for about two to three kilometres before landing.”

AFP has been unable to verify the claim.

But the attempt made Fayyaz bold enough to want to try again in front of the rest of his village, many of whom had mocked his efforts.

He picked March 23, Pakistan Day, for the unveiling. Police said hundreds of people crowd-ed around his tiny plane, many clutching national flags.

But before Fayyaz could even start the engine, the police ar-rived and arrested him, confis-cating his plane.

“I felt as though I had com-mitted one of the worst acts in the world, as though I am the worst person in Pakistan,” he explained, adding: “I had been locked up with criminals.”

The court released him with a 3,000 rupees ($19) fine.

When AFP visited the local police station, officers said they had arrested Fayyaz as his plane was a safety threat.

Officer Zafar Iqbal explained: “The plane was returned to him as a goodwill gesture. Should he obtain a flying license or permit, he is free to fly.”

Fayyaz’s misfortune resulted in social media fame, and he was called a “hero” and an “inspira-tion” by some netizens.

Representatives from the Pa-kistan Air Force have made two visits to view the plane and the commander of a nearby base issued him a certificate which praises his “passion and dexter-ity” in building what it described as a “mini basic airplane”.

Pakistani villager Muhammad Fayyaz (R) speaks to visitors as he stands alongside his small plane at his residence in Tabur village in central Punjab province

The tale of Muhammad

Fayyaz has captured

the hearts of many in a

nation where millions, just

like him, have limited access

to education and are

fighting for opportunities


The popcorn seller who built his own plane

AFP | Tabur, Pakistan

The engine is from a road-cutter, the wings are burlap, the wheels are

borrowed from a rickshaw: a popcorn seller has caught the at-tention of the Pakistan Air Force by building his own plane.

The tale of Muhammad Fayyaz has captured the hearts of many in a nation where millions, just like him, have limited access to education and are fighting for opportunities.

“I was literally in the air. I couldn’t feel anything else,” Fayyaz said of his first flight in a machine he learned to build mainly from viewing TV clips and online blueprints.

Pakistan has been thrilled before by stories of scientific prodigies plucked from obscu-rity before -- notably, that of the engineer who said in 2012 that he had invented a car that could run on water -- a story that was later debunked by scientists.

But Fayyaz insists he flew and his claim is being taken seriously by the air force, whose repre-sentatives have now visited him multiple times, even issuing a certificate to commend his work, he revealed.

There has been a steady

stream of visitors wanting to view his creation, which now sits in the empty courtyard of his three-room home in the vil-lage of Tabur in central Punjab province.

Dreaming of a jet plane The 32-year-old said he had

dreamed of joining the air force as a child, but his father died while he was in still in school, forcing him to drop out at the eighth grade and do odd jobs to feed his mother and his five

younger siblings.As an adult, his passion for fly-

ing remained undiminished, so he took a wild gamble on a new dream and put everything he had into creating his own craft.

By day he worked as a pop-corn seller, by night as a security guard, saving every rupee he could.

The first thing he had to ac-quire was information -- begin-ning with watching episodes of the National Geographic Chan-nel’s Air Crash Investigation for insight into thrust, air pressure, torque, propulsion.

Cheap internet access in a nearby city helped fill the gaps, with Fayyaz claiming he spliced blueprints of planes he found online for his own creation.

He sold a piece of family land, and took out a 50,000 rupee ($350) loan from a micro-fi-nance NGO, which he is still paying off.

He used his meagre funds creatively, buying burlap sacks wholesale and persuading a kind workshop employee who had seen him scouting for materials to build him a propeller.

There was trial and error. Some equipment needed to be replaced, designs had to be al-tered, the wiring had to be re-worked.

His family worried he was ob-sessed.

“I kept telling him to stop. I kept telling him to concentrate on his family and work, he was being crazy over nothing. But he didn’t listen to a single word,” his mother, Mumtaz Bibi, recalled.

But Fayyaz kept going. And, at the end of it all produced a plane -- tiny, fragile, and painted a bright blue.

‘Locked up with criminals’In February this year, he said,

after more than two years of rid-icule, he was ready.

Fayyaz claims his friends helped him to block a small road which he used as a runway for that first flight attempt in Feb-ruary.

The plane reached 120kph be-fore taking off, Ameer Hussain, a witness who claims to have ridden alongside the plane in a motorcycle, told AFP.

“It was between two and two and half feet off the ground,” he said. “It flew for about two to three kilometres before landing.”

AFP has been unable to verify the claim.

But the attempt made Fayyaz bold enough to want to try again in front of the rest of his village, many of whom had mocked his efforts.

He picked March 23, Pakistan Day, for the unveiling. Police said hundreds of people crowd-ed around his tiny plane, many clutching national flags.

But before Fayyaz could even start the engine, the police ar-rived and arrested him, confis-cating his plane.

“I felt as though I had com-mitted one of the worst acts in the world, as though I am the worst person in Pakistan,” he explained, adding: “I had been locked up with criminals.”

The court released him with a 3,000 rupees ($19) fine.

When AFP visited the local police station, officers said they had arrested Fayyaz as his plane was a safety threat.

Officer Zafar Iqbal explained: “The plane was returned to him as a goodwill gesture. Should he obtain a flying license or permit, he is free to fly.”

Fayyaz’s misfortune resulted in social media fame, and he was called a “hero” and an “inspira-tion” by some netizens.

Representatives from the Pa-kistan Air Force have made two visits to view the plane and the commander of a nearby base issued him a certificate which praises his “passion and dexter-ity” in building what it described as a “mini basic airplane”.

Pakistani villager Muhammad Fayyaz (R) speaks to visitors as he stands alongside his small plane at his residence in Tabur village in central Punjab province

The tale of Muhammad

Fayyaz has captured

the hearts of many in a

nation where millions, just

like him, have limited access

to education and are

fighting for opportunities


Japan finds parts of crashed F35 jetTokyo, Japan

Japan said yesterday it had recovered some de-

bris from a stealth fighter jet that crashed in April, but was still looking for the “all-important” memory that could offer clues into the accident.

Nearly a month after the high-tech F-35A plummet-ed into the sea off the coast of northeastern Japan, nei-ther the pilot’s body, nor the plane’s fuselage have been found, said Defence Minis-ter Takeshi Iwaya.

Experts say Japan and the US are keen to prevent de-bris from the plane being re-covered by Russia or China, with Iwaya admitting last month there were “a sig-nificant amount of secrets that need to be protected” on board.

Some debris, including a part of the flight data recorder, were recovered “on or after May 3”, Iwaya said, adding: “The Defence Ministry is studying (the parts), but at this point, the all-important memory (of the flight data recorder) has not been recovered.”

The fighter jet went miss-ing on April 9 while flying 135 kilometres (85 miles) east of Misawa, northeast-ern Japan, on a training mission.

Indonesia thwarts IS-linked bomb plots

• Police said had arrested eight suspects at several locations

• Arrested militants were members of Jemaah Anshurat Daulah (JAD)

• The group planned to set off bombs when the nation releases election results

Jakarta, Indonesia

Indonesia has thwarted a bid by Islamic State-linked militants to stage a series

of bombings when it announc-es official election results this month, authorities said.

Police in the Southeast Asian nation said Monday that they had arrested eight suspects at several locations over the past week, including in Sumatra and near the capital Jakarta.

The roundup comes af-ter IS-inspired Easter suicide

bombings killed 257 in Sri lan-ka, and as Indonesia marks the anniversary of its worst terror attack in years, which saw a dozen killed at churches target-ed by Islamist suicide bombers last May.

Authorities said the arrest-ed militants were members of Jemaah Anshurat Daulah (JAD), a local extremist group that has pledged allegiance to IS and was blamed for last year’s church bombings.

The group planned to set off bombs at various locations when the world’s biggest Mus-lim majority nation releases election results on May 22.

There are concerns about street demonstrations af-ter presidential challenger Prabowo Subianto, a retired military general, warned pro-tests could erupt over his al-legations of massive electoral fraud.

Subianto has vowed to chal-lenge the official results if they confirm that his rival, President Joko Widodo, won a second term.

National police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said the terror cell planned to target police

stations and take advantage of any chaos before or after the poll results are confirmed.

“They have two goals -- the first is to target police officers and the second is to exploit election momentum,” he said.

Last year, two families car-ried out bombings at churches in Indonesia’s second-biggest city Surabaya, killing a dozen people and children of the at-tackers, including two young girls. It was Indonesia’s worst terror attack in years.

Since the 2002 Bali bomb-ings, which killed over 200 peo-ple including scores of tourists, Indonesia has seen a string of deadly attacks that have tested its long-held reputation for re-ligious tolerance.

In March, police said they had uncovered a huge stash of explosives linked to a JAD ter-ror suspect whose wife blew up herself and a child follow-ing a dramatic standoff at their home. The discovery of some 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of assembled explosives and bomb-making materials had raised fears that a major attack was being planned ahead of last month’s elections.

Indonesian police officer displaying a photo of a suspected militant during a press conference in Jakarta.

Pompeo’s Arctic comments a ‘misrepresentation of facts’• Beijing has invested massively in the region -- almost $90 billion between 2012 and 2017

• US planned to beef up its presence in the region to keep Russia and China’s “aggressive behaviour” there in check

• China holds only observer status in the Arctic countries

Beijing, China

China yesterday hit back at US criticism of its Arctic

presence, saying Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had mis-represented facts about its in-tentions in the resource-rich

region.Pompeo said ahead of a meet-

ing of the eight members of the Arctic Council in Finland on Monday that the US planned to beef up its presence in the re-gion to keep Russia and China’s “aggressive behaviour” there in check.

