Dive Bahrain to be opened tomorrow

03 Security beefed up for Ashoora processions

04Asian trucker held over fatal accident

05Hong Kong withdraws extradition bill

2

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Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship fourth edition launched

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Dive Bahrain to be opened tomorrow • The ministry announced that the dive park will be open to the public on Saturday.

Manama

The official opening of the world’s largest under-water theme park, Dive

Bahrain, will take place tomor-row, following the completion of the initial phase of the project, comprising the submerging of a 70-meter long Boeing 747, 20-22 meters below the water North of Bahrain, to become the first attraction of the 100,000 square metre theme park area.

Prior to the official opening, the dive park was inspected by

a group of diving professionals from registered dive centres, who were able to ensure all safety requirements are fully met to guarantee a safe diving experience and environment necessary for the public.

During the official opening ceremony, the Minister of In-dustry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed Al Zayani, the Chief Ex-ecutive of the Supreme Council for Environment, Dr Moham-med Mubarak Bin Daina along with a number of professional divers will carry out an inaugu-ral dive in the park to experience the magnificent underwater air-craft structure.

The ministry announced that the dive park will be open to the public on Saturday, 07 Septem-ber 2019, welcoming those who wish to book their underwater

dive experience with any of the registered dive centres listed on the website www.divebahrain.com.

The ministry added that the

listed centres on the website are the only registered ones, and have all participated in an orien-tation dive and are familiarised with key rules and regulations in

preparation to organise trips to the park and offer a safe and en-joyable experience to the public.

In its next phase, the dive park will include several structures in addition to the aircraft, such as a replica of a traditional Bahraini pearl merchant’s house, which is being overseen and spon-sored by Diyar Al Muharraq, an artificial coral reef and other sculptures that will be fabricat-ed and submerged to provide a safe haven for coral reef growth and a habitat for sustainable ma-rine life.

The eco-friendly park will also provide researchers with rich information and data on marine ecology and biology, and will enhance environmental awareness on the importance of preserving marine life, it is learnt.

A diver carrying out inspections as part of final preparations at the project site.

1,000 civilians dead in Syria over four months

Beirut

The UN human rights chief says her office

has tallied more than 1,000 civilian deaths in Syria over the last four months, the majority of them due to air-strikes and ground attacks by President Bashar Assad’s forces and their allies.

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, says 1,089 civilians were killed in the war-battered country be-tween April 29 and August 29, including 304 children.

She said nearly all — 1,031 — were reportedly attribut-able to government forces and their allies in Idlib and Hama provinces. Another 58 were caused by “non-state actors.”

Bachelet was speaking to reporters in Geneva on Wednesday to go over her first year in office.

Ms Bachelet

Black bear found resting in lodge washroomHelena

A yearling black bear found its way through a window and into the ladies room at a hotel in Big Sky,

Montana.The bear was discovered sprawling

on the bathroom countertop, apparently unfazed by its surroundings.

“Huge shoutout to Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Fish, Wild-

life and Parks for keeping our guests safe, while recognising what a once-in-a-lifetime experience it was,” Buck’s T-4 Lodge posted on Facebook.

In the video - which has so far been shared more than a thousand times on Facebook - wildlife officials can be seen preparing a tranquiliser and later carry-ing the sleeping bear out of the property, as guests rush to capture the moment on their phones.

According to the lodge, the bear was removed from Gallatin Canyon by wild-life officials, to be relocated to another area of Montana and later released.

David O’Connor, co-owner and gen-eral manager of Buck’s T-4 Lodge, told CNN: “We heard a bit of a racket in the lobby... Sure enough, the bear had found a window with enough of an opening to get into the ladies’ room by the lobby.”

R A R E G U E S T

The young bear didn’t seem fazed by its surroundings.

• Quds Force backed both Assad and Hizbollah through crude oil shipments.

• Trump said Iran wants to negotiate and reach an agreement but Washington will not lift sanctions against Tehran.

London

The United States yester-day sanctioned an “oil for terror” network of firms,

ships and individuals allegedly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolu-tionary Guard Corps that supplied Syria with oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars in breach of US sanctions.

The US action intensified a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at driving to zero Iran’s oil exports, the country’s main source of income, and almost certainly will increase tensions that erupted when President Donald Trump withdrew last year from an inter-national accord designed to stop Tehran from producing nuclear weapons.

Trump said Iran wants to nego-tiate and reach an agreement but Washington will not lift sanctions against Tehran.

Iran has been gradually reduc-

ing its compliance with the 2015 agreement in a bid to pressure Eu-ropean countries to compensate it for the severe damage done to its economy by multiple rounds of US sanctions. Tehran was expected to announce further breaches some-time this month.

The 10 individuals blacklisted on Wednesday included Rostam Qasemi, a former Iranian oil min-ister, and his son, the US Treasury

Department said in a statement.Also hit were subsidiaries of an

Indian company with an interest in the Adrian Darya, the Iranian tanker suspected of carrying oil for Syria that has been cruising the Mediterranean since its release from detention by British author-ities off Gibraltar in July, it said.

The Treasury Department’s Of-fice of Foreign Assets Control ac-tion froze any assets in the United States of the designated entities and generally prohibited US cit-izens or companies from doing business with them.

The department said that the Quds Force, the IRGC’s elite foreign paramilitary and espionage arm, and Hizbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia movement, profit-ed financially by supplying Iranian oil and petroleum products, mostly to Syria, that this spring alone were worth more than $750 million.

The US sanctioned a sprawling network of firms, ships and individuals allegedly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Tightening the noose

US aims to drive Iranian oil exports to zero

16Iranian entities come

under the US sanctions along with 10 people

and 11 vessels.

Ashoora holidays Manama

His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Sal-

man Al Khalifa the Prime Minister issued a circular for Ashoora holidays. The Kingdom’s ministries, di-rectorates and public in-stitutions will be closed on Monday September 9 and Tuesday September 10.

Indirect talks beginJeddah

Yemen’s government of-ficials have started talks

with the country’s southern separatists of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Jeddah in a bid to end fight-ing in Aden and other south-ern provinces, a Yemeni offi-cial said on Wednesday.

The delegation, which land-ed in the Kingdom on Tuesday, is headed by Aidroos Al-Zu-baidi, the council’s leader.

Its arrival comes after Saudi Arabia called for talks in the Kingdom to restore calm to southern Yemen af-ter fighting between the STC and government troops last month.

Google to pay $170m fine Los Angeles

Google’s YouTube agreed on Wednesday to pay a

$170 million fine and limit ads on kids’ videos to settle claims that the company vio-lated children’s privacy laws.

The world’s largest vid-eo-sharing site agreed to pay the fine, which is a re-cord for a children’s priva-cy case, to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and New York State for failing to obtain parental consent in collecting data on kids under the age of 13, the FTC said.

See 2

02THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

The Deputy King, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, yesterday received the newly appointed Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Roderick Drummond, at Riffa Palace. The Deputy King welcomed Drummond to Bahrain, highlighting the long-standing strategic ties between Bahrain and the UK, and the importance of further advancing bilateral collaboration across all sectors to benefit both countries and their people. The Deputy King and HE Drummond reviewed a number of regional and international issues of common interest, including the key role played by the UK and other allies in upholding regional safety and stability. The Deputy King then extended his congratulations to HE Drummond for his appointment, and wished him success in his new diplomatic role.

The Deputy King, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, held his weekly majlis yesterday. Senior government officials, dignitaries and prominent members of the expatriate community attended the majlis. His Royal Highness welcomed the broad range of visitors at the weekly majlis, which demonstrates Bahrain’s commitment to rooted traditions and values, that are underpinned by His Majesty’s aspirations to maintain a strong bond amongst Bahrain’s society. The majlis visitors extended their appreciation and gratitude to His Royal Highness for hosting the majlis, and emphasised the important role His Royal Highness plays in advancing sustainable development to guarantee prosperity and opportunity for the people of Bahrain.

Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship fourth edition launched by Tamkeen

Award aims at motivating and inspiring local business owners to further contribute towards Bahrain’s economic prosperity

• Tamkeen highlighted that they will be accepting applications and nominations from enterprises from today until October 5.

Manama

Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al

Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, the La-bour Fund “Tamkeen” has an-nounced the launch of the Bah-rain Award for Entrepreneurship in its fourth edition for the year 2019-2020.

In line with the Bahrain Eco-nomic Vision 2030, the launch of the fourth edition supports the Kingdom’s efforts in further strengthening the private sector to become the main driver of eco-nomic growth.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Executive of Tamkeen, Dr Ebrahim Mohammed Janahi, said: “The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship commences for its fourth consecutive year as a result of the continued Royal directives aimed at further en-hancing the Kingdom’s economic development, through support-ing diversification efforts driven by innovation and knowledge.

“The Award’s purpose is to support the Kingdom’s com-prehensive development, in line

with the Bahrain Economic Vi-sion 2030. And as part of Tam-keen’s longstanding mission, the Award continues to bolster the private sector’s efforts in further strengthening the Kingdom’s economy, through supporting and honouring local entrepre-neurs.”

Tamkeen highlighted that they will be accepting applications and nominations from enterprises commencing on Thursday, 05 September 2019 until Saturday, 05 October 2019.

Businesses and entrepreneurs can register and nominate in the following seven categories: Mi-croenterprise of the Year, Start-up of the Year, SME of the Year, Enterprise of the Year with In-ternational Footprint, Sustaina-ble Business Award, and Female Entrepreneur of the Year.

The seventh award category is the Lifetime Achievement Award, which honours the longstanding achievements of an accomplished Bahraini entrepreneur who has had a positive influence and made significant contributions to developing Bahrain’s local econ-

omy and community.Applications and nominations

can be made through the website at www.bahrainae.com wherein an eligibility criterion is set and additional information regarding each category is available. Appli-cants are required to address a set of questions and provide in-formation related to the relevant category.

The prestigious Award was launched in 2015, under the pa-tronage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. It is a pioneer-ing national program aimed at motivating and inspiring local business owners to contribute to Bahrain’s economic prosper-ity. The Award provides a lead-ing local platform structured to enhance business innovations and promote the culture of en-trepreneurship in the Bahraini community.

The Award holds an impor-tance in developing the perfor-mance of Bahrain-based organi-sations and in further strengthen-ing the Kingdom’s entrepreneuri-al competitiveness regionally and internationally.

The fourth edition is anticipat-ed to attract a greater number of participants in the wake of the continuous growth of the entre-preneurship sector in Bahrain, along with the growing desire of local entrepreneurs to compete for the Award.

For further information re-garding the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship, visit www.bahrainae.com or social media channels @bahrainae.

The Award’s purpose is to support

the Kingdom’s comprehensive

development, in line with the Bahrain

Economic Vision 2030. DR JANAHI


Security beefed up for Ashoora processions

Interior Ministry directs security personnel to meet the requirements of mattams

• He asserted the role of the authorities and heads of mattams in the protection of the privacy of the places of worship.

• He said that the organising of religious events and occasions within secure environments will contribute to strengthening the civilised image of Bahrain.

Manama

The Interior Ministry has stepped up security measures for the peace-

ful conducting of Ashoora processions on Monday and Tuesday.

This came as Interior Min-ister, General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa re-ceived Chairman of the Jaffary Endowments Council, Yousif bin Saleh Al Saleh, members

of the Hussainiya Processions Authority and some heads of Community Centres (mattams).

Held at the Public Security Officers Club, the meeting was part of the season’s co-opera-tion and co-ordination to se-cure Ashoora season.

The minister conveyed to the attendees the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.

He asserted the freedom of worship was protected for all, in accordance with the tradi-tional values of the country and the law. Also, out of the princi-ples of the reform project of HM the King.

He said that the organising of religious events and occasions within secure environments and without legal violations contribute to strengthening the civilised image of Bahrain.

He highlighted that the Na-tional Plan to Promote the Spir-it of Belonging to the Nation

and Reinforce the Values of Nationalism, and its various initiatives had strengthened loyalty values and methods to preserve the genuine traditions of loyal Bahrainis.

“There is a need to protect our national identity and avoid anything that could harm the civic peace and social fabric,” he added.

The minister said that co-op-eration, co-ordination and part-nership between concerned bodies of Ashoora season would help in marking the occasion in the required manner.

The organisers of the reli-gious rituals should control situations by not allowing the exploitation of mattams and Hussainiya processions for goals far from the main reason

for the occasion, such as hold-ing slogans or images of reli-gious or political personalities or foreign groups.

He said that such violation is prohibited and won’t be al-lowed to take place.

He asserted the role of the au-thorities and heads of mattams in the protection of the privacy of the places of worship and to perform violation-free rituals, in order to keep the religious occasions within their spiritual nature.

He directed the security au-thorities to meet the require-ments of mattams and proces-sions and to take all required steps to protect their security and facilitate the traffic.

The attendees expressed thanks and appreciation to In-terior Minister for his co-op-eration and dedication to pro-viding all facilities for the suc-cess of the season, asserting the necessity to confront any attempt to exploit the holiness of the occasion, support aver-age religious speech and fight sectarianism to promote love and respect between Bahrainis.

Mr Al Saleh lauded the direc-tives of Interior Minister Gen-

eral Shaikh Rashid to ensure success of Ashoora season.

He praised the fruitful meet-ing held between the Interior Minister and members of the General Authority of Hussaini-ya Processions and presidents of community centres, affirm-ing that the meeting was an opportunity to co-ordinate with the officials in charge of reviv-ing Ashoora season.

He described that as an in-herited approach characteris-ing Bahrain since the antiquity within the framework of reli-gious freedom, law and public order.

The Jaffari Endowments President commended the tre-mendous efforts of the Interior Ministry to ensure success of Ashoora season, cater to the needs of the community cen-tres and take all the necessary procedures to maintain security and facilitate traffic movement.

He stressed keenness of the Jafari Endowments Directo-rate and the Directorate of the Community Centres on success of Ashoora season thanks to the efforts and co-operation of of-ficial parties, including mainly the Interior Ministry.

Workshop on VAT held Manama

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) held an

interactive VAT workshop yesterday recapping general and sector-specific VAT con-cepts, including invoicing and filing.

Fo l l o w i n g a q u e s -tion-and-answer session, 107 attendees represent-ing 59 entities were given the opportunity to visit the unique interactive de-mo-centre that provides innovative learning expe-riences to ensure effective implementation of VAT.

The workshop was a continuation of the series of workshops organised by the NBR to provide an inclusive platform for all stakeholders from the pub-lic and private sector in or-der to increase businesses’ awareness of VAT return filing procedures ahead of deadlines.

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) earlier high-lighted that the VAT regis-tration process is open for entities generating or ex-pected to generate between BD 18,750 and BD 500,000 in annual revenues.

Concerned entities that wish to register early for VAT with the NBR will have the option of choosing the date to start implementing VAT until the end of the grace period, it said in a statement issued.

The NBR stressed that collaboration and raising awareness on technical and procedural aspects of VAT are of utmost importance to ensuring the success of the VAT application process.

The NBR noted the posi-tive co-operation provided by businesses regarding the proper application of VAT, adding that more than 4,500 entities have registered for VAT since its launch within the Kingdom on 1 January 2019.

For further information, contact the Call Centre on 80008001 or email [email protected], in addition to leveraging the information available on NBR’s website (www.nbr.gov.bh), Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channel (@bahrainNBR).

There is a need to protect our national

identity and avoid anything that could harm the civic peace

and social fabric. GENERAL SHAIKH RASHID

General Shaikh Rashid chairs the meeting.

Focus on ways to boost job opportunities for Gulf nationalsMuscat

Plans to boost employment opportunities for Gulf Cooperation Council

(GCC) citizens and support for policies and plans to hire more GCC nationals across the six member states have topped the agenda of the GCC labour and social development ministers’ meeting in Muscat.

