Comprehensive survey to devise health strategies TDT|ManamaMohammed Zafran

A comprehensive nation-wide health survey, which consists of a ran-

dom sample of around 4,000

Bahraini and non-Bahraini households, will be completed in August, it was revealed.

The National Health Survey 2018 is made possible through a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Infor-mation and eGovernment Au-thority.

The survey is part of the Gov-ernment Action Plan (GAP) to provide comprehensive health-care to citizens and residents.

The total number of respon-dents is expected to be around 4,000 households, according to the Ministry of Health.

Only those who are 18 years or older are selected in the sample. About 32 researchers and field supervisors are tasked for the survey.

Health Ministry Assistant Undersecretary Dr Mariam Al Hajri, confirmed to Tribune that the survey will be completed in August and that the respondents so far have been cooperative.

“This is aimed to upgrade the standards of care and service and achieve excellent health services and care in Bahrain.This survey is in line with the 2030 national economic vision and the Bahrain national health strategy,” she said. 

“This will give us updated sta-tistical information regarding health status in Bahrain and

risk factors while also providing the concerned authorities and stakeholders with the statistical data to draw up a strategic plans and programmes.”

Every selected household will be interviewed using a house-hold questionnaire and an indi-vidual questionnaire. Those sur-veyed are asked a  set  of  ques-tions with regard to demograph-ic  data,  social and health status.

In the next stage of the survey, physical examinations to know body height, eye-test, diabetes test and  blood pressure test are conducted.

The other bio-markers and physical measurements that will be gathered as part of the survey include cholesterol, tri-glycerides and obesity.

The National Health Survey is an internationally adopted sur-vey devised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has been conducted in more than 70 countries worldwide.

03 Carjackers on the prowl

04New facility to handle civil cases launched

06

Women strides in focus as SCW receives applications for Princess Sabeeka Award

10

Laos dam unleashes horror 12WORLD

OP-EDC E L E B S

Hardy confirms two more ‘Mad Max’ moviesActor Tom Hardy says there are plans to make two more ‘Mad Max’ movies. The 40-year-old actor is hope-ful there will be two more instalments of the action movie and he is ready to “jump on it” as soon as it gets the green light. P16

WEDNESDAYJULY 2018

200 FILS

ISSUE NO. 7818

Delivering yorker on a political pitch

Alaphilippe snatches stage 16 19 SPORTS

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Red Cross plane forced to land after deviating route Riyadh

Saudi-led Coalition spokes-person, Col Turki Al Ma-liki, said that at 1pm local

time yesterday, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plane changed course after taking off from Sanaa air-port on its way to Djibouti.

Al Maliki said the air crew responsible for the aircraft changed its course and were forced to deviate from its orig-inal route, adding the plane’s course was changed in order to avoid flying over conflict areas.

Al Maliki said Coalition forces contacted the aircraft through the global emergency frequency. However, the plane’s crew did not respond to the calls, and instructions were giv-en to redirect the aircraft from the operations zone without hesitation.

“They were forced to land at King Abdullah Regional Airport in Jazan at 2:16 pm local time,” he added.

Al Maliki stressed the keen-ness of the Saudi-led Coalition, which supports the legitimate Yemeni government, in imple-

menting safety measures and said the actions of the aircraft’s crew was a direct contravention to aviation regulations.

“The safety of the air space was jeopardised as well as the safety of the passengers on the flight, of which there were four in total,” he noted.

Al Maliki also confirmed the Coalition’s concern over the violation of aviation regulations and said the actions were being taken to ensure the “safety of the air space, as well as the crew and humanitarian workers on board the flight.”Col Al Maliki

This is aimed to upgrade the

standards of care and service apart

from achieving excellent health

services. DR AL HAJRI

A Health Ministry staff checks blood pressure as part of the survey

4,000 households will be

included in the survey.

Syrian jet shot down Israel fires Patriot interceptor at a Syrian Sukhoi jet that crossed 2 km into ‘its air space’

• For the second time in as many days, Israeli sirens sounded on the Golan and witnesses saw the contrails of two missiles flying skyward.

Jerusalem

Israel said it shot down a Syri-an warplane that crossed into the occupied Golan Heights

yesterday, but Damascus said the jet was fired on as it took part in sorties against rebels within Syria.

The incident added new fuel to weeks of tensions over the Golan, a strategic plateau between the two old enemies and where Israel has been on high alert as Syrian government forces, supported

by Russia, close in to regain re-bel-held ground.

Israel worries Syrian President

Bashar Al Assad may defy a 1974 UN armistice that demilitarised much of the Golan, or let his Ira-

nian and Lebanese Hezbollah re-inforcements deploy there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benja-

min Netanyahu said the Syrian jet had been in “gross violation of the separation of forces between us an Syria”. Israel “took appropriate action” he said.

For the second time in as many days, Israeli sirens sounded on the Golan and witnesses saw the contrails of two missiles flying skyward.

The military said it fired Patriot interceptor missiles at a Syrian Sukhoi jet that crossed 2 km into Israeli-controlled air space, after first trying to warn it off.

UN peacekeepers “observed burning debris falling from an aircraft” some 10 km inside Syrian territory southeast of the Golan buffer zone, their agency said in a statement.

The warplane’s pilot was killed, a non-Syrian source close to the Syrian government said.

Smoke follows an explosion at the Syrian side of the Israeli-Syrian border as it is seen from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Pakistan votes today in general election Islamabad

Pakistan’s nearly 106 million registered vot-

ers have a chance to choose their representatives in the national and provincial as-semblies — as well as their next prime minister — as the country goes for its 11th General Election today. 

Polling is expected to begin at 8am  and con-clude without any break at 6pm  across the coun-try’s  85,307 polling sta-tions, of which 17,007 have been declared ‘highly sen-sitive’. As many as 12,570 candidates are contesting for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the general election.

Qatar, US to expand Al Udeid AirbaseDoha

Th e U S a n d Q a t a r launched a plan yes-

terday to expand Al Udeid airbase, the biggest military facility used by Washington in the Gulf.

The two countries also discussed making Al Udeid a “permanent” base.

The project includes “the construction of bar-racks and service buildings to support joint security efforts, as well as improv-ing the quality of life of the troops stationed at the air-base,” it said.

Around 10,000 US troops are deployed in Al Udeid, the largest US base in the G u l f w h e re Wa s h i n g-ton stocks munitions and equipment and deploys warplanes used in the bat-tle against the Islamic State group.

03

big story

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

Carjackers on the prowl Cops probing back-to-back incidents of stealing vehicles; car owners worry over increasing number of thefts

• Tribune had reported several carjacking incidents that occurred in different parts of the Kingdom.

TDT|ManamaMuhannad Mansour

Unemployment, lack of awareness, poverty and drugs and alcohol addic-

tion has been cited by activists as some of the motives behind the hike in carjacking rates in the Kingdom lately.

This comes as Tribune was in-formed about several car thefts in different areas of Bahrain in the past few days, a crime that has become a “dangerous phenomenon” as described by citizens.

Two of the incidents were re-ported in the same area in Ham-ad Town, near Roundabout 7.

Naeem Al Thawadi, a Bahraini citizen, told Tribune yesterday that his daughter’s brand new car was stolen at around 9 pm on July 17, while she was inside a stationery in the area.

“She kept the engine running, the car unlocked and entered the shop. Less than five minutes later, she came out of the shop and found out that her car dis-appeared. It’s strange that this occurred on a vital commercial road that’s usually crowded,” Mr Al Thawadi said.

The victim immediately re-ported the incident to the near-est police station and a search operation was launched by the police. Mr Al Thawadi also post-ed the pictures of the car on several social media networks, offering a reward for the person who leads to the stolen car.

“One day later I received a call from someone claiming that a car is suspiciously parked in his neighbourhood, adding that it looks similar to ours. Accom-panied by cops, we moved to the location and my daughter’s car was parked there with the windows open.

“It was parked in an open yard in a residential area near Round-about 19,” the man informed.

He added, “All of my daugh-ter’s belongings were missing, including BD300 that was in her purse. The inside of the car was dirty and there were a couple of empty bottles of alcoholic bev-erages there too. The culprits poured carbonated drinks all over the inside and outside of the car, including the door handles.

“I thought it was a mere act of vandalism, but the police told us that they did this to erase their fingerprints and leave no trace behind them. I have lived in the area for around 25 years and I don’t recall such incidents hap-pening in our neighbourhood. It’s an alien phenomenon to our peaceful society. Police investi-gations are continued.”

A few blocks away, another unattended running vehicle was

stolen from outside the house of another Bahraini citizen, Abdul Wahab Al Zayani.

Mr Al Zayani told Tribune that the incident occurred on Sunday night and that he left his car unattended for a few min-utes, a period that was apparent-ly enough for the carjacker to get in and drive off with it.

“My car’s exhausts are loud, but surprisingly, I didn’t hear any sounds when it was driven away by the thief. When I came out of the house, I was surprised that the car was not there and for a second I thought that it was a joke.

“These incidents are rare here. The repetition of such incidents is becoming an alarming phe-nomenon. My identity cards, bank cards and around BD20 were inside the car.

“I think it was someone who’s not in his senses. Maybe a drug addict. I have notified the police and they’re now searching for the car,” Mr Al Zayani said.

The third incident took place on Saturday night, in one of the busiest areas in the Capi-tal, Gudaibiya.

Similarly to other incidents, the victim was also a Bahraini citizen. While speaking to Trib-une, Ahmed Omar said his car was parked and locked at a yard that’s located besides Exhibi-tions Avenue in the eastern parts of the capital.

He said that the residents of

the crowded area usually park their cars in the yard. Mr Omar discovered that his car was sto-len on the next day, as he was going to work.

He explained, “I reported the incident to the nearby Hoora Po-lice Station. It was parked next to a bank, which is obviously monitored around the clock by CCTV cameras that record the surroundings of the bank too.

“But the bank’s adminis-tration refused to provide me with the footage and re-quested formal documents from the police station and the Public Prosecution.”

“The car was locked and is equipped with an alarm system. This incident is very mysterious. The thief must have had a duplicate of the keys. I’m not sure how it hap-pened,” Mr Omar added.

 

MotivesGathering more views on

the growing issue, Tribune spoke to two of the popular faces in Hamad Town, North-ern Governorate Municipal Council Chairman Moham-med Buhamood and Social Activist Yaseen Zainal.

Mr Buhamood predicted that the perpetrators were unemployed youth. Explain-ing further he said that pov-erty and unemployment have been the motives behind many crimes, adding that “most of the offenders were from the youth category”.

“The motives for commit-ting such crimes vary. But we must agree that the youth need more official and public attention. Because of poverty or unemployment, they could possibly sink into to the world of drugs, abuse and alcohol-ism.

“This eventually leads to committing crimes, mainly thefts, to feed their addic-tion,” Mr Buhamood opined.

He also said, “They could also be influenced by the me-dia. Some youngsters would replicate the actions of their favourite movie stars or sing-ers, thinking it’s adventurous. Other may commit the crime as a challenge among their

friends. That’s why I repeat that it’s the responsibility of all seg-ments of the society, official au-thorities and citizens, to educate the youth more on the dangers of such alien behaviours.”

Mr Buhamood advised all drivers to be vigilant and to keep their belongings in safe places

instead of their cars, which he also said should be switched off and locked when unattended.

Sharing a similar opinion, Mr Zainal attributed the increase in the rates of such crimes to “social circumstances”, men-tioning poverty, unemployment and even domestic violence.

However, he disagreed that it’s phenomenal in Hamad Town or the Kingdom in general say-ing, “Carjacking is a common crime that occurs everywhere in the world. The reputation of the thefts recently is a coinci-dence, but it’s an eye-opener too to tackle it.

“We praise the police for con-tinuing to work hard to combat such crimes and maintain public security.”

In Mr Zainal’s opinion, the solution to curb these crimes is by increasing social awareness and education, especially among the youth.

Tribune had reported sever-al carjacking incidents that oc-curred in different parts of the country in the past few years.

Two of the occurrences were of cars being stolen while chil-dren were left inside them un-attended.

The children were reunited with their families while the culprits remain behind bars until today.

One of the stolen cars that was found abandoned in a residential area in Hamad Town, a day after it was stolen.

Poverty, unemployment and bad habits

like drug addiction are the reasons behind

such crimes. MR BUHAMOOD

Increasing social awareness

and education among youth is

the only way to curb such

crimes. MR ZAINAL

04WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

New facility to handle civil cases launched Move in line with Justice Ministry’s efforts to fast-track cases

• The undersecretary yesterday visited the office and reviewed the initial work being done there.

• The official emphasised that the Justice Ministry is always in its efforts to develop a mechanism that would speed up the delivery of justice.

TDT|Manama

A new office has been opened to ex-clusively deal with civil lawsuits within the Ministry of Justice

and Islamic Affairs building in the Dip-lomatic Area, said Ministry Wael Buallay yesterday.

The new facility aims at establishing a system in line with Bahrain’s 2030 economic vision, which is part of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s strategy for comprehensive develop-ment.

The undersecretary yesterday visited the office and reviewed the initial work being done there.

“The introduction of the new office to handle the civil cases is a fundamental move as we look forward to making a qualitative change and development in our facilities.

“It will be equipped with a new system

allowing a more effective time manage-ment, helping to accelerate the issuing of verdicts in lawsuits,” Mr Buallay pointed out.

Meanwhile, the undersecretary re-vealed that work is underway to com-plete the administrative, technical and technological requirements and it will be completed by next September.

The new system comes in line with the implementation of Law no. (18) for the year 2018 to amend law provi-sions related to civil and commercial cases. 

The official emphasised that the Jus-tice Ministry is always in its efforts to develop a mechanism that would speed up the delivery of justice.

Mr Buallay, second from right, visits the new facility.

It will be equipped with a new system allowing a more effective time management,

helping to accelerate the issuing of verdicts in lawsuits.

MR BUALLAY

One-year jail for drug addict siblings TDT|Manama Ali Tarif

Two drug-addict sib-lings, aged 23 and 22, were arrested

following a complaint filed by their mother, according to court files.

The duo were reported to police by their mother after they attacked her and broke her phone.

She told police officers that they also had insulted her.

The pair were arrested and their saliva was test-ed positive for hashish and other types of banned drugs.

“Actually I had a fight with my brother after he insulted me. My sister tried to break up the fight and I punched in her face and my mother called the police,” the 23-year-old man told prosecutors.

He has been already con-victed in two other drug cases.

The two defendants stood trial before the High Crimi-nal Court, which sentenced them to one year behind bars each.

211,000 visits Nakhool Tent • The tent will continue hosting musical shows by the Police Music Band, as well as shows held in cooperation with the embassies of a number of countries.

Manama

As many as 211,000 people have visited the Nakhool Tent over the past five

weeks, which makes it the most popular summer event ever.

Located in the historical Arad Fort, the tent hosts this year’s Bahrain Summer Festival and offers a variety of aware-ness-raising and entertaining activities from 5 pm to 9 pm, except Sundays.

The tent will continue hosting

musical shows by the Police Mu-sic Band, as well as shows held in cooperation with the embas-

sies of a number of countries.It will host the Malaysian

Zapin dance on July 25-27, Su-

danese folklore shows on Au-gust 1 and 3, Yemeni folklore shows on August 7, 9, 14 and 16

and the Pinocchio theatrical show on August 4.

The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) extended sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Bahrain Summer Festival’s sponsors; Middle East Medical Centre, AA Car Rent company, mii2 production company, as well as its special thanks addressed to the embassies of Egypt, Mo-rocco, Japan, Malaysia, Pales-tine, Indonesia, Sudan, United

States of America, Yemen and Turkey. 

The BACA also paid tribute to to the Ministry of Informa-tion Affairs and all journalists for their professional festival’s media coverage, as well as to all sponsors, companies and pri-vate corporations.