Pompeo’s remarks were “a misrepresentation of the facts that has ulterior motives”, Chi-nese foreign ministry spokes-man Geng Shuang said at a reg-ular press briefing.

“We have no geopolitical cal-culations, and seek no exclu-sionary blocs,” he said.

Pompeo warned against sce-narios whereby nations become ensnared by debt and corrup-tion, of low-quality investments, militarisation and uncontrolled exploitation of natural resourc-es, all of which he said were po-tential effects of allowing rising Chinese influence.

Geng said China has partici-pated in Arctic affairs with “an

open, cooperative and win-win attitude”.

China will “not intervene” in matters between Arctic coun-tries, but it will also “not be ab-sent” from global issues on the Arctic, he said.

While the US and Russia are members of the Arctic Council, China holds only observer sta-tus in the cooperation body and Washington has been wary of Beijing’s attempts to style itself as a “near Arctic state”.

Shuang said “the Arctic is-sue is not only related to Arctic countries, but is also of global significance and international influence”.

He said China is willing to work with others to “protect the Arctic, to exploit the Arctic and to participate in the governance of the Arctic”.

Beijing has invested massive-ly in the region -- almost $90 billion between 2012 and 2017, according to Pompeo -- and in-tends to fully benefit from the

advantages of the Northern Sea Route.

The shipping channel, which drastically cuts sailing times be-

tween the Pacific and Atlantic by passing north of Russia, is increasingly usable as the ice melts.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Pakistan arrests eight Chinese citizens for trafficking girlsLahore, Pakistan

Pakistan arrested at least eight Chinese nationals

for allegedly luring young Pakistani girls into fake mar-riages then forcing them into prostitution in Chi-na, authorities confirmed yesterday.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said four Paki-stanis who helped to facilitate the fake marriages were also arrested. A spokesman for the body said it expects more de-tentions as the investigation

continues.H u m a n R i g h t s Wa t c h

raised the alarm over “bride” trafficking from Pakistan to China in a report last month, where it said Islamabad should be “alarmed” at the reports.

“China is cooperating with Pakistani law enforcement agencies to crack down on il-legal matchmaking centres. We remind both Chinese and Pakistani citizens to remain vigilant and not be cheated,” the Chinese embassy in Islam-abad said.

Plane runs over and kills man in Kuwait

Kuwait

An Indian aviation tech-nician with Kuwait Air-

ways was killed while towing a Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft according to a report. The de-ceased has been identified as Anand Ramachandran, a na-tive of Thiruvananthapuram, who was working as ground staff with the airline at Kuwait City airport.

In an official statement on Twitter, the airline announced that Anand was towing the Boeing 777 aircraft when the accident took place.

The aircraft was devoid of any crew or passengers. Anand’s death was recorded at 3:10 pm on Monday.

“The deceased had been car-rying out the withdrawal of one of the B777 aircraft from Airport Square to Terminal

4 by means of equipment. Official authorities are inves-tigating the subject to find out the cause of the death,” a news minute report quoted airline.

Several pictures clicked at the site of the accident indicate that the tow bar, connecting the flight’s landing gear to the tug vehicle, snapped during the towing operation. This caused the ground staff to fall from the tug vehicle and he was run over by the landing gear of the aircraft.

The airline has expressed regret at the tragic incident in their official statement. The chairman, on behalf of himself and the board of di-rectors, expressed his deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.

Anand is survived by his wife Sofina and a daughter.

Five dead, 233 arrested in Venezuela protests: Attorney General

Caracas, Venezuela

Five people died and 233 were arrested in protests

sparked by a failed military uprising against Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro last week, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on Monday.

“All those cases are being investigated,” Saab said in a television interview.

A small number of mili-tary personnel on April 30 joined opposition leader Juan Guaido outside an air base in the capital Caracas calling on those inside to join the rebellion.

The insurrection quickly petered out, though, and 25 rebel soldiers sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy.

Saab, a Maduro loyal-ist, confirmed that 18 ar-rest warrants were issued against “civilians and mili-tary plotters,” although he gave no names.

In an interview, Guai-do blamed the failure on unkept promises by other members of the armed forc-es.

Maduro has threatened to go after “traitors” after crisis-wracked Venezue-la’s military leadership re-affirmed its loyalty to the socialist president.

Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared president Juan Guaido

The deceased has been identified as Anand (Picture courtesy of Mathrubhumi)

Every day there are fewer places left on Earth for wildlife. Expanding cities and farmland, degrading ecosystems

and changing climate are driving wildlife from their natural habitats into ever small-er, fragmented areas. Habitat loss, whether caused directly or indirectly by humans, is the greatest threat to life on Earth.

We have wiped out 60 per cent of wild-life in the last 40 years and more than one million species are threatened with ex-tinction. Despite the conservation move-ment’s efforts to stop the crisis, including investments in public awareness to reduce demand for wildlife and new financial com-mitments to enable protection of threat-ened species, not much progress has been achieved. We need to revisit our current approaches to conservation to focus our attention on the key driver of the loss of healthy wildlife populations—their habitats.

Today, the Intergovernmental Sci-ence-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has issued an alarming report on the impact of human activity on nature. Biodiversity is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history. Three quarters of the land-based environment alone have been severely altered by human actions. Importantly, these trends are less severe in areas held or managed by indigenous peoples and local communities.

Farming and food production are a major agent for the conversion of natural habitat into agricultural land. A staggering 60 per

cent of all mammals on Earth are live-stock, mostly cattle and pigs, 36 per cent are human and just 4 per cent are wild animals. One hundred and fifty years ago this situation was completely different, with terrestrial areas dominated by wild animals and forests.

Much of the expansion in agricultural land is for producing meat. Livestock takes

up nearly 80 per cent of global agricultural land yet produces less than 20 per cent of the world’s supply of calories.

By drastically and quickly changing how we produce and consume food, we can minimize impacts of the current wildlife crisis. Food production cannot come at the expense of other species and natural spaces. It is a path that will lead to our own demise. To achieve a balance, we need to transition towards sustainable sources of protein, increase productivity of smallholder agri-culture and repurpose harmful agricultural subsides.

A transition towards sustainable sources

The extent of Syria’s crippling fuel crisis can be seen now on a daily basis, in the seemingly endless queues of cars snarled

in traffic as far as the eye can see, inching slowly forwards into petrol stations. This is the latest iteration of a crisis that has lasted through much of a harsh winter, when citizens had to stand in long queues to fill a few containers of diesel that would keep their heaters running for a matter of hours amid regular, extensive power cuts – just one more snapshot of life that symbolises a state no longer able to provide for its citizens. A fortnight ago, Damascus imposed new limits on the amount of fuel its citizens could access, with each owner of a private car limited to 20 litres of petrol every five days, prompting drivers to queue for hours, only to find petrol stations have run out of fuel by the time they reach the front of the queue.

President Bashar Al Assad, who has won the war in Syria militarily due to the unflinching support of his allies in Moscow and Tehran, warned earlier this year that Damascus would now face an economic war waged by its enemies. The regime blamed the fuel crisis primarily on sanctions imposed by western powers.

But last month the pro-government news-paper Al Watan appeared to blame its Iranian ally – which is itself flagging under US sanc-tions – stating that the situation had worsened since Tehran froze its “credit line” to Syria. The report stated no Iranian oil tankers had arrived in Syria since October 2018. The reason for the disclosure is unclear and Tehran has been coy in responding, but coming a day after foreign min-ister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Damascus,

it could have been an attempt to plead for Iran to resume its supply.

What is clear is that the Syrian government is lagging behind in producing the number of oil barrels needed and is unlikely to meet demand unless it can reclaim oil and gas fields in the northeast, which are currently under the control of US-backed Kurdish militias.

There is a lot to unpack here. While we can only guess at why Tehran has frozen its supply, it has in the past used it to pressure the Assad regime into various economic or political con-cessions. The US administration’s sanctions, including last month’s full enforcement of sanc-tions against buyers of Iranian oil, might have something to do with the stalled credit line. But either way, it shows the vulnerability of a regime that owes its survival to its patrons.

The inability of the regime, in turn, to secure alternative supplies is indicative of the extent of the sanctions facing it by western powers. Whether that leverage translates into any mean-ingful political concessions remains to be seen but it is clear that the sanctions are going to prevent any real reconstruction efforts in Syria from materialising, at least in the short term.

So while the rebellion that once raged against Mr Al Assad’s totalitarian dictatorship has largely been snuffed out by sheer force, Syrian civilians are likely to remain in a state of sus-pended animation and suffering exemplified by the petrol queues.

Which brings us back to those images of queuing drivers that have been going viral over the past few weeks. They have given rise to a robust debate among Syrian social media users, who say the hardship of civilians proves sanc-tions against Mr Al Assad and his coterie are in reality hurting people rather than the officials who have profited from the war or carried out serious war crimes.

That assertion is based on a flawed premise,

since the sanctions against the regime have not prevented it from importing oil from Iran in the past. But there is little doubt that, whether or not sanctions are the right way to pressure the Assad regime or are likely to accomplish anything, they have enshrined further division among long-suffering Syrians.

In the past, those divisions were based on the myriad geographic locales within the country and who controlled them. Now these divisions are largely between those inside the country and living under the sanctions, and those who live in exile, fled overseas or have been displaced. These divides are likely to make the path to peacebuilding a much tougher one.

