Fifth Fleet Heroes

The destroyer USS John Paul Jones and US Coast Guard Cutter Baranoff rescued 24 Filipino Mariners after an explosion on their boat forced them to abandon ship and float in life rafts in the Arabian Gulf.  Both US ships are a part of the US Fifth Fleet, stationed in Bahrain.



Commander John Duffy praised the crews' speed and effectiveness in the rescue, saying, "We were ready to assist and fortunately in a position to help...I couldn't be more proud of how our crews reacted from the initial distress call to when every survivor was safe on deck."

 To read the full article, please visit site.

Racing for a Good Cause

The kingdom of Bahrain is doing its part.  In light of the country's biggest sport event of the year (the F1 race), Bahrain will also be holding its largest charity event of the year, the ninth annual Bahrain Wheelathon.  The event is aimed at raising money for the Bahrain Down Syndrome Society and the Bahrain Migrant Workers Protection Society.

Two different charities are chosen each year, and the societies of Bahrain Down Syndrome and Migrant Workers Protection have been chosen to benefit.

The event itself consists of several different races that range of bicycles, hospital beds, and wheelbarrow races.

For the full article, please visit Gulf Daily News.

Big Turnout for Big Sports Event

The Kingdom of Bahrain loves their motor sports!  In fact, F1 ticket sales have drastically jumped up by 19% a month before the big race is to happen.  Each corporate box is sold out for the first time in history!

A special festival will be held for the three days leading up the race to celebrate the tradition, history and culture of Bahrain.

To read the full article please visit Gulf Daily News.

Looking towards Educational Improvements

Bahrain continues to look for ways to help the people acquire education and training.  Edutex 2012 is an event opened by Education Ministry Under-Secretary for Education and Curriculum Dr Abdulla Yousif Al Mutawa, accompanied by organizers and VIPs.  The three-day event offers a variety of educational and training workshops, including undergraduate and postgraduate programs, vocational training, short term certificate programs, diplomas, licenses, professional development and distance learning courses.

There are more than 100 participants from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

For the full article please visit Albawaba.

Bahrain and US Join Forces

The Bahrain Defense Force began training with US Navy Special Forces in joint training called "Al-Seef."  The training is geared to improve combat strategies, concept of special instruction, and to strengthen the joint military concept of Bahrain and United States.
The training covers a wide array of subjects, including weapon identification, invasion and search tactics, first aid, and much more.

For the full article please visit Bahrain News Agency.

Bahrain Soccer Team Fight for Olympic Berth

The Under 23 Bahraini Soccer Team is closing in on an Olympic bid for the 2012 London Olympics.  After a slow start, the team has won three in a row, putting them in third place in their four team group.

OXY and Bahrain Explore for Gas

Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY) and Bahrain have come to agreements that would allow OXY to explore for gas.  For now, the project is being funded by OXY in hopes they will find gas by drilling three exploration holes during the first four years of a seven year deal.
If gas is found, OXY and Bahrain will work out a deal to share the findings and development.

To read the full article, please visit Bloomberg.

West Asian's Women Football Tournament

The second football tournament will be held in Bahrain.  The organization committee has begun to meet to discuss details such as schedule.  The countries that will be competing in the tournament are Jordan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Qa'tar, and the host Bahrain.

To read more about the event and preliminary meeting, go to Gulf Daily Digest.