The ministers also reviewed the transformation of guid-ing mechanisms and laws into national regulations and laws to enhance joint work in the technical and specialised fields were discussed by their minis-ters in the Omani capital.

They also reviewed finalis-ing the plans of qualification, standard and professional tests in order to reduce the recruit-ment of unskilled labor and provide adequate conditions for the employment of Gulf na-tionals in the private sector.

Bahrain’s Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel Humaidan said that Bahrain

was keen on enhancing joint action within the GCC and bol-stering co-operation and the exchange of successful experi-ences and expertise.

Mr Humaidan, who led the Bahraini delegation to the meet-ing, said the GCC countries were keen on achieving sustainable developments through concerted efforts that would empower them to face regional and international economic and development chal-lenges with confidence.

SIU received 24 complaints in the second trimester of 2019

TDT | Manama

Special Investigation Unit (SIU) member Mohammed Yousif Al Zubari revealed

that the unit received 24 com-plaints during the second tri-mester of this year, stating that they ranged between torture and physical abuse.

“We have heard the statements of 29 plaintiffs and 23 witnesses, while we have questioned 30 de-fendants and suspects from the security forces. We have referred 12 plaintiffs to the forensic doctor and two others to the psychi-atrist in the unit,” he said in a statement.

He also revealed that the unit has completed its investigations in one of the cases, and based on the authority bestowed on the unit as per the decree issued

to establish it, a public securi-ty member was referred to the military court at the Ministry of Interior to punish him for the offences he committed.

According to the statement, another public security member was punished after he was tried in a case referred by the unit.

“As part of the unit’s belief in training and its importance for the development of any work,

the unit organised last July in co-operation with the United Nations Development Pro-gramme a specialised workshop on methods of criminal investi-gation and evidence collection, presented by a group of experts in this field.

“It was held at the Judicial and Legal Studies Institution for three days with the participation of the members of the unit and a number of employees of the Gen-eral Secretariat of Grievances.

“The workshop was held with the aim of exchanging ideas and visions, developing performance, gaining experience and enhanc-ing the investigation procedures of the participating parties to reach the best levels in accord-ance with the relevant interna-tional standards,” Mr Al Zubari explained.

30defendants have been

interrogated by the unit after receiving

complaints over torture and physical abuse. Mr Humaidan at the meeting.

Bahrain was keen on enhancing joint action

within the GCC and bolstering co-operation

and the exchange of successful experiences

and expertise. MR HUMAIDAN


Asian trucker held over fatal accident

Bahraini national Saif Salman was killed in the accident

• This is the second fatal accident case to be reported in one week.

• Mr Al Asfoor added that the Prosecution has ordered to detain the suspect for seven days pending investigation.

TDT | Manama

An Asian trucker was yes-terday detained over a fa-tal accident that claimed a

Bahraini national. The arrest comes a day after the

driver allegedly caused an acci-dent on Prince Khalifa bin Salman Causeway near Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Muharraq Governorate.

As a result of the accident, a Bahraini driver was announced dead on the spot, after he rammed into the 18-wheeler on the busy highway, which witnesses high traffic movement of heavy vehi-

cles on a daily basis, considering the surrounding industrial areas such as the Dry Dock and Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

The Public Prosecution yes-terday confirmed the arrest of the driver and said that he was ordered to remain behind bars for seven days while investiga-tions continue.

In the statement, Traffic Chief Prosecutor Abdulhadi Al As-foor was quoted as saying: “The Public Prosecution was notified

about the accident, which led to the death of a Bahraini national on the road leading to Khalifa Bin Salman Port.

“The details of the case indi-cate that the suspect, an Asian national, was driving a trailer on the right lane of the road. He intended to take a U-turn near a junction without paying atten-tion to the oncoming traffic.”

“When the suspect turned, the victim, who was driving on the left lane, rammed into the left

rear side of the trailer. He was stuck inside his vehicle and sus-tained severe injuries that led to his death on the accident site. His vehicle was also severely dam-aged,” Mr Al Asfoor said.

He clarified that the Prosecu-tion has interrogated the suspect and accused him of accidentally causing the death of a person, damaging private properties, careless driving and changing lanes without ensuring that the road is clear of vehicles, and risk-ing motorists’ safety.

Mr Al Asfoor added that the Prosecution has ordered to de-tain the suspect for seven days pending investigation, and to re-fer him to the concerned court.

Tribune learnt that the vic-tim was identified as Saif Salman and that his body was buried in Hunainiyah Graveyard in East Riffa yesterday.

This is the second fatal case to be reported in one week after an Asian drunk bus driver caused the death of a Bahraini motorist on Shaikh Isa Bin Salman High-way last week.

The fatal accident occurred on Prince Khalifa bin Salman Causeway.

Dead whale pulled to shore by coast guards

TDT | Manama

A dead whale that float-ed in the waters off the northwest coast of the

Kingdom was yesterday pulled to the shore.

A team formed by the Coast Guard and the Supreme Coun-cil for Environment (SCE) removed the carcass of the 16-meter whale, which was found six kilometres off the coast of Salman City in the Northern Governorate.

Acting Director of Biodi-versity in SCE, Noof Al Wasmi stated that the carcass is of a Baleen whale, aka whalebone whales, which are the largest species in the Arabian Gulf area.

She explained that these whales grow up to 30 metres in length and that they have no teeth, as they are filter-feeders that filter the food from the

seawater.As Tribune reported yes-

terday, seafarers have been warned by the Coast Guard Command to avoid sailing in the area, where the whale’s carcass was spotted, consider-ing their safety.

Increasing numbers of car-casses of many sea creatures including whales, dolphins, turtles and more, have washed ashore on the Kingdom’s beaches of late.

Environmentalists and na-ture-lovers have warned of the repetition of such incidents, blaming it on harmful fishing methods and wrong behav-iours of some fishermen that destroys the marine environ-ment.

As the carcass was pulled to the shore, several footage surfaced online showing many clicking pictures while riding on the floating carcass of the huge sea creature.

Fifty-second ASEAN anniversary observedTDT | Manama

The Embassy of the Repub-lic of Indonesia in Mana-ma organised a raising flag

ceremony to commemorate the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Day and cele-bration of the 52nd Anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN.

ASEAN is a regional intergov-ernmental organisation which was established by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand on 8 August 1967 with the signing of ASEAN Dec-laration.

Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and My-anmar on 23 July 1997, and Cam-bodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Mem-ber States of ASEAN. The ASEAN Secretariat is located at Jakarta,

the capital city of Indonesia and ASEAN.

ASEAN promotes intergovern-mental cooperation in politi-

cal-security, economic as well as socio-cultural integration. Enhancing cooperative relations between ASEAN and the GCC

including Bahrain are very im-portant in order for preserving peace and prosperity and provide a high-standard of living for peo-

ple of both regions. The Ambassadors of Indone-

sia, Malaysia, Kingdom of Thai-land and the Philippines, as well

as Charge d’Affaires of Brunei Darussalam accredited to the Kingdom of Bahrain, along with the diplomatic staff of the re-spective Embassies, attended the ceremony.

Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Undersecre-tary of the Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain; Shaikh Daij bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chairman and members of ASE-AN Bahrain Council as well as the representatives and leader of each ASEAN member’s com-munity resident in Bahrain, has participated in this event.

The ceremony was concluded by cutting tumpeng rice (nasi tumpeng) followed by hospi-tality reception for all partici-pants. Marking the occasion, all the embassies also provided and promoted their countries’ tradi-tional food and snacks.

The carcass was pulled to the shore by a team of Coast Guard and SCE personnel.

Many envoys, dignitaries and government officials attended the event.

Bahrain’s labour, anti-trafficking in persons laws praised Manama

The British Ambassador to Bahrain, Roddy Drum-mond, has praised the

systems and laws adopted by the Kingdom, represented by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) and the Na-tional Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, to ensure the rights of work parties, and protect the rights of expatriate workers, stressing that the legal guarantees provided to them are consistent with international conventions and treaties.

He stressed that the King-dom’s laws and efforts have re-

flected positively on its standing in the field of expatriate work-

force protection.This came as LMRA’s Chief

Executive Officer and Chairman of the National Committee to

Combat Trafficking in Persons, Ausamah Al Absi, received yes-terday the newly-appointed UK Ambassador to Bahrain.

Mr Al Absi wished the new ambassador every success in carrying out his duties so as to enhance the two Kingdoms’ re-lations and cooperation in vari-ous fields, including labour laws and anti-trafficking in persons.

He briefed the envoy about the idea behind LMRA’s establish-ment and the role it is playing, noting that it is one the econom-ic reform projects as it regulates the relationship between the production parties and deliv-ers high-quality official services

that contribute to revitalising the national economy.

In this regard, he highlight-ed the executive steps taken to reform the local labour market over the past years.

The meeting also discussed the efforts being exerted by the Kingdom in combating traffick-ing in persons, as well as its plans to maintain its leadership in this field.

It also focused on the role that could be played by Bahrain to transfer its expertise and ex-perience to other countries of the region, being a pioneering role model for combating such a crime.

Mr Al Absi receives Mr Drummond.

05

world

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

The government will formally withdraw the bill in order to fully allay public concerns

CARRIE LAM

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF HONG KONG

We urge the world too to (be) alert

this tactic and not to be deceived by

HK and Beijing Govt. They have

conceded nothing in fact, and a full-

scale clampdown is on the way.

JOSHUA WONG, A PROMINENT ACTIVIST

I’m very grateful to my close friend Vladimir Putin for this opportunity. We have reached a

new stage in collaborationNARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER

Hong Kong withdraws extradition bill• Millions of people have taken to Hong Kong’s streets since June

• Hong Kong’s stock market climbed nearly four percent

AFP | Hong Kong

An extradition bill that triggered three months o f u n p r e c e d e n t e d

pro-democracy rallies in Hong Kong will be withdrawn, the city’s leader announced yester-day, bowing to one of the pro-testers’ five key demands.

Millions of people have taken to Hong Kong’s streets since June in the biggest challenge to China’s rule of semi-autono-mous Hong Kong since its hand-over from the British in 1997.

After refusing for months to withdraw the bill, which aimed to allow extraditions of crimi-nal suspects to mainland China, Carrie Lam finally conceded as she called for calm.

“The government will formal-ly withdraw the bill in order to fully allay public concerns,” Lam said in a video statement released via her office.

Initial reports in the local me-dia flagging Lam’s announce-ment raised hopes that giving in to the extradition demand could help end the crisis.

Hong Kong’s stock market climbed nearly four percent in afternoon trade after the reports emerged.

But those hopes were quickly tempered, with pro-democra-cy activists voicing anger and

determination to press on with their broader democracy cam-paign.

“Too little, too late,” said Josh-

ua Wong, a prominent activist who was arrested late last week as part of a police swoop of lead-ing pro-democracy figures.

“We urge the world too to (be) alert this tactic and not to be de-ceived by HK and Beijing Govt. They have conceded nothing in fact, and a full-scale clampdown is on the way.”

The protests began as opposi-tion to efforts by Lam’s govern-ment to introduce the extradi-tion legislation, which was seen as another erosion of the liber-ties enjoyed in Hong Kong com-pared with in mainland China.

After millions of people took to the streets, Lam suspended efforts to have the legislation passed but infuriated protesters by repeatedly refusing to for-mally withdraw it.

The movement also evolved into a much broader campaign to include demands for an in-dependent inquiry into alleged police brutality against the pro-

testers, and an amnesty for those arrested.

Another demand was for Hong Kongers to be able to di-rectly elect their leaders -- a ma-jor red line for Beijing.

Protester angerOnline message forums used

by the largely leaderless de-mocracy movement were on Wednesday filled with angry comments saying bill’s with-drawal would not end the pro-tests.

“More than 1,000 people have been arrested, countless in-jured,” one widely shared mes-sage on the Telegram messaging app read.

“Five major demands, not one less. Liberate HK, revolution now,” it added.

For much of the past three months Lam has struck a defiant tone, appearing either unwilling or unable to make any conces-sions.

Then an audio recording emerged this week of her telling business leaders she revealed the influence of Beijing, which viewed the protests as a national security and sovereignty issue.

In the audio recording, Lam said she wanted to quit and take responsibility for triggering the unrest with the extradition plans, but that she was ham-strung by Beijing.

“For a chief executive to have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable,” an emotional Lam said in the audio recording, which was obtained by the Reuters news agency.

“If I have a choice,” she said, speaking in English, “the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology.”

But after the audio recording was released, Lam held a press conference on Tuesday to insist she had never contemplated re-signing.

Putin, Modi vow to boost military, trade ties• The leaders met on the first day of Russia’s economic forum in the Pacific coast city of Vladivostok

AFP | Vladivostok, Russia

Indian Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi praised his “close

friend” Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday as the pair said they would work to boost military, trade and energy ties.

The leaders met on the first day of Russia’s economic forum in the Pacific coast city of Vlad-ivostok, an annual event since 2015 as Moscow looks to bolster relations with Asia amid ten-sions with the West.

“I’m very grateful to my close friend Vladimir Putin for this opportunity,” Modi said at a press conference following talks and a tour of a naval shipyard.

“We have reached a new stage in collaboration,” he said, adding that the pair discussed “unprec-edented” mutual investment in oil and gas industries.

A joint statement called for cooperation in military and technological spheres, with the

possibility of creating joint ven-tures in India to develop and

manufacture civilian aircraft.It also called for a reorganisa-

tion of the UN Security Council to reflect the “global realities” of a multipolar world.

For his part, Putin hailed his “great friend, Mr Modi” and said India was “our strategic part-ner.”

“Special attention was paid to trade and economic coop-

eration in the talks,” he said, though details of major trade deals were not immediately announced.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was also to visit Vladivostok, along with Mon-golian President Khaltmaa Bat-tulga and Malaysian Prime Min-ister Mahathir Mohamad.

But Putin was spending most of his time on Wednesday with Modi, who in an interview ahead of the meeting spoke of the “spe-cial chemistry” he shared with the Russian leader.

“With each meeting with President Putin, we get closer and our relationship grows,” he told the newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Modi pointed out that mu-tual ties also extend to nature, as every year “Siberian cranes migrate to my home state Guja-rat”. The Indian leader said he wanted to discuss tiger conser-vation with Putin, a lover of big cats.

After shaking hands warmly on Modi’s arrival, the two men boarded a Russian navy patrol ship and headed to the Zvezda shipyard about 40 kilometres (25 miles) across a bay from Vladivostok.

Arms dealsIndia is a key client for Rus-

sia’s arms industry and trade between the two countries amounted to approximately $11 billion in 2018.

Russia and India in 2015 signed a $1 billion agreement to jointly make Kamov Ka-226 military helicopters, part of the “Make in India” initiative to encourage foreign companies to manufacture their products there. But the deal has been pushed back repeatedly.

A major global arms importer looking to modernise its armed forces, India is keen to produce more on its own soil, and in March launched a joint venture with Russia to manufacture AK-203 assault rifles.

Rostec, the umbrella corpo-ration that controls Kamov, is “hopeful” that the summit can kickstart the helicopter project, its director for international co-operation, Viktor Kladov, said last week.

India last year purchased the Russian S-400 advanced air de-fence systems for over $5 billion, with deliveries to be made by 2023, defying US warnings of sanctions on countries buying Russian arms.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) says he enjoys a “special” relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin

New fuel to get sea freight environmentally shipshape

Paris

Tens of thousands of cargo ships will have

to start using less polluting fuels in January, a boon for the environment that could however lead to higher bills for consumers.

The International Mari-time Organization decided in 2016 that the sulphur lev-els in fuels for ships would have to fall to 0.5 percent in 2020, compared to 3.5 percent currently.

The idea is to reduce the emission of highly toxic sulphur dioxide -- a health hazard also responsible for causing acid rain -- by the nearly 80,000 cargo ships which ply the seas deliver-ing raw materials and mer-chandise.

