RGBB News Aut12

1RGBB News

FROM THE CHAIR

Gary RichardsonRGBB Chair

ContentsFrom the Chair ..........................12012-13 RGBB Board ...............2New Members Evening .............3BBA Notes.................................5BBG Notes ................................7Special Briefi ngwith the Ambassador.................9 Financial Services SIG ............11Special Briefi ng with Gulftech............................12BT Network Event ...................14Sudoku ....................................14Special Briefi ng with BA ..........15Social Media Article.................16Best of British Awards .............18BAE support for Education ......20Sports ......................................23Irish-UPS Open Golf................24UK Gossip ...............................26CCRWS Festive Ball ...............29Movember ...............................30 With Lawrence in Arabia .........32Culinary Corner .......................34The Jingle Ball .........................36Events of the year ...................38Welcome to new Members......40

And Finally...............................40

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Since our last issue went to press the new British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir John Jenkins has arrived.

On behalf of the Board and all RGBB members I congratulate Sir John on his appointment and warmly welcome him and Lady Jenkins to Riyadh, I wish you every success. Sir John has already addressed the membership at a recent Special Briefi ng, an event that was thoroughly enjoyed by all that attended.

As the year draws to a close I think it is the perfect time to refl ect on a series of events that I believe have really put the Great back into Britain during 2012. The Queens Diamond Jubilee

which was a huge success both in the UK and abroad which really showed the passion and fondness with which the World still holds for her Majesty the Queen and the Royal family in general. The series of amazing scenes and events in London really did set the tone for things to come.

The Olympics and Para-Olympics were both huge successes in their own right. Some of the street based events took place in the streets where I was married and live, making me for one proud and a little homesick for the land I call home. A record haul of 185 medals, 63 of them gold saw team GB fi nish 3rd in the Para-Olympic medal table and 4th in the Olympic medal table.

On a business front the visit of the Prime Minister David Cameron and numerous members of his Cabinet, plus the many and varied trade & MEA Missions are a testament to the continued pulling power of the Saudi economy. This pulling power is refl ected in the strength of the membership of the RGBB which have continued to stay above the 350 member ceiling for a number of years now.

I hope that the year ahead continues to be successful for British – Saudi relationships and their business partnerships and opportunities.

I would like to thank all of the RGBB Board for their continued efforts on your behalf. A lot is being done behind the scenes to continue to make the RGBB relevant in the business community in Riyadh, whilst ensuring that our membership can both benefi t from, and contribute to, the success of UK Plc in the years ahead.

In recognition of the challenging times ahead in terms of business competition, the RGBB Board has recognized a need to up the game in comparison to competitor groups. We require more information regarding members in order to better target business opportunities and will therefore be sending a Members Questionnaire for everyone to complete to help us do this. Changes are also being considered on the RGBB membership form, website and logo to further sharpen our business focus.

On behalf of the Board I wish you all a happy festive season and wish you all a prosperous New Year.

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Keith NewberySIG [email protected]

Andrew DaySIG [email protected]

Bernie HewittSIG [email protected]

The RGBB 2012-2013 Board

Jane [email protected]

Gary Richardson [email protected]

Christopher Innes-HopkinsEmbassy [email protected]

Chris [email protected]

Marcel LuckmanDeputy [email protected]

Sean Ellis Embassy [email protected]

Sean McPoland [email protected]

Andrew Pearce Special [email protected]

Keith [email protected]

Luke BowenBDC Chairman and SIG [email protected]

Peter BroomDeputy Embassy [email protected]

Special Interest Group Chairs

The RGBB Secretary can be contacted on Saturdays Tel: 01 488 00 77 ext. 2263 or [email protected]

Christopher PalmerSIG Education & [email protected]

RGBB NEWS

The RGBB News magazine serves to advise, inform, entertain and promote members of the British business community in Saudi Arabia. 1000 copies of each edition are circulated free of charge to members of the British Business Groups in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province; and others concerned with British business in the wider region. Publication dates for this year are expected to be April, June and October. Actual deadlines will be advised one month before production dates.

ADVERTISING RATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:Outside Back Cover ............................................. SR12,000Inside Front Cover ............................................... SR 6,000Inside Back Cover................................................ SR 5,000Centre Spread...................................................... SR 6,000Full page inside.................................................... SR 4,000Half page Inside ................................................... SR 2,500Quarter Page inside ............................................. SR 1,500Flyer Insertion ...................................................... SR 2,500

To book space for 2013 editions, please contact Andrew Mead: email: [email protected] Mobile: 0506 271 151

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NEW MEMBERS EVENING

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Notes from the Eastern Chair

Geoff Fennah MBEChairman, British Business Association Eastern Province

BBA - EP

British Business Association - Eastern ProvinceP. O. Box 1868, Oasis Gardens, AlKhobar 31952Tel: 00966 3 882 5288 ext 1651 Fax: 00966 3 882 5629Secretary: Tara Patterson email: [email protected]

Now the heat of summer and the Olympic Games are behind us we face the busy run in to the festive season. Since my last notes it is clear that the Middle East continues to have its problems with Syria and the Palestine / Israel confl ict now dominating the news. Hopefully Bahrain will start to settle down as progress is made with the national dialogue.

Sadly, we said our goodbyes to HMA Sir Tom and Lady Phillips as they headed off back to UK. Sir Tom has now retired from the Foreign Offi ce and we wish them both well as they settle down to life back home. This also presented us with an opportunity to welcome new HMA Sir John Jenkins to Eastern Province when he attended the Invest Northern Ireland Trade Mission in September. We look forward to seeing Sir John and Lady Jenkins visiting Eastern Province on a regular basis.

The latter part of the year is always busy with visiting trade missions from UK and this year will be no exception as the British Trade Offi ce prepares to hold Energy Week early in December. This will involve several trade missions and about 40 UK companies. Eastern Province is a hive of activity and the numerous projects associated with rail, mining, petrochemicals and related support services will generate lots of opportunities for the missioners to evaluate

October saw MEA’s annual Opportunity Arabia 9 Conference take place in London, where I represented the Saudi British Business Groups by making a short presentation. It

was good to meet up with past Ambassadors, colleagues and friends at what was a well-attended and successful event. Hopefully we will see some of the attending companies at the upcoming Energy Week in Al-Khobar having taken the advice to come and assess the market for themselves.

The joint BBBF / BBA Annual Poppy Ball was held in Bahrain on 8 November and once again proved to be a fantastic evening with our colleagues from Bahrain. Special guests, three Chelsea Pensioners, were fl own in from London by British Airways for the occasion. A good time was had by all.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome and introduce our new Secretary, Tara Patterson, who joined us in early November. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the BBA or need to contact us then feel free to call me directly, send an e-mail to our Secretary at [email protected] or at our website www.bbaep.org

A Merry Xmas and a prosperous New Year to you all.

Geoff Fennah MBE

Late Company Sergeant Louis John, Late Sergeant Allen Michael Geoffrey and Late Sapper Riley Michael Barry were in Bahrain as guests of the BBBF. The veterans previously served in Bahrain, the UK, Germany, Kenya, France, Borneo, Ireland, Hong Kong and Malta and were accompanied by The Bookcase owner Linda Jennings during their six-day trip. Their visit was sponsored by British Airways and the Gulf Hotel.

It included local sightseeing, a tour and lunch at the Bahrain International Circuit, lunch at the Royal Golf Club in Riffa, tea with the British Ambassador and visits to the British School in Hamala and St Christopher’s Schools in Saar.The Chelsea Pensioners, as they are affectionately known, also met members of the Dilmun Club and their families and enjoyed fi sh and chips at the British Club.They were also guests of honour at a Poppy Ball which took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

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Notes from the BBG in Jeddah

BBG - JEDDAH

Captain Steve ThomasBBG Jeddah Chairman

It has been a quiet few months here in Jeddah – the summer seemed longer than ever as Ramadan took its course. With the Eid and then Hajj followed by its Eid, we have had a bit of a stop-start autumn and this has taken its toll on our activities. Needless to say, most of us have been busily trying to make up for the lost days from the various holidays.

In mid-November we took part in the fi rst of what we hope will become an annual European Networking Event. It was very kindly hosted by the French Consul-General at his residence and was held under the patronage of the Ambassador of the EU Delegation. Approximately 250 attended, made up from both the Saudi and Expat business communities. As a fi rst event there were a number of things that went well and a number that didn’t. We hope that with a few changes to address the latter we will be able to hold the event again next year.

Although, other than the European Business Event, we haven’t had a major BBG event. Our Special Interest Groups have been active though; especially the Financial Services SIG and the Retail and Marketing SIG. The SIG concept has proven to be a great success, giving members a more focused forum for their particular business interests. I’d like to go on record to thank the Chairs of the SIGs for their hard work in making such a success of their groups.

The next major function to look forward to is our Annual Ball; normally held in the fi rst part of December, this year those dates clashed with a number of events at the Consulate-General. In consequence we have had to postpone the Ball until the early part of next year. We will endeavor to use the extra time to make the event even more memorable than usual.

Our ever-popular Sports Challenge against our "cousins" from the American Business group of Jeddah is now starting to get fi red up. Team Captains are being selected and practices will start in preparation for the actual matches in the spring. David Wheen has led the charge for the past few years and has kindly volunteered to do so again, taking on the role of Sports Coordinator. If anyone knows where to get an industrial sized portion of Zantac please let Dave know!

My apologies for a short missive from Jeddah this edition. However, it would be remiss of me not to wish all our colleagues and friends across the kingdom a very happy and enjoyable holiday season.

Capt. Steve Thomas

Saudi News: Latest SnippetsKingdom To Fine Companies Having More Foreign Workers

Saudi Arabia is stepping up efforts to lower unemployment among its citizens by fi ning private sector fi rms that employ more foreigners than Saudis, the Labor Ministry announced.

The policy, which was implemented at the start of the new Islamic year on Nov. 15, requires private companies with majorities of foreign workers to pay a fee of SR 2,400 ($640) a year for each excess foreigner.

