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Saturday, December 27, 2014 Issue No. 6512
Mantraa Juffair www.mantraabahrain.com
Russia sees
Bahrain
as a gateway
to GCC
8P 6
Blues
win on
boxing
day
8P 18
8P 32
disaBled
MaY get
a leg-uP
DT News Network
I
t’s just a matter of days, as
the decision on whether
to increase the monthly
social allowance for disabled
Bahrainis will be taken
within a week.
There is a possibility that
the amount could be raised
to BD150 from BD100.
“But, the decision making
process will be influenced
by the budget constraints
due to the fall in oil prices,”
said Services committee
Chairwoman Dr. Jehad
Abdullah Mohammed Al
Fadhel.
Speaking to DT News,
she said, the oil prices had
reduced to around USD57 a
barrel. “This brings focus to
the budget constraints that
T
sight”, said Obada al-Hussein, an
activist from IS-held Raqa who
spoke to AFP via the Internet.
Raqa is the self-proclaimed IS
“capital”.
“Then the plane flew back,
and this time smoke was coming
out of it. I believe there was a
technical failure,” Hussein said.
Another activist from the city,
Abu Ibrahim, also spoke of a
“technical failure”.
“The plane fell in an area
called Hamra Ghannam, in the
eastern countryside of Raqa,”
said Abu Ibrahim, who fled IS
persecution in Raqa but who
continues to be well informed on
events there.
The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights gave a similar
account.
“Sources in the area saw the
plane flying very low. There was
8P 5
we are facing. The limitations
in the budget will be taken
into careful consideration
before any decision will be
made in this regard,” Dr. Al
Fadhel added.
Read the full story on Page 3
Jordan pilot ejected after ‘technical failure’
Beirut
echnical failure caused a
Jordanian pilot captured
by Islamic State group jihadists
in Syria to eject after flying at
low altitude, activists and a
monitoring group told AFP
yesterday.
Maaz Al Kassasbeh “was
flying at a high altitude to start
with. He hit the brick factory
and then disappeared from
G R O U P
A very
Middleton
Christmas
‘Big deal’ invites Big trouBle
Smile boosts
our immune
system 8P 20
MANAGED BY
For Reservations
Please Call : 17 36 00 61
a technical failure. The sources
then saw IS members fire heavy
machineguns and shoulderfired missiles at the plane,” said
Observatory director Rami Abdel
Rahman. “The pilot ejected, after the
technical problem made it
impossible for him to return to a
higher altitude,” he added.
Read the full story on Page 9
Violations reported
in Budaiya rally
Manama
round 2,000 individuals
participated
in
an
authorised rally on Budaiya
Highway last evening.
The Northern Governorate
Police General Director said,
violations occurred during
the rally and members of the
organising committee had been
summoned.
The Public Prosecution was
notified about the situation.
A
2
FARC frees Colombian soldier
Bogota
Leftist FARC rebels released
a Colombian soldier yesterday,
nearly a week after beginning
a unilateral ceasefire aimed at
ending Latin America’s longestrunning conflict.
President Juan Manuel Santos
hailed the release of Carlos
Becerra Ojeda in a rural area of
southwestern Cauca department as “another step in the
right direction.”
“We hope that this release
demonstrates an irreversible
decision to end the conflict and
that such events will not happen
again,” he added on Twitter.
The soldier, who had been
held since December 19, was
handed over to a humanitarian commission including representatives of the International
Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC), as well as from Cuba and
Norway, the guarantor countries
of the peace talks that guerrillas
have held with the government
in Havana since November 2012.
When cables
make a noose
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Forging documents to obtain telephone connections on the rise
DT News Desk
T
he number of cases
pertaining to forging
documents by unscrupulous
persons to obtain telephone
connections is on the rise. And,
the victims become aware of it
only when they are slapped with
a legal notice or a travel ban. One among the victims of
such forgery is Mohammed
Adavil Velom, an Indian
national, who works in a
cafeteria in Hidd. Mr. Velom is
now dragged into a legal battle
after an unidentified person
forged his passport to get a
telephone connection.
The incident came to light
when Mr. Velom received a
call from a lawyer of a leading
telecom service provider, asking
him to pay the dues to the tune
of BD285.
The lawyer also added that if
he failed to make the payment
by December 23, 2014, he
would face travel ban.
“I had lost my wallet
containing BD200, CPR and
driving licence on December
3, 2013. I had filed a complaint
of my missing wallet at Naim
Police Station on the same day
itself,” said Mr. Velom to DT
News.
After checking the passport
copy submitted to the telecom
service provider’s advocate Mr.
Velom understood that his
passport copy had been forged.
The forged passport copy
has a different photo of him,
signature and different place of
issue.
“After many such cases
came to fore, the Indian
Embassy organised a meeting
with Telecom Regulatory
Authority (TRA), chaired
by First Secretary Ram Singh
on April, 2014. I along with
social activist E P Anil tried
to bring maximum number of
victims for the meeting. The
TRA representative said, they
would extend their support to
genuine cases,” a social activist
K T Salim told DT News.
The TRA officials, during
Original passport of Mr. Velom
Shaikh Nasser visits Al Basta Market
Manama
upreme Council for Youth and
Sport Chairman, Bahrain Olympic
Committee President and Royal Charity
Organisation Chairman HH Shaikh
Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa paid a
visit to Al Basta Market yesterday.
S
Shaikh Nasser
Industry and Commerce Minister
Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani,
Southern Governor Shaikh Abdulla
bin Rashid Al Khalifa, officials
and representatives of sponsoring
companies were present.
Shaikh Nasser toured the market
and was informed about the products.
He also met the stall owners and
listened to their proposals on ways to
develop the market.
He pointed out that the market
aims to support private sector
establishments, and owners of small
enterprises.
He lauded the significant role
played by the Southern Governorate
to ensure the success of the event.
He added that the market would
profit participants and enable them to
develop their business.
Decision just
Days away
Hike in disabled allowance
Budget constraints to influence decision-making process
Mohammed Zafran/ DTNN
news@dt.bh
Copy of the forged passport of Mr. Velom
the meeting, also added that
the document scrutiny could be
done only through the courts.
“Any person facing travel
ban due to similar issues from
the telecom service providers
should immediately contact the
embassy. The victim could pay
the amount to the court through
the embassy lawyer to lift the
ban. The money would be
returned once the court orders
in favour of the victim,” said
Indian Ambassador to Bahrain
Dr. Mohan Kumar during the
Open House yesterday.
Search on for missing Indian
Mohammed Zafran/ DTNN
news@dt.bh
A
prominent social worker in
the Kingdom has launched
a search for a man who has been
missing for 11 years.
Prisons across Bahrain as well
as other prominent locations
will be searched to find a man
who has been missing since
2003.
Indian national, identified
by the first name Sasheedaran,
came to Bahrain in 2000 in
search of a job.
According to his mother
Seetha, who is currently a
resident of the Kasargode
district in the south Indian state
of Kerala, he has not contacted
his family or friends for the past
11 years.
DT News had alerted the
Indian Embassy and social
3
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Mr. Sasheedaran
Seetha (Picture courtesy Kairali TV)
workers regarding the case . When informed about
the case, social worker Salam
Mambattumoola said, he would
immediately start a search for
the man.
He said, the first place he
would be visiting would be the
prisons across Bahrain.
“We’ve seen many cases
where the missing persons are
later found in prisons. I’ll visit
these places on Monday,” he
said.
“There’s also a chance
that Sasheedaran might have
abandoned his family in India.
Recently I came across the case
of a man named Rafeeq. He
has wife and four kids back
home. But, after coming to
Bahrain, he married another
woman and abandoned his
entire family in India.”
“He kept away from
everyone else and lived in
seclusion for many years,” he
said.
T
he decision on whether
to increase the monthly
social allowance for disabled
Bahrainis will be taken
within a week’s time, said
Shura Council Services
Committee chief. Since January 2011,
disabled persons have been
entitled to BD100 monthly
social allowance.
However, there is a
possibility that the amount
could be raised to BD 150 by
next week.
“But, the decision making
process will be influenced
by the budget constraints
due to the fall in oil prices,”
said Services committee
Chairwoman Dr. Jehad
Abdullah Mohammed Al
Fadhel.
“The oil prices have
dropped to around USD 57
a barrel. This brings focus to
the budget constraints that
we are facing. The limitations
in the budget will be taken
into careful consideration
before any decision will be
made in this regard,” she
said. “At this stage, we are
primarily focussing on
revisiting the reports that
were discussed by the
previous committee. The
welfare plans for the disabled
and the retired topped the
discussions during our first
Dr. Al Fadhel
meeting last week,” Dr. Al
Fadhel added.
Dr. Al Fadhel was a member
of the Services committee of
the previous Shura council
term as well. She was recently
reappointed and promoted
as the chairwoman of the
committee.
Diversity in expertise
and specialisation within
the committee is a definite
advantage, she said.
“This new committee
is very lucky to have such
diversity in expertise. We’ve
members who are specialised
in education, special needs,
media among others. This
will contribute to the overall
functioning and efficiency of
the committee,” she said.
The services committee
consists of seven members
and is dedicated in
following issues related
to Education, vocational
training, eradication of
illiteracy, social, cultural
and health services, Media
and information and labour
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05/06/2014 14:11
4
Two geT 21 years
T
he High Criminal Court has
handed down two Bahrainis 21
years each in jail for three counts of
robbery.
The defendants had posed as
policemen while carrying out
robberies in three local hotels, court
files revealed.
According to victims’ statements,
they were holding wireless
telecommunication devices, and
impersonated policemen before
stealing money from the properties
at knife point.
All the robberies were conducted
in the evening of April 4 last year.
“They approached me and inquired
if we were housing prostitutes in the
hotel, I shook my head in negative
and one of them presented a police ID
card and pretended to be an officer,”
the receptionist of the first hotel said
in his statement. “He ordered to see
my ID card, and when I handed it to
him his accomplice took out a knife
Schoolteacher jailed for 3 years
DT News Network
A
Bahraini woman has been
jailed for three years after
being held guilty of attacking
an on duty policewoman.
The
defendant,
a
schoolteacher was reported to
police by several parents of
students for mistreating their
children.
Based on these complaints,
an arrest warrant was issued
against the defendant, who
didn’t just resist it when police
came to enforce it but also
caused physical harm to a
policewoman.
“I approached her (the
defendant) and introduced
myself. I told her there was an
arrest warrant against her,” the
victim told the prosecutors.
“She said that she wanted
to go to pick her child from
school and I accepted her
request on the condition
that I will accompany her
to school but she suddenly
became violent and insulted
me verbally before attacking
my body with her hands,” she
explained. and threatened me. He shouted at me
to give them all the money which was
inside the register, and I complied,”
he added.
The convicts followed the same
sinister practice with the other two
hotels, and prosecutors said that
the total amount of their thefts was
around BD 3789. The defendants
were arrested a few hours after
robbing the third hotel.
Judges at the High Criminal
Court sentenced them to seven
years in prison each for each
robbery, thus their total jail time
is 21 years each. Teen gets three years
for setting car ablaze
DT News Network
A
16-year-old boy accused of setting a car
ablaze has been jailed for three years.
The Bahraini teenager allegedly ignited a
vehicle in Darkulaib after he stole it with the
help of a friend late at night. “A week before the incident, I met my
friend who introduced the idea of stealing
this particular vehicle in order to roam
around the area,” the teenager who doesn’t
have even a valid driving license, told the
prosecutors. “We found the car unlocked and we drove it
away after turning it on with the use of an old
key. My friend was behind the wheel and he
suddenly crashed into a metal fence, causing
terrible damages to the vehicle,” he said. He
added that they decided to set the car on fire
when it began making terrible noises after the
accident. ‘Big deal’ invites
Big trouBle
Indian Embassy Open House
Robbery
DT News Network
5
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
A week before the incident, I
met my friend who introduced
the idea of stealing the vehicle
for roaming around the area,”
the teenager who doesn’t have
even a valid driving license,
told the prosecutors. “We feared that the residents in the area
would wake up, therefore we steered the car to
an isolated place,” he explained.
The defendant was arrested through police
investigations, while his co-accomplice is still
at large.
Drug case
Save me from heavy salary
cuts, Indian national begs
Embassy for help
Elayath Pragit Parameswaran/
DTNN
A
n Indian national approached the
Embassy during the Open House
yesterday with the complaint that his
employer has been deducting a huge
amount every month from his salary
because the bank dishonoured some
post-dated cheques he had received
from a client.
Cazi Fernandez did not know
that a big deal would put him in
great trouble. He has been working
as a General Manager of a trading
company in the Kingdom for the last
13 years.
“Once, an administrator from
a local gym visited our outlet and
purchased gym equipment worth
BD26, 000. He paid me BD6000 as
cash and rest was paid in the form
of post-dated cheques,” said Mr.
Fernandez to DT News.
According to the victim, the
accounts department officers didn’t
pay much heed when he intimated
them that the cheques were postdated. The incident occurred in 2013.
“My employer questioned me with
regard to the same issue. He also
assured me that he would file a case
against the customer and he did it,”
The Indian Embassy Open House in progress.
said the victim.
But, since then, the employer of
Mr. Fernandez started deducting
a major share of his salary as the
commission to fight the case. “When
asked, the employer told me that the
deduction is for the case fee which
was caused by me,” explains the
victim to DT News.
The officials attached to the Indian
Embassy said that they will look into
the matter and will find out a solution
to solve it amicably.
“I have been loyal to the company
for the past 13 years. Even though the
situation is bad presently, I want to
stay with the same company myself,”
added Mr. Fernandez. When in trouble contact
us immediately, urges the
Ambassador
Indian Ambassador Dr. Mohan
Kumar has urged the Indians to
approach either community leaders
and community associations or the
Embassy office when they land in
trouble.
“Most of the people come to the
Embassy and file the complaint
when the situation becomes worse.
Meanwhile, they would have
sought advice from his/her friends
or relatives, who are not much
aware of the procedures in the
Kingdom,” said the Ambassador.
He also added that the victims
choose any lawyer who is not
efficient which results in deeper
troubles. He also urged the social
workers to create a list of lawyers
to help the victims during such
situations.
Change the hand written
passports by November 2015
The International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) has set
a deadline of November 2015
for changing the hand-written
passports. Any hand-written
passport will be deemed invalid after
the period.
The Indian Embassy urges
the community to apply for new
passports if they possess handwritten passports.
“The passports issued during the
year span of 1994-2000 were handwritten. Moreover, they were issued
with the validity of 30 years. I believe
that there are still a few number
of passports in Bahrain which are
hand-written,” said Dr. Kumar.
2014: Decrease in complaints,
suicides
While addressing the media,
Dr. Kumar said that there was a
marginal decrease in the number
of complaints from the community
when compared to past years. He
also added that the number of deaths
including the suicides has also
decreased during the same tenure.
Stress Management Conference begins today
Date set
for the
verdict
Manama
inister of Energy Dr.
Abdul Hussain Mirza
will patronise the two-day
annual Stress Management
Conference starting from today
here in Bahrain.
The event, being organised
by Origin Consulting in
collaboration with the Bahrain
Association of Occupational
Health Physicians is being held
at the Ritz Carlton Bahrain
Hotel and Spa.
A well known meditation
expert and spirtualist from
M
DT News Network
A
court verdict is set to be
announced on 21 January
against the bus driver accused
of promoting drugs among
secondary school students.
The defendant’s illicit
activities came to light following
a tip off to the Anti-Narcotics
Directorate about his illicit
activities.
He was nabbed in a sting
operation after a police officer
in plain clothes tricked him into
selling hashish at a market value
of BD 700 in March this year. Police seized another half
kilogram of hashish from his
home during inspection.
However, the defendant has
denied all the charges, the
prosecution has laid against
him.
Open House Timings changed
The starting timings of the Open House has been changed
from 9 am to 9.30 am from January 1, 2015.
pragit@dt.bh
Shuddhaanandaa Baba
India Shuddhaanandaa Baba
will hold workshops on the
theme “awaken the mind
through meditation and stress
relief.”
The conference will shed
light on work pressures and
stress that employees have to
face in their work environment
and will bring out the means
to cease the stress for optimal
performance through therapy
and meditation.
According to the American
Institute for the Management
of Stress, nearly 82 per cent of
Dr. Mirza
the world’s employees suffer
from stress and are susceptible
to its negative effects. It is,
therefore, important to manage
this since it affects not only
their performance but also the
institutions where they work.
The conference will also
highlight the most important
practices and tools that
contribute to relieve tension
and stress. Another speaker at
the event will be Reiki expert
Fawzia Al-Sindi from the
Bahrain Reiki Centre, who
will hold a workshop for the
treatment of cognitive stress
while Iman Al-Moussawi, a
specialist in its treatment
from Kuwait, will also address
delegates.
Bahraini
yoga
expert
Fatima Al Mansouri, health
professional Dr. Manoj Kumar
and
Bahrain
Physicians
Association president Dr.