FINANCE IS A GUN. POLITICS IS KNOWING WHEN TO PULL THE TRIGGERMARIO PUZO

QUOTE OF THE DAY


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

Syria’s fuel crisis is hurting civilians, not the regime


Syria’s fuel crisis is hurting civilians,

not the regime

KAREEM SHAHEEN

JOYCE MSUYA

Demonstrators stand wearing bees masks and costumes during a demonstration for biodiversity called by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

The construction site of the Zhangjiakou Olympic Village for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is seen at Zhangjiakou, 200 kilometres northwest of Beijing

Taxi drivers push their cars to a petrol station in the Syrian capital, Damascus, after running out of fuel

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

(IPBES) has issued an alarming report on the impact of human activity on nature

cent of all mammals on Earth are live-stock, mostly cattle and pigs, 36 per cent are human and just 4 per cent are wild animals. One hundred and fifty years ago this situation was completely different, with terrestrial areas dominated by wild animals and forests.

Much of the expansion in agricultural land is for producing meat. Livestock takes

up nearly 80 per cent of global agricultural land yet produces less than 20 per cent of the world’s supply of calories.

By drastically and quickly changing how we produce and consume food, we can minimize impacts of the current wildlife crisis. Food production cannot come at the expense of other species and natural spaces. It is a path that will lead to our own demise. To achieve a balance, we need to transition towards sustainable sources of protein, increase productivity of smallholder agri-culture and repurpose harmful agricultural subsides.

A transition towards sustainable sources

of protein promises dividends. These sourc-es could be plant-based protein, poultry, pork or sustainable fisheries. Beef will no doubt remain a protein option, but if we are to save habitats, we need to reduce reliance on it. And with good reason: beef makes up 24 per cent of the world’s meat con-sumption, but requires 30 million square kilometres of land to produce, several mag-nitudes more land than other sources of protein.

It can be done. Burger King’s partnership with Impossible Foods to produce burgers that resemble the texture and taste of meat but are made from soy protein is one exam-ple of a growing trend.

Of the 1.5 billion farmers around the world, 1.2 billion are smallholders. In Africa, current crop yields for smallholder farm-ers remain several times lower on average compared to other regions. To make up for the yield gap, smallholder farmers are encroaching onto wildlife land, triggering conflicts and fragmenting habitats. Yet, with

current technology, including improved seeds, water use efficiency and agronomy, we can overcome barriers to agricultural productivity for smallholder farmers.

Industrialized agriculture, characterized by large-scale monoculture, heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and meat production, masks the true cost of food. We are incentivizing practices that are harmful to natural habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. That must change. The Secretary of State for Environ-ment of the United Kingdom has indicated that post-Brexit payments to farmers will be linked to environmental goods and services, as opposed to amount of land farmed. If he is successful, this might be a game-changer.

Some might argue that placing constraints on the way we produce food is a luxury that only the more developed countries can afford. The alternative, however, is to roll the dice and watch more wildlife habitats go—and with them the entire fabric that sustains all life on Earth. The future of wild-life is ultimately linked to our own future.

We have a window of opportunity to change our ways to better protect ecosys-tems, and a responsibility to do so now. And we need political will to get us there. If our efforts to save songbird species, pangolins, elephants and other wildlife under threat are to be successful, and if we are to save our lot, we need to reject choices that destroy habitats. Such choices no longer serve our humanity nor the generations to come. Nor will they help quell rising frustration over government responses to the extinction crisis.

(Joyce Msuya is the Acting Executive Di-rector of UN Environment and Assistant Sec-retary-General of the United Nations. She has more than 20 years of experience in in-ternational development, strategy, knowledge management and partnerships)

Population Rise: Is it endangering the planet’s biodiversity?Th e w o r l d

population h a s d o u b l e d since 1970.

W i t h i n t h e lifetime of most of us, in 50 years, the number of resource hungry humans on the planet, has increased to an astonishingly fright-ening number.

We are now 7.7 billion, and counting. At least, that is the number we began the year 2019 with.

But let us look at it in a different way –to better understand how this rapid population-rise is actually a time-bomb that should not be allowed to explode.

It took over 123 years, for us, to increase from 1 billion in 1804 to 2 billion in 1927.

But it took just 12 years to increase from 6 billion in 1999 to 7 billion in 2011.

It is now, not even 8 years since 2011. And we have already become 7.7 billion; very close to 8 million.

If these figures do not scare the global public policy makers, and the demographic experts, what will?

When humans build sprawling cities on plains, cut multi-lane highways through forests, and drill long tunnels through moun-tains - for high-speed transit systems that facilitate trade and further the trade - where will other living beings, we share this beautiful planet with, go?

When trees that once sheltered us from flood waters and strong winds are gone, when rains that replenish lakes and water crops are no longer reliable, and when humans greedily gobble up natural resources meant for other beings – confis-

cating their land, contaminating the oceans, and endangering the glaciers - where will the wildlife, livestock, and fish stocks go for refuge?

That is a question the greedy Homo sapiens, as a species, is not interested in facing.

Due to the ignorance and apathy, irresponsibility and negligence of us, humans, “over 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within dec-ades”, according to a latest report from United Nations.

This report - released on Monday, 6 May 2019, In Paris - is described as the most comprehensive UN assessment of global nature loss ever.

“Compiled by 145 expert authors from 50 countries over the past three years, with inputs from another 310 contributing authors, the Report assesses changes over the past five decades, providing a comprehensive picture of the relationship between economic development pathways and their impacts on nature. It also offers a range of possible scenarios for the coming dec-ades”, says their media release.

Drawing from over 15,000 sources, the report gives a sys-tematic global assessment of our impacts on the natural world -- and how this affects the future of humanity.

It has been compiled by the Intergovernmental Science-Pol-icy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), a panel established by the UN in 2012.

The summary report(s) can be accessed through the link: www.ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment.

“Humans have significantly altered 75% of the land and 66% of marine environments” says the report. And, not only did we cause 680 species to be driven to extinction by the 16th cen-tury, but we are also are on our way to eliminating a further 1 million, perhaps within three decade - some 40% of amphibian species, 33% of reef-forming corals, and more than 33% of all marine mammals.

Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, for the year 2030, I have a personal favourite: Responsible Consumption and Production.

Public policies of nations should be made effective, to tackle and regulate population growth. But, more than that ‘responsi-ble consumption and production’ should be our mission.

More than reusing material and reducing waste, I think, refusing products which harm the environment is more important. If we stick to bare necessities and shun environ-ment-damaging luxuries, we could still help preserve the rich bio-diversity of our planet.

since the sanctions against the regime have not prevented it from importing oil from Iran in the past. But there is little doubt that, whether or not sanctions are the right way to pressure the Assad regime or are likely to accomplish anything, they have enshrined further division among long-suffering Syrians.

In the past, those divisions were based on the myriad geographic locales within the country and who controlled them. Now these divisions are largely between those inside the country and living under the sanctions, and those who live in exile, fled overseas or have been displaced. These divides are likely to make the path to peacebuilding a much tougher one.

At a conference last month in Brussels, Syrian opposition community organisations publicly thanked the European Union for upholding the sanctions against the Assad regime despite the near-comprehensive defeat of rebels and maintaining one of the few pressure points to exact concessions.

On social media, one frequent refrain among regime opponents is that those who chose to remain in Mr Al Assad’s Syria, or chose not to fight to overthrow the dictator, do not deserve sympathy or the collective agonising over the punitive effect of sanctions.

On the one hand, this is understandable from those who lost homes or families to one of Mr

Al Assad’s notorious barrel bombs, or those who were forced into displacement or dire circum-stances in one of Syria’s neighbouring countries. On the other hand, collective punishment is wrong and there are many reasons why people did not voluntarily seek exile or rebel against the regime.

A policy that maintains economic sanctions causing mass suffering but does not have an endgame in sight is ultimately immoral, because it is punitive and vengeful. But lifting sanctions would appear to be an endorsement of Mr Al As-sad’s military solution and herald an acceptance of his legitimacy as a leader, which would also be immoral. Therein lies the dilemma.

Nevertheless, the rhetoric that endorses pu-nitive sanctions will make it harder to recon-cile and seek common ground once the right alignment of the stars makes the status quo untenable. Sanctions might be the only leverage western powers have against Mr Al Assad and his acolytes but if they are not careful, it might also create permanent fissures between those who remained in their homeland and exiles, severing the last links between citizens who once shared bread and borders.

(Kareem Shaheen is the former Middle East and Turkey correspondent for the Guardian)

1660English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England

1895China cedes Taiwan to Japan under Treaty of Shimonoseki

1945V-E Day: WWII ends in Europe after Germany signs an unconditional surrender

1980World Health Organiza-tion announces smallpox has been eradicated

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY

TOP

4TWEETS

04

02

03

01

How on earth does one get 100% in

English and Hindi? Grammar and spelling mistakes no longer make you lose marks. So a guy with 100% marks in Eng-lish is not even expected to write an error free es-say, forget about expres-sion.

@Sanjay_Dixit

Had a wonderful meeting with U.S.

Secretary of Commerce @SecretaryRoss.

It is a matter of great joy that the largest ever Trade Winds event is taking place in India..

@narendramodi

Unlike Donald Trump, most Americans do

not believe that a free press is “the enemy of the people.” I am delighted that Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were released from a Myanmar prison after 500 days in prison.

@SenSanders

By putting our Nation-al Holocaust Memo-

rial and Education Cen-tre next to our Parlia-ment, we make a solemn and eternal promise that Britain will never forget what happened in the Holocaust.