The shipping industry is critical to the global econo-my but the pollution it gen-erates is estimated to cause 400,000 premature deaths and 14 million cases of asth-ma among children per year, according to a 2018 article in the magazine Nature.

As ships seek comply with the new fuel regulations the oil industry will need to make a major shift


Report crowns Vienna ‘most liveable city’ for second yearAFP | Vienna

The Austrian capital Vien-na has retained its rank-ing as the world’s most

liveable city, according to an an-nual report from the Economist.

Vienna once again came ahead of Melbourne -- which had held the top ranking for seven years until losing it to Vienna in 2018 -- according to a report by the Economist In-telligence Unit (EIU) released yesterday.

The top two were followed by Sydney, Osaka and Calgary.

Each year the EIU gives 140 cities scores out of 100 on a range of factors such as liv-ing standards, crime, trans-port infrastructure, access to education and healthcare, as well as political and economic stability.

Vienna -- known for its con-venient public transport, re-freshing Alpine tap water and varied cultural life -- scored 99.1 points out of 100, as it did last year.

“Western Europe and North America continue to be the most liveable regions in the world,” the EIU said in a press release.

Europe claimed eight of the top 20 spots, with cities in Ja-pan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada making up the rest.

However, the City of Light, Paris, dropped six places to

25th due to the anti-govern-ment “yellow vest” protests --

images of which went around the world.

For the first time, the index noted the effects of climate change on liveability, with New Delhi and Cairo plunging in the rankings to 118th and 125th place respectively due to “poor air quality, undesirable average temperatures and inadequate water provision”.

“We expect problems relat-ing to climate change to put in-creasing pressure on liveability scores in the coming years and for the number of cities affected to grow,” Agathe Demarais of the EIU said.

Improvements in liveability that had taken place in emerging markets’ cities in recent years -- thanks to greater stability as well as better education and healthcare -- “are under se-rious threat from an increas-ingly adverse climate,” she said.

London and New York rank 48th and 58th respectively as they continue to struggle under the perceptions of the risk of crime and terrorism and over-stretched infrastructure.

The least liveable cities were Karachi, Tripoli, Dhaka, Lagos and, at the very bottom, Damas-cus.

Vienna also won top place in another survey, the annual quality of living index by hu-man resources consulting firm Mercer, for the 10th time in a row in 2019.

Vienna is known for its convenient public transport, refreshing Alpine tap water and varied cultural life

Vienna also won top place in the annual quality of living index by human resources consulting firm Mercer

India names leaders of two groups as terrorists

• The Home Ministry named Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, as terrorists

AP | New Delhi

India officially declared yes-terday that the leaders of

two Pakistan-based militant groups are terrorists under a new law.

T h e H o m e M i n i s t r y named Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, as terrorists under the amended Unlawful Activities (Preven-tion) Amendment Act.

Azhar’s name has already been placed by the United Nations on a sanctions black-list after his group claimed responsibility for a February suicide attack in Indian-con-

trolled Kashmir that killed 40 Indian soldiers and took the two neighbors close to war.

The United Nations in May imposed a travel ban and freeze on Azhar’s assets as well as an arms embargo.

Saeed, an anti-India cler-ic, runs a charity in Pakistan known as Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The charity is widely believed to serve as a front for Lash-kar-e-Taiba, the group blamed for attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that killed 166 people.

The new law empowers the government to designate an individual as a terrorist if he is found committing, preparing for, promoting or involved in an act of terror. The designation can lead to their arrest, a freezing of as-sets and a ban on leaving the country.

Pakistan also has cracked down on seminaries, mosques and hospitals belonging to outlawed groups, saying the actions are part of its efforts to fight terrorism, extremism and militancy.

British PM demands October 15 election

Reuters | London

British Prime Minister Bo-ris Johnson yesterday de-

manded an Oct. 15 snap elec-tion after lawmakers seeking to prevent a no-deal Brexit dealt him a humiliating defeat in parliament which he cast as an attempt to surrender to the European Union.

Parliament’s move leaves Brexit up in the air, with pos-sible outcomes ranging from a turbulent no-deal exit to aban-doning the whole endeavour - both outcomes would be un-acceptable to swathes of the United Kingdom’s voters.

An alliance of opposition lawmakers backed by 21 rebels from Johnson’s Conservative Party defeated the government on Tuesday on a motion allow-ing them to try to pass a law which would force a three-month extension to Britain’s EU exit date.

Johnson cast the rebellion as an attempt to surrender to the EU, vowed never to de-lay Brexit beyond Oct. 31 and challenged opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to agree to an Oct. 15 election.

“Can I invite the leader of the opposition to confirm, when he stands up shortly, that if that surrender bill is passed, he will allow the people of this country to have their view on what he is proposing to hand over in their name with an election on October the 15th,” Johnson told parliament.

However, needing the back-ing of two-thirds of lawmakers, Johnson’s bid for an election is set to be initially thwarted as opposition parties are united in wanting to prevent a no-deal Brexit before agreeing to a vote.

Johnson said his strategy was to get a Brexit deal by an EU summit on Oct. 17 and “get Brexit done”. He said the British government was mak-ing substantial progress and would succeed in removing the Irish border backstop.

The showdown between prime minister and parlia-ment continues on Wednesday with a dizzying array of events planned including a vote on the attempt to block no deal, a vote on Johnson’s election bid and weekly questions to the prime minister.

As the three-year Brexit cri-sis approaches a crescendo, the United Kingdom was edging towards an election as most British politicians see no other way to break the impasse.

One scenario is for opposi-tion parties to defeat Johnson’s bid for an election until they have passed their bill blocking a no-deal Brexit. Once in law, opposition parties could then agree to an election.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks in the House of Commons in London, Britai

Afghan raises new concerns about Taliban deal• US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad showed the draft of the US-Taliban deal to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week

AP | Kabul, Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s government yesterday expressed new

concerns about a deal that a US envoy says has been reached “in principle” with the Taliban on ending America’s longest war, asking for clarifications about the agreement and its risks in order to avoid “unpleasant con-sequences.”

The statement by presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said the Afghan government shares

the concerns raised by several former US ambassadors to Af-

ghanistan.The former ambassadors’

joint statement on Tuesday warned that a full US troop with-drawal that moves too quickly and without requiring the Tali-ban to meet certain conditions, such as reducing violence, could lead to “total civil war.”

“Some of the details of the US-TB agreement need serious debate and revision,” Afghan presidential adviser Waheed Omer said on Twitter, without elaborating.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad showed the draft of the US-Tal-iban deal to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani earlier this week, saying it only needs President Donald Trump’s approval. Khal-ilzad’s ninth round of talks with the militant group in Qatar end-ed over the weekend.

Khali lzad also revealed

that 5,000 US troops would withdraw from five bases in Af-ghanistan within 135 days of a final deal on ending nearly 18 years of fighting. Between 14,000 and 13,000 troops are currently in the country.

The Taliban, at their strong-est since their 2001 defeat by a U.S.-led invasion, want all of the approximately 20,000 U.S. and NATO troops out of Afghani-stan immediately, while the U.S. seeks a withdrawal in phases that would depend on the Tali-ban meeting certain conditions such as a reduction in violence.

The US also seeks Taliban guarantees that they will not allow Afghanistan to become a haven from which extremist groups such as al-Qaida and the local affiliate of the Islamic State group can launch global attacks.

Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad

Guns drawn over chicken sandwich• Popeye’s new sandwich was launched on August 12

Washington

A man drew a gun in a Popeyes fast-food restau-

rant in Houston, Texas after learning it was out of a chicken sandwich that has been all the rage since being introduced last month, police said.

A group of five adults and a baby pulled up in a car at a

Popeyes drive-in window Mon-day night to order the chain’s hit new sandwich.

Told there were no more, they went into the restaurant and one of them drew a gun on em-ployees, Houston police said on Twitter. By the time the po-lice arrived, the group had fled without further trouble.

But the incident underscored the sensation created by Pop-eye’s new sandwich, which was launched August 12 to compete with a popular Chick-fil-A of-fering amid an intense publicity and social media campaign.

The rivalry has led to runs on

Popeyes that have depleted its stock of the sandwich in some of its stores.

Craig Barr of Tennessee filed suit over the shortage, accus-ing the Louisiana-inspired fried chicken chain of false and de-ceptive advertising, the Chat-tanooga Times Free Press re-ported. Barr is seeking $5,000 in damages for all the time he says he’s wasted driving to Popeyes outlets.

“I can’t get happy; I have this sandwich on my mind. I can’t think straight,” Barr told the newspaper. “It just consumes you.”A Popeyes restaurant

Lawmakers backed by 21 rebels from John-son’s Conservative Party defeated the

government

SEP 5-11, 2019 ISSUE NO.343 DT SUPPLEMENT WWW.WEEKENDERBAHRAIN.COM

Eating out Nightlife & Music

K HOTEL LAUNCHES NEWLY REFURBISHED K LOUNGE PAGE 8

THAI BUDDHA BOWL PAGE 8 THE ART OF FILMMAKING PAGE 9

IT FLOATS! IT ENDS! IT…UNDERWHELMS! PAGE 10

WHAT: CARRIBEAN NIGHTWHEN: SEPTEMBER 06WHERE: Z LOUNGE CLUBSavor the relaxed island life at Z Lounge Club with this creatively themed Caribbean night. Tuck into some mouth-watering dishes from a wide variety of Caribbean cuisine. DJs Guy and MCPJ will keep you on your feet all evening with the soulful Caribbean tunes of soca and calypso music. Join in the fun anytime between 9 pm and 2 am. Free entry for couples and ladies and the dress code is smart casual.

WHAT: LADIES NIGHTWHEN: SEPTEMBER 11WHERE: MCGETTIGAN’S IRISH PUBLadies are served four free drinks between 6 PM and 1 AM, from one of the best selections on the island. The resident band ROADHITS will play music all night, filling the floor with music of all genres.

WHAT: HIP HOP NIGHTWHEN: SEPTEMBER 10WHERE: Z LOUNGE CLUBThis night offers more than just your typical evening out. Enjoy the best of hip-hop, RnB and commercial tunes as you bring the enthusiasm back into your Tuesdays. Expect something varied and unpredictable as you dance the night away from 9 pm onwards.

Forever Home Hopefuls Every week, Weekender, in collaboration with the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), will showcase two adorable fur babies who are looking for their Forever Homes.

Ready to take them home?

MALIA

Type: CatBreed: HimalayanColour: Tan/White/GrayGender: FemaleAge: 1 year 1 month

Malia is a lovey Himalayan kittie that likes to silently keep to herself and steal your body warmth as she snuggles up to you. She is also very affectionate and is great at cheering you up after a long or stressful day, with her beautiful eyes and soft nature. Malia gets along well with all of her pen buddies and would love to relax in a nice home environment, where she can just be her usual friendly self. Malia is neutered and fully vaccinated.

PELA

Type: DogBreed: Pitbull MixColour: TanGender: FemaleAge: 1 year

Pela, just like her gorgeous brother Pablo, is a very calm, clean and quiet Pit Bull mix. She has an amazing character and is loved by all the volunteers. This little princess is eagerly awaiting her forever home, where she can focus all of her efforts on being a best friend and companion to her family. Her stout build also makes her great to hug and cuddle with. Due to her friendly nature, she became one of the favorite among our staff and volunteers. Pela is neutered, tick-treated and fully vaccinated.

WHAT: DEGUSTATION DINNER WHEN: 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM, 07:00 PM - 11:00 PM, SEPTEMBERWHERE: PLUMSExperience a sensory journey through a 5-course tasting menu with an optional blind beverage pairing. Perfect for culinary enthusiasts and couples or friends seeking an exciting dining experience.

WHAT: MAMMA MIA MONDAYS WHEN: 07:00 PM - 11:00 PM, MONDAYSWHERE: PRIMAVERAStart the week with Italian favorites at Primavera. This season, let us entice your palate with a new menu featuring a selection of traditional pizza and pasta.

WHAT: SEAFOOD FESTIVAL AT LA MEDWHEN: 07:00 PM TO 10:30 PM, MONDAYSWHERE: LA MED, RITZ CARLTON, BAHRAINThe Ocean’s finest bounty is served and your favorite catch of the day is prepared in a variety of ways - grilled, steamed, fried or poached - from the buffet spread and live cooking stations.

You MakeToday BetterSeptember 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day,

a day to spread awareness about the various things we can do for the people around us, the very real epidemic that suicide is, and the

multitude of means where one can find help to overcome the tendency or situation. Suicide prevention remains a universal challenge. Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally, for people of all ages. It is responsible for over 800,000 deaths, which brings it to one suicide every 40 seconds. Every life lost represents someone’s partner, child, parent, friend or colleague. For each suicide, approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. This amounts to 108 million people per year who are profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviour. Suicidal behaviour includes suicide, and also

encompasses suicidal ideation and suicide

attempts. For every suicide, 25 people make a suicide attempt and many

more have

serious thoughts of

suicide.

These are numbers,

these are facts.

These are

people around you, your near and dear ones, maybe this is you. The most common reasons for suicide are classified as depression, failure, disillusionment, bullying, trauma, and even genetic factors.As helpless as the thought of someone taking their won life in a moment when you have your back turned to them leaves you, there are things everybody can do, to make a difference. As a member of society, as a child, parent, friend, colleague, life partner, anything, you can make a difference. Educating yourself about the signs of impending suicidal behaviour would be a good start. Educate your fellow beings as you go along. If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to prevent suicide. Access to good mental healthcare, a prompt and active suicide helpline, and close friends, family or other figures of support plays a pivotal role in preventing suicides. Bahrain provides excellent and free mental health care for all its residents and has now set up centres for expats to approach for help, following the recent spate of suicides.

Suicidal behaviour is universal, knows no boundaries so it affects everyone. The millions of

people affected each year by suicidal behaviour have exclusive insight and unique voices. Their experiences are invaluable for informing suicide prevention measures and influencing the provision of supports for suicidal people and those around them. The involvement of people with lived experience of suicide in research, evaluation and intervention should be central to the work of every organisation addressing suicidal behaviour.This year, World Suicide Prevention Day’s theme is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide”.

SEP 5-11, 2019 ISSUE NO.343 DT SUPPLEMENT WWW.WEEKENDERBAHRAIN.COM

Eating out Nightlife & Music

K HOTEL LAUNCHES NEWLY REFURBISHED K LOUNGE PAGE 8

THAI BUDDHA BOWL PAGE 8 THE ART OF FILMMAKING PAGE 9

IT FLOATS! IT ENDS! IT…UNDERWHELMS! PAGE 10

WHAT: CARRIBEAN NIGHTWHEN: SEPTEMBER 06WHERE: Z LOUNGE CLUBSavor the relaxed island life at Z Lounge Club with this creatively themed Caribbean night. Tuck into some mouth-watering dishes from a wide variety of Caribbean cuisine. DJs Guy and MCPJ will keep you on your feet all evening with the soulful Caribbean tunes of soca and calypso music. Join in the fun anytime between 9 pm and 2 am. Free entry for couples and ladies and the dress code is smart casual.

WHAT: LADIES NIGHTWHEN: SEPTEMBER 11WHERE: MCGETTIGAN’S IRISH PUBLadies are served four free drinks between 6 PM and 1 AM, from one of the best selections on the island. The resident band ROADHITS will play music all night, filling the floor with music of all genres.

WHAT: HIP HOP NIGHTWHEN: SEPTEMBER 10WHERE: Z LOUNGE CLUBThis night offers more than just your typical evening out. Enjoy the best of hip-hop, RnB and commercial tunes as you bring the enthusiasm back into your Tuesdays. Expect something varied and unpredictable as you dance the night away from 9 pm onwards.

Forever Home Hopefuls Every week, Weekender, in collaboration with the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), will showcase two adorable fur babies who are looking for their Forever Homes.