The BACA also expressed sin-cere appreciation and gratitude to 12 government ministries and official authorities; the Minis-try of Interior, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Supreme Council for Environment, En-kiro Club for Children, the Royal Charity Organisation, the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, Al Mabarrah Al Khalifia Foundation, the Uni-versity of Bahrain, the National Initiative for Agricultural De-velopment and the National In-stitution for Human Rights and Isa Cultural Centre.

Asian salesman jailed for theft TDT|Manama Ali Tarif

An Asian salesman serv-ing a local company

was jailed for pocketing the money after selling home appliances.

His misconduct was dis-covered after an audit was performed on the compa-ny’s inventory.

It was found that the Asian man sold two devices for a combined amount of BD1,000 and he pocketed the money.

He also stole two mobile phones from his shop, ac-cording to police records.

He stood trial before the High Criminal Court which sentenced him to three months behind bars, followed by immediate de-portation. 

Various activities are being organised for children at the tent.

12government ministries

were thanked by the BACA for promoting

Bahrain Summer Festival.

Burns victim in critical condition

Thilakan

TDT|ManamaHarpreet Kaur

An Indian expat who was rushed to the Salmaniya Medi-

cal Complex after suffer-ing third-degree burns is in a critical condition, said sources.

The expatriate was iden-tified as Thilakan Kollangi Aippu and he was working for a contracting company.

Sources said he suffered burn injuries in a gas stove blast at his accommodation. Khamis Police is probing into the incident.

Eight terror suspects referred to courtManama

Chief of Terror Crime Prosecution, Advocate General Ahmed Al

Hammadi, said that investiga-tions were completed in the case of eight suspects’ burning a patrol vehicle in the Diraz area on March 21.

The suspects were referred for a court trial on charges of

attempted murder, arson and destruction for terrorist pur-poses, illegal rallying, rioting, possession and use of Molotov firebombs.

The Public Prosecution re-lied on verbal statements in-cluding witness testimonies, confessions, technical evi-dence and Criminal Investiga-tion Directorate (CID) reports.

05WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

Man accused in 37 cases does robbery, adds to list Allegedly snatches mobile phones and gold bracelet from an Indian national

• Police investigations concluded with that the Bahraini and the BDF man were involved in the robbery incident.

• The BDF man will be tried at the military court while the other defendant will face a trial before the High Criminal Court.

TDT|Manama Ali Tarif

A Bahraini man, whose criminal record already includes a whop-ping 37 cases, is set to stand a

new trial in connection with the rob-bing of two mobile phones and a gold bracelet from an Indian man.

The robbery occurred in Sitra at dawn, where the victim was attacked by two men, including the Bahraini man who is in his early thirties. The second man is employed by the BDF, according to court details.

They are said to have initially posed as police officers in plain clothes, ask-ing their victim to present his ID to

them. However, he refused, and they di-

rectly pounced on him. “I was waiting for our company’s bus

around 5:00 am. A grey car approached me, and two tall men got out. They came to me asking for my ID after they introduced themselves as police of-ficers,” the victim told cops while filing his complaint.

The Bahraini man allegedly held the victim by his neck and snatched his phone, but the latter tried to get it back. 

“I attempted to fend them off, but one of them (the military man) took out a hammer, whose edge had a knife.

I got really afraid and even gave them the second phone I was having. I had a gold bracelet in my wrist, which they took before fleeing the scene,” the In-dian man added. 

Police investigations concluded with that the Bahraini and the BDF man were involved in the incident. However, the BDF man has dismissed his involve-ment in the robbery.

The BDF man will be tried at the military court while the other defend-ant will face a trial before the High Criminal Court.

His first hearing is scheduled to com-mence on September 10, 2018. 

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday met the successful candidates joining the fourth First Deputy Prime Minister’s Fellowship (FDPM Fellowship), at Gudaibiya Palace. HRH the Crown Prince stressed that Bahrain’s citizens are at the core of the Kingdom’s sustainable development initiatives, and highlighted the essential role Bahrainis play in all sectors of the economy.

Meritorious students

I attempted to fend them off, but one of them

(the military man) took out a hammer, whose edge had a knife. I got really afraid and even gave them the second

phone I was having. VICTIM

Tamkeen to expand services to meet latest market needs TDT|ManamaMohammed Zafran

Tamkeen is making im-provements and expand-ing the support it provides

to businesses in order to meet the changing market needs, said the Chairman of Tamkeen Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa.

The market needs are evolv-ing and Tamkeen is evolving with it, said Shaikh Moham-med. He said that Tamkeen is keeping track of the latest de-velopments and updating itself accordingly. A number of pro-grammes coming under it were recently updated, he noted. 

“This upcoming period of Tamkeen’s plans is centered on expanding the support given to grow the Bahraini ecosystem by introducing further projects and services to better cater to evolving market needs. Tamkeen has already introduced improve-ments to some of its current pro-

grammes to maximise the value gained” he said.

“The latest improvements in-clude widening the scope of Busi-ness Development programme to ensure consistency in meeting all private sector’s sustainable development goals,” he added.

Adding on Tamkeen’s three years strategy he said, “Tam-keen’s Strategy 2018-2020 lays great emphasis on the sustainable development goals of the private sector, which requires contin-uous research and studies into areas of improvement.”

“It aims to introduce new solu-tions and programs that amplify the support extended to enter-prises as well as individuals,” he said.  

He affirmed that Tamkeen’s 2018-2020 strategy aligns with global trends, taking into account the importance of capitalizing on the rise of tech and tech con-vergence.

Citing an example, he pointed

out Tamkeen’s Cloud Computing Scheme that aims to support the provision of Amazon Web Servic-es (AWS) new business solutions to the enterprises’ IT operations.

Event Shaikh Mohammed was

speaking during the event ‘Pol-icy Hack fireside chat’ organised by C5 Accelerate. The Policy

Hack Series was launched in collaboration with Tamkeen in November 2017 as a plat-form for policy thought lead-ership, debate, and discussion, to strengthen the ties between Bahrain’s influential entities and the startup ecosystem, and to discuss strategies that im-pact the tech innovation and entrepreneurial landscape and ecosystem.

Previous Policy Hack guests

included Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism and Rasheed Mohammed Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB).

Hadyah Fathalla, Executive Director of C5 Accelerate, com-mented saying, “We are hon-oured to host His Excellency Shaikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al Khalifa who has always been a great supporter of the eco-system and C5.  As the patron of the Cloud10 Scalerator, his support has been invaluable in growing the countries first tech accelerator. Tamkeen is essen-tially the backbone of Bahrain’s private sector and the greatest champion of its labour force. Therefore, enabling and facil-itating healthy discourse be-tween policymakers and the entrepreneurship community is essential.”  The event concluded with a Q&A session with the event’s attendees.

Innovations

Responding to a question dur-ing the Q&A session, regarding how Bahrain can find a solution for the apparent lack of innova-tions coming from the private sector, Shaikh Mohammed  said, “We want business leaders with drive and the wanting to do more. We will help them but we cannot do much more. There is a saying that ‘you can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink’.

“We will provide the supply side and we can only continue to encourage, we cannot force them. We strongly believe it is in their interest to innovate, be-cause it will ensure their long term success.

“All I can say is that if there are companies that want to innovate, we will help that, but if com-panies do not want to innovate they will die a slow death.”

Shaikh Mohammed and Ms Fathalla at the event.

Christine Bayliss, the Council of International Schools Evaluation Officer, has carried out the membership evaluation at the AMA International School Bahrain. Ms Bayliss cited positive findings in the AMAISB Membership Visit and added that the school showed readiness for undertaking work on the Preparatory Report for accreditation. Marietta S Sicat, the AMAISB School Director thanked Ms Bayliss for the feedback as it will serve as a springboard to improve more for the accreditation preparatory visit in November 2018.

06WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

Women strides in focus as SCW receives applications for Princess Sabeeka Award The deadline for applications falls on August 31, 2018 TDT|Manama

Entries are still open for the pres-tigious award that honors efforts to empower women in various

spheres of life. Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al

Khalifa Global Award for Women Em-powerment honours government and private institutions, NGOs and individu-als as well as their efforts in supporting the advancement of women.

According to the Supreme Council for Women, the launch of the award on the global level comes to shed light on the advancement of women nationally as a result of the vision of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibra-him AlKhalifa who looks forward to enhance and sustain Bahraini women’s participation as an essential partner in the national economy development.

“The Supreme Council for Women seeks to generalise the most effective practices to reinforce women’s status on the global level so as to implement the goals of sustainable development goals related to gender equality and balance.”

Earlier in March this year, the be-ginning of application process for the coveted award was announced on the sidelines of the 62nd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in the presence of Sec-retary General of the Supreme Council for Women, Hala Al Ansari, UN-Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlam-bo-Ngcuka and high-level represent-atives of international women institu-tions and organisations.

Al Ansari, in her speech, welcomed

the adoption of the UN Commission of an award that carries the name of HRH Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa to contribute to highlighting the international organizations com-mitment to women’s right to equality and non-discrimination, in addition to accentuating efforts and initiatives on the integration of women’s needs to improve their status. 

“Bahraini Women are beyond stages of traditional empowerment and gain-ing rights to become major partners in different aspects of development, based on the monitored cumulative results since the implementation of the systematic national plan.

“With the co-operation of Interior Ministry, family-protection offices have

been set up at all main police stations to tackle domestic violence. The Kingdom has managed to bridge 99 per cent of the gender gap in education, 96pc in the health field and 54pc in economic participation.

“Bahrain was able to achieve ad-vanced results within Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in closing the gender gap in pay for similar jobs, the estimated income index and the legislators and senior officials and man-agers index.”

Mlambo-Ngcuka had urged govern-ment and private institutions, NGOs and individual initiatives to take part in the award that its total prizes amount to $400,000 in appreciation of institu-tional and individual efforts to boost policies supportive to women’s ad-vancement and participations in the comprehensive development. 

The occasion saw Mlambo-Ngcuka commending Bahrain’s efforts to pro-mote women’s advancement, which have paved the way for a number of partnerships with the UN Commission on the Status of Women. 

The award emphasizes Bahrain’s successes in the field of women’s ad-vancement and status. The deadline for applications falls on August 31, 2018.

The applicants should highlight in-formation regarding the work being done to empower women by the con-cerned individual or institution apart from mentioning the project timeline. The impact evaluation, plan showing sustainability of the project and its po-

tential for development should also be enclosed with the application. For more information log on to www.womenglo-balaward.org.

HRH Princess Sabeeka

400,000American dollars is

the total award money that will be distributed in various categories.

Ms Al Ansari announces that the door has opened for applying for the award

The applicants should highlight information

regarding the work being done to empower

women by the concerned individual or institution

apart from mentioning the project timeline.

KNOW

DID

Ms Al Ansari with senior UN officials at the award announcement ceremony. The Bahraini delegation at the women status committee meeting in New York

Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, received at his office at the Presidential Palace Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Center for Strategic and International Studies and Energy Studies. Dr Shaikh Abdulla expressed great pride in the deep-rooted relations between the Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are progressing and solidifying in all fields to serve the common interests and goals and meet the aspirations of the two brotherly societies.

Brotherly ties stressed

07

business

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

BD3.75 billion worth tenders awarded in 2017• 1,892 tenders worth BD3.75 billion were awarded in 2017. This is 156 per cent more in value than 2016

TDT| Manama

Bahrain saw strong growth in its tender opportuni-ties in the past 12 months,

according to the 2017 Annual Report released by the Tender Board.

The total number of opened tenders reached 1,091 in 2017, up by 9.2 per cent from the previ-ous year. In response, 5,208 bids were submitted, to which 1,892 tenders worth BD3.75 billion in total value were awarded. This was 156 per cent more in value than 2016.

“We had a strong 2017 and we are expecting continued growth over the next 12 months. Pro-curement laws are being updat-ed to better suit current business

needs and further improve an already highly transparent sys-tem,” said Basim Al Hamer, Min-ister of Housing and Chairman of the Tender Board.

“The Cabinet recently ap-proved new streams of reve-nues that will allow us to hire qualified personnel for new spe-cialized roles, add further value to our services, develop our ca-pacities, and implement further strategic improvements,” he added.

According to the report, the top five purchasing authorities with the highest value tenders in 2017 were: Bahrain Petrole-um Company (BD1.8bn), Gulf Air (BD1.2bn), the Electricity and Water Authority (BD309m), Ministry of Housing (BD82m) a n d Ta t w e e r Pe t r o l e u m (BD78m).

Among the mega projects was Bapco modernization pro-gramme, the purchase of aircraft engines for Gulf Air’s new fleet as well as aircrafts forward sale and leaseback, the transmission of cable works for the Electricity

and Water Authority and the construction and maintenance of housing units for Ministry of Housing.

The Annual Report also re-veals a healthy 35 per cent in-crease in international engage-ment, with 2,948 regional and global companies registering with Tender Board in 2017, com-pared to 2,176 in 2016.

In addition, 2,568 companies took initiative to prequalify themselves for tenders last year, up by 18 per cent from 2016.

Keeping up with the grow-ing demands, Tender Board achieved phenomenal response time, turning around more than 90 per cent of incoming gov-ernment requests in less than 14 days.

This year also saw the re-launch of the Tender Board website, making it Bahrain’s of-ficial platform for all new public tender announcements in Bah-rain. A new Customer Service Portal was also introduced with the aim of becoming even clos-er and efficient with the target audiences.

In addition, the Tender Board started working on new system enhancements that will connect its e-Tendering system with the Commercial Registration data-base of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.

Hayam Al Awadhi, Secretary General of the Tender Board, praised the Board’s success as a part of the ongoing development plan approved by the Cabinet.

She said, “We are very proud of what we have been able to

achieve in the past 12 months and plan to continue on our path forward with more enhance-ments that tie directly back to our vision. We plan to continue improving the transparency and efficiency of the Kingdom’s Gov-ernment procurement practices in ways that are sure to encour-age more suppliers and contrac-tors to engage with Bahrain.”

Hayam Al Awadhi

US firms face off with PaytmReuters| New Delhi

US payment firms have successfully pushed

India to consider diluting rules on data storage, but their lobbying campaign has sparked a bitter industry spat pitting them against local rival Paytm, according to sources and documents seen by Reuters. India’s cen-tral bank in April directed payment firms to store data locally for “unfettered su-pervisory access” - a move companies such as Visa, Mastercard and American Express fear would cost millions of dollars and ham-per global fraud detection.

But the rules give a com-petitive advantage to Paytm, backed by Japan’s Softbank Group and China’s Alibaba, which already stores all its data in India. The company has publicly supported the proposal and, behind closed doors, tried to thwart efforts of those opposing them. Re-cently, Paytm had argued with foreign company ex-ecutives on the benefits of storing data locally.

BTA children’s summer camp extendedTDT| Manama

Bahrain Tennis Associ-ation’s (BTA) summer

camp will continue until August 31, the association has announced.

Parents interested to enrol their children in the summer camp are urged to hurry and register them by calling 37733117.

The summer camp is tak-ing place throughout the week except for the week-end, from 8:00 am until 12:00 pm at Isa Town In-termediate School for Boys premises. Available for chil-dren of 5 years and above for BD25 per entry, the camp will feature training on tennis basic skills, competi-tions and other entertaining activities.

Hospitality tech innovation meetTDT| Manama

eZee Technosys and Al Kays International are

jointly organising a ‘Hos-pitality Tech Innovations Meet’ at Al Maha Ballroom, Hotel Downtown Rotana, today. Entry to the meet is free. Aeijaz Sodawala, CEO of eZee Technosys and Sun-nil Gandhi, MD of Al Kays International, will address the gathering. eZee Tech-nosys is a globally recog-nized hospitality technol-ogy solutions organization with presence in over 160 countries. The event is at 5:30pm which will be fol-lowed by dinner.