@theresa_may

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

editorial stances)

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


There is little doubt that, whether or not sanctions are the right way to pressure the

Assad regime or are likely to accomplish anything, they have enshrined further division among long-suffering Syrians

FAISAL AL-YAFAI

Over 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction

The construction site of the Zhangjiakou Olympic Village for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games is seen at Zhangjiakou, 200 kilometres northwest of Beijing

Taxi drivers push their cars to a petrol station in the Syrian capital, Damascus, after running out of fuel

10

business


Bahrain Airport Services Company (BAS) participated in World Labour Day celebrations on May first. Fourteen BAS employees were honoured at the ceremony: Aqeel Jaffar, Ghada Ebrahim, Muneera Jassim, Ali Abbas, Ahmed Al Banki, Mohamed Ebrahim, Mohamed S.Sadiq, Adnan A.Latif, Abdulaziz Ahmed, Essa Mohamed, Mohamed Rashid, A.Rasool Abdulla, Hassan Abdulla, & Abbas Haji. Above, employees with officials during a group photo opportunity

BCCI holding VAT workshop todayTDT | Manama

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Indus-

try (BCCI) represented by its Finance Insurance and Tax Committee is holding two workshops on the Fundamen-tals of the Value Added Tax for small and medium businesses.

The workshops fall under the voluntary registration category and businesses with annual supplies exceeding the volun-tary threshold of BD18,750 but below BD5,000,000.

The first workshop will be held today from 8:30 am to

11:30 am in Al Majlis Hall of Bait Al Tijjar

and will be delivered in English, while the Arabic version of the same workshop will be held on Thursday also from 8:30 am to

11:30 am.

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) with the Board Members of International Aluminium Institute (IAI) at Alba campus on Monday as part of the IAI Annual General Meeting and Board’s Meeting held on April 28-29, 2019 at the Ritz Carlton, Bahrain. Received by Alba’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Murray, and the Executive Management team at Alba, IAI delegation consisted of 26 representatives from various member companies of the primary and secondary aluminium industries. The delegation was given an up-close and personal tour to Alba operations and Line 6 Expansion Project site.

Markets take cover London, United Kingdom

Equity investors ran for cover again yesterday as it dawned on mar-

kets that US President Don-ald Trump’s trade war threat against China could be deadly serious.

Indices had slumped on Monday, with Shanghai suf-fering its heaviest loss in three years, after Trump threatened to hike tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods this week amid apparent setbacks in trade talks between the economic super-powers.

Some quickly dismissed the move as Trump-style brink-manship, but many market play-ers have decided they would rather not take any chances.

“Smoke continues to lin-ger across market sentiment following the smoke grenade President Trump launched over the weekend with the threat of adding further tariffs on Chi-nese imports at the end of the week,” said Lukman Otunuga, a research analyst at FXTM.

Trump’s remarks completely wrongfooted markets, coming just days after officials on both sides had sounded positive on the talks.

“Say what you want about the US president... but predictabili-ty and subtlety were never part of his election pledges,” OANDA senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley said.

‘Tariff man’s trade kerfuffle’Stephen Innes at SPI Trading

called the turmoil “the latest Tariff Man-triggered trade ker-fuffle”, warning that the down-side to financial markets of a trade war could be huge.

“If you thought the recent tu-mult was vicious, trust me ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’ if indeed trade tensions escalate further,” he said.

Equities could be facing a correction of 5-10 per cent, Innes warned.

Wall Street’s Dow index shed over 200 points at the New York opening, while eurozone mar-kets lost up to onepc -- with a growth outlook downgrade for the eurozone not helping.

London did even worse as the UK market played catch-up after Monday’s holiday there.

Earlier, Shanghai’s index re-

covered slightly, having lost a whopping 5.6pc the previous session.

The International Monetary Fund warned that tensions be-tween the economic superpow-ers were a “threat” to the world economy.

On currency markets, the yuan stabilised after being ham-mered Monday, though most other higher-yielding, riskier units managed to claw back some of their losses.

But not the Turkish lira, which slipped back into crisis mode with a heavy fall Tuesday.

The lira “has come back onto

investors’ radars with a threepc plunge... triggered by election shenanigans in the country”, said Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at City Index traders.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tues-day welcomed an order to re-run the recent Istanbul election, a move the opposi-tion has branded an attack on Fdemocracy.

His ruling Justice and De-velopment Party (AKP) lost the mayorship of Turkey’s biggest city by a narrow margin and refused to accept defeat.

Key figures around 1335 GMTLondon - FTSE 100: 1.0pc at 7,303.65 points

Frankfurt - DAX 30: 0.7pc at 12,201.64

Paris - CAC 40: 0.9pc at 5,436.24

EURO STOXX 50: 1.0pc at 3,430.00

New York - Dow: 0.8pc at 26,220.36

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: 1.5pc at 21,923.72 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: 0.5pc at 29,363.02 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: 0.7pc at 2,926.39 (close)

Euro/dollar: at $1.1181 from $1.1199 at 2050 GMT

Pound/dollar: at $1.3046 from $1.3097

Dollar/yen: at 110.58 yen from 110.87 yen

Oil - Brent Crude: 94 cents at $70.30 per barrel

Oil - West Texas Inter: 88 cents at $61.37 per barrel

Traders work after the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

Britain will definitely hold European elections: minister• The newly-elected European Parliament is due to meet for the first time on July 2

• The British parliament’s summer recess is due to start on July 20

London, United Kingdom

Britain will hold elections to the European Parliament

later this month regardless of what happens in ongoing talks with the opposition to pass a Brexit deal, Prime Minister Theresa May’s de facto deputy said yesterday.

“Given how little time there is... it is regrettably not going to be possible to finish that process before the date that is legally due for European par-liamentary elections,” David Lidington said in televised com-ments.

After twice delaying the date of Brexit, the government had hoped it could get a draft di-

vorce deal through parliament before the deadline so it would not have to go ahead with the elections on May 23.

“We very much hoped that we would be able to get our exit sorted and have the treaty concluded so that those elec-tions did not have to take place,” Lidington said.

Lidington added that the gov-ernment would be “redoubling our efforts and talks with MPs of all parties to try to make sure that the delay after that is as short as possible.

“Ideally we’d like to be in a situation where those MEPs never actually have to take their seat at the European Parlia-ment, certainly to get this done and dusted by the summer re-cess,” he said.

The newly-elected European Parliament is due to meet for the first time on July 2. “That will mean effort, hard work and compromise from different po-litical parties, people from both the Leave side and the Remain side in the European debate,” Lidington said.

David Lidington


Clearly the tensions between the United States

and China are the threat for the

world economy

CHRISTINE LAGARDE

US-China tensions threat to world economy: IMFAFP | Paris, France

The head of the Interna-tional Monetary Fund said Tuesday that fresh

trade tensions between the United States and China were the main threat to the world economy.

“Clearly the tensions between the United States and China are the threat for the world econ-omy,” Christine Lagarde told journalists at a conference in Paris, adding that recent “ru-mours and tweets” made an agreement between the coun-tries less likely.

President Donald Trump jolt-ed global markets on Monday by threatening on Twitter that tariffs already imposed on $200 billion in Chinese exports to US would more than double to 25 percent on Friday from their current level of 10 pe rcent.

Also speaking at the Paris Forum event, French Econo-my Minister Bruno Le Maire warned about the impact of a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

“We are looking very careful-ly at the current negotiations between China and the US. We want these negotiations to stick with principles of transparency

and multilateralism,” he said, speaking in English.

He called on the two sides to “avoid decisions that would t h r e a t e n a n d j e o p a r d i s e

world growth in the coming months.”

“Raising tariffs is always a deadlock and a negative deci-sion for everybody -- for the US, for China, for the eurozone, for Europe and for growth all over the world,” he said.

Le Maire cautioned that during a period of slowdown in world growth there should not be “negative decisions that could accelerate that slow-down.”

China said Tuesday its top trade negotiator will visit the United States for talks with his American counterparts this week.

The countries have been locked in talks to resolve tensions that have seen both of them im-pose tariffs on goods worth $360 billion.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has described the ne-gotiations as 90 per cent com-plete but told reporters that in recent days the talks went “sub-stantially backward”, which he blamed on China reneging on previous commitments.

US returns $57 million in 1MDB Hollywood money to Malaysia• The scandal played a major role in Najib’s election loss last year

• Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho was accused a playing a central role in plundering 1MDB,

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Millions of dollars forfeited by the company behind

the Leonardo DiCaprio film “Wolf of Wall Street” have been sent to a Malaysian account set up to recover money looted in a

massive state fraud, officials said yesterday.

Billions of dollars were sto-len from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, allegedly by ex-prime minister Najib Razak and his cronies in a crime that stretched around the world.

The US Department of Justice is in the process of seizing assets it says are linked to the scandal.

It has now transferred funds that were handed over by Red Granite Pictures, the Hollywood production company behind the 2013 film about a massive stock market scam that netted its per-petrator millions of dollars.

Malaysia’s attorney-general Tommy Thomas said the money represented “the first instalment of funds recovered from asset

seizures related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)”.

The funds, totalling $57.04 million, were sent to an account specially set up to receive re-covered 1MDB funds, he said in a statement. US prosecutors allege that the film company, co-founded by Najib’s step son Riza Aziz, was funded by money stolen from 1MDB.

In 2017 Red Granite agreed to settle a US civil lawsuit against it for $60 million. About $3 mil-lion was deducted to cover costs before the funds were returned, Thomas said.

As well as “The Wolf of Wall Street”, Red Granite also pro-duced the Jim Carrey hit “Dumb and Dumber to” and “Daddy’s Home”, starring Will Ferrell and

Mark Wahlberg.Prosecutors had made claims

for profits generated by all three films as part of their case.

The DoJ is also in the process of returning a further $139 mil-lion of looted funds that came from the sale of a stake in the Park Lane Hotel in New York, Thomas said.