Ready to take them home?

MALIA

Type: CatBreed: HimalayanColour: Tan/White/GrayGender: FemaleAge: 1 year 1 month

Malia is a lovey Himalayan kittie that likes to silently keep to herself and steal your body warmth as she snuggles up to you. She is also very affectionate and is great at cheering you up after a long or stressful day, with her beautiful eyes and soft nature. Malia gets along well with all of her pen buddies and would love to relax in a nice home environment, where she can just be her usual friendly self. Malia is neutered and fully vaccinated.

PELA

Type: DogBreed: Pitbull MixColour: TanGender: FemaleAge: 1 year

Pela, just like her gorgeous brother Pablo, is a very calm, clean and quiet Pit Bull mix. She has an amazing character and is loved by all the volunteers. This little princess is eagerly awaiting her forever home, where she can focus all of her efforts on being a best friend and companion to her family. Her stout build also makes her great to hug and cuddle with. Due to her friendly nature, she became one of the favorite among our staff and volunteers. Pela is neutered, tick-treated and fully vaccinated.

WHAT: DEGUSTATION DINNER WHEN: 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM, 07:00 PM - 11:00 PM, SEPTEMBERWHERE: PLUMSExperience a sensory journey through a 5-course tasting menu with an optional blind beverage pairing. Perfect for culinary enthusiasts and couples or friends seeking an exciting dining experience.

WHAT: MAMMA MIA MONDAYS WHEN: 07:00 PM - 11:00 PM, MONDAYSWHERE: PRIMAVERAStart the week with Italian favorites at Primavera. This season, let us entice your palate with a new menu featuring a selection of traditional pizza and pasta.

WHAT: SEAFOOD FESTIVAL AT LA MEDWHEN: 07:00 PM TO 10:30 PM, MONDAYSWHERE: LA MED, RITZ CARLTON, BAHRAINThe Ocean’s finest bounty is served and your favorite catch of the day is prepared in a variety of ways - grilled, steamed, fried or poached - from the buffet spread and live cooking stations.

You MakeToday BetterSeptember 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day,

a day to spread awareness about the various things we can do for the people around us, the very real epidemic that suicide is, and the

multitude of means where one can find help to overcome the tendency or situation. Suicide prevention remains a universal challenge. Every year, suicide is among the top 20 leading causes of death globally, for people of all ages. It is responsible for over 800,000 deaths, which brings it to one suicide every 40 seconds. Every life lost represents someone’s partner, child, parent, friend or colleague. For each suicide, approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. This amounts to 108 million people per year who are profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviour. Suicidal behaviour includes suicide, and also

encompasses suicidal ideation and suicide

attempts. For every suicide, 25 people make a suicide attempt and many

more have

serious thoughts of

suicide.

These are numbers,

these are facts.

These are

people around you, your near and dear ones, maybe this is you. The most common reasons for suicide are classified as depression, failure, disillusionment, bullying, trauma, and even genetic factors.As helpless as the thought of someone taking their won life in a moment when you have your back turned to them leaves you, there are things everybody can do, to make a difference. As a member of society, as a child, parent, friend, colleague, life partner, anything, you can make a difference. Educating yourself about the signs of impending suicidal behaviour would be a good start. Educate your fellow beings as you go along. If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to prevent suicide. Access to good mental healthcare, a prompt and active suicide helpline, and close friends, family or other figures of support plays a pivotal role in preventing suicides. Bahrain provides excellent and free mental health care for all its residents and has now set up centres for expats to approach for help, following the recent spate of suicides.

Suicidal behaviour is universal, knows no boundaries so it affects everyone. The millions of

people affected each year by suicidal behaviour have exclusive insight and unique voices. Their experiences are invaluable for informing suicide prevention measures and influencing the provision of supports for suicidal people and those around them. The involvement of people with lived experience of suicide in research, evaluation and intervention should be central to the work of every organisation addressing suicidal behaviour.This year, World Suicide Prevention Day’s theme is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide”.

8 ISSUE 343 WWW.WEEKENDERBAHRAIN.COM

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The K Hotel has launched its newly refurbished K Lounge for exclusive guests, corporate and media partners. Managing Director Faisal Kanoo inaugurated the lounge by cutting a ribbon along with the CEO of Gulf Hotels Group Garfield Jones, Director Operation Nils Axing and the hotel General Manager Hussain Al Samahiji. Earlier, guests were welcomed and greeted by K Hotel Sales and Marketing team with fun and quirky props to

take pictures with fancy poses and friends. The instant-prints, packaged in corporate-branded frames designed and printed from scratch, were delivered by members of the Sales and Marketing team to the guests. Perks at the K Lounge include complimentary beverages, coffee, tea and snacks throughout the evening. Guests were later treated to in-house beverages and gourmet hors d’oeuvres. The newly renovated K Lounge at the hotel’s lobby, K Hotel said, assures discerning business travelers with attentive yet discreet service and privacy along with an ideal space for relaxation and the facilities to organize group gatherings. Divided into two zones which are the Lounge, The Live entertainment with heavy music and the other side offers a versatile space for the guests’ relaxation, said the K Hotel in a statement.

K Hotel Launches Newly Refurbished K Lounge

Plant-Based Protein Best for High Cholesterol A study published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition sparked interest when it reported that red and white meat have a similar effect on low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol, which is associated with increased heart disease risk. You may conclude, “Well, if chicken is just as bad for my cholesterol as red meat, I may as well order that burger.”But let’s examine the study more closely before drawing any conclusions.

Red meat, white meat, or non-meat?The study examined whether cholesterol levels differed after consuming diets high in red meat compared with diets with similar amounts of protein from white meat or non-meat sources (legumes, nuts, grains, and soy products). It also studied whether the results were affected by the amount of saturated fat in each of the diets.One hundred and thirteen healthy men and women, ages 21 to 65, participated in the study. Each study participant was randomly assigned to either a high- or low-saturated fat diet. Then, for four weeks each, and in varying orders, they consumed protein from either red meat, white meat, or non-meat sources.

White meat has same effect as red meat on cholesterol levelsThe study found that LDL cholesterol was significantly higher after consuming the red meat and white meat diets, compared with the non-meat diet. This result was found regardless of whether the diet was high or low in saturated fat, though the high-saturated fat diets had a larger harmful effect on LDL cholesterol levels than the low-saturated fat diets. High-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol was unaffected by the protein source.

Though striking, the study has a number of limitations. The size of the study, 113 participants, was small; the duration was short (only 16 weeks); and there was a relatively high participant dropout rate. The study also did not include processed meats such as sausage, cold cuts, or bacon, which are known to be particularly harmful for heart health, or grass-fed beef, which is often touted as a healthier red meat option.

Focus on plant-based proteinAn important point that might be getting lost in the red meat versus white meat conversation is the beneficial effects of non-meat protein sources on cholesterol levels. As the study authors state, “The present findings are consistent with … earlier studies of primarily plant-based, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, or vegan dietary patterns reporting significantly lower total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol concentrations than diets including animal protein.”Plant-based diets can provide all the necessary protein for optimal health.

Lentils Black beansChickpeasKidney Black eyed peas Pinto beans Soybeans TofuNutsPeanut butter Flaxseeds Sesame seeds Barley (uncooked)Bulgur (uncooked)Millet (uncooked) Quinoa (uncooked)

1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 1/2 cup 2 tablespoons 3 tablespoons 3 tablespoons 1/4 cup 1/4 cup1/4 cup 1/4 cup

9 8 7 87 7 1410 5–78 5 5 6 4 66

115114135113112117150183160–200190150156160120190160

Thai Buddha BowlFashion, food, and everything else are all

influenced by each other and anything that’s trending at the moment. Right now, fitness for the sake of health is

in, and have brought various superfoods into our lives. Like quinoa everything and charcoal lemonades. Here is a buddha bowl, which is a vegetarian meal consisting of different parts all served in one platter, often cold. To find out how best they help you, hop on over to the wellness column, and then treat yourself to this delicious and Insta-friendly meal!

INGREDIENTS

300g firm tofu, well-drained and patted dry1/2 cup uncooked brown riceroughly 2 tbsp fresh herbs such as cilantro, basil, and mint, minced6 baby bok choy, halved1 medium carrot, julienne cut or spiralizedsliced avocado1 green onion, thinly sliced, white and light green parts1 tbsp black and white sesame seeds, to garnishpeanuts, to garnish

Peanut Marinade/Dressing:

3 tbsp natural peanut butter2 tbsp lime juice1 tbsp each sriracha sauce and tamari2 cloves garlic1/2″ knob peeled fresh gingerpinch of stevia or about 1 tsp maple syrupabout 6 tbsp water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. As early as possible (the day before is perfect), drain the tofu and press as much water out of it as possible.

2. Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes.3. In a blender or food processor, whirl together all the in-

gredients for the marinade/dressing. Pour it into a jar or other container.

4. Put the tofu cubes in a bowl or resealable bag along with about half of the peanut sauce. Marinate for 30 mins, or overnight for best results.

5. Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

6. Scatter the marinated tofu pieces out onto the parchment in a single layer. Bake for 30 mins or until crispy and golden, flipping after about 15 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions. 8. Lightly steam the bok choy for 2-3 minutes or until bright

green 9. Chop all other ingredients as indicated above.10. When the rice is ready, mix in the fresh herbs and divide

it between 2 bowls. Followed by the steamed bok choy, carrots and sliced avocado.

11. Distribute the tofu between the two bowls and top with green onion, sesame seeds, and crushed peanuts.

WEEKENDERBAHRAIN WEEKENDER_BH 9

A guitarist and composer originally, Jason Carter is an acclaimed musician and filmmaker whose works have gained global recognition. Most recently, his documentary ‘Grain of Sand’ which is a journey into

the heart of the music of pearl divers in Bahrain premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival 2018. Weekender sat down with the man himself for a chat about succeeding in the field of filmmaking.

W. What inspired you to become a filmmaker?JC. I sort of walked into it slowly. I was a musician for 25 years, still am. I began making music videos for myself and others for fun, and that’s when I realized that I had an eye for framing things and editing. Editing is all about rhythm and color, and after about 20 or 30 music videos, I had the idea to make some documentaries. We embarked on the project of Grain of Sand in 2013, I was the producer-director and presenter. I ended up editing the documentary too because I saw the direction it needed to go in. This was my first edit of a narrative. After this process of filmmaking, I was approached by quite a few clients, and that is how I got into filmmaking. It was a course that took its own shape rather than something I pushed into being. Since 2015, I’ve been working with films. So we do a mix of commercials projects, creative projects, and our own documentary projects which are about telling stories and showing stories.

W. Who would you call our role models?JC. In terms of role models, I value creative storytelling. So the first person I’d mention would be Wim Wenders, a German filmmaker who has made some amazing movies like ‘Wings of Desire’, ‘Buena Vista Social Club’. His eye and the way he tells stories in quite a beautiful way has always been inspiring. The narrative he uses and the character he uses are amazing. He mostly makes movies, but he has also made a couple of documentaries. One of them is Buena Vista Social Club which is about bringing old musicians together after forty or fifty years, in Cuba. Another one of my favorite filmmakers is M. Night Shyamalan. He made The Sixth Sense, The Village, and Lady in the Water. I love his movies because it is generally about a group of people from bizarre backgrounds coming together for a good cause, and that is a very strong theme.

W. What would your first piece of advice be, to a novice filmmaker?JC. My first piece of advice to young filmmakers, and pretty much anybody who gets stuck in the creative process, is the fear of starting. The fear of starting is something that blocks maybe 70% of the people. Then comes the fear of not finishing it. So you are blocked by the fear of starting it and ending it. My advice is to not let that stop you. Begin it, finish it. Whether it’s a 30 – second video or a one-minute one or a piece of music, anything, don’t make a feature film in your first week as a filmmaker. I would say that learning to tell a story is a process. You might have a divine gift that may enable you to make a feature film directly and find your success. But

most often than not, the way forward is to learn the process of creating a narrative.

Get your camera, a phone camera, anything,

and film stuff all the time, and film and film and film. You’ll begin to notice a pattern because we all have our own style. We won’t be able to zero in on the style till we actually see what we produce. So for me, I look at my style, and I’m very passionate about filming things up close, with a very shallow depth of field, where only a part of the subject is in focus. Start something, finish it, and show it to your friends.

W. What are some of the lessons you’ve learnt from your experience in the field?JC. I think working alone is important, but you should never become a total loner in any creative process, even as a painter. You need reference points, you need feedback, and you need encouragement. Working alone can lead to burnouts, it can lead to ideas that stay in your head which are not expressed. I think other human beings are mirrors to us. We are social animals. Even though I love my personal space and love to be left alone, I think the process of sharing your creativity with others at vulnerable points is really important, Secondly, I learnt not to rush projects. Sometimes projects are put out when they haven’t matured completely when they haven’t had the time to breathe. I can give examples from my own work. I have put out music albums when they weren’t quite ready when I was much younger, just so that I could have an album to my name. I understand that it is a valid cause to get something out, especially as a budding artist, but it is also important to do it right. Let it breathe, give it space after you finish, find out what the work you have done says to you, what you think the message is, who your target audience is. Attempt to understand the identity of what you are doing.

W. What was your most testing experience in this field?JC. The most testing experience was the film because films are always big processes. It involves a lot more people. When we made Grain of Sand, it was a long process. I think the entire process from the inception of the idea until the editing was done took about four and a half years. It wasn’t a full-time process but it was on my mind every single day. I think it really is important to choose the right team, that the people on board are ones that you can trust, so you know what will happen under pressure. I’d choose character over skill. Skill is very important, but skill can be taught. I tried rushing the project, I tried generating media attention at the wrong moment. There are various stages you have to engage in while making a film, and you have to absolutely go through all of them so you don’t get lost in the process.

W. Here’s a tough one for a filmmaker – what are your five favorite movies of all time?JC. I can list them quite easily! Not in any particular order – Being There (Peter Seller’s last movie), The Big Blue (by Luc Besson), A River Runs Through It (by Robert Redford), Cinema Paradiso (by Giuseppe Tornatore), and Wings of Desire (by Wem Wenders).

W. What’s the one movie you wish had been your work product?JC. Hands down it is a documentary made about the Icelandic rock band Sigur Ros. Its an amazing documentary about this world-famous rock band going to Iceland. They do a series of concerts. Iceland is one of the most beautiful places to film in, in the world. The band does concerts for ten or hundred thousands of people in the USA, in stadiums, and then they bring the same kind of set to Iceland and perform for churches or townhalls. It’s a beautiful film portraying joy and surprise of the Icelanders who attend these concerts, the band’s feeling of coming home, along with the beautiful harmony of nature and music. If there is any film I wish I had made, it would be that one. It is called Hlemmur.

The Art of Filmmaking

Jason Carter

As is always the case when new technology or principle or philosophy takes over, there was an outrage from the traditionalists that language had been killed by the advent of emoticons. These were the days when we painstakingly

used brackets and hyphens to resemble faces. Then came the litany of emoticons available at our disposal, with new characters being added to it pretty much every day.Well linguists remind us that emoticons are not killing language, this is where language, as it exists today, found its origin. Hieroglyphics and cuneiform were symbols representing events, trying to communicate. The intricate system of a language was developed to overcome the shortcomings of using merely images. Emoticons are just that, except on your smart device’s screen, instead of a papyrus or clay tablet.What emoticons may and do hinder are people’s ability to convey emotions meaningfully. Sending a crying face when you aren’t actually crying or a laughing face when you aren’t actually laughing, destabilizes you and the receiver to the respective emotions. Communicating without saying anything may be helpful to some, but the difference between saying I love you and sending across a heart emoji is best visible from our casual use of the heart emoji.That said, this doesn’t mean that the face of language isn’t being

changed by the rate at which we are taking to using these tiny images to convey our intentions. They are handy, they are fun, they add a pop of color, and most times, they let you say things you may not say out loud otherwise.People find their stasis emoticons and stick with it, allowing people you communicate with regularly to interpret your emotional state, to notice fluctuations or irregularities in mood, much better than would be conveyed through traditional texting or emailing or writing, because those lack the much-required effect of tone.The emoticon lexicon is also becoming a crowdsourced form of communication. People are making up rules as they go, each person has their own rules, there are some community rules that can be bent and broken, the process is organic, the process is right now, and we are all a part of it. It is no more the Wren and Martin that we turn to, but to our own selves.As you are reading this, you may or may not be reading it in the tone that I intend to convey. Do you wish I had inserted emoticons in this text so you understood me better? That is the fallback that the non-Gen Z are complaining about. But, if this is the way forward, and we aren’t expected to go back to the days of Ulysses, then at least in the field of communication, let’s call this glass half full, and watch in wonderment as the world lobbies for the likes of a Doritos emoticon?