New Customs Regulations

Customs have introduced a new regulation calling on all importers and exporters and customs brokers for the need to show the payment method for buying and selling, whether it was cash, money transfer, letter of Credit or any means of payments. The payment method should show the payment details (date, bank name, receipt or remittance), and attach documents as proof with the shipping documents presented with the customs declaration in any port of entry or exit.

The Customs Authorities set 18/12/1433, Nov 3rd, 2012 as the start day of this regulation. After the set date, consignments, whether export or import, will be rejected if payment method is not documented

Jeddah’s infrastructure development

Jeddah has been a global gateway to the holy city of Makkah for centuries and receives millions of visitors each year. With a population of over 3.5 million, its infrastructural development has not always kept pace with the urban population boom but the city has witnessed several large-scale projects in recent years.

Palestine Street sees bottlenecks, congestion and traffi c breakdowns on a regular basis but the latest announcement will address this problem. News of a contract being awarded to China’s Sinopec for the construction of a kilometer-long overpass on Palestine Street at its intersection with Dallah Tower complex is another milestone in the city’s ongoing projects has been welcomed by residents.The overpass starts from Dallah Tower complex and runs up to the Prince Miteb Street intersection.

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SPECIAL BRIEFING

On the 10th November 2012 we were privileged to hear from our new Ambassador, Sir John Jenkins at the month’s special briefi ng. Sir John is highly experienced in the Middle East, having spent 32 years in and around the region, and was able to give us an insight into the relationship between the Kingdoms spanning 5 Prime Ministers, hot on the heels of the previous week’s visit by David Cameron.

TradeHMA began by stressing the relative ‘normality’ of KSA, having had recent exposure to areas of confl ict. It is incumbent on all of us to detoxify the brand of Saudi Arabia – a label unfairly applied by some – because on a global scale, or even a Gulf one, Saudi is a pillar of stability, a rock. This is crucial to enabling international investment, with UK business being integral to so many areas of trade here: engineering, IT, energy, construction, defence, education, security – even politics. The KSA market is worth 6Bn GBP in goods and services to the UK (annually), the largest balance of trade with any Gulf country but it is no surprise that competition looms for this business from the Far East. So our relationship is key. RGBB members were encouraged to use their not inconsiderable infl uence to ensure that a balanced view of conditions here reached interested parties in the UK. Our domestic press may not convey the sort of good news stories of which RGBB members are aware and decision makers ‘back home’ need this anecdotal evidence to balance what can sometimes be negative stereotypes dating back decades. We are all aware of the

diffi culties of doing business overseas but do we convey with equal vigor the positive experiences or benefi ts? The role within the Gulf was touched on too: member states are closely linked and so deals will be known throughout the region – transparency in business is essential.

ChangeSir John explored the subject of evolution within the Kingdom, sharing a view that a gradual modernization and change could be expected here over the next few years. Change cannot be mandated by world politics – for it to succeed it requires a change in the approach of the population, hence no major change should be expected overnight. For surrounding countries, the Arab Spring has brought benefi ts but the region has yet to settle down to ‘business as usual’ and this makes the solidity of KSA yet more crucial for foreign interests. So for KSA, changes for the better, but at a rate and in a way which, unlike some countries, need not unsettle transactions with the west.

A Relationship of EqualsLast week, our Prime Minister visited Saudi Arabia for the second time in a year, meeting with HRH King Abdullah and discussing, no doubt, many of the topics above. This level of interest in the region and in KSA in particular should be an encouragement to us all. Mr Cameron has a healthy attitude towards the Kingdom, taking the nation at face value, without baggage. Relations

between our countries have a good history and we can look forward to building on the interest shown by the PM together with this unencumbered relationship of equals. For the RGBB membership, our mission in KSA should be to provide the framework, to enable – we can’t ‘do the work’ nor would this be appropriate, but we have a great, continued and sustainable opportunity to advise and to frame using our professional experience.

QuestionsHMA took a number of questions from the members. Being a closed meeting, we cannot reproduce in full the session but Sir John was able to relay complimentary views of the King from his meetings last week, spoke positively about the recent appointment at the head of the Ministry of Interior (and the signs of change and progress) and when asked about the view of the UK by the Saudi establishment fi nished with some good advice: How we are perceived is based in part upon our history (generally good) and of course upon our professional experience (this is valued highly and is what the country generally buys from us) but crucially is based on what we deliver together: we must demonstrate commitment (which is why our domestic press can be so unhelpful when negative) and we will reap the rewards of a trusted partnership.

Our thanks once again to Her Majesty’s Ambassador for making the time from his busy schedule to address RGBB, and as ever for the continued use of the embassy facilities. Andrew Pearce

Sir John Jenkins KCMG LVO joined the FCO in 1980 and after studying Arabic at SOAS and elsewhere has served mainly in the Middle East and South East Asia.

His fi rst posting was to Abu Dhabi. He has been Her Majesty’s Ambassador to four countries serving in Rangoon, Syria, Iraq & Libya. He was also Her Majesty’s Consul General in Jerusalem and the United Kingdom Special Representative to the Libyan National Transitional Council. He was Director for the Middle East and North Africa in the FCO between 2007 and 2009. He is married to Nancy (née Pomfret)

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SIG FINANCIAL SERVICES

With no report from the SIG for this issue, I thought we might include a couple of articles of general interest to members who might be considering where to store their hard-earned rewards whilst they were away from the UK... Ed

HM Treasury to crack down on UK’s offshore tax havensAccording to a report in the Observer in November, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man will be among those ordered to reveal names behind hidden accounts. Radical plans to force the UK’s tax havens to reveal the names behind hidden companies, account holders and trusts have been drawn up by the Treasury.

The news has delighted tax justice campaigners, who predict that the move, which is expected to be unveiled in the chancellor’s autumn statement and come into force in 2014, will have major consequences for those trying to hide their money offshore.

A leaked document reveals that the UK plans to impose its own version of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca) on the crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, as well as its overseas territories, such as the Cayman Islands.

Fatca, which will come into force in the middle of next year, requires foreign banks to report American account holders to the US Inland Revenue Service. The draft UK equivalent, seen by the magazine International Tax Review, will require British tax havens to make similar disclosures about UK account holders to UK tax authorities.

“It’s a complete bombshell for these places,” Richard Murphy, a tax expert who has seen the draft plan, told the Observer. “Some people will try to fl ee, but this is going to change the whole of the offshore market.”

He explained that the draft plan amounted to the UK using US legislation to give tax havens an ultimatum: “It’s either they give the

UK the same data that they want to give the US or the UK won’t pass their laws to let data fl ow to the US.” The ultimatum is crucial, Murphy suggested. If the UK refuses to pass the laws, its tax havens “might just as well shut up shop since there would be almost no banks or other institutions willing to locate there”.

News of the plans is likely to surprise many tax experts. This month, responding to an international development committee report, the government publicly rejected the need for a UK version of Fatca. Joseph Stead, Christian Aid’s senior adviser on economic justice, said that if the draft was implemented it “would be the beginning of the end for tax haven secrecy”.

However, he said it was vital that it should not just be the UK which obtains full information disclosure from its tax havens: “We should ensure that other countries get it too, so they can catch up with people and companies hiding money. Otherwise there will be tax haven secrecy for some countries and not others.

“Poor countries lose billions every year to tax dodging and tax havens are often involved. We hope the UK government will use the G8 meeting it is hosting next year to agree action to ensure a global end to tax haven secrecy.”

Latest HMRC taskforces aim to recover about £17m, including from people letting properties and not disclosing incomeEarlier this year HMRC announced that 30 tax evasion taskforces would be launched in 2012-13. These bring together various HMRC compliance and enforcement teams for "intensive bursts of activity" targeted at specifi c sectors and locations where there is evidence of a high risk of tax evasion. Investigators go "knocking on doors" and check the books of businesses and individuals.

The taskforces are a result of the government’s £917m spending review investment to tackle tax evasion, avoidance and fraud, which aims to raise an additional £7bn each year by 2014-15.

HMRC has previously looked at the affairs of a range of professionals, from plumbers, doctors and dentists to home tutors, market stallholders, scrap metal dealers, car salespeople and those with money offshore. It has also been writing to thousands of people who it believes are regularly selling items on sites such as eBay and may have underpaid tax.

HMRC has previously said it will employ cutting-edge tools such as "web robot" software to search the internet for information about specifi ed people and companies, and their fi nancial affairs.

TAX CRACKDOWN

The International crackdown on offshore tax havens dates back more than ten years.

The Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a Paris based think tank, has played a key role in co-ordinatiing measures by tax authorities to make it harder for people to use tax havens to evade tax.

In 2000, the OECD identifi ed a number of jurisdictions as tax havens according to criteria it had established. Between 2000 and April 2002, 31 tax havens made formal commitments to implement the OECD’s standards of transparency and exchange of information.

The crackdown on tax havens gained momentum after the 11 September terrorists attacks on the US in 2001, amid claims that terrorists were using tax havens to launder money.

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Revolutionary Changes in the Financial LandscapeOctober’s Special Briefi ng was conducted by Gulf Technological Systems COO Mr Colin Loubser.

Covering various aspects of changes within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the briefi ng touched on Saudi Arabia’s desire to:

• Reduce unemployment of Saudis,• A minimum wage,• Workers Rights,• Reducing Working Hours and,• closing fi nancial Loopholes

To this end GulfTech looked at opportunities for British Business to help the Kingdoms Ministries in attaining these lofty ideals by introducing solutions which cover:

• Banking the Unbanked• Monitoring in Unmonitored• Removing Cash from the System

GulfTech also introduced SAMA’s new regulatory environment for the reduction of CASH in the market place, this being the market for PrePaid Card solutions. PrePaid is such a diverse area the meeting only covered a small number of possible solutions within this fi eld. The most notable being PrePaid PAYROLL cards introducing lower cost banking to businesses reducing the current need for cash.

GulfTech provides the following as the offi cial SAMA defi nitions of the new market for PrePaid and some generalised terms of the PrePaid market.