It was bought by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, who was accused a playing a central role in plundering 1MDB, he said.

Low is also believed to have bought a luxury yacht with about $250 million of looted cash.

Malaysia’s new government has re-opened probes into 1MDB, and Najib has been arrested. He went on trial last month over the allegations.

Billions of dollars were stolen from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, allegedly by ex-prime minis-ter Najib Razak and his cronies in a crime that

stretched around the world

US Treasury will not hand over Trump tax returns to Congress: officialWashington, United States

The US Treasury will not hand President Don-ald Trump’s tax returns

over to Democratic lawmak-ers, defying a demand from Congress, US Treasury Sec-retary Steven Mnuchin said Monday.

The request by the House Committee on Ways and Means “lacks a legitimate purpose,” meaning the US Treasury is not authorized to release tax filings by Trump and his businesses, Mnuchin said in a letter to the committee’s chairman.

Mnuchin’s refusal after a month of deliberation appeared certain to spark yet another le-gal clash between the embattled president and congressional Democrats who now control the House of Representatives.

Under a statute granting the committee access to tax filings, the committee last month had asked the US Internal Revenue Service for five years of tax re-turns filed by Trump and eight

of the corporate entities com-prising his business empire.

But Mnuchin repeatedly slid past deadlines set by the com-mittee, calling the request “un-precedented” and warning that

it raised constitutional ques-tions and threatened taxpayer privacy.

Mnuchin said Monday he had made his decision in consulta-tion with the US Department of Justice.

“I am informing you now that the Department may not law-fully fulfill the committee’s re-quest,” Mnuchin said in a letter to Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the commit-tee chairman.

Trump in 2016 became the first presidential candidate in decades to seek the White House without first disclosing his tax returns.

At the same time, he has not divested from his global busi-ness holdings, exposing him to accusations of potential con-flicts of interest in conducting US affairs.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (L) and his Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer

Monster cartel charge puts brakes on BMW earningsFrankfurt am Main, Germany

German high-end carmak-er BMW yesterday report-

ed a plunge in profits in the first quarter as it booked a 1.4-billion-euro ($1.6 billion) charge related to an EU cartel probe.

Net profits at the group no-sedived 74.2 per cent year-on-year, to 588 million euros, the group said in a statement.

Brussels’ allegation that BMW colluded with Daim-ler and Volkswagen to avoid competing on emission control technology means “it is prob-able that the EU Commission will issue a significant fine,” the Munich-based manufac-turer said.

BMW already warned inves-tors when details of the probe were published last month that it would have to set aside at least a billion euros.

But the firm said compe-

tition authorities are trying “to equate the permissible co-ordination of industry posi-tions regarding the regulatory framework with unlawful car-tel agreements”.

“If necessary (BMW) will contest the EU Commission’s allegations with all the legal means at its disposal,” it added.

On top of the provision, the group said growing research and development costs and investments had also sapped earnings, while revenue fell 0.9 percent to 22.5 billion euros.

Nevertheless “in operational terms, we remain firmly on course,” chief executive Har-ald Krueger said, adding that a wave of new models arriving in the second half of the year should lift business.

Excluding the effect of the provision, BMW achieved an operating margin of 5.6 per-cent, lower than in 2018’s first three months.

UK car sales slide in April

London, United Kingdom

Britain’s new car sales slid in April after the

government slashed incen-tives for hybrid vehicles, industry data showed yes-terday.

New registrations for all cars dipped 4.1 percent last month on a yearly basis to 161,064 vehicles as demand also continued to slide for high-polluting diesel vehi-cles, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said in a statement.

But sales of plug-in hy-brids slumped 34 percent to 1,992 last month from 2,929 a year earlier.

The SMMT added that the sharp drop was “evidence of the consequences of pre-maturely removing upfront purchase incentives before the market is ready” for cars which can run on both pet-rol and electricity.

Britain’s Conservative government last year cut its plug-in hybrid grant to £3,500 ($4,600, 4,100 euros) per vehicle from £4,500.

Russia says pipeline shut over contamination will restart mid-MayMoscow, Russia

Russian oil will resume pumping through a key

pipeline to Europe by the middle of May, Moscow energy minister Alexander Novak said yesterday, after deliveries were halted last month due to contamina-tion.

Four people have been ar-rested as part of an investi-gation into the poor quality of the oil supply.

“Investigations revealed a group of companies was carrying out illegal activi-ty” and introducing non-ap-proved oil into the system with excess chlorine com-pounds, Novak said.

Stricter measures would be in place from now on, he added in comments carried by news agencies.

The delivery of Rus-sian oil through the major “Druzhba” (“Friendship”) pipeline was interrupted on April 25. The pipeline crosses from Russia into Be-larus and then branches off, with some oil going towards Poland and Germany and some towards Ukraine, Slo-vakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.


Closing BellSAUDI 0.8 pc to 8,969 pts

ABU DHABI 0.4 pc to 5,124 pts

DUBAI 0.3 pc at 2,726 pts

QATAR 0.4 pc to 10,251 pts

EGYPT 1.3 pc to 14,390 pts

BAHRAIN 0.3 pc to 1,442 pts

OMAN 0.1 pc to 3,901 pts

KNOW WHAT

In pictures, participants of ‘BisB Innovation Camp’, a one-day workshop held by BisB in collaboration with INJAZ Bahrain. The workshop, attended by 50 students from the Royal University for Women, was led by seven BisB volunteers. Seven teams were created to direct and guide the students through the activities. The pink team were announced as the winners of the best creative idea for a product for youth. Commenting on the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of BisB, Hassan Jarrar said, “The workshop served to inspire creativity among the participants, enabling them to develop innovative banking products and services which BisB will actively seek to transform into real life banking solutions that meet the needs of the youth.”

Most Gulf markets down• Alawwal Bank falls on lower Q1 results

• Islamic Arab Insurance drags on Dubai index

• Kuwait jumps ahead of MSCI decision

• Lender ADCB weighs on Abu Dhabi

Reuters

Saudi Arabia’s stock market fell yesterday for the fourth straight day, weakened by a

combination of lower oil prices and geopolitical tension in the Middle East, while Egypt’s blue-chip index was buoyed by its largest lender.

The Saudi index was down 0.8 per cent. The country’s sec-ond-largest lender by assets Al Rajhi Bank lost 1.1pc and Na-tional Commercial Bank shed 2.3pc.

Alawwal Bank eased 1.8pc after reporting a fall in its first-quarter net profit due to higher costs.

Oil prices fell as renewed doubts over US-China trade talks stoked concerns over global growth, while the Unit-ed States said on Sunday it was deploying the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomb-er task force to the Middle East in response to troubling “in-dications and warnings” from Iran.

“A combination of lower oil prices, regional instability, US sending carriers to the Gulf will have a negative effect on the regional markets and in par-ticularly Saudi as it is the most looked at market currently,” Rami Jamal, portfolio manager

at Amwal in Doha said. Egypt’s blue-chip index rose

1.3pc, with its largest lender Commercial International Bank Egypt adding 2.8pc. The firm posted an increase in first-quar-ter net profit, aided by strong net interest margins and de-posits.

Eastern Co rose 1.4pc after saying it would launch a new Black Massal product and ex-pected Black Massal sales to

rise by 50pc from current levels. Kuwait’s blue chip index add-

ed 1.9pc with Zain Kuwait and National Bank of Kuwait gaining 2.7pc and 4.2pc, respectively.

Last week, Zain Kuwait re-ported a 15pc rise in first-quar-ter net profit helped by strong growth in Bahrain and Iraq.

The index is on MSCI’s watch list for a potential upgrade to emerging market status by mid-June. Kuwait’s weight in the emerging market index could reach about 0.51pc which will result in $2.5 billion of passive inflows, Jaap Meijer, head of equity research at Arqaam Cap-ital said.

The country has seen strong foreign interest over the past year on the back of its FTSE emerging market inclusion last year and the potential upcoming MSCI re-classification, Meijer added.

The Abu Dhabi index slipped 0.4pc, with Abu Dhabi Commer-

ical Bank shedding 3.7pc after reporting first-quarter results.

The bank, which formalised a merger with two other lenders last week, reported a 5pc fall in first-quarter profit, hurt by lower interest income.

Gulf Cement dropped 6.1pc, while First Abu Dhabi Bank, the largest in the United Arab Emirates, dipped 0.3pc.

In Dubai, the index traded 0.3pc lower, with Islamic Arab Insurance down 7.3pc and the top loser after denying talks of a merger.

Property firm Emaar Devel-opment fell 1.9pc. The compa-ny reported a 8.3pc drop in its first-quarter net profit.

The Qatar index was down 0.4pc, with Mesaieed Petro-chemical Holding dropping 2.8pc.

Qatar National Bank and Qa-tar International Islamic Bank slipped 1.3pc and 1pc, respec-tively.

Traders on the floor of Bahrain Bourse (file)

Iraq close to signing $53 billion deal with Exxon, PetroChina

Reuters | Baghdad

Iraq is close to signing a $53 billion, 30-year energy

agreement with Exxon Mobil and PetroChina, Prime Min-ister Adel Abdul Mahdi said yesterday, denying any link be-tween the mega-project and US permission for Iraq to do business with Iran.

Iraq expects to make $400 billion over the 30 years the deal will be in effect, the prime minister said.

The southern mega-project involves the development of the Nahr Bin Umar and Ar-tawi oilfields and raising pro-duction from the two fields to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from around 125,000 bpd now, Abdul Mahdi said.

The project is crucial to supplying water to oilfields in the south in order to boost pressure and keep production steady.