Turkey’s central bank leaves rates unchangedReuters| Istanbul

Turkey’s central bank left interest rates on

hold yesterday, bucking market expectations of a hike and sending the lira sharply weaker, in its first policy decision since Pres-ident Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected with new exec-utive powers.

The central bank, already the focus of investor con-cern over its perceived lack of independence from Er-dogan, cited signs of weak-ening domestic demand as the reason for keeping the benchmark rate at 17.75 per-cent.

The meeting was widely seen by as a test of how the bank would act under the new executive presidential system, which went into effect this month and gave Erdogan sweeping new powers. In one of his first acts since being sworn in, he named his son-in-law Berat Albayrak as finance minister.

The decision also ap-peared to fly in the face of recent comments from Al-bayrak, who said over the weekend he would not fight with the markets.

“We like to hear policy-makers telling us that they will work with markets and bring inflation down and respect the independence of central bank, but we want to see these words backed up with action,” said Tilmann Kolb of UBS Wealth Man-agement.

We had a strong 2017 and we are

expecting continued growth over the next 12 months.

Procurement laws are being updated to

better suit current business needs and

further improve an already highly

transparent systemBASIM AL HAMER,

MINISTER OF HOUSING AND CHAIRMAN OF TENDER BOARD

Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Southern Area Municipality officials during a meeting held at Bait Al Tijjar yesterday. BCCI Second Vice-Chairman Mohammed Al Kooheji, and the Municipality’s Director-General Asem Abdullatif Abdulla attended the meeting. Others attended the meeting were: BCCI Treasurer and Acting Chief Executive Officer Aref Hejris; members of the Commercial Markets Committee headed by Abdulhakeem Al Shemeri; head of the Real-Estate and Constructions Committee Dr Manaf Hamza; and Southern Municipality’s head of HR and Finance Hasan Al Manaei.

KFH-Bahrain officials with ‘Libshara’ Grand Prize draw winner Fuad Mohamed Ali. The ‘Libshara’ Grand Prize is a luxury apartment in Marassi Al Bahrain. The draw for June 2018 took place at the KFH-Bahrain headquarters at Bahrain World Trade Centre under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. The apartment handover ceremony was held at the Marassi Al Bahrain Sales Office, in Diyar Al Muharraq, in the presence of representatives from KFH-Bahrain and Marassi Al Bahrain

Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) President Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery with Bahrain Free Labour Unions Federation Executive Council Chairman Yaqoob Yousif Mohammed and Board Member Osama Salman Hassan and members of the Executive Management. Jawahery praised the constructive role of the company’s Labour Union and the Bahrain Free Labour Unions Federation in defending labour rights within the national framework that balances the interests of workers and the nation, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad.

08WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

China Tower seeks $8.7bn IPOHong Kong

China’s state-owned Chi-na Tower -- the world’s

largest operator of telecom-munications towers -- an-nounced yesterday it will aim for an $8.7 billion ini-tial public offering in Hong Kong, the biggest globally in four years.

China Tower is offering 43.1 billion shares glob-ally at a range of HK$1.26 to HK$1.58 (US$0.16 to US$0.20) each with pric-ing expected on August 1 and will debut on the Hong Kong exchange on August 8.

It would be the largest IPO since Alibaba’s $25 billion New York debut in 2014, ac-cording to data compiled by Bloomberg News.

Alphabet sees record highs despite EU fineWashington

Google parent Alphabet shares lifted yesterday

on a stronger-than-expect-ed earnings report for the past quarter, as the tech gi-ant’s results eased concerns over huge fines imposed by the European Union for an-titrust actions.

Profit dipped 9.3 per cent to $3.2 billion in the second quarter after accounting for the EU fines, the company said.

Revenues meanwhile jumped 26pc from a year ago to $32.7bn, better than most analysts expected.

Facebook sets up China subsidiaryBeijing

Facebook has opened a subsidiary in mainland

China, records show, a long-awaited step for the social networking giant and its Mandarin-speaking founder Mark Zuckerberg.

The company, called Li-anshu Science & Technolo-gy (Hangzhou), was estab-lished on July 18 with $30 million of registered capital, according to China’s corpo-rate record database. Lian-shu literally means “face” and “book”.

Facebook’s Hong Kong branch holds all of its shares. Zhang Jinghai is named as the new company’s legal representative, while David Kling and Susan Taylor are listed as directors.

Kling is a Facebook vice president, while Taylor is the internet giant’s chief ac-countant, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Zhang holds the same role at the company behind Facebook’s sneaky launch last year of a photo-sharing app for Chi-na called Colorful Balloons, which recreated Facebook’s Moments app. The app never took off, marking another setback in China for Facebook. It has strived to breach the “Great Fire-wall” -ever since its flagship social media platform was banned by Beijing in 2009.

India’s Federal Bank to enter Bahrain, Kuwait • The South India based lender is awaiting clearances from regulators in the host countries to start operations

PTI Mumbai

The South India based pri-vate sector lender Feder-al Bank has received the

regulatory nod to open offices in Bahrain, Kuwait and Singapore, but is awaiting local clearances before it starts operations, a top official has said. 

The Kochi-headquartered bank, which leads Indian dias-pora remittances, already has representative offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and its de-sire to expand comes even as a majority of its larger peers are downsizing their over-seas presence following the Rs 13,500-crore ($2 billion) Nirav Modi scam and poor asset qual-ity back home due to toxic loans. 

“We have received the Re-serve Bank nod for having repre-sentative offices in Bahrain, Ku-wait and Singapore and are now awaiting clearances from local regulators in the host countries,”

chief executive officer and man-aging director Shyam Srinivasan told PTI over phone. 

He, however, did not give a timeline by when the bank ex-pects the approvals from local regulators will come in, saying it depends on a lot of factors. 

It can be noted that following

the Nirav Modi scam at India’s state-run Punjab National Bank almost all the nationalised banks which account for the bulk of overseas presence by domes-tic lenders, have been reducing their overseas presence as part of a government directive. 

However, India’s private sec-

tor banks have been continuing with their overseas expansion plans, with the likes of Axis Bank and Yes Bank having done so in recent months. 

Domestically, Federal Bank does not have any plans to in-crease its presence and will con-centrate on the digital alterna-

tives to help reach out to more customers, he said. 

Srinivasan said the bank, which reported a massive 25 per cent spike in net income in the June quarter, has not opened new branches in the last four years, since when it has been focusing on the technology-led interventions. 

It has relocated branches within a specific area to make them more profitable or realign the staff as the banking land-scape changes to a relationship management-led model, he said. 

India’s Federal Bank is awaiting local approval to open office in Bahrain

KNOW WHAT

We have received the Reserve Bank nod for having representative

offices in Bahrain, Kuwait and Singapore and are now awaiting clearances from local regulators in the host

countries

Sisi inaugurates energy projects as Egypt goes into surplus production• The new projects produce 14,400 megawatts of electricity

• $7 billion projects are located in the new capital being built east of Cairo

AFP | Cairo, Egypt

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi yesterday inaugu-

rated energy projects across Egypt as the country pumps up its electricity production surplus after years of power cuts that peaked in 2014.

Power cuts were a key fac-tor behind massive street protests that led to the July 2013 ouster of Egypt’s Isla-mist president Mohamed Morsi by the military, headed at the time by Sisi.

Sisi, elected president a year later, vowed to end pow-er shortages especially af-ter blackouts in the summer of 2014, amid high demand for cooling in the swelter-ing heat. “There are issues in Egypt that needed to be fixed a long time ago, because of circumstances in Egypt, and not due to faults in (previ-ous) rulers,” Sisi said at the inauguration, broadcast live on state television.

The new projects include three stations that will pro-duce 14,400 megawatts of electricity, Mohamed Erfan, head of Egypt’s Administra-tive Control Authority, said at the ceremony.

The plants costing $7 bil-lion are located in the new capital being built east of Cai-ro, in Kafr el-Sheikh prov-ince north of the capital, and in Beni Suef province to the south, said Erfan.

The stations, built by Sie-mens company, include “the largest air-cooled station in the world” in the new capi-tal, said Electricity Minister Mohammed Shaker.

Each of the stations op-erate on eight gas turbines and four steam turbines, and each can produce 4,800 meg-awatts of electricity, accord-ing to a video presentation at the ceremony in the new city, attended by Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser. Shaker said the state

has spent 515 billion pounds ($28.8 billion) on energy pro-jects since June 2014 to coun-ter shortages dating back to at least 2008.

Those projects “achieved an electricity production sur-plus of 25 percent, which will contribute to securing future electricity needs across the country in addition to ex-porting a portion of it”, Er-fan said. He said they would save the country $1 billion a year in fuel bills. Egypt has diversified its power plants after having previously relied on natural gas for about 90 percent of its electricity pro-duction, to include sources such as renewable energies and coal, Shaker said.

The second phase of a 220-megawatt wind power plant was also inaugurated yesterday, a project under-taken in collaboration with the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA). Sources: Janes Defence Weekly, Economic Times, The HIndu, Reuters

Vendors vie for India’s MRCA dealSix plane makers are bidding to supply 110 multi-role combat aircraft(MRCA) to the Indian Air Force, to replace its ageing fleet of MiG-21s

and MiG-27s, in a deal that could be worth as much as $15 billion

© GRAPHIC NEWS

BOEING F/A-18E/F SUPER HORNET

Length: 18.31m

DASSAULT RAFALE M Has chosen Reliance Defence as itsIndian partner. French government has cleared fulltechnology transfer and software source code to India

EUROFIGHTER TYPHOON

Length: 15.96m

SAAB GRIPEN ELength: 15.2m

LOCKHEED MARTIN F-16

Length: 15.03m

RAC MIG-35 FULCRUM-F Russian Aircraft Corporation will openproduction and servicing facilities in India, initially usingassembly kits, leading to full production Length: 17.3m

Length: 15.27m

EADS has invited India to becomefifth partner of Eurofighter programme and assemble planedomestically

Proposed production of single-enginejet with Indian partner Adani Group

Has offered to move production fromSouth Carolina to India and build Block 70 version ofaircraft with Tata Advanced Systems

Speed (Mach) Combat radius (km) Internal fuel (kg)

COMPARISON

6,7801.8

1.81.8+ 1,800 4,700

722

2.0+ 1,390 5,000

2.2 4,8001,000

2.0+ 1,300 3,400

2.0+ 1,370 3256

F-16GripenMiG-35TyphoonRafaleF/A-18E/F

Boeing has partnered with HindustanAeronautics Limited (HAL) and Mahindra DefenceSystems (MDS) to build twin-engined carrier-capableaircraft in India

The stations, built by Siemens company, include “the largest air-cooled station in the world” in the

new capitalMOHAMMED SHAKER,

ELECTRICITY MINISTER Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

09WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

$73.63a barrel was the price

of Brent crude by 1450 GMT

Closing BellSAUDI 0.5% » 8,406

DUBAI 0.2% » 2,926

ABU DHABI 0.3% » 4,777

QATAR 1.9% » 9,618

BAHRAIN 0.8% » 1,368

KUWAIT 0.1% » 5,365

OMAN 0.6% » 4,405

EGYPT 1.2% » 15,480

Russia raises taxesAFP | Moscow, Russia

Russian lawmakers yes-terday passed a bill rais-

ing value-added tax (VAT) from 18 to 20 percent from next year to help finance Vladimir Putin’s plan to im-prove healthcare, education and infrastructure.

The legislation was ap-proved on third and final reading by the ruling United Russia party even though the tax hike is expected to stoke inflation and affect consumer demand.

The authorities said the measure would bring in 620 billion rubles ($10.3 billion, 8.8 billion euros) a year.

GM launches car sharing serviceWashington, United States

General Motors said Tuesday it was launch-

ing a peer-to-peer car rental service to allow owners to make money by listing them as shared vehicles.

The US auto giant said GM car owners would be able to list their vehicles via Maven, its car-sharing service in which the company offers hourly or daily rentals.

GM’s new service will be entering the “sharing econ-omy” in competition with peer-to-peer rivals like Ge-taround and Turo, which enable car owners to rent their cars using online plat-forms.

Ivanka Trump announces closure of namesake fashion brand

New York, United States

Ivanka Trump yesterday announced the closure

of her namesake clothing, footwear and accessories brand, which had become a target of opponents of her father President Donald Trump. After experiencing a sharp rise in sales in 2016, the brand suffered a back-lash after her father took of-fice, and has been dropped by several retail chains.

Ivanka currently serves as an aide to her president father, and she has faced criticism about possible conflicts of interest with her business.

China to invest $14 bn in South AfricaPretoria, South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa yester-

day announced that China would invest $14 billion in the country after he held talks with President Xi Jin-ping in Pretoria on the eve of a multilateral summit.

“We have signed sever-al agreements and memo-randums of understanding that are intended to further deepen our relations, in-cluding investment com-mitments to the value of $14 billion,” Ramaphosa said, standing beside Xi.

Banking shares rise in Saudi • Some petchems weigh on Saudi index

• Saudi Kayan reverses some gains

• SABB rises after announcing cash dividend

• FAB rises in Abu Dhabi before profit increase announcement

Reuters | Dubai

Shares in Saudi banks rose yesterday on the back of positive second-quarter re-

sults, while some petrochemical companies dropped, reflecting a fall in oil prices.

The Saudi index shed 0.5 per cent, as companies such as Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co and National Industrialization Com-pany weighed on the index.

Saudi Kayan published its sec-ond-quarter financial results on Sunday, showing a net profit of 878.7 million riyals ($234.30 million), up from 242 million riyals during the same period a year earlier. The results were

well above average analysts’ ex-pectations of 470 million riyals.

The company, a subsidiary of petrochemical giant SABIC, jumped after the results pub-lication and was up 6.2pc on Monday.

Another petrochemical, Na-tional Industrialization Com-pany (Tasnee), dropped 3.3pc on Tuesday, despite posting an

increase in second-quarter net profit on Monday, to 295.8 mil-lion riyals from 93.6 million ri-yals a year earlier.

Saudi banks such as Sau-d i B r i t i s h B a n k ( S A B B ) a n d A ra b Na t i o n a l Ba n k were up.

SABB, which gained 1.5pc, pro-posed a cash dividend of 0.96 riyals per share for the first half

of the year. Arab National Bank was up 0.3pc after announcing on Tuesday a second-quarter profit increase to 919.1 million riyals, from 849 million riyals last year.

In a research note, Arqaam Capital said Arab National Bank stocks were attractive because of “stronger visibility on earnings, improving corporate appetite,

and room to optimise funding base”.

In Dubai, where the index shed 0.2pc, trading volume was concentrated on Drake and Scull International (DSI) . The compa-ny has been lagging because of concerns about its financial po-sition, business outlook and the outcome of an investigation by United Arab Emirates authori-ties into financial violations by previous management. It gained 1pc on Tuesday.

The Abu Dhabi index added 0.3pc, blue-chip First Abu Dhabi Bank gained 0.8pc ahead of the publication of its financial re-sults, which it posted after mar-ket close. The bank registered a 19pc increase in second-quar-ter net profit, which amounted to 3.1 billion dirhams ($844.04 million).

Traders on the floor of Saudi Stock exchange (Courtesy Emerging Market News)

British PM takes control of BrexitLondon, United Kingdom

Prime Minister Theresa May announced yesterday she

will take personal control of Brexit negotiations with the EU, as time runs out to get a deal before Britain leaves the bloc in March.

“I will lead the negotiations with the European Union, with the Secretary of State for Exit-ing the European Union (Dom-inic Raab) deputising on my behalf,” she said in a statement to parliament.

Raab was appointed on July 9 after his predecessor, David Davis, quit in protest at May’s plan for close economic ties with the EU.

Before he left, Davis had been increasingly sidelined and had spent little time with the EU’s top negotiator Michel Barnier in recent months.