Prepaid Payment Service Defi nitionA prepaid payment service, as regulated, is defi ned by the holding of monetary value in a prepaid account/electronic record that can be utilised to purchase goods or services

from one or more businesses who agree to participate in the prepaid program. The defi ning features are:

• Monetary value is held on account for use to purchase goods and services for variable amounts as determined and agreed between the payer and payee at the time of purchase of the prepaid service

• Settlement of transactions can be between otherwise unrelated business entities.

"Open loop" payment services enable the purchase of goods and services from a group of unrelated businesses through a prepaid account utilising a payment brand accepted at the participating merchants, i.e. multiple contracting entities, multiple issuers and multiple acquirers. "Open loop" prepaid services require clearing and settlement services between different businesses. This includes the ability to encash any part of the prepaid balance through a third party network, such as ATM networks.

"Restricted loop" is a subset of an open loop program, in that the merchant acceptance of the program is limited to a specifi ed merchant or a specifi ed network of merchants. Examples of restricted loop program include in its broadest

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SPECIAL BRIEFING

form, prepaid accounts for the purchase of specifi c services or goods across a network of merchants (e.g., a prepaid coffee card accepted across a range of unrelated coffee shops, or a mall card accepted only at merchant locations within a specifi c mall);

"Closed loop" is the purchase of prepaid goods and services related to the goods and services within a defi ned contracting entity i.e. single contracting entity, single issuer & single/multiple acquirers. In its most restrictive form, close loop programs prepaid accounts for the purchase of services or goods from a specifi c merchant or merchant chain utilizing the settlement and clearing functions of the prepaid payment service. (e.g., a nationwide retailer offers a prepaid card valid only at its nationwide locations, an independent merchant offers a prepaid card valid only at its single store location but chooses to utilize the prepaid payment service for settlement and clearing functions).

Examples of closed loop prepaid goods and services include:

i. Prepaid accounts for the purchase of specifi c services or goods, such as prepaid fares for public transport or prepaid airtime for mobile telephony services;

ii. Vouchers (a paper certifi cate or a series of electronic digits with a non-reloadable amount associated that allows the holder to make payments up to that value at a specifi c merchant or merchant chain);

iii. Gift cards for use at a merchant or merchant chain

Reloadability

The regulatory principle presented herein governs both reloadable and non-reloadable prepaid payment service products.

a. Non-reloadable prepaid payment service. A prepaid payment service is non-reloadable if it has no mechanism for having additional funds added to the initial balance after the initial issuance.

b. Reloadable prepaid payment service. A prepaid payment service is reloadable if it has the ability of having more funds added after the initial issuance. It is at the discretion of the prepaid Issuer to determine whether a prepaid product should be reloadable or non-reloadable (noting that re-loadable cards are subject to more rigorous KYC and AML requirements).

PrePaid Account Types authorized by SAMA Regulations

• Payroll Card• Youth Card (U18) • Student Card• Visitor Card (e.g. Hajj and/or Umrah) • Household Card• Company Card (Petty Cash) • Welfare Card• Gift Card• General purpose Card


14

SuDokuFill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.Answer on page 40

BT NETWORKING RECEPTION AT BRITISH EMBASSY IN RIYADHThe Trade relationship between KSA and Great Britain is excellent and growing stronger every year. More and more British companies are forging relationships with Saudi partners. BT is an iconic British brand who will bring great benefi t to their Saudi partners.

BT Al Saudia held a networking reception at the British Embassy in Riyadh on October 7th to highlight BT’s progress following the launch of its investment plan in the Middle East and Africa region. The event was hosted by Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador Sir John Jenkins and Mr Wael El Kabbany, Managing Director, Middle East and North Africa, BT Global Services.

Earlier this year, BT announced a series of initiatives aimed at doubling its business across Turkey, the Middle East and Africa, enabling both global and locally-based companies to gain access to a richer portfolio of innovative services and leverage the global reach of BT’s network. As part of the investment programme, BT is doubling the number of employees across the region, including highly skilled professional services specialists who will provide local support to customers and deliver consulting, integration and managed services.

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, BT operates through BT Al Saudia, a joint venture between HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Sattam bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and BT Global Services. Established in 1989, BT Al Saudia is the offi cial channel and delivery partner of BT Global Services in Saudi Arabia, providing systems integration, network services and subscription cloud services to more than 300 customers including Riyadh Development Authority, Immam University, King Fahd University, King Khalid University, Al Jouf University, STC, SABB, Saudi Arabian Airlines, National Commercial Bank, Nestlé, Pepsico, Baker Hughes and Visa.

The event included a presentation highlighting BT’s capabilities for the fi nancial sector industry and a presentation of BT Unifi ed Trading – a powerful, cost-effective, software-based cloud-compatible trader voice, multi-media and collaboration solution. BT experts are set to present on the next chapter in the evolution of trading communications and provide an overview of BT’s capabilities, products and services in the MENA region, demonstrating how BT can transform businesses through networked IT services.

BT also shared its recent success in breaking several connectivity records during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including record delivery levels of daily video traffi c and Internet traffi c on its UK retail broadband network. BT designed and delivered a single, integrated communications network (a fi rst for a Summer Olympic Games) spanning 94 locations with a critical Games-time service availability of 99.999%.

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SPECIAL BRIEFING

Apacked house of RGBB Members were once again treated to British Airways (BA) hospitality as Irfan

Khan, the airline’s regional Corporate Account Manager, provided an update on BA / BMI integration, a BA product overview and details of special offers.

Bri� sh Airways is a full service global airline, off ering year round low fares with an extensive global route network fl ying to and from centrally located airports

Accompanied and supported by Mr Mubeen, the then Trade Accounts Manager for BMI, Irfan stressed BA’s intention to cater for customers looking for travel solutions, rather than just fl ights; he asserted that this would be better facilitated by the airline’s merger with BMI, which would amongst other things widen BA’s network, increase frequencies, improve competitive position against competing hubs and use acquired aircraft to improve long haul routes.

Of immediate interest to passengers, Irfan assured members that they would receive continuation of services and be able to transfer benefi ts from BMI Diamond Club to the BA Executive Club, transferring destination miles to Avios miles at a rate of 1:1.

Whilst Irfan’s presentation was largely an advertising and marketing opportunity, detailing the salient points of the different on-board cabins and what services travellers could expect to receive in its various classes of lounge, useful information to the RGBB business community included the following details of the London to Middle East schedule:

• Abu Dhabi – Daily Flights.• Bahrain – Daily Flights.• Doha – Daily Flights.• Dubai – 3 times daily winter 2012 schedule.• Jeddah – 5 times per week (except Tues and Weds).• Kuwait – Daily Flights.• Muscat – Daily Flights.• Riyadh – Daily Flights.• Amman – 6 times per week (except Tues) winter 2012 • Beirut – 6 times per week (except Fri) winter 2012

As a fi nal part of the formal presentation, Irfan revealed details of the discounted offer being made to RGBB members through to 31st December 2012, which approximately 400 members had taken up at the time of the briefi ng. He encouraged members interested in taking this offer up to do so as soon as possible, not least because it would increase the probability of it being renewed or extended. The RGBB Secretary e-mailed details of this offer, with Passcode, to all members after the Briefi ng; any members who have not received details and wish to take advantage of the offer are invited to e-mail the Secretary at [email protected] and request further details.

Having very much pitched a BA advertising strap line, Irfan was then subjected to some serious probing on the direct impact to the Riyadh-based UK business community of the BA / BMI merger, which would unquestionably reduce the total quantity of UK-bound seats and likely increase prices. He acknowledged that the number of seats would reduce as some slots would have to be given up, but what Irfan could not make clear at the time was that this was a situation beyond BA’s control, as the Saudi Arabian aviation authorities would not allow a single British carrier to fl y in and out of Riyadh twice in one day.

Irfan did reveal, however, that several other British carriers had expressed interest in the spare slots, but was unable to elaborate further; more news of this would emerge in the New Year. He also confi rmed that BA would be addressing the immediate reduction in seats in part by replacing the Boeing 777 aircraft on the Riyadh / London route with a Boeing 747 during October 2012.

Members should have already received an email from the secretary giving details of a password login to allow them to take advantage of BA Special Fares for RGBB members.

Irfan’s full briefi ng slide pack can be obtained from the RGBB Secretary. (Below: Irfan gets his Argie)

17RGBB News

The following is an interesting article on Business and Social Media. Here in Saudi Arabia we have to be considerate of many factors in business, Culture being only one of many. We should also not forget the languages of employees we have in our companies, there may be Arabic, English, Tagalog, Pashtun Urdu, Armenian, Afghani, Chinese etc. If you have a Social policy, should it only be written in Arabic and English? Or should it be in every language? Only you as a business can tell, but no-matter-what be prepared for potential customer backlash if your company doesn’t consider adopting a Social Media Policy for all employees.

Guest Article: Tiffany Black , INC.Whether your company is active on social media, your employees probably are. Here are some things to consider when creating a social media policy.

An offi ce worker was fi red after her employer discovered her sex blog. A waitress was fi red for venting about a customer on Facebook. A woman lost a job offer at Cisco because of something she said on Twitter. These incidents illustrate why it might be wise to create a social media policy for your employees.

“I would say it is absolutely crucial for any size business with employees to have a social media policy,” said Vivienne Storey, general manager of BlandsLaw, a boutique law fi rm outside of Sydney, Australia, that specialises in employment law. Storey also writes for the fi rm’s blog on social-media policy issues. “If you don’t, how do you manage and monitor what is being said about the company and how social media is used?”

A social media policy outlines for employees the corporate guidelines or principles of communicating in the online world. Do you need an explicit social media policy? We’ll outline steps to make that decision, as well as what to include and how to implement the new policy.