Media reports had quoted Iran’s ambassador in London on Monday saying the United States would grant waivers to Iraq allowing it to deal with Iran economically, in exchange for Baghdad signing an oil deal with Washington.

“Talks now between the oil ministry and Exxon Mobil and PetroChina are focused on how to split profits if oil prices rise or decline,” Abdul Mahdi said in response to a question on the obstacles holding up a final agreement.

“The deal lasts for 30 years and such financial details are sensitive and should be given more discussions,” he added.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi speaks during a news conference

Iraq is the second largest oil exporter

in OPEC and has long-term aims to boost output cur-

tailed by decades of war and sanctions.

Porsche to pay 535 million euro fine over diesel cheatingReuters | Berlin/Frankfurt

German prosecutors im-posed a 535 million euro

($598 million) fine on German luxury carmaker Porsche AG, a unit of Volkswagen, as punish-ment for lapses in supervisory duties which allowed the com-pany to cheat diesel emissions tests.

Prosecutors in the southern city of Stuttgart on Tuesday said that the company’s development

department had neglected its le-gal obligations, which ultimate-ly led to the sale of diesel cars that spewed excessive pollution levels.

The fine against Porsche fol-lows a 1 billion euro penalty for management lapses imposed against Volkswagen by prose-cutors in Braunschweig, and a fine of 800 million euros against Audi by prosecutors in Munich, Germany last year.

US authorities disclosed Volkswagen’s systematic emis-sions cheating on Sept. 18, 2015, sparking the biggest business scandal in the company’s histo-ry which has cost Volkswagen Group 30 billion euros in penal-ties and fines.

VW, Porsche and Audi all sold diesel engine cars which failed to conform to clean air rules and cheated emissions tests.

German prosecutors have pur-

sued individual engineers and took action against the compa-nies for lack of oversight because managers failed to prevent heav-ily polluting cars from hitting European roads.

Prosecutors said Porsche had not appealed the findings by the prosecutor.

Porsche confirmed the fine and said that prosecutors’ pro-ceedings against the company had come to an end.

An employee of German car manufacturer Porsche works at the Porsche factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany

13 WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

CHANGE OF NAME“I, VIPAN KUMAR s/o BISHAN LAL holding Indian Passport No. H 5259519 dated 14.10.2009 issued at JALANDHAR having permanent residence at (full address in India) VPO- BHATTIAN JATTAN, THE- MUKERIAN, PS- TANDS RAM SAHAI, DIST- HOSHIARPUR, PUNJAB. Presently residing at (full address in Bahrain) BUILDING. 914, ROAD. 31, BLOCK. 623, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN will henceforth be known as (given name) VIPAN (Surname) KUMAR. Objection (s), if any, may be forwarded to Embassy of India, P.O. Box 26106, Adiliya, Kingdom of Bahrain.”

“I, CAPTAN SINGH s/o TARLOK SINGH holding Indian Passport No. H 8021150 dated 08.10.2009 issued at AMRITSAR having permanent residence at (full address in India) VILL- BAHIBAL, CHACK PO FARDULA CHACK, DIST- GURDASPUR, PUNJAB. Presently residing at (full address in Bahrain) BUILDING. 914, ROAD. 31, BLOCK. 623, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN will henceforth be known as (given name) CAPTAN (Surname) SINGH. Objection (s), if any, may be forwarded to Embassy of India, P.O. Box 26106, Adiliya, Kingdom of Bahrain.”

NMS - DPS celebrates English Week TDT | Manama

The New Millennium School, DPS Bahrain celebrated the ‘English

Week’ from 22nd April to 25th April 2019 with great ebullience.

Premised on the theme: “Outpouring hearts and minds through language proficiency”, the week aimed at promoting linguistic competence, effective communication skills and unveil the creativity of the students through a plethora of fun- filled and exciting activities.

Children tried their hands at story writing, poster mak-ing, book mark making, cre-ating quotes on moral values, composing poems, compiling dictionaries and class maga-zines, all for the deep love for language.

Originality came in from all the corners from Kindergarten to Grade XII, and each child was proud of his contribution to-wards creating different master pieces throughout the week. The highlight of the week was the “Peer Teaching” of the jun-ior grades by the students of

Grades XI and XII, which was greatly appreciated and en-joyed by both the teacher and the taught.

Children celebrated and basked in the magic of language as they also discovered through

their writings, the power of lan-guage and the importance of being able to express oneself through the medium of lan-guage.

Chairman Dr. Ravi Pillai, Managing Director Geetha Pil-

lai and Principal Arun Kuumar Sharma complimented the stu-dents for their excellent feat in the English week and adored the efforts of all the parents and teachers for the successful com-pletion of this special week.

Students hold their certificates they received as part of English week activities

‘Daddy’s Day Out’ at BIS

TDT | Manama

Displaying the special bond of love between

parents and children Bah-rain Indian School(BIS) gave a chance to the daddies of KG-I students by organizing “Daddy’s Day Out” to spend some quality time with their kids.

Fun-filled interesting games were organized for the dads. They narrated the stories with the moral and were judged by the fellow dads on the basis of the creativity. All the kids looked jiggled as they saw their dads running for the first

position holding their child on their shoulders.

It was fun to see all the super dads running to win musical chair race specially arranged in the school auditorium. The main highlight was the special dance performances by the parents on stage.

In the end a special pho-to booth was created for the proud daddies to capture these memorable moments forever in their hearts. School Direc-tors Himanshu Verma, Ritu Verma and Principal Saji Ja-cob congratulated the par-ents who participated in the activities.

Dads carry their kids during a running race

BIS students visit Gulf Hotel

TDT | Manama

Bahrain Indian School – BHAVANS organised a field

trip for the students of Grade VI to Pastry Kitchen, Gulf Ho-tel as a part of “learning by seeing activity” on Sunday.

They were accompanied by their Science Teachers and Co-ordinator. The trip helped the students to gain knowledge related to their biology lesson about food.

The Head Chef of the Pastry Kitchen explained to them, the

various stages of production and the entire baking process. The chef also shared with them the various techniques that they use to cook food in volume; as well as demonstrat-ed them to make cookies and chocolate cake.

The students got a chance to try their hand in preparing creative patterns and shapes for the decoration of cake.

It was a unique and exciting learning experience for stu-dents and justified in terms of educational value.

BIS students at the Pastry Kitchen in Gulf Hotel

Former ISB student gets Biotech rankTDT | Manama

Amisha Minju O.P, a for-mer student of the Indian

School Bahrain (ISB) has se-cured the third rank in B.Sc Biotechnology examination 2019, conducted by Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.

She was a student of Sree Sankara College, Kalady. She completed her Senior Second-ary Course from the Indian School Bahrain in 2015 as a subject topper with 100 % marks in Biotechnology.

Amisha is daughter of ISB Senior English Teacher Sree-sadan. ISB Chairman Prince

S Natarajan, Secretary Saji Antony and Principal VR Planiswamy congratulated Amisha.

Amisha Minju O.P

The students of NMS-DPS Bahrain during Labour Day celebration organised to appreciate and thank the selfless service of all who work with full dedication and ensure the hygiene and security of the school. A special assembly was conducted on this occasion emphasizing the need, importance and significance of the role of workers in our life. Activities like making thanks giving card, fancy show of community helpers, street plays on expressing gratitude to the service providers, were the highlights of the day.

New Generation Private School celebrates GergaoonTDT | Manama

NGPS started to hold dedicat-ed morning assemblies and

events during May to be blessed by the spirit of Ramadan.

Firstly, Gergaoon celebration was practiced at the school to celebrate Ramadan with one of its most lively practices for kids. Students were dressed in traditional clothes and sharing lots of sweets and chocolates with one another.

Starting from Sunday, May 5, the students are reciting ha-diths and Holy Quran at the morning assemblies to start the day as diligent and bless-ed individuals during the Holy

month of Ramadan. Classroom teachers and Arabic depart-ment are also organizing mini

informative presentations with the groups of students about blessings of Ramadan.

Some Girl Guides and Boys Scouts give a presentation

Students participate in Gergaoon celebrations

14 WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

How Ramadan is celebrated around the world

Over a billion Muslims welcome the month with different customs but same focus on spirituality

Muslims worldwide are wel-coming the holy month of Ramadan with much antici-

pation and delight. Traditionally marked by the sighting

of the crescent moon, more than 1 bil-lion Muslims will celebrate and reflect on their faith as they fast from sunrise to sunset for the whole month.

Designed to purify the body and focus on spirituality, Ramadan is a time when traditions and customs are highlighted, giving each country its unique spirit.

Every year, Muslims prepare them-selves and their homes to focus on the sanctities of the month, as it commem-orates the revelation of the Qur’an to the Prophet Mohammed — significant peace comes with that. Homes are calm-er, prayers are heard across cities, iftar meals to break the fast are prepared early, youths volunteer and spread joy to the less fortunate, and family gath-erings abound — these are just some of

the highlights of the month. There is unity and closeness; hum-

ble, shared meals; the strengthening of bonds; and spiritual reflection.

Muslims and Christians perform acts of charity by providing large banquets in front of mosques.

With plenty of food to go around, it does not matter if you are poor or rich — the shared experience of generosity brings people together.

Across Saudi Arabia, Ramadan rituals are sacred in many households. As the sun starts to set, homes are filled with the smell of cardamom and Arabic cof-fee, which is prepared for iftar.

There is also a heady mix of fried dough, prepping for samboosa, and the sweet smell of karkadeh, a hibiscus tea. Across the Kingdom, recitals of the Qur’an can be heard as family members start trickling into their elders’ homes with dishes of Arabic sweets such as lugaymat and atayef (thin pancakes stuffed with cream or crushed fried

almonds with syrup).Saudis break their fast with a few

dates and milk or a yogurt drink some-times mixed with mint leaves.