Instead, May’s Brexit adviser Olly Robbins, a senior civil serv-ant, was increasingly been seen as the man in charge.

Giving evidence to a commit-tee of MPs shortly after May’s

announcement, Robbins denied the prime minister would be di-rectly negotiating with Barnier in Brussels.

“I doubt it,” he said when asked the question, adding that the “key interlocutor” would be Raab. Raab told the same committee that he and Robbins had been working “very closely together from day one to make sure there is one team”.

Raab went to Brussels last week where he met Barnier and agreed the need to step up ne-gotiations.

Oil up as supply concerns abate Reuters | London

Oil prices rose yesterday as the market shifted focus

to the possibility of increased Chinese demand, drawing at-tention away from trade ten-sions between that country and the United States after a series of tariffs imposed by both countries.

Brent crude was up 57 cents at $73.63 a barrel by 10:50 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was up 86 cents at $68.75.

Reports on Tuesday that China will increase infrastruc-ture spending helped lessen fears that U.S.-China trade ten-sions will reduce the country’s demand for oil, said Phil Flynn, analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

“That’s going to be very bull-ish for oil demand,” Flynn said. “Infrastructure spending from China in the past had really jacked up oil demand, and I

think that’s adding some out-side support for prices.”

US crude inventories at the US crude futures delivery hub at Cushing, Oklahoma rose in the four days to Friday, accord-ing to data supplier Genscape, traders said.

Stockpiles at the hub were expected to fall for the 10th consecutive week, traders said. A Reuters survey on Monday estimated on average that to-tal US crude stocks fell by 3.2 million barrels last week, after rising in the previous week.

Theresa May

KNOW WHAT

England voted for Brexit. Wales also voted for Brexit. Scotland and N.

Ireland both backed staying in the EU

Sky’s no limit: Japan firm to fly wedding plaques intoTokyo, Japan

The sky is no longer the limit for lovers looking for unu-

sual ways to commemorate their nuptials, with a Japanese com-pany now offering to blast com-memorative wedding plaques into space.

Warpspace, a start-up based in Tsukuba City outside Tokyo, is introducing the new service in partnership with a local hotel popular for wedding banquets.

For about 30,000 yen ($270), newly-weds marrying at the ho-tel will be able to emboss their names and design elements on

16-by-eight-millimetre (one-fifth of a square inch) titanium plates that will be loaded onto a tiny satellite.

The satellite will be taken up to the International Space Sta-tion on a supply ship, and then released by astronauts.

Customers will receive pho-tos of the craft carrying their plaques as it swirls among the stars, Warpspace chief executive Toshihiro Kameda told AFP.

“Space trips are not common yet but couples can send up plaques that carry their affec-tions,” Kameda said. 

“I want them to spread their happiness across the sky.”   

The company aims to make space more accessible to ordi-nary people, he said.

“We want to make space en-joyable and usable.”

The satellite launch is not ex-pected until next year, but the company will soon start taking orders from couples tying the knot.

The satellite is expected to stay in space for one to two years, and will eventually burn up in the earth’s atmosphere when it comes down.Representative picture

EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY, AND YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO FIND HAPPINESS IF YOU DON’T MOVE ON.CARRIE UNDERWOOD

QUOTE OF THE DAY

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

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

MOHAMMED HANIF

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister in waiting, hates be-ing a loser. He has said, “As a

sportsman I know winning and losing are part of the game,” but that was after coming out of re-tirement to win the Cricket World Cup in 1992. And losing doesn’t seem to be part of his idea of the political game.

Yet for a very long time Khan was a loser — that other kind of loser, the one you still hear in US President Donald Trump’s Twitter voice. For much of two decades, while pledging to bring about a revolution and saying things like “when I become prime minister,” he prowled the margins of Pakistani politics. A darling of English tabloids, his rallies back home weren’t attract-ing much of a crowd.

But over the last five years, after Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, lost the 2013 election to Nawaz Sharif ’s Pakistan Muslim League-N, Khan has become the main contend-er to power. Weeks before the general election on July 25, even

Khan’s opponents were calling him “ladla,” or “the favorite.” Sharif, who was removed from his post as prime minister last year over corruption charges, has just been sentenced to pris-on. Other candidates have been hounded by the police or the courts or are being killed by the Taliban or the Islamic State.

People who used to laugh at Khan’s ambition have been fall-ing over one another to get on the PTI ticket — or, failing that, to take selfies with him. There’s even an app that generates those.

Khan is fond of using sporting metaphors to convey his mes-sage. When his opponents are called out on something, he says that an “umpire’s finger” has been raised — and when one of them joins his party, TV headlines scream, “another wicket falls.”

Most of Khan’s young followers have only seen him play cricket on YouTube, but they seem in-spired by his vision of a new Pa-kistan, a Pakistan free of corrup-tion, a Pakistan that is respected on the world stage. Just like he was as a star athlete.

When Khan started out in poli-tics, it was like he was throwing a party for a young Pakistan. About 70 per cent of the population is under the age of 30, so he has brought music to political ral-lies. Today, even conservative

party leaders who once wouldn’t be seen near a guitar are hiring DJs to play music during their speeches.

Khan has also brought into the fold the very politicians who for years called him a loser. He has surrounded himself with land grabbers, feudal lords and rent seekers. He justifies surrounding himself with “electables” — peo-ple with dedicated vote banks — because they “know the science of winning elections.”

Many of the candidates on PTI’s lineup for the election are profes-sional politicians who have been party-hopping for generations has finally become a traditional politician — and in the process he might be taking the country’s

youth back in time.In one of his first protest rallies

during what has been a very hot summer, some of his support-ers clashed with police. One of

them was caught on camera say-ing, if the police beats us up how will the revolution happen? He went on to add, famously, “we are wasting away in this heat.”

The complaint about being hot was silly but important for com-ing from a new kind of voice: from someone who absolutely didn’t expect to be beaten up by

MICHAEL KENNY

Is there a family of Eng-lish-speaking nations, united by cultural values, liberal mar-

ket economies, the common law and democracy, that is waiting to welcome Britain with open arms after it frees itself from the con-straints of the European Union? Some optimists think so.

David Davis, the British gov-ernment’s Brexit secretary until he left his post this week, said in a 2016 speech on the referendum: “This is an opportunity to renew our strong relationships with Commonwealth and Anglosphere countries. These parts of the world are growing faster than Europe. We share history, culture and lan-guage. We have family ties. We even share similar legal systems. The usual barriers to trade are largely absent.”

In 2013, Boris Johnson, a prom-inent Brexit supporter and foreign secretary until he also resigned this week, described Britain’s joining the precursor to the Euro-

pean Union in 1973 as when “we betrayed our relationships with Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand.”

Both departed in protest of Prime Minister Theresa May’s most recent plan for Brexit, which includes concessions to European Union rules to make trading with the bloc easier post-Brexit and which, in Johnson’s view, has “suf-focated” the dream of a global Brit-ain, trading with the wider world.

President Donald Trump ar-rived in Britain on July 12 for a visit meant to “celebrate the strong business links between our two countries,” according to Downing Street. And maybe to renew kin-ship and ties between Britain and the United States?

Unlikely. The problem is that in British politics, the Anglosphere has always been a paradox: a po-litically useful idea that has never lived up to the ambitions of its advocates.

The idea of a family of Eng-lish-speaking nations was useful in arguments about the rise of rival powers, like the United States, in the 19th century. It was useful when politicians were imagining, and telegraphing, the future of the British Empire between the world wars. And it was useful during

the soul-searching about Britain’s place in the world that accompa-nied decolonisation and Britain’s entry to the European Community.

Then, in the early 1990s, after the Maastricht Treaty created the European Union, those who were skeptical of Britain’s participation in the whole European project re-invented the Anglosphere, some-what, as a way to imagine Britain’s future as a global, deregulated and privatized economy outside the European Union. It’s this ideal-ized version of the Anglosphere that was an important part of why Britain, in June 2016, decided to leave the European Union.

Now, as the British government grapples with the fraught policy questions that leaving the union raises, the Anglosphere is a balm for those same euroskeptics, who argue that Britain should just strike out on its own and make its own trade deals with some of the world’s leading economies, includ-ing the United States, Australia and New Zealand, as well as rising Asian powers like India.

But has the idea of the Anglo-sphere ever actually existed out-side of the imaginations of British politicians?

The late-Victorian statesman Joseph Chamberlain tried to unite

the settler dominions of the British Empire, like Canada, Australia and New Zealand, in a tariff union, but he was defeated by fierce resist-ance from free-traders, the City of London and working-class voters who responded to concerns that the price of food would rise as a result.

After World War II, the Conserv-ative leader Winston Churchill famously sought to place Britain at the critical intersection of the “three majestic circles” of the Brit-ish Empire and Commonwealth, the English-speaking countries of North America and a “United Europe.” But at that point, British power was already on the wane. Instead, the Cold War world was

dominated by the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union. Churchill’s vision did not survive the changing economic and political realities of the 1950s and ‘60s.

In the 1960s, the iconoclastic Conservative Enoch Powell railed against allowing subjects of the former British Empire to immi-grate to Britain — a legacy of impe-rial overreach that he believed was endangering the culture and her-itage of England. Powell thought that the only kind of national com-munity that could prosper was one where its members share the same racial background, culture and customs. But — though he had his supporters — his attempts to pre-

vent Commonwealth immigrants from making Britain their home was defeated by the growing di-versity of multicultural Britain and the unwillingness of the Conserv-ative Party to adopt his agenda.

Whenever anyone has tried to actually apply the idea of an An-glosphere, in its various guises, it has always collided with reality. Economic interest or politics or national security has never been enough to persuade the peoples of these different countries to enter into an Anglosphere alliance. And the current Brexit-loving advo-cates of a global Britain, leading the world in free trade, will meet the same fate.

President Trump may agree to a new trade deal with Britain, but it’s unlikely that Britain would decide the terms, a prospect that is fraught with political risks for the British government. Such a deal raises the specter of British voters eating chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef while watching the revered National Health Service being opened up to American multinationals.

For Australia and New Zealand, trade links with China and Asia are much more important than those with Britain. And Canada, as a member of NAFTA, has long

Delivering yorker on a political pitch After years prowling the margins of politics, Imran Khan is knocking on the gates of power

Anglosphere hardly exists in the present world

People who used to laugh at Khan’s ambition have been falling over one another to get on the PTI ticket — or, failing that, to take selfies with him. There’s even an app that generates those.

The other members of this outdated idea of family couldn’t care less

1814British and American forces fight each other to a standoff at Lundy’s Lane, Canada.

1845China grants Belgium equal trading rights with Britain, France and the United States.

1867President Andrew Johnson signs an act creating the territory of Wyoming.

1943Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini is overthrown in a coup.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY

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

TOP

4TWEETS

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To our Iranian-Amer-ican and Iranian

friends: The Trump Ad-ministration dreams the same dreams for the peo-ple of #Iran as you do, and through our labors and God’s providence they will one day come true.

@SecPompeo

A cricketer who be-came a politician? Or

a man who was born to serve this nation, protect our people and lead us in to our own. And one day they will say, that this same man was once a phe-nomenal cricketer. The time is now for change, Our country Our history! #VoteForKaptaan

@wasimakramlive

In @WSJ interview, Ivanka Trump says she

isn’t sure she’ll return to the retail industry after she leaves Washington. “My focus for the fore-seeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington.”

@rebeccaballhaus

People of Pakistan must come out and

vote tomorrow in this historic election. This is the first time in 4 decades the nation has a chance to defeat the entrenched status quo. Don’t miss this oppor-tunity.

@ImranKhanPTI

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

editorial stances)

the police. But Khan’s young war-riors do cheer when the police beat up other protesters or the army abducts its detractors and makes them disappear.

Social media accounts with Khan’s picture and his party’s flag are full of staggering misogyny. (His followers seem to take after him.) Many of them claim to be su-per patriots. Some say that Malala Yousafzai’s shooting in 2012 was staged and that India is sponsoring terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Khan’s new Pakistan was go-ing to be a bit like Sweden and a bit like Singapore — or, really, like old Medina: According to him, all welfare state models are borrowed from early Islamic em-pires. He supports the blasphemy law and has defended the justice system adopted by the Taliban from Pashtun tribes.

Khan’s opponents often chide him for his marriages and af-fairs, his character flaws, his spiritual confusion. But these things have rarely done harm to a male politician in the past. And Khan seems to think that he has enough electables behind him. That the Taliban listen to him even though they are reported to have threatened him. That he can knock down a corrupt system with the help of the pol-iticians who built it.

Now, he just needs to keep the army on board.

Democracy was restored in 2008 after nearly a decade of Gen. Pervez Musharraf in power. But the decade since has shown

that this model isn’t working. Missing persons’ cases are in-creasing.

The media are censored at levels not seen even under dictatorship. And the Pakistani army would like to run the country the way it used to: It’s fine for elected politicians to cut ribbons at inaugurations but not for them to decide foreign policy or internal security.

But can Khan take on the mili-tary establishment, which still sits at the top of the food chain and is still fighting an eternal war against India and its own people, too? His opponents describe his supporters as “boot polishia,” those who lick the army’s boots.

If Khan comes to power, like all prime ministers before him, he will try to wriggle out from under those boots. And that’s not likely to end well.

Khan seems to have walked out of a self-help book or a sports ad, but after an epic journey, he is fi-nally knocking at the gates of pow-er, ready to “Just do it” — whatever “it” is.

Khan has politicised a whole generation, only to deliver it into servitude to Pakistan’s old estab-lishment.

(Mohammed Hanif is the author of the novels “A Case of Exploding Mangoes”

and “Our Lady of Alice Bhatti,” and the librettist for the opera “Bhutto.” He is

a contributing opinion writer.)

vent Commonwealth immigrants from making Britain their home was defeated by the growing di-versity of multicultural Britain and the unwillingness of the Conserv-ative Party to adopt his agenda.

Whenever anyone has tried to actually apply the idea of an An-glosphere, in its various guises, it has always collided with reality. Economic interest or politics or national security has never been enough to persuade the peoples of these different countries to enter into an Anglosphere alliance. And the current Brexit-loving advo-cates of a global Britain, leading the world in free trade, will meet the same fate.

President Trump may agree to a new trade deal with Britain, but it’s unlikely that Britain would decide the terms, a prospect that is fraught with political risks for the British government. Such a deal raises the specter of British voters eating chlorinated chicken and hormone-injected beef while watching the revered National Health Service being opened up to American multinationals.

For Australia and New Zealand, trade links with China and Asia are much more important than those with Britain. And Canada, as a member of NAFTA, has long

been oriented toward the massive American market. Security and intelligence cooperation among these states and Britain in the so-called Five Eyes group is critical, as is NATO membership, but this kind of cooperation does not re-quire a new Anglosphere bloc.

In reality, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zea-land show no inclination to join Britain in new political and eco-nomic alliances. More likely, they would rather continue to work within the existing institutions — like the European Union and the World Trade Organization — and remain indifferent to, or just per-

plexed by, Britain’s calls for some kind of formalized Anglosphere alliance.

Some pomp and ceremony on this visit might improve relations between May and Trump, which reportedly are not very warm. But it’s sensible to be skeptical that Trump will think that the Anglo-sphere is any kind of answer for the United States, just as it has never really been the answer in the past.

Despite this, and despite its practical shortcomings, the idea of the Anglosphere will probably endure.

The tragedy of the different national orientations that have emerged in British politics after empire — whether pro-European, Anglo-American, Anglospheric or some combination of these — is that none of them has yet been the compelling, coherent and popu-lar answer to the country’s most important question: How should Britain find its way in the wider, modern world?

As long as that is still being asked, the Anglosphere will con-tinue to be an answer for some of Britain’s political dreamers.

(Michael Kenny is the co-author of “Shadows of Empire: The Anglosphere in

British Politics.)

