Bahrain will form a committee to counter extremism, money laundering and terrorism, under a royal decree announced on Sunday.
Official media said the interior minister, Sheikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, will head the committee, which will propose to the government individuals and entities to be blacklisted.
The degree said the committee will be also tasked with “studying all issues related to extremism and counter-terrorism, funding of terrorism and money laundering”.
The committee will report to the council of ministers. Among its members will be the religions affairs minister, governor of the central bank, and heads of intelligence and police.
Bahrain, which has a population of 1.6 million is a Middle East banking centre.
The decree said the committee will specialise in streamlining the government’s anti-terrorism efforts and “assessing the dangers of extremist thought.”
The committee will work on “proposing laws and special regulations to counter extremism and terrorism and its funding, and combat money laundering,” the decree said.
Gulf countries have stepped up measures in recent years to prevent terror financing and money laundering.
Bahrain is a member of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Centre that brings together UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar along with the US.
The TFTC was established in 2017 to co-ordinate US and Gulf sanctions on terrorist groups and members and has so far sanctioned scores of individuals and entities.
Major targets for the group include ISIS and Al Qaeda. In December 2019, Bahrain joined other TFTC countries in designating Iranian backed terror groups as sanctioned parties. It also added Hezbollah of Bahrain, ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the 14 February Youth Coalition, Al Ashtar Brigades, People’s Resistance Brigades, Al Mukhtar Brigades and Bahrain Freedom Movement to its terror list, the US annual report on terror financing reported.
Bahrain also has a counter national counter-extremism plan in line with the UN secretary general’s roadmap and the country has numerous projects targeted at the youth.
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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