Do You Even Emoji?


EVERYONE IS A WINNER

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Send your answers and your picture to [email protected]

4Let us know in one sentence: What does the leading weekly of Bahrain ‘Weekender’ mean to you?

Ehsan Optics care for your precious eyes and are offering you a 10 BD voucher which you can spend on whatever you like!

4What’s the one emoticon you can’t do without? (see page 09)

Win an exciting day with a friend in one of the most joyful parks in Bahrain. All you have to do is solve the riddle below and send your entry to [email protected] many months have 28 days?

Want to win 2 Karting Tickets from a very popular venue?

4Share in less than 100 words - what is the one thing you wish Bahrain had and why?

Get yourself pampered and look flawless with the best beauty treatment and products. Win yourself 2 exciting vouchers from the very popular ‘German Skin Care’. 4___________ is the movie reviewed this week. (See )4___________ is one of the movies releasing this week. (See Page 10)

Ensure a great weekend by winning two bowling vouchers for one of the best alleys in town.Simply share with us what your favourite segment in Weekender is, and the one thing you’ll like to see in your favourite weekly.Send your answers to [email protected]

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34

Favorite Stephen King Films

Inglorious BasterdsPulp FictionKill Bill Vol. 1Django UnchainedThe Hateful Eight

1.2.3.4.5.

Watch the trailer:

IT Floats! IT Ends! IT…

Underwhelms!A review of IT Chapter Two by Ahmed Zayani

dismissed the film. It was only after a couple of rewatches that I began to appreciate the film and see that the hype was all well-earned. I found myself keen on revisiting this world again and with every bit of news that came out regarding the production, the interest grew. I was fortunate enough to attend an early screening of the movie on Tuesday night at Cinepolis, and I could not wait to lose myself for the next couple of hours. When the lights came up, however, I was befuddled; I knew I had enjoyed the movie, but there were a few things about it that kept me from loving it. First off, I have to hail the casting of this movie as it is impeccable. Leading the charge is James McAvoy who is coming hot on the heels of his phenomenal performance in Glass (thus far my favorite of 2019), and once again he has shown us why he is one of the finest actors working today with unbelievable range and tons of charisma. Equally as impressive was Jessica Chastain who has been every fan’s dream casting for the role of Bev since Chapter One’s credits drew to a close. Here Chastain gives us a nuanced and multilayered performance as the troubled red hair that goes a long way in redeeming herself after the performance in Dark Phoenix. The big surprise here is Bill Hader in the role of Richie who steals scene after scene in his first foray into the horror genre. The rest of the cast is rounded off by Isaiah Mustapha, Jay Ryan, and James Ransone who all give solid outings. Then we have Bill Skarsgard as everyone’s favorite dancing clown Pennywise. While I will stand firmly with the notion that he has yet to top Tim Curry’s blood-curdling performance in the 1990’s miniseries, Skarsgard is, for all intents and purposes, a revelation in the role and has made it his own, its just a shame that the scare factor has been tones down to nothing more than cheap jump scares. The narrative presented here follows the book quite closely with the friends seeing the bond they made twenty-seven years prior come to fruition, and while the events unfolding were interesting at two hours and forty-five minutes the film did drag on quite a bit. By comparison, both Avengers Endgame and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood had equal runtimes however they still felt like a breeze to sit through rather than a chore as was the case here. A good twenty to thirty minutes could have been excised from this movie, and it would’ve been all the better for it. Another thing that this film tried to do was explore the backstory of the titular entity further, which, in my opinion, did the film a disservice. I’ve always believed in the notion that we are more afraid of things that we don’t know much nor understand, and when you try to put logic into that notion, you take away from its dread factor. This was the case here as I felt the movie overexposed Pennywise’s history while, oddly enough, downplaying his evil nature in the present-day scenes.

All in all, IT Chapter Two was not the monumental series closer that I thought it would be, nor did it live up to the first chapter. Time will tell if this movie will grow on me like its predecessor did, however, it does not seem likely. Still, if you are a horror hound keen on catching an entertaining movie with solid performances, then you can do much better than this.

Verdict – 6.5/10.

Has there ever been an author, past or present, whose name has been as synonymous with the horror genre as that of Stephen King’s? While wordsmiths like H.P.Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe are trailblazers of the industry, King took

what they previously established to new heights that were thought as unimaginable at one point. Over the course of four decades, Stephen King has become THE name in horror fiction, with his earlier books considered the modern classics of the genre while every new release is seemingly met with critical and commercial success that toppled the previous ones. It might not even be a stretch to say that King may very well be the most successful author of our time, regardless of the genre. His foray into movies, however, does leave a certain something to be desired. Sure, he did attain a fair amount of success with projects like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green mile. But for every one of those home runs, there is a counter-argument with cinematic drivel such as Cell, The Langoliers, Gerald’s Game, and Sleepwalkers. The fact of the matter is that while King is, for lack of a better word, the King in his own domain, translating his work into another medium has proven to be problematic at times. Some of this, as is the case with projects like Maximum Overdrive and Sleepwalkers, can be attributed to the author himself, but in most situations, it’s a clash of vision between the source and those attempting to translate his work into another medium, thereby adding truth to the notion that you can have too many cooks in the kitchen.

Directed once again by Andy Muschietti, IT Chapter Two is the sequel and closer to 2017’s gargantuan hit IT. The film follows the hapless band of misfits known as The Losers who must band together once again and return to their hometown of Derry Maine when the entity they’ve come to know as Pennywise resurfaces once more after twenty-seven years of dormancy. When the first chapter hit the scenes two years back, every one seemingly went gaga over this new iteration; finally, the masses had a new horror icon to latch onto in a film that hit every nostalgic tone seemingly possible . I personally did not buy into the hype and had originally

11

business


Amazon to phase out single-use plastic in IndiaAFP | Mumbai

Amazon said yesterday it will ditch single-use plas-

tic packaging in India by next year, joining Walmart-backed rival Flipkart in a major push by e-commerce giants in the South Asian nation.

India generates around 5.6 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, according to govern-ment figures, with New Delhi ramping up its “clean India” mission to eradicate single-use plastic in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also called on busi-

nesses to join his campaign.“Amazon India is committed

to a sustainable supply chain,” Amazon India’s vice president

Akhil Saxena said in a statement.“Investment in protecting the

environment ensures a triple win -- it is good for our plan-et, good for our customers and community, and good for the business.”

Amazon India said it was de-veloping plastic-free alterna-tives for bubble wraps and mail-ers, and would collect plastic at its warehouse networks from this month.

The online retailer aims to scrap single-use plastic packag-ing by June 2020 and have 50 percent of all shipments at zero

net carbon by 2030.Flipkart last week said it

would eliminate single-use plas-tic in packaging and shift to 100 percent recycled plastic by 2021.

“It is a necessary and a crucial step to reduce plastic waste and in tandem with government pol-icy,” Forrester Research analyst Satish Meena said.

“Both Flipkart and Amazon should learn from Chinese e-commerce industry on how to reduce packaging waste at the source and offer customers multiple options to reduce un-wanted plastic packaging.”

Amazon India aims to scrap single-use plastic packaging by June 2020 and is developing alternative packaging

CBB T-Bill oversubscribedTDT | Manama

The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) announced that this

week’s BD 70 million issue of Government Treasury Bills has been oversubscribed by 152 per cent.

The bills, carrying a maturi-ty of 91 days, are issued by the CBB, on behalf of the Govern-ment of Bahrain.

The issue date of the bills is 11th September 2019 and the maturity date is 11th Decem-ber 2019.

The weighted average rate of interest is 2.79pc compared to 2.84pc for the previous issue on 4th September 2019.

The approximate aver-age price for the issue was 99.299pc with the lowest ac-cepted price being 99.285pc.

T h i s i s i s s u e n u m b e r 1773 (ISIN BH00034512M9) of Government Treasury Bills.

With this, the total out-standing value of Government Treasury Bills is BD 2.110 bil-lion.

Banks boost Saudi index• Saudi index sees biggest gain in nearly 3 months

• All Saudi lenders ended higher

• In Egypt 23 of thirty stocks slide

• Emirates NBD extends gains on foreign ownership

Reuters | Bengaluru

Saudi Arabia’s stock mar-ket rose sharply yesterday, with all its banks gaining

amid advancing oil prices on positive news from China’s ser-vices sector, while Egypt’s index ended lower as most of its blue-chip stocks dropped.

Oil prices were up boosted by a wider market pickup, after three days of losses on linger-ing concern about a weakening global economy.

Global markets rebounded after a private survey showed that activity in China’s services sector expanded at the fastest

pace in three months in August as new orders rose, prompting the biggest increase in hiring in

over a year.In Saudi, the index advanced

1.7 per cent, for its biggest intr-aday gain since June 10. Al Rajhi Bank was up 2.7pc and National Commercial Bank, the country’s largestlender, surged 4.7pc.

Saudi gym network opera-tor Leejam Sports gained 0.6pc after it announced a 0.5 riyal ($0.1333) per share dividend for the second quarter.

Egypt ’s blue-chip index dropped 1.1pc, with 23 of thirty stocks declining.

In Dubai the index edged up 0.1pc, changing its course to close higher, with Emirates

NBD gaining 0.7pc, extending its gains for a third day in a row.

On Monday, the lender had soared 14.9pc, reaching its high-est level since October 2007, following the bank’s announce-ment it would raise foreign ownership limit to 20pc from 5pc with immediate effect. The lender also said it intends to raise that limit to 40pc in future.

Arabtec Holding ended 1.7pc higher, the top gainer on the index, after the developer said it is willing to explore possibility of entering into a cooperation agreement in construction sec-tor with Trojan Holding.

In a separate disclosure to the bourse the firm also announced appointment of Wail Farsakh as chief operating officer.

However, major stocks in real estate division capped the gains with Emaar Properties shed-ding 0.2pc and DAMAC Proper-ties losing 1pc.

The Abu Dhabi index added 0.4pc led by a 0.9pc rise in the country’s largest lender First Abu Dhabi Bank and a 1.4pc gain in Aldar Properties

In Qatar, the index edged down 0.1pc, to snap a four-day winning streak, with market heavyweight Industries Qatar declining 1.5pc.

Closing Bell SAUDI 1.7pc » 8,058 pts

ABU DHABI 0.4pc » 5,125 pts

DUBAI 0.1pc » 2,880 pts

QATAR 0.1pc» 10,295 pts

EGYPT 1.1pc » 14,841 pts

BAHRAIN 0.1pc» 1,542 pts

OMAN 0.1pc » 4,012 pts

KUWAIT 0.2pc » 6,546 pts

Saudi stock market (Courtesy of Emerging Market views)Alba raising $1.5 billion in bank debt: sourcesReuters | Dubai

Al u m i n i u m B a h r a i n (Alba), owner of one of

the world’s largest aluminum smelters, is raising $1.5 billion in bank debt to refinance loans it obtained in 2016 to back its Line 6 expansion project, two sources familiar with the mat-ter said.

The company has mandat-ed three Bahrain-based banks – National Bank of Bahrain, Bank ABC and Gulf Interna-tional Bank – to underwrite the facility, which is now being syndicated to the wider bank

market, said the sources.Alba – which declined to

comment – completed $1.5 billion in financing in 2016, marking the largest cor-porate loan ever raised in Bahrain.

The three banks leading the debt raising did not respond to comment requests.

Alba’s original loan, split into an $882 million conven-tional tranche and a $618 mil-lion sharia-compliant tranche, had a seven-year maturity and was coordinated by JPMorgan, National Bank of Bahrain and Gulf International Bank.

Gulf Air concludes ‘Guess it. Book it’ campaign with 100 winners

TDT | Manama

Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has concluded

its latest “Guess it. Book it” pro-motional campaign.

The airline released a total of 10 quizzes locally in Bahrain’s

newspapers allowing 10 lucky readers to guess the code online to receive a free Gulf Air ticket.

The campaign concluded with

100 winners receiving 100 tick-ets to 10 destinations: Beirut, London, Tbilisi, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Cairo, Istanbul, Larnaca

and Bangkok. “The local community has

interacted actively with this campaign every morning when

the adverts were visible in print and online versions of lo-cal news dailies,” said Gulf Air statement.

The campaign concluded with 100 winners receiving 100 tickets to 10 destinations. Above, some of the winners

Pentagon frees $3.6 bn for Mexico wallWashington

The US Defense Depart-ment said it was free-

ing up $3.6 billion in funds budgeted for other projects to build a wall on the Mexi-can border.

Six weeks after being confirmed by Congress, Defense Secretary Mike Esper has signed off on the diversion of funds from 127 “deferred military projects” both inside and outside the country, said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoff-mann.


EVERYONE IS A WINNER

With Weekender

Send your answers and your picture to [email protected]

4Let us know in one sentence: What does the leading weekly of Bahrain ‘Weekender’ mean to you?

Ehsan Optics care for your precious eyes and are offering you a 10 BD voucher which you can spend on whatever you like!

4What’s the one emoticon you can’t do without? (see page 09)

Win an exciting day with a friend in one of the most joyful parks in Bahrain. All you have to do is solve the riddle below and send your entry to [email protected] many months have 28 days?

Want to win 2 Karting Tickets from a very popular venue?

4Share in less than 100 words - what is the one thing you wish Bahrain had and why?

Get yourself pampered and look flawless with the best beauty treatment and products. Win yourself 2 exciting vouchers from the very popular ‘German Skin Care’. 4___________ is the movie reviewed this week. (See Page 10)4___________ is one of the movies releasing this week. (See Page 10)

Ensure a great weekend by winning two bowling vouchers for one of the best alleys in town.Simply share with us what your favourite segment in Weekender is, and the one thing you’ll like to see in your favourite weekly.Send your answers to [email protected]

WIN Two Movie tickets!

Win TwoOpticsVouchers!

Win Two tickets to Adhari park!

Win Beauty Care Vouchers

Win Bowling Tickets

34

Favorite Stephen King Films

Inglorious BasterdsPulp FictionKill Bill Vol. 1Django UnchainedThe Hateful Eight

1.2.3.4.5.