Wide Angle

The growth of online sales: A digital truth 

For the last five years, a US retail company has been consistently ranked on top of the Global Fortune 500 list.

And it’s on the top in 2018 too, as per the list released this week by Fortune Magazine.

Having earned over 500 billion US dollars in rev-enue in 2017, ‘Walmart’ has managed to effectively maintain its assets, revenues, profits, market value, and even ‘profits as a percentage of Stockholder Equity’ at a level that deserves the rank of numero uno, for the sixth year consecutively.

The point I wish to stress upon, however, is that one of Walmart’s biggest areas of growth has been ‘E-commerce’.

The once brick-and-mortar-only retailer has steadily adapted to the changes in the business environment; and now says that, just on the 2017 online sales, it has had a 44 per cent increase over the previous year.

It also says it’s expecting a further jump in online sales by at least 40 per cent.

No wonder the company has spent over $4 bil-lion in the last two years, beefing up its online port-

folio, with the acquisition of many US companies. But that’s just a small step.

The giant leap for Walmart could actually be this year’s purchase of stake in the highly successful Indian e-com-merce giant Flipkart.

Walmart has bought 77 per cent of Flipkart’s stake by paying $16 billion. And why not?

After all, Flipkart controls almost 35pc of India’s $30 billion e-com-merce market, which amounts to some $10.5bn, and is much ahead of Amazon India.

This deal also gives Walmart a chance to put a foot in the door of India’s huge $670bn retail market; an ideal place where Walmart can employ its unique strength of retail business and combine it with its online sales.

Last year, the Middle East business scene was also abuzz with another mega deal, when Amazon took over souq.com, about which I had written in this column (Amazon - Souq.com: A Timely Takeover?, 31 March 2017).

It was called “the biggest-ever technology M&A transaction in the Arab world” by Goldman Sachs, the global investment-banking and financial-ser-vices firm (M&A being an acronym for Mergers and Acquisitions).

In just the last 20 years or so, the growth of e-commerce has seen the birth of numerous global corporate giants. Their founders had realized, at the right time, the power of Internet and how it could facilitate online transactions.

Today, if you type ‘the richest man in in the world’ in Google search, whose name do you get? And if you type ‘the richest man in China’ and search, whose name do you get?

Jeff Bezos of Amazon, USA is the richest in the world, and Jack Ma of Alibaba of China is the richest in China, solely because both of them got on the wave of e-commerce at just the right time.

They had the prime-mover advantage.In January 2018, the total global Internet users

reached the staggering number of 4 billion. That’s more than half the global population of 7.5 billion.

With the growing number of smartphones which make access to e-commerce sites easier and faster, and with the digitization of banking transactions, the growth of e-commerce is a reality none of us can ignore.

Any company worth its salt must now not only have an extremely effective website, but also a mo-bile-friendly one, at that. Also, if online payments are enabled by appropriate banking and financial exchange gateways, the companies can do quicker and more efficient transactions over the Internet.

And if all goes well for Walmart, with its adap-tive strategy to harness the growth of e-commerce, maybe we should not be surprised if it is ranked on top, once again, in 2019.

And if all goes well for Walmart, with its adaptive strategy to harness the growth of e-commerce, maybe we should not be surprised if it is ranked on top, once again, in 2019.

JOEL INDRUPATI

Delivering yorker on a political pitch After years prowling the margins of politics, Imran Khan is knocking on the gates of power

Anglosphere hardly exists in the present world For Australia and New

Zealand, trade links with China and Asia are much

more important than those with Britain. And Canada,

as a member of NAFTA, has long been oriented towards

the massive American market.

12

world

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

Laos dam unleashes horror The accident happened on Monday evening near Cambodia, releasing five billion cubic metres of water

• Local authorities said they were struggling to gauge the extent of the disaster

• Hundreds  are missing and an unknown number feared dead

• The country has around 10 dams in operation, 10 to 20 under construction

AFP | Bangkok, Thailand

Hundreds   are missing and an unknown num-ber feared dead after a

partly built hydropower dam in southeast Laos collapsed after heavy rain and sent a wall of wa-ter surging through six villages, state media and contractors said Tuesday.

Laos News Agency said the accident happened on Monday evening near the border with Cambodia, releasing five billion cubic metres of water -- more than two million Olympic swim-ming pools.

The agency said there were “several human lives claimed, and several hundreds of people missing” while some 6,600 peo-ple had been made homeless as authorities scrambled to evacu-ate villagers.

Laos is traversed by a vast net-work of rivers and several dams are being built or planned in the impoverished and landlocked country, which exports most of its hydropower energy to neigh-bouring countries like Thailand.

Aerial footage posted on the Facebook page of local news outlet ABC Laos showed a vast brown inundation swamping houses and jungle alike over a huge area. 

Another video showed fam-ilies waiting for rescue on the

rooftop of their house, with a nearby Buddhist temple partial-ly submerged.

Nearly 24 hours after the  col-

lapse local authorities said they were struggling to gauge the extent of the disaster.

“We do not have any formal information yet about any casu-alties or how many are missing,” an official in Attapeu province, where much of the flooding occurred, said on condition of anonymity, adding that was no phone signal in the flooded re-gion. 

The Thai government said it would also send rescue experts to its northern neighbour. 

Heavy rainfall The $1.2 billion dam is part of a project by Vientiane-based Xe Pian Xe Namnoy Power Com-pany, or PNPC, a joint venture

formed in 2012 between a Lao-tian, a Thai and two South Kore-an companies, according to the project’s website.

Ratchaburi Electricity Gen-erating Holding, the Thai com-pany, said it had been told by operators that a 770-metre-long auxiliary dam used to divert riv-er water had failed after heavy rainfall.

“The incident was caused by continuous rainstorm which caused high volume of water to flow into the project’s reservoir,” it said in a statement. 

One of the South Korean companies, SK Engineering and Construction, said it had sent a crisis team to Laos, accord-ing to Yonhap news agency, and

was bringing in helicopters from Thailand.

The 410 megawatt capacity plant was supposed to start com-mercial operations by 2019, ac-cording to the venture’s website.

The project consists of a series of dams over the Houay Mak-chanh, the Xe-Namnoy and the Xe-Pian rivers in Champasak Province.

It planned to export 90 per-cent of its electricity to ener-gy-hungry Thailand and the re-mainder was to be offered up on the local grid.

Under the terms of construc-tion, PNPC said it would operate and manage the power project for 27 years after commercial operations began.

People sitting on a rooftop of a house surrounded by floodwaters in Attapeu province

S P E C T A C U L A R C O L L A P S E ! Woman savaged by pack of dingoes in AustraliaAFP | Sydney, Australia

A woman has been savaged by dingoes in the Austral-

ian desert, with the mining worker describing how she feared for her life as the pack of wild dogs tore flesh from her legs.

Deb Rundle was on her lunch break at a site in the Pilbara region of Western Australia last week when she followed a small dingo after it snatched her phone.

The 54-year-old said she then noticed three other near-by animals, and as she began backing away, they attacked.

“There was blood every-where on the ground. I just looked at my wounds and ‘Oh my God’,” she told Channel Seven television late Monday

from her hospital bed.“I looked down and thought

‘Oh my God, am I going to die?, are they going to get me down?’.”

Rundle, who will under-go reconstructive surgery to graft skin to her body, said she screamed for 10 minutes be-fore co-workers came to her aid. “They just wouldn’t let go. I think once they had the taste they just didn’t let go,” she said of the feral dogs, which are native to Australia.

A relative of the woman add-ed: “She had bites everywhere but her head.” East Pilbara shire president Lynne Craigie said she had never seen a dingo attack like it in her 20 years living in the region.

Tibet bans religious activities for studentsBeijing | China

Students in Tibet have been banned from taking

part in religious activities over the summer holidays, Chinese state media report-ed Tuesday.

The ban will fall hard on Tibet’s large Buddhist com-munity, already under pres-sure as Chinese President Xi Jinping tightens controls over religious observance.

The school regulations apply to all “underage stu-dents” in Tibet, the state-run Global Times reported, without specifying their ages. 

Russian scientist arrested in espionage probeMoscow | Russia

A Russian scientist has been arrested in a probe

into allegations staff at a top space research centre have been passing information on the country’s weapons programme to the West, agencies reported Tuesday.

The Roscosmos space organisation confirmed in comments to agen-cies that 74-year-old Vik-tor Kudryavtsev  from the Central Research Institute of Machine Building near Moscow had been detained. 

Award-winning scientist Kudryavtsev insisted he was not guilty of treason, his son said in reported comments.

Roscosmos denied re-ports a second employee of the research institute had been arrested.

Putin, Trump to continue ‘useful contacts’Moscow | Russia

Vladimir Putin and Don-ald Trump have agreed

to continue their “useful contacts” and may meet by year’s end, a Kremlin aide said Tuesday, as tensions rise in Washington over the direction of the US leader’s Russia policy.

Last week’s summit be-tween Trump and Putin in the Finnish capital Helsinki unleashed political turmoil in the United States, with some critics accusing the US president of betraying America’s interests.

Despite the furore Trump said he was looking forward to hosting Putin in Wash-ington and the White House said such a meeting may come this autumn. 

Putin’s top foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said that several days after the Hel-sinki meeting the Kremlin received a US proposal to organise a new summit in Washington “at the end of the year”.

An aerial view of the flooded plains in Attapeu province

Municipality officers stand by a four-storey apartment which collapsed following a landslide after heavy rain hit Istanbul’s Sutluce district. Residents were evacuated before the building collapsed. The building, in the Sutluce district of the Beyoglu neighbourhood, had been left stranded with several metres of its base poking over the edge after the overnight downpours washed away its base. Little was left of the building by the force of the impact other than bits of rubble and a cloud of dust. Reports said that the building fell into an empty area created by the planned construction of a hotel.

KNOW WHAT

Laos is surround-ed by China, Viet-nam, Cambodia,

Thailand, and Burma

13WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

UAE hails Ethiopia and Eritrea for peace dealAbu Dhabi | United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emir-ates hailed the leaders

of Ethiopia and Eritrea on Tuesday for reaching a landmark peace deal as the two met in the UAE capital. 

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan called the peace agreement a “bold and historic step” that opens “new horizons for cooperation and joint coordination”.

The move would help “enhance security and sta-bility in the Horn of Afri-ca and the wider region”, Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter, after awarding Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki the UAE’s highest civil order.  

Recent rivals Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an agree-ment in Asmara on July 9 to restore ties, ending decades of conflict.  Eritrea was once part of Ethiopia and com-prised its entire coastline on the Red Sea.

Russia offers to keep Iran forces far from GolanJerusalem | Undefined

Russia has offered to keep Iranian forces in

Syria away from the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights but Israel wants Tehran to completely withdraw, an Israeli official said Tuesday.

Moscow made the offer -- which would see Iranian forces stay 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Syria’s bor-der with the Golan -- during talks Monday in Jerusalem between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the official said.

But Israel said the pro-posal did not go far enough. 

Trump hails start of dismantling N. Korean missile siteKansas City| United States

US President Donald Trump welcomed yes-

terday reports that North Korea has started disman-tling facilities at its main satellite launch station.

New satellite imagery shows “that North Korea has begun the process of dismantling a key missile site, and we appreciate that,” Trump said during a veterans event in Kansas City, Missouri.

“We had a fantastic meet-ing with Chairman Kim and it seems to be going very well,” Trump added.

US-based website 38 North published imagery Monday indicating that Pyongyang has begun taking down a processing build-ing and a rocket-engine test stand that had been used to test liquid-fuel engines at its Sohae Satellite Station.

Greece wildfires kill 74At least 172 people were hurt, including 16 children, with 11 adults in a serious condition

• More than a thousand buildings and 300 cars had been damaged

• Tsipras said “all emergency forces” have been mobilised to battle the fires.

• Officials said they were Greece’s deadliest blazes in more than a decade

AFP | Athens, Greece

Raging wildfires killed 74 people including small children in Greece, de-

vouring homes and forests as terrified residents fled to the sea to escape the flames, authorities said yesterday.

Orange flames engulfed pine forests, turning them to ash and leaving lines of charred cars in the smoke-filled streets of sea-side towns near Athens after the fires broke on Monday.

Rescuers rushed to evacuate residents and tourists stranded on beaches.

Others were overtaken by the flames in their homes, on foot or in their cars. AFP photographers saw the burnt bodies of humans and dogs.

The charred bodies of 26 peo-ple, including small children, were discovered in the court-yard of a villa at the seaside re-sort of Mati, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of the capital, said rescuer Vassilis Andriopou-los.

They were huddled togeth-er in small groups, “perhaps

families, friends or strangers, entwined in a last attempt to protect themselves as they tried to reach the sea”, he said.

“The problem is what is still hidden under the ashes,” said Vice President of Emergency Services Miltiadis Mylonas.

Death toll soars Fire service spokeswoman

Stavroula Maliri raised the over-all death toll on Tuesday to 74 from an earlier count of 60.

She said the toll was not yet final since firefighters were still searching for victims.

We continue to receive “doz-ens of calls” from people looking for relatives, she said.

Winds of more than 100 kilo-metres per hour (60 mph) in Mati caused a “sudden progres-sion of fire” through the village, said Maliri.

“Mati no longer exists,” said the mayor of nearby Rafina, Evangelos Bournous.

A house is threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta, near Athens,

A round up of the impact of the firesSweden

Sweden’s emergency services said Tuesday there are 21 active wildfires across the country as much of Scandinavia baked in a heatwave.

Some 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of land has already gone up in smoke or continues to burn -- an area twice the size of the city of Paris.

FinlandIn Finland’s northernmost Lap-land province -- which calls it-self the “official home” of San-ta Claus -- fires have ravaged woods and grassland close to the border with Russia.

Norway

Norway, which experienced its hottest May temperatures on record, has experienced several small fires. One firefighter was killed on July 15 trying to con-tain a blaze. 

LatviaFires have raged for almost a week in Latvia, destroying more than 800 hectares in the Baltic state’s western regions.

GermanyThe German Meteorological Service forecast daytime tem-peratures to reach between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahr-

enheit) during the week.

UKParts of the UK continue to ex-perience a prolonged heatwave.

The government has issued a “heat-health watch” alert for much of east and south-east England.

The NetherlandsThe Dutch National Institute for Public Health has issued a heat warning for the whole week, warning air quality was likely to be “bad” for much of the country.  Twelve bridges in Amsterdam have been closed as the extreme heat could buckle the metal.

60 miles100km

Scores killed in Greece wildfiresThe worst forest fires to hit Greece in a decade have claimed the lives

of dozens of people near Athens as the authorities thereseek international assistance

Sources: AP, BBC, AFP © GRAPHIC NEWS

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Thessaloniki

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M E D I T E R R A N E A N S E A

BULGARIABULGARIAMACEDONIAMACEDONIA

ALB

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BULGARIABULGARIABULGARIAMACEDONIAMACEDONIAMACEDONIA

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KinetaRafina

Mati: Most victims died inhomes or cars at holidayresort devastated byfast-moving blaze

Two major fires burning out ofcontrol on either side of Athens,at Rafina and at Kineta

‘Wild Boars’ shave heads ahead of ordination AFP | Mae Sai, Thailand

Thai boys rescued from deep inside a flooded cave in

a dramatic mission had their heads shaved yesterday before a Buddhist ordination ceremony in honour of a diver who died during the operation.

The saga of the “Wild Boars” football team transfixed the world as divers worked to get them out of the Tham Luang cave where they spent up to 18 days.

Now eleven of the footballers are preparing to live as novice monks and stay in monasteries for nine days to “make merit” for former Thai Navy SEAL diver Saman Kunan, who died while installing oxygen tanks along the rescue route.

“It’s something we’ve been thinking to do since they got out of the cave,” Aisha Wiboonrun-grueang,  mother of 11-year-old Chanin, said. “Now it’s about time.”