Mohammed Saleh will also be
present at the two-day event,
which concludes on January
28.
Best-selling
books
of
Shuddhaanandaa Baba will
be distributed among the
participants.
Perfumes | Makeup | Skincare
Watches | Gift Sets | Luggage | Accessories
A 22-year-old man was seriously injured while another
sustained minor injuries in a road accident at Sheikh
Khalifa Highway where two cars collided with each
other. No causalities have been reported.
Bahrain Int’l. Exhibition Centre, Hall 2A
23rd - 28th December 2014
9:30am - 1:30pm 4:00pm - 10:00pm
6
Russia sees BahRain
as a gateway to gCC
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Russia and Bahrain are coming close to each other as both the countries have many things to share. Russia is far ahead in industrial,
pharmaceutical and technical education while Bahrain is expert in refineries and oil technology. To explore these areas DT News had an
exclusive interview with the Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov during his recent visit to Bahrain. Here are the excerpts of the interview.
Elayath Pragit
Parameswaran/DTNN
pragit@dt.bh
DT: What are the
outcomes of the Ministers
Summit that took place here
in Bahrain in December?
Russian Minister: Russia
is interested in extending our
trade in economic relations
between GCC countries and
Bahrain is a perfect place
to start with. Of course we
have good bilateral relations
with each of the countries
of the Gulf especially
with Emirates. Out of
all volume of trade
turnover is 1.6 m
dollars and total
volume of trade is
2.6 million. This
does not keep us
satisfied.
For example, the
trade
turnover
only with Egypt is
Mr Manturov
3.8 Million Dollars. So, we
want to raise our volume
and one of the methods
is to work is business to
business. We are planning
to organize a few sectors in
these region including trade
and production. During the
Summit, we will come to
certain agreements and exact
future projects to participate
with more funds. This is the
main reason why we came
and we want to explore more
opportunities. DT: What makes Bahrain
special place for investment?
Russian Minister: The
population of Saudi Arabia
is 25 million and in Bahrain
it is 1.2 million. So, the
Kingdom becomes the best
market to attract both the
populations apart from
the other neighbouring
GCC countries. It is very
convenient to organize the
shipments and to organize
the service facilities. Bahrain
is also a suitable place to
organize the investors.
DT: What are the main
sectors you are planning to
invest in Bahrain?
Russian Minister: We
are mainly focusing on
industrial sector and we
came to understand that high
technology sectors are in
great demand in the region.
We are
MIDDLE EAST 7
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Now the coldness
between Turkey and
Iraq is over, we will
accelerate our relations
in every possible way.
The Jordanian pilot
Kassasbeh is a model
of heroism and all of us
stand with his family
and his colleague
in-arms.
- Jordanian government
spokesman Al-Momani
- Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu
Turkey frees boy held
for ‘insulting’ Erdogan
A
Burak Akinci
Turkish court on Friday
ordered the release of
a 16-year-old high school
pupil arrested for “insulting”
President
Recep
Tayyip
Erdogan, following accusations
his detention was the latest
sign of the country veering to
authoritarianism.
The boy, Mehmet Emin
Altunses,
was
released
following a complaint by his
lawyer over his arrest in the
central city of Konya.
He was met by his parents
as he left the main courthouse
building in the city but
defiantly declared his political
activism would continue.
“There is no question of
taking a step back from our
path, we will continue along
this road,” he said as he was
released.
Altunses had delivered
a speech on Wednesday in
Konya, a bastion of the ruling
Islamic-rooted Justice and
Development Party (AKP),
where he accused Erdogan and
the ruling party of corruption,
besides calling him the “chief
of theft and bribery”
The boy, during questioning
denied, links with a political
party but confirmed he had
made the statements.
Creating a safe, stable,
and sustainable environment in the GCC countries is a major goal we
are seeking to achieve.”
- Secretary-General of
GCC Abdullatif Al Zayani
52 KILLED IN
AIR STRIKES
Syrian army operation
Beirut
yrian regime air strikes
killed at least 52 civilians,
including seven children, in
strongholds of the Islamic State
jihadist group, a monitoring
group said Friday in a new toll.
The raids struck Al-Bab
and Qbasin Thursday in the
northern province of Aleppo,
according to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights,
which relies on a network of
activists on the ground.
“At least 37 civilians,
including seven children, three
teenagers and two women,
S
were killed in the Syrian army
air raids,” said the Observatory,
adding that dozens more people
were seriously wounded.
Previously the toll stood at
37 dead. The regime air force
has killed thousands of people
since it was first deployed in
the war in July 2012.
Activists
accuse
the
government of killing more
civilians than jihadists in the
raids. The UN and international
rights groups have repeatedly
called on the government to
refrain from using its air force
against inhabited areas.
Representative picture.
On Thursday, about 60
jihadists were killed in fighting
8 trekkers rescued in Oman
Muscat
ight Emirati nationals were rescued by the
Oman Royal Air Force after they had gone
missing in one of the mountains of Khasab
province on Wednesday. The eight Emiratis aged
between 25 to 39 years, were trekking near Al
Bainah village of Khasab.
The Emiratis lost their way while they were
climbing the mountain. An official at the
Royal Oman Police said that Khasab police
E
A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to throw a tear
gas canister at Israeli security forces during clashes in the
village of Kafr Qaddum, in the occupied West Bank, on
Friday. (AFP)
in a state of growth in
pharmaceutical
sector.
The sector is our targeted
programme
in
our
nation. We are carrying
out many research and
development activities and
we have formulae to produce
innovative drugs.
We are also planning
to invest in technical
education sector including
joint engineering centres.
Bahrain authorities have
also promised us that they
will propose certain norms
on the partnership in
technical education. We
could exchange our expertise
with them and vice versa
with such initiatives. We do
have engineering centres in
Russia where students feel the
taste of their profession. And,
Bahrainis are more expert
in technology in refineries
and oil. This will help in
knowledge sharing.
DT: How do you plan to
penetrate into the Bahrain
market?
Russian Minister: We
will get into the market with
innovative products. We will
introduce well-researched and
developed products, which are
already being commercialized
in Russia. We have tie-ups
with countries like Cuba
where the companies are
very sophisticated and have
medicines to cure many
diseases. So we strongly feel
confident and competent in
Bahrain market.
DT: When can we expect
to turn these initiatives to
reality?
Russian Minister: The next
step is to organize a business
mission in which an expert
team in the sphere will visit
Bahrain. Following that visit,
a Bahrain team will also visit
our nation before finalizing
the deals.
DT: Are you planning to
invite Bahrain delegation to
Russia for similar summit?
Russian Minister: We
want to make use of this
platform on the regular basis.
We have invited Bahrain
to attend International
Economic Forum, which is
scheduled to be held in June
at St Petersburg. We are also
planning to conduct similar
business dialogues where the
world can understand the
impulse of the nation from
the business community.
station coordinated with the royal air force to
rescue the Emirati nationals.
A helicopter belonging to the air force flew
to the area and rescued the Emiratis, who were
then taken to the Khasab hospital after their
health conditions deteriorated due to lack of
food and water. “When they were admitted
to the hospital, they were in serious condition
due to dehydration,” said an official at Khasab
hospital.
with Kurdish forces for control
of territory in northern Syria.
Two cops stabbed
in Jerusalem
Two border police officers
were stabbed in Jerusalem
on Friday morning, near the
Old City’s Lion’s Gate. The
police said one officer, 19,
was stabbed in the neck while
the other, 35, suffered stab
wounds to his hands. Police is
on the lookout for the attacker
who is at large.
ˆΩ
Shivering Days
Syrian refugees brave Lebanon winter
Beirut
Serene Assir /
Al-Saaydeh Camp
ith just blankets to
shield them against the
icy wind and rain, Abu Ali’s
family huddles in a flimsy
tent in Lebanon, among the
thousands of Syrian refugees
struggling, as winter sets in.
Sixty-year-old Abu Ali is
now relatively safe after fleeing
the threat of Islamic State
group jihadists in northern
Syria’s Raqa province, but
some of his 14 children are
already coughing badly.
They have taken shelter
W
at an unofficial camp in
Al-Saadiyeh, a village in the
eastern Bekaa Valley home
to tens of thousands of
Syrian refugees inadequately
equipped to cope with the cold.
“This is our first winter
here. We really didn’t expect
it to be so cold,” said Abu Ali.
“We have no sobia, nothing
to heat us up,” he said, referring
to a traditional Middle Eastern
diesel or wood-powered stove
that luckier refugee families
have either received from
humanitarian agencies, or
bought with their savings.
“All we have is blankets
and God’s mercy,” said Abu
Ali, wearing a red and white
keffiyeh scarf on his head and
a traditional camel-coloured
Bedouin robe.
His family’s tiny tent is
made from sheets of white
plastic and planks of wood,
and only has straw mats as
flooring.
A single battery-powered
lantern hangs in the tent, so to
escape the darkness, Abu Ali’s
children brave the cold and
rain and play outside.
“I am cold all the time,
but there is nothing I can do
to keep myself warm, so we
green eyes glistened in the
wind as he wandered around
in plastic sandals, his feet
covered in mud.
Abu Ali’s family is among
the 17 percent in informal
camps, making them especially
vulnerable to the elements as
winter takes hold.
The
UN
High
Commissioner for Refugees
says humanitarian agencies
have provided 400,000 people
with fuel vouchers or cash for
Umm Ali (4R), the mother of 11 children and who is currently November and December, but
six-month pregnant sits at an unofficial refugee camp in Jabaa, that funding shortfalls mean
a village in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. (AFP)
many refugees are left “in cold,
play anyway,” said 12-year- old Hammudi, whose striking adverse conditions”. (AFP)
8
Speak
a
“
S h a i k h
Nasser visits
Crossing Nature
Camp
“
@bna_en
Sony HQ’s
silence over
“The Interview”
underscores
divide between
Japanese parent company,
US-led subsidiary
“
@AP
Ukraine, proRussia rebels
begin mass prisoner swap
“
@AFP
Ivory Coast
trial opens
against
former first lady
Simone Gbagbo
“
@euronews
Xbox live and
PSN attack:
Christmas
ruined for millions of gamers `
“
@guardian
F o r m e r
President
George H.W.
Bush will remain
in hospital another night
“
ministers.
@NBCNews
Russian
President
Vladimir Putin
cancels vacation
for government
“
@cnnbrk
Indonesians
gather to commemorate 10th
anniversary of
Indian Ocean tsunami in Banda
“
@BBCWorld
Key ‘mastermind’ behind
Taliban attack on
Peshawar school
‘killed in shoot-out’
“
militants
actively, resisting what comes,
getting frustrated and badtempered.
However, we could position
ourselves in another way:
being Alchemist the one who
turn lead into gold, the ones
who are able to change the
external factors like people
or situations by creating a
different reality.
To do so, we have to change
our perception. Also, it is
necessary to strengthen our
capacity to tolerate, accept, let
go and forget.
Tolerance here also refers
to understanding, love and
compassion. Not to put
up with people or things,
but to go beyond them; to
co-operate with trust and
motivation.
It is difficult for us to tolerate
because we have expectations
and pre-conceived ideas of
how others should act and
be. Then we create negative
feelings
towards
them
because they are not like that
or don’t act in the manner
that we want. This makes
our relationship with them
difficult.
Being the Alchemist you turn
obstacles into opportunities,
you see people’s qualities
and their values instead of
their defects and their errors.
You are open to listening to
them and understanding their
intentions. That way we can
control the external factors
and have good feelings in any
the difficult situations.
Ali Al-Aradi
HRD Lecturer
Unsafe food a
threat to health
F
oodborne diseases take a major toll
on health. Millions of people fall
ill and many die as a result of eating
unsafe food.
Deeply concerned by this, WHO
Member States adopted a resolution
in 2000 to recognise food safety as an
essential public health function.
Food safety encompasses actions
aimed at ensuring that all food is as
safe as possible. Food safety policies
and actions need to cover the entire
food chain, from production to
consumption.
The contamination of food by
microbiological agents is a worldwide
public health concern. Most countries
have
documented
significant
increases over the past few decades
in the incidence of diseases caused
by microorganisms in food, including
pathogens such as Salmonella, and
enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli,
and parasites such as cryptosporidium
and trematodes.
WHO develops scientific risk
assessments, guidelines for risk
management,
including
risk
communication messages for all
stakeholders, including the end users
to assist Member States to improve
their capacity to prevent and control
foodborne diseases.
Chemical risks
Chemicals can end up in food either
intentionally added for a technological
purpose (e.g. food additives), or
through environmental pollution of
the air, water and soil. Chemicals in
food are a worldwide health concern
and are a leading cause of trade
obstacles. WHO develops scientific risk
assessments to define safe exposure
levels which form the basis for the
development of national and
international food safety standards to
protect the health of the consumers
and ensure fair trade practices.
Antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial agents are essential
drugs for human and animal
@ReutersWorld
Chelsea
boss
Jose
Mourinho was a
happy man after
seeing #CFC overcome “difficult opponents”
@BBCSport
Molotov cocktail at the car
near the Maale Shomron
settlement.
The car caught fire and the
11-year-old girl was seriously
wounded while her father
escaped with minor injuries.
Housing Minister Uri Ariel
called on the army to retaliate
to firebombs as it does to
attacks from the Gaza Strip.
Beirut
he Syrian Army has
killed nearly 5,000
Islamic State (IS) fighters in
the last three months.
“Every day we note the
approximate number of
terrorists killed during fights
on the ground. Just from
the IS group, 4,800 fighters
have been killed [since the
T
beginning of September],”
said a military source.
Islamic State, also known
as Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (ISIL) or Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
is a Sunni jihadist group that
has been fighting the Syrian
government after 2011 antigovernment protests turned
into an armed rebellion.
PILOT FORCED TO
LAND AFTER SNAG
Beirut
echnical failure caused a
Jordanian pilot captured
by Islamic State group jihadists
in Syria to eject after flying
at low altitude, activists and
a monitoring group said on
Friday.
Maaz al-Kassasbeh “was
flying at a high altitude to start
with. He hit the brick factory
and then disappeared from
sight”, said Obada al-Hussein,
an activist from IS-held Raqa.
Raqa is the self-proclaimed
IS “capital”.
“Then the plane flew back,
and this time smoke was
coming out of it. I believe
there was a technical failure,”
Hussein said.
Another activist from the
city, Abu Ibrahim, also spoke
of a “technical failure”. “The
plane fell in an area called
Hamra Ghannam, in the
eastern countryside of Raqa,”
said Abu Ibrahim, who fled IS
persecution in Raqa but who
continues to be well informed
on events there.
The Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights gave a similar
T
Jordan denies IS claim of
shooting down warplane
Amman
ordan’s military on
Friday denied claims by
the Islamic State group to
have shot down one of its
warplanes which crashed in
Syria, after the pilot was
captured by the jihadists.
“First indications show
that the crash of the
Jordanian military plane in
the area of the Syrian city of
Raqa was not caused by an
IS fire,” a military official
said using another name
for IS.
“But since the wreckage
of the plane cannot be
reached and since its
pilot is not present, we
cannot at this moment
determine the exact cause
of the crash,” the official
said. Maaz al-Kassasbeh, a
26-year-old first lieutenant
in the Jordanian air force,
was captured by IS on
Wednesday.
J
A photogrpah released by the Islamic State group’s branch in
Raqa on jihadist websites on December 24, 2014 purportedly
shows a Jordanian pilot captured by IS group’s fighters. (AFP)
account.
“Sources in the area saw the
plane flying very low. There
was a technical failure. The
sources then saw IS members
fire heavy machine guns and
shoulder-fired missiles at
the plane,” said Observatory
director Rami Abdel Rahman.
“The pilot ejected, after the
technical problem made it
impossible for him to return
to a higher altitude,” he added.
Nael Mustafa, another Raqa
activist, said: “The pilot was at
a low altitude, and then IS fire
hit his plane.”
Their accounts came hours
after the Jordanian military
denied IS claims that it shot
down one of its warplanes.
The US military has also
dismissed the jihadists’ claim
to have hit the jet with an
anti-aircraft missile, saying
“evidence clearly suggests that
ISIL (IS) did not down the
aircraft”. (AFP)
Historical Gaffes
health. However, the continuing
emergence, development and spread
of pathogenic organisms that are
resistant to antimicrobials are a cause
of increasing global concern. WHO develops and promotes
guidelines to minimise the public
health impact of antimicrobial
resistance associated with the use of
antimicrobials in food of animal origin.
WHO also provides technical support
in the monitoring of antimicrobial use.
John Koshy
@Independent
India seeks
help
from
Bhutan, Myanmar
to hunt down
“
e may feel ourselves to
be victims of different
factors that seem to direct
our life without us being
able to control them, and we
feel ourselves to be victims
because things do not work
out or are not as we want.
