As the chairman and executive officer of the conglomerate Yousuf Bin Ahmad (YBA) Kanoo Group of Bahrain, Abdullah Ali Kanoo, who has died aged 83, was a highly influential businessman and philanthropist who both witnessed and contributed to the extraordinary development of his country.
The family business had humble beginnings. In the late 19th century Abdullah's great uncle, Hajji Yusuf bin Ahmed, began importing goods from India on a small scale. He also built good relationships with the British, serving in an unofficial capacity as an interpreter and intermediary between their political agents and the ruler of Bahrain and acting as the representative of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Mogul steamship line. A hundred years later, the Kanoo Group boasts a wide spectrum of interests including shipping, travel, machinery, oil and gas, power and industrial projects.
Born during the Depression, Abdullah was brought up in an austere family environment in which being conservative was not merely a choice, but a fact of life. From an early age he learned the value of hard work and tenacity, and for the rest of his life was preoccupied by business 365 days a year, seldom taking a holiday.
In the 1940s, the elder of Abdullah's two brothers, Ahmed, scored the company's first international success in the wake of World War II when he travelled to England by flying-boat and signed a deal to import white refined sugar to the Gulf.
At the time, Abdullah was newly returned to Manama, following his studies at the American University of Beirut. Under the tutelage of Ahmed, he learned the various procedures involved in handling cargo and clearing goods through customs. As business grew - with the addition of several barges and tugs to the company's fleet purchased from London's River Thames authority - and with the completion of Abdullah's "apprenticeship", he was assigned the task of establishing a YBA Kanoo presence in Saudi Arabia.
His first experience of the kingdom proved somewhat chastening. Beirut had charmed with its cosmopolitanism, and Bahrain was comfortable because it was home. Saudi Arabia, in contrast, was still undeveloped, the landscape harsh and the life hard. Abdullah lasted a year before asking his cousin, Mohammad, if he could return to Bahrain. His request was granted: he was told he would be given somewhere to live and a salary. He would not, however, be allowed to continue working within the Kanoo Group.
Given time to reflect, Abdullah decided instead to return to Saudi Arabia. It was a wise move, as opportunities to further the family's business interests increased exponentially during the 1960s and '70s; it was a time, he said, when even donkeys made money. As much for his contribution to the fortunes of Bahrain, Abdullah Kanoo will be remembered for the significant role he played in helping grow the private sector of Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
Circumstances, while not always obviously encouraging, could usually be turned to some advantage. In August 1990, when Saddam Hussein drove his forces into Kuwait, operations at YBA Kanoo in Dammam, where Abdullah was based, continued as normal. Despite the fear that Iraqi troops could reach the oilfields and refineries of Saudi Arabia in hours if unchecked, Abdullah was adamant that this was a Kuwaiti affair and that the office should continue to trade.
Indeed, the Kanoo Group profited from the invasion: its first department store, Zaina International, a venture with the US-based Sears Roebuck, opened the same month. Rather than denting sales, the invasion improved them. The American troops sent to the Gulf to counter Saddam's aggression found that Zaina met their needs perfectly. They would arrive armed with shopping lists and receive their desired goods within 48 hours.
Up until the time of his death, Abdullah was closely involved with the workings of the business. Although confined to a wheelchair and too infirm to speak, he had attended the inauguration of the Kanoo Terminal Services' high-tech inland container depot in Dammam last Saturday, the day before his death.
Renowned for his philanthropic interests and revered for his compassion, among many other projects he helped fund the foundation of a 52-bed kidney dialysis centre in Muharraq, Bahrain.
Aside from his duties at the Kanoo Group, he also served as the chairman of the National Bank of Bahrain.
He is survived by his wife, Mariam, two sons, Ali and Ahmed, and three daughters, Lamya, Hana and Safia.
Born 1927. Died October 10, 2010.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
On sale: now
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Company profile
Company name: Nestrom
Started: 2017
Co-founders: Yousef Wadi, Kanaan Manasrah and Shadi Shalabi
Based: Jordan
Sector: Technology
Initial investment: Close to $100,000
Investors: Propeller, 500 Startups, Wamda Capital, Agrimatico, Techstars and some angel investors
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The five pillars of Islam
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