Their coach will also enter the

monkhood as an adult. One play-er, Adul Sam-on, attended the event but will not be ordained as he is a Christian.

Dressed in white robes, the teammates gathered at the Wat Pha That Doi Wao temple in northern Thailand’s Mae Sai district.

Chanin’s mother said the pur-pose of the ceremony was also to appease local spirits and sacred beings believed to protect the mountains and people in the north.

Buddhist monks shave the hair of the rescued Thai boys and members of “Wild Boars” football team together with their coach at the Phra That Doi Wao Buddhist temple in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province

14

features

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

AFP | London, United Kingdom

A graphic novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize for Fict ion for the first time yester-

day, with Nick Drnaso’s novel “Sabrina” in contention for the prestigious award.

The US cartoonist was among the 13 authors longlisted for the prize which markets itself as the leading literary award in the English-speaking world.

He is up against Michael Ondaatje, longlisted just weeks after he won the Golden Booker -- a one-off accolade to mark the prize’s 50th anniversary -- for his 1992 award joint-winner “The English Patient”.

The Canadian’s seventh novel, “Warlight”, is on a list featuring four debut works and four au-thors under the age of 30.

Six longlisted writers were from Britain, three are from the United States and there are two each from Ireland and Canada.

Seven of the 13 authors are women.

“Perhaps unsurprisingly, giv-en the times, there were many dystopian fictions on our book-shelf -- and many novels we found inspirational as well as disturbing,” said philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah, who chairs the five-strong judging panel.

“Some of those we have cho-sen for this longlist feel urgent and topical, others might have been admired and enjoyed in any year. “All of these books... cap-ture something about a world on the brink.”

The other judges are crime writer Val McDermid; cultural

critic Leo Robson; feminist writer

Jacqueline Rose, and artist and graphic novelist Leanne Shap-ton.

‘Oblique, subtle, minimal’The judges said it was only a

matter of time before a graphic novel was longlisted.

“’Sabrina’ makes demands on the reader in precisely the way all good fiction does. Oblique, subtle, minimal, unmanipula-

tive: the style of the pictures is the book’s worldview,” they said.

The novel is described as “the story of what happens when an intimate, ‘everyday’ tragedy collides with the ap-petites of the 24-hour news cycle”.

Until 2013, the Booker Prize was awarded for the best orig-inal full-length novel written in English by a citizen of the Commonwealth, the Republic of Ireland or Zimbabwe.

But the field was then widened to any novel originally written in English and published in Britain.

The move was a bid to stamp the prize’s authority as the Eng-lish-speaking world’s foremost literary award, crucially by opening it to US writers.

The rules have been changed this year to include books pub-lished in Ireland.

The winner receives £50,000 ($65,600, 56,100 euros) and the award all but guarantees an up-surge in book sales and world-wide readership.

George Saunders won the 2017 prize with “Lincoln in the Bar-do”.

The shortlist will be an-nounced on September 20. The winner will be revealed at a din-ner at London’s Guildhall on October 16.

Graphic novel longlisted for Booker Prize

It’s a graphic

novel!

The winner receives £50,000 ($65,600, 56,100 euros) and the award all but guarantees an upsurge in book sales and

worldwide readership.

2018 Booker Prize longlist

Belinda Bauer (Britain) -- “Snap”Anna Burns (Britain) -- “Milkman”Nick Drnaso (United States) -- “Sabrina”Esi Edugyan (Canada) -- “Washington Black”Guy Gunaratne (Britain) -- “In Our Mad And Furious City”Daisy Johnson (Britain) -- “Everything Under”Rachel Kushner (United States) -- “The Mars Room”Sophie Mackintosh (Britain) -- “The Water Cure”Michael Ondaatje (Canada) -- “Warlight”Richard Powers (United States) -- “The Overstory”Robin Robertson (Britain) -- “The Long Take”Sally Rooney (Ireland) -- “Normal People”Donal Ryan (Ireland) -- “From A Low And Quiet Sea”

Books longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize 2018

Coverpage of Sabrina

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner (US) Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (Canada)

The Overstory

Michael Ondaatje’s Warlight has made this year’s Booker longlist

Nick Drnaso – the first graphic novelist ever to be nominated for the Man Booker prize. (Courtesy of The Guardian)

15

entertainment

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

C R O S S W O R D

S U D O K U

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

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

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

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

AriesOnce your brain gets hooked on something, you’re like-ly to take it to the extreme. Be careful of overworking yourself in a certain issue that requires a more rational, temperate attitude. You may get into trouble if you insist on going off the deep end. Don’t tackle issues you aren’t ready to handle.

TaurusYour brain is likely to be working overtime. Things were going along just fine until you suddenly ran into an unexpected snag that kept you from where you want to be. It’s as if the hamster wheel you’ve been running on suddenly jammed. Even though you’re still working just as hard, the wheel simply won’t turn.

GeminiTry not to get too wrapped up in the mental side of things. Perhaps you’re trying to work everything through in your mind. You’ll find that there are strong forces outside your own trying their hardest to manip-ulate your thinking. It might be good to step away from the situation and do more processing with your heart.

CancerIt’s possible that you’ve been so emotional about a certain issue that you’ve taken it way too far. Fortu-nately, your reasoning has finally caught up with your feelings. Now it’s time for a reckoning. Give your brain a chance to sort things out and bring the situation back into equilibrium.

LeoYou may experience a transformation in your thinking. It’s bound to affect every aspect of your life. By always questioning, you work through difficult issues that require a constant reshuffling of viewpoints. Feel free to open yourself up to new ways of thinking as you dismiss old ways that no longer serve you.

VirgoYou may be overwhelmed by an onslaught of com-munication from someone you didn’t expect to hear from. It could be that this person suddenly puts a monkey wrench in your plans. It’s important to adapt and allow for the constant changes that are bound to come your way.

LibraSomeone might feel obligated to give you their two cents even if you didn’t ask for it. Be careful not to dismiss this information without giving it proper con-sideration. This knowledge comes to you for a reason, and it’s possible that it’s the very piece of information you need now in order to complete the puzzle.

ScorpioIt’s time to finally apply the knowledge you’ve accu-mulated and come to recognize the truth. Perhaps you’ve been sitting on the facts while contemplating their meaning. It’s now time to get this information out into the open. There’s no doubt that this action is likely to make waves, but that’s OK.

SagittariusWhen it comes to issues that require real thinking, be careful of letting someone else take control. You might have a rather lazy attitude in this department, and it could be tempting to simply let someone else do the thinking for you.

CapricornThere’s likely to be a powerful force at work trying to manipulate the way you think about a certain situa-tion. Be conscious of the source of your facts. It could be that someone is giving you tainted information so you’ll act in a way that is favourable to his or her plan.

AquariusDon’t second-guess yourself today. It could be that you’re wavering so much about a decision that even after you make it, you hesitate to follow through with it. Once you make up your mind about something, stick with it. Have confidence in your own mental process. Once you begin to waver, it may be difficult to find the assurance.

PiscesOther people may try to wield their power even when it isn’t their place. This is one time when people may try to show off their IQ by offering random facts that don’t offer anything useful to the situation at hand but just serve to prove their knowledge of esoteric trivia. Try not to buy into other people’s displays of power. There’s more than likely a great deal of hype and not much substance.

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

LanguidDefinition:1 : drooping or flagging from or as if from exhaustion : weak2 : sluggish in character or disposition : listless3 : lacking force or quickness of movement : slow

Did You Know?The letter L holds claim to a payload of words in English that connote a lack of energy or enthusiasm. Two of them—lan-guid and languorous—derive from the same source, the Latin verb languere (“to languish”). Languid describes the kind of sluggishness that one often experiences from fatigue or weakness (“the illness left her feeling languid”). Languorous applies more to someone who just doesn’t feel

the will to get up and do anything (“he felt languorous on a rainy Sunday afternoon”). There is also lackadaisical, which implies a halfhearted effort given from lack of care (“lackadaisical seniors just floating along until graduation”), as well as listless, which suggests a lack of spirit caused by physical weakness, dissatisfaction, or sadness (“she was listless for a few weeks following the breakup”).

Across

1- Furthermore; 5- ___ kwon do; 8- Bottles; 14- Mines; 15- ___ was saying...; 16- Distinctive uniform; 17- Agricultural; 19- King of the fairies; 20- English dramatist; 22- Year abroad; 23- March honoree, briefly; 24- Baccate; 26- Old French dance; 29- Mdse.; 32- Elector; 33- Early Peruvians; 37- In spite of; 40- Check endorser; 41- Practice piece; 42- Hill insect; 43- All together; 45- A sailor; 48- Swedish imports; 53- You ___ here; 54- Inter-mix; 58- Copyist; 60- Large hill; 61- Broadway opening; 62- Big bang cause; 63- Lemon peel; 64- Former Egyptian leader; 65-

Warmed the bench; 66- Finishes;

Down1- Make ___ at; 2- Illumination; 3- Backpack part; 4- Honshu port; 5- Mai ___; 6- Pronto!; 7- Mozart’s “___ kleine Nachtmusik”; 8- Small flower; 9- Rake; 10- Hail, to Caesar; 11- Caravansary; 12- Danish coin; 13- Church council; 18- Emeritus: Abbr.; 21- Miscarriage; 25- Tear; 26- Obtained; 27- Deep down; 28- Sleeveless garments; 29- Econ. indicator; 30- 1950 film noir classic; 31- Eye infection, pig house; 32- Capital of Laos; 34- Spy org.; 35- Abby’s twin; 36- Cpl.’s superior; 38- Pay period, perhaps; 39- Citrus drink; 44- Mode of action; 45- Kyoto’s country; 46- Betel palm; 47- Pennies; 48- Sloth, e.g.; 49- Cave; 50- Once more; 51- Unable to see; 52- Dispatches; 55- CPR pros; 56- Columnist Barrett; 57- Mongrel dog; 59- Cal. pages;

16 WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

MAMMA MIA: HERE WE GO AGAIN (ROMANTIC/COMEDY/DRAMA/MUSICAL) NEW

LILY JAMES, AMANDA SEYFRIED, MERYL STREEP

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 PM + 12.00 MN + (12.45 MN. THURS/FRI)DAILY AT (VIP I): 10.30 AM. + 1.00 + 3.30 + 6.00 + 8.30 + 11.00 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: (1.00 AM THURS/FRI)SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 11.15 AM. + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM.SAAR DAILY AT: 10.45 AM. + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15+ 8.45 + 11.15 PM.WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 11.00AM. + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PM.

DHADAK (HINDI/ROMANTIC/DRAMA) NEW

ISHAAN KHATTAR, JHANVI KAPOOR, ASHUTOSH

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: FROM FRIDAY 20TH: 10.30 AM. + 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 + 12.00 MN.SEEF (I) DAILY AT: FROM FRIDAY 20TH: 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 PM.SAAR DAILY AT: FROM FRIDAY 20TH: 12.15 + 3.00 + 5.45 + 8.30 + 11.15 PM.WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: FROM FRIDAY 20TH: 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PM.

GOTTI

(15+) (CRIME/DRAMA/BIOGRAPHY) NEW JOHN TRAVOLTA, SPENCER ROCCO LOFRANCO,

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45 PM. SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.30 AM. + 1.45 + 4.00 + 6.15 + 8.30 + 10.45 PMSAAR DAILY AT: 9.15 + 11.30 PM.

THE DOMESTICS(ACTION/CRIME/HORROR) NEW

KATE BOSWORTH, TYLER HOECHLIN

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 10.45AM. + 3.00 + 7.15 + 11.30 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 2.30 + 7.00 + 11.30 PM.WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 2.30 + 7.00 + 11.30 PM.

A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN (ACTION/CRIME/BIOGRAPHY) NEW

JOE COLE (VII), VITHAYA PANSRINGARM

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 12.45 + 5.00 + 9.15 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30 PM.

IN DARKNESS (18+) (THRILLER/CRIME) NEW

NATALIE DORMER, EMILY RATAJKOWSKI

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 12.30 + 4.30 + 8.30 PM. + (12.30 MN. THURS./FRI.)SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.00 AM. + 1.00 + 6.00 + 11.00 PM. + (1.00 AM. THURS./FRI)WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 1.45 + 5.45 + 9.45 PM.

7-STILL/BORN (15+) (HORROR/THRILLER) NEW *- CHRISTIE BURKE, JESSE MOSS, REBECCA OLSON

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 10.30 AM. + 2.30 + 6.30 + 10.30 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 2.15 + 6.45 + 11.15 PM.WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 11.45 AM. + 3.45 + 7.45 + 11.45 PM.

BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB (15+) (THRILLER/CRIME/BIOGRAPY) NEW

TARON EGERTON, EMMA ROBERTS

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 2.45 + 7.15 + 11.45 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 6.45 + 12.00 MN.

SKYSCRAPER (PG-13) (ACTION/THRILLERA/DRAMA)

DWAYNE JOHNSON, NEVE CAMPBELL

CINECO (20) DAILY AT (IMAX 3D): 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30 PM.DAILY AT (VIP II): 11.45 AM. + 2.00 + 4.15 + 6.30 + 8.45 + 11.00 PM.DAILY AT (ATMOS) : 10.30 AM. + 12.45 + 3.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 9.45 + 12.00 MN.DAILY AT: 10.30 AM + 12.45 + 3.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 9.45 PM + 12.00 MN +(12.45 MN THURS/FRI)SEEF (II) DAILY AT: (1.00 AM THURS./FRI.)SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30 PM.SAAR DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.15 + 4.30 + 6.45 + 9.00 + 11.15 PM.WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45 PM.

HOTELTRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER (PG) (ANIMATION/COMEDY/DRAMA)

ADAM SANDLER, ANDY SAMBERG

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 11.15 AM. + 1.30 + 3.45 + 6.00 + 8.15 + 10.30 PM.DAILY AT (DUBBED IN ARABIC): 12.30 + 5.00 + 9.30 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.15 + 4.30 + 6.45 + 9.00 + 11.15 PM.SAAR DAILY AT: 12.15 + 2.30 + 4.45 + 7.00 PM.WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 2.00 + 4.15 + 6.30 + 8.45 + 11.00 PM

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE)

PAUL RUDD, EVANGELINE LILLY, MICHAEL PENA

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 11.15 AM. + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM. + (12.45 MN THURS/FRI)SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.30 AM. + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 + 12.00 MN.WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 12.00 + 4.30 + 9.00 PM.

OCEAN’S EIGHT (PG-15) (COMEDY/CRIME)

SANDRA BULLOCK, CATE BLANCHETT

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.15 + 4.30 + 6.45 + 9.00 + 11.15 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.30 + 5.00 + 9.30 PM.

THE FIRST PURGE (18+) (ACTION/CRIME/HORROR)

MARISA TOMEI, LEX SCOTT DAVIS

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 12.45 + 2.45 + 4.45 + 6.45 + 8.45 + 10.45 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.00 AM. +1.00 + 3.00 + 5.00 + 7.00 + 9.00 + 11.00 PM.

THE ESCAPE PLAN 2: HADES (PG-15) (ACTION/THRILLER)

SYLVESTER STALLONE, DAVE BAUTISTA

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 + 12.00 MN.

JURRASIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER/SCI-FICTION)

BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, CHRIS PRATT

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 11.00 AM. + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PM.SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.00 + 4.30 + 9.00 PM.

THE INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) (ANIMATION/ACTION/ADVENTURE)

CRAIG T. NELSON, SAMUEL L. JACKSON

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 11.15 AM. + 3.45 + 8.15 PM.

DEADPOOL 2 (15+) (ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

RYAN REYNOLDS, JOSH BROLIN, MORENA

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 10.45 AM. + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PM.