Therefore, we give up and
decide to resign ourselves to
this reality; to be victims of
it and observe passively non-
Jerusalem
n Israeli man and his
11-year-old daughter
were
wounded
when
assailants threw a firebomb at
their vehicle in the northern
West Bank on Thursday, the
army said.
A military spokeswoman
said the assailants, believed
to be Palestinians, threw a
A
Being the Alchemist
Microbial risks in food
Over 4,800 IS fighters killed in Syria
11-yr-old suffers serious injuries in attack
Readers’ VIEW
W
MIDDLE EAST 9
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Do you feel strongly
about commenting on any
issue of social relevance or
on any report we carried?
Be it bouquets or bricks, you
can explore this space by
airing your views, opinions
or comments. The best letter,
selected once in a week, will
receive five tickets for watching a blockbuster at Dana Cinema.
Letters can be sent at letters @dt.bh
Egypt bans screening of Exodus
Cario
gypt has banned the
Hollywood
biblical
epic movie “Exodus: Gods
and Kings” citing historical
inaccuracies, the culture
minister said on Friday, a day
after a similar move was made
by Morocco.
The film relates how Moses
helped Israelite slaves flee
persecution in Egypt under
the Pharaoh Ramses by
parting the Red Sea to let
them cross safely.
Culture Minister Gaber
Asfour said the Ridley
Scott’s blockbuster was rife
with mistakes, including
E
an apparent claim that
“Moses and the Jews built
the pyramids”. “This totally
contradicts proven historical
facts,” Asfour said.
“It is a Zionist film,” he
said. “It gives a Zionist view
of history and contains
historical inaccuracies and
that’s why we have decided
to ban it.”
The ban was decided by
a committee comprising the
head of the supreme council
for culture, Mohammed Afifi,
the head of the censorship
committee and two history
professors, said Asfour.
Afifi said he took issue with
the scene showing the parting
of the Red Sea in which Moses,
a prophet revered by Jews,
Christians and Muslims alike,
is seen holding a “sword” like
a warrior, instead of a “stick”.
Furthermore, he said,
the parting of the Red Sea
is explained in the movie as
a “tidal phenomenon” rather
than a divine miracle.
Morocco has also banned
the film, despite it already
having been approved by the
state-run Moroccan Cinema
Centre, media reported on
Thursday, quoting theatre
managers.
Egypt has censored other
movies in the past, including
the blockbuster “The Da Vinci
Code” after protests from the
Orthodox Coptic Church.
Thinking
green
Rehan Ahmed
Let us go green
shopping
W
ith the month of December, many festivities, celebrations
and seasonal parties are planned globally. These events
require additional shopping leading to usage and wastage of
more resources. ‘Shopping’ is certainly one of the most famous
‘indoor sport’ being practiced equally by people of developed
and developing countries depending on their life style and
budget and is majorly being done by the female gender.
‘Going green’ is a way forward for all of us as it is a life style
change including improving our shopping and purchasing
habits so that the additional environmental burden can be
reduced.
The market forces, industries, manufacturers are supported
by extensive media and marketing campaigns which lure us to
buy more and unnecessary commodities. The responsibility
of environmental stewardship lies on us to control and
behave and move to ‘green shopping’ altering our pampered
purchasing habits. Start by auditing your lifestyles and
shopping list and see where improvement can be achieved to
reduce pollution.
Being a green consumer we need to conserve resources, save
energy, and prevent waste by buying products that are energy
efficient, are used or reusable, made with recycled content or
are recyclable and have no or less packaging.
Green purchasing involves learning how to buy smartly and
keeping environmental considerations in mind. Here are some
useful eco-friendly green shopping tips:
• Check if the item is ‘really’ or ‘urgently’ required. May be
you do not have an immediate use or can postpone it to any
later date.
• Checkwhatquantityandcontentoftheitemisrequiredand
for what duration?
• Whatarethealternativestotheitemintermsofcost,size,
number etc?
• Buy durable products instead of disposable items. Buy
things which last longer and can be reused like rechargeable
batteries and avoiding plastic cutlery and plates.
• Avoid excess packaging. Look for products that have less
packaging or buy in bulk meaning less garbage generation,
disposal and transportation.
• Share items with friends. Another way to save resources
and energy is to swap and exchange with friends and
family instead of buying brand-new products. This includes
sharing video games, CDs, DVDs etc. instead of individuals
owning them.
• Buy energy-efficient appliances and electronic items and
promote energy-efficient products.
• Buying useful presents and gifts aiming at its use and not
cost. Select items made with recycled-content materials.
Choose re-useable items in simple packaging. When
selecting between two similar products, go for the one
you can re-use or re-fill later, or the one that hasn’t wasted
resources on a wrapper you’ll throw away as soon as you get
home.
• Buy Sustainable products which have the ability to be
produced (over & over & over again) without doing much
harm to the environment.
• Buylocallymadeorgrownfood.Localfoodsarefresherand
keep local farmers in business, while avoiding the pollution
caused by transporting products around the country or
region.
Let us inspire ourselves to live a greener more
environmentally friendly, healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Become a Green Shopper. Explore, Enjoy and Make A
Difference!
* Head of Waste Disposal Unit, Supreme Council for
Environment, Bahrain (Email: rahmed@sce.gov.bh)
(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do
not necessarily reflect the policy or position of this newspaper.)
10
PET THERAPY DOES
WONDERS AT JAIL
Bollate
Ella Ide
W
ith a bark of excitement,
Titti, Tato and Carmela
scamper down the corridors of
the Bollate prison near Milan
and are enveloped by prisoners
who shower them with treats,
pats and hugs.
It’s pet therapy day, and
Valeria Gallinotti, founder of
the Dogs Inside association,
has brought her labrador,
doberman and a mongrel to
play with inmates in Italy’s
model jail, where a host of such
initiatives keep repeat offender
rates at a record low.
Convicted murderers and
sex offenders scoop up the
canines for kisses, burying
their hands in their fur and
play endless games of fetch
with tennis balls in the prison
yard, chasing them oblivious
to the rain.
“My dream was to organise
pet therapy sessions in prison
because it’s the one place
where there is a total lack
of affection, where dogs can
create calm, good moods,
emotional bonds and physical
contact,” Gallinotti, 47, said.
She volunteers once a week
to teach the prisoners how to
Saturday, December 27, 2014
train the animals -- with treats
handed out for sitting, shaking
paws and lying down -- as
well as how pet therapy works
so that some can go on to set
up their own initiatives once
released.
“I have always loved
animals, I had a cat
and dog at home,
and pet therapy
has
been
wonderful,”
said Nazareno
Caporali, who
is serving life
for murder,
T h e
53-yearold, who
divides
his time
between the dogs and studying
for a third university degree,
said he wanted to pass on the
joys of pet therapy to others.
“I hope one day we will be
able to give to someone
else what we
have received, by doing pet
therapy with people with
Alzheimer’s or children with
psychophysical problems, with
the same dignity it’s been done
with us,” he said, as Titti, tired
out by the game, settles down
for a snooze nearby.
The theory of
using animals
as agents of
socialisation
a
n
d
relaxation
d a t e s
b a c k
to the
18th
century.
Later
Sigmund
Freud and
Florence
Nightingale favoured the use
of dogs or other pets during
sessions or while treating
patients.
It is also a way of tackling
solitude within the towering
walls at the medium-security
facility in northern Italy, set
up in 2000 as an experimental
project designed to cater to
prisoners who wish to study or
learn work skills.
Maurizio, 36, who was found
guilty of ordering five mafia
killings and expects to serve
at least 30 years of a sentence
which officially ends in 2087,
has done time in over 15
prisons and said Bollate is “by
far the most advanced in terms
of giving you opportunities to
recreate yourself”.
Italy has the second-highest
level of prison overcrowding
in Europe, partly due to the
number of convicts who
commit crimes once released,
landing them back behind
bars.
While 78 per cent of
prisoners in Italian jails go on
to become repeat offenders, in
Bollate just 20pc do so.
With training for cooks,
electricians and carpenters,
as well as courses such as
painting, yoga and gardening
on offer, there’s a waiting list
to get in.
In exchange for a chance
to spend their mornings
playing tennis, learning a
foreign language or playing
with dogs, inmates must
agree to conditions including
living with sexual offenders,
traditionally
housed
separately.
Nicolo Vergani, 25, a former
Red Cross volunteer, said he
wanted to work with animals
once he has finished serving
time for sexual acts with
minors, and hopes to specialise
in zoology after he gains his
biological science degree.
“I do pet therapy to prepare
me in even a small way for
what I’d like to do in the
future,” he said, as his fellow
inmates tried to stop the dogs
from eating the cakes and
pizzas they had made for
lunch in the ovens in their
cell-blocks.
He said his favourite dog
is “Carmela, because she
arrived and didn’t know what
to do. She was so scared, sort
of like us when we arrive in
prison.”
“Now, like us, she too
is getting used to the
experience,” he said. (AFP)
‘Angels’ give burial to unclaimed dead
Lisbon,
Thomas Cabral
A
hearse winds its way
slowly through Benfica
cemetery in Lisbon, followed
by four people walking in
silence
through
the
December
drizzle.
The
mourners are not relatives
of the deceased. In fact, they
barely know her.
Since 2004, members of the
Irmandade da Misericordia
e de Sao Roque, a Catholic
fraternity,
have been organising funeral
processions for people who die
alone in the Portuguese capital.
Many of those are elderly
people, who were abandoned
in hospital.
B u t
they
also include homeless people,
illegal immigrants, foreigners
whose families were unable
to repatriate the bodies and,
sometimes, newborns found
dead in dumpsters.
Among the adult dead, men
outnumber women two to one.
“We can’t hold their hand
when death comes knocking
but we can accompany them,
with dignity, on their last
journey on Earth,” Mario
Pinto Coelho, one of the
fraternity’s leaders, said.
The idea originated
with Ana Campos Reis,
who began by attending
the funerals of HIV/AIDS
victims who had been cast
out by their families.
Since then, the 62-yearold nurse has taken part
in over 2,000 funeral
processions.
Campos Reis is planning
a book about five cases that
particularly moved her down
the years. “When it comes to
children, you can’t help asking
‘Where were the parents’,” she
admitted.
On this December afternoon
the only thing the mourners
know is that they are burying a
woman called Laura, who was
99 at the time of her death.
“Sometimes you find out
they died at home or in hospital
or in the street, but in some
cases the health services and
police never even succeed in
finding out their name,” Pinto
Coelho explained.
Around 15 of the fraternity’s
150 or so members take turns
to perform the last of the seven
Spiritual Works of Mercy
expected of Catholics: “Pray
for the living and the dead.”
The seventh of the Corporal
Works of Mercy -- “To bury
the dead”, or, rather, pay for
their burial -- is taken care
of by Lisbon’s Santa Casa da
Misericordia, a charity dating
back over 500 years, which is
currently funded by lottery
tickets.
At the far end of the
cemetery in northern Lisbon,
next to a wall overlooking a
motorway slip road, Father
Cecilio is delivering a brief
graveside oration.
“Thank you very much,
on behalf of Laura, for this
charitable gesture,” he tells the
mourners.
Volunteering to lament the
dead takes a toll on the living.
To cushion the mourners the
fraternity offers a programme
of spiritual and psychological
support. (AFP)
BUSINESS
Saturday, December 27, 2014
11
CURRENCIES
CURRENCIES
EF TI
Japan factory
output down
Tokyo
apan’s factory production
suffered a surprise drop
and inflation continued to
slow in November, official
data showed on Friday despite
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s
pro-spending policy blitz to
stoke growth.
November
industrial
production fell 0.6 per cent
from the previous month, the
industry ministry said, against
a market forecast for a 0.8pc
rise.
“Industrial
production
fluctuates indecisively,” the
ministry said in a monthly
report, leaving unchanged its
overall assessment despite the
downturn after two months
J
SELL CASH
Dollar
2.6483
Euro
2.1268
Pound
1.6689
Saudi Riyal
9.9384
Yen
299.4012
Indian Rupee 161.8123
SELL DRAFT
GOLD
2.6455
2.1381
1.6793
9.9354
305.8104
164.2036
Bahrain
London
US
BD152.00
$1,195.50
$1,194.20
OIL
London
US
$61.38
$56.52
BRITAIN SEES
SALES BOOM
US $1.2bn expected to be spent on Boxing Day
of rises.
Separate data showed core
consumer inflation continued
to slow in November.
Inflation, excluding volatile
prices of fresh food, slowed to
2.7pc from 2.9pc in October,
according to data from the
internal affairs ministry.
Prices rose from yearearlier levels largely because
the government raised sales
tax from 5.0pc to 8.0pc on
April 1, which drove up retail
prices.
Adjusted for the tax increase,
the nationwide core consumerprice index rose 0.7pc from a
year earlier in November, the
lowest since September 2013.
(AFP)
London
undreds of thousands of
bargain-seekers stormed
British shops as post-Christmas
sales began on Friday, in what
one department store said was
its most successful ever year.
A crowd of 4,000 gathered
on London’s main shopping
site Oxford Street outside the
Selfridges department store
ahead of its opening at 09:00
GMT.
Selfridges
said
some
shoppers began queueing at
22:30 GMT the day before
on Christmas day, lured by
discounts of up to 70 per
cent. Within an hour tills at
the flagship British fashion
and luxury store took in over
2 million pounds ($3.11m,
2.55m euros) -- the department
store’s most successful hour on
record, the shop said.
“It’s the first time I’m
H
Shoppers walk along Oxford Street to find bargains in central London, on Friday. (AFP)
shopping on Boxing Day,
and queueing up and this is
amazing,” said Jenny, a tourist
from Malaysia who was waiting
outside the store. “I’ve been
waiting here outside the doors
since 8:30 so it’s not too bad,”
said Tahira, another tourist
from Malaysia. (AFP)
Dollar vs Ruble
Mortgage holders urge Russia to end ‘financial slavery’
Moscow
Anna Smolchenko
W
hen Olga Savelyeva took out a $226,000
mortgage to buy a small apartment on
the outskirts of Moscow in 2008, she could
never have imagined that the ruble would lose
more than half its value in a few short years.
But Savelyeva’s $2,090 monthly instalments
have skyrocketed in ruble terms due to the
Russian currency’s dive against the dollar. The
resulting jump in monthly payments from
49,000 to 115,000 rubles now devours most of
her family’s income.
The 30-year-old mother of a young daughter
and her husband have tried to honour their
repayment commitments but despite their best
efforts, December’s instalment was $400 short.
“We’re left with 3,000 rubles ($56) this
month,” Savelyeva said.
“We won’t be able to make the January
payment in full... “We also have other
obligations,” she added, referring to her retired
mother and cancer-stricken father.
Savelyeva is one of tens of thousands of
Russians who took on lower-interest foreign
currency-denominated mortgages in the years
before the financial crisis and now struggle
with repayments as the ruble’s value shrinks.
Russia’s central bank says that as of
November 1, foreign exchange mortgage
debt totalled 120.5 billion rubles ($2.28bn).
According to the state-run Agency for Housing
Mortgage Lending, those loans represent 3.3
MANAGEMENT
THOUGHTS
per cent of the total volume of outstanding
mortgage debt. Critics say the government
is deliberately downplaying the scope of the
problem and claim some 100,000 to 150,000
people are likely affected.
Hundreds of Russia’s hard-currency
mortgage holders have created a social media
group, attracting members from Yekaterinburg
in the Urals to the exclave of Kaliningrad on
the Baltic Sea.
In a letter to central bank chief Elvira
Nabiullina, the group threatened a “powerful
social explosion” if assistance isn’t provided.
Some 100 homeowners picketed the central
bank this month and around 500 people plan to
take to the streets this week, the first significant
protests over the collapse of Russia’s currency
-- down some 40 percent against the greenback
this year. (AFP)
The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it
is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.
12
BUSINESS
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Your job in the matter of
tax collection has to be
guided by firmness and
fairness. A taxman’s job
is mixed, he has to be
firm and he has to be fair.
There are no discounts
or concession which he is
entitled to give
- Indian Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley
PLAYSTATION
UNDER ATTACK
Microsoft’s Xbox consoles also disrupted
Washington
Stephanie Griffith
he online gaming networks
for Sony’s PlayStation and
Microsoft’s Xbox consoles -hot gifts this Christmas -- were
disrupted for a second day on
Friday in what hackers said was
a coordinated attack.
The disruption started
Christmas Day, PlayStation
and Xbox said on their Twitter
feeds, adding that they were
working to restore service.
A message posted to the
Xbox status page early Friday
upgraded service to “limited”
-- a sign that support teams
were making inroads in fixing
the problem.
