Shah Rukh Khan trolled as cousin plans to contest Pakistan polls New Delhi

It is not uncommon for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to find himself embroiled in controversies

or face backlash on social media. And Friday was no different when

Twitter trolls tried to take a jibe at him after all the buzz about his cousin con-testing elections in Pakistan on social media.

Noor Jehan, Shah Rukh Khan’s pater-

nal cousin will be contesting the upcom-ing general elections from a Peshawar constituency.

The news spread like wildfire and grabbed many eyeballs, more so for King Khan’s connection with the contestant. Many latched at the opportunity to ques-tion his loyalty towards India.

In a series of rants and tweets filled with profanity, many Indian fans even photoshopped images of the Bollywood actor with Pakistani flag and circulated

online. Some users even went on to share photoshopped images of Khan with Pa-kistani flag.

While some highlighted his “love for Pakistan” by stating how he chose Pa-kistani players for his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, others opined about Pa-kistani actor Mahira Khan in Raees after the Uri terror attack and called it an ev-idence for him not being a true “patriot”.

What’s more, some even asked if he would “campaign for her”.

02Shaikh Abdulla’s legacy lingers on

03Dress prices double in one week

06For the love of animals

10

Rafa claims record 11th French Open 18SPORTS

OP-EDC E L E B S

Priyanka Chopra apologises for ‘Quantico’ episode Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra apol-ogised yesterday after a furore over a US TV series that showed her uncovering a terror plot hatched by Indian Hin-du nationalists. P 17

MONDAYJUNE 2018

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Afghan’s flourishing terror tourism

Trump ‘destroys trust’ with G7 tweet 13 WORLD

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T A R G E T A G A I N

DON’T MISS IT

• After stepping down from Air Force One on a steamy tropical night, Trump was greeted by Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

• North Korea’s Kim landed in Singapore earlier yesterday.

Singapore

US President Donald Trump arrived in Singapore yester-day for a historic summit

with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that could lay the groundwork for ending a nuclear stand-off be-tween the old foes and the transfor-mation of the isolated Asian nation.

Trump flew into Singapore’s Paya Lebar Air Base aboard Air Force One, looking to strike a deal that will lead to the denuclearisa-tion of one of America’s bitterest foes. After stepping down from

Air Force One on a steamy tropi-cal night, Trump was greeted by Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. Asked by a report-er how he felt about the summit, Trump said: “Very good”.

North Korea’s Kim landed in Singapore earlier yesterday.

When Trump and Kim meet to-morrow at Sentosa, a resort island off Singapore’s port with a Univer-sal Studios theme park and man-made beaches, they will be making history. Enemies since the 1950-53 Korean War, leaders of North Korea and the United States have never met previously - or even spoken on the telephone.

Kim arrived at Singapore’s Changi Airport after his longest trip overseas as head of state, wearing

his trademark dark “Mao suit” and distinctive high-cut hairstyle. He has not left his country since taking office in 2011 other than to visit China and the South Korean side of the border demilitarised zone.

Such a meeting was unthinkable just months ago when Trump and Kim were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears of war in the region. But a series of diplomatic overtures involving North Korea, South Korea and the United States reduced tensions and led Trump in March to quickly accept Kim’s invitation to meet.

Some Twitter users shared old pictures of Shahrukh Khan with Noor Jehan.

Singapore is one of the few countries

that have diplomatic relations with both the United States and North Korea.

KNOW

DID

$20million is the money spent by Singapore Government to host

the summit

Showman Trump takes on Rocket man Kim in a rare historic event

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, arrives in Singapore. President Donald Trump arrives at Paya Lebar airbase in Singapore.

Trump card in Singapore Bridge!

32 Asians held for gambling Manama

Thirty-two Asians were arrested for gambling in Ma-nama, the director-gener-al of criminal investigation within the Interior Ministry said yesterday. “A team from the department to combat human trafficking and pro-tection of public morals re-ceived information about a gang carrying out gambling activities in the capital. The members of the gang were arrested following an investi-gation,” the director-general said. Money was also seized from the gamblers. The in-vestigations were carried out after a video showing people taking part in gambling ac-tivities went viral.

Heavy clashes in Yemen Aden

Clashes between troops backed by a Saudi-led coa-lition and the Iran-aligned Houthis intensified near Yemen’s Hodeidah over the weekend as the United Nations tries to negotiate a cease-fire to avert a possible assault on the main port city, military sources said. Heavy fighting erupted yesterday in Al Durayhmi, a rural area where Emirati-led troops are now 10 km (6 miles) south of Hodeidah, and in Bayt Al Fa-qih, 35 km from the city, local military sources said. Coali-tion warplanes and warships launched strikes targeting the Houthis, they added.

© GRAPHIC NEWSSources: Straits Times, Politico, IISS Military Balance Pictures: Getty Images, Associated Press, Tomomarusan

Preparing Trump-Kim summitU.S. and North Korean officials are working overtime to putthe final touches to the historic summit between President

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore

VENUE

SECURITY

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WHO PAYS THE BILL

Joe Hagin, deputy White Housechief of staff, and Kim Chang Son,Kim Jong-un’s de facto chief of staff,are negotiating all logistical details

Five-star Capella Hotelon island of Sentosawill host summit, withleaders scheduled tomeet at 09:00 local time(01:00GMT) on June 12

Both leaders will bring own personalsecurity teams, while elite Singaporean police –including Nepalese Gurkhas – will be in chargeof security on roads, at venue and hotelsAround 1,800 Gurkhas serve in Singapore police

Negotiations between twosides include seating positionat table, layout of room(two doors allow entranceof both leaders at same time),and who is allowed in roomwith them

Protocolsnegotiatedinclude howmany stepseach leadershould takebefore stoppingfor camerasHeight difference – Kim is 1.70m (5ft 7in), Trump is1.88m (6ft 2in) – may prompt North Koreans to insistthat pair be seated when cameras are presentMore than 3,000 journalists from aroundthe world registered to attend event

Gifts will be watchedcarefully. U.S. willnot want to violatesanctions, whileprevious North Koreangifts range frompuppies toMatsutakemushrooms –prized delicacy

Both sidesnegotiatingwhether flagsfrom bothcountries willappear in anyofficial picturesfrom summit

Agreeingsatisfactorymenu will betricky –Trump isnon-drinkerwho favoursburgers whileKim enjoyswine andnoodles

Discussions underwayover who will pay for Kim’spreferred $6,000 roomat high-end Fullerton Hotel.U.S., Singapore andanti-nuclear campaigngroup ICAN have agreedto contribute

AgeingSoviet aircraft carryingKim and his limousine,as well as dozens ofsecurity and support staff,from Pyongyang toSingapore, will poselogisticalchallenge

S I N G A P O R ES I N G A P O R E

North Koreanembassy

Jun 10-14: Specialsecurity zones

U.S. embassy

Capella Hotel

Fullerton Hotel: Likely lodgingfor North Korean delegation

Kim’s plane: Soviet-eraIlyushin-62,dubbed“Air Force Un”

Shangri-La Hotel

1.25 miles2km

SentosaIsland

Orchard Rd.

SingaporeStrait

6 miles10km

MALAYSIA

SINGAPORE

02MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

Manama

His Royal Highness Prime Minis-ter Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has asserted that the late

Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa’s distinguished qualities and fingerprints will always remain engraved in the na-tional memory.

HRH the Premier stressed that Shaikh Abdulla has left a rich legacy of achieve-ments and good qualities of which Bah-

rainis, as well as the people of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab and Islamic nations have always been known.

The Premier noted that HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid’s legacy will remain a major reference for researchers who are interested in Bahrain.

The Prime Minister made the state-ments while receiving, at the Gudaibiya Palace yesterday, the deceased’s sons,

including Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Shai-kh Khalid bin Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa and Shaikh Ibrahim bin Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa, in addition to his grandsons. HRH the Premier stressed that the deceased had set the example in wisdom and dedication for the sake of religion and the nation, and therefore he is loved by everyone.

The Prime Minister recalled the late

Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid’s efforts in the service of Bahrain, as well as the Arab and Islamic nations, citing his milestones and landmark achievements in the judi-cial, Islamic, social and charitable fields.

The Premier stressed that the Bahrain and its people will remain grateful to the late Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid for his pa-triotic endeavours to unify stances, rally ranks, promote love among Bahrainis and cement national unity and cohesion.

The sons and grandsons of the de-ceased extended heartfelt thanks and appreciation to HRH the Prime Minister for the good feelings he had expressed while offering condolences to them, lauding his love for the deceased and appreciation of his patriotic efforts.

They affirmed that HRH Premier’s standing with them and support have had a positive impact on them, wishing him abundant health and happiness.

Executive-legislature ties vital for growth • Prince Khalifa lauded the role of the Shura Council in the democratic march spearheaded by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Manama

HRH the Premier yesterday empha-sised that the continuing relation-ship between the legislature and

the executive is important for the overall growth of the nation. This came as His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa received

Shura Council Chairman Ali Saleh Al Saleh at Gudaibiya Palace yesterday.

HRH the Premier reviewed with him is-sues pertaining to the legislative field and ways of serving the national and citizens’ interests. Prince Khalifa lauded the role of the Shura Council in the democratic march spearheaded by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Shaikh Abdulla’s

legacy lingers on HRH the Premier receives sons and grandsons of late Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa.

HRH the Premier chairs the meeting

03

big story

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

Dress prices double in one week

Prices of some clothes have more than doubled in the last week.

Prices of clothes have gone through the roof, be it for

kids, men or women

• Many clothes shop owners have begun replacing “stock clearance” with “newly arrived” boards while selling same stocks.

TDT|Manama Abbas Muganni

All festivals are syno-nyms with new set of outfits and the coming

Eid Al Fitr is no different. But what if the prices of clothes are so high, far beyond a fam-ily’s budgetary limits?

Many customers say the prices of clothes have spiraled and they are forced to cut short their dress purchases, for they find it difficult to put up with “daylight robbery”.

Speaking to Tribune, Bah-raini Fatima Yousef said the prices of dress have gone through the roof, be it for kids, gents, women or elders.

“A month before Ramadan a full suit with shoes for a two-year-old boy was costing be-tween BD7 and BD10. Now its price has gone up to BD20. The lowest quality suit costs BD15. How can people from lower and middle income groups buy clothes if the prices are rising like this during Ramadan?”

Masumah Mohammed said women are mainly feeling the heat since shopping is their

terrain. “New clothes are a must for Eid. We have to buy clothes for the occasion even if it becomes expensive.

“I am a mother of three boys and now I need about BD60 to buy good clothes for them. Think of mothers who have girls, they need at least three times this amount. We want to bring smiles on our children’s faces and clothes shop own-ers, who know this fact, loot us blatantly.”

Bahrain Jawad Abdullah said the words “offer ” as well as “discounts” have dis-appeared from the walls of clothes shops.

He said the clothes shop owners have begun replacing “stock clearance” with “newly arrived” boards while selling same stocks. “We are a family

of five, my wife, two boys and a girl. I have spent more than BD160 to buy Eid clothes.”

Zahra Hassan, another customer, said, this loot-ing was very much expect-ed. “Now they are selling ‘deshdasha’ for BD25, while the normal cost is BD15.” She said almost all clothes shops across the Kingdom have increased the prices of dress materials amid Eid approaching fast.

Amina Mohammed who came to buy clothes for her five-year-old son is shocked after seeing the price tags on clothes. “I need at least BD30 to buy a good pair of clothes for my son. May god help families with four or five children.”

A month ago, a full suit with

shoes was costing between BD7 and

BD10. Now its price has gone up

to BD20.FATIMA YOUSEF

New clothes are a must for Eid. We have to buy clothes for our

family members even if it becomes

expensive.MASUMAH MOHAMMED

We are a family of five, my wife, two boys and a girl. I have spent more

than BD160 to buy Eid clothes.

JAWAD ABDULLAH

Customers say many online stores in the

region too have increased the

prices of clothes with Eid Al Fitr

fast approaching.

KNOW

DID

04MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Saturday for the construction of Bahrain’s first Catholic cathedral, part of a BD11.3 million church complex in Awali in the presence of Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Francisco Padilla, the diplomatic representative of the Pope in the UAE, and Bishop Camillo Ballin, Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia along with Bahraini officials. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia will house Bahrain’s first Catholic cathedral and is set to be built on a 9,000sqm stretch of land donated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

School staff ‘supplies 17 visas, earns BD3,400’ Accused denies allegations; says she did as ordered by the management

• The owners of the school made an enquiry with the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, which revealed she had obtained 17 visas before selling them outside.

TDT|Manama

A woman employee at a private school managed to supply 17 work visas for foreigners, selling

them for BD200 each without the knowl-edge of school management.

According to court files, the wom-an served the school for nearly 20 years, during which she committed her crime.

Her wrongdoing was discovered af-ter a man went to the school to inquire about an Arab woman’s sponsorship. According to him, the Arab woman had shifted sponsorship from him to the school management.

But the school administration in-formed him they were not employing that particular woman. However, they

were shocked when the man showed them official sponsorship documents.

Upon enquiry, it was found that the accused was responsible for supplying visas.

“I only obtained the visa for the Arab woman because I was going through financial crisis,” she told her superiors, pledging not to repeat it again. 

Shortly after, however, another man went to the school and made a similar inquiry and this time an Arab man had obtained the visa.

The accused was questioned again by the owners of the school and she

told them she did the act only twice. The owners of the school then made an enquiry with the Labour Market Reg-ulatory Authority, which revealed she had obtained 17 visas before selling them outside.

The employee was put on trial on forgery charges. During questioning before the Public Prosecution, she branded the accusations against her as malicious.

“I have disputes with the school and this is the reason why I was made ac-cused. I did everything based on their orders.”

Ex-wife’s house ownership claim rejected • The defendant’s lawyer Sadiq Al Durazi argued that the plaintiff couldn’t claim a share in the property as she is devoid of necessary documents.

TDT|Manama

The High Civil Court has rejected a woman’s law-suit seeking part owner-

ship of a house now owned by her ex-husband.

The woman stated in her claim that she had covered half the costs to build the property, but she didn’t obtain any doc-ument from her ex-husband regarding this. 

The defendant’s lawyer Reem Khalaf argued that the plaintiff couldn’t claim a share in the property as she is devoid of nec-essary documents.

“My client married the wom-an, who had no proven sources of income. She neither had any inherited properties. There-fore, there was no way that she could participate in building

the house. “She claims that she had in-

herited jewellery worth BD4,000 from her deceased mother, but how this could happen while the latter was sick and my client was looking after her treatment.”

“The truth is that my client bought the land and built the property with his own money. Therefore, he is the sole own-er of the property,” said lawyer Reem Khalaf added.  

My client married the woman, who

had no proven sources of income.

She neither had any inherited

properties. REEM KHALAF

Bahrain to mark Night of DestinyManama

The Kingdom of Bahrain will celebrate the Night

of Destiny (Laylat al-Qadr) on June 11, corresponding to the 26th of Ramadan, 1439 Hejri. A ceremony will be held on Monday night, after Taraweeh prayers, at the Ahmed Al Fateh Islamic Centre in Manama.

The Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endow-ments Ministry and the Su-preme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA) will co-organ-ise the religious event.

Qari Khalil Banshi will re-cite verses of the Holy Quran. Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shai-kh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa will address the ceremony.

Court of Cassation judge Shaikh Adnan bin Abdulla Al-Qattan and Jafferi Court of cassation Judge Shaikh Nass-er Al Asfoor will deliver two speeches on this occasion.

Report on education, training reviewed

• Shaikh Mohammed stressed that education will always remain government’s priorities because of its important impact on Bahrain’s progress.

Manama

Deputy Prime Minister and Chair-man of the Supreme Council for Ed-ucation and Training Development

Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa was briefed on the second annual report of the Council which showed the continued improvement of higher education institu-tions and training institutes.