AL ABLA TAMTAM (PG-13) (ARABIC/COMEDY)

YASMIN ABDULAZIZ, HAMDI ALMIRGHANI,

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 1.45 + 6.15 + 10.45 PM.

TAXI 5 (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

MALIK BENTALHA, BERNARD FARCY, RAMZY

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 1.30 + 6.30 + 11.30 PM.

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

KAREN GILLAN, ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

CINECO (20) DAILY AT: 10.30 AM. + 3.30 + 8.30 PM.

AMERICAN ANIMALS (PG-15) (CRIME/DRAMA/COMEDY) NEW

ANN DOWN, EVAN PETERS, BARRY KEOGHAN

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 2.45 + 7.15 + 11.45 PM.

THE SHONKU DIARIES: A UNICORN ADVENTURE (PG) (ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY) NEW

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 10.30 AM. + 12.15 + 2.00 PM.

TEEFA IN TROUBLE (PG-15) (URDU/ACTION/COMEDY/ROMANTIC) NEW

ALI ZAFAR, MAYA ALI, MEHMOOD ASLAM

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 3.45 + 9.00 PM.

17-SANJU (PG-15) (HINDI/DRAMA/BIOGRAPHY)

RANBIR KAPOOR, SONAM KAPOOR

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 3.00 + 8.00 PM.

THE INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) (ANIMATION/ACTION/ADVENTURE)

CRAIG T. NELSON, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, CATH-ERINE KEENER

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.45 AM. + 4.15 + 8.45 PM.

NIRAALI (MALAYALAM) NEW

MOHANLAL, PARVATI NAIR, SURAJ

SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 11.00 AM. + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PM.AL HAMRA DAILY AT: 12.00 + 3.00 + 6.00 + 9.00 PM + (12.00 MN THURS/FRI)

TAMIZH PADAM 2 (TAMIL)

SHIVA ISHWARYA MENON, DISHA PANDEY

SEEF (I) DAILY AT: 11.30 AM. + 2.30 + 5.30 + 8.30 + 11.30 PM.

NAME CHANGE

I, LAKWINDER SINGH, S/O, TARLOK SINGH,

holding Indian Passport No. L4162293 dated 28/10/2013 issued at

AMRITSAR, having permanent residence

at (full address in India) WARD NO. – 05, NEAR WATER SUPPLY, PATTI, TEHSIL PATTI,

TARN TARAN, PIN NO.-143401, PUNJAB (INDIA)

presently residing at Flat #1, Bldg. 1140,

Road 5522, Block 255, QALALI Gov., Bahrain

will henceforth be known as (Given name)

LAKHWINDER (surname) SINGH. Objection(s) if any may be forwarded to Embassy of India,

P.O Box 26106, Al Seef, Kingdom of Bahrain.

NAME CHANGE

I, Lovepreet Singh, S/O. Rajinderpal

Singh, holder of Indian Passport No. P4649779 date 16/10/2016 issued at Chandigarh, having

permanent residence at (Full address in India) House No-27, Bharti Colony, New Aman

Nagar, Ludhiana, Pin: 141008, Punjab, India, presently residing at

(Full address in Bahrain) Flat/Villa 0, Bldg# 687, Road 213, Block # 302,

Block: Manama Center, Gov. will henceforth be known as (New Name) Lovepreet (Surname) Singh. Objection(s), if

any, may be forwarded to Embassy of India P.O.Box

26106, Al Seef, Kingdom of Bahrain.

NAME CHANGEI ROJI RAJU,S/O POULOSE KURIEN RAJU,HOLDING INDIAN PASSPORT NO.L4930989 DATED ON 16/06/2014,ISSUED AT BAH-RAIN, HAVING PERMANENT RESIDENCE AT MUKKUM-KAL HOUSE,THIRUVALLA R.S(PO),PATHANAMTHITTA DIST,KERALA,PRESENTLY RESIDING AT ASRY,P.O BOX 50110,HIDD, BLDG 826, RD 102, BLOCK 128, DRYDOCK HIGHWAY, BAH-RAIN WILL HENCEFORTH BE KNOWN AS(GIVEN NAME)ROJI (SURNAME)RAJU,OBJECTION(S),IF ANY,MAY BE FORWARDED TO EMBASSY OF INDIA, P.O BOX 26106,BLDG 1090,ROAD 2819, BLOCK 428,AL SEEF, BAHRAIN

Hardy confirms two more ‘Mad Max’ moviesCelebretainment | London

Actor Tom Hardy says there are plans to make two more ‘Mad Max’

movies.The 40-year-old actor - who

stars as protagonist Max Rocka-tansky in 2015’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ - is hopeful there will be two more instalments of the action movie and he is ready to “jump on it” as soon as it gets the green light.

He told Variety magazine: “It was always the plan to do three of them, so I think we’re still waiting on being given the opportunity and the green light to go ahead on the next one. But when I engaged on that there was a plethora of material on it. Obviously it belongs to Warner Brothers so it would be them who green-lit it. But a lot of projects are in radial, you know you wait for something to land when it’s real, and as soon as it’s real we’ll jump on it.”

Meanwhile, Tom previously admitted he is “waiting for the call” for the ‘Mad Max’ sequels.

Asked if the sequels are hap-pening, he said: “Yeah I believe so! I don’t know when that starts, but I believe that’s in the

books. There’s a couple of those floating around. I’m waiting for the call to come. It was so good man.”

Tom Hardy

David Bowie’s earliest recording to be auctionedAFP | Los Angeles

The first-known recording by David Bowie, when he

was the 16-year-old singer of a band called The Konrads, is going up for auction.

Omega Auctions in north-western England said Monday that the reel tape would go on sale on September 11, with

an expected price of 10,000 pounds ($13,100). The song, “I Never Dreamed,” was recorded in a studio in 1963 when The Konrads asked Bowie, then known by his given name David Jones, to sing lead vocals.

A harmonious rock ‘n’ roll

song in the vein of classic Bea-tles, “I Never Dreamed” was submitted to record label Dec-ca in an unsuccessful bid for a recording contract. Konrads drummer David Hadfield said he had “decided that David was the best person to sing it.”

KNOW WHAT

In 1988, David Bowie played

Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese’s The Last Tempta-

tion of Christ

David Bowie

3 arrested for ‘Kiki’ dance in UAEAFP | Abu Dhabi

The Gulf Emirate of Abu Dhabi has ordered the ar-

rest of three “famous” social media users for taking part in a viral dance challenge based on Canadian hip-hop super-star Drake’s hit song “In my feelings”.

As part of the “Kiki” dance challenge, peo-ple get out of a slow-ly moving car and l e ave t h e d o o r o p e n a s t h e y dance alongside

it in sync with the music. The public prosecutor’s of-

fice did not reveal the names of the three people or-

dered detained.“Participants in

this challenge get out of a moving car and leave the door open and dance on a pub-lic road next to

the car, which is a danger to them and

others on the road,” it said in a statement on Monday.

“This behaviour is contrary to the values of the Emirates’ so-ciety and constitutes a violation of public morals.”

According to the statement, the detainees will be investigat-ed “on charges of endangering their lives and the lives of oth-ers, and violating public morals using social networking sites to promote practises.” Those caught taking part in the chal-lenge could be punished with a fine or imprisonment, the pros-ecutor’s office said.Drake

17

sports

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

at Seef District too

Um al Hassan +973 17728699

Seef District +973 17364999

Brave 14 announces Morocco fight card

TDT | Manama

Brave Combat Federation has an-nounced the fight card for Brave

14 hosted in the Omnisports indoor club of Tangier, Morocco on 18th Au-gust 2018.

Brave 14 marks the first global mixed martial arts event hosted in the continent of Africa. The fight week will fall in the historic week for sports in Morocco which starts with the first ever Spanish Super Cup hosted out-side Spain in Tangier, Morocco on 12th August.

The event which is held under the patronage of His Majesty King Mo-hammed VI of Morocco, marks the entry of the Bahrain based global pro-motion to Africa.

The main event features the recent-ly signed prospect, Jeremy Kennedy (11-1-0) from Canada facing Danyel Pilo (10-1-2) from Italy in the feather-weight division.

In the co-main event, Sidney Wheeler will face the undefeated Abdoul Abdoulraguimov. The other fights in the main card includes Felipe Efrain facing Arnold Quero in the bantamweight division, the new com-er Velimurad Alkhsaov facing Sean Santella in the flyweight division and the World Combat Sambo Champion, Ikram Aliskerov facing Diego Gon-salez in the middleweight division.

The preliminary card features six rising sensations including the brother of UFC fighter Kevin Lee making his promotional debut in Brave Combat Federation. Keith Lee will face Jeremy

Pacatiw from Team Lakay, Philip-pines in a bantamweight bout. Artur Guseynov will face Tarek Suleiman in a Middleweight bout and Djaim Chan will face Pato Martinez in a Lightweight bout.

The media day will be hosted at 16th August at the Royal Tulip City Center

Hotel, Tangier. The official weigh-ins will take place on 17th August. The fight night will be broadcasted live through StarSat and VodaCom in Af-rica, Abu Dhabi Sports in the MENA region, Combate in Brazil, FloCombat in USA and Fite TV for North America and Europe.

In the main event, Jeremy Kennedy to face Fanyel Pilo in the featherweight division

Federer pulls out of Toronto Rogers CupAFP | London

Eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer has pulled out of

next month’s ATP Rogers Cup tour-nament in Toronto due to scheduling concerns.

The 36-year-old Federer said he needs to be prudent about how many tournaments he plays in a season.

“I’m so disappointed not to play at the Rogers Cup this summer,” said world number two Federer.

“I had a fantastic time in Montreal last year and always enjoy playing in front of the Canadian fans.

“But unfortunately with scheduling being the key to my longevity moving forward, I have regrettably decided to withdraw from Toronto this year.”

Jeremy Chardy of France will take Federer’s place in the main draw.

Organizers said the event, which takes place August 4-12 at Toronto’s York University, will feature 19 of the top 20 players in the world including reigning Wimbledon champion No-vak Djokovic and world number one Rafael Nadal.

“It’s unfortunate that we won’t have Roger in Toronto this summer,” said tournament spokesman Karl Hale.

Roger Federer

KNOW WHAT

In 1994, Roger Federer had his picture taken with Jimmy Connors during the

Swiss Indoors. He was a ball boy at the event

Fury calls Joshua a ‘disgrace’

Espn | London

Tyson Fury has called heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua a ‘dis-

grace’ for avoiding Deontay Wilder, saying he wouldn’t be afraid to face the American in the U.S.

Joshua, the WBA, IBF and WBO title holder, fights mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs) at Wembley Stadium on September 22, but was in talks with Wilder, the WBC

holder, about a potential unification fight. Talks collapsed despite a $50 million offer from the Wilder camp and the fight is now widely expected to take place at Wembley in April.

“I think it’s such a sad time for heav-yweight boxing,” said Fury, 29, in a video posted on his Twitter account. “You’ve got the so-called super cham-pion and golden boy Anthony Joshua and he is avoiding Deontay Wilder and is not fighting him at any cost.

Anthony Joshua

Root sends Lancashire spinning to defeat Yorkshire beat Lancashire by 118 runs in County Championship

AFP | London

England captain Joe Root starred with the ball rather than the bat

as his career-best figures helped York-shire defeat arch-rivals Lancashire by 118 runs at Old Trafford yesterday.

Root, one of the world’s leading batsmen, took three of the four wick-ets to fall before lunch on the third morning with his occasional off-spin.

This victory eased White Rose York-shire’s fears of relegation from the First Division of the County Cham-pionship.

But the result pushed Lancashire, beaten with more than a day to spare, nearer the drop as the Red Rose have now won just one of their nine Cham-pionship matches so far this season, losing five.

Root, one of several England play-ers involved in this fixture, had been hoping to spend time in the middle getting valuable red-ball batting prac-tice ahead of next week’s first Test against India.

But in Yorkshire’s first innings he made 22 before he was the first mem-ber of a star-studded hat-trick from Lancashire all-rounder Jordan Clark that also included New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and England’s Jon-ny Bairstow.

Root’s second innings was even briefer but he at least had the con-solation of being caught behind off England spearhead James Anderson

for three.But Root’s spin-bowling has proved

effective even at international level on occasion and it was certainly too much for a Lancashire lower-order after the hosts resumed Tuesday staring defeat in the face at 194 for six chasing a target of 323.

Root, having dismissed England batsman Jos Buttler in the penulti-mate over of Monday’s second day,

struck with the first ball of day three when Graham Onions edged behind for a duck. Soon afterwards, Root had Matthew Parkinson caught at first slip as to leave Lancashire 196 for eight.

He then gained revenge on Ander-son by bowling the paceman on his way to a career-best return of four wickets for five runs in 7.4 overs as Yorkshire wrapped up a resounding victory.

Joe Root shakes hands with James Anderson at the end of Yorkshire’s County Championship win over Lancashire -Theguardian

18WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

FIFA shortlists best players World Cup stars dominate the shortlist, Neymar snubbed

Paris, France

French World Cup win-ners Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and

Raphael Varane were included alongside perennial candidates Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on a 10-man shortlist for the FIFA best player award yesterday.

Luka Modric was nominat-ed for the prize as well after helping Croatia reach the final, with the Real Madrid midfielder named the player of the tourna-ment in Russia.

Belgium duo Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne were also shortlisted along with England striker Harry Kane, in addition to Liverpool and Egypt star Mo-hamed Salah.

However, there was no place for Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil forward Neymar, whose country lost 2-1 to Belgium in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

France coach Didier Des-champs and compatriot Zinedi-ne Zidane, who led Real Madrid to a third successive Champions League title, headlined the 11 candidates in the running for

men’s coach of the year.Deschamps became just the

third man to lift the World Cup trophy as both a player and a coach, joining an exclusive club featuring Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer.

Zlatko Dalic was recognised after Croatia’s impressive run to the final, while Gareth South-

gate and Roberto Martinez were also among the nominees, hav-ing respectively led England and Belgium to the last four.

Six members of Lyon’s Cham-pions League-winning side are in contention for the women’s player of the year award, includ-ing Norwegian forward Ada He-gerberg, whose 15 goals fired

them to a record fifth European title.

Lyon boss Reynald Pedros is one of 10 nominees for the best women’s coach.

With the help of fan voting, the final lists will be trimmed to three candidates in each cat-egory and revealed in early Sep-tember.

This is the third edition of the Best FIFA awards follow-ing the end of a six-year merger between the FIFA honour and France Football’s Ballon d’Or in 2016.

Ronaldo is the two-time win-ner of the accolade, which is a revival of the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

This is the third edition of the FIFA Best player awards following the end of

a six-year merger be-tween the FIFA honour and France Football’s

Ballon d’Or in 2016

Antoine Griezmann (L) Raphael Varane (C) and Kylian Mbappe

KNOW

BETTER

Barcelona host Real Madrid for first Clasico in October

Madrid, Spain

De f e n d i n g S p a n i s h champions Barcelona

will host Real Madrid on October 28 in the first Clasi-co of the 2018/19 season, the Spanish football federation said yesterday.

Real Madrid, who fin-ished third in the league, 17 points behind champi-ons Barcelona, will host the second meeting of the two Spanish giants on March 3, the federation added as it unveiled season calendar.

The season opens on the weekend of August 18-19, and ends on May 18-19.

The Spanish capital’s der-bies will be at Real’s Santia-go Bernabeu on September 30 and at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano on February 10.

Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos tackles Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (file photo)

Ozil resignation took Germany coach Loew by surpriseAFP | Berlin

Mesut Ozil’s shock retire-ment from international

football caught Germany head coach Joachim Loew by sur-prise, it emerged on Tuesday.

Loew was on holiday in Sar-dinia when news of Ozil’s retire-ment broke on Sunday and he only found out when the Arsenal midfielder posted statements on Twitter and Instagram.