Watch the trailer:

IT Floats! IT Ends! IT…

Underwhelms!A review of IT Chapter Two by Ahmed Zayani

dismissed the film. It was only after a couple of rewatches that I began to appreciate the film and see that the hype was all well-earned. I found myself keen on revisiting this world again and with every bit of news that came out regarding the production, the interest grew. I was fortunate enough to attend an early screening of the movie on Tuesday night at Cinepolis, and I could not wait to lose myself for the next couple of hours. When the lights came up, however, I was befuddled; I knew I had enjoyed the movie, but there were a few things about it that kept me from loving it. First off, I have to hail the casting of this movie as it is impeccable. Leading the charge is James McAvoy who is coming hot on the heels of his phenomenal performance in Glass (thus far my favorite of 2019), and once again he has shown us why he is one of the finest actors working today with unbelievable range and tons of charisma. Equally as impressive was Jessica Chastain who has been every fan’s dream casting for the role of Bev since Chapter One’s credits drew to a close. Here Chastain gives us a nuanced and multilayered performance as the troubled red hair that goes a long way in redeeming herself after the performance in Dark Phoenix. The big surprise here is Bill Hader in the role of Richie who steals scene after scene in his first foray into the horror genre. The rest of the cast is rounded off by Isaiah Mustapha, Jay Ryan, and James Ransone who all give solid outings. Then we have Bill Skarsgard as everyone’s favorite dancing clown Pennywise. While I will stand firmly with the notion that he has yet to top Tim Curry’s blood-curdling performance in the 1990’s miniseries, Skarsgard is, for all intents and purposes, a revelation in the role and has made it his own, its just a shame that the scare factor has been tones down to nothing more than cheap jump scares. The narrative presented here follows the book quite closely with the friends seeing the bond they made twenty-seven years prior come to fruition, and while the events unfolding were interesting at two hours and forty-five minutes the film did drag on quite a bit. By comparison, both Avengers Endgame and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood had equal runtimes however they still felt like a breeze to sit through rather than a chore as was the case here. A good twenty to thirty minutes could have been excised from this movie, and it would’ve been all the better for it. Another thing that this film tried to do was explore the backstory of the titular entity further, which, in my opinion, did the film a disservice. I’ve always believed in the notion that we are more afraid of things that we don’t know much nor understand, and when you try to put logic into that notion, you take away from its dread factor. This was the case here as I felt the movie overexposed Pennywise’s history while, oddly enough, downplaying his evil nature in the present-day scenes.

All in all, IT Chapter Two was not the monumental series closer that I thought it would be, nor did it live up to the first chapter. Time will tell if this movie will grow on me like its predecessor did, however, it does not seem likely. Still, if you are a horror hound keen on catching an entertaining movie with solid performances, then you can do much better than this.

Verdict – 6.5/10.

Has there ever been an author, past or present, whose name has been as synonymous with the horror genre as that of Stephen King’s? While wordsmiths like H.P.Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe are trailblazers of the industry, King took

what they previously established to new heights that were thought as unimaginable at one point. Over the course of four decades, Stephen King has become THE name in horror fiction, with his earlier books considered the modern classics of the genre while every new release is seemingly met with critical and commercial success that toppled the previous ones. It might not even be a stretch to say that King may very well be the most successful author of our time, regardless of the genre. His foray into movies, however, does leave a certain something to be desired. Sure, he did attain a fair amount of success with projects like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green mile. But for every one of those home runs, there is a counter-argument with cinematic drivel such as Cell, The Langoliers, Gerald’s Game, and Sleepwalkers. The fact of the matter is that while King is, for lack of a better word, the King in his own domain, translating his work into another medium has proven to be problematic at times. Some of this, as is the case with projects like Maximum Overdrive and Sleepwalkers, can be attributed to the author himself, but in most situations, it’s a clash of vision between the source and those attempting to translate his work into another medium, thereby adding truth to the notion that you can have too many cooks in the kitchen.

Directed once again by Andy Muschietti, IT Chapter Two is the sequel and closer to 2017’s gargantuan hit IT. The film follows the hapless band of misfits known as The Losers who must band together once again and return to their hometown of Derry Maine when the entity they’ve come to know as Pennywise resurfaces once more after twenty-seven years of dormancy. When the first chapter hit the scenes two years back, every one seemingly went gaga over this new iteration; finally, the masses had a new horror icon to latch onto in a film that hit every nostalgic tone seemingly possible . I personally did not buy into the hype and had originally

KNOW WHAT


Telegram secretly plans ‘Gram’ cryptocurrencyAFP | Moscow

Working in secrecy for a year, the Telegram mes-

saging service has a plan: to beat Facebook in the race to launch a cryptocurrency with its new project “Gram”.

Little is known about Gram, but media reports say Rus-sian-founded Telegram aims to create an accessible service that is easier to use than various cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin -- still confined to a relatively small market.

In a document leaked online, Telegram said it wants to create a “standard cryptocurrency used for the regular exchange of val-ue in the daily lives of ordinary people”.

According to the document, the encrypted messenger en-visages a system of secure and fast payment with the aim of becoming an “alternative to Visa and Mastercard for a new decen-

tralised economy”.Facebook has announced its

own plans to launch a global currency, Libra, in 2020.

Telegram is rushing to beat the social media giant, with the New York Times reporting the first Gram units could be put in circulation within two months, citing anonymous investors.

To that end, Telegram has raised a record $1.7 billion from 200 private investors via an Ini-tial Coin Offering (ICO) executed in two stages, according to Secu-rities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings.

Such was its success that me-dia reports said the messenger cancelled a public fundraiser, making interested parties wait for the official launch of “Gram” to be able to buy the new cur-rency.

‘A space to fill’Officially, Telegram hasn’t

uttered a word on the subject, but information has trickled through investors, mostly in the United States, Asia and Russia.

“They (investors) are bound by a confidentiality clause,” a source in Moscow’s econom-ic circles said. The source claimed personally knowing “at least a first-tier banker and a businessman from Russia’s Forbes list” who are among the investors.

“It was only possible to invest via invitation, but so many wanted to participate,” the source added.

The clock is ticking: according to the Russian daily Vedomosti, Telegram vouched to distribute the Grams to investors before October 31 or guarantee their money back.

“Facebook and Telegram see a space to fill,” said Manuel Valente, director of the French cryptocurrency exchange Coin-

house. He said the Tech giants want to allow users to exchange “small amounts online” without going through banking or appli-cations.

These projects, he said, will “strengthen the fears of nation states of losing influence”, since cryptocurrencies are meant to function without a central au-thority.

At the G7 finance ministers meeting in France in July,

ministers and central bank-ers warned of the risks of

such ambitious digital money projects for

the international financial sys-

tem.

Telegram was launched in 2013 by

Russian brothers Nikolai and Pavel

Durov. It allows users to exchange encrypted text messages, photos and videos, and also

create “channels” for as many as 200,000 people. It also sup-

ports encrypted voice calls.

Google to pay $170 million fine for sharing YouTube kids dataAFP | Washington

Google agreed to pay a $170 million fine to settle charg-

es that it illegally collected and shared data from children on its YouTube video service without consent of parents, US officials announced yesterday.

The settlement with the Fed-eral Trade Commission and the New York state Attorney Gener-al is the largest amount in a case involving the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 federal law.

“YouTube touted its popular-ity with children to prospec-tive corporate clients,” said FTC chairman Joe Simons.

“Yet when it came to comply-ing with COPPA, the company refused to acknowledge that portions of its platform were clearly directed to kids. There’s no excuse for YouTube’s viola-tions of the law.”

The settlement also calls for YouTube to change the way it handles children’s content.

“We will treat data from any-one watching children’s content

on YouTube as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user,” YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki said in a statement.

“This means that we will limit data collection and use on videos made for kids only to what is needed to support the operation of the service. We will also stop serving personalized ads on this content entirely, and some fea-tures will no longer be available on this type of content, like com-ments and notifications.”

The settlement was approved by a 3-2 vote of the FTC commis-

sioners, with the two Democrats calling for tougher penalties.

The deal “repeats many of the same mistakes from the flawed Facebook settlement: no individ-ual accountability, insufficient remedies to address the compa-ny’s financial incentives, and a fine that still allows the company to profit from its lawbreaking,” Democratic commissioner Rohit Chopra said.

“The terms of the settle-ment were not even significant enough to make Google issue a warning to its investors.”

YouTube will pay a fine of $170 million for illegally collecting and sharing data from children on the video-sharing service

Cathay Pacific chairman John Slosar steps down

Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific announced Wednesday its chairman

John Slosar is stepping down to retire, the latest high-profile executive to leave the troubled airline after it drew Beijing’s ire over pro-democracy pro-tests in Hong Kong.

The flagship carrier has had a torrid few weeks after Chinese state media and au-thorities blasted the compa-ny because some of its 27,000 employees had taken part in -- or were sympathetic to -- anti-government protests cur-rently rocking Hong Kong.

In a statement posted on the Hong Kong stock exchange, Cathay said Slosar, 63, had stepped down and will be replaced as chairman by Pat-rick Healy, a veteran from the Swire Group conglomerate,

the airline’s majority share-holder.

“His resignation is due to his retirement,” the statement said, adding that the changes would take effect from No-vember 6 at the conclusion of the company’s board meeting.

Slosar’s departure ends a nearly four decade career with Swire and Cathay and caps a tumultuous month of sudden management changes at the airline as it tries to claw its way out of Beijing’s bad books.

In August, CEO Rupert Hogg and another senior executive stepped down after China’s aviation regulator banned air-line staff who had support-ed the demonstrations from working on flights through its airspace and after state media encouraged a boycott in the crucial mainland market.

John Slosar will be replaced as chairman by Patrick Healy of the conglomerate

UK ending ‘decade of austerity’London

The UK government de-clared an end to a dec-ade of austerity yesterday

despite the economic uncer-tainties of Brexit -- a spending pledge that saw the opposition accuse it of “electioneering”.

Finance minister Sajid Javid’s promise of more money on “peo-ple’s priorities” came hours af-ter Prime Minister Boris John-son proposed holding a snap election on October 15 to resolve the political impasse over Brit-ain’s scheduled departure from the EU two weeks later.

“We can now afford to turn the page on austerity and move forward from a decade of re-covery to a decade of renewal,” Javid told parliament.

“We can now afford to spend more on vital public services,” he said to jeers from opposition MPs.

Javid said he intended to raise government spending by £13.8 billion ($16.8 billion, 15.3 billion euros) on health and education and to put more police on the streets.

The figure represents around 4.1 per cent of Britain’s gross domestic product -- a relatively large sum that Javid said the government could now afford.

“Even with the extra spend-ing, we are still meeting the cur-rent fiscal rules,” he said.

“While our biggest challenge a decade ago was getting the deficit down, our biggest chal-lenge today is getting our long-term economic growth back to where it was.”

Shrinking economy

Britain and most other major economies plunged into an ex-tended economic crisis 12 years ago.

The country was headed at the time by the “New La-bour” government of Gordon Brown.

The Conservative-led govern-ments that have headed Britain since 2010 responded to the global financial crisis by keep-ing to strict budgets that slashed public spending.

It has since enjoyed a period of slow but steady growth that is being increasingly threat-ened by Britain’s twice-de-layed split from the other 27 EU nations.

The economy unexpectedly

shrank again in the second quar-ter on investor worries over the prospects of Britain crashing out without an agreement with Brussels over how to unwind nearly half a century of intricate trade ties.

It marked Britain’s first eco-nomic contraction in seven years.

But Bank of England chief Mark Carney said Wednesday that the country was more pre-pared to deal with the impact of a “no-deal Brexit” than pre-viously forecast.

Carney said in a letter to par-liament “that the appropriate set of assumptions to underpin a worst case scenario would now be less severe than those used in the disorderly scenario pub-lished in November”.

‘Grubby electioneering’

The Bank of England’s up-dated no-deal Brexit forecast still made for grim reading for Johnson’s team.

Carney said unemployment would nearly double to 7.0pc from the current 45-year low of 3.8pc.

He also predicted an “an in-itial peak-to-trough decline in GDP of 5.5pc”.

That figure was down from the earlier 8.0pc estimate.

Labour’s finance spokesman John McDonnell accused Javid and the Johnson government of engaging in “grubby election-eering”. Javid and Johnson are “pretending to end austerity when they do nothing of the sort,” McDonnell said.

We can now afford to turn the page on austerity and move forward from a decade of recovery to a decade of renewal. We can now afford to spend more on vital public services

SAJID JAVID

FINANCE MINISTER

IT CHAPTER TWO (15+) (HORROR/DRAMA) اااا ااااOASIS JUFFAIR : 10.45 AM + 5.00 + 8.15 + 11.30 PM OASIS JUFFAIR (VIP):11.45 AM + 5.30 + 11.15 PM CITY CENTRE :10.30 AM + 2.00 + 5.30 + 9.00 PM + (12.30 MN + 1.00 AM THURS/FRI)CITY CENTRE (VIP I) :1.00 + 4.30 + 8.00 + 11.30 PM CITY CENTRE (IMAX 2D) :12.30 + 4.00 + 7.30 + 11.00 PM CITY CENTRE (ATMOS) :10.15 AM + 1.30 + 5.00 + 8.30 PM + 12.00 MNSEEF (II): 11.00 AM + 2.15 + 5.30 + 8.45 PM + 12.00 MN + (12.30 MN THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL: 12.30 + 3.45 + 7.00 + 8.30 + 10.15 + 11.45 PM SAAR:12.45 + 4.00 + 7.15 + 8.15 + 10.30 + 11.30 PM

JAMES MCAVOY, JESSICA CHASTAIN, BILL HADER

CHHICHHORE (PG-15) (HINDI/DRAMA/COMEDY) اFROM THURSDAY 7.00 PM ONWARDSOASIS JUFFAIR : 11.30 AM + 2.30 + 5.30 + 8.30 + 11.30 PM CITY CENTRE :11.30 AM + 2.30 + 5.30 + 8.30 + 11.30 PM SEEF (I):11.45 AM + 2.45 + 5.45 + 8.45 + 11.45 PM WADI AL SAIL: 11.15 AM + 2.15 + 5.15 + 8.15 + 11.15 PM SAAR: 11.00 AM + 2.00 + 5.00 + 8.00 + 11.00 PM

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT, SHRADDHA KAPOOR, VARUN SHARMA

PLAYMOBIL: THE MOVIE (G) (ANIMATION/ADVENTUREOASIS JUFFAIR (KIDS CINEMA): 11.00 AM + 3.00 + 7.00 + 11.00 PMCITY CENTRE : 11.30 AM + 1.45 + 4.00 + 6.15 + 8.30 + 10.45 PM SEEF (II): 10.30 AM + 2.30 + 6.30 + 10.30 PM WADI AL SAIL:10.30 AM + 12.30 + 2.30 + 4.30 + 6.30 PM SAAR: 12.15 + 2.15 + 4.15 + 6.15 PMDANIEL RADCLIFFE, ADAM LAMBERT, ANYA TAYLOR-JOYJUST A STRANGER (15+) (FILIPINO/ROMANTIC/DRAMAOASIS JUFFAIR: 10.30 AM + 4.00 + 6.45 + 9.30 PM SEEF (II):11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM

ANNE CURTIS, MARCO GUMABAO , EDU MANZANO

BERLIN, I LOVE YOU (15+) (ROMANTIC/DRAMA)SEEF (II): 2.30 + 7.15 PM + 12.00 MNWADI AL SAIL: 11.45 AM + 4.30 + 9.15 PM

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, HELEN MIRREN, LUKE WILSON

LIGHT OF MY LIFE (PG-15) (DRAMA) SEEF (II):12.00 + 4.45 + 9.30 PM WADI AL SAIL: 2.00 + 6.45 + 11.30 PM

CASEY AFFLECK, ANNA PNIOWSKY, TOM BOWER

SURKHI BINDI (PG) (PUNJABI/COMEDY/ROMANTIC/DRAMA) SEEF (II): 3.30 + 9.00 PM

GURNAM BHULLAR, SARGUN MEHTA, RUPINDER RUPI, NISHA BANO

KHALEB SHANAB (PG) (ARABIC/COMEDY)CITY CENTRE :2.30 + 7.15 PM + 12.00 MNSEEF (II): 9.30 PM + 11.15 PM

AMMAR AL RAHMA, SAAD ABDULLAH, MOHAMMED AL KINDI

ANGEL HAS FALLEN (PG-15)(ACTION/THRILLER/DRAMA) OASIS JUFFAIR : 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PMOASIS JUFFAIR (VIP): 3.00 + 8.45 PMCITY CENTRE : 11.00 AM + 12.00 + 1.30 + 2.30 + 4.00 + 5.00 + 6.30 + 7.30 + 9.00 + 10.00 + 11.30 PM + (12.30 MN THURS/FRI)CITY CENTRE VIP (II): 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 + 12.00 MNSEEF (I): 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 + 12.00 MN