Some families arrange a drinks tray of qamar al-din (apricot juice), soobya (a traditional Hijaz drink made from barley or bread doused in water for a few days and sweetened with sugar and raisins) and tamarind juice. Meals are light, and families relax after iftar with traditional sweets and Arabic coffee before Taraweeh prayers.

A very common custom among fami-lies of the Hijaz region is to burn mastic (a natural resin or gum extracted from mastic trees) and place jugs above the incense to mix the taste of Zamzam wa-ter (filled afterward) with the incense.

Small tin cups called tutuwah are also used to drink Zamzam water, infused with the smell of mastic incense.

In Egypt, children run around their neighborhoods swinging a small fanoos (lantern) and singing “wahawi ya waha-

wi,” a folkloric song that celebrates the start of Ramadan. Egyptians decorate their homes, streets and alleyways with fawanees (plural of fanoos).

Known for their hearty cuisine, their meals are heavy for iftar and light for sahoor, the last meal of the night before resuming the fast.

Families and friends gather in mosques and pray alongside each other. After concluding prayers, they gather in homes or at cafes under lights and hanging lanterns enjoying shisha and tea. A deeply rooted Ramadan custom in Egypt and across the Levant is the mesaharati, a man who wanders neigh-borhoods with a small drum waking people up an hour or two before dawn for sahoor, chanting “wake up sleepy, proclaim the oneness of the Everlast-ing.”

The mesaharati, usually a neighbor-hood elder, calls each neighbor by name before heading to the next neighbor-hood.

Despite the war in Syria, many night markets are filled with families shop-ping or enjoying tea while tradition-al songs and folklore dances are per-formed for the public. Another ongoing tradition is the hakawati, or storyteller. Derived from the word for story, hek-aya, the hakawati tells tales of myths, heroes and fables, as well as stories from the Qur’an.

While 40 percent of Lebanese are Christian, Ramadan is celebrated by all in Lebanon, with an abundance of stuffed grape leaves, hummus, fattoush

and tabbouleh. Charities, civic organi-zations and businesses host fundraising iftars, and mosques and churches hold clothing drives and distribute Ramadan baskets.

In Iraq, cities have come alive again after years of nightly curfews, and pub-lic spaces are filled with people of all ages enjoying post-iftar sweets and tea, shopping and an evening stroll. Locals celebrate together as cities are filled with colors and string lights.

Mheibes, a traditional Iraqi game, is played in national championships. It is played with two teams of at least 20, with a ring hidden in the palm of a hand, and a member of the opposing team intimidating the players to see who has it.

Among the main dishes in Iraqi households are a lentil soup dish and a stew served with rice or thareed (bro-ken pieces of flatbread steeped in the stew) with chunks of lamb. After iftar, Iraqis enjoy sweet tea and desserts such as mahalabiya, zalabia and halawat sha’iriya (golden vermicelli noodles).

So while the spiritual intention is the same, different communities display their own unique spirit of Ramadan, preserving customs for younger gen-erations to observe and keep.

Ramadan cooking

IngredientsOil, for frying3 potatoes, peeled and sliced thickly1 cup ricesalt, to taste1/2 kg meat (chicken, lamb or beef), cut into pieces1 onion, peeled and sliced3 cloves garlic, sliced2 jalapenos, sliced1 tsp baharat (seven spice mix)1 tsp ground cardamom1g cloves1g black pepper1/2g cinnamon stick2 tbsp tomato pasteSalt, to taste

Method

Place the oil in a pan and deep-fry potato slices till g o l d e n b r o w n . R e m o v e , drain of excess oil and set aside.

Soak the rice in warm water with some salt for 10 minutes.

Boil the rice with salt till 3/4 cooked. Rinse and set aside.

Cook the meat in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes, or till tender.

Add some oil to a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan and fry the onion till golden, then add the garlic, jalapenos, cooked potatoes and meat. Mix well, then add the baharat and the

whole spices.Stir in the tomato paste and

salt, and simmer till mixture is thick.

Once the mixture has reached the desired consistency, place the rice on top. Sprinkle the top of the rice with 3 tablespoons of water, cover the saucepan and leave to steam over low heat for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

To serve, place the serving dish over the saucepan and up-end it, so that its contents end up on the serving dish – rice at the bottom, and the meat mix-ture on top.

A drone photo shows thousands of people gather for iftar (fast-breaking) dinner during the month of Ramadan at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul

Egyptian dancers perform the Tanoura during Ramadan

Muslims break their fast in Riyadh

Khushka(4 servings)

15

sports


Kompany clears title path for Man CityA brilliant goal from Vincent Kompany earned Manchester City victory over an impressive Leicester and left them one win from the titleAFP | Manchester

Manchester City manag-er Pep Guardiola led the tributes tro Vin-

cent Kompany after the Bel-gian’s thunderous strike earned a nervy 1-0 win over Leicester City on Monday to move the English champions to within one win of retaining the Premier League.

City moved back one point clear of Liverpool despite not being at their fluent best as cen-tre-back Kompany unleashed a long-range shot into the top corner 20 minutes from time.

Guardiola’s men will become the first side in a decade to re-tain the title at Brighton on Sun-day as long as they match or better the Reds’ result at home to Wolves.

Kompany, who has endured terrible luck with injuries over recent years, was in tears as he led a lap of honour with his chil-dren to mark City’s final home game of the season and may have played for the last time at the Etihad with his contract expiring at the end of the cam-paign.

“There are players that help us to be where we are right now,” said Guardiola. “Vincent is one of them.

“When is fit he is an incred-ible central defender. He is be-loved, he is a leader. I’m happy for him, for the club, for every-body.”

After edging past Newcas-tle 3-2 on Saturday night, Liv-erpool, who have not won the league since 1990, were left praying that former manager Brendan Rodgers could do them

a favour at the Etihad.Leicester’s marked improve-

ment since Rodgers took charge in February was on show in an impressive display from the vis-itors as City were made to sweat but just got over the line for a vital three points.

And Guardiola admitted he had urged Kompany not to shoot as he lined up his first goal from outside the box since he was playing for Hamburg in 2007.

“It’s not about the amount of goals you score it’s about when you score them. Today it was necessary,” said Kompany.

‘We have the pressure’ “Every step in the last four

months was significant. Liver-pool keep making the steps and now we have a final to play in Brighton, Nothing is won yet.”

City have now won 13 consec-utive league games to overhaul a seven-point deficit at the top of the table in January and Guar-diola claimed it is his side that

have had to play under pressure despite Liverpool’s 29-year wait to win the title.

“It was outstanding the way we played in the second-half. The character, the personali-ty, knowing how difficult it is,” added Guardiola.

“Right now Liverpool play without pressure. We have the pressure, we know we can lose it because it is in our hands.”

Sergio Aguero came closest to opening the scoring before the break with a header that clipped the inside of the post and was palmed clear by Kasper Schmeichel.

Yet, it was not until after the break that City upped the tem-po to lay siege on the Leicester goal.

Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany is manhandled by Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell (left) and Harry Maguire during an extremely tense affair on Monday night

KNOW WHAT

Manchester City have now scored 157 goals

this season

BRAVE CF announces September return to Colombia TDT | Manama

Exactly one year after mak-ing its much-anticipated

debut in Colombia, BRAVE Combat Federation will return for yet another groundbreak-ing event.

BRAVE CF officials have an-nounced that the fastest-grow-ing MMA promotion in the world will host a fight card in the country, again on Sep-tember 7th - the same date of BRAVE 15, which pitted Godofredo Pepey against Alex Torres in the main event.

The show, set to take place in Bogota, will be in partnership with Latin Fighter Champion-ship, who has steadily become a rising force in the local fight scene and has taken over the world of mixed martial arts in Colombia and Latin America in general.

LFC has also become known for paying special attention to amateur MMA and other

combat sports and for hosting seminars with legends of the sport such as Stephan Bonnar.

The return to Colombia aims to further develop the sport in the area, a commitment made last year with BRAVE 15, in Bu-caramanga, which marked the first time a truly global MMA promotion hosted an event in the country.

The show also reinforces HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s vision of taking MMA to all parts of the world and providing fighters from differ-ent regions with opportunities to showcase their talents in a global platform, as well as giving BRAVE CF fans around the globe the chance to watch their heroes perform live.

Brave Combat Federation will announce further details of the show in the next months as the promotion gears up for another record-breaking year after organizing 12 shows in 12 different countries in 2018.

Milan back in CL race

• Suso and Fabio Borini on target as AC Milan edge Bologna to move fifth

AFP | Milan

AC Milan revived their Champions League hopes

with a 2-1 win over Bologna on Monday as tempers flared with three players sent off and a bust-up between French mid-fielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and coach Gennaro Gattuso on the sidelines.

Gattuso’s side move back into fifth place -- three points behind Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League berth -- with three games left to play this season.

Milan had dropped out of the European places after a draw against Parma and loss to Torino but now move level on points with Roma who are sixth.

Champions Juventus and second-placed Napoli are al-ready assured of Champions League football next season but the battle for the final two

berths remains tight with Inter Milan on 63 points, followed by Atalanta (62), AC Milan (59), Roma (59) and Torino (57).

“These are important points, we’re right there now for the Champions League,” said Gat-tuso whose side are targeting a return to elite European foot-ball for the first time since the 2013-2014 season.

Spanish winger Suso opened for Milan on 37 minutes with the game springing to life in the second half with Fabio Borini tapping in the second on 67 minutes.