“Neither the national coach nor I were informed in ad-vance,” Loew’s agent Harun Arslan confirmed to German daily Bild.

Ozil, 29, dropped a bombshell by announcing his retirement from Germany duty and accused the president of the German FA, Reinhard Grindel, of racism.

“In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose,” Ozil wrote in his lengthy farewell statement.

Ozil, a 2014 World Cup win-ner was born in Gelsenkirchen but has strong Turkish roots.

The German Football Asso-ciation (DFB) on Monday refut-ed Ozil’s allegations of racism, but the fiasco has damaged the governing body’s reputation in football-mad Germany.

A survey of 5,000 Germans by t-online.de showed 49.7 percent think Grindel should resign over

the saga. Ozil says he is quitting over

the furor caused by his meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the eve of the World Cup as Grindel failed to back him amidst the criti-cism.

When Germany crashed out of the World Cup in Russia after the knock-out stage, Ozil was made a scapegoat by some pun-dits in a group of senior players who failed to perform.

He was dropped after the

shock 1-0 defeat to Mexico, sit-ting out the last-gasp 2-1 win over Sweden, but was one of several stars who played poorly in the 2-0 defeat to South Korea which confirmed Germany’s early World Cup exit.

The Arsenal midfielder is walking away after nine years as one of Loew’s most trusted players.

The news that he had no warning is surprising as Arslan has a co-operation agreement with Ozil’s advisor Erkut Sogut,

who only warned the DFB that a statement would be released on Sunday.

After 23 goals and 40 assists in 92 appearances for Germa-ny, the loss of Ozil is a blow to Loew, who deployed the Arse-nal midfielder as his main play-maker.

Germany’s first game after the World Cup debacle is against newly-crowned world champi-ons France in the new Nations League tournament on Septem-ber 6 in Munich.

Joachim Loew and Mesut Ozil

Ozil’s Turkish hometown switches street signReuters | Istanbul

Authorities in the ancestral Turkish town of soccer

star Mesut Ozil have erected a new street sign showing him posing with President Tayyip Erdogan after the player quit the German team, saying he faced “racism and disrespect” for his Turkish roots.

The sign marking “Mesut Ozil Avenue”, named in hon-

our of the player, replaces one picturing him wearing the in-ternational strip of Germany, the country of his birth.

The picture of a smiling Ozil and Erdogan side by side, holding up the team shirt of his English club Arsenal, set off a row in Germany when the pho-to was snapped in May.

Erdogan, who was cam-paigning for re-election when the photo was taken, has

drawn criticism in Germany for a crackdown following a coup attempt in 2016, with the president responding in kind.

Mustafa Semerci, the mayor of the Black Sea town of Devrek - the original home of Ozil’s family - said he had changed the sign after “we watched with sadness what was done to Ozil”, according to Turkish news agency DHA.

23Mesut Ozil has 23 goals

and 40 assists in 92 appearances for Germany

Mourinho wants to see Pogba focus

Reuters | Manchester

Jose Mourinho believes the World Cup environment

helped bring out the best in Paul Pogba and the Manches-ter United manager wants the France midfielder to show the same focus and intensity at the Premier League club.

The 25-year-old, who moved to United from Juventus for a then world record fee in 2016, lit up the Premier League with moments of sublime skill but his inconsistency has been equally frustrating for the fans.

He was routinely criticised for his performances for Unit-ed last season, but stepped up a gear in Russia, marshalling

the France midfield alongside N’Golo Kante and scoring in the final as the side were crowned world champions for a second time.

“I don’t think it’s about us getting the best out of him, it’s about him giving the best he has to give,” Mourinho told ESPN. “I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give (their) best.

“Why? Because it’s closed for a month, where he can only think about football. Where he’s with his team on the train-ing camp, completely isolat-ed from the external world, where they focus just on foot-ball, where the dimensions of the game can only motivate.

Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba

Barcelona sign Malcom AFP | Barcelona

Spanish champions Barce-lona announced on Tues-

day they have signed Brazilian winger Malcom from French side Bordeaux on a five-year deal for 41 million euros ($48 million).

The signing comes after Bor-deaux blocked the transfer of the 21-year-old to Italian giants Roma following a last-minute

bid from the Catalan side.“FC Barcelona and Girondins

de Bordeaux have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira. The operation will cost 41 million euros and 1 mil-lion in variables,” Barcelona said in a statement.

“The player will sign with the club for the next five seasons, until the end of the 2022/23 season.”

19WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

Alaphilippe snatches stage 16Julian Alaphilippe capitalised on a late crash by Adam Yates to take the stage

AFP | Bagneres-de-Luchon, France

Frenchman Julian Al-aphilippe, of the Quick Step team, soloed to vic-

tory on a drama-filled Tour de France 16th stage yesterday after capitalising on a late crash by Britain’s Adam Yates (Mitch-elton).

Cl i mb ing specia l ist Al-aphilippe, claiming his second stage win of the 105th edition, finished nearly 20 seconds ahead of a small group of chas-ers on the first of four days in the Pyrenees.

“I’m delighted,” said Al-aphilippe. “It was really hard to get into the early breakaway and for the rest of the day, I was suffering.”

Yellow jersey holder Geraint Thomas (Sky) crossed the fin-ish line nearly nine minutes in arrears after yet another stage in which his race lead did not come under threat.

But the Welshman was one of several riders left requiring treatment after tear gas got in his eyes and throat when national gendarmes sprayed tear gas in a bid to clear protesting farmers from the road, which they had blocked with bales of hay around 26km into the 218km ride.

“I felt a tingle in the eyes, and in the back of my throat. I used some water to wash it out,” said Thomas.

“But I was alright in the end.”Ahead of stage 17 on Wednes-

day, described as the most de-cisive stage in the final week,

Thomas maintained his 1min 39sec lead on four-time cham-pion and teammate Chris Froome.

Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) is still third at 1:50.

But on a day that saw Slovaki-an Peter Sagan mathematically

secure his sixth green jersey for the points competition, the day belonged to Alaphilippe.

The 26-year-old Frenchman has spent the past days chasing points to add to his collection for the King of the Mountains’ polka dot jersey.

But determination, and good luck combined to hand him his second victory days after his stunning solo ride into Le Grand Bornand on stage 10.

Yates was on his own and in the lead when he crashed on the descent of the Col du Portillon,

the fifth and last climb of the day, his front wheel skidding away from under him as he negotiated a left-hand bend.

Just as Yates got back on his bike, Alaphilippe sped past, looked around at the English-man and surged ahead.

“I was going to wait for him because it’s never great to crash,” added Alaphilippe, considered a faster finisher than Yates.

“But I looked back and saw he was suffering, and looked a little scared so I continued.”

Alaphilippe had plenty of time to soak up his second win of the race.

“It’s fantastic. I’m really hap-py,” added Alaphilippe, who also had some kind words for team-mate Philippe Gilbert.

“I hope he’s okay after what happened,” said Alaphilippe.

Stage 17 features the only re-maining summit finish on the race and, at 65km long, Thomas is expecting fireworks from the word go.

“It will be a tough day, a good two hours of climbing,” said Thomas.

Farmers’ protest, police tear gas interrupt Tour

Reuters | Bagneres-De-Luchon, France

A protest by local farmers brought stage 16 of the

Tour de France to a halt yes-terday as bales of hay were thrown on to the road on the route from Carcassonne to Ba-gneres-de-Luchon and police tear gas blew into the faces of some of the riders.

The gas was used to disperse the protesters but it ended up blowing in the direction of the peloton, which led to the race being stopped at the 187 km-to-go point.

The race continued after the brief hiatus.

Yellow jersey holder Geraint Thomas and world champion Peter Sagan were among the riders rinsing their eyes after the incident, which stopped the stage for 15 minutes.

Bahrain Merida’s Sonny Col-brelli and Heinrich Haussler were also affected by gas.

It is not the first time that protesters have interrupted a prominent race, the most mem-orable incident happening in 1984 Paris-Nice, when French great Bernard Hinault punched one of the demonstrators.

KNOW WHAT

The average cyclist will burn around 4,000 and 5,000

calories during each stage of the Tour.

That’s 123,900 cal-ories for the entire race, the equivalent

of eating 252 McDon-ald’s double cheese-

burgers

Gutsy Gilbert survives spectacular crash on TourAFP | Bagnères-de-Luchon, France

Former world champion Philippe Gilbert got back

on his bike to continue stage 16 on the Tour de France despite a spectacular crash that sent him flying over a wall.

Gilbert, who rides for Quick Step, was 57.2 km from the fin-ish and in the lead of the race when disaster struck.

Negotiating a left-hand bend at speed, Gilbert failed to brake in time, skidded and was sent flying head first over a parapet and into a ditch.

The former Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege win-ner was helped back up on to the road and given first aid be-fore resuming the stage in the company of a group of front-runners.

Although shaken, the 36-year-old looked to have suffered only bruises and scratches.

Medical services which are

on hand throughout the race attended to Gilbert’s injuries as he rode alongside the doc-tor’s car.

France’s Julian Alaphilippe, wearing the best climber’s polka dot jersey, celebrates as he crosses the finish line

Police officers carry a protester off the road as the peloton passes

Philippe Gilbert after the crash

A cyclist’s job is dangerous as it is. We shouldn’t be adding extra

dangers to their job. They take enough

risks already. I insist. We have

to let them pass unhindered

TOUR DE FRANCE CHIEF CHRISTIAN PRUDHOMME

I felt a tingle in the eyes, and in the back of my

throat. I used some

water to wash it out

GERAINT THOMAS

Bahrain Merida’s Sonny Colbrelli receive medical assistance after being affected by gas

20WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018

Bahrain advance• Hosts overcome spirited Malaysia for Round of 16 berth in Asian U20 Volleyball

TDT | Manama

Bahrain barged into the Round of 16 in the 19th Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship follow-

ing a hard-earned victory this evening over spirited Malaysia.

The hosts recovered from a poor start to rally for a 3-1 (25-27, 25-20, 25-10, 25-21) triumph and book their tickets to the next knockout stage, much to the delight of the massive home crowd at Isa Sports City in Riffa.

Also advancing with big wins yester-day were Taipei, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Qatar.

Taipei defeated New Zealand, Pa-kistan outplayed Jordan, India beat Hong Kong, Iraq swept Macau, Saudi Arabia ousted the UAE, and Kazakhstan disposed of the Maldives. Qatar, mean-while, literally didn’t break a sweat in their win by default over already with-drawn Uzbekistan.

Each of yesterday’s winners will be in action again today where they will take on the teams ranked first through eighth from the Preliminary Round.

Bahrain face off with eighth-ranked Australia in the Round of 16. A win for the nationals would put them through to the Quarter-Finals.

Top-ranked Iran face India, number two Korea play Pakistan, third seeds China face Saudi Arabia, number four Japan go against Taipei, fifth-ranked Thailand take on Qatar, sixth seeds Turkmenistan face Iraq, and number seven Sri Lanka battle Kazakhstan.

All the winners from today’s fixtures will advance to the Quarter-Finals, while the losers play in the losers’ bracket for final classification.

This year’s Asian U20 Championship is following a new competition format for the first time. The tournament has been organised by the Asian Volleyball Confederation in cooperation with the Bahrain Volleyball Association. It is being held under the patronage of His Majesty the King’s Charity Works and Youth Affairs Representative, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chair-man and Bahrain Olympic Committee President Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Heading into Bahrain’s match with

Malaysia, the hosts were the favourites after easily winning both their Prelim-inary Round games and due to their higher ranking over their opponents. But at the start, they appeared uneasy and lost several points on serve while committing way too many unforced errors. After going down by as many as five, they only managed to come back late in the set and tie things at 21-apiece. Their mistakes caught up with them, however, and they allowed the Malay-sians to grab a surprise 1-0 advantage.

The Bahrainis settled in the second set, making less mistakes despite trail-ing once again. They broke a 14-all deadlock with three straight points, and rode their momentum until the end, capping with an ace to level things at a set apiece.

After cruising in a one-sided third set, the nationals did just enough in the fourth to finally close things out, and they ended things in style with a brilliantly hit Huisain Thamer ace.

“After the first set we just needed to return our concentration and gain more confidence,” said Bahrain head coach Yusuf Khalifa. “Our players maybe felt some pressure early on, and Malaysia have become stronger and stronger in

the tournament.“In the first set, we gave them 17

points, including our very bad service. Later, we reduced our mistakes; if we didn’t have so many, we could have won the first set.”

Of their next game, Khalifa com-mented: “Australia are a strong team; they are very tall and very well or-ganised. Now we have very little time to prepare for them; we will give the boys some time for recovery tonight and then we have get back to work and talk about our game plan. We hope to be ready; it is going to be a big match.”

Mahmood Salman was the top scorer for Bahrain, finishing with 14 points overall, including 11 in attack. Husain Thamer had 12 spikes in the game,

while Hasan Haider was the top block-er with six. Ranjit Ramu was the best scorer for Malaysia with 14 points over-all.

In Taipei’s win over New Zealand, the victors enjoyed a 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 27-25, 25-12) result. Yu-Sheng Cheng was the best scorer for his team, finish-ing with 16 points overall including 14 on attack. Will Watson had nine to pace New Zealand in the loss.

Meanwhile, Pakistan overcame Jor-dan 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21). Afaq Khan had a team-high 14 overall points, while Osama Marei was the best scorer for Jordan with nine.

Iraq were also winners in straight sets, taking care of Macau 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-18). Ali Sahib Abushanan was their best overall scorer with 16 points, all of which came in attack. Ka Him Leong had just eight points in leading Macau.

For India, who won 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 27-5, 25-12) against Hong Kong, Shrey-ansh Singh was their top scorer. He ended the match with 16 points overall, 12 on attack, three on blocks and one on a serve. Hao Ning Mak had 17 overall points for the losing side.

Saudi Arabia enjoyed a similar win against the UAE 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19), with Abdulla Khalifa emerging as the team’s best scorer with 10 points overall. Mubarak Almansoori was a force for the UAE with 24 points, but it would not be enough to lift his side.

Kazakhstan comfortably triumphed in their contest with the Maldives 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-11). Ilya Tavolzhanskiy was the top man for the winners with 13 points, while Mimrah Mohaned led Maldives with six in a losing effort.

Today’s matches in the Round of 16 begin at 11.30am and continue well into the evening. All are welcome to attend. Entrance for spectators is free.

Bahrain players celebrate after scoring a point against Malaysia.

T o d a y ’ s m a t c h e s

(in order of time, Court 1 game, Court 2 game)

11.30am: 1-Iran vs India, 2-Korea vs Pakistan

2pm: 3-China vs Saudi Arabia, 6-Turkmenistan vs Iraq

4.30pm: 5-Thailand vs Qatar, 4-Japan vs Taipei

7pm: 8-Australia vs Bahrain, 7-Sri Lanka vs Kazakhstan

NB: Match order is subject to change

Bahrain’s Mohamed Haroona and Hasan Haider attempt to block the spike of Malaysia’s Epalace Jee.

YESTERDAY’S SCORES

Taipei beat New Zealand 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-15)

Qatar beat Uzbekistan 3-0 (25-0, 25-0, 25-0)

Pakistan beat Jordan 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-21)

India beat Hong Kong 3-1 (19-25, 26-24, 27-5, 25-12)

Iraq beat Macau 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-18)

Saudi Arabia beat UAE 3-1 (25-20, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19)

Kazakhstan beat Maldives 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-11)

Bahrain beat Malaysia 3-1 (25-27, 25-20, 25-10, 25-21)

After the first set we just needed to return our concentration and gain more

confidence. Our players maybe felt

some pressure early on, and

Malaysia have become stronger

and stronger in the tournament

BAHRAIN HEAD COACH YUSUF KHALIFA

Taipei’s Tsung-Fu Ko goes for a spike against New Zealand’s blockers Jalen Massey and John Sio.