A new Twitter user going
by the name “Lizard Squad”
T
COUNTRY/CURRENCIES
US DOLLARS
BRITISH POUND
EURO
INDIAN RUPEE
PHILIPPINE PESO
BANGLADESH TAKA
PAKISTAN RUPEE
SRI LANKAN RUPEE
SWISS FRANC
CANADIAN DOLLAR
QATAR RIYAL
UAE DIRHAMS
AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR
CHINESE YUAN
EGYPTIAN POUND
HONG KONG DOLLAR
INDONESIAN RUPIAH
KUWAITI DINAR
JAPANESE YEN
JORDANIAN DINAR
LEBANESE POUND
MALAYSIAN RINGGIT
MOROCCAN DIRHAMS
NEPALESE RUPEE
NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR
OMANI RIYAL
SINGAPORE DOLLAR
SAUDI RIYAL
SOUTH AFRICAN RAND
SYRIAN POUND
THAI BAHT
TURKISH LIRA
YEMENI RIYAL
BUY
SELL
2.6667
1.7182
2.1978
169.2047
121.2121
205.2967
273.4871
368.2631
2.6434
3.1250
9.6899
9.7561
3.3058
16.6667
19.2678
21.5424
35,816.6189
0.7819
323.6246
1.8868
4,227.7935
9.5602
22.7790
299.3860
3.4953
1.0272
3.5298
10.0000
32.5733
591.7160
87.1080
6.2921
913.3254
2.6483
1.6686
2.1299
161.8123
114.2857
194.1371
255.9849
317.9195
2.5510
3.0075
9.6348
9.7276
3.1797
15.7978
18.2149
20.0723
30,845.1573
0.7728
301.2048
1.8636
3,816.3569
8.9606
20.8768
247.5143
3.3887
1.0204
3.4447
9.9384
28.9855
420.1681
85.5432
5.9137
542.0348
Rates are for indication purpose only. For firm rates or for currencies not listed above please
call Bahrain Financing Company. Telephone: 17228888, Website: www.bfc.com.bh
COUNTRY
1 US DLR
1 UK STG
1 SFR
100 YEN
0.3770
0.5881
3.8216
0.3135
KUWAIT
0.2855
34.3285
2.8941
0.2374
OMAN
0.3849
0.0380
3.9017
0.3201
BAHRAIN
QATAR
3.6420
0.3593
36.9184
3.0289
UAE
3.6730
0.3623
37.2326
3.0547
SAUDI
3.7500
0.3699
38.0132
3.1188
Basel offers new
model for capital
Geneva
The Basel global banking
supervisory body has proposed introducing a standardised model to calculate a
minimum level of capital banks
would need to keep in reserve.
The so-called capital floor “will
be based on revised standardised approaches for credit, market and operational risk, which
are currently under consultation,” the Basel Committee on
Banking Supervision said in a
statement released this week.
Separately,
the
Basel
Committee also released proposals to reduce reliance on
international credit ratings.
A file picture taken in Los Angeles, California shows people
testing the new Playstation TV consoles at the annual E3 video
game extravaganza.
took credit for the disruption,
claiming it had the “nation on
strings.”
The name is the same used
by a group of hackers that
has targeted Sony in the past,
though it was not possible to
verify the Twitter account’s
authenticity. The account
did not return request for
comment and only became
active Wednesday.
Sony’s @PlayStation Twitter
account said Friday: “We’re
aware that some users are
having issues logging into PSN
- engineers are investigating.”
Its @AskPlayStation Twitter
account wrote early Friday, a
day after the difficulties began:
“Our engineers are continuing
to work hard to resolve the
network issues users have
experienced today. Thanks for
your continued patience!”
Analysts said a direct
connection with the Sony
Pictures attack was unlikely.
Russian economy
may shrink 4pc
Moscow
inance Minister Anton
Siluanov said on Friday
Russia’s economy could suffer
a 4-per cent contraction next
year and see a budget deficit
of 3pc.
Siluanov said that the
economy would contract 4pc
with oil prices around $60 a
barrel, adding that he expected
the ruble’s exchange rate to be
F
around 51 rubles per dollar.
“That’s the exchange rate
which according to our
estimates corresponds to
the balance of payments,”
he said. He added that the
government would have to
further cut expenses or tap
into reserves, noting that the
planned 10pc spending cut
was not enough.
The central bank recently
said the Russian contraction
could be up to 4.8pc at current
oil prices, with a recovery not
expected until 2017, but that
was before it hiked interest
rates by more than a third to
17pc and which will also act as
a drag on the economy.
The
government
had
previously said it expected that
the economy would slump by
0.8 percent next year.
Japan first to approve
Novartis psoriasis drug
Geneva
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis said Friday it has
won approval to market its
Cosentyx psoriasis treatment
in Japan, making it the first
country to authorise commercialisation of the drug.
The Japanese decision allows
Novartis to sell secukinumab,
sold under the name Cosentyx,
to adult patients suffering psoriasis vulgaris and psoriatic
arthritis.
The drug is considered by
experts to have market value
of between $1 billion and
$2.5bn annually.
BUSINESS
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Alstom’s corruption was
sustained over more
than a decade and across
several continents. It was
astounding in its breadth,
its brazenness and its
worldwide consequences
- US Deputy Attorney
General James Cole
As a major economy, we
have a strong interest
in international peace
and stability. The government is prepared to
enhance our international responsibility
- German Defence Minister
Ursula von der Leyen
As neighbours China
and Nepal have common security needs
... we need to work
together to crack down
on illegal border crossings and crimes
- Chinese foreign minister
Wang Yi
DAYS OF RATIONING
RETURNS TO RUSSIA
1.8 million metro token sold in December
Saint Petersburg
ust when Russians thought
it could not get any worse
with the ruble tumbling as fast
as the oil prices on which their
economy depends, the people
of St Petersburg are waking up
to rationing.
But in President Vladimir
Putin’s hometown, the martyr
city that survived a nearly 900-day
siege in which thousands starved
to death in World War II, it is
not food and drink that is being
rationed, but metro tokens.
In one of the most bizarre
episodes of panic buying in
a nation notorious for its
hoarding instincts in times
of trouble, people have been
J
R
buying up to 85,000 extra
metro tokens a day so they can
save three rubles (five cents)
when the price goes up on
January 1.
BgSE to exit: Sebi
Mumbai
ebi on Friday allowed
Bangalore
Stock
Exchange(BgSE) to exit as
a bourse from the capital
markets.
According to the Securities
and Exchange Board of India
(Sebi), BgSE has substantially
S
complied with the conditions
for its exit as per the regulator’s
framework and therefore “is a
fit case to allow exit”.
Sebi said BgSE had complied
with the regulator’s exit norms
and made payment of necessary
dues to the regulator, including
10 per cent of the listing fee.
With more than 1.8 million
sold so far in December the
authorities had to step in
and ban cashiers from selling
people more than two tokens at
a time. The price of the tokens
are set to rise from 28 roubles
w(45 euro cents) to 31 roubles
(50 cents) on January 1.
Seoul
outh Korean prosecutors
raided
the
Seoul
headquarters
of
LG
Electronics
on
Friday
following allegations that the
firm’s executives vandalised
their rival Samsung’s washing
machines at a trade fair in
Germany, company officials
said.
Samsung Electronics had
filed a lawsuit accusing the
LG executives of defamation,
property
damage
and
obstruction of business and
said LG home appliance
division president Jo Seong-
Jin was among those who
damaged machines displayed
at September’s event in Berlin.
Investigators
seized
documents and computer
hard disks during Friday’s
raid on LG headquarters.
“Our office is under
scrutiny by investigators,” an
LG spokesman said, declining
to give details.
Samsung said surveillance
video footage from the fair
showed several men -- which
they later identified as LG
executives -- destroying
door hinges on the washing
machines.
on Thursday that farmers
were getting around 225
euros ($275) per tonne if
they export and 160 euros
($195) if they sold on the
domestic market. The duty
in force from February 1 to
June 30 will be 15 per cent of
the price per tonne plus 7.5
euros, with a minimum rate
of 35 euros per tonne.
Refugees from eastern Ukraine queue to get social benefits at
a temporary accommodation centre on December 25, 2014 in
Russia’s Rostov region.
T
LG offices raided in Seoul
S
Travel Boom
China builds huge new Beijing airport
Beijing
onstruction on a massive
new
international
passenger airport in Beijing
began on Friday, state media
reported, as booming demand
for travel to and from China
stretches the capacity of
existing facilities.
Beijing’s
current
international airport is the
world’s second busiest, but
also one of the most delayed,
with fewer than 20 per cent of
commercial passenger flights
C
Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (C) chairs a meeting with representatives of the government finance and economy units, Central Bank management, management of major fuel, energy
and metal companies in Moscow.
US city sues
Petrobras
New York
he US city of Providence
has filed suit against
Petrobras and senior officers
of the company over investor
losses due to a corruption
scandal at the Brazilian oil
giant.
The
complaint
by
Providence, the largest city in
the northeastern state of Rhode
Island, follows other investor
suits against Petrobras in the
United States in the wake of
a massive corruption scandal
that has depressed Petrobras’
stock value.
But the Providence case,
filed December 24 in New
York by law firm Labaton
Sucharow, is the first to
bring allegations against key
executives, including company
president Graca Foster and
chief financial officer Almir
Barbassa, according to Brazilian
newspaper O Estado.
The suit accuses Petrobras of
making “materially false and/
or misleading statements” to
investors in Petrobras stocks
and bonds that inflated the
value of the company before
the corruption scandal broke.
Wheat export duty from Feb
Moscow
ussia has said it will from
February apply a duty of at
least 35 euros ($43) per tonne
of wheat sent for export.
Despite a near-record
wheat harvest, prices have
been rising as growers prefer
to export where prices.
Deputy Prime Minister
Arkady Dvorkovich said
13
leaving on schedule according
to a 2013 report.
The new facility located in
southern Beijing is designed to
handle 72 million passengers
by annually by 2025, the official
Xinhua news agency said.
The airport is set to cost 80
billion yuan ($13bn) and will
be completed in around five
years, Xinhua said, adding that
it will be able to handle 620,000
flights per year.
Beijing International Airport
was the world’s second busiest
airport in terms of passengers
in 2013, Xinhua said, ranking
behind Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport
in the United States.
But it is also the world’s
most delayed, according to a
study last year by US-based
air travel information service
FlightStats, which said just 18
percent of flights were on time.
About 42pc of departures
from Beijing suffered delays
of 45 minutes or longer, the
survey said.
Portugal breaks
TAP airline strike
Lisbon
Portugal’s state-owned airline TAP said Friday it plans
to honour all its scheduled
flights after breaking a
planned four-day strike over
the company’s privatisation.
The government has invoked
its power to force 70 per
cent of workers to report for
duty despite their intention
to down tools -- known as a
requisition -- from Saturday
to Tuesday.
“All the flights are still scheduled. We hope they will happen normally,” a TAP spokesman said.
14
BUSINESS
Saturday, December 27, 2014
UK RIDING HIGH ON
ILLEGAL DRUGS
Britain leapfrog France; becomes fifth largest economy
Volcano ash
warning
Guatemala City
sh clouds from two active
volcanoes in Guatemala
prompted local air travel
warnings Friday.
The country’s National
Institute of Seismology,
Vulcanology, Meteorology and
Hydrology warned of columns
of ash from the Fuego volcano
in the south of the country
rising up to 4,500 meters
(14,700 feet) above sea level.
The Santa Maria volcano
in southwestern Santiaguito
ejected ash about 500 meters
above the crater, the institute
said.
The organization cautioned
air craft from flying in the
vicinity of the ash-spewing
volcanoes.
Fuego and Santa Maria are
two of several active volcanoes
in the country.
A
Biggest economies:
Top 10 2014
London
James Cusick
ritain’s
multi-billion
pound sex and illegal drug
industries have helped the UK
leapfrog France to become the
world’s fifth largest economy.
The latest global economic
league tables includes a £10
billion boost in UK earnings
from drugs and sex - which
earlier this year led to Brussels
issuing a £1.7bn bill to the
Treasury.
New figures from the Centre
for Economic and Business
Research (CEBR) also forecast
that the UK economy will pass
Germany’s after 2030, for the
first time since 1954, with a
declining population identified
B
by researchers as a “likely
weakness” for the European
industrial powerhouse.
The UK’s jump up the
table comes with a caveat as the French do not include
prostitution or narcotics
income in gross domestic
Electronics weak, lodging strong
Washington
onsumers spent actively on
lodging and restaurants during
the holiday season, while sales of
electronics were flat, reflecting an
ongoing shift toward spending on
“experiences” rather than goods,
MasterCard said in a holiday spending
report.
Overall retail sales grew 5.5 per cent
during the period from “Black Friday,”
the day after Thanksgiving, through
Dec. 24 compared with a year earlier.
MasterCard said the growth was in
line with its forecast for the holiday
season and underscored the impact of
an improving US economy.
MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse
C
tracks spending during the holiday
season by combining aggregate
sales activity in its own credit card
payments network with estimates of
other payment forms including cash
and checks.
Contrary to the predictions of some
experts, electronics was not a strong
category, with sales “basically flat”
from Black Friday to Dec. 24 and
in negative territory when looking at
sales starting on Nov. 1.
Apparel posted single-digit growth
overall, with women’s clothing
particularly strong since Black Friday
with mid single-digit growth. Other
strong categories were furniture and
jewellery.
product (GDP) calculations.
The CEBR survey also
forecasts
that
Britain’s
lead economic role in the
Commonwealth will soon
end. India’s growing economy
is on course to overtake the
UK within three years, and is
expected to become the world’s
third largest by 2024.
Although the United States
still tops the world’s economic
premier league, revisions in the
way China calculates its GDP
means it is now forecast to
overtake the US three years
earlier than previously forecast.
By 2025, China will hold the
number one slot, and by 2030
the top six reads: China, the
US, India, Japan, Brazil and
Riyadh
audi Arabia’s finance
minister said there was no
need for the kingdom to create
a sovereign wealth fund to
manage its oil wealth, rebuffing
suggestions by prominent
officials and businessmen.
At present, the surplus
petrodollars of the world’s top
oil exporter are mostly invested
abroad by the Saudi Arabian
Monetary Agency (SAMA),
its central bank, which had
net foreign assets worth 2.75
trillion riyals ($733 billion) in
October.
S
Foreigners control new homes in London
T
as “safe deposit boxes” for
international investors rather
than for Londoners in housing
need.
Foreign owners seizing on
the London housing market
include the Usaha Tegas
Group, owned by Malaysian
billionaire Ananda Krishnan,
which has submitted plans for
104 luxury homes on the site
of the former St John’s Wood
barracks, with apartments
expected to sell for up to £5m
each and seven-bedroom
stone-clad detached mansions
around landscaped gardens
that will go for more.
Knight Dragon, a company
owned by Hong Kong
billionaire Henry Cheng
Kar-shun, has consent to
build 10,000 homes on
the Greenwich peninsula,
including
three-bedroom
apartments, with interiors
designed by Conran &
Partners, costing above
£800,000.
Investors from China and
United States (last year: 1)
China (2)
Japan (3)
Germany (4)
United Kingdom (6)
France (5)
Brazil (7)
Italy (9)
India (10)
Russia (8)
the UK.
Vladimir Putin’s Russia,
which is currently in economic
turmoil, is not forecast to show
any immediate recovery. The
continuing weakness of the
rouble, and a global oil price
revised down further and stuck
at around $75 a barrel, means
Russia has slumped from
eighth to 10th biggest economy
this year - and is forecast to stay
there at least till 2030. (AFP)
There is no need to create
sovereign fund: Saudi
Corporate Invasion
London
he control of plans for
tens of thousands of new
homes in London is now in
the hands of foreign investors
who are increasing their
grip on the capital’s prime
property assets, according to a
latest report.
Sites for close to 30,000
homes are owned by just
10 investors in Hong Kong,
China, Malaysia, Australia,
Singapore and Sweden,
sparking warnings from
politicians and housing
industry experts that too
many are being built to act
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
an Abu Dhabi sovereign
wealth fund are also reported
to be interested in bidding for
the Hyde Park barracks site
which is likely to be sold by
the Ministry of Defence for
about £650m.
The pivotal role of foreign
governments in London’s
housing market was revealed
in November when Malaysia’s
housing minister, Datuk
Rahman Dahlan, was chosen
to launch the latest phase
of homes at the revamped
Battersea Power Station and
a new open space was named
Malaysia Square.
Most of that money is
believed to be in low-risk
US dollar assets such as US
Treasury bonds and bank
accounts,.
Saudi billionaire Prince
Alwaleed bin Talal urged the
government last month to
establish such a fund.
Finance Minister Ibrahim
Alassaf, after projecting a
budget deficit of 145 billion
riyals for 2015, said he saw no
need for such a change.
“I believe the kingdom’s
policy is the most suitable for
its circumstances,” he said.
Visa,
MasterCard
stop Crimea
services
New York
isa and MasterCard,
the world’s two biggest
payment networks, both
announced Friday they’re
stopping services in Crimea,
a report said. “Visa is now
prohibited from offering Visabranded products and services
to Crimea,” the company said
in a statement. “This means
that we can no longer support
card-issuing and merchant/
ATM acquiring services in
Crimea.” The move comes after
a recent executive order from
President Barack Obama.