Writing a Social Media Policy: Deciding When to Create a Social Media Policy

A social media policy can be a company’s fi rst line of defense to mitigate risk for both employer and employee. You may already have a confi dentiality agreement but it might not be enough. Adding a few lines in the employee handbook to clarify that the confi dentiality agreement covers employee interactions on social media sites might suffi ce. But it is advised to create a separate social media policy to have something specifi c on fi le and accessible to employees and that they are aware of the policies existence.

Jason Falls, a social media strategist at Social Media Explorer LLC in Louisville, Kentucky, thinks companies should have several social media policies. “Part of the problem is that social media policy is a misnomer,” Falls says. “It’s more than just telling employees what they can and cannot do on company computers.”

Here is a list of some social media policies Falls suggests companies should consider creating:

• Employee Code of Conduct for Online Communications• Employee Code of Conduct for Company Representation in Online Communications• Employee Blogging Disclosure Policy• Employee Facebook Usage Policy• Employee Personal Blog Policy• Employee Personal Social Network Policy• Employee Personal Twitter Policy• Employee LinkedIn Policy• Corporate Blogging Policy• Corporate Blog Use Policy• Corporate Blog Post Approval Process• Corporate Blog Commenting Policy• Corporate Facebook Brand Page Usage Policy• Corporate Facebook Public Comment/Messaging Policy• Corporate Twitter Account Policy• Corporate YouTube Policy• Corporate YouTube Public Comment Policy• Company Password Policy

“While it may seem frivolous to spell out policies for every social network, that’s not quite the point,” Falls says. “Different networks have different implications for different companies.”

There are two approaches to creating a social media policy. You can write one complete social media policy that addresses all currently available social mediums. Or you can write polices as you need them. For example, if your company doesn’t have a social media presence on YouTube you may not need to address YouTube and video usage. But as your business expands you add a YouTube policy later.

“I’d say there are two broad reasons for having a social media set of guidelines for every company: crisis management or brand opportunity,” says Mario Sundar,

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SOCIAL MEDIA

community evangelist at LinkedIn. “Social media may be a huge opportunity for your employees to help build your company’s brand, but let’s not forget that there also exists a tremendous risk for individual employees to inadvertently damage the company’s brand and by defi ning a set of guidelines you help mitigate that risk.”

Writing a Social Media Policy: What You Should Include

Social media is about sharing and collaboration. For this reason Sundar thinks the best way to create a policy is to fi nd what he calls the “social media evangelists” from within your company. “Bring in your most active social media employees to collaborate and help craft your social media guidelines.” Including employees in the process creates internal advocates for the policy. The policy should be more about what employees can do and best practices for social media use versus all the things employees can’t or shouldn’t do on social media.

When crafting a policy, be sure to:1. Remind employees to familiarize themselves with the employment agreement and policies included in the employee handbook.

2. State that the policy applies to multi-media, social networking websites, blogs and wikis for both professional and personal use.

3. Internet postings should not disclose any information that is confi dential or proprietary to the company or to any third party that has disclosed information to the company.

4. If an employee comments on any aspect of the company’s business they must clearly identify themselves as an employee and include a disclaimer.

5. The disclaimer should be something like “the views expressed are mine alone and do not necessarily refl ect the views of (your companies name).”

6. Internet postings should not include company logos or trademarks unless permission is asked for and granted.

7. Internet postings must respect copyright, privacy, fair use, fi nancial disclosure, and other applicable laws.

8. Employees should neither claim nor imply that they are speaking on the company’s behalf.

9. Corporate blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc., could require approval when the employee is posting about the company and the industry.

10. That the company reserves the right to request the certain subjects are avoided, withdraw certain posts, and remove inappropriate comments.

When creating a social media policy you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Several companies including Cisco, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Razorfi sh have developed clear-

yet-comprehensive social media policies. If you are looking for some good examples of social media guidelines from various companies the Social Media Governance website has an online database of over 100 social media policies.Commentators suggest: “There are many websites that you can copy social media policies from, but would also say get a lawyer involved and make sure your policy is customized to your company.

(Note: While this guide is comprised of things experts we’ve interviewed say it’s safe to include, it should not be construed as legal advice.)

Writing a Social Media Policy: Professional Use and Encouraging Personal Use of Social Media

A corporate social media policy lets employees know what they need to know to communicate the company message effectively, and what they should and should not do.

“Your staff, clients and corporations are already on social media and will more than likely be talking about your company,” says Katrina Collier, founder and director of Winning Impression LTD, a London based fi rm that helps companies with social recruitment. “Clear guidelines will ensure that your company brand is enhanced and that your reputation is not sullied by an errant remark.”

It is benefi cial for employees to have their input in to the companies’ social media. They may have great insight and opinions to share with customers and clients. Employees are an amazing resource and can help you promote your business on social networks.

Writing a Social Media Policy: How to Implement the Policy

The lesson to learn from the examples of employee fi rings and how some companies have chosen to address social media is to make the policy as clear as possible.

The best formats for this policy is to fi rst state the policy and follow with a bulleted breakout of the key points. Microsoft’s policy includes a frequently asked questions section that further clarifi es the policy for employees. Catherine Allen, vice president at SHIFT Communication a public relations agency with offi ces in Boston, San Francisco, and New York, suggested offering guidelines or best practices. Allen’s fi rm created a draft of social media recommendations that companies can tweak to fi t their needs. “Our fi rm created this based on hours of research on other companies guidelines, to help streamline the process for our clients.”

Once the social media policy has been fi nalised, it is important to let your employees know there has been a change to the employee agreement that each employee signed when they were hired. An e-mail or memo should be sent to all employees including a copy of the new policy or a link to where they can reference the policy. Educating your employees on the social media policy will help to curb mishaps.

19RGBB News

The RGBB would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all businesses from the UK who have endeavoured to work with partners aboard in developing opportunities for the benefi t of the country. In this article we review the winners of the "The British Business Awards 2012 – China".

You may ask, why China? It is a young country steeped in history, just like Saudi Arabia; it was once a closed opportunity to business and now open, just like Saudi Arabia; and they are willing to invest in British Business, just like Saudi Arabia. We hope you start seeing the parallels.

Is this something you think we should also pursue? We would like to hear your ideas for celebrating the Best of British in Saudi Arabia in the upcoming year 2013. Sean McPoland

The Best of British announced!

The winners of the British Business Awards 2012 (China) were revealed at a gala awards dinner on the 8th November. The awards ceremony was formally opened by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to China, Sebastian Wood, followed by an address from Sir Roger Carr, President of CBI.

Sustainability Award sponsored by BPUnilever China

Unilever is one of the largest fast moving consumer goods companies with over 400 brands in over 190 countries. 2010 saw the launch of its global Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP). Unilever China developed three platforms to deliver its sustainability agenda. ‘A better future for the planet’

is committed to reducing the environmental impact of Unilever. Since 2006, "we have achieved signifi cant reduction in CO2, water and waste across China factories by 42%, 35% and 80% per production tonne respectively," states Unilever China’s Strategic Communication Director, Marina Wu. ‘A better future for children’ programmes benefi tting over 300,000 children and their families each year. ‘A better future for farming & farmers’ focuses on developing sustainable agricultural sourcing programmes in China.

For Unilever, there is no inherent contradiction between growth and sustainability. "In fact, in our experience sustainability drives growth," explains Wu. "We have found that once you start looking at product development, sourcing and manufacturing through a sustainability lens, it opens up great opportunities for innovation and cost reduction."

Chinese UK Alumnus of the Year Award sponsored by British CouncilHuan Wang

The UK’s strong reputation in life sciences led Huan Wang to choose Queen Mary University of London to study for her PhD in Biological Science specialising in Gene Silencing. She then went on to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Liverpool studying human type II diabetes.

On her return to China, she took the position of Manager of Discovery Biology with Centaurusbio BioPharma Co, a successful pharmaceutical company. She set up its fi rst biology department focusing on new drug discovery for anti-cancer and type II diabetes.

She is currently studying part time for a Masters in Project Management in order to better manage the projects and biology team.

Entrepreneur of the Year Award sponsored by Costa CoffeeCRCC Asia

CRCC Asia pioneered the establishment of work experience programmes for international students and graduates in China, and continues to run the leading and biggest Internship Programme in China. Founded by two young graduates, Daniel Nivern and Edward Holroyd Pearce with minimal funds the company has grown within six years into a multi-national company with fi ve offi ces in London, Beijing, Shanghai, San Francisco and Pennsylvania, with more than 40 employees spread across the globe.

Innovation Award sponsored by GKNElementis PLC

Elementis PLC is a global specialty chemicals company, employing over 1,200 people at more than 30 locations worldwide,. Deuchem (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Elementis, is the principal operating Group entity in China and is a de facto ‘One-Stop Total Solution Provider’ to the coatings industry in China.

For Elementis, setting up R&D in China is crucial in order to bring new technologies and products to the markets it serves. Working closely with the company’s global R&D centres, the Chinese technical team developed a resin which "will fi ll the technological gap that the global coatings industry has been waiting for over the past decade," states Dr Mark Su, Vice President & Managing Director, Asia at Elementis.

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Chinese Investor of the Year Awardsponsored by Hogan LovellsBosideng UK Limited - Joint Winner

Founded in 1976, Bosideng’s unwavering commitment to quality and innovation has led the company to become a leading apparel brand in China.

"We chose the UK as a foothold to Europe, which is our key overseas market", states Bosideng UK’s CEO, Wayne Zhu. "Bosideng has been partnered with a British company for years in order to study the market potential, consumption patterns, competitive brands and establish its own team. Due to this, we know the UK better than any other market and London being one of the world’s fashion hotspots is a major advantage for the brand.

Chongqing Machinery & Elec. Co., Ltd- Joint Winner

Chongqing Machinery & Electric Co. (CME) is focused on becoming a major international manufacturer and technology supplier. The company is investing in businesses globally to increase R&D capabilities and product development, especially in the UK “where innovation is clearly a strength,” says Liao Shaohua, CME’s Director and Vice President.