Shaikh Mohammed welcomed Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BC-CI)’s Chairman Samir Abdullah Nass, for joining the Council, expressing his appre-

ciation to all members for their efforts.The members reviewed a report present-

ed by Bahrain Polytechnic’s Chief Exec-utive Officer, Jeff Zabudsky, on the latest developments of the College, including the approval of the proposed draft law, which aims to reorganise the college financially and administratively.

They also reviewed the Education and

Training Quality Authority’s report , on the results of educational and training in-stitutions, hailing the results of the national exams for the twelfth and sixth grades, which showed an improvement in English.

Shaikh Mohammed stressed that edu-cation will always remain government’s priorities because of its important impact on Bahrain’s progress.

The meeting reviewed progress made in education sector.

Information Affairs Minister Ali Al Romaihi yesterday received the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Bahrain, Anwaer, with whom he reviewed ways to consolidate the good relations between the two friendly countries, particularly in the information and communication sector. Separately, Mr Al Romaihi received outgoing German Ambassador to Bahrain Alfred Simms-Protz. He lauded the ambassador’s role in bolstering bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation, wishing him every success in his future duties.

05MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

TDT|Manama Muhannad Mansour

The “controversial” new Retirement Law was yes-terday approved by the Ser-

vices Committee in Shura Council, few days after it was unanimously rejected by the second chamber of the Legislative Authority, the Council of Representatives.

The proposed law raised a wave of controversy in the country in recent weeks, as it was claimed to “risk” pensioners’ wellbeing and social security.

Urgently submitted by the gov-ernment to both councils in the Legislative Authority on May 28, the bill amends some of the provi-sions of the existing Law 13 of 1975 and Law 24 of 1976 on the regu-lation of retirement pensions and gratuities for government employ-ees, and the Social Insurance Law.

According to MPs and social activists, the amendment is “wor-rying” as it grants the Social In-surance Organisation (SIO) the ab-solute jurisdictions to determine pensions’ percentages, retirement age, pensions increment and other powers related to the regulation

of retirement and pensions of the employees of the public and mil-itary sectors, as well as members of the Legislative Authority and municipal councils.

Such jurisdictions are currently governed by the law and can only be modified if the approval of MPs and Shura Council members is obtained.

As reported last week on Trib-une, views opposing the amend-ment claimed that “it’s unconsti-tutional, deprives the Legislative Authority of its constitutional ju-risdictions and predicts a mysteri-ous future for the pensions’ funds, beneficiaries list and regulations”.

 Constitutional

To know more on the subject, Tribune yesterday spoke to Shu-ra Council’s Services Committee members, Fatima Al Kooheji and Dr Mansour Sarhan, who con-firmed that all committee mem-bers voted for the bill, which will be soon reviewed by the remain-ing council members.

Dr Sarhan rubbished the claims stating that the proposed law is contrary to the Kingdom’s con-

stitution. He illustrated, “The bill was reviewed by the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee be-fore it was referred to us. We’re assured about its legality and con-sistency with the constitution.”

 Reforms

Dr Sarhan further explained

that the new law comes within the economic and financial reforms and official efforts to protect pub-lic funds.

“This law protects the retire-ment and pensions’ funds for the public and military sectors. It would cease the ongoing drain-ing of public funds. Expert reports predicted that these funds would

be completely drained in the near future, if the existing operational and spending strategies are con-tinued,” Dr Sarhan said.

To clarify his point, the council member mentioned some of pro-visions of the law, which he said must be reconsidered, in order to preserve public funds.

According to Dr Sarhan, some of these provisions include recon-sidering the 50 per cent pensions Parliament and Shura Council members receive after complet-ing a four-year legislative term. He commented, “This is unfair, as it’s a similar percentage re-ceived by employees who serve in the public and military sector for more than 25 years.”

Dr Sarhan also stressed on the separation of legislators’ pensions, as the current law allows them to receive pensions for their service in more than one sector.

Commenting on the fuss recent-ly created over the new law, Dr Sarhan added, “All economically advanced countries implement reforms to their economies and financial systems. We must follow them and learn from their experi-ences. We must stop the drainage

of public funds and preserve the sustainability of our economy. The new law is amendable. We must focus on the positive sides of the legislation. It’s important to highlight that any point in this law could be modified in the future by legislators. This happened to many laws before.”

Protection

As for Ms Al Kooheji, she in-sisted that the proposed law is necessary to protect the funds of future generations.

When asked about the pressure applied on the committee by MPs to reject the bill, Ms. Al Kooheji confirmed it and commented, “As a legislative council, it’s our right to view the matter from a different perspective.”

The council will extraordinarily convene on Wednesday to dis-cuss the new legislation, in the presence of representatives of the government and Bahrain Defence Force.

However, Ms. Al Kooheji add-ed that it’s not finalised and the committee is yet to issue its a final report on the matter.

New retirement legislation gets

Shura committee nod House of Representatives had unanimously rejected the proposed law

The bill was reviewed by the Legislative and

Legal Affairs Committee. It is very much

consistent with the constitution.

DR SARHAN

As a legislative council, it’s our

right to view the matter

from a different perspective. We will issue a final

report soon. MS AL KOOHEJI

06MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

TDT|Manama Thamer Tayfoor

There are many animal lovers in the Kingdom but none of them can

match Bahraini Ahmed, whose love for animals is legendary.

Ahmed has gone to the ex-tent of turning his agricultur-al land in Qalali area into a zoo, which hosts 15 species of birds including ostrich, parrot, eagle, hawk and duck along with sheep, monkeys, camels, horses, crocodiles and deer.

Speaking to Tribune, Ahmed, who is from Muharraq, said, “I grew up in a countryside and naturally fell in love with the environ-ment. Animals are an integral part of nature and there is no nature without animals.

“When I was a child I loved horseback rides. So the first thing I did was opening a horse-riding school in my farmland in

Qalali, which was later expanded into a zoo

with 15 species of birds and more than 30 varieties of an-imals.”

The zoo serves a t e st i m o ny t o Ahmed’s love for

animals. “The zoo has a good reputa-

tion in the Kingdom. A good number of visi-

tors comes from all parts of the country and it has been

increasing over the past few months,” he said. Ahmed said there are many individuals

who have love for pets but can’t afford to own them. “My zoo is for them. They can come here, watch animals and feed them as well.”

Many events are also held at the zoo to entertain visitors. “We organise many cel-ebrations here including cowboy shows, electronic and pneumatic games to attract children and families. I feel happy when I see children coming here and enjoying after watching animals and birds here,” he said.

A park within the zoo premises is an added attraction. “Our aim is to become the most beautiful zoo in the kingdom. We recycle all materials here and strictly use things that are environment friendly.”

Ahmed admitted to the fact that it is not an economically great idea to run a zoo. “The costs are very high, especially food for animals. It is at times difficult to manage. But somehow we are successfully moving forward.”

Ahmed is one among the expert horse trainers in the Kingdom. An international-ly-accredited horse trainer, he has certificates from 12 countries including Austria, Switzer-land and France.

For the love of animals Ahmed’s zoo hosts 15 species of birds and over 30 varieties of animals

12global-accreditation

certificates make Ahmed a highly sought

after horse trainer in Bahrain.

• The zoo serves a testimony to Ahmed’s love for animals. “The zoo has a good reputation in the Kingdom. A good number of visitors comes from all parts of the country and it has been increasing over the past few months,” he said.

The zoo has a good reputation in the Kingdom. A good number

of visitors comes from all parts of the country

and it has been increasing over

the past few months.

AHMED

CCTV footage helps acquit assault accused TDT|Manama

The Lower Criminal Court acquit-ted a Bahraini man of physically assaulting his brother’s wife af-

ter viewing CCTV footage. The defendant was referred to the

Lower Criminal Court after the plain-tiff accused him of attacking her at the time she was having problems with her

husband. “She knew that my client had sided

with his brother in her problems with him and hence she wanted to take re-venge against him,” the defendant’s lawyer Huda Al Shaer said in her clos-ing argument earlier. 

The plaintiff claimed that she was assaulted in the building in which they

all live. But to the defendant’s luck, there were CCTV cameras installed and his lawyer submitted their re-cordings at the time she claimed the assault occurred.

The video footage confirmed no attack took place. Therefore, the Lower Criminal Court dropped the charges against him due to lack of

evidence. “My client was, in fact, a victim of

the plaintiff who attacked him out-side a police station. But he didn’t respond to her out of respect to his brother. He reported her to po-lice instead and she was fined. She wanted to get even,” Ms Al Shaer added.

She knew that my client had sided with his brother in her problems with him and hence she wanted

to take revenge against him. Huda Al Shaer

07

business

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

The programme will develop

analytical skills and open growth

opportunity to all majors of university students and graduates. It

will enrich their knowledge by

increasing their level of creativity

skillsDR EBRAHIM MOHAMMED JANAHI

TAMKEEN CHIEF EXECUTIVE

3rd edition of ‘Intelaaq’ launched The programme jointly launched by Tamkeen and MENA Center for Investment is designed to train students in various skills

• The ‘Intelaaq’ programme is part of a partnership agreement signed by Tamkeen and MENA Center for Investment

TDT|Manama

Tamkeen has announced the launch of the third edition of “Intelaaq” pro-

gramme which started its first batch in April, in partnership with the MENA Center for In-vestment.

The programme is part of a partnership agreement signed by Tamkeen and the Bahrain-based MENA Center for Investment.

The initiative is part of a co-ordinated effort to strengthen and develop the capabilities of Bahrainis and companies in the private sector. The programme targets about 300 outstanding

university students and recent graduates of different local and international universities. Participants will be joining in consecutive batches this year by giving them the opportunity to

work as professional consultants on real projects at participating companies based in Bahrain, for a period of 3 months.

Tamkeen’s Chief Executive, Dr Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi,

pointed out that this programme targets analytical thinking skills on a consultative level and opens growth opportunity to all majors of university students and grad-uates, it enriches their knowl-edge by increasing their level of creativity and analytical skills.

The 12-week programme is designed to train students in var-ious skills that are required to do their work effectively, such as teamwork, critical thinking, punctuality, and professional and high-level work ethics. Stu-dents will also benefit from the experience of business com-munity leaders through a se-ries of workshops by experts from different fields, who will be hosted within the “Intelaaq” programme, in addition to or-ganizing networking events.

Tamkeen and the Bahrain-based MENA Center for Investment officials after signing the deal

The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism and Chairman of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, with members of the board during a meeting held recently at the Ministry’s headquarters. The board reviewed the financial reports for the period ended December 31, 2017. The board also reviewed the financial statement up to May 2018 and discussed BTEA’s strategic projects that aim to develop the tourism infrastructure, restore the islands, beaches and sea fronts.

Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza with Ibrahim Nonu, Chief Executive of Basma, a Bahraini company active in solar energy, projects, programmes, consultancy and training. Nonu briefed the minister on the company’s plan to establish close cooperation with the Electricity and Water Authority. The minister praised the company’s efforts in the fields of renewable energy, especially solar energy, and its desire to take part in such projects in Bahrain. The minister said he welcomed cooperation with local and international companies and institutions in all fields.

Zayani Motors announces Ramadan offer

• The Kingdom’s leading automotive distributor will give out valuable prizes with each car purchase

TDT|Manama

Zayani Motors, the exclu-sive distributor of Mit-

subishi, Peugeot, and MG in Bahrain, has announced Ramadan offer for its cus-tomers.

The prizes are: 24K gold bar, travel tickets to desti-nations of choice, BD1000 cash, 1000 litre worth of free petrol, and many more.

The offer is on the full range of Zayani Motors’ Mitsubishi, MG and Peu-geot models, such as Mit-subishi Lancer Ex 2.0 litre for BD4,999, Mitsubishi Outlander starting from BD7,899, MG ZS starting from BD4,500 and Peugeot 5008 starting from BD8,999 as well as on a wide selection of used cars.

“As per our custom, we have prepared a spectac-ular offer this year, which includes a variety of special prizes not to be missed,” said Mohammed Zaki, the General Manager of Zayani Motors.

Mohammed Zaki

NBB to host forum for SMEs

TDT|Manama

NBB has announced that it is set to host a forum

for SMEs in line with the bank’s upcoming rollout of its new and enhanced busi-ness online banking plat-form, which is currently in the beta testing phase and will become available to all business customers by June 26.

The Forum is taking place on 25 June 2018 at the Four Seasons Hotel together with the support of Communi-ty Partner ROWAD, which is among Bahrain’s leading providers of programmes that empower SMEs.

The event’s primary aim is to encourage and prepare SMEs to leverage the vast benefits of online banking and how it can help in the drive for greater productiv-ity, efficiency and growth.

More than 150 represent-atives from among Bahrain’s thriving SME community are expected to attend the half-day event from across sectors.

Panellists taking part in the discussions will include representatives from NBB’s SME team, the SME Society, Bahrain Fintech Bay (BFB) and NBB customers that have already begun to uti-lise and test the new online banking.

Commenting, Richard Hicks, Chief Marketing Of-ficer at NBB, said, “We’re delighted to be nearing the full rollout of NBB’s new business online banking platform.”

Richard Hicks

Amin Al Arrayed appointed CEO of Edamah TDT|Manama

The Board of Directors of Bahrain Real Estate Invest-

ment (Edamah), the real estate arm of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumta-lakat), has appointed Amin Al Arrayed as Chief Executive Of-ficer (CEO) of the company.

Al Arrayed has extensive ex-ecutive experience in real estate development. He led First Bah-rain Real Estate Development Company since 2007 and con-tributed to the development of several successful real estate projects that have achieved sig-

nificant returns and income. These include the “El Mercado” project in Janabiya, a commer-cial compound and residential

villas, and the “Majaal” project which includes the develop-ment of industrial facilities for SMEs in Al-Hidd area.

“We look forward to working together with the new CEO of Edamah to strengthen the in-vestment environment in the real estate sector, which boasts many opportunities for invest-ment, stability and growth, through Edamah’s role in the management of a diverse port-folio of real estate assets in the Kingdom,” said Khalid Al Ru-maihi, Chairman of Edamah. Al Arrayed will assume office as CEO from August 1.

Amin Al Arrayed

KNOW WHAT

Amin Al Arrayed has contributed to development of “El Mercado” project in

Janabiya, and the “Majaal” project in

Al-Hidd area

EU pledges $23.5 million aid to ease Jordan’s economic woesFinancial assistance comes in the wake of protests that led to the prime minister’s resignation

• Cash-strapped Jordan, a close US ally that relies heavily on donors, is struggling to rein in

AFP|Amman

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini announced

Sunday 20 million euros ($23.5 million) in aid for Jordan fol-lowing a wave of anti-austerity protests that led to the prime minister’s resignation.

The EU will support Jordan “with all possible means at our disposal including economic and financial means,” Mogherini said during a visit to Amman. 

“This is a country that has a vital role to play in the region,” she told a news conference.

“You will have always the EU at your side fully supporting your reform work.”

The funds would “address in particular the needs of Jordani-

ans that are particularly vulner-able,” Mogherini said.

Cash-strapped Jordan, a close US ally that relies heavily on do-nors, is struggling to rein in its debt after securing a $723-mil-lion loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2016.

Austerity measures have seen prices of basic necessities rise across the kingdom, culminat-

ing in angry protests over tax proposals -- later withdrawn -- that forced prime minister Hani Mulki to resign on June 4.

Jordan blames its economic woes on instability rocking the region and the burden of host-ing hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war in neigh-bouring Syria. The World Bank says Jordan has “weak growth

prospects” this year, while 18.5 percent of the working age pop-ulation is unemployed.

Later Sunday Jordan was due to hold talks in Mecca with one of its major donors, Saudi Ara-bia, as well as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait on ways to help Amman overcome its economic problems.

08MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

This is a country that has a vital role to play in the region.