V
BUSINESS
Saturday, December 27, 2014
15
Microsoft updates app builder for 2015
BACK WITH A VENGEANCE
Stephen
Washington
fter a series of high profile setbacks that
would bring smaller companies to their
knees, Microsoft is back with a vengeance in
the form of Windows App Studio. If you’re a
developer that wants to create a universal app
to run on any phone, tablet, PC or gaming
console running on Microsoft’s proprietary
software, you’re going to have to go through
the Windows App Studio to do just that.
Written in XAML and .NET, it’s a webbased application that is designed to be the
entryway into the Microsoft ecosystem for all
application developers. Microsoft continues to
release new updates for Windows App Studio
on a regular basis that you’ll definitely need
to know about to stay on the cutting edge of
development.
A
Changes in app generation
One of the biggest changes to hit Windows
App Studio in 2014 went into effect on
December 17th, 2014. In an effort to increase
the ease at which developers are able to create
universal apps that run on any operating
system using Windows 8.1, support for the
Windows Phone 8.0 generation was completely
removed. It’s important to note, however, that
Siladitya Ray
New Delhi
t may seem like an eternity
but modern smartphones
have only been around since
2007, when the original iPhone
came out. The sleek, beautiful
device was an instant hit, but
what really set it apart was the
operating system, then called
iPhone OS. The OS was simple,
easy to use and beautiful, and the
arrival of the App Store in 2008
established it as the best phone
OS by a long shot. When Android
came out in 2008 it was obvious
that Google’s OS was nothing
more than an experimental halfbaked mess. Only with the arrival
of Android 2.2 (Froyo) in 2010
did the operating system became a
competitor to Apple.
There was a clear divergence
of approach between Android and
iPhone OS, now known simply as
iOS. Apple’s OS was a walled garden,
with a sleek design and responsive
interface while Google offered a
highly customizable OS that allowed
phone makers and users to tweak
the OS to their specifications. iOS
lacked proper notifications and
useful widgets but Android was
clunky, unstable and really ugly.
Gradually though both companies
began to chip away at the other’s
advantages with regular updates to
their OS.
I
iOS 8 and Lollipop
This year though Google and Apple
previous apps made with 8.0 in mind are still
accessible through the “Generation History”
functionality. All source codes can still be
downloaded, publish packages and installable
packages can still be accessed and more. The
only major difference involves that information
now being available for creating truly universal
apps for the benefit of users.
A wider level of integration
Another set of new changes to recently hit the
Windows App Studio involves an increased
level of integration with many of today’s top
services and platforms. Thanks to recent
updates to the App Studio, for example,
developers can now add an Xbox Music
collection to the projects that they’re working
on. The Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One were
all game consoles developed by Microsoft and
as a result have a very large place in the world
of app development for these platforms. Other
services that can be easily integrated thanks
to an increased level of compatibility include
SongKick, which can be used to display the
concern calendar of a particular artist. Sound
Cloud functionality can also be added into
an app, allowing both the app and the third
party Sound Cloud service to work together
to provide core music-related functionality to
quality and the complexity of games and other
types of apps. (ARC)
the user.
TouchDevelop
Another major change to recently hit Windows
App Studio has to do with newly added support
for TouchDevelop. As its name suggests,
TouchDevelop is a touch-friendly programming
language that comes complete with a modern day
physics engine for easy access. The main benefit that
comes with TouchDevelop support involves the
ease at which developers can now access the types
of sensors found on modern mobile devices,
including equipment like accelerometers.
Though this means quite a bit for universal
app development in general, it also means
that it will now be significantly easier
to create games with the App Studio
that utilize this type of functionality.
A racing game, for example, may use
the accelerometer in a phone to allow a
user to easily steer their virtual car. If the user
moves the phone left, the car turns in the same
direction. TouchDevelop allows developers to write
code directly onto the mobile device in question
using a series of high-level APIs that have only
recently become available. Microsoft indicates that
not only does this go a long way towards making
this the most impactful update since the release of
Windows 8, but also that it can improve both the
FIGHT OF
THE TITANS
also supports widgets
like Android but only
within the Notification
Center and has song
recognition built into
voice searches like
Google Voice Search.
More importantly,
iOS,
which
has
historically
shunned
third-party keyboards,
now offers users the ability
to download them from
the App Store and use them
system-wide. Android has
had this ability for years.
Going forward
took some
bold
steps
with Android
Lollipop and iOS 8.
Both systems, it seemed,
were designed to close the
gap with the competitor and
shut up detractors. The tables are
turned when it comes to features.
While Lollipop is all about refining
existing functionality, iOS 8 takes
major steps forward.
In terms of design, Apple hasn’t
strayed far away from the flat design
it debuted with iOS 7 last year,
but Google has come out with a
swanky new design language it calls
“Material Design.”
Comparing Android 5.0 and iOS
8 is a huge surprise, because for the
first time in Android history it has
become more design focused than
iOS. The ugly duckling is finally
a swan. Its design is both visual,
instructional and altogether more
ambitious. While the flat design
introduced with iOS 7 is very pretty,
Material Design blends form
with function better.
iOS 8 helps Apple take a giant
leap when it comes to notifications
something that has been Android’s
forte for a long time. iOS 8 replaces
annoying pop-ups with more discreet
notifications. The notifications are
also now actionable like in Android
(for example, you can reply directly
from a new message notification). It
What has set Google and Apple
apart from competitors like
Microsoft in the smart device arena
has been they have constantly
evolved and have tried to expand
their presence beyond a singular
device. iOS 8 and Lollipop offer a
glimpse into the future both Apple
and Google want to build where the
phone is simply a conduit to a much
larger tech ecosystem running either
Android or iOS.
The ultimate battle between
the two tech giants will take place
on every electronic device with a
screen you will buy from now on.
Everything from your smartwatch,
phone, tablet, TV and even your
car’s entertainment system will soon
run scaled versions of Android or
iOS. The battle to rule everything
in your digital world is just getting
started. (Hindustan Times)
16
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Minister of Information Affairs Isa bin Abdulrahman Al Hammadi patronised a poetry
celebration organised by the Folk Poetry Society yesterday. Poets Saeed bin Mena from
Saudi Arabia, Khalid Al Mohsin from Kuwait and Falah Al Absi and Younis Al Eid from
Bahrain took part in the National GCC Evening held at the City Centre. The Information
Affairs Minister lauded the key role played by the Folk Poetry Society in supporting
Bahraini poets. The minister also presented the poets with commemorative gifts, wishing
them more success.
Supreme Council for Youth and Sport Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee President and Royal Charity Organisation Chairman HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa paid a visit to Al Basta Market
yesterday. Industry and Commerce Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, Southern Governor Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa, officials and representatives of sponsoring companies were present.
Along with Defence Affairs
Minister Major-General Yussef
bin Ahmed Al Jalahma, Azeri
Defence Minister General
Zakir Hasanov yesterday paid
a visit to the Bahrain Defence
Force Royal Medical Services
(BDFRMS).
Upon arrival, they were
welcomed
by
BDFRMS
Commander Major-General
Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al
Khalifa. The Azeri minister
was briefed about the major
developments witnessed by
BDFRMS. He also toured the
Military Hospital, and was
informed about the advanced
technology and medical
equipment used, as well as
the hospital’s wards.
17
Supreme Council for
Women (SCW) has
organised a lecture on
divorce, as part of its
programmes to inform
the public about its
duties and womenoriented services, and
raise awareness on
family issues. Lawyer
Ebtissam
Al-Sabagh,
the lecturer, listed the
various types of divorce.
She described divorce as
an unjustified decision
that
has
negative
impacts on the family
as a whole. She called
upon husbands to think
deeply before divorcing
their wives. HRH Premier’s Adviser on Oil and Industrial Affairs and Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) Chairman Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa met
GPIC employees who have been recently promoted to leadership positions yesterday. The members of the GPIC Executive Management were
present on the occasion. The chairman congratulated the employees and expressed the hope that they would continue to make all efforts for
the Company to achieve more success. GPIC President Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery thanked Shaikh Isa and said his efforts deserved high praise.
18
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Ce leb s
T
he landscape may be frozen, but the red carpet lately has been a veritable hothouse
of floral designs. Dressed in magnificent white fabrics embellished with rich flowered
embroidery and iridescent petal appliqués, stars are
bringing to mind,
snow-covered blossoms. We love to see how
designers have
interpreted floral for the
season.
Let’s
check and be
“Awe”d at these 14
stunning stars
who carried
out their fairy best as
2014 closes.
Bollywood
Queen in Love
Mumbai
K
a n g n a
Ranaut, who is
currently
shooting for Katti
Batti opposite Imran Khan, has apparently
confirmed that she is in relationship.
According to a report, the relationship
is very special to her and she is glad to
have found a companion. Not yet ready
to reveal the name of her love interest,
Kangna said that she hopes she gets into
the position when she can talk about it.
“Freedom of being alone is intoxicating.
Relationships can be very traumatic.
But being in a healthy relationship
can be very empowering,” she
said.
Rodgers &
Warren for
Gaga
New York
ady Gaga has recruited industry
heavyweights Nile Rodgers and Diane
Warren to give her next album a major boost.
The pop star, whose last solo record
ARTPOP was deemed a flop by critics,
shared a picture of herself posing with
the Chic star, and another snap
subsequently emerged showing her
sitting at a piano in a music studio
with Rodgers and song writing
legend Warren.
L
Swift shells
$6,000 in charity
auction
D
Keira Knightley
Maria Valverde
Hilary Swank
Katrina Bowden
Los Angeles
inger Taylor Swift spent $6,000 for Hugh Jackman’s t-shirt, all for charity.
The 25-year-old took part in an auction benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights
AIDS after attending Jackman’s Broadway show “The River” Wednesday afternoon.
The t-shirt, which the Australian star wore during his performance, was one of the items
auctioned off for charity. Swift and Jackman later posed together backstage at the Circle in the
Square Theatre in New York City.
S
A very Middleton
Christmas
Sandringham
uchess Kate Middleton and Prince William attended
Christmas service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in
Sandringham, on Christmas, but several prominent members
of the royal family were missing for the special occasion.
It was rumored that baby Prince George would be attending
the service, but wasn’t seen for the same. George’s stepgrandmother also missed the service due to ill health.
Later
the Prince and Duchess broke tradition,
as they
headed back to Norfolk mansion and
dined
with the
Middletons
a n d
not
the Queen as
t h e y
did
last year.
Jing Tian
Jillian turns
Santa
for her
assistant
California
ow that’s the
Christmas
spirit! Celebrity trainer
Jillian Michaels gave her
long time assistant, Ines,
the surprise of a lifetime.
“9 years of looking after
myself and my family with love
and care!” the former Biggest
Loser star wrote on Instagram.
“We surprised Ines with a
new car. #MerryChristmas
#WeLoveYouBuddy.”
Michaels, 40, shared a video
alongside her holiday update
that captured the incredibly
touching moment from when
her beyond shocked assistant
received the gift.
N
Will Jared Leto
cut locks in
2015?
Los Angeles
he “Dallas Buyers
Club”
actor
Jared Leto, who has
maintained long
locks, may go for
a haircut in the
New Year. And
it’s presumably,
in preparation
for his role
in
“Suicide
Squad”.
The 42-yearold took to social
media to tell fans
that he’s ready to
get a new look in
2015.
T
Michelle Monaghan
Felicity Jones
Elle Fanning
Jennifer Lawrence
19
Saturday, December 27, 2014
20
Ripley’s
CrossworD
by John Graziano
Across
1- Fall faller; 5- Neighbor of Cambodia; 9- Corrodes; 14- Actor
Novello; 15- Concert gear; 16- Diciembre follower; 17- Taboo;
18- Capital of Calvados, in NW France; 19- Fungal infection;
20- Designed to arouse wonder; 22- Break into pieces; 24- Unit
of loudness; 25- Mountain nymphs; 26- Having a pleasantly
plump figure; 29- Fenced areas; 31- Follows orders; 32Obscene; 33- Family man; 36- Word used to precede a woman’s
maiden name; 37- Make tough; 40- Daughter of Cadmus;
41- Building add-on; 42- “Othello” villain; 43- Approvals;
45- Anklebone; 47- Chooses; 48- Drink; 51- ___ about
(approximately); 52- Automobile shelter; 54- Hard to please;
58- ___ Kick Out of You; 59- Scraps; 61- Sea-going eagle; 62Belgian painter James; 63- Shootout; 64- Authenticating mark;
65- Like most movies; 66- Sand hill by the sea; 67- Maryland
athlete, for short;
Smile boosts our
immune system
A
ccording to Charles Gordy a smile
is an inexpensive way to change
one’s looks. It was Mona Lisa’s
enigmatic smile that made it one
of the most famous paintings
of all time as it puzzled
people from Sigmund Freud
and Harvard professors to
countless observers. Marilyn
Monroe’s captivating smile is
equally famous.
A smile is a means of
communicating
emotions
such as pleasure, joy, happiness
or amusement and a facial
expression formed by flexing the
muscles near both ends of the mouth.
Smiling is something spontaneous that
is understood by everyone despite culture,
race, or religion and it has the power to make one
feel warm and comfortable as it helps us see the world
through a happier lens.
There are nine different types of smile and they are
the genuine smile, full-blown smile, sneering smile,
drop-jaw smile, turn-away smile, lop-sided smile,
tight lipped smile, closed-lip smile and the forced
smile. However, smiling, that can ignite a host of
emotions and interactions, has myriad health benefits
1- Kind of cod; 2- Bacchanalian cry; 3- Primo; 4- Musty;
5- Thrashing; 6- Astonish; 7- Reveal, in verse; 8- IRS IDs;
9- Hinder; 10- Combines; 11- Actress Berger; 12- Cornered;
13- Flies high; 21- Raise; 23- Swarm; 26- Area; 27- Explorer
Tasman; 28- Examine by touch; 29- Safecrackers; 30Horton Hears ___; 32- Hawaiian outdoor feast; 33- It
may be compact; 34- Work without ___; 35- Improvised
bed; 38- Former Houston footballer; 39- Parachute
material; 44- Most strange; 45- Stealthy walk; 46- On
the train; 47- Isolate; 48- More aloof; 49- ___ Carta;
50- French seaport; 51- Many times; 53- Sweeney ___;
55- Algonquian language; 56- Knot in wood; 57- Quick
sharp bark; 60- Feel bad about;
beetle bAiley
Your StarS todaY
Aries:
20th March 20th April
There’s a very heavy
atmosphere around you
that might feel stifling, Aries. Situations are cropping up
that urge you to think practically
with regard to your emotions. You
will find that things go much
more smoothly if you slow
down and think about a
situation before you
proceed.
Leo:
20th
July - 20th
Aug
You may not want
to wander far from your
bedroom today. That’s
fine. Take this opportunity
to get things done around
the house that make you
feel like your energy is
an important part of the
atmosphere. Hang new
pictures, read inspiring
articles, and laugh at
magazine cartoons
that inspire your
humorous
side.
Virgo:
20th Aug - 20th
sept
Things are on the
upswing for you today,
Virgo. People are finally
coming around to see
things from your perspective. There’s no need to doubt
yourself. Look in the mirror
and know that the person
you see is capable of accomplishing anything.
sAgiTTArius:
20th nov - 20th Dec
Try not to be too competitive
today, Sagittarius. The more you try
to drive your point across, the more it will
meet stubborn opposition. This is a better day to
observe the situation. Emotions are running
high, and people aren’t necessarily
acting rationally.
geMini :
20th May - 20th June
The more you let your ego and
fantasies swell today, Gemini, the more
friction you will encounter. Others aren’t
going to be fooled, nor are they going to want
to deal with frivolity. You might consider letting
someone else take the lead while you focus
more on your internal energy.
LibrA:
20th sep - 20th oct
Take a step back from the line
of fire today and examine your
position. You’ve made some bold
moves and now it’s time to pause and
evaluate. Listen to others’ reactions.
Take the observations and comments to
heart. Other people may see things
about your situation that
you don’t.
CApriCorn:
20th Dec - 20th Jan
Sink into a soft, gentle
rhythm and you flow
with everything around you,
Capricorn. Ease your mind about
any worries. Your subconscious
knows the way. The key today is
sensitivity and intuition - your
specialties. You don’t need
to be concerned about a
thing.
Yesterday’s solution
Down
and it’s a natural drug that enables
us to relieve stress and reduce our
blood pressure . Simultaneously it
improves our digestion, increases
blood flow, lowers blood sugar
levels, reduces stress and helps
us have a good sleep. It has
been observed that smiling
also boosts our immune
system by raising our levels of
infection-fighting antibodies.
While
an
unpleasant
demeanour can ruin moods and
destroy confidence in others, a
genuine smile is magnetic. This is
why a smiling waitress makes more
tips, and a smiling salesman makes
more sales. People who smile are more
approachable, and seen to be more likeable,
confident and capable.