CME acquired Precision Technologies Group (PTG) in 2010. PTG’s principal activities are design, development, manufacturing and commissioning of special purpose, high precision, advanced machine tools and production systems. Since its acquisition, CME has invested heavily in the growth of PTG. "The UK managers bring to us a wealth of experience of international business and product strategy implementation" says Liao Shaohua. "In return, we are investing in manufacturing capacity, staff, facilities and R&D, for the long term success of our UK business."

Creativity Award sponsored by Jaguar Land RoverTECAstudio

TECAstudio was founded at the Royal College of Art in 1998 and opened a permanent offi ce in South China, Shenzhen in 2004. TECAstudio is a design and innovation company specialising in market targeted product design with a track record of high volume sales and successful patented design innovation.

“Being one of the fi rst UK design companies to open an offi ce in China we have placed great importance on nurturing and developing creative talent and provided a platform where everyone can develop and grow their ideas,” explains TECAstudio’s Founder, Andy James Lee. Lee adds, "we have put creativity at the core of our business not just as deliverables but as a core philosophy to pioneer new ways on creating value for everyone"

Financial & Professional Services Award sponsored by Manchester Business SchoolStandard Chartered Bank (China) Limited

With 150 years of continuous presence in China, Standard Chartered Bank’s motto ‘Here for good’ is one few could quibble with. Standard Chartered is not only the oldest foreign bank in China, but the also the oldest bank in China, "testament to the fact that we remain open for business no matter how tough things become," states Standard Chartered.

The bank continues to invest in its expansion on the Chinese mainland, now having a presence in 24 cities, with 90 outlets and employing around 7,000 people. "With strong growth of the Chinese economy, our business in China has grown in tandem with income increasing by 23 per cent to RMB 5,540 million in 2011," states Standard Chartered.

British Company of the Year Award sponsored by UKTIGKN China

GKN is a global engineering group whose technologies and products are at the heart of vehicles and aircraft produced by the world’s leading automotive manufacturers. Over twenty years ago, GKN was the fi rst Western company to invest in the automotive components industry in China. Today, GKN operates from 12 locations and employs over 5,000 people in China. Currently the company is expanding its operations, investing in new facilities in Changchun, Wuhan and Jiangsu province and establishing new partnerships in Aerospace and Land Systems.

Special Commendations were awarded in two categories:

Creativity AwardPlastered T-shirts

Plastered T-shirts takes iconic imagery from China’s streets and celebrates it. Everyday design is inspiration – from neon signs framing steaming karaoke halls, to delicate acrobatic twists and towers – Plastered puts these images on t-shirts in a celebration of everything beautiful about China.

British Company of the Year AwardFired Up Corporation

Fired Up are an award winning, globally integrated manufacturer of appliances for the home improvement, hotel supply and healthcare mobility industries. They comprise six product brands and utilise multiple distribution channels to deliver exceptional value to a worldwide customer base.

BEST OF BRITISH

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Earlier this year at a press conference Jim McDowell, Managing Director and CEO

of BAE Systems Saudi Arabia and Chris Palmer, Deputy Director General at the British Council announced that they would continue to assist leading Saudi academics further their academic research during the traditional summer break. During this time they would be allowed to study in the UK under a scheme know as the BAE Systems Post Doctoral Research Programme.

This programme is a partnership and with the close cooperation and supervision by the Ministry of Higher Education. The programme has been running ever since 1991, and as a result 20 Saudi academics have been able to take up this opportunity to further their studies and research in their own areas of expertise.

BAE Systems Saudi Arabia’s role in the programme is to provide the funding. The cost of travel, accommodation and related expenses is subsidied and the British Council ensures that fees from UK institutions are either minimised or eliminated altogether. The British Council also creates the linkage with British academicians and universities, and assesses nominations from Saudi academics.

The British Council runs the scheme to build ties between the academic communities of the two Kingdoms. It operates in no other country in the world.

British higher education establishments are acknowledged as some of the best and have broken through a somewhat crusty atmosphere in the past few decades to establish a pre-eminent reputation for dynamism, innovation and excellence in many areas of learning.

The Post Doctoral Research Programme gives Saudi professors access to this world. The British Council stipulates that all successful applicants must already possess

their doctorates and be engaged in areas of research considered of great importance to the development of the Kingdom. Such has been the signifi cance of the scheme that over the years nearly all of the research has ended up in being published in international academic periodicals.

BAE Systems involvement stems from its worldwide policy of alignment with educational needs of the countries in which it serves. "We aim to be, and want to be, a responsible corporate citizen wherever we operate," explained Monther Tayeb, Director of Communications.

Image Deblurring

Dr Faisal Fairag, an Associate Professor at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran was one of the accademics who went on the 2012 BAE Systems Post Doctoral Research Programme.

"This allowed me to conduct further research in the area of Image Deblurring. I went to Liverpool University. Image deblurring is an image technique which makes images sharp and removes the blurry effect. "In image deblurring, we seek to recover the original sharp image by using a mathematical model of the blurring process. One of the challenges of image deblurring is the requirement of solving huge mathematical equations.

"During my visit, we investigated a new, fast, effi cient and reliable algorithms for this to recover as much information as possible from the recorded image."

Effects of Radiation

Dr Entissar AlSuhaibani, (pictured top right) an associate professor at King Saud University was able to utilise the Post Doctoral Summer Research Programme to further her studies in the effects of Radiation on Human Chromosomes.

She received training at the Human Protection Agency on a method recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency in the event of an accident which potentially exposes

humans to high levels of radiation. "The method I studied was Fluorescent In Situ Hybridisation (FISH) which helps to determine the amount of human chromosome abnormalities the exposure caused. During my studies I had theoretical and practical demonstrations in how the FISH technic can be utilized. I also revised Cytogenetics Dose Estimation Software and its statistical applications.

"This study is important to Saudi society in case it is exposed to radiation contamination in the future."

Cancer Research

Ibrahim Alsaihati, a lecturer from the Electrical Engineering Department at King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals, went to the University of Surrey to conduct research to help doctors treat cancer patients.

Ibrahim explained, "PET images are used to see cancer or abnormal cells inside the body. The oncologist uses these images to prescribe the doses to patents. The oncologist spends hours to draw the boundaries of tumors in each image.

"Therefore, my research examined the possibility of drawing the boundaries of tumors automatically, which would save time for oncologists to see more patents. A technique called Active Contour Modeling is used to draw the boundaries. The conclusion from the study was that this technique will give reasonable results if the tumor is very large and a correction factor must be used, however, this model should not be used for smaller tumors.

Continuing support for education

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SPORTS

Records tumbled from start to fi nish at the second RGBB Sponsored Irish – UPS Open Championship, staged at Dirab golf course on 3rd & 4th October. The event which took the form of a four ball Texas scramble saw a record 161 players participate in 4 man teams in a fi ght for the amazing Waterford crystal vases that were on offer for the winners. In fact there were so many participants that the competition had to be split into 3 tee times over a 2 day period.

Scoring records were also broken as three teams shot 12 under par gross (before handicaps were applied). Overall scoring was so impressive that last year’s winning score of a net 51 (after handicaps were applied) would have struggled to make it into the top 3 positions. It was so close that only 4 shots separated the top 5 teams.

The availability to purchase mulligan’s (second chance shots), combined with perfect playing conditions, clearly had a signifi cant effect as almost every team shot below the par score of 72 on this challenging parkland course. Wednesday’s teams set the early pace with the fi rst 12 under par score being recorded, along with a host of other impressive totals.

The 7am starters on Thursday began their rounds in perfect playing conditions, with little or no wind, with a covering of cloud helping to keep the temperature down. Some of the teams took real advantage of these conditions by recording scores of 11 and 12 under par once again. However the teams with the strongest back 9 scores were to prove triumphant in the end.

By the end of this session the scoring was so sensational that teams that had recorded 8 under par (good enough to have won 4 ball events in the past) were already out of trophy contention.

The Irish Ambassador Dr. Niall Holohan & his wife Felicity Heathcote congratulated the morning players on their achievements and wished the afternoon participants good luck, before taking a tour of the fantastic facility that is Dirab Golf & Country Club.

Once the cultural interlude was completed the afternoon groups set about achieving the scores required to catch their morning counterparts. They certainly did not disappoint as several of the teams went on a birdie assault of their own from the fi rst green. This certainly stood them in good stead as was witnessed when the prizes were awarded later in the evening when half of the day’s prize winners came from the afternoon groups.

When all of the scores had been counted and verifi ed one team had just done enough to claim this coveted title. Robert Ruuth, Cathal Gildea, Ryan Awni & Regina Jung shot an incredible 23 under par total of 49 to fi nish as Champions.

At the Gala ball and presentation which was held at the Irish Embassy in the evening the winning team were awarded their Waterford crystal vases by Marwan El Kashef CEO of the title sponsors UPS, they also received entry into the Regional qualifying fi nal of the Volvo World Masters from Al Futtaim CEO Colin Cordery.

In second place on a score of 50 (22 under par) were Stuart Halliday, David Treadgold, Sheldon Ritchie & Catherine Buckley who all received their trophies and prizes of International nasair fl ights from Marketing Manager Rachel Start.

In third place with a score of 51 (21 under par) were Shane Kenneally, Chris Innes- Hopkins, Felicia Funderburk & Tony Robinson. They all received their trophies and prize of a Ping tour bag from Paul Dunphy General Manager from our generous sponsors The Sheraton Hotel.

Fourth was secured by Taj Rahman, Graham Walker, Theresa Walker & Ian Hunter. They scored 52 (20 under par), beating the fi fth placed team on count back.

Fifth went to Richard O’Leary, Jerry Doncarolis, Graeme Bliss and Geoff Colquitt who also shot a 52 but were also prevented from fi nishing higher on count back.

The longest putt competition was won by the team of Ian Wells who all received an a dozen golf balls from Colin Cordery from Volvo – Al Futtaim.The straightest drive went to Ben Pacey, the fi rst junior to play in this event. He received a designer sports bag from our generous sponsors at Dirab Golf & Country Club.