You will have always the EU at your side

fully supporting your reform work. The

funds would address in particular the

needs of Jordanians that are particularly

vulnerableFEDERICA MOGHERINI

EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEFFederica Mogherini

Jordan pins hopes on aid package by Gulf statesReuters|Amman

Jordan is pinning hopes on Gulf states led by Saudi

Arabia committing to a mul-ti-billion dollar aid package to help it weather an economic crisis that sparked rare street protests over austerity plans, officials said.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sun-day for a crucial four-nation meeting focused on supporting Amman to tackle an economic crisis in the wake of anti-aus-terity protests.

He landed in the Red Sea city of Jeddah ahead of his meeting later Sunday with leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, the of-ficial Saudi Press Agency said.

Saudi King Salman had called the rulers of the three

other nations to set up the meeting in the holy city of Mecca, with speculation that an aid package could be an-nounced. Officials are hopeful Jeddah meeting will approve a major package in line with a previous $5 billion fund allo-cated to Jordan by Gulf mon-archies in December 2011 to contain pro-democracy unrest that spread across the region.

The funds that were tied to developments projects had helped spur its aid-dependent economy.

An official who requested anonymity told Reuters a de-posit to cushion dwindling existing reserves of $11.5 bil-lion would have a significant impact on easing pressures on a deficit-ridden budget where spending goes mainly to covers public salaries.

Freed Indian businessman pledges to rise like a phoenix The 75-year-old jewellery tycoon is not allowed to travel outside the UAE

• The gold tycoon owes Dh550m(BD 55m) in loans to private banks

Khaleej Times| Dubai

The owner of Atlas Jewellery, M.M. Ramachandran, who

was in a Dubai jail for close to three years, has been released on bail, authorities have said. The 75-year-old Malayalee businessman, who is popularly known as Atlas Ramachandran, was jailed in August 2015 for defaulting on multiple loans.

Confirming the news, Indi-an Ambassador Navdeep Singh Suri told Khaleej Times: “We have worked with relevant au-thorities to facilitate his release, much the same way that we work on a daily basis to provide assistance to so many other In-dian nationals who may find themselves in a difficult situ-ation.”

A source close to the case revealed that as per the terms and conditions applied to his bail, Ramachandran will not be allowed to travel outside the UAE. “He still owes money to private parties and that has to be resolved,” the source said.

The gold tycoon owes Dh550 million (BD 55m) in loans to pri-vate banks. After long-drawn negotiations backed by politi-cal and diplomatic efforts, 22 lending banks signed a standstill agreement in February this year, putting on hold legal proceed-ings against him.

Though it was widely as-

sumed that his release was im-minent, Ramachandran’s legal problems were far from over as

three private lenders refused to put on hold the cases against him.

In his first media interview after his release to a Malayalam television channel that aired on Saturday, a visibly frail Ra-machandran said: “If I had some time to negotiate with the banks, everything would’ve been much easier.

“I have no malice towards anyone. My life’s principle is to face...challenges and not run away from anything.”

Speaking of his time in jail, Ramachandran said what both-ered him was what his fami-ly was going through. “When I was in captivity, I could not speak to my family for over 15 minutes. There were rules for

such things.“I was confident that I would

be able to rise from the ashes like a phoenix bird. My wife gave me that strength,” Ram-achandran said in the interview to Kairali TV.

Earlier, speaking to Khaleej Times from jail, Ramachandran had said he was not willing to give up hope “even for a min-ute”.

“When I am released, all my energy will be invested into paying off my debts...I have not cheated anyone and I will not let anything mar (my) reputa-tion,” Ramachandran said over the phone in a free-wheeling interview.

In her first ever media inter-view on June 19 last year, his wife Indira Ramachandran had opened up to Khaleej Times about her struggles to fight for her husband’s release and the difficulties she was facing. “I don’t even have a steady income to pay my rents. But I have to keep fighting to make sure my husband will soon walk out a free man.”

Ramachandran and family claimed they had assets to liq-uidate and pay off the debts.

Aluminium Bahrain employees planting a sapling on the occasion of the World Environment Day 2018. The company distributed saplings to employees and conducted a workshop on ‘Beat Plastic Pollution‘ for all Alba employees as part of the observance

Enterprise Channel Middle-East, the leading publishing house in technology and innovation, held its annual CIO200 event in Burj Al Khalifa Dubai to recognise top Chief Information Officers in the Middle-East, Africa and Turkey. The event saw a technical talk on latest trends in global technologies. Dr Jassim Haji, a technology expert and researcher in the Middle-East, was recognized by the organizers at the event. Haji delivered a speech on Artificial Intelligence and the way it’s changing the world

ThinkSmart teams up with Alreef Young Ladies SocietyTDT|Bahrain

ThinkSmart for Develop-ment and Training has

signed an agreement with Alreef Young Ladies Society to provide basic training to young Bahraini women un-der the FORSATI programme. The pact was signed at Al Reef Women Society. FORSATI will train young women from the

Society basic skills in comput-er, logical thinking, coding and programming. It will provide professional certifications for women ICT graduates and pro-fessionals in cloud computing, web development, productiv-ity etc. “The programme will empower the employability and productivity for Bahraini women,” said Ahmed Al Hu-jairi, CEO of ThinkSmart.

TIMELINE OF THE CASE

August 31, 2015: M.M. Ramachandran is detained by police after receiving five complaints against him from 15 banks over bounced cheques worth Dh550m (BD 55m)

September 1, 2015: Du-bai Public Prosecution rejects his bail request

September 2, 2015: Atlas Jewellery assures lend-ers about repayment by liquidating assets in the GCC to settle the liabilities

November 12, 2015: Ra-machandran sentenced to three years jail by a Dubai court

February 1, 2018: 22 lending banks agree to sign a standstill agreement, putting on hold legal proceedings against Ramachandran

June, 9, 2018: Authori-ties confirm Ramachan-dran is released on bail

M.M. Ramachandran

I was confident that I would be able to

rise from the ashes like a phoenix bird.

My wife gave me that strength RAMACHANDRAN

OWNER, ATLAS JEWELLERY

09MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

Dubai lifted by new incentivesDubai’s Department of Economic Development is to allow companies to pay fees and fines in instalments

• Egypt’s index the best performer, rose 1.4pc

• In Saudi Arabia, the index fell 0.8pc

Reuters | Dubai

Banking and property shares helped drive up Dubai’s stock market yes-

terday, while the Qatari index fell on news that Commercial Bank’s talks to sell its stake in United Arab Bank (UAB) to a UAE investor had failed.

Dubai’s benchmark index closed up 0.4 per cent after the government announced over the weekend additional measures to boost the economy.

Dubai Islamic Bank rose 1.2pc after it said its 5.1 billion dir-hams rights issue was nearly three times oversubscribed, and builder Arabtec surged 5.9pc after gaining 4.3pc on Thursday.

Arabtec reported its highest quarterly profit since late 2014 in mid-May and has rebounded sharply from a multi-year low.

Dubai’s Department of Eco-

nomic Development is to allow companies to pay fees and fines in instalments, pause trade li-censes for a year and seek set-tlements over commercial vio-lations, state news agency WAM reported on Saturday.

In Qatar, the index dropped 0.2pc, dragged down by banking shares, led by a 2.7pc fall in Com-mercial Bank shares after it was

announced on Sunday talks to sell its stake in UAE-based UAB to Tabarak Investments had ended without a deal.

UAB shares sank 9.5pc, under-performing the Abu Dhabi index which rose 0.6pc as major banks First Abu Dhabi Bank (FGB) and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) gained 0.8pc and 1.5pc, respectively.

Commercial Bank has been trying to sell its stake in UAB amid a regional political dispute in the Gulf that saw the UAE and some Arab allies cut ties with Qatar over a year ago.

In Saudi Arabia, the index fell 0.8pc, as top petrochemical company Saudi Basic Industries shed 1.3pc. Shares in National Medical Care surged 9.9pc to

61.3 riyals on the news that a unit of General Organisation for Social Insurance (GOSI) reached a non-binding share swap deal with NMC Health that values each National Medical Care share at 70 riyals.

Egypt’s index the best per-former, rose 1.4pc as shares in Talat Mostafa jumped 6.5pc, and Egyptian Resorts rose 6pc.

Egyptian stocks saw a spate of selling last week on concerns about a public reaction to up-coming energy subsidary cuts.

The index is up 7.5pc so far this year, but has eased signif-icantly since late April when it hit an all-time high of 18,414 points. On Sunday it closed at 16,143 points.

An investor looks at the screen at the Dubai International Financial Market in Dubai, UAE

Closing BellSAUDI 0.8% » 8,279

DUBAI 0.4% » 3,054

ABU DHABI 0.6% » 4,692

QATAR 0.2% » 9,225

KUWAIT at 4,784

BAHRAIN 0.9% » 1,274

OMAN 0.1% » 4,602

EGYPT 1.4% » 16,143

KNOW WHAT

Dubai’s Department of Economic Devel-opment is to allow companies to pay fees and fines in

instalments, pause trade licenses for a year and seek set-

tlements over com-mercial violations

Iran to increase oil production by 460 mln barrels in 3 yrs

Reuters | Beirut

Iran is pursuing a plan to increase its oil output by

460 million barrels within three years, oil minister Bi-jan Zanganeh said on Sat-urday, according to SHANA, the news site of the Iranian oil ministry.

The plan will focus on increasing output from 29 oilfields, including in Ilam, Khuzestan, Gachsaran, Falat Qareh and Fars, Zan-ganeh said.

The bulk of the work to increase the output at the oilfields will be carried out by Iranian companies, Zan-ganeh said.

“More than 75 per cent of the equipment for develop-ing the output is Iranian,” Zanganeh said, according to SHANA.

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh speaks to reporters after meeting with EUÕs top energy official Miguel Arias Canete in Tehran, Iran

World Cup to hurt mideast productivity • One in four employees plan to watch the matches during working hours

• Many senior executives plan to watch the games on company TV screens

• Some employees plan to leave work early, take annual leave or call in sick

Dubai, UAE

The upcoming football World Cup 2018 is set to hurt pro-

ductivity in the Middle East as employees, according to a latest survey, would “secretly watch the games by live-streaming them on their computers or smartphones” during working hours.

The survey by ‘Gulf Talent’ says the participation of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, including its star striker Mohamed Salah, has particularly heightened Gulf and Arab interest in the games.

The tournament, due to be

played in Russia from 14 June to 15 July, will run each day be-tween 2 pm to 1 am UAE time (1 pm to 12 midnight in Saudi Arabia).

Based on findings, 92 per cent of employees in the region plan to watch at least some of the games. On a gender basis, the percentage is slightly lower among women at 84pc, as com-

pared with 93pc of men.Of the employees surveyed

across the region 28pc, or more than one in four, admitted plan-ning to watch some of the games during working hours. Of these, roughly one third expected that they would be given permis-sion to watch the games, while a quarter said they would secretly watch the games by live stream-ing them on their computers or smartphones.

Other strategies employees reported they would use to watch the games during work-ing hours, including requesting a full day of annual leave, leaving work early to watch the games, or simply calling in sick.

Accountants most interestedWhen comparing across dif-

ferent job categories, Account-ants were found more likely than others to secretly watch the games at their desk. Cus-tomer Service professionals, in comparison, were more like-

ly than others to take a day of annual leave, while Civil En-gineers were more likely to leave work early to watch the games.

A further source of productiv-ity loss identified in the survey is late night game watching and after-hours socializing. Almost two-thirds of professionals sur-veyed said they will watch the late matches even if it meant sleeping late.

When asked how this would impact their work the next day, 74pc of them said they will sim-ply cut down on their sleep in order to get to work on time. A further 17pc would go to work late, while 8pc would take the next day off as annual leave, and 1% would call in sick.

Management PerspectiveOverall, 67% of managers said

they would consider allowing their staff to watch some of the games, provided the workload was not too heavy.Representative picture

US tariffs a headache for foreign automakers

AFP | New York, United States

US P r e s i d e n t D o n a l d Trump’s renewed threat to

impose tariffs on auto imports will hit foreign automakers that export a large number of vehicles to the US market, but many also manufacture cars domestically.

After yanking his endorse-ment of a joint statement at the G7 summit in Canada, Trump tweeted that his administra-tion taking a “look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the US market.”

Most of these brands, such as Mercedes and BMW as well as Nissan, Honda and Volkswagen, have at least one auto plant on US soil, where they employ tens of thousands of workers. In 2017, about 17.2 million ve-hicles were sold in the United States, according to AutoData, which compiles figures from manufacturers and dealers.

At least 82pc of Volkswagens sold in the US were imports, according to Edmunds, as well as  55pc of Toyotas, 57pc  of Hyundais, 70pc of Mercedes-Benz and 68pc for BMW.

On the other hand, more than half the cars sold in the US by the “Big Three” in Detroit were made locally: 80 percent for Ford, 60 percent for Gen-

eral Motors and 55 percent for Fiat Chrysler.

Honda is the sole foreign au-tomaker manufacturing a large majority of its locally made cars in Indiana, and South Carolina and has 4,900 local workers. In 2017, it produced more than 286,000 cars and sold 337,246.

BMW, which employs near-ly 9,0000 workers, produced 371,284 automobiles in 2017 in the US, and sold 305,685.

Nissan maintains two fac-tories in Mississippi in Ten-nessee and produced 930,000 autos, selling $1.6 million. It employed 14,400 workers.

Volkswagen luxury brands Audi and Porsche have no US factories and as a result im-port all the vehicles sold in the US market. In 2017, Audi sold 226,511 units while Porsche brought 55,420 to market.

Representative picture

17.2million vehicles were

sold in the United States in 2017

Bahrain can become region’s education hub 

Bahrain has all the capacity to become the educational hub of the region. Its diverse culture will attract stu-dents from different parts of the world to come here and

pursue their education. The government should considering opening more universities, mainly technical and medical. As of now, brilliant students are going either to Europe or the US for their higher education. These days many are also going to India and China. So there should be an attempt to attract these students. The Kingdom can also boost its private education sector to accommodate foreign students.

Satish Chandra

ONCE YOU HAVE COMMITMENT, YOU NEED THE DISCIPLINE AND HARD WORK TO GET YOU THERE.HAILE GEBRSELASSIE

QUOTE OF THE DAY

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

C I V I L I A N ’ S T R I B U N E

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

Afghan’s flourishing terror tourism

Many western tourists visiting Afghanistan to explore its history are using social networking apps to connect and stay with Afghan hosts at no cost

On April 19, a convoy of Canadian officials inter-cepted Joshua Adams,

a 24-year-old counselor for homeless gay teenagers in To-ronto, on a remote road in cen-tral Afghanistan. They tracked him down by following his In-stagram account, where he had been posting images of himself drinking tea with the Taliban in Helmand.

Adams hadn’t travelled the 6,755 miles to Helmand to join the Taliban or to volunteer in a battle against the Islamic State. He had gone to explore the his-tory of Afghanistan, from the empty niches of the Bamiyan Buddhas to the Great Mosque of Herat, famed for its exqui-site tile mosaics — monuments attesting to the country’s place on the Silk Road.

Tourist arrivals in Afghan-istan have been in steady de-cline ever since the bulk of NATO forces pulled out of the coun-try in 2014. Muqim Jamshady, who runs Afghan Logistics and Tours, a travel company in Kabul, told me that more than

100 tourists used his services in 2013. That number dropped to a mere 50 tourists in 2017. In 2016, the Wild Frontiers, a Brit-ish adventure travel company, canceled its “Afghan Explorer” tours because of Afghanistan’s weak security.

Yet amid increased violence, Afghanistan retains a firm place on the Central Asian tourism circuit. A largely unnoticed culture of Western men and women visiting Afghanistan to explore its history and staying with Afghan hosts at no charge using a social networking app called Couchsurfing has come into being.