WADI AL SAIL: 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PMSAAR:11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PM

GERARD BUTLER, MORGAN FREEMAN, JADA PINKETT SMITH

SAAHO (PG-15)(ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER) اااا OASIS JUFFAIR (HINDI): 10.45 AM + 2.00 + 8.15 + 11.30 PM SEEF (II) (HINDI) : 10.30 AM + 1.45 + 5.00 + 8.15 + 11.30 PM

PRABHAS, SHRADDHA KAPOOR, MANDIRA BEDI

FAST & FURIOUS: HOBBS & SHAW (PG-15)(ACTIONاا CITY CENTRE: 10.15 AM +12.00 + 1.00 + 2.45 + 3.45 + 5.30 + 6.30 + 8.15 + 9.15 + 11.00 + 12.00 MNSEEF (II): 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PM

DWAYNE JOHNSON, JASON STATHAM, IDRIS ELBA

KHAYAL MAATA (PG)(COMEDY/DRAMA) اااا اااا CITY CENTRE : 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM SEEF (II): 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PMWADI AL SAIL: 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PM

AHMAD HELMY, MINNA SHALABI, HASSAN HOSNEY

DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD (PG)(ADVENTURECITY CENTRE:10.30 AM + 12.45 + 3.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 9.45 + 12.00 MNSEEF (II): 12.00 + 2.15 + 4.30 + 6.45 + 9.00 + 11.15 PM

ISABELA MONER, Q’ORIANKA KILCHER, BENICIO DEL TORO

THE LION KING (PG)(ADVENTURE/DRAMA/FAMILY) CITY CENTRE: 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PM SEEF (II): 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 PM

DONALD GLOVER, SETH ROGEN, CHIWETEL EJIOFOR

47 METERS DOWN : UNCAGED (15+)(THRILLER/ HORROR) CITY CENTRE: 12.00 + 2.00 + 4.00 + 6.00 + 8.00 + 10.00 PM + 12.00 MN

SOPHIE NÉLISSE, CORINNE FOX, BRIANNE TJU

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (18+)(DRAMA/COMEDY) CITY CENTRE : 10.30 AM + 1.45 + 5.00 + 8.15 + 11.30 PM

LEONARDO DICAPRIO, BRAD PITT, MARGOT ROBBIE

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2 (PG)(ANIMATION/ADVENTUREOASIS JUFFAIR (KIDS CINEMA): 1.00 + 5.00 + 9.00 PMCITY CENTRE: 2.00 + 6.30 + 11.00 PM SEEF (II): 12.30 + 4.30 + 8.30 PM

SUDEIKIS, JOSH GAD, AWKWAFINA

TOY STORY 4 (G)(ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY) CITY CENTRE: 11.45 AM + 4.15 + 8.45 PM

TOM HANKS, TIM ALLEN, JOAN CUSACK

ALADDIN (PG)(ADVENTURE) ااااا ااااCITY CENTRE: 11.45 AM + 4.30 + 9.15 PM

WILL SMITH, NAOMI SCOTT, MENA MASSOUD

READY OR NOT (18+)(THRILLER/ HORROR) اا اا ااااا CITY CENTRE: 11.45 AM + 1.45 + 3.45 + 5.45 + 7.45 + 9.45 + 11.45 PM

SAMARA WEAVING, ADAM BRODY, MARK O’BRIEN (IX)

MISSION MANGAL (PG-13)(HINDI/DRAMA/BIOGRAPHY) اا OASIS JUFFAIR : 1.15 + 6.30 + 11.45 PM

AKSHAY KUMAR, VIDYA BALAN, ANIRBAN BHATTACHARYYA

BATLA HOUSE (15+) (HINDI/DRAMA/BIOGRAPHY) اااا ااا OASIS JUFFAIR : 4.00 PM

JOHN ABRAHAM, MRUNAL THAKUR, NORA FATEHI

PORINJU MARIAM JOSE (PG-15)(MALAYALAM) OASIS JUFFAIR: 11.15 AM + 2.15 + 5.15 + 8.15 PM

JOJU GEORGE, CHEMBAN VINOD, NYLA USHA

THANNEER MATHAN DINANGAL (PG-13)(MALAYALAM) OASIS JUFFAIR: 10.30 AM + 3.45 + 9.00 PM

VINEETH SREENIVASAN, IRSHAD, MATHEW THOMAS

ITTYMAANI (PG)(MALAYALAM)FROM FRIDAY 06TH OASIS JUFFAIR : 11.45 AM + 2.00 + 5.45 + 11.45 PM SEEF (I): 11.45 AM + 2.45 + 5.45 + 8.45 + 11.45 PM AL HAMRA: 9.00 PM + (12.00 MN FRI)

MOHANLAL, SWASIKA, RADHIKA SARATHKUMAR

BROTHER’S DAY (PG-13)(MALAYALAM) FROM FRIDAY 06TH OASIS JUFFAIR :12.45 + 6.15 + 11.45 PM SEEF (I): 11.15 AM + 2.15 + 5.15 + 8.15 + 11.15 PM AL HAMRA: 6.00 PM

PRITHVIRAJ SUKUMARAN, MIA GEORGE, MADONA SEBASTIAN, AISHWARYA LEKSHMI

ENAI NOKI PAAYUM THOTA (PG-15)(TAMIL)FROM FRIDAY 06TH FROM 12.30 PM ONWARDSOASIS JUFFAIR: 2.45 + 5.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PMSEEF (I): 12.00 + 3.00 + 6.00 + 9.00 PM + 12.00 MNAL HAMRA: 12.00 NOON + 3.00 PM

DHANUSH, MEGHA AKASH, SUNAINA

MAGAMUNI (PG-15)(TAMIL) FROM FRIDAY 06TH SEEF (II): 12.30 + 6.00 + 11.30 PM

AARYA, INDUJA , MAHIMA, ROHINI

13 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

M O V I E R E V I E W

‘Angel of Mine’ is a taut psychological thrillerNoomi Rapace plays a deeply troubled single mother in the psychodrama

• A standout performance from Rapace as a mother looking for her dead daughter lifts a psychological thriller that otherwise strains credulity

In the taut Australian psy-chological thriller Angel of Mine, Noomi Rapace, so

memorable in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, plays a divorced, depressed and deeply troubled Melbourne single mother named Lizzie who has been under treat-ment for mental illness since the loss of her daughter, who died in a hospital fire as an infant.

Now, at a party attended by her son, she sees a 7-year-old girl who lives in their neigh-bourhood and believes she is her own. Obsession grows rampant despite the logical denials by her parents and her ex-husband Mike (the always reliable Luke

Evans), and the suspense begins.Firmly convinced that a moth-

er always knows her own child no matter how much time has passed, Lizzie takes smartphone photos, watches the little girl through her windows, and in-vades the child’s home under the pretence of feigning an interest in buying her parents’ house.

A woman of extremes, she tries to distract herself from her unhinged focus on the impos-sible by popping anxiety pills, fighting with Mike and her loving but distraught parents, and making love to a stranger with insatiable passion. But her path is clear. You know where this is going, and the way Lizzie brazenly enters the neighbours’ house at night in search of DNA evidence is not entirely convinc-ing.

Still, the cliché-resistant screenplay by Luke Davies and David Regal and the understated direction by Kim Farrant lead you into elements of surprise you do not anticipate as the film detours into a shock ending that will leave you wide-eyed with

awe. The plot twist turns the tables on everyone and charges the narrative with the jolt of an

electric shock treatment, but everyone involved miraculously manages to make the elements

believable without piling on a lot of familiar Hollywood mel-odrama.

Yvonne Strahovski, as the be-wildered and suspicious mother of the child Lizzie is stalking, is a wonderful counterpart to Rapace, whose expressive face combines elements of apprehen-sion, determination, conviction and panic.

Angel of Mine is a much bet-ter meld of psychodrama and soap opera than it appears on the surface.

In this chilly, predict-able stalker mystery, Noomi Rapace plays a bereaved mother

obsessed with another woman’s daughter

KNOW WHAT

Noomi Rapace and Annika Whiteley in ‘Angel of Mine’

14 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

London

Former England soccer captain David Beck-ham, veteran U.S.

singer and song-writer Iggy Pop and teenage cli-mate activist Greta Thun-

berg were among the figures honored on Tuesday at the annual GQ Men of the Year Awards.

B e c k h a m , w h o re t i re d

from profession-al soccer in 2013, received the Editor’s Special Award for his services to the sport over a career of more than two decades that included playing for clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid as well as the England national team.

Asked by British GQ magazine in an interview to be published in its October edition what advice he had for his children, Beckham said: “To work hard, simple as that.”

Among others recognized at the

GQ ceremony in London, U.S.-Aus-tralian actress Nicole Kidman won the Actress Award, Welsh actor Taron Egerton the Actor Award and Australian singer and actress Kylie Minogue, who performed at the ceremony, won the magazine’s Icon Award.

Iggy Pop, now 72, received GQ’s Lifetime Achieve-

ment Award, honoring a six-decade career marked by outrageous stage antics and an exploration of diverse musical genres from

hard rock and punk rock to blues and jazz.

The England wom-en’s soccer team won the Inspiration Award

after achieving record-breaking television audiences for England in this year’s World Cup.

The 16-year-old Thunberg, who started missing school on Fridays a year ago to protest outside the Swedish parliament, sparking a global climate strike movement known as Fridays for Future, won GQ’s Game Changer Award.

U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky will not challenge assault conviction: lawyerStockholm

U.S. rap-p e r

A$AP Rocky, who got a sus-pended sen-tence for his role in a brawl in Stockholm, will not appeal against his assault conviction, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, and two of his entourage, were con-victed on Aug. 14 of kicking and beating a 19-year-old man after an argument. They had told the court they acted in self defense.

“Given the headache and the stress this pro-cess has meant he has decided he doesn’t have the strength to do this one more time,” Slobodan Jo-vicic told TT news agency.

Kelly Clarkson hoping to keep it real for new U.S. talk showLos Angeles

Ke l l y C l a r k -

son, the first “A m e r i c a n Idol,” launch-es her own talk show next week with a mix of music, celebrities and ordinary people that she hopes will be more uplifting than the daily news coming out of the United States.

“The Kelly Clarkson Show,” launching on Com-cast Corp’s NBC, on Monday as a daily afternoon show, will add to a resume of the “Because of You” singer that has included actress, Grammy-winning singer, mentor on “The Voice” and children’s book author.

National Awards validate my script choice: AyushmannMumbai

Actor Ayushmann Khur-rana says National

Awards are a huge validation for his script choice and he only chooses those films he himself would love to watch at the theatres.

Ayushmann’’s films “Vicky Donor”, “Dum Laga Ke Hai-sha” and “Badhaai Ho” re-ceived the prestigious award, while the actor achieved it for his performance in “And-hadhun”.

He says he is a seeker of good stories.

“ S t o r i e s t h a t m o v e us, entertain us, spark a conversation. I love stories that people can relate to, are in-spiring and makes us ponder. I have actively sought such

amazing scripts and have been fortunate enough to find some of these bril-liant gems in my career so far,” Ayushmann said.

The “Shubh Man-gal Saavdhan” star considers himself ex t re m e l y l u c k y that four of his films have won National Awards.

“I have also bagged a National Award for

Best Actor. The National Awards are a huge valida-tion for my script sense because I only choose films that I would love to see in theatres,” he said.

Sara Ali Khan’s caption on

her chubby pic is winning heartsMumbai

Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan has shared a throw-back photograph of herself

on Wednesday, and her caption is win-ning the hearts of netizens.

In the image, a much-younger Sara looks chub-bier than she is. She is seen hugging her mother

Amrita Singh.“Throwback to when I couldn’t be thrown.

Beauty in black,” she captioned the image.On the work front, the actress, who was

last seen in “Simmba”, is gearing up for the release of Imtiaz Ali’s

“Love Aajkal 2”, where she will be seen sharing screen space with Kar-tik Aaryan.

Moments after Sara posted the pic, Kartik took

to social media to post some banter. “This girl looks like Sara Ali,” he wrote.

She is also busy shooting for the re-make of David Dhawan’s “Coolie

No.1” alongwith Varun Dha-wan.

I wish to work with Rajkummar Rao in a film: Sanya Malhotra

Mumbai

“Dangal” fame ac-tress Sanya Mal-hotra says she

wants to work with National Award-winning actor Rajkum-mar Rao in a feature film.

“He is such a cool co-actor and people are saying we look nice together on-screen. I so wish somebody cast us together in a film,” San-ya told IANS. The two ac-tors recent-l y s h a r e d screen space in an ad-film.

Sanya add-ed: “He is such a good actor and I ad-mire him as an au-dience, so it would b e s o much fun to work w i t h h i m . During t h e a d s h o o t , I w a s singing so

‘besura’ that every-one including Raj

were laughing! We really had a fun time to-gether,” shared

the actress who has impressed with her roles in

“Photograph” and “Badhaai Ho”.

Los Angeles

“Vikings” actress Katheryn Winn-ick and Juan

Pablo Raba will be seen alongside Liam Neeson in the action-thriller “The Minutemen”.

Shooting for “The Minute-men” will start on September 9 in New Mex-ico and Ohio, reports variety.com.

The film follows the life of a rancher, essayed by Neeson, who becomes defender of a young Mexican boy trying to escape from the clutches of cartel assassins who have pursued him into the US.

Raba will be seen as the leader of the as-sassins.

Robert Lorenz is on board to direct the project from a screenplay written by Chris Charles and Danny Kravitz with the latest draft by Lorenz.

I’’ve been celibate for at least 15 years: Linda HamiltonLos Angeles

“Te r -m i -

nator” star Linda Ham-i l t o n , w h o reprises her role as Sarah Conner in the forthcoming “Termi-nator: Dark Fate”, says she has been celibate for at least 15 years.

The 61-year-old actress is not focused on romance these days, aceshowbiz.com reported.

“I’ve been celibate for at least 15 years. One los-es track, because it just doesn’t matter, or at least it doesn’t matter to me,” aceshowbiz.com report-ed Hamilton having told The New York Times.

Britney Spears, Kevin Federline reach new custody agreement

Los Angeles

Singer-songwriter Britney Spears and rapper Kevin Federline have reached a

new custody agreement.The former partners have

made a change to the child custo-dy agreement they have regard-ing their sons Preston (13) and Jayden (12), reported Us Weekly.

The duo, who called it quits in 2007, have formally agreed that the 41-year-old rapper will get 70 per cent custody of their children, while the 37-year-old singer will only get 30 percent

unsupervised custodial rights, a source confirmed to the outlet.

Earlier, the Grammy-winning singer and Kevin shared 50-50 custody of their boys, but they haven’t been following that ar-rangement since August 2018, according to documents ob-tained by TMZ.

A$AP Rocky

Linda Hamilton

Kelly Clarkson

Ayushmann Khurrana

Kevin Federline and Britney Spears

Rajkummar Rao

Sanya Malhotra

David Beckham,

Greta Thunberg

among winners at GQ awards

in London

Liam NeesonGreta Thunberg

David Beckham

‘Vikings’ Katheryn

Winnick to star next with Liam Neeson

Smith in control as Australia end wet first day on 170-3

AFP | Manchester

Steve Smith continued his outstanding Ashes form, striking an unbeaten 60

as Australia recovered from an-other failure by their openers to reach 170-3 at the close of the rain-affected first day of the fourth test against England at Old Trafford yesterday.

