Bahrain Targets Three Giant Projects in Transportation System

Bahrain Targets Three Giant Projects in Transportation System
TT

Bahrain Targets Three Giant Projects in Transportation System

Bahrain Targets Three Giant Projects in Transportation System

Bahrain's transportation and telecommunications minister Kamal bin Ahmad said that his country is working on three giant projects; King Hamad Causeway, the train project, and Bahrain International Airport.

He affirmed that the first phase of King Hamad Causeway, connecting Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, is going as planned and is expected to be completed in September 2019.

Bin Ahmad told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that a bid was issued to appoint the main advisor of the project to develop the bridge and the railway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. He added that with the completion of King Hamad Causeway and the railway there will be a transitional leap in the transportation sector.

The project will reinforce individuals’ movement and will provide several destinations for transportation – subsequently, this would positively reflect on the national economy and would develop new patterns of transportation as well as create job opportunities.

He continued that the project to upgrade the airport grants Bahrain a wider airport that is capable of assimilating a greater number of passengers – the airport will also be equipped with facilities that give travelers unique and world-class services and experiences.

Commenting on Bahrain International Air Show, the minister said that the space of the exhibition was 100% doubled this year. This year’s edition has witnessed a record raise on several levels in which the rate of participating firms reached 47 percent.

This year’s edition of Bahrain International Air Show 2018 witness the attendance of 187 companies – the event will provide a hall for exhibitions offering around 120 platforms for companies to be able to showcase their latest products and commodities in the aviation field.



Lebanon Bonds Rally to Fresh Two-year High on Ceasefire Hopes

A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
TT

Lebanon Bonds Rally to Fresh Two-year High on Ceasefire Hopes

A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A man counts Lebanese pounds at a currency exchange shop in Beirut, Lebanon October 1, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanon's deeply distressed sovereign dollar bonds hit a fresh two-year high on Tuesday as investors bet that a potential ceasefire with Israel could improve the country's prospects.

The bonds, which are still trading below 10 cents on the dollar, have gained more than 3% this week. The 2031 maturity was biding at 9.3 cents on the dollar, its highest since May 2022, according to Reuters.

"Some investors are mulling if it is a right time to buy, since a ceasefire is the first step needed to at some point in time restructure bonds," said Bruno Gennari, emerging markets strategist with KNG Securities International.

Israel's cabinet is expected to convene on Tuesday to discuss, and likely approve, a US plan for a ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a senior Israeli official said.

Israeli airstrikes, which continued on Tuesday, have decimated Lebanon's infrastructure and killed thousands.

But the counterintuitive rally, the second since Israel began bombing the country in September, was driven by bets that the deal could jolt Lebanon's fractured political system and revive efforts to pull the country out of default.