Last summer in Khiva, Uz-bekistan, I came across a small group of Europeans sitting in the shadow of the great Islam-Hoja minaret, hoping to make it to Af-ghanistan. A Danish dumpster diver and an amateur German filmmaker secured their visas and crossed the border bridge over the Amu Darya River into Afghanistan. “So much heritage and history,” the Dane told me. “The hospitality is better than

anywhere in the world.”Adams, the Danish dumpster

diver and the German filmmak-er were part of a small wave of travelers who rely on the Couch-surfing app and similar social media sites to see Afghanistan. Kabul alone has about 1,000 Couchsurfing hosts. Last De-cember, I estimated that 36 per cent of visitors who had written references for their Kabul hosts on the Couchsurfing site were women.

The backpacking odyssey of Adams took him through parts of Afghanistan where few for-eigners had ventured in years. He spent his time exploring the largely neglected heritage of the country: the ruins of the 11th-century fortress of Bost in Lashkar Gah in Helmand; the 80-feet-high murals of pastel palm trees and kitschy crescent moons at the Eid Gah Mosque in Kandahar.

Adams was intercepted and persuaded to leave Afghanistan a few miles from the minaret of Jam, a fabled 12th-century structure of exquisite brickwork and a blue-tile top soaring over 200 feet on the banks of the Hari River and circled by high moun-tains in central Ghor province. Experts consider the minaret to be the last standing remains of Firozkoh, the lost capital of the Ghurid dynasty.

A significant number of the Afghans hosting the Couch-surfing tourists happen to be members of the Taliban. Ad-ams’ host in Helmand revealed himself to be a former insurgent

while showing him around his opium fields. That evening the host took Adams for tea with two Taliban fighters in a nearby orchard. “My host’s uncle told me they were Taliban fighters, and I started laughing because I thought it was a joke. Then they told me he was serious,” he recalled.

They conversed in pidgin English for several hours, as plate after plate of food was forced upon Adams. “It was a really relaxed setting,” he said. “We mainly just talked, smoked and ate fruit.” He ended up stay-ing with them for several nights, free, before heading back to Ka-bul by bus.

The number of these encoun-ters remains vague because they rarely make it into official records. I spoke with 14 peo-ple who had met with Taliban through the app and was able to confirm 30 more cases. The exact figure seems to be higher because some of these Taliban had hosted Westerners before.

Few, if any, of these travelers intend to meet the Taliban. In

2012, Nenad Stojanovic, a hitch-hiker from Serbia, was alarmed to discover that his hosts in Her-at were insurgents. “They were regular people I randomly met in Herat,” he told me. “I only found out that they were Tal-iban after spending a night at their place.”

Despite his initial fears, he found his hosts “surprisingly friendly and hospitable.” They gifted him traditional Afghan clothes, helped him hide his backpack in a sack and ad-vised him to take a particular bus through Kandahar to avoid being stopped by the police or other Taliban on his way to the border with Tajikistan.

About 50 miles from the bor-der, policemen at a check post in Kunduz province mistook Sto-janovic for a Taliban fighter and

The Author having dinner with his host in Kabul

Most of the Taliban Couchsurfing hosts are

low-ranking fighters, bored with the unending war and curious about the world be-yond. These apps give them a chance to meet peaceful

foreigners and engage them with their worldviews,

and in some cases try to persuade foreigners of their

right to rule Afghanistan.

A cloud that won’t fade away For all his celebrity, Anthony Bourdain remained one of us: Bruised and battered, imperfect and hopeful

DANIEL PATTERSON

I was introduced to Anthony Bour-dain in 1999, at dinner at the home of the author Paula Wolfert. Not

him, exactly, but his writing. It was late in the meal, the table covered with empty plates and wine bottles, when Ms. Wolfert suddenly jumped up and ran out of the room. She re-turned with the current copy of The New Yorker and started reading out loud from his now-legendary story “Don’t Eat Before Reading This,” in which he detailed the realities of a professional kitchen with gallows humor and scientific precision. It was electric. No one on the inside had ever written about professional kitchens in such an honest and open way.

That article and the man who wrote it changed everything — for readers and other writers, but even more so for his fellow cooks. The outpouring of grief and confusion from cooks around the world, overflowing so-cial media and spilling into texts and emails and calls, speaks to how deeply he touched our lives. No matter how

famous and seemingly unapproacha-ble he became in the world, he was al-ways one of us. He was a cook at heart.

In his writing, he ripped open the glossy facade of the celebrity chef, which in the early 2000s was still new and shiny, exposing the often unsavory realities of the trade that lurked beneath. Inspired by Hunter S Thompson and gonzo journalism, Mr Bourdain’s writing was direct, often brutal and always from an in-sider’s perspective. If it was shocking to people who knew restaurants only as diners, it was honest and revealing and brave to those of us who knew the other side.

The legacy he left behind is vast. The compassionate skepticism with which Mr Bourdain viewed the world has now become standard in food writing. As his celebrity grew, he cre-ated television shows that invited viewers to explore the world through his eyes, with the same openness and curiosity as he did. But more than anything, he left his mark on cooks.

At a time when we were just be-ginning to emerge from the shadows, he shone a bright but warm light on who we were. Misfits and outcasts. Conflicted and uncertain. Caring and generous. In kitchens in Mexico and Palestine and Copenhagen and New Jersey he was there with us, some-times in body, always in spirit, telling

our stories in all of their complex humanity. He made cooks feel proud of who we are and what we do.

As much as he humanised the peo-ple working in kitchens, he also made their lives seem somehow enviable.

His early writing unintentionally glorified the culture of toxic mascu-linity that existed in kitchens then, and that in many ways still exists.

As a teenager I worked alongside the macho, swaggering line cooks that he described so vividly. I know that underneath that veneer of excess

and confidence we were all damaged, the cracks beneath the surface leaking the sadness and loneliness that prob-ably drew us to cooking in the first place. Kitchens were places where we could find others who shared our experiences. Where we could hide. Mr Bourdain’s writing was so good that it was easy not to dwell on the abuses and mental health issues im-plicit in his stories, but they were always there.

One of Mr Bourdain’s strengths was his restlessness and his openness to

Anthony Bourdain working on a special dish at one of his shows.

ONCE YOU HAVE COMMITMENT, YOU NEED THE DISCIPLINE AND HARD WORK TO GET YOU THERE.HAILE GEBRSELASSIE

1770British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef.

1919Sir Barton wins the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown.

1942World War II: The United States agrees to send Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union.

2008The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is launched into orbit.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY

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

2012, Nenad Stojanovic, a hitch-hiker from Serbia, was alarmed to discover that his hosts in Her-at were insurgents. “They were regular people I randomly met in Herat,” he told me. “I only found out that they were Tal-iban after spending a night at their place.”

Despite his initial fears, he found his hosts “surprisingly friendly and hospitable.” They gifted him traditional Afghan clothes, helped him hide his backpack in a sack and ad-vised him to take a particular bus through Kandahar to avoid being stopped by the police or other Taliban on his way to the border with Tajikistan.

About 50 miles from the bor-der, policemen at a check post in Kunduz province mistook Sto-janovic for a Taliban fighter and

detained him. After ascertaining his identity, they released him the next morning and made up for the confusion by gifting him a sherwani robe and sweets.

Most of the Taliban Couch-surfing hosts are low-ranking fighters, bored with the unend-ing war and curious about the world beyond. These apps give them a chance to meet peace-ful foreigners and engage them with their worldviews, and in some cases try to persuade for-eigners of their right to rule Af-ghanistan.

The Taliban Couchsurfing community also exists partly because of older Afghan tra-ditions of hospitality, such as Pashtunwali, the Pashtun tribal code of ethics and honor. One of its core principles dictates that one should always protect

those seeking sanctuary, even enemies.

This tradition famously saved the life of Officer Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of a United States Navy SEAL team ambushed by Taliban fighters in 2005. Hav-ing been wounded and left for dead on the rugged slopes of the Korengal Valley, Luttrell was aid-ed by Pashtuns from the village of Sabray, who looked after him and protected him until American troops came to his rescue.

“We did not rescue Marcus for money or privileges,” said Mohammad Gulab, the villager who looked after Luttrell, in an interview with The Daily Beast. “By rescuing and keeping him safe for five nights in our home, we were only doing our cultur-al obligation.” Their story was immortalised in the film “Lone

Survivor.”Unfortunately, Pashtunwali

has been shattered in many Af-ghan communities. The country has been plagued by violence since 1978. Last year, the Unit-ed Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan counted over 10,000 civilian casualties, while opium production reached re-cord levels.

The Taliban continues to bomb Kabul and recently re-jected President Ashraf Ghani’s calls for political reconciliation. In such a grim context, these bizarre encounters between the Taliban and Westerners offer a faint glimmer of hope.

(Sam Dalrymple, a student at Oxford, worked at Turquoise Mountain, a non-

governmental organization in Kabul, Afghanistan.)

The Author having dinner with his host in Kabul

A cloud that won’t fade away For all his celebrity, Anthony Bourdain remained one of us: Bruised and battered, imperfect and hopeful

and confidence we were all damaged, the cracks beneath the surface leaking the sadness and loneliness that prob-ably drew us to cooking in the first place. Kitchens were places where we could find others who shared our experiences. Where we could hide. Mr Bourdain’s writing was so good that it was easy not to dwell on the abuses and mental health issues im-plicit in his stories, but they were always there.

One of Mr Bourdain’s strengths was his restlessness and his openness to

new ideas, even when that meant ad-mitting that his old ideas were wrong. In recent months he spoke loudly and frequently about the gender inequi-ties and discrimination that still exist in professional kitchens. He criticised chefs accused of sexual harassment and took responsibility for his own words. In December he wrote, “To the extent which my work in ‘Kitchen Confidential’ celebrated or prolonged a culture that allowed the kind of gro-tesque behaviors we’re hearing about all too frequently is something I think about daily, with real remorse.”

Kitchens were never safe places, and he always knew that — and more

important, he always said that. The spaces are hot and cramped, people’s movements quick and awkward, the pressure constant and severe. The restaurant kitchen resembles a war zone more than a professional work environment.

For so many cooks grinding it out day after day, we looked up to Mr Bourdain as the one who succeeded against the odds, which makes his suicide even more devastating. As a friend asked me this morning, “If he can’t make it, with everything he’s accomplished, what chance do we have?”

He was a celebrity who seemed like one of us, which is increasingly rare in our era of plasticised heroes. His popularity was always rooted in his relatability, his humanness and im-perfections. Mr. Bourdain celebrated life for what it is, a wondrous but diffi-cult and often lonely journey: “As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks — on your body or on your heart — are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.”

For cooks all over the world, this one hurts.

(Daniel Patterson is a chef and writer.)

Mr Bourdain’s writing was so good that it was easy

not to dwell on the abuses and mental health issues implicit in his stories, but they were always there. One of his strengths was his restlessness and his openness to new ideas.

Anthony Bourdain working on a special dish at one of his shows.

I called the bank. It took me 16 minutes to finish the call. I inevitably had to go through pressing different numbers to navigate the Phone Banking Menu until I spoke to a “real” person to report the incident.

Karak Break

Customers love convenience

A bank employee called me up: “We placed a block order on your credit card until you make the minimum

required payment?” I asked him: “How much?” And he replied: “BHD 7.” I retorted: “I’ll pay BHD 20 today.” He thanked me and hanged up.

On the way home, I stopped by the Bank’s Cash Machine to make the payment. I in-serted my credit card and deposited the cash. While I was waiting for the payment confirmation message on the screen, it had something else to say: “Your transaction cannot be processed. Please press Cancel.” I pressed “Cancel” few times without getting any response. Shortly, the machine printed a slip that said: “Your card and cash deposited were held by the machine, please contact the Call Center.”

Having the card and cash withheld did not bother me much, as I know the machine must be checked daily for cash deposits and withdrawals as well as withheld cards, if any. What bothered me most was the expected inconvenience of calling the Call Center. I do not know about you, but I dread calling them. These calls seem to go forever. And

the answering machine messages are irri-tating. I am sure you heard this one before: “Your call is important to us, please continue to hold for the next available representative.”

Now, I only call Service Centers when I am driving around or when I am buying bread from the local bakery not to waste my time. I called the Bank. It took me 16 minutes to finish the call. I inevitably had to go through pressing different numbers to navigate the Phone Banking Menu until I spoke to a “real” person to report the incident. The repre-sentative was professional and courteous in her dealing but she told me I had to visit the Bank’s Branch to get my card back. In essence, more inconvenience to me – the customer.

I visited the Branch. Collected my service token. It was 108. I thought: “Let’s see how long before I finish, there were 11 customers ahead of me.” After 70 minutes, it was my turn. I informed the staff about my card. He fetched it in minutes. In total, I spent almost two hours driving and waiting in the bank. I will not call this a waste of time because I was listening to a motivational speech and this incident inspired writing this column and two more to come!

My question to the bank is: Why do I have to go through all of this inconvenience, why don’t you send me the card withheld by the machine by courier instead? Give it a thought. Make it easy for me and I will love you for that. Customers’ convenience is key to a great service.

(Mohamed Isa is an Award-Winning Speaker & Best-Selling Author.

Reach him at: mohamed@3dspeaking.com.)

MOHAMED ISA

TOP

4TWEETS

04

02

01

How great would it have been if, after Trump’s

early departure from the G7, the other leaders had is-sued a statement calling for the Mueller investigation to be allowed to proceed unimpeded?.

@BillKristol

03

Dear Larry Kudlow: Do you know who oppos-

es the @realDonaldTrump Administration’s steel tar-iffs on Canada? American steel companies & steel workers. The very industry you are purportedly help-ing opposes these tariffs on Canada. Why? Because they know a trade war hurts America.

@tedlieu

I am not supporting any team in the World Cup

as my team is not there. I will choose a favourite team on a game to game basis but, most of all, I want to see the beautiful game being played well.

@TriciaMarwick

I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some

sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincere-ly apologise. I’m a proud Indian and that will never change.

@priyankachopra

ONCE YOU HAVE COMMITMENT, YOU NEED THE DISCIPLINE AND HARD WORK TO GET YOU THERE.HAILE GEBRSELASSIE

1770British explorer Captain James Cook runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef.

1919Sir Barton wins the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse to win the U.S. Triple Crown.

1942World War II: The United States agrees to send Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union.

2008The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is launched into orbit.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY

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

2012, Nenad Stojanovic, a hitch-hiker from Serbia, was alarmed to discover that his hosts in Her-at were insurgents. “They were regular people I randomly met in Herat,” he told me. “I only found out that they were Tal-iban after spending a night at their place.”

Despite his initial fears, he found his hosts “surprisingly friendly and hospitable.” They gifted him traditional Afghan clothes, helped him hide his backpack in a sack and ad-vised him to take a particular bus through Kandahar to avoid being stopped by the police or other Taliban on his way to the border with Tajikistan.

About 50 miles from the bor-der, policemen at a check post in Kunduz province mistook Sto-janovic for a Taliban fighter and

detained him. After ascertaining his identity, they released him the next morning and made up for the confusion by gifting him a sherwani robe and sweets.

Most of the Taliban Couch-surfing hosts are low-ranking fighters, bored with the unend-ing war and curious about the world beyond. These apps give them a chance to meet peace-ful foreigners and engage them with their worldviews, and in some cases try to persuade for-eigners of their right to rule Af-ghanistan.

The Taliban Couchsurfing community also exists partly because of older Afghan tra-ditions of hospitality, such as Pashtunwali, the Pashtun tribal code of ethics and honor. One of its core principles dictates that one should always protect

those seeking sanctuary, even enemies.

This tradition famously saved the life of Officer Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of a United States Navy SEAL team ambushed by Taliban fighters in 2005. Hav-ing been wounded and left for dead on the rugged slopes of the Korengal Valley, Luttrell was aid-ed by Pashtuns from the village of Sabray, who looked after him and protected him until American troops came to his rescue.