Bologna’s Mattia Destro pulled one back on 72 minutes, with Milan playing the final quarter of an hour a man down after midfielder Lucas Paquetá was sent off for arguing with the referee.

In a nervy finale Bologna finished the game with nine men with Nicola Sansone and Mitchell Dijks both sent off late.

The absence of the pair could prove costly for Bologna, just five points above the rele-gation zone, and need points next week against Parma be-fore their final two games against Lazio and Napoli.

AC Milan’s Spanish forward Samuel Castillejo (C) dribbles during the Italian Serie A football match AC Milan vs Bologna

Indian Club organises badminton tournament

TDT | Manama

The Indian Club - Miller International Badminton

Doubles Open Tournament was held between 20th April to 25th April.

A total number of 172 players participated from different na-tionalities in this tournament; under 7 categories – Champi-ons in doubles, Level 1 dou-bles, Level 2 doubles, Level 3 doubles, Level 4 doubles, Vet-eran’s doubles and Women’s doubles.

The Indian Club Badminton Doubles Open Tournament results:

Men’s Doubles Championship flightWinner : Suvin Davis and JaydeepRunner up : Kiranlal and Ramesh

Women’s DoublesWinner :Nellam Singh and RachelRunner up :Amy Suneeth and Leanne Suneeth

Veteran’s Doubles (45+)Winner :Salesh Chembali and Madhu K. Menon

Runner up :Bijosh Jose and Habeeb Rahman

Men’s Doubles Level 1Winner :Edison Pittapillil and Rino K RoyRunner up :Yunus Nagathukandy and Shaukath A K

Men’s Doubles Level 2Winner :Santhosh K Madhav and Neelakandan

Runner up :Akhil and Sreejith

Men’s Doubles Level 3Winner :Rajeesh and SujithRunner up :Karthikeyan and Bijoy Kambrath

Mens Doubles Level 4Winner :Shabab M Shamsudeen and Sudheep SukuRunner up :Abdul Shukoor and Althaf Ahamed

Participants of the The Indian Club - Miller International Badminton Doubles Open Tournament after the matches

Ajax hopeful on Neres fitness for Tottenham return legAFP | Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ajax are hopeful David Neres will be fit for their Cham-

pions League semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur, with coach Erik ten Hag admit-ting there was “a small question mark” surrounding the fitness of the talented Brazilian winger.

“There is perhaps a small problem with David, but he will train and we expect him to play,” Ten Hag said at a press conference yesterday at the Jo-han Cruyff Arena.

Ajax take a 1-0 lead into Wednesday’s game after Donny van de Beek’s early goal sepa-rated the teams in London last week.

Neres, who scored a brilliant equaliser in the 1-1 draw at home to Juventus in the quar-ter-finals and hit the post late in the first leg against Tottenham, came on as a second-half sub-stitute in the Dutch Cup final at the weekend as Ajax beat Willem II 4-0 in Rotterdam.

It was the first leg of a poten-tial treble for the Amsterdam side, who are top of the Dutch Eredivisie and hoping to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 1996.

They have already dumped out the holders, Real Madrid, and beaten Juventus to reach this stage, and now they are hoping to finish the job against Spurs.

“The intensity against a Pre-mier League team is a little dif-ferent, but we experienced that before against Juventus and Real. The team has the ability to adapt to playing at a higher lev-el and we have to make that step

up again,” added Ten Hag.

‘Healthy tension’

S p u r s w i l l h a v e S o n H e u -ng-min back from s u s p e n s i o n t h i s time, though, and that gives them hope, especia l -ly after Mauricio Pochettino’s de-pleted team recov-ered from a torrid first 30 min-utes in London to cause Ajax problems.

“Our defensive organisation was excellent,” pointed out Ten Hag.

“In the final third we didn’t play all that well but the play-ers’ mindset was to defend our 1-0 lead.”

There are likely to be a few changes to Ten Hag ’s l ine-up for Wednesday ’s

game after the Cup final, when veteran striker Klaas-Jan Hunt-elaar was one of those to come into their team.

He netted twice against Wil-lem II in between goals from Daley Blind and Rasmus Kris-tensen as Ajax won the Cup for the first time since 2010. Celebrations after that game were muted, however.

“Most of the celebrations were on the pitch and then in the Arena with the fans, and after that it was a bit timid,” admitted Blind.

“We knew what was coming and it is clear that this match was in our thoughts.”

Blind, who played for Man-chester United when they beat Ajax in the 2017 Europa League final, returned to the Amster-dam club last year.

Despite the size of the oc-casion, he said there were no nerves in the home camp.

“There is a bit of healthy ten-sion, which is good,” he said.

“Each match is important in its own right -- even in the qual-ifying rounds the games were important and you just have to make sure you prepare well.”

Djokovic cruises in Madrid • Launching his quest for a third Madrid title, Novak Djokovic dismissed qualifier Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 6-2, to roll into the Madrid round of 16

• Simona Halep was too strong for Johanna Konta

AFP | Madrid

Novak Djokovic needed just 65 minutes to make a winning start at the Madrid Open yesterday,

hammering Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-2 to reach the third round.

The top seed and world number one broke three times as he schooled the American.

Djokovic won the Madrid title in 2011 and 2016, He will be chasing a fourth straight Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros next month.

Third seed Roger Federer was mak-ing his clay return after two full sea-sons off of the surface when he faced Frenchman Richard Gasquet later in the second round after a bye.

Unseeded treble Grand Slam cham-pion Stan Wawrinka started his Ma-drid campaign with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Pierre-Hugues Herbert to move into the second round.

“It was a great first match. I’ve been good on the practice court, feeling really good, so it was impor-tant to start well today,” Wawrinka said.

“I hope my game is going to click soon. I’m patient enough to know that sometimes it takes time,” said the Swiss player, who underwent two knee sur-geries in August, 2017.

“I’m playing well and feeling well on the court. I still have some big result inside me so

hopefully they can come sooner than later.

“I’m ready to keep working the right way to get back in a better place and to win more matches and hopefully get later in the tournament.”

Wawrinka will next play Argentine Guido Pella, who put out Barcelona finalist Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.

In the women’s WTA draw, third seed and two-time champion Simona Halep of Romania ended the hopes of Johanna Konta 7-5, 6-1 in the second round.

The Briton had made a dash to Ma-drid on Sunday evening after playing the Rabat clay final. Konta won her opening match against Alison Riske but could not match Halep, the defending French Open champion.

“I feel good every time when I come to Madrid and I’m happy to be back and winning matches,” Halep said.

“It was a good match. Both of us played very well and, in the end, I was a bit stronger mentally and I found a rhythm.”


I’m ready to keep working the right way to get back in a better place and to win more

matches and hopefully get later in the tournament

STAN WAWRINKA

KNOW WHAT

Ajax take a 1-0 lead into Wednesday’s game after Donny

van de Beek’s early goal separated the teams in London

last week

Roumania’s Simona Halep returns the ball to Britain’s Johanna Konta Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns the ball to US Taylor Fritz

Trump awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods

AFP | Washington

Tiger Woods, fresh off his epic comeback victory

in the Masters, was award-ed the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

Presenting the golfing great with the nation’s highest honor, Trump praised Woods’ “relent-less will to win, win, win.”

“These qualities embody the American spirit of pushing boundaries, defying limits and always striving for greatness,” the president said.

Trump congratulated Woods on “your amazing comeback and your amazing life and for giving sports fans a lifetime of memories.

“We can’t wait to see what’s next, Tiger,” said Trump, an avid golfer and owner of several golf courses around the world.

Woods, 43, choked up as he thanked his mother, his two children, his girlfriend and his caddy during the ceremo-ny in the White House Rose Garden.

“You have seen the good and the bad, the highs and the lows,” said Woods, who battled back from injury to win the Masters last month, his first major title since the 2008 US Open.

“My dad is no longer here, but my mom is here,” Woods said. “I love you, Mom.”

“I have tried to hang in there and I have tried to come back and play the great game of golf again,” Woods said. “I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to do it again.”

He said his Masters victory was “probably the highlight of what I have accomplished so far in my life on the golf course.

“To have had that type of ex-perience and to be able to come out on top and win,” he said.

‘Especially meritorious’

Established by John F. Ken-nedy in 1963, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is bestowed upon those who have made an “especially meritorious” contri-bution to US security or national interests, world peace, cultural pursuits or other non-specified endeavors.

It has been awarded to near-ly three dozen sports figures including golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, honored by president George W. Bush.

President Barack Obama gave the medal in 2014 to Charlie Sifford, the first African Amer-ican golfer to play on the PGA Tour.

During his speech, Woods praised Sifford who he said was “like the grandpa I never had.”

“I ended up becoming so close with him that I ended up naming my son Charlie after him,” he said. “So to have been chosen as the next golfer after Charlie is truly remarkable.”

Woods’ Masters was his 15th major title, leaving him just three short of the record held

by Nicklaus.Woods, a black superstar in

a white-dominated sport, has steered clear of commenting on politics during his career.

He has golfed with Demo-cratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and with Republican presidents George H.W. Bush and Trump.

He has hit the links with Trump on several occasions, most recently in February at the president’s course in Jupiter, Florida.

Woods was asked last year about his relationship with Trump, who has been engaged in an ongoing feud with a num-ber of African-American bas-ketball and football stars.

“Well, I’ve known Donald for a number of years,” Woods said. “We’ve played golf together. We’ve had dinner together.

Woods said the important thing was to respect the office of the presidency, regardless of who happened to be occupying the White House.

“No matter who is in the of-fice, you may like, dislike per-sonality or the politics, but we all must respect the office,” Woods said.

President Donald Trump presents Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House

David Neres

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