Our face has 44 muscles that make more than
5,000 different facets of expressions, many of which
are smiles. For example, when two lovers smile at each
other, not only do the muscles on either side of their
mouths contract upwards, but also the muscles at the
outer corners of their eyes. Facial muscles do need
exercise just as much as the rest of our body and it
prevents drooping eyelids and a sagging neckline.
TAurus :
20th April - 20th May
Just when you thought that the
whole world was turning on you,
Taurus, things start to come back around.
You will find that you don’t need to hide. In fact, the
more you let your true spirit emerge, the more allies
you will gain. Your secret ambition to rule your
world is becoming a much more attainable
goal than you might have thought
at first.
21
Saturday, December 27, 2014
CanCer:
20th June - 20th
July
The hard work and
detail-oriented planning
you’ve done lately are really
starting to pay off, Cancer. The
key is to maintain your sensitivity
and look to where you can be
of service to others. Your
nurturing side feels the
need to express
sCorpio:
itself.
20th oct - 20th
nov
You may not feel like
you’re in tune with your
situation today, Scorpio. Try not
to get too pushy with your opinions
about how things should be done.
pisCes:
Honor other people’s perspectives
20th Feb and approaches. It may be hard
20th Mar
for others to commit to
This is a favorable day for
things the same way
you to deal with intimate and
you do.
AquArius:
20th Jan - 20th
Feb
Now isn’t the time to prove
to people that you’re the boss, Aquarius.
They would surely become defensive.
You’re much better off taking a sensitive,
nurturing approach on a day like
today. Focus your fire internally
and use it to drive your own
engine.
sensitive issues, Pisces. You will
be in comfortable situations that
allow you to express what you
believe. There’s no need to hold
back, because people will have a
greater understanding of what
it is you feel. You combine
deep emotions with mental
clarity and you’re able to
see through to the truth
in other people’s
words.
iN History
S U D O KU
R
lAugH @ life
Polar bear siblings are
just like any others!
L
Hoy en la Historia
December 27, 2007
Pakistan’s former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto, the first
woman prime minister of an
Islamic state, was assassinated in
a suicide attack in Rawalpindi
1904: The first performance of J.M.
Barrie’s classic play Peter Pan took
place in London
1989: Egypt and Syria resumed full
diplomatic relations after 12 years
1996: Rwanda’s first genocide trial, for
the slaughter in 1994 of some 800,000
Tutsis, began
2009: A tomb believed to be that of
Cao Cao, a renowned third century
Chinese warlord, was unearthed in
Henan province in central China
Picture: Getty Images
© GRAPHIC NEWS
ying back in the
snow, these two
polar bears share a
cuddle as they catch
their breath after
playtime.
These stunning
photographs of the
brother and sister
reveal a softer side
to the famously ferocious polar bear.
They were captured by Russian
photographer Alexey Tishenko, 43,
who braved temperatures of -18 to
capture the intimate
pictures in Churchill, Canada.
‘These young polar bears are brother and sister,’ explained
Tishenko, of Omsk.
‘After a long day of playing, they
shared a sweet hug with each other that I
was lucky enough to capture on camera.
‘I was both inspired
and fascinated by these
two 5 year old bears, as I
always am when I see the
wild animals and nature.
‘I felt waves of adrenaline, getting to see the
different kinds of behaviour each animal has is so
mesmerising.’
After
playing
for
around 25 minutes, these
little bears decided to call
for a time out as they fell
to the ground together.
Alexey says: ‘They
reminded me a little of
human children playing
with each other.
‘I think everyone will
find something to love in
my photos.
‘Wildlife incredibly interesting and
fascinating and it causes different emotions and feelings.
‘I hope that my photos have a positive
effect on people and can inspire them.’
How to play:
Place 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.
Yesterday’s solution
26
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 27, 2014
27
Mitsubishi EclipsE, 2009
model for sale. KM 60000, engine size 3701 - 3800 CC. Price
BD 4,700. Contact: 33794250
...................................................
GMc AcAdiA, 2008 model
for sale. KM 115000, engine
size 3501 - 3600 CC. Price BD
5,200. Contact: 39117862
...................................................
toyotA yAris, 2008 model
for sale. Engine size 1201 1300 CC. Price BD 2,100. Contact: 33453396
...................................................
MErcEdEs-bEnz CLK-Class,
1999 model for sale. Engine
size 1901 - 2000 CC. Price BD
2,000. Contact: 36942567
...................................................
lExus ES-Series, 2006 model
for sale. Engine Size 2901 3000 CC. Price BD 3,800. Contact: 39881810
...................................................
Mini coopEr, 2011 model for
sale. KM 60000, engine Size
1000-2000CC. Price BD 5,200.
Contact: 33355790
...................................................
chryslEr 300M/300C, 2012
model for sale. KM 68000, engine Size 4000+CC. Price BD
8,800. Contact: 36640466
...................................................
nissAn pAthfindEr, 2002
model for sale. KM 135000, Engine Size 2001-3000CC. Price
BD 2,000. Contact: 33904051
...................................................
MAzdA 3, 2008 model for sale.
KM 86000, engine Size 10002000CC. Price BD 1,925. Contact: 38013420
...................................................
GMc yukon, 2004 model for
sale. Engine Size 4000+CC.
Price BD 3,500. Contact:
36704044
...................................................
nissAn tiidA, 2012 model for
sale. KM 68000, engine Size
1000-2000CC. Price BD 3,400.
Contact: 36706067
...................................................
VolkswAGEn cc, 2014 model for sale. KM 8500, Engine
Size 1000-2000CC. Price BD
10,400. Contact: 33620118
...................................................
Coffee and
walnut Cake
IngredIents:
For the cake
For the buttercream topping
•
•
225g/8oz
unsalted
butter, plus extra for
greasing
225g/8ozcastersugar
4free-rangeeggs
50ml/1¾fl oz strong
espressocoffee
225g/8oz
self-raising
flour
75g/2½ozwalnuts
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
125g/4½oz
unsalted
butter
200g/7ozicingsugar
50ml/2fl oz strong
espressocoffee
12 walnut halves, to
decorate
PrePArAtIOn
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until very light
and pale.
Add the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mixture,
beating well to completely incorporate each egg before
adding the next egg.
Add the espresso to the mixture and stir well.
Add the flour and walnuts and stir well to completely
combine.
Spoon the cake mixture into two lined and greased
20cm/8in cake tins.
Transfer to the oven to bake 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer
inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean and the
cake is golden-brown.
Remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool on a wire
rack.
For the buttercream topping, beat the butter and icing
sugar together in a small bowl until pale and light.
Add the espresso and mix well.
Spread the buttercream over the top of each cake, then
place one cake on top of the other.
Decorate the top of the cake with the walnut halves and
serve in generous slices.
Classifieds@dt.bh
rooms, Tennis court, Kids play
area. Contact: 3974 6444
..................................................
EAST RIFFA a brand new
commercial offices for rent, 2
bedroom 2 bathroom, prices
start from BD 250 - BD 260 - BD
270 Contact: 3345 1108
..................................................
gAFul flat for rent, 2 bedroom
1 bathroom 1 kitchen hall with
AC. Rent: BD 250. Contact:
39711001
..................................................
juFFAIR fully furnished 2
bedroom, 2 bathroom flat for
rent with all faculties, pool,
gym, covered parking (24 hrs)
security
and
maintenance
monthly. Rent 500 all inclusive.
Contact: 3388 7055
17256470
TuBlI fully furnished apartment
for rent with 2 bedrooms 2
bathrooms with gym, swimming
pool, monthly BD 400 include
electricity and water. Contact:
3536 9925
..................................................
hIDD appartment for rent, close
by Dilmun bakery 2 medium size
bedrooms 2 bathroom Hall and
kitchen in ground floor. Rent: BD
180 BD. Contact: 3723 9136
..................................................
hIDD studio apartment for
rent
with
one
bedroom,
one
bathroom,
kitchen
(comprehensive air conditioning
and curtains + electricity.
Contact: 3770 9766
..................................................
AMwAj apartment for Rent in
tala island with two bedrooms,
laundry room, overlooking the
sea, open kitchen, Parking,
swimming
pool,
Gym,
supermarket and restaurants,
for rent at a price of BD 700 only.
Email: naif@quest-amwaj.com
..................................................
AMwAj 3 bedroom villa for
rent in the floating city, Rent:
BD 1300. Email: naif@questamwaj.com
..................................................
SEEF, Luxury 1 bedroom fully
furnished apartment in Era
Tower, with stunning sea view,
modern fittings and furniture,
inclusive of all bills and Wifi
Pool, Gym, Steam and Sauna
Reservations: + 973 17728699
17579869
A Private school is looking for
English, Science and Math
Teachers for grade 1 to 9. Candidates must have at least 3 to 5
years of experience in Bahrain
in same field. Candidate must
possess a degree in same subject. Send CV to hr@alsalamschool.net
...................................................
Required Electricians (3Nos)
with valid licence issued by Bahrain Electricity Authority. Send
CV with certificates and licence
copy to email id. behzadco@
batelco.com.bh
...................................................
All-Round Beautician with experience required for a Beauty
Salon. Email: alwaliofc@hotmail.com
...................................................
Urgently Required experienced
Media
Sales
Executives,
preferably Arabic and English
speaking with valid driving license. Send your resume to:
hr@sesconsult-me.com
...................................................
Family Driver with valid Bahraini driving license. Sponsorship available. Please send your
CV: almisreatower@yahoo.com
...................................................
Interior Design Company looking for professional InTERIoR
DESIgnER with advanced 3D
skills & AutoCAD drafting. Attractive salary package and
benefits. Send you portfolio to:
nuzulhc@gmail.com
...................................................
CuSToMER SERvICE role
available, must speak fluent
English and Arabic. For details
please email you CV to Info@
simply-casting.com
...................................................
Required TEAChERS, nAnnIES, nuRSES, ASSISTAnTS
for a nursery opening will be in
2015. If interested please send
your CV on littleones.bh@gmail.
com
...................................................
ADMIn SECRETARy for an import & export company. Should
have accounting background
and legal work experience
(Full-time). Email resume: satam-001@hotmail.com
...................................................
Urgently Required lv joInTERS with experience. Email:
co_alnemran@yahoo.com
...................................................
Urgently
Required
CCTv,
ACCESS ConTRol, FIRE
AlARM / SECuRITy SySTEM
TEChnICIAn with 2-3 years of
experience. Bahrain Driving Licence is an added advantage.
Forward your CV to: applybah@
gmail.com
...................................................
British curriculum school requires EnglISh lAnguAgE
TEAChERS for intermediate
level. English mother tongue
preferred. Email CV to admin@
talentschools.com
...................................................
CuSToMER SERvICE role
available, must speak fluent
English and Arabic. For details
please email your CV to Info@
simply-casting.com
...................................................
A Reputed Company in Bahrain
urgently looking for ouTDooR
SAlESMAn for Ice Cream Factory. Requirements: The candidates should have extensive
outdoor sales experience; At
least 1-2 years of experience;
Can speak and understand
English; with valid Bahrain driving license. Interested candidate can apply with detailed CV
and full body pictures to Email:
hiringrest2014@2014gmail.com
...................................................
Interior Design Company looking for professional InTERIoR
DESIgnER with advanced 3D
skills & AutoCAD drafting. Attractive salary package and
benefits. Send you portfolio to:
nuzulhc@gmail.com
...................................................
Flat For rent
nissAn AltiMA, 2012 model
for sale. KM 53000, engine Size
2001-3000CC. Price BD 4,800.
Contact: 39541177
...................................................
kiA cArniVAl, 2004 model for
sale. KM 162437, engine Size
2001-3000CC. Price BD 1,000.
Contact: 33718885
...................................................
hyundAi GAllopEr, 2002
model for sale. KM 220000, engine Size 3001-4000CC. Price
BD 1,300. Contact: 37737756
...................................................
hondA cr-V, 1998 model
for sale. Engine Size 10002000CC. Price BD 1,250. Contact: 33071582
...................................................
JEEp GrAnd chErokEE,
2000 model for sale. KM 150000,
engine Size 4000+CC. Price BD
950. Contact: 34556227
...................................................
hondA Accord, 2005 model
for sale. KM 137000, Engine
Size 2001-3000CC. Price BD
2,500. Contact: 33833390
...................................................
citroEn c4, 2006 model for
sale. Engine Size 1000-2000
CC. Price BD 650. Contact:
39144218
...................................................
Mitsubishi lAncEr, 2009
model for sale. KM 127000, engine Size 1000-2000CC. Price
BD 2,500. Contact: 33055827
...................................................
nissAn ArMAdA, 2004 model
for sale. KM 173000, engine
Size 4000+CC. Price BD 4,500.
Contact: 39977886
...................................................
Audi A1, 2011 model for sale.
KM 42000, engine Size 10002000CC. Price BD 6,500. Contact: 38383409
...................................................
toyotA corollA, 2010
model for sale. KM 94400, engine Size 1000-2000CC. Price
BD 3,700. Contact: 36605926
...................................................
MAzdA 3, 2008 model for sale.
KM 100000, engine Size 10002000CC. Price BD 2,500. Contact: 35104654
...................................................
chEVrolEt tAhoE, 2008
model for sale. KM 68400, engine Size 4000+CC. Price BD
7,400. Contact: 39912301
...................................................
ford focus, 2004 model for
sale. KM 173000, engine Size
1000-2000CC. Price BD 950.
Contact: 35392897
...................................................
Mitsubishi lAncEr, 2009
model for sale. KM 79000, engine Size 1000-2000CC. Price
BD 2,200. Contact: 35004377
...................................................
ford focus, 2004 model for
sale. KM 173000, engine Size
1000-2000CC. Price BD 1,150.
Contact: 35392897
...................................................
bMw 3-sEriEs, 2008 model
for sale. KM 96000, engine Size
2001-3000CC. Price BD 7,200.
Contact: 39265885
...................................................
chryslEr 300M/300C, 2003
model for sale. Engine Size
3001-4000CC. Price BD 1,100.
Contact: 33558876
...................................................
nissAn AltiMA, 2008 model
for sale. Engine Size 20013000CC. Price BD 2,800. Contact: 36100026
...................................................
MAzdA cx-9, 2008 model for
sale. KM 177000, engine Size
3001-4000CC. Price BD 4,800.
Contact: 36991412
38444695
Situation Vacant
Urgently Required SECuRITy
guARDS,
MoToRCyClE
RIDERS, PASTRy, ChEF In
FooD DECoRATIon, ChEF
In SwEETS, TABlE SERvICES STAFF AnD DInIng
RESTAuRAnT SuPERvISoR.
Kindly send CV to hradprt@
gmail.com
...................................................
Apex Properties require PRoPERTy MAnAgERS. Previous
experience + driving licence
essential. Salary+ commission.
Send CV to info@apexbahrain.
com
...................................................
Looking for a professional well
experienced FEMAlE PhoTogRAPhER / vIDEogRAPhER who is willing to work full
time at my company based in
the Kingdom of Bahrain / Email:
sss_sayar@hotmail.com
...................................................
Arabic & English speaking ladies (age 22 to 35) required for
promoting a well known FMCG
product on a permanent basis
(1 year contract). Good salary
provided. Please send CV to
salepromotersjobs@gmail.com
...................................................
Required
FlowER
AnD
RoSES DESIgnERS with experience for contact, email: fahadleena@gmail.com
...................................................
Urgently required experienced
PICk-uP DRIvERS with GCC/
Bahrain driving licence. Email:
grabjoboffer@gmail.com
...................................................
Nader & EBRAHIM group looking for a FEMAlE ExECuTIvE
SECRETARy. Minimum 4 years
experience in the same role, dependable, efficient in handling
the day-today operations of the
office. Send your CV to nehcobahrain2014@gmail.com.
...................................................
We require a full time Restaurant ACCounTIng ClERk.
Candidate should have the following experience and qualifications: Attention to detail; Interpersonal Skills; Analyze daily/
weekly/ monthly sales and store
area/ transfer and inventory
posting. Email CV to: mamalik7@gmail.com
...................................................
Newly Opened Block Factory
requires experienced Personnel for QA/ QC, PRoDuCTIon,
oPERAToR and oThER PoSITIonS. Email CV: apply@tmsbahrain.com and bahrainblockfactory@gmail.com
...................................................
chEVrolEt
trAilblAzEr, 2004 model for sale. KM
170000, engine Size 4000+CC.
Price BD 2,000. Contact:
36039002
...................................................
toyotA fortunEr, 2013
model for sale. KM 33000, engine size 2001-3000CC. Price
BD 8,000. Contact: 34443543
...................................................
hondA cr-VEnGinE, 1998
model for sale, engine size
1000-2000CC. Price BD 1,200.
Contact: 33285528
...................................................
infiniti fx45/fx35, 2006
model for sale. Engine Size
3001-4000CC. Price BD 4,700.