“We did not rescue Marcus for money or privileges,” said Mohammad Gulab, the villager who looked after Luttrell, in an interview with The Daily Beast. “By rescuing and keeping him safe for five nights in our home, we were only doing our cultur-al obligation.” Their story was immortalised in the film “Lone

Survivor.”Unfortunately, Pashtunwali

has been shattered in many Af-ghan communities. The country has been plagued by violence since 1978. Last year, the Unit-ed Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan counted over 10,000 civilian casualties, while opium production reached re-cord levels.

The Taliban continues to bomb Kabul and recently re-jected President Ashraf Ghani’s calls for political reconciliation. In such a grim context, these bizarre encounters between the Taliban and Westerners offer a faint glimmer of hope.

(Sam Dalrymple, a student at Oxford, worked at Turquoise Mountain, a non-

governmental organization in Kabul, Afghanistan.)

The Author having dinner with his host in Kabul

A cloud that won’t fade away For all his celebrity, Anthony Bourdain remained one of us: Bruised and battered, imperfect and hopeful

and confidence we were all damaged, the cracks beneath the surface leaking the sadness and loneliness that prob-ably drew us to cooking in the first place. Kitchens were places where we could find others who shared our experiences. Where we could hide. Mr Bourdain’s writing was so good that it was easy not to dwell on the abuses and mental health issues im-plicit in his stories, but they were always there.

One of Mr Bourdain’s strengths was his restlessness and his openness to

new ideas, even when that meant ad-mitting that his old ideas were wrong. In recent months he spoke loudly and frequently about the gender inequi-ties and discrimination that still exist in professional kitchens. He criticised chefs accused of sexual harassment and took responsibility for his own words. In December he wrote, “To the extent which my work in ‘Kitchen Confidential’ celebrated or prolonged a culture that allowed the kind of gro-tesque behaviors we’re hearing about all too frequently is something I think about daily, with real remorse.”

Kitchens were never safe places, and he always knew that — and more

important, he always said that. The spaces are hot and cramped, people’s movements quick and awkward, the pressure constant and severe. The restaurant kitchen resembles a war zone more than a professional work environment.

For so many cooks grinding it out day after day, we looked up to Mr Bourdain as the one who succeeded against the odds, which makes his suicide even more devastating. As a friend asked me this morning, “If he can’t make it, with everything he’s accomplished, what chance do we have?”

He was a celebrity who seemed like one of us, which is increasingly rare in our era of plasticised heroes. His popularity was always rooted in his relatability, his humanness and im-perfections. Mr. Bourdain celebrated life for what it is, a wondrous but diffi-cult and often lonely journey: “As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks — on your body or on your heart — are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt.”

For cooks all over the world, this one hurts.

(Daniel Patterson is a chef and writer.)

Mr Bourdain’s writing was so good that it was easy

not to dwell on the abuses and mental health issues implicit in his stories, but they were always there. One of his strengths was his restlessness and his openness to new ideas.

Anthony Bourdain working on a special dish at one of his shows.

I called the bank. It took me 16 minutes to finish the call. I inevitably had to go through pressing different numbers to navigate the Phone Banking Menu until I spoke to a “real” person to report the incident.

Karak Break

Customers love convenience

A bank employee called me up: “We placed a block order on your credit card until you make the minimum

required payment?” I asked him: “How much?” And he replied: “BHD 7.” I retorted: “I’ll pay BHD 20 today.” He thanked me and hanged up.

On the way home, I stopped by the Bank’s Cash Machine to make the payment. I in-serted my credit card and deposited the cash. While I was waiting for the payment confirmation message on the screen, it had something else to say: “Your transaction cannot be processed. Please press Cancel.” I pressed “Cancel” few times without getting any response. Shortly, the machine printed a slip that said: “Your card and cash deposited were held by the machine, please contact the Call Center.”

Having the card and cash withheld did not bother me much, as I know the machine must be checked daily for cash deposits and withdrawals as well as withheld cards, if any. What bothered me most was the expected inconvenience of calling the Call Center. I do not know about you, but I dread calling them. These calls seem to go forever. And

the answering machine messages are irri-tating. I am sure you heard this one before: “Your call is important to us, please continue to hold for the next available representative.”

Now, I only call Service Centers when I am driving around or when I am buying bread from the local bakery not to waste my time. I called the Bank. It took me 16 minutes to finish the call. I inevitably had to go through pressing different numbers to navigate the Phone Banking Menu until I spoke to a “real” person to report the incident. The repre-sentative was professional and courteous in her dealing but she told me I had to visit the Bank’s Branch to get my card back. In essence, more inconvenience to me – the customer.

I visited the Branch. Collected my service token. It was 108. I thought: “Let’s see how long before I finish, there were 11 customers ahead of me.” After 70 minutes, it was my turn. I informed the staff about my card. He fetched it in minutes. In total, I spent almost two hours driving and waiting in the bank. I will not call this a waste of time because I was listening to a motivational speech and this incident inspired writing this column and two more to come!

My question to the bank is: Why do I have to go through all of this inconvenience, why don’t you send me the card withheld by the machine by courier instead? Give it a thought. Make it easy for me and I will love you for that. Customers’ convenience is key to a great service.

(Mohamed Isa is an Award-Winning Speaker & Best-Selling Author.

Reach him at: mohamed@3dspeaking.com.)

MOHAMED ISA

TOP

4TWEETS

04

02

01

How great would it have been if, after Trump’s

early departure from the G7, the other leaders had is-sued a statement calling for the Mueller investigation to be allowed to proceed unimpeded?.

@BillKristol

03

Dear Larry Kudlow: Do you know who oppos-

es the @realDonaldTrump Administration’s steel tar-iffs on Canada? American steel companies & steel workers. The very industry you are purportedly help-ing opposes these tariffs on Canada. Why? Because they know a trade war hurts America.

@tedlieu

I am not supporting any team in the World Cup

as my team is not there. I will choose a favourite team on a game to game basis but, most of all, I want to see the beautiful game being played well.

@TriciaMarwick

I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some

sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincere-ly apologise. I’m a proud Indian and that will never change.

@priyankachopra

UAE president Al Nahyan makes rare appearanceAFP | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates Pres-ident Sheikh Khalifa bin

Zayed Al-Nahyan has met with family members in France, UAE media reported Sunday, one of his rare appearances since a stroke in 2014.

The off ic ia l WAM news agency published photos of white-bearded Abu Dhabi Emir Sheikh Khalifa, 70, chatting with relatives at his residence in the French resort town of Evian.

Sheikh Khalifa in 2004 suc-ceeded his father, the late UAE founding president Sheikh

Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, as ruler of Abu Dhabi -- the larg-est and wealthiest of the sev-en-member United Arab Emir-ates.

Sheikh Khalifa has previously made only one public appear-ance since undergoing an oper-ation following a stroke in Jan-uary 2014, marking the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday last year. 

Khalifa has withdrawn from day-to-day decisions, allow-ing his half-brother and crown prince, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, to assume power.

Fire destroys Iraq’s ballot warehouse before recountAround 60 per cent of Baghdad’s two million eligible voters had cast their ballots in the May election

• The cause of the blaze was not immediately known

• It comes as Iraq prepares for a manual recount of around 10 million votes

Baghdad, Iraq | AFP

A fire ripped through Iraq’s biggest ballot warehouse yesterday ahead of a vote

recount prompted by allegations of fraud during legislative elec-tions that saw a surprise victory for a populist cleric.

A senior security official, speaking on condition of an-onymity, said the fire broke out in a warehouse located in Al-Russafa, one of the larg-est voting districts in eastern Baghdad.

Around 60 per cent of Bagh-dad’s two million eligible voters had cast their ballots in the May election in Al-Russafa district.

A column of black smoke bil-lowed from the warehouse, nor-

mally used to store foodstuff, and could be seen across the capital.

Two hours after the blaze erupted firefighters, backed by 10 trucks, were still struggling to put out the fire as warehouse staff ran out of the building car-rying blue and white plastic bal-lot boxes, an AFP reporter said.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

It comes as Iraq prepares for a manual recount of around 10

million votes, following allega-tions of fraud during the May 12 legislative polls.

The vote was won by popu-list Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr’s electoral alliance with commu-nists, with long-time political figures pushed out by Iraqis voters hoping for change in a country mired in conflict and corruption.

But the result was con-tested following allegations of fraud namely by the vet-

eran politicians led by par-l iamentary speaker Salim al-Juburi.

The recount was ordered by parliament on Wednesday at all polling stations, although no timetable has been announced.

According to intelligence ser-vices, tests of electronic voting machines -- used for the first time in Iraqi elections -- pro-duced varied results, appearing to give credence to the fraud claims.

Pot of gold found in abandoned houseAFP | Quimper, France

A demolition team called in to tear down an abandoned

house in western France this week struck gold -- literally.

At the house in the Brittany town of Pont-Aven the workers found a lead container that they initially took for a World War II artillery shell.

But then “they shook it and heard the sound of coins,” the head of Bat’isol construction company, Laurent Le Bihan, told AFP at the weekend.

Inside, they found 600 Bel-gian gold coins dating to 1870 and stamped with the effigy of King Leopold II, who reigned from 1865 to 1909.

The value of the bounty, which the workers handed

over to the police, is not yet known.

Based on the sums usually paid for such coins it could run to over 100,000 euros ($118,000), according to the regional Ouest-France news-paper.

Under French law, the pro-ceeds should be divided 50-50 between the finders and those who own the land where it was

found.Le Bihan said the owner of

the house “was not surprised” by the find as his grandfather was a coin collector.

12

world

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

Smoke plume billowing from a fire in Iraq’s biggest ballot warehouse

‘Most ballot boxes preserved’

An electoral commission official and a spokesman

for the interior ministry sug-gested that Sunday’s fire did not damage ballot boxes.

“The room where voting machines and other election equipment were stored was destroyed by the fire,” Imed Jamil, an electoral commis-sion official for Al-Russafa, told AFP.

“The ballot boxes were stored in another room,” he said, adding that the fire would not affect the recount.

Last month’s election saw a record number of abstentions as Iraqis snubbed the corrup-tion-tainted elite who have dominated the country since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Less than half of Iraq’s 24-million electorate took part, dumping the old guard in favour of Sadr’s alliance fol-lowed by a list of former fight-ers of the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance that last year played a key role in the defeat of the Islamic State group.

India arrests 15 over latest ‘child abduction’ lynchingsAFP | New Delhi

Indian police have arrest-ed 15 men after the latest

in a spate of lynchings in-cited by rumours spread on WhatsApp of strangers ab-ducting children, an officer said Sunday.

A mob in a mainly trib-al area of the northeastern state of Assam pulled two men out of their car on Fri-day night and beat them to death before police could arrive.

A video on YouTube shows the badly bruised and bleeding men pleading for their lives. 

The two friends, residents of Guwahati city in the state, were returning from a pic-nic spot.

“We have arrested 15 per-sons. We have also zeroed in on a couple of people who recorded and uploaded the video,” senior state police official Mukesh Agrawal said.

“The villagers got sus-picious of the strangers as for the last three or four days messages were going around on WhatsApp, as well as through word of mouth, about child lifters roaming the area,” the of-ficer said.

Woman drowns in drains playing GPS treasure huntAFP | Prague, Czech Republic

A young woman drowned and a man is missing af-

ter they were caught inside Prague’s drain system by tor-rential rains while participat-ing in a global GPS-based treas-ure hunt, police said Sunday.

They were among a group of four people “geocaching” -- us-ing their smartphone’s GPS to search for little treasures hid-den all over the world -- when the rapidly rising water from the storm trapped them in the Czech capital’s underground drainage system on Saturday night. “A woman was found dead in the Vltava (river) and a man is still missing,” po-lice spokesman Jan Rybansky

said. The sewer system drains into the Vltava. The identity of the 27-year-old victim has not yet been confirmed by the coroner.

The other two members managed to escape and were hospitalised.

Prince Philip turns 97

AFP | London

Britain’s royal patriarch Prince Philip, turns 97

on Sunday, his first birthday since retiring after a lifetime of public service. Never one for a fuss -- least of all over himself -- Queen Elizabeth II’s husband has no plans for celebrations as he moves a step nearer to 100.

“He will be spending it privately,” a Palace spokes-woman said. The Duke of Edinburgh was absent as planned from his wife’s of-ficial birthday celebrations on Saturday, when other senior royals gathered to watch the Trooping of the Colour military parade.

He has kept a low profile since conducting his final solo public engagement in August, the last of 22,219 attended since the queen ascended to the throne in 1952. However, he did at-tend the wedding of his grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle on May 19.

Prince Philip

Picture for representation only

KNOW WHAT

KNOW WHAT

KNOW WHAT

KNOW WHAT

The election, the first held since the victory over IS in Dec, saw a

turnout of 44.5%

Inside, they found 600 Belgian gold coins dating to 1870 and

stamped with the effigy of King Leopold II, who reigned from 1865 to

1909.

A Geocacher finds items hidden at a particular location by means of

GPS coordinates

His previous public ap-perance was in January

2014

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (C) meeting with family members at his residence in the French resort town of Evian, one of his rare appearances since a stroke in 2014

British women mark 100 years of vote

AFP | London

Thousands of women wear-ing the colours of the Suf-

fragettes marched through British cities yesterday in a liv-ing artwork to mark 100 years since British women won the right to vote. Participants were given a piece of fabric to wear

in either green, white or violet and choreographed to appear as a flowing river of colour through the streets of Lon-don, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Many were carrying banners for the event in collaboration with female artists. Frustrat-ed with years of peaceful cam-

paigning for the vote, Suffra-gettes adopted militant tactics, chaining themselves to railings, breaking shop windows and blowing up post boxes.

Miraculous escape for toddler after train hits her father’s car

Daily Mail | London

A toddler miraculously es-caped unhurt when a train

smashed into a car which her father was attempting to drive across a level crossing yester-day.

Witnesses says it was ‘unbe-lievable’ that the 16-month-old girl escaped without a scratch, after the Peugeot 307 was crushed by a freight train that was travelling at about 50mph.

The driver managed to get himself out of the car and was arrested at the scene on suspi-cion of dangerous driving. His daughter was pulled from her rear seat by Lloyd Welham, who lives next to the railway line near Felixstowe, Suffolk.

The 49-year-old mechanic said he was in his garden when he heard the bang and went to investigate.

‘All I could see was smoke,’ he said. ‘I went between the carriages and could see a mangled mess the other side, and there was someone there shouting, “Get the baby out.” ’

He then reached into the wreckage to pull the child to

safety. ‘I got the baby out, then I picked up the driver who was laying next to the car,’ he said. ‘I looked after him until the paramedics got here.’

He gave the toddler to his partner, Kerry Donoghue, 46, who took her back to their home until the medics arrived.

She said: ‘It was a miracle that the baby was not hurt. She did not have a mark on her at all. How the baby got out without a scratch is just unbelievable.

13MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

Putin says ready to host G7 in Moscow

Reuters | Qingdao, China

Russia did not choose to leave the G7 and would

be happy to host its mem-bers in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said yester-day when asked about US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Russia should have been at its lat-est meeting.

Trump said on Friday that Russia should have attended a Group of Seven summit in Canada over the weekend, an idea that even Moscow seemed to reject saying it was focused on other for-mats. Russia was pushed out of the then G8 due to its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea four years ago.

“We did not (choose to) leave it, our colleagues re-fused to come to Russia due to known reasons at some point. Please, we will be glad to see everyone here in Moscow,” Putin told report-ers at a briefing in China’s city of Qingdao.

The Russian President, however, added that the combined purchasing pow-er of the Russia and Chi-na-led Shanghai Cooper-ation Organisation (SCO) outstripped the G7.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

$3bn pledged for girls’ education

AFP | La Malbaie, Canada

Pledges worth nearly $3 billion dollars to help

vulnerable women and girls, including refugees, get an education were announced at a G7 summit Saturday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who host-ed his fellow leaders at a Quebec resort, called it “the single largest investment in education for women and girls in crisis and conflict situations.” Canada will pro-vide $300 million.