Rain caused a delay of over two hours after lunch but plans to extend play to regain that lost time were abandoned after rain came in again during the break for tea.

The afternoon delay did lit-tle to disrupt Smith, though, who returning from missing the last test due to concussion, made his eighth straight Ashes half-century.

The series is tied a 1-1 with two tests remaining and victory for the Australians would en-sure they retain the urn.

Smith and Marnus Labus-chagne put on 116 for the third

wicket before the latter was bowled by a beautiful delivery from Craig Overton for 67.

It was a much-needed stand after England, on a high after their remarkable comeback win at Headingley, made a great start, bringing their supporters to their feet with just the fourth ball of the day.

Stuart Broad claimed the wicket of David Warner for the fifth time in this series with the left-hander caught behind as he made a belated decision to leave the ball but gave a thin outside edge to Jonny Bairstow.

Australia found themselves at 28-2 when Broad rapped the pads of Marcus Harris and, af-ter some consideration, umpire Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger and his verdict was up-held by video review.

Australia’s openers have aver-aged 15.14 – not since 1888 have their top two contributed less during an Ashes series.

The departure of Harris

brought the returning Smith to the crease after 38 minutes of play, the world’s number one-ranked batsman having missed the previous test due to con-cussion as a result of a bouncer from Jofra Archer.

To the delight of the crowd, Archer had the ball in hand and it took him three deliveries to attempt another bouncer.

But with England sensing a chance to eat into the Aus-sie middle order before lunch, Smith and Labuschagne quickly settled and set about upping the run-rate.

Labuschagne, retained in the side after replacing Smith as a substitute for the second in-nings at Lord’s and at Heading-ley, went on to make his fourth straight half century.

Ominously for England, Smith, who has two centuries and a 92 to his name in the se-ries, looked as if he had never been away as he calmly dealt with Joe Root’s attack.

He brought up his fifty, lav-ishly driving Ben Stokes for four through cover but the Manchester weather prospect of a third ton in this series will have to wait until Thursday.

15

sports


60runs were scored by

Steve Smith as Australia recovered from another failure by their openers

Serena grabs 100th US Open win

• Serena Williams secures her century with ruthless win over Qiang Wang

• Elina Svitolina reached a second straight Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open

AFP | New York

Serena Williams earned her 100th win at the US Open on Tuesday with a brutal

44-minute demolition of Wang Qiang, firing an ominous warn-ing to rivals in her pursuit of a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title.

Six-time US Open champion Williams dismantled Chinese 18th seed Wang 6-1, 6-0 in a complete mismatch that was the quickest at this year’s tour-nament to set up a semi-final clash with Ukrainian trailblazer Elina Svitolina.

Williams brought up a cen-tury of US Open wins to move to within one of the all-time leader Chris Evert.

“It’s really unbelievable, liter-ally. From when I first started here, I think I was 16, I didn’t think I would ever get to 100. I didn’t think I would still be out here,” Williams said.

The 37-year-old American is seeking a 24th major title to

match Margaret Court’s long-standing record, and smacked 25 winners against first-time Slam quarter-finalist Wang, who failed to hit a single one.

The 27-year-old Wang had not lost a set during her best Slam run that included a de-feat of reigning French Open champion Ashleigh Barty in the last 16, but she was powerless to stop a Williams onslaught at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“When I play someone who is playing really well, I know I have to either step it up or go home and I wasn’t ready to go home. I had to come out here and play really well,” said Wil-liams, suffering no ill effects from the ankle she rolled in her previous match.

“Physically I’m feeling great. More than anything I’m just having fun every time I come out here.”

Wang, trying to become just the fourth Chinese player to reach the last four of a Slam, won just four points in the sec-ond set and 15 in total.

“It’s not easy to play against her,” Wang said. “The power, like, I cannot handle it. Just too much for me.”

Williams captured her last Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant and hasn’t won the US Open since 2014.

Svitolina holds off Konta Fifth seed Svitolina defeated

Britain’s Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-4 to become the first Ukraini-an to reach the US Open semi-fi-

nals, matching her run to the last four at Wimbledon in July.

“It feels amazing. It was a very, very tough match. We were both striking the ball well. It was quite even,” Svitolina said. “I’m very, very happy the way I handled the pressure.”

Svitolina watched a pair of match points pass her by at 5-3 on her opponent’s serve as Konta gamely fought to stay alive, but the Ukrainian closed out victory in the following game.

Svitolina had already knocked out two-time former champion Venus Williamsand 2017 run-ner-up Madison Keys and is in a class of her own as the only Ukrainian woman to reach this stage at a major.

She will attempt to emulate Andrei Medvedev as just the second Ukrainian to play in a Grand Slam final. Medvedev lost the men’s 1999 Roland Gar-ros final in five sets to Andre Agassi.

Serena Williams of the US returns the ball against Qiang Wang of China

KNOW WHAT

Serena Williams powered into a 38th Grand Slam semi-fi-nal at the US Open

Australia’s Steve Smith bats in the fourth Ashes Test against England

De Grandhomme, Bruce help New Zealand clinch T20 seriesAFP | Kandy, Sri Lanka

A century partnership be-tween Colin de Grand-

homme and Tom Bruce helped New Zealand to a series-clinch-ing four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second Twenty20 international on Tuesday.

De Grandhomme and Bruce put on 109 runs for the fourth wicket as the Kiwis chased down their target of 162 with two balls to spare in Kandy and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

De Grandhomme, who was dropped on 36, completed his fifty before falling to Isuru Uda-na for 59. He hit two fours and three sixes in his 46-ball blitz.

Bruce, who made the XI in place of injured Ross Taylor, made the most of the oppor-tunity, scoring 53, but was run out at the start of the final over with the team needing seven.

Daryl Mitchell was out next ball and Mitchell Santner was nearly caught near the bound-ary by Shehan Jayasuriya on the third delivery but the fielder tripped after a collision with his teammate and hit the rope with the ball in hand.

Jayasuriya and Kusal Mendis were injured in the clash that cost Sri Lanka six runs and end-ed the final-over drama as Sant-ner hit the winning boundary on the fourth ball off Wanindu Hasaranga.

Skipper Lasith Malinga said the two fielders “are alright and will play the next game hope-fully”.

Earlier New Zealand bowlers led by pacemen Seth Rance and skipper Tim Southee restricted Sri Lanka to 161 for nine to set up the win.

Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya hurt the opposition chase with his three wickets in-cluding two in over as the Black Caps slipped to 38 for three.

New Zealand were also hurt by the absence of opener Mar-tin Guptill who was not avail-able to bat after being injured while fielding.

For Sri Lanka, Avishka Fer-nando and Niroshan Dickwel-la put on 68 runs for a crucial third-wicket stand but the rest of the batting did not make an impression.

New Zealand’s cricketer Colin de Grandhomme (R) and teammate Tom Bruce (L) run between the wickets Misbah named Pakistan head coach

Reuters | Karachi

Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq was named Pakistan’s

head coach on a three-year contract yesterday with pace great Waqar Younis joining him as the team’s new bowling coach.

Misbah and Waqar have worked together in the past when the former was the Paki-stan captain and the latter was the head coach.

Misbah will also take over as

the chairman of selectors with head coaches of the six first-class associations sides as his

fellow selectors.The decision follows PCB’s

decision to not renew head coach Mickey Arthur’s contract after the team’s failure to reach the semi-finals of this year’s World Cup.

Misbah, Pakistan’s most suc-cessful and longest serving test captain, retired from interna-tional cricket in 2017 after a dis-tinguished career but played for Peshawar Zalmi in this year’s Pakistan Super League Twen-ty20 tournament.

Misbah-ul-Haq speaks at a news conference (file photo)

North Korea’s Han completes Juventus loan

AFP | Milan

North Korea internation-al striker Han Kwang

Song has completed his loan move to Italian champions Juventus from league rivals Cagliari, both teams have confirmed.

The 21-year-old -- the first North Korean to play in Se-rie A -- has spent the past two seasons on loan from Cagliari to Serie B side Pe-rugia where he has scored 11 goals in 39 matches.

“Han Kwang Song is a new Juventus player! The North Korean striker ar-rives from Cagliari. Wel-come,” Juventus said on Twitter.

New coach Maurizio Sarri has long been a fan of Han, who will spend this season playing for Juventus’s Un-der-23 team, currently 18th in Serie C after two defeats in as many matches.

Cagliari said Han will join Juventus on a two-year loan deal with an obligation buy.

Figures were not revealed but according to Italian press reports the deal is worth in the region of four to five million euros ($4.3m to $5.5m).


Dimitrov stuns ailing FedererRoger Federer’s US Open run ended as Grigor Dimitrov springs upset

• Dimitrov came through in five sets and will face Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final

• Medvedev beats Wawrinka to reach semi-final

AFP | New York

Grigor Dimitrov rallied for a shocking upset of 20-time Grand Slam

champion Roger Federer at the US Open on Tuesday, the low-est-ranked New York semi-final-ist in 28 years advancing to face Daniil Medvedev.

The 78th-ranked Bulgarian, who had dropped all seven prior meetings with Federer, made a dramatic fightback to defeat the Swiss third seed 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium and will face Russian fifth seed Medvedev in Friday’s semis.

“I’m just happy,” Dimitrov said. “The only thing I was tell-ing myself was to stay in the match. Physically I was feeling pretty good. I was hitting some shots against him that were hard to hit.”

Dimitrov reached his first US Open semi-final to match the deepest Slam runs of his career from Wimbledon in 2014 and the 2017 Australian Open.

Not since 174th-ranked Jimmy Connors reached the 1991 quar-ter-finals had New York seen so lowly a figure on the ATP ratings

list reach the last four.Dimitrov is also the low-

est-ranked Slam semi-finalist since 94th-rated Rainer Schuet-tler of Germany at Wimbledon in 2008.

Federer, a five-time US Open champion who has not won at Flushing Meadows since 2008, breezed through the first set in 29 minutes and appeared to have withstood the danger until Dimitrov opened the fourth set with a break.

Federer was denied on five break points in the 10th game of the fourth set and Dimitrov held to force a fifth set.

“I was trying to stay in that game and make him stay on the court as much as possible. After that he started slowing down a little bit,” Dimitrov said.

“It’s a best of five sets. Any-

thing can happen.”Federer went off the court

for a private medical timeout to treat his upper back near his neck.

“This is Grigor’s moment, not my body’s moment,” Federer said.

Dimitrov broke Federer twice on the way to a 4-0 lead in the final set and the 38-year-old Swiss star had no effective re-ply, foiled by 61 unforced errors in falling after three hours and 12 minutes.

“It’s OK. It’s how it goes,” Federer said. “I tried my best. I fought with what I had and that’s it.”

Federer would have become the oldest Slam semi-finalist since Jimmy Connors at age 39 at the 1991 US Open.

Medvedev defeated three-

time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to reach his first major

semi-final, shaking off a sore left quadriceps that made him contemplate quitting the match. Now he gets two days of rest.

“That’s huge advantage re-garding what happened to my leg,” Medvedev said. “It should be OK.”

Medvedev took a medical timeout, had the area taped and took a painkiller.

“In the fourth set, I started feeling the painkiller and start-ed moving better,” he said. “For sure I hope to be ready for the semis.”

Medvedev’s hot summer Medvedev has maintained

momentum from a sizzling Au-gust in which he reached three ATP finals, winning a title at Cin-cinnati and finishing runner-up in Montreal and Washington.

Medvedev, 23, is the young-est US Open semi-finalist since Novak Djokovic in 2010 and Russia’s first Slam semi-finalist since Mikhail Youzhny at the 2010 US Open.

Dimitrov and Medvedev have split two prior matches, Dimi-trov winning at Queen’s in 2017 and Medvedev avenging the loss a few weeks later in Washington.

“He has been having a tremen-dous summer,” Dimitrov said of Medvedev. “I know his game. I’m just going to try and recov-er and reassess the match first and prepare from then on for Daniil. He’s a tough player. He’s tricky.”

Wawrinka, foiled in a bid for his second US Open title in four seasons, said he did not think Medvedev would be holding the trophy on Sunday.

Federer, a five-time US Open champion, left

the court for a private medical timeout to

treat his upper back near his neck before the final set but re-

fused to blame injury as the reason for his

exit

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria returns the ball against Roger Federer of Switzerland

Han Kwang Song during a match

KNOW WHAT

Juve’s Chiellini out six months after surgeryReuters | Rome

Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini has been ruled out

for around six months after undergoing surgery on a torn knee ligament, the Italian Seria A champions have said.

Centre back Chiel-lini, 35, sustained the injury during a training session last Friday, with new signing Matthijs de Ligt re-placing him in the Juventus lineup in their 4-3 win over Napoli last weekend.

“Giorgio Chiellini under-went surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee,” Juventus said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The intervention, per-formed at the Hochrum clin-ic in Innsbruck by professor Christian Fink in the presence of the Juventus club doctor, Dr. Tzouroudis, was perfectly successful.

“The expected recovery time is around 6 months.”

Juve have won their opening two league matches of the season

as they chase their ninth consecutive top-flight title but they must do so now

without Chiellini for

the majority of the campaign.The Italy international

is likely to return in March, meaning he could be fit for the Champions League quarter-fi-n a l s , i f Ju -ventus make it that far.

Verstappen and Gasly to start at back of grid in ItalyReuters | Monza, Italy

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly will start Sunday’s

Italian Grand Prix at the back of the grid due to power unit changes, engine partners Honda said yesterday.

Both will use Honda’s latest ‘Spec 4’ unit, taking them be-yond their engine allocation for the season.

“For their first race with Spec 4, Gasly and Verstappen will therefore take grid penalties and start from the back of grid, but we believe they can still race strongly on Sunday,” said Hon-da’s F1 technical director Toyo-haru Tanabe in a statement.

By taking penalties at Mon-za, the fastest track on the calendar, Red Bull aim to give

Verstappen a better chance in Singapore later in the month where grid position is more important and overtaking is difficult.

The Japanese Grand Prix, Honda’s home race, is also com-ing up in October.

Verstappen, who turns 22 at the end of September, has won

twice this season and is third in the Formula One championship.

The Dutch youngster retired on the opening lap last week-end in Belgium after a colli-sion with Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Verstappen’s team mate Alex-ander Albon and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat used the new pow-er unit at Spa-Francorchamps, with similar penalties.

“I think it can be alright to overtake,” Verstappen told re-porters in Spa when asked about the likelihood of starting at the back in Monza. “Even if you start from the back I don’t think it’s a big deal.

“If you start from the back you probably won’t catch the top four. Everything behind that I think it’s possible to catch up with.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen during qualifying at Belgium GP

Laporte undergoes operation on injured kneeAFP | London

Manchester City defender Ay-meric Laporte has undergone

knee surgery that is expected to keep the centre-back sidelined for at least a couple of months.

Laporte had been in line to make his international debut with France this week after his exceptional form for the Premier League champions over the past year was finally re-warded with a first call-up by Didier Deschamps since March 2017.

However, he was stretchered off

late in the first-half of City’s 4-0 win over Brighton on Saturday af-ter a clash with the visitors’ Adam Webster.

“Aymeric Laporte has undergone surgery on his knee after damaging his cartilage and lateral meniscus during Saturday’s win over Bright-on,” City said in a statement without giving a timeframe for Laporte’s return.

“The surgery, carried out by Dr Ramon Cugat in Barcelona, was suc-cessful and a more detailed progno-sis will be provided in due course.”

Should Laporte be absent for a prolonged period, he will be badly missed with centre-back one of the few positions where City are not blessed with great strength in depth.

They did not buy a re-placement for departed former captain Vincent Kompany in the sum-mer transfer window a n d midfielder Fernandinho had to fill that position against Brighton with John Stones also sidelined by injury.

Giorgio Chiellini

Aymeric Laporte

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