Contact: 33276252
...................................................
infiniti G-sEriEs, 2008 model for sale, engine Size 30014000CC. Price BD 5,800. Contact: 33276252
...................................................
hyundAi tucson, 2009
model for sale, engine Size
2001-3000CC. Price BD 3,000.
Contact: 33276252
...................................................
MErcEdEs-bEnz s-clAss,
2002 model for sale. engine
Size 3001-4000CC. Price BD
2,000. Contact: 33150489
...................................................
hondA Accord, 2010 model
for sale. KM 73452, engine Size
3001-4000CC. Price BD 5,299.
Contact: 38808449
...................................................
nissAn sunny, 2004 model
for sale. KM 105000, engine
Size 1000-2000CC. Price BD
1,650. Contact: 34129197
...................................................
nissAn xtErrA, 2010 model
for sale. KM 81000, engine Size
3001-4000CC. Price BD 5,700.
Contact: 33054520
...................................................
ford focus, 2006 model for
sale. KM 135000, engine Size
1000-2000CC. Price BD 1,300.
Contact: 36065004
...................................................
cAdillAc EscAlAdE, 2008
modle for sale. KM 22000, engine Size 4000+CC. Price BD
5,200. Contact: 33182795
...................................................
MAsErAti Quattroporte, 2005
model for sale. KM 19000, engine Size 4000+CC. Price BD
6,995. Contact: 33355790
...................................................
MErcEdEs-bEnz
S-Class,
2006 model for sale. KM 70000,
engine Size 4000+CC. Price BD
8,900. Contact: 33355790
...................................................
nissAn sunny, 2003 model
for sale. KM 200000, engine
Size 1000-2000CC. Price BD
1,400. Contact: 38181284
...................................................
GMc AcAdiA, 2008 model for
sale. KM 115000, engine Size
3001-4000CC. Price BD 5,500.
Contact: 35580622
...................................................
nissAn AltiMA, 2012 model
for sale. KM 44000, engine Size
2001-3000CC. Price BD 5,000.
Contact: 39541177
...................................................
nissAn AltiMA, 2005 model
for sale. Engine Size 20013000CC. Price BD 1,500. Contact: 34064033
...................................................
lExus Es-sEriEs, 2008 model for sale. Engine Size30014000CC . Price BD 8,000. Contact: 36611106
...................................................
Reaching the right audience
DINE OUT
28
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Shaikh Nasser visits Crossing Nature Camp
DT News Network
upreme Council for
Youth and Sports and
president of the Bahrain
Olympic Committee Shaikh
Nasser bin Hamad Al
Khalifa yesterday visited
the three-day Bahrain
Crossing Nature Camp 2014
being held in association
with Nasser bin Hamad
Foundation in the Southern
Governorate. The camp Shaikh Nasser visiting the camp.
concludes today which has
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
All participants under
seen 110 participants from Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Kuwaiti coach Ali Aldehan
Kuwait,
hosts Bahrain.
are involved in technical
S
Showjumping
Championship
from today
DT News Network
nder the patronage of
Bahrain Royal Equestrian
and Endurance Federation
(BREEF) President Shaikh
Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa,
the National Day Showjumping
Championship will be held
today at the BDF Equestrian
Centre in Sakhir starting at
8.30am. The event sponsored
by Horse Pride and Titolo
comprises two junior and
three adult classes. The
height of fences are 80-90 cm
and 90--100 cm for the two
junior rounds. In the three
rounds for the adult classes,
fence heights are 80-90 cm,
100-110 cm and 110-125 cm.
A prize fund of BD3,000 is
up for grabs with trophies for
the top three in each category.
Overseeing the action is a jury
comprising Haider Zu’bi, Sami
Ghazwan and Ayed Nasser
Abdulla.
U
Irish earn first
league win
London
ondon
Irish
earned
their first win in the
Premiership since September
as they beat fellow strugglers
London Welsh. Tries from
Alex Lewington, Geoff Cross
and Tom Court sealed the
victory, with Welsh’s Tom
May and Irish’s Dan Leo
sent off in the first half.
Tom Homer kicked three
conversions and a penalty,
with all of London Welsh’s
points coming through Will
Robinson.
The win, their third of the
season, lifts Irish to 10th,
while Welsh remain bottom
without a victory all season.
After two early missed
penalties from Homer, it was
Welsh who scored the first
points of the game through
Robinson. However, Irish
soon found some form.
L
and physical abilities which
involves walking, running,
jogging, cycling and
includes preparing meals
for the other participants.
This camp is aimed at giving
participants skills to help
them prepare for their future
lives and increase their
overall fitness and develop
skills as well as psychological
goals helping them gain self
confidence away from
modern
lifestyle
and
amenities in a harsher
environment.
During his visit Shaikh
Nasser listened to a detailed
explanation by Kuwaiti
coach and supervisor Ali
Aldehan on the importance
of the training programme
provided to participants.
Shaikh Nasser emphasised
the importance of the camp
for the Arab youth
and increasing ties and
friendship between them
in addition to the exchange
of experiences. Participants
thanked Shaikh Nasser for
his interest and keenness on
following up on the progress
of the camp and its success.
GEORGE THE FIRST
WINS FEATURE RACE
Sultan bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup
DT News Network
utsider George The
First owned by State
Shamlot, trained by Taleb Ali
and ridden by Alberto Sanna
won the feature race for the
Sultan bin Hamad Al Khalifa
Cup for imported handicap
(0-85) over 1,600 metres
and worth B3,000 in prize
money yesterday at the eighth
meeting of the season at the
Rashid Equestrian and Horse
Racing Club in Sakhir.
Second placed and prerace favourite was True
Event owned by Mohammed
Abdulrahman Al Jasmi,
trained by Fawzi Nass and
ridden by Marcialis Joures
was a neck behind, with
third place going to Mega
Mount ridden by Nader
Abdul Aziz with Peak Royale
ridden by Gerald Avranche
fourth.
The main race of the
three Bapco Cup races and
O
sixth of the meeting overall
was won by Harash owned
by Shaikh Mohammed bin
Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa,
trained by James Naylor and
ridden by Gerald Avranche
for locally bred 4 years and
upwards over 1,800 metres
worth BD1,500.
A length behind was the
favourite
Brightsideoflife
owned by Al Nasseriyeh,
trained by Allan Smith and
ridden by Brett Doyle, with
third place going to Zayyir
ridden by Ali Al Saffar and
Wayne Looney ridden by
Ahmed Akbar in fourth.
Other results:
Race 1: Bapco Cup for
locally bred over 1,200 metres
BD1,500, 1 Stevie G/Hussain
Makki, 2 Ghafiya/Hassan
Al Saffar, 3 Ghazaliya/G
Avranche, 4 Basmaan/Ali
Hassan.
Race 2: Bapco Cup for
imported handicap (0-72)
1,200 metres
straight
A
an early penalty and then
putting Arsenal ahead with a
37th-minute header. Arsenal
striker Oliver Giroud was sent
off for violent conduct before
Sanchez’s mazy run carved
out a second goal for Tomas
Rosicky.
Charlie Austin’s late penalty
had nerves jangling at the
London
merican golfer John Daly
can’t understand why a
task force is needed to select the
next American Ryder Cup team
captain. In September the USA
team were crushed 16.5 – 11.5
at Gleneagles by their European
counterparts, to lift the title for a
third consecutive time. Europe
team captain Paul McGinley’s
clear, meticulous planning
A
Juventus needs a
new playmaker,
says Allegri
London
uventus are exploring
the possibility of signing
some defensive cover and
a new playmaker, head
coach Massimiliano Allegri
has revealed. The Serie
A leaders have long been
rumoured to be laying
the groundwork for some
January transfers, with
Barcelona full-back Martin
Montoya widely expected
to be considering a switch
to Turin next month.
Allegri, however, has
indicated that he has
several other targets in
mind when it comes to
bolstering his defence and
also admits he is looking
to sign a new creative
attacking player.
However, the former
AC Milan boss was quick
to stress that any pursuit
of another ball playing
midfielder will not see
Andrea Pirlo phased out of
his plans.
J
BD2,000. 1 Jimmy Elder/
Mohammed Saeed, 2 Sword
Of Light/Hassan Al Saffar, 3
Goodwood Storm/B Doyle, 4
Carnacki/H Makki.
Race 3: Imported 2nd,
3rd, 4th, maidens 4 years
and upwards 1,400 metres
BD900. 1 Viennese Verse/B
Doyle, 2 Mr Cayne/M Joures,
3 Empericist/H Makki, 4 My
Own Way/H Al Saffar.
Race 4: Sultan bin Hamad
Al Khalifa Cup for 2nd, 3rd
4th class, maidens Arabian
Horses over 1,600 metres
BD2,000. 1 Al Hamdanieh
1453/H Makki, 2 Kuheilan
Al Adiyat 1587/H Al Saffar,
3 Al Saqlawy 1578/A Sanna,
4 Kuheilan Al Adiyat 1438/H
Al Saffar.
Race 5:
Imported handicap (0-82)
2,000 metres BD1,000. 1
Lebresem/G Avranche, 2
Beakers N Num Nums/B
Doyle, 3 Main Straits/Nader
A Aziz, 4 Howdigo/Tristand
Normand.
Emirates Stadium, but it was
too little, too late for QPR,
who fell to a record-equalling
ninth straight away defeat. In
a bid to end his side’s woes
away from Loftus Road, QPR
manager Harry Redknapp
recalled Rio Ferdinand for
the first time since October
and he formed part of a new
three-man defensive set-up.
But those carefully-laid plans
should have been thrown
out of the window inside the
opening eight minutes.
Former Arsenal left-back
Armand Traore, among those
called in by Redknapp, tripped
the all-action Sanchez for a
clear penalty. Sanchez stepped
up instead of regular taker
Santi Cazorla, but saw his
tame spot-kick pushed out by
QPR goalkeeper Rob Green,
who also scrambled away the
rebound. Arsenal pressed and
probed for an opener, but a
combination of last-ditch
defending and inaccurate final
balls let them down. (AFP)
London
outhampton climbed back
into the Premier League’s
top four with a 3-1 win against
Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park
yesterday. Ronald Koeman’s side
moved into the fourth and final
Champions League place with
their second successive victory
to maintain their revival after a
run of five games without a win.
Senegal winger Sadio Mane’s
third goal for Southampton, and
his first since October, opened
S
London
anager Gareth Ainsworth
has signed a new longterm deal with League Two
leaders Wycombe Wanderers.
Ainsworth, 41, took his first
permanent managerial role
when he became Chairboys
boss in 2012. The former QPR
winger oversaw last season’s
final-day escape from the League
Two relegation zone.
M
was evident throughout the
event, unlike that of American
counterpart Tom Watson. The
PGA of America has now put
together an 11-man task force
to select the next captain.
B
Melbourne
auding
his
fellow
bowlers for executing
the plans well on the
opening day, Indian pacer
Mohammed Shami said the
tourists would now aim to
send Australia packing in
the first session on Day
2 in the ongoing third
cricket Test. “Throughout
Ainsworth has led the Adams
Park side to the top of the
table with 12 wins this term.
The length of the contract is
undisclosed.
SPURS SECURE
Leicester
ottenham claimed their
third successive Premier
League win as Christian
Eriksen’s free kick sealed a
2-1 success at bottom-ofthe-table Leicester yesterday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side
had goalkeeper Hugo Lloris
to thank for an outstanding
performance as Leicester
dominated for long periods
after Leonardo Ulloa cancelled
out Harry Kane’s first-minute
opener for Spurs.
The north Londoners’
gritty win means they are
in sixth place and just two
points behind Southampton
in the race to qualify for the
Champions League via a top
four finish.
Leicester manager Nigel
Pearson was serving a onematch touchline ban following
his recent confrontation with a
supporter and he watched his
out-of-form team, now without
two seasons ago. Tottenham
appeared to be in total control
when Nabol Bentaleb fired
wide after a fine run.
But Leicester were close to a
leveller when Jeffrey Schlupp
broke from his own penalty
area and found Ulloa, whose
spectacular volley was pushed
over by Lloris.
From the resulting Riyad
Mahrez
corner
Marcin
Wasilewski headed over
following David Nugent’s flickon.
Tottenham went close
again when Eriksen forced
Hamer into a save while at the
other end Danny Drinkwater
dragged a shot wide.
(AFP)
T
Tottenham Hotspur’s English striker Harry Kane (centre)
celebrates scoring the opening goal.
a victory in 12 games, get off to
the worst possible start.
Nabir Chadi’s cross found
Kane who coolly beat Wes
the scoring in rain-lashed
south London and second half
strikes from Ryan Bertrand and
Toby Alderweireld sealed the
points. Palace have gone six
matches without a win and Neil
Warnock’s team slipped into
the relegation zone after a dispiriting performance.
Romania defender Florin Gardos
was handed his first Premier
League start in place of suspended former Eagles defender Jose
Fonte.
control from the moment Pitman
sent a glancing header into the
top corner past Marcus Bettinelli
from Matt Ritchie’s eighth-minute cross. Five minutes after the
break Bournemouth wasted a
gift-wrapped chance to double
their lead from the penalty spot.
Callum Wilson’s pace took him in
from the left before Jack Grimmer
bought him down. But Pitman
drilled his spot-kick straight at
Fulham goalkeeper Bettinelli.
29
L
Christian Eriksen keeps Tottenham in top four chase
Cherries stay top after facile win
London
ournemouth remain on
course for the Premier League
after the surprise Championship
leaders cruised to a 2-0 win over
Fulham yesterday. Eddie Howe’s
team maintained their one-point
lead over second-placed Ipswich
as goals from Brett Pitman and
Harry Arter saw off Fulham at
Dean Court.The Cherries have
now won nine successive second
tier matches and were always in
Shami lauds Ashwin’s discipline
Ainsworth joins Wycombe
Task force to select captain
Saints down Palace
A scene from the race.
Sanchez saves Arsenal
London
lexis Sanchez helped
maintain
10-man
Arsenal’s Champions League
push as his man-of-the-match
display condemned Queens
Park Rangers to a 2-1 Premier
League defeat yesterday. The
Chilean forward went from
zero to hero after squandering
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Morgan before finishing well
past Ben Hamer for his 14th
goal of the season against the
side he played for on loan
SCORES:
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR- 2
LIECESTER CITY- 1
the series, our intention
has been to bowl to a plan,
to bowl line and length,”
said Shami.
Eventful year
for Indian
hockey
New Delhi
ndian men’s hockey took giant
strides towards reclaiming its
long-lost numero uno position
with an Asian Games gold, after
a 16-year drought, and several
memorable victories, but the
momentum was marred by an
untimely and poorly handled
resignation of chief coach Terry
Walsh. There was a gloomy
start to the year due to the men’s
junior team’s poor World Cup
performance, in December 2013,
finishing sixth in the eight-nation
Hockey World League (HWL)
Final held here.
The players visibly looked out
of sorts in the first competition
under coach Walsh and it was
apparent they would take time to
settle down under the Australian.
The only positive point in the
tournament was a 5-4 victory
over a depleted German team.
Most of the players plied their
trade in the Hockey India League
(HIL), which was eventually
won by Sardar Singh-led Delhi
Waveriders.
I
Elgar, Du Plessis leave
West Indies gasping
Port Elizabeth
ean Elgar and Faf
du
Plessis
punished
the
West Indies for
fielding lapses
as South Africa
built a strong
position on the
first day of the
second Test in
Port Elizabeth
yesterday. South
Africa
were
270 for two at
the close after
being sent in to
bat in overcast
conditions at St
George’s Park.
Elgar made a
Test-best
121
and shared a
second wicket
D
an innings and 220 runs in
the first Test. Du Plessis
was put down by Marlon
Samuels at gully off Jerome
Taylor when he had eight
and again by Devon Smith
diving to his right off leftarm spinner Suleiman Benn
when he had 26.
One
ball
after Du Plessis’
SCOREBOARD
second escape,
the left-handed
South Africa, first innings
Elgar went down
A. Petersen c Johnson b Gabriel
17
the wicket to
D. Elgar c Ramdin b Peters
121
Benn and was
F. du Plessis not out
99
well out of his
H. Amla not out
17
ground as the ball
Extras (lb4, nb7, w5)
16
squeezed through
Total (2 wkts, 88 overs)
270
to hit low on the
pad of captain
Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Petersen), 2-226 (Elgar)
Bowling: Taylor 19-4-64-0 (2nb, 1w), Peters 15-6- and wicketkeeper
Denesh Ramdin.
44-1, Holder 13-5-25-0 (1nb), Gabriel 15-0-52-1
(AFP)
partnership
of
179
with Du
Plessis,
w h o
finished
the day
on
99
not out.
The West Indies missed
four chances to break the
Elgar-Du Plessis stand.