The amount was more than groups that met with Trudeau had asked for, earning the G7 praise from civil society groups and activists, including No-bel prize-winner Malala Yousafzai who said it would “give more girls hope that they can build a brighter future for themselves.”

The funds gives “young women in developing coun-tries the opportunity to pur-sue careers instead of early marriage and child labor,” Malala, who was shot in the head while campaigning for girls’ education, wrote on Twitter.

Malala Yousafzai

Trump ‘destroys trust’ with G7 tweet: German MinisterAFP | Frankfurt am Main, Ger-many

US P r e s i d e n t D o n a l d Trump partly “destroyed” Washington’s trusting re-

lationship with Europe by pull-ing out of a joint communique after the G7 summit, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted yesterday.

“You can destroy an incredible amount of trust very quickly in a tweet. That makes it all the more important that Europe stands together and defends its interests even more offensively,” Maas posted. “Europe United is the answer to America First.”

Trump rejected the text of a consensus statement, tradition-ally a paean to shared Western values and objectives under American leadership, in angry tweets from Air Force One.

He departed early from the Quebec gathering Saturday for a one-on-one meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singa-pore.

Canadian Prime Minister Jus-tin Trudeau had told reporters that “Canadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around” over Trump’s decision to invoke national secu-rity to justify US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

“Based on Justin’s false state-ments at his news conference,

and the fact that Canada is charging massive Tariffs to our US farmers, workers and com-panies, I have instructed our US Reps not to endorse the Com-munique as we look at Tariffs on automobiles flooding the US Market!” Trump tweeted in re-sponse.

“PM Justin Trudeau of Canada

acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left say-ing that ... he ‘will not be pushed around.’ Very dishonest & weak,” Trump said in his tweet.

“He really kinda stabbed us in the back,” top US economic advisor Larry Kudlow said of Trudeau on CNN’s “State of the

Union.”“He did a great disser-vice to the whole G7.”

The US leader’s abrupt with-drawal drew widespread con-demnation Sunday from across the German political spectrum.

“How can one hold at all worthwhile negotiations with a White House that doesn’t un-derstand the basics of the glob-

al economic order and lives in a twisted, ramshackle fantasy world?” asked a commentator in major conservative newspaper Die Welt.

The joint communique that was thrashed out over two days of negotiations vowed that members would reform mul-tilateral oversight through the WTO and seek to cut tariffs.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and G7 leaders Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, and U.S. President Donald Trump discuss the joint statement following a breakfast meeting on the second day of the G7 meeting in Charlevoix city of La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada

KNOW WHAT

Canadian Prime Min-ister Justin Trudeau had told reporters

that “Canadians are polite and reasonable but we will also not be pushed around” over

Trump’s decision to in-voke national security to justify US tariffs on steel and aluminium

imports.

No end to ‘sonic attacks’ mystery

• Exhaustive search of the area around the residence had turned up nothing out of the ordinary

Reuters | Havana

Cuba said yesterday it re-mained baffled by health

issues affecting US diplomats, after the US State Department reported two Cuba-based func-tionaries had symptoms similar to previous cases that began in late 2016.

The State Department said on Friday the cases were similar to those of 24 diplomats and fam-

ily members taken ill through 2017, leading to a drawdown of personal in Havana to a skele-ton staff and the expulsion of 17 Cuban diplomats from Wash-ington.

The United States also is-sued a travel warning for its citizens.

Sunday’s foreign ministry statement termed those actions politically motivated, pointing out that “after more than a year of investigations by Cuba and the United States ... there are no credible hypotheses nor scien-tific conclusions that justify the actions taken by the US govern-ment against Cuba.”

The statement said Cuba was informed of one case in late May where “a functionary of

the (US) embassy on the 27th of the same month had reported health symptoms as a result of ‘undefined sounds’ in her residence.”

The statement said an ex-haustive search of the area around the residence had turned up nothing out of the ordinary and its specialists had been denied access to the func-tionary.

Cuba said it remained ready to work with the United States to determine what, if anything, was causing the illnesses af-ter its own investigation had uncovered no evidence of foul play.

US experts have yet to deter-mine who or what is behind the mysterious illnesses.

The car involved in the accident

SMILE

‘It was a miracle that the baby was not hurt.

She did not have a mark on her at all.

How the baby got out without a scratch is just unbelievable.

Women taking part in the march in Belfast

KNOW WHAT

It was not until 1928 that women gained the same rights as men with the Equal

Franchise Act, reduc-ing voting age to 21

14

features

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

AFP | Hanoi, Vietnam

In a darkened theatre in central Hanoi, a wooden dragon emerges from a pool to the sound of cym-bals crashing in a tradi-

tional water puppet show that lures hundreds of tourists daily but is largely shunned by locals.

Backstage behind a thin bam-boo screen, around 20 puppet-eers slosh around waist-deep in rubber overalls wielding the marionettes with long rods.

“The puppets are pretty heavy... and the water also cre-ates resistance,” said puppeteer Nguyen Thu Hoai, who swapped her galoshes for flip-flops be-tween sold-out shows.

“But our years of training and experience helps us con-trol them,” added Hoai, who like many of her colleagues grad-uated from Hanoi’s College of Theatre and Cinema.

Some of the puppets weigh as much as 10 kilogrammes (22 pounds) and the largest ones, like the one-metre-tall (three-foot) fairy, require four people to manipulate.

The shows at Hanoi’s Thang

Long theatre have become a sta-ple on the well-trodden tour-ist circuit and draw thousands every week, including many first-time viewers.

“I’ve never seen a puppet show that way with the water,” Amer-ican tourist Caroline Thomoff said after a show.

“I could really see people fish-ing, dancing and all the different performances that happened.”

Vietnam is the birthplace of the centuries-old art form that

emerged in the northern rice paddies as entertainment for farmers.

The earliest record of the per-formances is on a 12th century stele that still stands at a pagoda in northern Ha Nam province, but historians say water puppet-ry likely originated even earlier.

The shows traditionally fea-tured age-old fables and myth-ical lore, like the famous Ha-noi parable about a Vietnamese king’s treasured sword that was

used to fight off Chinese invad-ers.

Overseas appeal The tropes haven’t changed much, and neither have the hand-carved wooden figures of animals, boats, farmers or fish painted in brilliant golds, reds and greens, according to Chu Luong, the director of Thang Long theatre.

“When our children and later generations see performances

they will be just like the original versions,” he said.

Despite its ancient roots -- or perhaps because of them -- the shows draw little attention from local Vietnamese viewers, espe-cially millennials.

More than half of Vietnam’s 93 million people are under 30 and often prefer their entertainment in digital form.

“There are new types of enter-tainment now, electronic devices and the internet, so apart from

festivals we can’t perform all the time because (local) people don’t watch a lot,” said Pham Dinh Viem, a third-generation puppet carver from a craft vil-lage in Thai Binh province.

Like other puppet craftsmen in the village, Viem doesn’t earn enough to support his family making the marionettes so he picks up work on the side as a manual labourer.

But he perseveres, hopeful the next generation might pick up a passion he says runs in his blood.

Yet as interest wanes at home, there are signs water puppetry may be gaining traction abroad.

Canadian Director Robert Lepage returned to Toronto this year with an adaptation of Stravinsky’s opera “The Nightin-gale”, in which the orchestra pit was transformed into a pool of water for singers-come-puppet-eers commanding marionettes.

For puppetmaker Viem, such innovative approaches may be the secret to reviving the centu-ries-old tradition among locals.

“If the script and the perfor-mance don’t change, it’s impos-sible to serve the audience in the long-term,” he said.

Saving century

old tradition

Tourism keeps Vietnam’s ancient water

puppets afloat

Water puppets performing at the Thang Long theatre in Hanoi.

KNOW WHAT

Some of the puppets weigh as much as 10 kgs (22 pounds) and

the largest ones, like the 1-metre-tall

(three-foot) fairy, require four people

to manipulate

Viem, 69, making a water puppet

In eastern Iraq, a small town builds weightlifting championsAFP | Badra, Iraq

Wh i l e s o m e towns in Iraq are known for produc-i n g o i l o r

textiles, Badra boasts its own special conveyer belt -- churning out weightlifting champions.

In cafes along the main road dissecting the small town, 10 kilometres (six miles) from the border with Iran, chatter rare-ly veers far from the successes of local lifters. In the old days, “men measured their perfor-mance by lifting cast iron, often spare parts of cars,” said Khudeir Basha, who grew up nearby and became coach of the national weightlifting team.

“In 1974, the youth of Badra decided to take part in the Iraqi championships,” the bespecta-

cled coach recalled, referring to himself and his friends.

The hopefuls headed south to Diwaniya province, where they swept up “all the prizes”, astonishing fellow competitors who had never heard of Badra. 

Since then, he said, weightlift-ing has been synonymous with the town of 15,000, some 200 km east of Baghdad.

A weightlifting training cen-tre, set up in 1993 in a Badra high school, is still in operation.

The spartan hall echoes with shouts of encouragement by Basha, who sets an example by keeping himself in peak con-dition.

Heavy lifter Salwan Jassim Abbood, who is in the 105 kilo-gramme category, returned from the Asian weightlifting cham-pionships in Turkmenistan last year with a silver medal.  

The new generation wants to “continue what Badra has launched in the weightlifting field”, the thick-set athlete said.

With seemingly little effort, Abbood propelled a barbell from the floor to far above his head, the bar ends sagging slightly un-der heavy discs.  

In 2016, the 26-year-old took part in the Olympic Games in Brazil. Ten years previously, his brother Mohammad won silver at a contest in Qatar. 

‘Capital of weightlifting’ Lifters here are acutely aware that they are upholding a tra-dition. 

A n o t h e r m e d a l w i n n e r, 28-year-old Ahmed Faruq, said he was “proud to have made this small town Iraq’s capital of weightlifting”, noted for its victories in Asian and Arab com-

petitions. “Big names have been here and we need to protect that identity,” he said. But despite those successes, the gym is in

poor shape.Paint peeled from the pale

green walls, a solitary fan re-cycled warm air and the uphol-

stery on the leg press had worn away, disgorging yellow foam as if from a putrid wound.

Iraq’s sports authorities are losing interest in Badra and the weightlifting club, coach Basha lamented. 

“Every year, the club generates 30 million dinars ($25,000, just over 20,000 euros) by renting out shops it bought,” says Mo-hammad Kazem, a 55-year-old former athlete, now manager of the weightlifting club. 

And while that isn’t a lot, Ka-zem said he committed to train-ing the next generation of lifters for free.

He and fellow talent scouts regularly tour schools and sports clubs in the town and beyond, to recruit “nursery champions” and ensure “there are people... to protect (Badra’s) reputation and keep the story going.”

Mohannad Ali (C), a member of the Iraqi national weightlifting team, exercises during a training session at the local weightlifting club in the town of Badra near the Iraq-Iran border

15

entertainment

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

C R O S S W O R D

S U D O K U

Across

1- Aromatic wood; 6- Composer Bruckner; 11- Pompous sort; 14- Corpulent; 15- ___-Croatian; 16- ___ room; 17- Frail boat; 19- Rage; 20- Lennon’s lady; 21- “The Time Machine” people; 22- Mediterranean arm; 24- Petri dish gel; 25- I’ve been framed!; 26- Commercialism; 30- As ___ resort; 31- O Sole ___; 32- Dog star; 36- Hi-___; 37- Rudimentary component; 41- Human limb; 42- Equinox mo.; 44- “Lord, is ___?”: Matthew; 45- Haunting; 47- Inebriation; 51- Many; 54- Speed contest; 55- Nonbeliever in Islam; 56- Desire; 57- Prospector’s find; 60- Put Down; 61-

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

AriesYou often need to thrive on personal emotions. Today will be no exception to the rule. For instance, you could try to captivate the attention of people you admire. The only problem is that they might not be receptive at first. Try to take your time. You will have other opportunities in the near future.

TaurusYou shouldn’t try to fight the feelings that run through you today. Don’t even try to rationalize them. These feelings are probably related to emotions dating back to your childhood. You shouldn’t avoid or analyse them. There will be a lot of turmoil welling up inside you.

GeminiYou’ll be lost in your thoughts today, analysing your life and relationships. You’ll be asking yourself if your existence is meeting your standards. You will ponder what to expect from the future and from the people around you.

CancerToday you will have all the energy you need to deal with long-term family problems. Indeed, you’ll proba-bly clash with some of your relatives. But this situation won’t cause any serious issues, and you’ll deal with these circumstances like a pro.

LeoYou enjoy caring for others and you intervene regular-ly in their lives to guide them. Ironically, today you’re the one who needs advice. You’ll probably need to get away from it all in order to get a clear view of your own life. You could even decide to make the necessary arrangements for a trip abroad.

VirgoWe all have to make compromises in order to live in contemporary society. You may have strong beliefs, but it’s difficult to combine your ideals and a social life. Today you may wonder if you’re prepared to be edged out of society and fight for your convictions. Shouldn’t you try to find a compromise between life and your ideals?

LibraYou’ve always felt the need to free yourself from soci-ety. You need to feel independent at any cost. You may need to face certain relationship problems at this time. Perhaps you’re hesitant to commit either at work or in your personal life.

ScorpioYou may feel annoyed about the attitude of some of your group of friends. Unlike these people, you’re very open-minded and you can deal with situations as they arise. Indeed, you have a natural ability to adapt to every situation. Today you’ll probably have to arbitrate between two people with widely differing opinions.

SagittariusToday, you’ll be submerged under a lot of emotions. In a way, you’ll be revisiting your childhood. You may be very edgy. This is a good disposition in which to analyse your life. You’ll be able to see if everything around you is where you think it belongs. Try to make the most out of this frame of mind.

CapricornYou really know how to seduce. There is a spark inside of you that spreads naturally to those around you. You have a big reservoir of sensitivity and emotion that could grow today. You might meet and charm new people. Don’t forget to recharge your batteries in order to keep your feelings intact in the days to come.

AquariusYou’re a very active person, but today you’ll probably be disappointed. If you ask those around you to help with your activities, they most likely won’t understand your needs. They’ll wonder why you need to move constantly and why you need to create. The day may seem exhausting and complicated to you.

PiscesNothing much is happening today, yet you seem worried and tense. You’ll have to use this day to your advantage. Think about your life. You’ll also think about the needs of your relatives in the years to come and how to attain those goals. You’ll also be in the best disposition to think about your own family life.

Restaurant below street level; 64- Suffix with meteor; 65- ___ Grows in Brooklyn; 66- Star in Orion; 67- Mediterranean isl.; 68- Inclines; 69- Bobby of the Black Panthers;

Down1- Designer Chanel; 2- Black, to Blake; 3- Art ___; 4- Invite; 5- Ban-ish; 6- Categorize; 7- “M*A*S*H” soft drink; 8- Quattro minus uno; 9- Offering made to a deity; 10- Surprisingly; 11- Disney mermaid; 12- Caravansary; 13- View; 18- Enthusiastic liveliness; 23- Explorer Vasco da ___; 24- Cooling units, for short; 25- Would ___ to you?; 26- Milky Way maker; 27- Robt. ___; 28- File; 29- Mingle; 33- Delhi dress; 34- The Supremes, e.g.; 35- Prayer ender; 38- Able to read and write; 39- School founded in 1440; 40- Tutors; 43- Bandleader Puente; 46- Riviera season; 48- Pertaining to the brain; 49- Van Gogh masterpiece; 50- Barrel; 51- Citrus hybrids; 52- Sporty Maz-da; 53- One forking over; 56- At what time; 57- Gymnast Korbut; 58- Stagger; 59- Author ___ Stanley Gardner; 62- Singing syllable; 63- Fail to tell the truth;

16 MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

JUNE Ramadan Day Imsak Fajr Sunrise Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha11 26 MON 03:01 am 03:11 am 4:45 am 11:37 am 03:03 pm 06:30 pm 08:00 pm

Ingredients• 2 cups vegetable broth• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter• 1/3 cup chopped dates• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots• 1/3 cup golden raisins• 2 cups dry couscous• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Method1. Pour the vegeta-

ble broth into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the but-ter, apricots, dates and raisins. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the couscous. Cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and toasted almonds, and serve.