The tournament which was organized by Gary Richardson, Andrea Corbett and their team, which included members from Riyadh Round Table & 41 Club was hosted by Dirab Golf & Country Club had three shotgun starts, 1pm on Wednesday, 7 am and 11.30 on Thursday, to accommodate the record number of players that entered the event.

The prizes for the longest drive for both ladies and men went to Debbie Pacey and Anthony Forester-Bennett. The closest to pin to Gary Richardson on hole No. 4, Colin Cordery on No. 7, Ian Hunter on No. 11 and Monika Schiffer on No.16.

The evening part of the event took place in the form of a gala dinner for over 450 people was hosted by Dr. Niall Holohan & his wife Felicity Heathcote. Despite not being a golfer Niall was clearly impressed and delighted by the proceedings over which he and Felicity presided.

We would like to thank our generous sponsors without whom this event could not have taken place, these sponsors are:

UPS, Salex Galileo, Volvo, Al Fothaim,Riyadh village Riyadh Irish Society, Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers, nasair, Alyoum, Almarai Co.,The Al Khozama hotel, Axa, Model craft, Arabian Shield, Jones Brothers, Bruce Wade, Riyadh round Table, Riyadh 41 Club, The RGBB, Waterford crystal, Tourism Ireland, and Dirab Golf & Country Club.

Records tumble at the Irish – UPS Open


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The Sports gossip in the UK at the end of Novemebr was the remarkable showing of the

England cricket team in securing a 2nd test win over India. After being humbled in the 1st Test, Alastair Cook’s side hit back with Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann doing the damage. Pietersen was immense with his 186, while Cook’s 122 was just as important.

It was the spinners though who won the game in the end, taking 19 of the 20 Indian wickets to fall between them including a match best of 11-210 for Panesar.

Not quite the same adulation for the home nations rugby teams though. England Captain Chris Robshaw was given a drubbing by the press for his decision to take a penalty in the fi nal minutes of the game against South Africa when a kick for the corner might have given the squad a better chance of securing a win.

Wales took a beating in the fi rst few moments which could have seen the NZ hooker sent off. “Andrew Hore, hooker for New Zealand, has been

cited by the IRB’s independent Citing Commissioner for allegedly striking an opponent during the match between Wales and New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday”was the ofi cial pronouncement, but had the ref seen it and if he’s been sent off - what a different game it might have been.

Scotlands performance is probably best left unremarked after their 21-15 loss to Tonga but since Andy Robinson has resigned as Coach it bears mention. Scottish rugby said they would begin the search for a coach immediately but their chances of recruiting a world class leader could be hit by team’s lowly standing.They fi nished bottom of the Six Nations table in March with no points and are ranked 10th in the world by the International Rugby Board, one below Samoa.

Irelands 46-24 win over Argentina had the columnist from the Irish Independant declaring “The catalyst for a performance of real merit was the impact of the precocious Craig Gilroy. The youthful winger galvanised an Irish backline that was not recognisable from the combination that laboured against South Africa.”

Helping me make the transition from men to women and from sport to entertainment is Victoria Pendleton. The latest celebrity to be kicked-off the Stricly Come Dancing show an insider was reported as saying “For Victoria to stay for eight weeks is

an incredible run and she should be proud of herself. But she was kept in above her ability. As a double Olympic gold medal winner and world champion, the 32-year-old is certainly not used to losing.Judge Bruno Tonioli was scathing on Saturday night’s show, giving her fi ve points out of ten for her salsa. Craig Revel Horwood added: ‘Darling, the prop candy sticks had more fl uidity.

Victoria also helps me make the link from entertainment to galmour model.

Katie Price, the model formerly known as Jordan, has been in the news again, this time revealing how her fi fth boob-job has left her in agony and landed her repeatedly inhospital The surgery, apparently done in Belgium had left her with an infection which eventually cleared up. Katie who had previously appeared in the Jungle was also in the news after backing her “chum” David Hayes to win the current series of “I’m a Celebrity.

David’s mother Jane appeared in the press recently saying that she had hoped her son would star in “Strictly Come Dancing” and she was slightly dissapointed when he told her he was taking off for Australia. Jane and father Deron have both fl own to Australia to greet their son when he eventually departs the jungle.

He has managed to stay in longer than the MP Nadine Dorries. Before this series of I’m a Celebrity got under

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UK CELEBRITY GOSSIP

way, Dorries was suspended by the Conservative Party’s chief whip when it emerged that she’d fl own out to Brisbane to take part on the show without asking permission. She has achieved one thing though, before the show, I’d never heard of her!

Other MP’s are also back in the press once again with their expenses once again being the focus of investigation. More than 50 of them have been allowed to keep the name of their landlord secret for “security” reasons.

Following the publishing of a list of landlords who are paid tax-payer funded rent by MP’s after a Freedom of Information request the release showed several MP’s rent their properties to other MP’s or Peers. The practice of MPs sub-letting properties to colleagues, who then claim back the rent on expenses, is not against the rules - which only bar MPs from renting from family members and those with whom they have a "business interest". Amongthose subject to criticism is Equalities Minister Helen Grant who has defended claiming the maximum expenses for a second

home in London despite living 19 miles from the Commons. Mrs Grant, a Conservative MP and solicitor who entered Parliament in 2010, lives in a £1.8m house in Reigate, Surrey, and has a taxpayer-funded fl at in London.

Helen’s offi cial title is Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and for Women’s and Equalities issues. She has two roles within Government;

Within the Ministry of Justice she is Minister for Courts and Victims and reports to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling.

Within the Government Equalities Offi ce, part of the Department for Culture Media & Sport since 5th September 2012, Helen provides support to the Secretary of State Maria Miller (Also MP for Basingstoke) in her cross governmental work on Women and Equalities.

Maria was in the press for her own comments recently as well. "I think it was very disappointing” she said “that the Church of England has taken the decision it has, and I think that anybody who goes into a church in this country, a Church of England church, can see for themselves the incredible role that women play, day in, day out, in the running of our church. It does seem extraordinary that this decision has been reached. Obviously, it’s for the Church of England to run its own procedures and processes, but I really hope that they’ve heard, loud and clear, the strength of feeling on this, and that it acts quickly."

She was of course refering to the General Synod’s decision NOT to allow the ordination of women Bishop’s. The proposed legislation paving the way for women bishops needed to gain two-thirds majority

support in each of the synod’s three houses - bishops, clergy and laity - but fell short by six votes in the House of Laity.

Quite how to make the link to the next snippet I’ll leave to you. My excuse is that both a comment on the Church and the picture of this next celebrity were on the same page in the Times newspaper recently.

Mick Jagger has been strutting his stuff in London. Showman Mick at 69 years old, danced like a “priapic imp” said Will Hodgkinson writing in the Times. [Please look it up for yourselves - I had to]

Someone else whose description beggars belief is Boris Johnson. His six-day tour of India has turned out better for him than he could have imagined - he is now the King of England, according to some confused locals.

When he arrived at the temple on Sunday he was presented with a garland of rose petals and a traditional kanku - the red dot on the forehead. Perhaps the locals could be forgiven for getting mixed up - Mr Johnson was given a royal welcome as he was shown in to the inner sanctum of relics from Bhagwan Swaminarayan, a fi gure believed by Hindus to be God’s incarnation on earth. Mr Bharadia a volunteer at the temple explained: ’I have never seen someone allowed in there before. It’s only usually VVIPs such as the Queen.

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30RGBB News30

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in

its origin of Australia and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifi cally prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

Once registered at www.movember.com, men start Movember 1st clean shaven. For the rest of the month, these selfl ess and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fi ne moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending

one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember.

In the UK more than 160,000 men are diagnosed with cancer every year, including 40,000 who are told they have prostate cancer - and although there are hundreds of support groups for women, there are relatively few for men.

According to Movember, the campaign that encourages men to grow moustaches while raising funds, men are also less willing to talk openly with their friends. Around 355,000 people have signed up to the appeal this year, with men growing and grooming a moustache throughout November to raise vital funds - more than £10.4m so far this year - for men’s health.

Movember’s sponsorship manager, said earlier this month: “We’ve had a fantastic year so far, with 100,000 more moustaches being grown than last year, and the amount of awareness that generates, even before a penny is raised, cannot be underestimated. “We fi nd it’s a great conversation starter, especially as men aren’t as comfortable as women in having these types of conversations. “We work very closely with our men’s health partners - Prostate Cancer UK, for example, runs peer-to-peer support networks and helplines for men to speak to dedicated cancer support nurses.

“But people need to be more aware of these services and they need to talk to their mates and their GPs as well.

Studies show that many men don’t get regular health checks for the following reasons:

• Fear it will lead to a hospital visit

• Embarrassed to discuss their health issues

• Find it too hard to see a doctor because they can’t fi t it into their schedule

• Can’t be bothered making an appointment

Statistics show that, on average, men die at a younger age than women – the average life expectancy for men is four years less than women. That said, despite trailing the women’s health movement, things are beginning to change, but much more progress needs to be made to close the gap between the state of men and women’s health. Established taboos and barriers relating to men’s health are gradually being broken down.

31RGBB News

MOVEMBER

Creating these communities is something we’re encouraging.”

Waldo (yes that’s his real name), who was told he had the testicular cancer last October, said:

“I was ignorant about cancer. I’m very active - I play squash and rugby and I thought it may have just been a sports injury.

As guys you ‘man up’ and you get on with it. If something’s bothering you, you just ignore it.” Sometimes you really do have to go see the doctor…”

In 2011, 854,000 worldwide supporters raised £79.3m. In the UK, much of the money is donated to Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research.

Movember - a global movement

Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia, Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.9 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate with formal campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, South Africa, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and the Czech Republic. In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the campaign and men’s health cause across the globe, from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro to Mumbai, and everywhere in between.

No matter the country or city, Movember will continue to work to change established habits and attitudes men have about their health, to educate men about the health risks they face, and to act on that knowledge, thereby increasing the chances of early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.

In 2011, over 854,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas around the world got on board, raising $126.3 million USD.

