Bahrain this week ...

Police have seized BD46,000 in counterfeit money and arrested three suspects in an undercover operation.

A fourth suspect is being hunted. Two of the suspects, both naturalised Bahrainis, were caught trying to sell BD40,000 in forged BD20 notes, for BD20,000 in genuine cash.
They were lured into a rendezvous with undercover police, after the Central Bank of Bahrain raised the alarm that high-quality counterfeit notes were being circulated.
Another BD6,000 in fake notes was also found in the suspects’ car, CID director-general Brigadier Farooq Al Ma’awda said.
He said police later swooped on an Asian expatriate believed to be a key player in the plot, after one of the accomplices named him during questioning.
The Asian claimed his Bahraini sponsor brought the counterfeit money in from an Arab country and handed it to one of the other two, to be traded for real cash. Police are now looking for the sponsor, said Brig Al Ma’awada.

BAHRAIN’S price control committee urged the government to exempt more food items from customs duty. Basic commodities like rice, sugar, flour and meat are already exempted from duty and are being subsidised.
The committee, chaired by Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro, urged the government to study exempting milk, olive oil, canned food and some other items from customs duty as part of a price control exercise.
It also urged the government to allow Qatari fishermen to sell their catch in Bahrain.

Bahrain’s only animal sanctuary is searching for a new volunteer manager to take over the demanding job of caring for abused, homeless and abandoned animals.
Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals manager Melinda Salamah, who held the post for the last two-and-a-half years, says she needs a much-needed break.
Road projects worth more than BD200-million are currently under construction in Bahrain, a government official has revealed.
New flyovers and traffic signals will substantially ease traffic congestion, said Works and Housing Ministry Assistant Under-Secretary for Roads Essam Khalaf.
He was speaking at a presentation organised by the Bahrain Management Society, at the Sheraton Hotel.
The presentation was titled Managing Roads and Road Projects in Bahrain: The Extraordinary Time.
Mr Khalaf said new flyovers at Bahrain Map junction and in Seef had already been tendered.

High school students in Bahrain are taking part in a global scheme to nurture the bankers of the future.
A new programme called Banks in Action is being introduced by inJAz Bahrain as part of its new development for the spring semester of the current academic year.
Banks in Action, which has recently undergone a new development to be part of the Junior Achievement Worldwide programme for high school students, is sponsored by Citigroup Foundation.

The value of shares traded on the Bahrain Stock Exchange last year grew by 95 per cent compared with 2005, rising from BD268.1 million to BD522.9m.
The volume of shares traded also increased substantially rising by 58.7pc, from 458.3m shares to 727.6m, according to its Annual Trading Bulletin.
However, the All Share Index closed at the end of the year at 2,217.6 points – a year-on-year growth rate of only 0.99pc.

INDIANS in Bahrain are being urged to take part in a fund-raising drive to help 20 poor families in Kerala, left destitute after their breadwinners committed suicide.
The India-based social
and cultural association Janapriya Care (Charity Association for Relief Everywhere) is spearheading the fund-raising in the Gulf.
The organisation’s Bahrain chapter is supporting the campaign and has organised a stage show by one of Kerala’s most popular television programmes.
Minnum Tharam, which features film stars and comedians from south India, will be staged at the Indian School at 7pm on March 23.
A TAXI driver dropped a drunken passenger at a police station after he refused to pay his fare.
He picked the man up from a hotel in Manama and was asked to drop him at his home, in Jurdab, said a Public Prosecution spokesman.
The defendant, described only as a Gulf national, has been charged with being drunk in public and released on BD50 bail.

The search is on for male and female models to be part of a fashion show taking place in Bahrain next month.
Filipino designer Juni Capulong is holding the event at the Grand Ballroom in the Diplomat Radisson SAS Hotel on April 12.
A Tale of Two Seas will feature 20 male and 20 female models, introducing 80 pieces exclusively designed for the show, ranging from modern street-wear to elegant fashion and evening wear.
Mr Capulong will design, choreograph and direct a multi-media presentation with a Formula One flavour.
Models interested should email their portfolios
and contact details to email@junicapulong.com

AND FINALLY, a wealth of goals at the recent F1 Football Fever event not only entertained the crowd but also earned BD1 each for charity, donated by Bahrain’s Suzuki distributor Mohammed Jalal Suzuki.
The BD435 raised will go towards supporting the least privileged areas in Bahrain and developing youth programmes.