Ramadan cooking

Sweet and Nutty Moroccan Couscous

Celebrating the festivities of the Holy month of Ramadan, APM Terminals Bahrain recently hosted the annual ghabga for its employees at Downtown Rotana, Manama. With traditional Arabic hospitality and entertainment lined up during the course of the event, APM Terminals Bahrain staff and senior management were also treated to an evening of games and quizzes with an opportunity to win attractive raffle draw prizes.

Batelco hosted its Ramadan G ha b g a f o r t h e m e d i a i n appreciation of their continuous support throughout the year. The event was held at the Intercontinental Regency Hotel in Manama. The event was attended b y m e m be r s o f B at e l c o’s management including Chief Marketing Officer Abderrahmane Mounir and Head of Corporate Communications & Marketing Shaikh Bader Al Khalifa who met with members of Bahrain’s media houses. This event gave guests the opportunity to network and socialize while enjoying Arabic dishes and Ramadan specialties.

Abderrahmane Mounir and Shaikh Bader Al Khalifa with a guest David Bloomer and Kumail Al Musawi Shaikh Bader Al Khalifa and Mohammed Ismail from Layalina

Charity Donation to Smile Initiative by CrediMax

CrediMax donated to Bahrain’s Smile Initiative to help spread awareness and provide better care for children

and families battling cancer. Chief Exec-utive of CrediMax Mr Yousif Ali Mirza presented a cheque to Future Youth Society chairman Subah Al Zayani. Present were Smile Initiative’s financial secretary and head of psychological support Safaa Al Nas-ser and financial sources development and corporate relations head Hanan Al Hadi.

Mr Mirza said in a statement that Cred-iMax is committed to support initiatives aimed at serving the most vulnerable of Bahraini society, cancer patients, as part of the Company’s social responsibility to-wards the Kingdom of Bahrain.

For his part, Future Youth Society chair-man Subah Al Zayani praised CrediMax support to “Smile” initiative, based on the importance of the message and the re-

sponsibility “Smile” carries, enabling the promoters to enhance the programs and

services quality provided to more than 120 cancer-stricken children.

Kabeer Ahmad (Chairman Social Welfare Accession Bahrain-SWAB) hosted an Iftar Dinner at Ramada Palace hotel. The event was attended by leading members of the Pakistan Business community.

17 MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

KAALA ( TAMIL / ACTION / CRIME )

Rajnikanth, Eswari Rao, Nana Patekar

DANA CINEMA 10:45,13:45,16:45,19:45,22:45SEEF (I) 10.30 AM + 10.45 AM + 11.15 AM + 1.30 + 2.00 + 2.30 + 4.30 + 5.00 + 5.30 + 7.45 + 8.15 + 8.45 + 11.00 + 11.30 PM + 12.00 MNAL HAMRA 11.15 AM + 2.30 + 5.30 + 8.45 PM + 12.00 MN

KAALA ( TELUGU / ACTION / CRIME )

Rajnikanth, Eswari Rao, Nana Patekar,

DANA CINEMA 10:30,13:30,16:30,19:30,22:30SEEF (I) 1.00 + 4.15 + 7.30 + 10.45 PM

KAALA ( HINDI / ACTION / CRIME )

Rajnikanth, Eswari Rao, Nana Patekar,

DANA CINEMA 11:00, 14:00, 17:00, 20:00, 23:00CINECO (20) 10.30 AM + 1.45 + 5.00 + 8.15 + 11.30 PMSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 2.00 + 5.15 + 8.30 + 11.45 PM SAAR 7.45 + 11.00 PM WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 7.45 + 11.00 PM

PARMANU ( HINDI/ ACTION/ DRAMA/ HISTORY )

John Abraham, Boman Irani, Diana Penty

DANA CINEMA 10:45,13:15,15:45,18:15,20:45,23:15CINECO (20) 1.30 + 6.30 + 11.30 PM

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

John Abraham, Boman Irani, Diana Penty

DANA CINEMA 10:45,13:00,15:15,17:30,19:45,22:00,00:15CINECO (20) 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PMSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PM SAAR 8.45 PM WADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 8.45 + 11.15 PM

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM – 3D (ACTION/ADVENTURE/SCI-FI)

Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum

DANA CINEMA 11:00,13:30,16:00,18:30,21:00,23:30 10:45,13:15,15:45,18:15,20:45,23:15CINECO (20) 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 PM DAILY AT (IMAX 3D): 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 PM + 12.00 MN DAILY AT: 12.15 + 3.00 + 5.45 + 8.30 + 11.15 PM DAILY AT (VIP II): 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PM DAILY AT (VIP I): 12.00 + 2.45 + 5.30 + 8.15 + 11.00

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 12.45 + 2.30 + 3.30 + 5.15 + 6.15 + 8.00 + 9.00 + 10.45 + 11.45 PM DAILY AT (3D): 12.15 + 3.00 + 5.45 + 8.30 + 11.15 PM SAAR 7.45 + 8.45 + 10.30 + 11.30 PMWADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 8.00 + 9.00 + 10.45 + 11.45 PM DAILY AT (3D): 8.30 + 11.15 PM

SHOW DOGS (ACTION / ADVENTURE / COMEDY)

Alan Cumming, Natasha Lyonne, Will Arnett

DANA CINEMA 11:00,12:45,14:30,16:15,18:00,19:45,21:30,23:15,01:00CINECO (20) 11.45 AM + 1.45 + 3.45 + 5.45 + 7.45 + 9.45 + 11.45 PMSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.15 AM + 1.15 + 3.15 + 5.15 + 7.15 + 9.15 + 11.15 PM

E.MA.YAU ( MALAYALAM / COMEDY )

Chemban Vinod, Dileesh Pothan, Vinayakan

DANA CINEMA 10:45,13:00,15:15,17:30,19:45,22:00,00:15SEEF (I) 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM

LAST RAMPAGE : THE ESCAPE OF GARY TISON ( CRIME / DRAMA / MYSTERY )

Robert Patrick, Heather Graham, Bruce Davison

DANA CINEMA 10:45,12:30,14:15,16:00,17:45,19:30,21:15,23:00,00:45CINECO (20) 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 PM + 12.00 MNSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30 PM

DEADPOOL 2 (18+) (ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY)

RYAN REYNOLDS, JOSH BROLIN, MORENA BACCARIN

CINECO (20) 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 PM + 12.00 MNSEEF (II) DAILY AT: 12.30 + 6.00 + 11.30 PMSAAR 11.15 PMWADI AL SAIL DAILY AT: 9.00 + 11.30 PM

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

KAREN GILLAN, ROBERT DOWNEY JR., TOM HOLLAND

CINECO (20) 11.30 AM + 2.30 + 5.30 + 8.30 + 11.30 PM SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 3.00 + 8.30 PM

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

DWAYNE JOHNSON, JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN, WILL YUN LEE

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

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

GABRIELLE UNION, BILLY BURKE, RICHARD CABRAL

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

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (PG-15) (ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY)

ALDEN EHRENREICH, WOODY HARRELSON, EMILIA CLARKE

CINECO (20) 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PM

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

ROSE BYRNE, DOMHNALL GLEESON, SAM NEILL

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

LIFE OF THE PARTY (15+) (COMEDY)

MELISSA MCCARTHY, GILLIAN JACOBS, JULIE BOWEN

CINECO (20) 12.30 + 2.45 + 5.00 + 7.15 + 9.30 + 11.45 PM

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

EMILY BLUNT, JOHN KRASINSKI, NOAH JUPE

CINECO (20) 11.30 AM + 1.30 + 3.30 + 5.30 + 7.30 + 9.30 + 11.30 PM

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

ANGELICA KEAMY, BORIS KUTNEVICH

CINECO (20) 11.15 AM + 4.00 + 8.45 PM

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

ALIA BHATT, VICKY KAUSHAL, JAIDEEP AHLAWAT

CINECO (20) 1.15 + 6.00 + 10.45 PM

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

ALICIA VIKANDER, HANNAH JOHN-KAMEN, WALTON GOGGINS

CINECO (20) 11.00 AM + 4.00 + 9.00 PM

SID & AYA: NOT A LOVE STORY (PG-15) (FILIPINO/ROMANTIC/DRAMA) NEW

ANNE CURTIS, DINGDONG DANTES

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.45 AM + 1.45 + 3.45 + 5.45 + 7.45 + 9.45 + 11.45 PM

ABATTOIR (18+) (HORROR/THRILLER/CRIME) NEW

JESSICA LOWNDES, JOE ANDERSON, LIN SHAYE

SEEF (II) DAILY AT: 11.00 AM + 1.00 + 3.00 + 5.00 + 7.00 + 9.00 + 11.00 PM

at Seef District too

Um al Hassan +973 17728699

Seef District +973 17364999

It’s awesome - Chris is the best. He’s one of those happy, hilarious people. Plus he’s so tall, which is

great because I’m kind of tall too

BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD

Name change

I, Jasprit, son of Sh. Parmjit,

resident of VPO Cholang district,

Jalandhar, Punjab, India. Presently in

Bahrain, have suffix Singh to my name

and now my name is Jasprit Singh

Gosling rocks in ‘First Man’ movie trailerTOI | Los Angeles

The first trailer of Ryan Gosling s t a r r e r ‘ F i r s t

Man’ is out and the star plays the role of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong. The trailer presents the challeng-

es of the Apollo 11 mis-sion. It also shows the consequences faced by Armstrong’s family by the same.

The film focuses on the years 1961-1969, Claire Foy will play the role of his wife, Janet.

The movie also stars

Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Jason Clarke and Brian d’Arcy James.

‘First Man’ is produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen alongside Chazelle and Gosling.

‘First Man’ will hit the theatres on October 12, 2018.

Ryan Gosling

‘First Man’ focuses on the

years 1961-1969, Claire Foy will

play the role of his wife, Janet

KNOW WHAT

Andre ‘bans’ kids from seeing Katie IANS | London

Singer Peter Andre has banned his two children from seeing Katie

Price due to her “out of control” life-style.

He is said to have looked after Jun-ior, 12, and Princess, 10, over half term but is now reported to be “refusing to hand them back” to their mother, reports mirror.co.uk.

A source close to the couple said Andre has become concerned about Price’s boozing and her new relation-ship with 29-year-old Kris Boyson.

The insider also claimed that An-dre wouldn’t let Junior and Princess attend Price’s 40th birthday celebra-tions last month and is only talking to the former glamour model through a lawyer.

“Peter and Katie’s relationship has hit an all time low,” the source said.

“He’s refusing to let her see the kids because he thinks her lifestyle is so out of control - she’s going out all the time.

“Peter has given her a clear message, ‘If you want to see your children again, sort yourself out.”

Priyanka Chopra apologises for ‘Quantico’ episode

AFP | New Delhi, India

Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra apol-

ogised yesterday after a fu-rore over a US TV series that showed her uncovering a terror plot hatched by Indi-an Hindu nationalists.

The episode of spy thrill-er “Quantico” showed Chopra’s character, an FBI agent named Alex Parrish, thwarting the plan and no-ticing one of the terrorists wearing a Hindu rosary.

The terrorists had tried to frame Pakistanis for the attack planned ahead of a summit on Kashmir.

Priyanka Chopra

‘It was great to be back with ‘tall’ Chris Pratt: HowardActress Bryce Dallas

Howard said she was happy to work alongside her “tall” co-star Chris Pratt in the ‘Jurassic World: The Fallen King-dom’. The 37-year-old ac-tor, who reprises her role of Claire in the new film, said there were instances where she had to “slump down” to look good in a frame with actors who were shorter her.

“It’s awesome - Chris is the best. He’s one of those happy, hilarious people. Plus he’s so tall, which is great because I’m kind of tall too,” Howard said.

“I’m used to slumping down next to the people that I work with so that it

looks OK in the frame. It was great to be back with Chris,” she added.

Bryce Dallas Howard

Simon Pegg to direct his first filmPTI | Los Angeles

Simon Pegg is planning to make his feature

directorial debut and the actor said it will ‘hope-fully’ happen by the end of the year. In an inter-view, the 48-year-old ac-tor-writer shared his plans for his maiden directing gig which he might start shooting in November.

“My directorial debut... Will hopefully be shooting by the end of this year,” Pegg said. “(Nira Park) sent me a script last year and said, ‘This might be

your first film.’ I read it and said, ‘I think you might be right.’ Sure enough, that’s what we’re gearing up to

do in November,” he add-ed. Pegg will be next seen in Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible - Fallout.’

Peter Andre

Simon Pegg

18

sports

MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

Rafa claims record 11th French Open• Rafael Nadal beats Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-3 6-2

Reuters | Paris

Rafael Nadal was at his awe-inspiring best as he crushed Austrian Domi-

nic Thiem to snatch a record-ex-tending 11th French Open title with a 6-4 6-3 6-2 victory yes-terday.

The Spanish world number one took his Roland Garros win-loss record to 86-2 as he cap-tured his 17th Grand Slam title by demolishing the seventh seed, who was hoping to become the second Austrian to win at Ro-land Garros.

In 11 finals in Paris, Nadal has only lost six sets as he matched the all-time record of most singles titles won at the same Grand Slam event set by Marga-ret Court at the Australian Open during the 1960s and 70s.

Sunday’s result marks the

sixth consecutive Grand Slam won by either Nadal or 20-times major champion Roger Federer.

The muscular Spaniard had won all 10 of his previous Ro-land Garros finals and although Thiem was the only man to have beaten him on clay over the past two seasons, the Austrian never threatened the claycourt master on Sunday.

Nadal called on the trainer to get his forearms massaged

twice in the final set but even that problem failed to improve Thiem’s chances of emulating

fellow Austrian Thomas Mus-ter’s 1995 triumph.

Nadal got off to a dream start,

pocketing the first six points of the match as he broke Thiem in the second game to open up a 2-0 lead.

Thiem broke back immedi-ately as he continued to go for

his shots, and he saw off a break point to hold for 2-2.

Nadal, however, turned the screw in the 10th game and Thi-em seemed to grow nervous, sending a forehand long to hand his opponent the opening set.

The signs were already om-inous for Thiem at that stage because in 112 best-of-five-set matches, Nadal had never lost after taking the first set.

The top seed went 2-0 ahead in the second set as he wore Thi-em down in lung-burning rallies, leaving the Austrian screaming in frustration.

Thiem found some life and threatened with a break point in the seventh game, but Nadal broke his pace with a drop shot and finished it off with a passing shot, holding for 5-2.

He bagged the second set when Thiem sent a backhand long. Thiem was still on the back foot in the third set, being forced to save four break points in the first game. He dropped serve in the third and Nadal held for 3-1 after taking a time out because of a sore hand.

French Open

2015 - S. Wawrinka (SUI)

2017 - R. Nadal

2016 - N. Djokovic (SRB)

2013 - R. Nadal

2014 - R. Nadal

Men

Champions

2009 - R. Federer (SUI)

2010 - R. Nadal

2011 - R. Nadal

2012 - R. Nadal

2018 - Rafael Nadal (ESP)

Spain’s Rafael Nadal kisses the Mousquetaires Cup (The Musketeers) after his victory

KNOW WHAT

Rafael Nadal matched the all-time record of

most singles titles won at the same Grand Slam event set by Margaret Court at the Australian Open during the 1960s

and 70s

Windies crush Sri Lanka in first TestAFP | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

West Indies completed a crushing 226-run victory

over Sri Lanka just after lunch on the final day of the first Test on Sunday as the tourists sur-rendered meekly following the demise of century-maker Kus-al Mendis and captain Dinesh Chandimal.