Big steps have been taken towards changing attitudes and habits relating to men’s health around the world, but there is still much to be done to catch up with the women’s health movement. Via the moustache, Movember aims to fulfi ll its vision of having an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health by continuing to spark conversation and spread awareness of men’s health issues each year.

TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOUR HEALTH IN CHECKfrom the offi cial Mo Bros website

KNOW YOUR BODYLook after yourself, know what symptoms to look out for and know your risks. If something seems out of the norm, alert your doctor to it.

KNOW YOUR FAMILY HISTORYFamily history is one of the most powerful tools to understanding your health. Family history affects your level of risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, among other illnesses. It all starts with a conversation; talk to your family and take note of illnesses that a direct relative has experienced.

DON’T SMOKEIf you do smoke, stop! Smoking causes more than 8 in 10 occurrences of lung cancers in the UK. Studies show that smokers in their 30s and 40s are 5 times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers.

BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVEIf you are not already physically active, start small and work up to a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week. Stay on the move throughout the day; long periods of sitting increase your risk of disease. Every little bit counts – take the stairs instead of the lift or take a walk during your lunch break.

EAT A HEALTHY DIETFill up with fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and choose healthy proteins like lean meats, poultry, fi sh, beans and nuts. Eat foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars. Moderation is key, as is eating a wide range of food to ensure you get a variety of nutrients. The best source of vitamins is from food.

STAY AT A HEALTHY WEIGHTBalance calories from foods and beverages with calories you burn off from physical activity. Obesity and being overweight pose a major risk for chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and certain cancers.

DRINK ALCOHOL ONLY IN MODERATIONAlcohol can be part of a healthy, balanced diet, but only if consumed in moderation. The UK government advises that men should not drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol each day, the equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer.

MANAGE YOUR STRESSStress, particularly long-term stress, can be a factor in the onset or worsening of poor health. Managing your stress is essential to your health and well-being. Take time out of each day and go for a walk or do something you fi nd relaxing.

SLEEP WELLThe quality of your sleep can dictate how much you eat, how fast your metabolism runs, how fat or thin you are, how well you can fi ght off infections, and how well you can cope with stress. Keep a regular pattern of sleep, going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time is key.

STAY HEALTHY ALL YOU MO BROS


32RGBB News32

The lure of the desert is something that strikes a chord in all of us. The legendary adventurers of

bygone ages have left us a record that tries to capture something of that attraction – the vast emptiness, the terrifying vulnerability of travelers venturing across it. Explorers such as Burton, Thesiger, Doughty and Lawrence were all driven to chart the experience and their mesmirising accounts were often the fi rst reports the world had ever really had of this uncharted territory.

The most brilliant of all those early accounts must surely be what came to us from T.E. Lawrence, or “Lawrence of Arabia” as he was commonly known. In April 1917, as Woodrow Wilson was declaring war on Germany and Lenin was making his triumphal entry into Petrograd, this controversial British colonel was

out in the Saudi desert trying to stir Arab tribal revolt against the lingering Ottoman presence. A born writer, he drew upon his experiences in the desert to write Seven Pillars of Wisdom. This book, one of the best ever written on Arabia, achieved levels of description that bordered on poetry. Whether plodding along on treks through endless sands or galloping to attack a Turkish outpost, Lawrence somehow managed to absorb the color, the detail, the mood of the moment and later recreate it in clear and lovely prose—such as this account of a raiding party’s return to camp after a raid on the Hejaz Railroad at Hedia, some 170km up from Medina:

We had put our camels’ backs to the storm, to march before it: but these internal whirling winds tore our tightly-held cloaks from our hands, filled our

eyes, and robbed us of all sense of direction by turning our camels right or left from their course. Sometimes they were blown completely round: once we clashed helplessly together in a vortex, while large bushes, tufts of grass, and even a small tree were torn up by the roots in dense waves of the soil about them, and driven against us, or blown over our heads with dangerous force. We were never blinded—it was always possible to see for seven or eight feet to each side—but it was risky to look out, as, in addition to the certain sand-blast, we never knew if we should not meet a fl ying tree, a rush of pebbles, or a spout of grass-laden dust.

This storm lasted for eighteen minutes, and then leaped forward from us as suddenly as it had come. Our party was scattered over a square mile or more, and before we

With Lawrence in Arabia

33RGBB News

Editor’s Note: A shorter version of this article recently appeared in the Saudi Gazette. The author, Max Scott is a director at Gilgamesh Publishing in the UK. With a degree in Arabic & Middle East studies, Max retains a fi rm interest in the Kingdom and recently published a book by former HM Ambassador to the Kingdom, Sir Alan Munro.

Some of the longer serving members of the RGBB may well

r e m e m b e r another book- Desert Treks from Riyadh, which has long been the standard bestseller for desert travel from Riyadh.

With the original now hard to fi nd, Gilgamesh are seeking sponsors to relaunch the book that Ellie Whittaker and her husband, also long-term residents of Riyadh, have updated with every direction, and, most importantly, have added GPS coordinates to every destination. AND for those of you that know him, Jim Stabler has updated his excellent maps

If you’d like to help sponsor the new edition, more information may be found at:

www.gilgamesh-publishing.co.uk

GUEST FEATURE

could rally, while we, our clothes and our camels were yet smothered in dust, yellow and heavy with it from head to foot, down burst torrents of thick rain and muddied us to the skin. The valley began to run in plashes of water, and Dakhil-Allah urged us across it quickly. The wind chopped once more, this time to the north, and the rain came driving before it in harsh sheets of spray. It beat through our wollen cloaks in a moment, and moulded them and our shirts to our bodies, and chilled us to the bone....

It was very dark; a pure night enough, but the black stone underfoot swallowed the light of the stars, and at seven o’clock, when at last we halted, only four of our party were with us. We had reached a gentle valley, with a yet damp, soft, sandy bed, full of thorny brushwood, unhappily useless as camel food. We ran about tearing up these bitter bushes by the roots and heaping them in a great pyre, which Auda lit. When the fire grew hot a long black snake wormed slowly out into our group; we must have gathered it, torpid, with the twigs. The fl ames went shining across the dark fl at, a beacon to the heavy camels which had lagged so much to-day that it was two hours before the last group arrived, the men singing their loudest, partly to encourage themselves and their hungry animals over the ghostly plain, partly so that we might know them friends. We wished their slowness slower, because of our warm fire.

Lawrence goes on to describe how he and his companions laid mines beneath the sleepers of the railroad, scurrying to retreat and watch the impact of the explosion – scenes captured vividly in David Lean’s epic fi lm, Lawrence of Arabia. One account tells of their horror as they realise the oncoming train is full only of women and children, southbound pilgrims to the Holy Cities, and their relief as the mine fails to detonate. Long hours through the night are spent searching for the hair trigger mechanism amongst 100 yards of clinker beneath the track. Success is realized as they hear the distant detonation the following morning from Bir Rubi’aan, and later learn of the destruction of a train carrying engineers and replacement sleepers.

As Lawrence later says:

Some of the evil of my tale may have been inherent in our circumstances. For years we lived anyhow with one another in the naked desert under the indifferent heaven.

The wild empty spaces that Lawrence describes still holds us in thrall. The passing century since the events related in The Seven Pillars has not dimmed our fascination with this land. It is a space that to this day we enter at our peril, for all that we may be bolstered by technology and science, and that danger, coupled with a rugged beauty, can be relied upon to continue inspiring travelers and writers for many years to come.

CULINARY CORNER

RGBB News34

In the UK Domino’s Pizza launched a new gluten free pizza during November. The company is the UK’s fi rst major pizza delivery chain to provide a pizza

which is suitable for coeliacs and those who are gluten-intolerant.

Accredited by Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with coeliac disease, Domino’s new gluten-free pizza will be available nationwide for delivery and collection orders from November 19, 2012. While some gluten-free products attract a premium, Domino’s gluten-free pizza will be charged at the same price as its other pizzas

Pizza is one of the most popular dishes around the world. It is generally a fl at round bread which is oven-baked and covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and mozzarella cheese. Toppings are also added depending on the region, culture or personal on the region, culture or personal preference.

The basic steps in pizza making are fi rst preparing dough, then pizza sauce. After that, cheese and toppings are added according to taste and then the pizza is baked in an oven. This seems to be simple while reading but preparing a good mouth but preparing a good mouth watering pizza at home drains in watering pizza at home drains in a lot of hard work. As a starter lets a lot of hard work. As a starter lets take a look at prepapring the base - we’ll assume you’ll buy ready made Pizza Sauce.

Let’s start from the scratch.

Making Pizza DoughDough making has been known to humans since ages now, but mastering the art to make perfect pizza dough can be a bit cumbersome sometimes. At home, Pizza dough is prepared by hands, no special machinery is required. However to prepare hand-made dough you will need to have a large mixing bowl, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, a large whisk or wooden mixing spoon and some kitchen fi lm before you start. It will be better if you also keep a small hand towel ready before starting the process.

Ingredients:1 - 1/4 Oz Envelope - Active dry yeast, (or 2 1/4 Tsp) 1 1/2 Cups - Warm water (110°F - 115°F) 4 Cups - Bread fl our 1 1/2 Tsp. - Salt 2 Tbsp. - Extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp. - Sugar Extra fl our Extra olive oil

ProcessPour the warm water in a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar and dissolve it. Next, dissolve the yeast by stirring

continuously after addition. Allow the mixture to settle down for 10 minutes or extra so that the yeast becomes active.

Now add the yeast and olive oil, when the appearance of the mixture becomes foamy and cloudy at the surface. Dissolve it continuous stirring. Then add 3 cups of flour to the mixture one-by-one and whisk in until dissolved completely. Make sure the mixture is completely smooth. Use your hands to combine the dough until all of the dry flour has moistened into a mass.

When the flour has absorbed all of the moisture and congealed into a firm mass, remove it from the bowl to a floured tabletop to knead it. Fold it in half again and push it into itself, again and again for perhaps 10 to 12 minutes or so, or about 200 cycles. It is very

important that the dough is very well important that the dough is very well kneaded. kneaded.