The West Indian bowlers
could feel aggrieved as they
bowled with much better
control and discipline than
they did in Centurion where
they were heavily beaten by
30
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Dravid helping Chikkarangappa
Grover falters against Areshchenko
Alain
randmaster Sahaj Grover
faltered and went down
to Alexander Areshchenko of
Ukraine in the eighth and
penultimate round of Al Ain
Classic International Chess
tournament to fall out of
contention. After getting a
position that was close to
being dynamically balanced
out of a Jaenisch opening as
Kolkata
e was once considered ‘the
wall’ of Indian batting and
now, post retirement, Rahul
Dravid is helping emerging
sportspersons and golfer S
Chikkarangappa is one among
them. Inspired by Dravid’s
mentorship, the 21-year-old
Bengaluru lad is eyeing the
numero uno position in the
2014 Rolex Rankings for the
G
H
black, Grover went for a plan
that saw him first lose a pawn
and then his bid to continue
the attack did not materialise.
Devils dump DeBoer as coach
Newark
eter DeBoer has been
fired as coach of the New
Jersey Devils, the National
Hockey
League
team
announced yesterday, three
days after their eighth loss
in 10 games.
New Jersey went 114-93
with 41 overtime or shootout
losses under DeBoer, who
took over the Devils to open
P
PGTI order of merit and is on
a high having won his maiden
International at the Asian
Development Tour.
ROONEY SCORES
DOUBLE
Wayne Rooney gives Newcastle a Boxing Day lesson
Anand ends with a heart-break
New Delhi
n what turned out to be a bitter-sweet year for Indian chess,
five-time winner Viswanathan Anand lost his bid to regain his
title in the Sochi World Championship but Indian men’s team
clinched a historic bronze at 41st Olympiad. After losing his World
Championship crown at Chennai in 2013, this year saw Anand
earn the right to challenge world champion Magnus Carlsen of
Norway again by winning the Candidates tournament at Khanty
Mansiysk, Russia in March. His grand comeback in the Candidates
-- which has one of the strongest fields as eight of the world’s
elite compete -- reignited hopes of Anand clinching the World
Championship title once more, and although the 45-year-old
Indian took the fight to the Norwegian, it ended with a heartbreak.
I
Westbrook shines as Thunder sting Spurs
San Antonio
ussell Westbrook didn’t mind picking up the slack for the
Oklahoma City Thunder, who were missing reigning NBA
MVP Kevin Durant for the fifth-straight contest on Thursday.
Westbrook tallied 35 points and 11 assists as the Thunder beat
the defending league champion San Antonio Spurs 114-106 in
front of a Christmas Day crowd of 18,500 at the AT&T Centre
arena.
Last Thursday, Durant sprained his right ankle late in the first half
of a loss to Golden State. Westbrook also had five rebounds and
five steals for the Thunder.
R
Scores:
Manchester United- 3
Newcastle United - 1
Manchester
ayne Rooney scored
twice as Manchester
United rewarded manager
Louis van Gaal’s decision to
grant his players Christmas
Day off by beating Newcastle
United 3-1 yesterday. Rooney,
relishing the deeper midfield
role which he has been assigned
recently, effectively decided the
contest with two lethal finishes
and set up a third goal for
Robin van Persie in the second
half.
Rooney settled nerves
with an excellently worked
23rd-minute opener, but
W
United had lived dangerously
up to that point, despite
enjoying a glut of possession.
United were fortunate to
avoid conceding a penalty when
Juan Mata appeared to clip the
heels of Yoan Gouffran, sending
the Newcastle man clattering
to the ground. Just six minutes
later, United were indebted to
the ever-impressive David de
Gea as the Spanish goalkeeper
flew to his right to keep out a
magnificent 25-yard shot from
Daryl Janmaat, who had been
set up by Newcastle’s teenage
debutant Adam Armstrong.
The 17-year-old Armstrong
Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney (right) scores
their second goal.
was an unwitting accomplice
to the opening goal, showing
brilliant pace to beat Paddy
McNair but then wasting
possession by shooting directly
McCullum puts N. Zealand in charge
Christchurch
ecord-breaking
Brendon McCullum
was at his belligerent best
as he led New Zealand to a
commanding 429-7 on the
first day of the first cricket
Test against Sri Lanka in
Christchurch yesterday.
His whirlwind 195 runs off
134 deliveries included 11
sixes and 18 fours and came
after he lost the toss and
New Zealand were made to
bat on a green wicket that
bore all the hallmarks of a
bowler’s paradise.
McCullum,
who
admitted he desperately
wanted to win the toss
to bowl first, instead
destroyed the Sri Lankan
attack with the bat as
he stood in century
partnerships with Kane
Williamson and Jimmy
R
SCOREBOARD
J
Chiefs lose quarterback Smith
century in New Zealand Brendon McCullum makes a run.
26 off one over, when he
Test history and became
the first New Zealander smashed three sixes and
to score 1,000 runs in a two fours off one over by
calendar year. He equaled Sri Lanka strike bowler
the New Zealand record of Suranga Lakmal, and
Kansas City
ith their slim NFL playoff hopes at
stake, the Kansas City Chiefs will face
San Diego without quarterback Alex Smith
because he has a lacerated spleen, the team
announced yesterday. Smith had practiced
W
Rockets sign
forward Smith
Houston
New Zealand 1st innings
T. Latham c Kaushal b Eranga
27
H. Rutherford b Lakmal
18
K. Williamson b Prasad
54
R. Taylor run out (Silva)
7
B. McCullum c Karunaratne b Kaushal
195
J. Neesham c Sangakkara b Mathews
85
BJ Watling lbw Mathews
26
M. Craig not out
5
Total (7 wickets, 80.3 overs)
429
Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Rutherford), 2-60
(Latham), 3-88 (Taylor), 4-214
(Williamson), 5-367 (McCullum), 6-420
(Neesham), 7-429 (Watling)
Bowling: Lakmal 17-3-83-1 (1nb), Eranga 18-182-1, Mathews 9.3-1-34-2, Prasad 12-2-62-1 (2w),
Kaushal 22-0-159-1 (5nb), Thirimanne 2-0-5-0
Neesham. Neesham was
undone for 85, Williamson
for 54.
As
McCullum
bludgeoned the bowling,
he cracked the fastest
at the legs of a United defender.
It proved a costly decision by
the teenager as Rooney broke
upfield and squared the ball for
Mata. (AFP)
finished with 11 sixes, one
short of the world record
of 12 sixes in an innings
held by Pakistan’s Wasim
Akram. (AFP)
earlier this week after suffering the injury
in the third quarter of Kansas City’s 20-12
loss to Pittsburgh. He was struck in the
abdomen after a throw to Chiefs rookie
receiver Albert Wilson. Chiefs trainer Rick
Burkholder said that Smith felt an injury
osh Smith, a standout forward dropped
at the start of the week by the Detroit
Pistons, signed a new NBA deal yesterday
with the Houston Rockets, the team
announced.
The move came after the Pistons
released Smith on Monday, less than
halfway into a four-year contract that
had been worth $54. The new contract
was reportedly for one year at $2 million.
Smith, 29, had averaged 13.1 points
and 7.2 rebounds over 28 games this
season for Detroit. Houston centre
Dwight Howard was a team-mate of
Smith’s when both played on an amateur
club in Atlanta.
Smith has career averages of 15.4
points and 7.8 rebounds over 781 games
with Atlanta and Detroit.
The Rockets released forward Tarik
Black to make roster room for Smith.
Black averaged 4.2 points and 5.1
rebounds in 25 games this season.
but did not consider it serious and worked
out twice before having it checked. While
Smith’s injury does not require surgery, it
typically requires six weeks to heal, which
would sideline Smith even if the Chiefs
reached the Super Bowl.
“I am not favourite to win award”
Quesada gets two-year contract
Paris
onzalo Quesada the
sporting director of French
Top 14 side Stade Francais
has extended his contract for
two seasons with the option
of extending it for a third, the
Parisian club said yesterday.
The 40-year-old former
Argentinian international flyhalf -- who won 38 caps -joined from city rivals Racing
G
the 2011-12 season and
guided them into the 2012
Stanley Cup Final, where
they lost to Los Angeles.
31
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Silviniaco
Conti
emulates
Kauto Star
London
ilviniaco
Conti
produced a stunning
frontrunning performance
leading from pillar to post
to emulate his stablemate
Kauto Star in winning
back to back King George
VI Chases’ at Kempton
Park yesterday. Silviniaco
Conti given a great ride by
Irishman Noel Fehily gave
trainer Paul Nicholls his
ninth winner in the Boxing
Day showpiece that is only
second to the Cheltenham
Gold Cup in prestige in
steeplechasing.
The 15/8 favourite
kicked clear after the
second last to leave his
rivals trailing in his wake
with Dynaste running on
strongly to finish second at
7/1 while another Nicholls
runner Al Ferof was third
for the second successive
year.
S
Berlin
ermany’s World Cup
winning
goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer yesterday played
down his prospects of securing
the World Player of the Year
award over holder Cristiano
Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. “I’m
certainly not favourite,” the
Bayern Munich star told. “The
other two are international
‘marques’, they’ve clearly got
G
Metro in 2013 having worked
in the French national team set
up prior to that. Stade Francais
are currently third in the table
after narrowly missing out on
the play-offs last season.
James seizes lead in all-star voting
New York
leveland Cavaliers forward
LeBron James grabbed the
early lead in fans voting for
the 2015 National Basketball
Association all-star game.
Two-time all-star game
MVP James has a slim lead
over Golden State Warriors
guard Stephen Curry.
James has a league-best
552,967 votes, while Curry sits
C
an advantage.”
If Neuer does receive the
Ballon d’Or he will be the
first of his countrymen to do
so since Lothar Matthaus in
1990.
Steve Smith leads from the front
CAPTAIN’S KNOCK
Melbourne
SCOREBOARD
ustralia’s Steve Smith
played another captain’s
knock and Chris Rogers and Australia 1st innings
Shane Watson hit fifties on the C. Rogers c Dhoni b Shami
57
opening day of the third Test D. Warner c Dhawan b Yadav
0
against India in Melbourne
S.
Watson
lbw
b
Ashwin
52
yesterday. Before a Boxing
S.
Smith
not
out
72
Day crowd of almost 70,000,
32
Smith joined teammate David S. Marsh c Dhoni b Shami
Warner in reaching 1,000 Test J. Burns c Dhoni b Yadav
13
runs for the calendar year with B. Haddin not out
23
his unbeaten 72. At the close,
Total
(5
wickets,
90
overs)
259
Australia were 259 for five after
winning the toss with Brad Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Warner), 2-115 (Rogers),
Haddin seeking a confidence- 3-115 (Watson), 4-184 (Marsh), 5-216 (Burns)
boosting innings on 23.
Bowling: I. Sharma 21-6-54-0 (2nb),
Smith passed 50 for the fourth Yadav 20-2-69-2, Shami 17-4-55-2 (1w),
time in five innings in this series Ashwin 27-7-60-1, Vijay 5-0-14-0
among them an unconquered
162 in Adelaide and 133 in
Rogers hit his third straight halfBrisbane. So far he has amassed 447
runs at 223.5 for the series. Smith, who century of the series and Watson made
won his first Test as skipper in four 52 in a 115-run stand before they were
days in Brisbane last weekend, was well dismissed five minutes apart in the
positioned for his third ton of the series hour after lunch. The pair had put
after Rogers and Watson missed out on on 59 runs off 131 balls for the fourth
wicket. (AFP)
cashing in on solid starts.
Steve Smith plays a shot.
A
just behind him with 549,095
votes. New York forward
Carmelo Anthony (265,170)
and Chicago’s Pau Gasol
(247,953) are next to James.
Acy gets one-game ban
New York
ew York Knicks forward
Quincy Acy was suspended
for one game yesterday after
a foul that sparked an altercation with Washington’s John
Wall in a Thursday loss. Acy was
whistled for a flagrant foul and
ejected for his role in the incident, which took place with 5:31
remaining in the fourth quarter
of Washington’s 102-91 victory
over the Knicks.
N
Former England
batsman Pullar dies
London
ormer England batsman
Geoff Pullar has died aged
79. Pullar made 28 Test appearances for England, making
his debut against India in July
1959. His 131 against India at
Old Trafford in his second Test
was the first century scored by a
Lancastrian on his home ground
of Old Trafford. Pullar’s final
match was against Australia in
Adelaide in January 1963. He
started his English county career
with Lancashire.
F
Sydney to Hobart off to flying start Packers to face Lions
Sydney
ewcomer Comanche was
off to a blinding start
in Australia’s 70th Sydney to
Hobart yacht race yesterday,
blitzing all rivals including
seven-times line honours
winner Wild Oats XI in Sydney
Harbour.
The 100-foot Comanche
was ahead of Wild Oats, also
a supermaxi, to the first mark
as 117 yachts set off on the 628
nautical mile endurance race
down Australia’s east coast in
scorching summer conditions.
With the Sydney Harbour
Bridge and Opera House as
N
a backdrop and thousands
of spectators on boats and
harbor side vantage points,
the yachts enjoyed a 15 to
18 knot southeasterly breeze
which helped them off in what
is thought to be a record start.
They have now turned south
towards Hobart into a stiff
southerly which is testing boats
and sailors with uncomfortable
seas, with four yachts retiring
so far -- including one with
hull damage and another with
a damaged rudder.
Among the retirements
was the competitive Tina of US supermaxi yacht Comanche leads the Sydney to Hobart
Melbourne.
yacht race just after the start in Sydney harbour yesterday.
Los Angeles
he Green Bay Packers
host the Detroit Lions
in one of several high-stakes
contests in the final weekend
of the National Football
League’s regular season.
There are playoff spots
and division titles to be
determined including the
critical Green Bay game
which will see the winner earn
the NFC North Division title
and a first-round bye. Both
teams have already clinched
postseason spots and the
Packers are a perfect 7-0 at
home this season.
T
Green Bay claimed their
spot in the playoffs for the
sixth straight season with a
20-3 win over Tampa Bay last
Sunday. If Green Bay beats
the Lions and Seattle loses
to St. Louis, the Packers will
have home-field advantage
throughout the playoffs.
The Lions, who rallied
to beat Chicago 20-14 last
week, have lost 23 consecutive
games at Lambeau Field.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron
Rodgers suffered a left calf
injury in the win over Tampa
Bay but the Packers say they
are not worried.
Azarenka may be unseeded for Aus Open
Sydney
wo-time
Australian
Open tennis champion
Victoria Azarenka is in
danger of going unseeded at
T
next year’s event.
Azarenka
has
been
suffering from a left foot
injury and has not played
since early September; her
world ranking has now
slipped to 31.
According to heraldsun.
com.au, Azarenka, the
runner-up at the Brisbane
International last January,
defends 305 of her 1492
ranking points as an
unseeded player when the
Queensland Tennis Centre
event starts on January 4.
The Australian Open seeds
the first 32 players and to
have a seeding Azarenka
likely needs to have a points
tally greater than at least one
of the players beneath her in
the rankings list published
after the first week of the
season.
P31 CAPTAIN’S KNOCK
32
32
Saturday, December 27, 2014
SPORTS
Premier League
BLUES WIN ON
BOXING DAY
London
remier League leaders Chelsea
showed West Ham United no
Christmas cheer yesterday with a
one-sided 2-0 Boxing Day victory
that enhanced their status as title
favourites. Goals in each half from
John Terry and Diego Costa -- his
13th of the campaign -- earned Jose
Mourinho’s side a win that enabled
them to open up a provisional sixpoint lead over second-place Manchester City.
Fourth-place West Ham were
expected to provide a stern test after
a run of five games without defeat,
but despite hitting the woodwork
late on, Sam Allardyce’s team were
well beaten in what was the London
rivals’ 100th encounter. “We played
a very good game against a very
difficult opponent. When we
scored, we had the game always
under control,” Mourinho told. “I
am really happy. We are doing very
well.”
Eden Hazard overcame a knock
to start for Chelsea and he proved
a bewitching presence as the hosts
P
swarmed all over their opponents
from the start at Stamford Bridge.
Oscar had gone close and visiting
goalkeeper Adrian had parried from
Gary Cahill and Willian by the time
Terry broke the deadlock in the 31st
minute, tapping in after Costa headed
on Cesc Fabregas’s corner.
West Ham spent long periods
of the first half penned inside their
own area, with Adrian producing a
one-handed save to thwart Nemanja
Matic and Costa shooting over from a
Branislav Ivanovic cross.
After Adrian had thwarted Hazard,
Costa made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute,
gathering a pass from Hazard and
sending Carl Jenkinson and James
Collins the wrong way before drilling
a left-foot shot into the bottom-right
corner.
Adrian athletically tipped an Oscar
free-kick over the bar and Fabregas
curled wide, but although Chelsea had
dominated, West Ham came close
to snatching a goal when substitute
Morgan Amalfitano dinked a shot
against the post. (AFP)
Chelsea’s Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa (2nd right) shoots to
score their second goal.
Chelsea- 2
West Ham United- 0
Diego Costa
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