Set a daunting target of 453, the Sri Lankans crashed from 189 for three in mid-morning to be dismissed for 226 just after lunch, suffering their first Test match defeat at the hands of the Caribbean side for ten years, when they were also beaten at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trin-idad. Off-spinning all-rounder Roston Chase triggered the final capitulation in which five wick-ets fell for just eight runs.

His dismissal of Chandi-mal in the last over before the lunch interval broke the back of the tourists’ resistance and he

claimed three of the remaining four wickets to fall to finish with the impressive figures of four

for 15 off 8.2 overs. It looked so much better for Sri Lanka when Mendis, 94 not out overnight

with Sri Lanka on 176 for three, reached his fifth Test centu-ry shortly after the start of the day’s play.

However any hope of the visitors seriously challenging a world record target effectively evaporated with his dismiss-al, caught behind for 102 off fast bowler Shannon Gabriel.Even the prospects of saving the match or at the very least taking the game into the final session disappeared with the loss of three more wickets.

Roston Chase (2R) of West Indies celebrates the dismissal of Suranga Lakmal of Sri Lanka

Thomas tunes up for Tour with Dauphine success• GeraintThomas registered his first win at the Dauphine

AFP | Saint-Gervais, France

We l s h r i d e r G e ra i n t Thomas supplied Team

Sky with their sixth Criterium du Dauphine success in eight years yesterday.

Thomas held off Briton Adam Yates, winner of the con-cluding seventh stage, with France’s Romain Bardet taking third in the overall standings.

The 32-year-old Thomas registered his first win at the Dauphine, probably the great-est success of his professional career, topping even his Par-is-Nice victory in 2016.

“It’s incredible, it hasn’t sunk in yet!” said Thomas, who joins some illustrious company and must now be considered a contender for overall Tour de France success.

“I was always thinking of the next stage, the next climb and it’s an amazing feeling and I

think it will really start to sink in tonight. It’s a massive race and it’s an incredible feeling.”

He follows in the footsteps of compatriots Bradley Wig-gins, who won the race twice, and three-time winner Chris Froome. Thomas took overall honours by 1min from Yates with Bardet 1min 47sec back in this tune-up for the Tour de France, which gets under way on July 7.

Adam Yates, of Mitchel-ton-Scott, pulled clear of Span-ish rider Dani Navarro 50m from the line at the finish to the 136km closing day’s ride to the ski resort of Le Bettex.

“The Tour de France has been my goal since start of sea-son, but the Volta a Catalunya set things back,” Adam Yates said about crashing out of the Catalonia tour in March.

“I made a good recovery though and I’m in good shape.”

Overall race winner Britain’s Geraint Thomas, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, celebrates with his trophy

I was always thinking of the next stage, the

next climbGERAINT THOMAS

09is the current Test ranking

postition of West Indies

India’s Chhetri equals Messi’s tally of 64 goals• Sunil Chhetri scored in the eighth and the 29th minute to get equal with Lionel Messi

Mumbai, India

India’s football captain Sunil Chhetri yesterday joined Ar-

gentine star Lionel Messi as the second highest international goal scorer among active play-ers with his 64th strike for the country. Chhetri scored twice in his team’s 2-0 win over Kenya to lift the Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai that saw another good

crowd turnout after the the star striker’s appeal for fan support earlier in the tournament.

The 33-year-old Chhetri scored in the eighth and the 29th minute to get equal with Messi. Portugal’s Cristiano Ron-aldo leads the active players’ scoring tally with 81 goals from 150 matches. Chhetri, with 102 appearances for India, and Mes-si, in 124 internationals, are cur-rently joint 21st in the all-time list of goal scorers.

Iran’s Ali Daei leads the list with 109 goals in 149 appear-ances between 1993 and 2006.

Chhetri, who thanked the crowd on turning out in num-bers after he had posted a video

message last week on Twitter seeking fan support at India matches, played down compar-

isons with Messi.“I am not taking that too se-

riously. There is no compar-ison (with Messi). I am a big fan (of him) and happy scoring goals for the country,” Chhetri, who scored eight goals in the four-nation tournament, said after the win. “We want to win matches, we want to win tro-phies for the country. We are in the ascendancy right now. It’s just the start. Hope we could get more games and prepare for 2019 Asia Cup.”

The national team are 97th in the FIFA rankings, having risen from 166th in 2015 when Eng-lish Coach Stephen Constantine was appointed.

India’s captain Sunil Chhetri (C) greets his team’s supporters

19MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

Loman retains Brave Bantamweight crownStephen Loman beats Frans Mlambo in a five-round of actionTDT | Manama

Bantamweight champion Stephen Loman defend-ed his championship title

against Frans Mlambo in a five-round of action at Brave 13: Eu-rope Evolution at the SSE arena and Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Loman created history as the youngest and only fighter from Philippines to have defended his championship in Europe. Mlambo has been defeated for the second time by the fighter from Team Lakay.

In the co-mian event, Norman Parke saved the night for North-ern Ireland overcoming Myles Price en route to a unanimous decision victory in his Brave Combat Federation debut. Parke and Pryce had previously fought in 2010, with Parke also coming out as the winner, via submis-sion. This time around, how-ever, Pryce was able to defend better on the ground and had a good going on the stand-up de-partment, especially in the first round, looking to exploit Parke’s weakness with body shots.

Rodrigo Cavalheiro took an-

other step towards the top of his division when he faced Karl Amoussou, who was making his promotional debut at Brave.

The fighter from Brazil con-nected with a brutal left hook that dropped the Frenchman and followed up with a hammer fist for good measure. Creighton found his range in the middle of the first round and took over, landing a hard body shot and knocking him to the ground mo-

mentarily. In the second round, the Englishman threw a few combinations, forcing Young to be more aggressive, but he was the victim of more punch com-binations from Bryan. When he went in for a takedown, Creighton ended up locking in a guillotine choke and getting a huge win in his Brave Combat Federation debut.

Zach Zane made his promo-tional debut against Declan Dal-

ton at Brave Combat Federation. He was able to take advantage of a scramble to take Dalton’s back and sank in a rear-naked choke for his first Brave victory.

Erik da Silva fought Erik Carlsson in the opening bout of the main card where he won the fight by unanimous deci-sion. Cowley was clinched up at the beginning of the fight, with Olejniczak trying to avoid his striking with wrestling moves and dropping Cowley.

Stephen Loman

KNOW WHAT

Loman created history as the youngest and

only fighter from Philippines to have defended

his championship in Europe

McGregor in attendance at Brave CF

TDT | Manama

Conor McGregor arrived at Brave 13: Europe Evo-

lution hosted by Brave Com-bat Federation supporting the athletes from SBG Ireland who were competing in the fight card.

McGregor was at attend-ance alongside the audience to watch the main event featuring Frans Mlambo from Straight Blast Gym Ireland and Stephen

Loman from Team Lakay. The fight showcased five rounds of action where Loman won the rematch by way of unanimous decision.

The fight card showcased four athletes from the Straight Blast Gym Ireland including Tommy Martin, Sam Slater, Cian Cowley and Frans Mlam-bo. McGregor also interacted with Amir Khan in the VIP section where the two had a quick pose.

Conor McGregor (R) with Cowley

Lost bag makes comical arrival AFP | Gelendzhik, Russia

Iceland needed police help to keep their World Cup plans

on track after coach Heimir Hallgrimsson put his bag on the wrong bus in a comical start to their debut campaign.

Hallgrimsson’s bag was on a bus headed for northern Ice-land rather than the team coach bound for the airport on Sat-urday, a slip that delayed the group’s departure by half an hour while the item was re-

covered.“It was good for the guys that

they can laugh at me,” Hall-grimsson said yesterday after

the team’s first World Cup training session close to the city of Gelendzhik on Russia’s sunny Black Sea coast.

Iceland’s head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson attends a training session at Olimp Stadium in Kabardinka

Vettel takes Canadian GP

• Ferrari’s first in Canada since Schumacher’s in 2004

BBC | Montreal

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel dominated the Canadi-

an Grand Prix to re-take the championship lead as Lewis Hamilton could finish only fifth for Mercedes.

Vettel converted pole posi-

tion into a lead at the first cor-ner and was never headed as he kept Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas at arm’s length throughout the race. Red Bull’s Max Verstap-pen took third after a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to pass Bottas through the first two corners.

Hamilton started fourth but dropped back to finish fifth and is a point behind Vettel at the one-third point of the season.

The world champion was struggling with engine temper-atures in the first part of the

race, which forced Mercedes into an earlier than planned pit stop for fresh tyres so they could add more cooling to the car.

It meant Hamilton lost a place to Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo at his stop, and the Briton had a nervy moment when Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen emerged alongside him after his much later stop. Hamilton managed to fend the Finn off, and even pulled away despite having tyres that were 16 laps older than Raikkonen’s.

Vettel takes 50th win and F1 championship lead in Canada

20MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2018

KNOW WHAT

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

Sardar AzmounTouted as the heir to Iran goalscoring icon Ali Daei, striker Az-moun has enjoyed prolific form for his country since bursting on to the scene at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Azmoun plays his club football for Russian side Rubin Kazan.

I don’t know. It will depend how

we do, how it ends

LIONEL MESSI

3 days to go……

Neymar on target as Brazil thrash Austria• Neymar’s goal in the 63rd minute was even better as he collected the ball on the left of the area

Reuters | Vienna

Brazil scored three su-perbly-taken goals to beat feisty Austria 3-0 in

sweltering conditions yesterday and put the finishing touches to their impressive World Cup preparation.

Gabriel Jesus, Neymar and Philippe Coutinho shared the goals for the five-times champi-ons who showed great patience in the first half as they worked to break Austria down before turning on the style after the interval.

Neymar started a game for the first time since injuring his met-atarsal in February, although he played in the second half of last week’s win 2-0 over Croatia when he celebrated his return with a goal.

It was also the first time the quartet of Neymar, Jesus, Coutinho and Willian had start-ed a game together.

Austria, unbeaten in their last eight games and winners over Germany one week ago, proved uncomfortable opponents and had nothing to lose in front of a capacity 48,500 crowd, having failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Neymar, substituted in the

83rd minute, was on the receiv-ing end of some rough chal-lenges and needed treatment after a tackle from behind from Aleksandar Dragovic who was booked.

With the temperature hot enough for water breaks, tem-pers frayed as Casemiro replied with a rough tackle of his own.

Marko Arnautovic gave Bra-zil a couple of early frights be-fore the South Americans went

ahead in the 36th minute, Jesus scoring with a delightful dinked effort from a difficult angle after Marcelo’s shot rebounded to him. It was his 10th goal in 17 internationals. Neymar’s goal in the 63rd minute was even better as he collected the ball on the left of the area, performed a drag-back which left Aleksan-dar Dragovic on the floor and sent his shot between goalkeep-er Heinz Lindner’s legs.

Brazil’s forward Neymar scores past Austria’s goalkeeper Heinz Lindner

It was also the first time the quartet

of Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Philippe

Coutinho and Wil-lian had started a

game together

Salah’s fitness uncertain as Egypt arrive

• Mohamed Salah and his teammates touched down in Grozny ahead of Egypt’s third appearance

AFP | Grozny, Russia

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah ar-rived in Russia yesterday,

with the Pharaohs hopeful the star striker can complete a dra-matic injury comeback in time for their opening World Cup match against Uruguay.

Salah and his teammates touched down in Grozny ahead of Egypt’s third appear-ance at the World Cup, ending a drought stretching back to 1990.

The seven-time African champions play their open-ing Group A fixture on Friday,

June 15, against Uruguay.“The team is ready for the

competition and morale is high,” national team manager Ihab Leheta said at the Grozny International Airport.

The Pharaohs have never progressed beyond the group stages and Salah is seen as cru-cial to their chances of making an impression at the tourna-ment in Russia.

The goal-scoring talisman has been sidelined since exit-ing Liverpool’s 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Real Ma-drid in tears after injuring his shoulder when Sergio Ramos wrestled him to the ground.

But such has been his form for the English Premiership club -- 44 goals in all competi-tions for the season -- that he has been included in Egypt’s squad even though there is no guarantee he will play.

Team doctor Mohamed Abou al-Ela told ON Sport TV on Saturday night that they would make an assessment on Salah’s ability to play early this week.

Egyptian national team football player and Liverpool’s star striker Mohamed Salah (L) shakes hands as he arrives with his team

Group F: Tough to call behind Germany TEAMS:Germany: FIFA ranking: 1best achievement: Champion 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014 Coach: Joachim Low

Mexico : FIFA ranking: 15Best achievement: Quarter-fi-nals 1970, 1986 Coach: Juan Carlos Osorio

Sweden : FIFA ranking: 24Best achievement: Runners up 1958 Coach: Janne Andersson

Korea Republic: FIFA ranking: 57Best achievement: 4th place 2002 Coach: Shin Tae-Yong

KEY GAMEMexico-Sweden (27 June 2018,

Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekater-inburg)

While nothing can be taken for granted at the World Cup, four-time world champions and current FIFA Confedera-tions Cup holders Germany are widely expected to top this group. That means that this duel between Mexico and Sweden

could play a vital role in deter-mining who secures the second Round of 16 spot – although Ko-rea Republic will also be keen to have a say in the matter.

What you need to knowGermany and Mexico met in

the semi-final of the FIFA Con-federations Cup Russia in June 2017. Although the Europeans were 4-1 winners on that oc-casion, Marco Fabian scored the most spectacular goal of the tournament during the match.

In an unexpected twist, Korea Republic have played Germany on three previous occasions and Sweden four times, but have contested a scarcely believa-ble 12 games against Mexico. El Tri emerged victorious in six of these matches, including a 3-1 win in their only previous World Cup meeting at France 1998.

Sweden now face a team with a record eight World Cup Final appearances – Germany.

Germany’s players pose for a team picture

16The number of goals

scored in the two matches between Sweden and Germany during 2014

World Cup qualification

Messi may retire after World CupMailonline | London

Lionel Messi has dropped a big hint that he will retire

from international duty after the World Cup, suggesting he could end his Argentina career whether they fly or falter in Russia.

The 30-year-old originally re-tired from international duty in 2016 after Argentina lost their third major final in as many years. Starting with a defeat in the World Cup 2014, Argentina then lost Copa America finals to Chile in successive summers.

Back then, he cited criticism from the Argentine press as one of the main reasons for the de-cision, but also acknowledged the emotional turmoil of losing three finals had taken its toll.

He reversed his decision six months later, helping his country qualify for the World Cup finals, but has warned the media that they risk losing him

for good if they go back to their old ways of stamping on their achievements.

Asked if he will retire af-ter the World Cup, Messi told Spanish newspaper Sport: ‘I don’t know. It will depend how we do, how it ends.

‘The fact we’ve lost three fi-nals now has led to some com-plicated moments with the Ar-gentine press due to the differ-ences in seeing what it means to reach a final.

‘It is not easy and [reaching three finals] has to be appre-ciated. It’s true that winning them is important, but getting there is not easy.’

Messi’s comments appear to leave open the possibility that he will retire whether Argen-tina win the World Cup or not.

With 64 goals in 124 caps, Messi is Argentina’s all-time top goalscorer and the third-high-est appearance-maker, but he remains the target of critics.

Argentina’s forward Lionel Messi

Southgate demands break with the past

Reuters | London

England fly to Russia next week unencumbered

by the usual great expecta-tions, with manager Gareth Southgate promising a com-plete break from previous tournaments when they sel-dom lived up to their billing.

“We are nothing to do with the past,” said South-gate in one of his final round of media interviews before they head to their camp in the village of Repino, which is approximately 30 miles from St. Petersburg.

“The past can inform us and help us but shouldn’t shape us. We have got to be our own team.

This is a diverse team with different sets of skills. They have got a chance to make their own history,” Sothgate added.

KNOW WHAT

Seven time African Champions Egypt play their opening

Group A fixture on Friday against

Uruguay