After kneading is complete, After kneading is complete, when dough transforms into when dough transforms into a silky, smoothly-textured a silky, smoothly-textured ball, coat the dough ball with ball, coat the dough ball with a thin layer of olive oil. After a thin layer of olive oil. After that place it in the bottom that place it in the bottom of a large mixing bowl that has also been coated on the inside with olive oil. inside with olive oil.

Now comes the step on panning Now comes the step on panning the prepared pizza dough. One of the the prepared pizza dough. One of the

most demanding of the pizza maker’s many challenges is getting the raw pizza

dough ball into a pizza pan. The panning of pizza can be done by various methods as per your convenience. The popular methods are Pizza dough sheeting, pizza dough pressing, hand tossing pizza dough - do it only if you don’t get hazy when catching, hand pressing pizza dough, and last is pin rolling pizza dough.

Pizza ToppingLadle about 7 to 8 oz. of pizza sauce into the middle, bottom of the dough shell. Spread the sauce evenly over the surface of the dough sheet. Spoon the sauce out to the edge of the dough sheet. Leave a small margin on the outer-side of the dough sheet, which allows the crust to rise and crisp more quickly than the covered dough; creating the classic, puffed up edge of the pizza. Now create a layer of the shredded cheese over the sauce. Shred about two cups of cheese. Arrange your toppings over this layer of cheese.

Add toppings according to your preference.

Baking the Pizza Preheat your oven up-to the temperature of 450° F for about 10 to 15 minutes. When preheating is done, place a prepped pizza in the oven at the centre. Place the pan in the oven such as there is maximum circulation of air around the pan. The baking will take about 10-15 minutes at that temperature.


38RGBB News38

The following are a selection of memorable events of the year 2012, so far… there are

still major events happening, or predictions still to happen, the end of time for example in accordance with the Mayan Calendar.

Regardless, the RGBB wish everyone a happy and successful festive season and a very happy new year. And we will see everyone in 2013.

JanuaryJanuary 23 – Iran–European Union relations: The European Union adopts an embargo against Iran in protest of that nation’s continued effort to enrich uranium.

FebruaryFebruary 1 – At least 79 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured after a football match in Port Said, Egypt.

February 6 – The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marks the 60th anniversary of her accession to the thrones of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the 60th anniversary of her becoming Head of the Commonwealth.

February 15 – A fi re at a prison in Comayagua, Honduras kills 360.

February 19 – Iran suspends oil exports to Britain and France following sanctions put in place by the European Union and the United States in January.

February 21 – Greek government debt crisis: Eurozone fi nance ministers reach an agreement on a second, €130-billion Greek bailout.

February 27 – Arab Spring: As a result of ongoing protests, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is succeeded by Vice President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi.

MarchMarch 4 – A series of explosions are reported at a munitions dump in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, with at least 250 people dead.

March 13 – After 244 years since its fi rst publication, the Encyclopædia Britannica discontinues its print edition.

March 22 – The President of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, is ousted in a coup d’état after mutinous soldiers attack government offi ce.

AprilApril 6 – The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad unilaterally declares the independence of Azawad from Mali.

April 12 – Mutinous soldiers in Guinea-Bissau stage a coup d’état and take control of the capital city, Bissau They arrest interim President Raimundo Pereira and leading presidential candidate Carlos Gomes Júnior in the midst of a presidential election campaign.

April 13 – Kwangmyongsong-3, a North Korean Earth observation satellite, explodes shortly after launch The United States and other countries had called the impending launch a violation of United Nations Security Council demands. The launch was planned to mark the centenary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of the republic.

April 26 – Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is found guilty on 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone Civil War.

MayMay 2 – A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for US$120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for an auctioned work of art.

May 12 – August 12 – The 2012 World Expo takes place in Yeosu, South Korea.

May 22 – Tokyo Skytree, the tallest self-supporting tower in the world at 634 metres high, is opened to public.

JuneJune 5–6 – The century’s second and last solar transit of Venus occurs The next pair are predicted to occur in 2117 and 2125.

June 24 Shenzhou 9, a Chinese spacecraft carrying three Chinese astronauts, including the fi rst-ever female one, docked manually with an orbiting module Tiangong 1, fi rst time as the country, making them as the third country, after the United States and Russia, to successfully perform the mission.

Lonesome George, the last known individual of the Pinta Island Tortoise subspecies, dies at a Galapagos National Park, thus making the subspecies extinct.

JulyJuly 4 – CERN announces the discovery of a new particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson after experiments at the Large Hadron Collider.

39RGBB News

EVENTS OF THE YEAR

July 27 – August 12 – The 2012 Summer Olympics are held in London, United Kingdom.

July 30–31 – In the worst power outage in world history, the 2012 India blackouts leave 620 million people without power.

AugustAugust 6 – Curiosity, the Mars Science Laboratory mission’s rover, successfully lands on Mars. The picture above shows the fi rst tracks left on the surface of the planet.

August 31 Researchers successfully perform the fi rst implantation of an early prototype bionic eye with 24 electrodes.

Armenia severs diplomatic relations with Hungary, following the extradition to Azerbaijan and subsequent pardoning of Ramil Safarov, who was convicted of killing an Armenian soldier in Hungary in 2004 The move is also met with fi erce criticism from other countries.

August 29 – September 9 - The 2012 Paralympics are held in London, United Kingdom.

SeptemberSeptember 7 – Canada offi cially cuts diplomatic ties with Iran by closing its embassy in Tehran and ordered

the expulsion of Iranian diplomats from Ottawa, over support for Syria, nuclear plans and human rights abuses.

September 11 – 27 – A series of terrorist attacks are directed against United States diplomatic missions worldwide, as well as diplomatic missions of Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom In the US, opinions are divided over whether the attacks are a reaction to a Youtube trailer for the fi lm Innocence of Muslims In Libya, among the dead is US ambassador J Christopher Stevens.

OctoberOctober 14 – Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner becomes the fi rst person to break the sound barrier without any machine assistance during a record space dive out of the Red Bull Stratos helium-fi lled balloon from 24 miles (39 kilometers) over Roswell, New Mexico in the United States.

October 24 – 30 – Hurricane Sandy kills at least 209 people in the Caribbean, Bahamas, United States and Canada Considerable storm surge damage causes major disruption to the eastern seaboard of the United States.

NovemberNovember 14 – 21 – Israel launches Operation Pillar of Defense on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, killing Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari In the following weeks 133 Palestinians

are killed and fi ve Israelis in rocket attacks by the Palestinians A ceasefi re between Israel and Hamas, was announced by Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after a week-long escalation in hostilities in Southern Israel and the Gaza StripThe announcement came into effect at 7:00 pm local time.

November 26 – Mark Carney, a Canadian, announced as the new Governor of the Bank of England replacing Sir Mervin King. He will take up his post July 1, 2013.

Nov 20 - 26 - More than 900 properties had fl ooded in the UK during the week when the UK was hit by the worst storms in over 30 years. Over 500 of them in the south-west of England, more than 200 in the Midlands and around 100 in Wales.

Nov 29 - The man responsible for the report into press regulation presented his fi ndings causing deep rifts among politicians of all hues. Critical of the actions of many different groups,including the press and the police, his proposals have generated much discussion. Whether any of his recommendations will be implemented remains to seen.

AND FINALLY

SuDokuAnswer on to puzzle on page 14

RGBB News40

Stephen Slater................. GPT SPM Ltd........................................... IPT Team LeaderMartin Forster-Jones ....... King & Spalding ....................................... LawyerHarold Horsfall................. Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group ...... Chief of RadiologyPiers Taylor ..................... MA’ADEN................................................. Senior Communication AdvisorStuart Halliday ................. SELEX Galileo ......................................... Head of Support & Services SolutionsAmjad Rehman................ Bombardier Transport.............................. HSE ManagerGary Abraham ................. SELEX Galileo ......................................... Head of SalesFrances Jones................. King Khaled Eye Hospital ........................ Medical TranscriptionistSean Kerlin ...................... Strategy Corporation................................ Managing DirectorAdele Kerlin ..................... Microsoft Arabia....................................... HR DirectorBrian Meacher ................. Rolls Royce.............................................. Quality & Business Improvement ManagerJohn Thorne .................... Rolls Royce.............................................. Programme Manager - DefencePaul Busek ...................... Almarai Company Ltd .............................. Divisional Facilities ManagerJohn Griffi n ...................... Riyadh Schools........................................ TeacherPaul Youngman............... Riyadh Schools........................................ TeacherTara Luckie...................... King Faisal Specialist Hospital................. Occupational Health AdviserPeter Stevenson.............. National Water Company......................... Customer Services DirectorNeil Richardson ............... GPT SPM Ltd........................................... NCC Team LeaderJason Mundy ................... N5 Holding ............................................... Director of Business DevelopmentSirajul Islam..................... One 2 One Legal LLP.............................. CEOMatthew Mason ............... Multinational School................................. TeacherBeatrice Mason ............... Multinational School................................. TeacherBerat Pottinger ................ Ertyad Training ........................................ Quality ConsultantDaphne Spiers................. Independent Learning.............................. Private Tutor

Welcome to new members

December 21 - Maya Scholars, in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and North America, have been watching with amusement and dismay as self-styled experts proclaim that ancient Maya prophets foretold an earth-shattering happening to occur December 21, 2012.

This predicted phenomenon gets described in contradictory but often cataclysmic fashion--as an ecological collapse, a sunspot storm, a rare cosmic conjunction of the earth, sun, and the galactic center, a new and awesome stage of our evolution, and even a sudden reversal of the Earth’s magnetic fi eld which will erase all our computer drives.

One even predicts the earth’s initiation into a Galactic Federation, whose elders have been accelerating our evolution with a "galactic beam" for the last 5000 years. In sum, the world as we know it will suddenly come to a screeching halt.

In the last word for 2012 - Happy New Year to all our readers - we look forward to seeing what next year will bring.

RGBB News Aut12

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