RAMADAN 30, 1442 AH WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021

16 Pages Max 43º Min 24º 150 Fils Established 1961

ISSUE NO: 18433 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net

Amir congratulates public Nine dead in Russia Japan’s Osaka ‘not sure’ Olympics on advent of Eid Al-Fitr school shooting should happen as doubts grow 2 5 14 Fajr 03:29 Shurooq 04:58 Dhuhr 11:44 Asr 15:20 Maghrib 18:31 Isha 19:57

Amir condemns ‘tragic escalation’ in Al-Aqsa 28 Palestinians killed as occupation forces unleash terror in Gaza KUWAIT/JERUSALEM: His Highness Meanwhile, hundreds of people turned among those killed by Zionist forces in the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- out yesterday afternoon for a demonstra- the blockaded Gaza Strip and 125 people Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday condemned the tion in Iradah Square in protest against were wounded, local health authorities occupation army’s “tragic escalation” the Zionist violence against Palestinians. said. Occupation forces carried out 130 against worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque, Separately, 10 Kuwaiti MPs yesterday strikes by fighter jets and attack helicop- describing it “inhumane.” HH the Amir submitted a motion calling to hold a spe- ters on military targets in the enclave, reaffirmed Kuwait’s firm position against cial Assembly session to condemn the killing 15 commanders from Hamas, these “inhumane actions.” He called on crimes committed by the Zionist forces according to reports. the occupation authorities to cease these on Jerusalem and in the Sheikh Jarrah Rockets were launched from the actions immediately and respect rights of suburb. coastal enclave yesterday as Hamas’ the Palestinian people to exercise their armed wing the Qassam Brigades vowed rituals in Al-Quds. The State of Kuwait, See Pages 3 and 6 to turn the southern Jewish community of reiterated HH the Amir, stands by the Ashkelon into “a hell”. Loud booms again Palestinian people and supports all efforts In Palestine, occupation forces rocked the town yesterday where a rock- aimed at reaching a just and comprehen- unleashed terror in Gaza yesterday, firing et had ripped a gaping hole into the side sive solution for the Palestinian cause, in at civilians and killing at least 28 of an apartment block, a reporter said. order to enable the Palestinian people Palestinians in a dramatic escalation Nightly unrest at the Al-Aqsa com- KUWAIT: People hold up placards during a protest in solidarity with the establish their independent state with sparked by the earlier unrest at pound in annexed east Jerusalem since Palestinian people at the Iradah Square in Kuwait City yesterday. — Photo by East Jerusalem as its capital in line with Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque Friday has left more than 700 Palestinians Yasser Al-Zayyat UN resolutions and Arab peace initiative. compound. Nine Palestinian children were Continued on Page 2 2 Established 1961 Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Local Kuwait Amir congratulates public on advent of Eid Al-Fitr

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah meets His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad meets His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Sabah meets His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. — Amiri Diwan and KUNA photos Hamad Al-Sabah. Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Highness the Prime Minister in a sepa- veyed his warmest greetings to Bahrain’s Sheikh Mohammad everlasting wellbeing the Crown Prince, and that both coun- Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah rate meeting at Bayan Palace. King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa via tele- and for the UAE greater security and tries and their people enjoy further congratulated Kuwait’s nationals and phone, ahead of the Muslim Eid Al-Fitr stability under the wise leadership of progress and prosperity. His Highness expatriates on the advent of the festive Amir greets Saudi King holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al- the Crown Prince thanked Sheikh celebration of Eid Al-Fitr, according to On Monday, His Highness the Amir His Highness the Amir wished the two Nahyan. He wished everlasting wellness Mohammad and wished him good health the Amiri Diwan yesterday. Separately, congratulated via phone Saudi King Gulf neighbors, as well as the wider Arab for the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin and for the people of the United Arab the Amiri Diwan sent its best wishes on Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on the region, continued prosperity and devel- Zayed. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Emirates further progress and prosperity the occasion to His Highness the Amir, advent of Eid Al-Fitr. His Highness the opment, while in return, the Bahraini king Mohammad bin Zayed thanked His under the leadership of President Sheikh His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Amir prayed to Allah Almighty to was appreciative of the kind gesture Highness the Amir on the good gesture Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and bestow His blessings upon King which encapsulates the camaraderie which mirrors the depth of relations Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Salman. His Highness the Amir also shared by Kuwait and Manama. between the two nations. He wished His received a phone call from Turkish Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah wished many happy returns of the dear Furthermore, His Highness the Amir Highness the Amir everlasting wellbeing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who along with the Arab and Islamic nations. occasion for both Arabian Gulf nations phoned Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and and for Kuwait more progress and wel- wished him well ahead of the Muslim Eid The Amiri Diwan prayed that the nation as well as the Arab and Muslim worlds. Deputy Supreme Commander of the fare under his wise leadership. Al-Fitr holiday. The Turkish leader remain safe under its wise leadership. King Salman extended his gratitude to UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammad His Highness the Crown Prince also expressed his heartiest wishes to both In other news, His Highness the Amir His Highness the Amir for the phone bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to congratulate received a phone call from Sheikh countries over the joyous occasion, while received His Highness the Crown Prince call, wishing him everlasting wellbeing him on the advent of the Eid Al-Fitr. His Mohammad bin Zayed, who congratulat- His Highness the Amir thanked him for and His Highness the Prime Minister at and Kuwait more progress and pros- Highness the Amir also wished many ed him on advent of Eid Al-Fitr. Sheikh the warm sentiments and wished the Bayan Palace yesterday. His Highness the perity under his wise leadership. happy returns of the dear occasion for Mohammad prayed to Allah the Almighty friendly country the utmost of success Crown Prince meanwhile received His Similarly, His Highness the Amir con- both Arabian Gulf nations. He wished to bestow good health on His Highness and prosperity. — KUNA

Kuwait PM receives Indian Ambassador Amir, Crown Prince letter from Bahrain’s extends Eid greetings send letters to Spain’s Crown Prince, PM KUWAIT: Ambassador of India to Kuwait Sibi King on bilateral ties George released the following message on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr: “Eid Mubarak to All. On this auspicious day, I pray for peace and harmony, for friendship and love and good health for all. On the occasion of Eid Al- Fitr, on behalf of the Indian community in Kuwait, I Indian Ambassador Sibi George extend my greetings to His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AI-Sabah, Amir of the State of ing weeks, through our whole of society and whole Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al- of government approach, we will be able to over- KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber AI-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of come these difficult times and defeat this pandemic MADRID: Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah reads a let- Kuwait, and His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled comprehensively. I thank the government and the Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah meets with his ter from Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Al-Hamad AI-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of people of the State of Kuwait and the vibrant Indian Minister Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa. — KUNA Spanish counterpart Arancha Gonzalez Laya. — KUNA Kuwait. Eid Mubarak also to the Government and community in Kuwait for extending their helping the friendly people of the State of Kuwait. hand to save lives in India. Let’s also remember and MADRID: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh “I also extend my warm greetings to all my thank our medical professionals, our doctors and Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a written message to Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received Indian brothers and sisters in Kuwait. Eid Al-Fitr is our nurses for their many sacrifices. Spain’s King Philip VI on the deep-rooted and histori- yesterday a letter from Bahrain’s Crown Prince and a special festival in India, a land with abundant cal ties between the two countries, and means of devel- Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa on “At this moment when we celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, diversity of religions and beliefs, with people from oping them in all fields and on all levels. His Highness ways of boosting bilateral ties. The letter was let our thoughts be with those in isolation and suf- the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber handed over by Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and different socio-cultural, linguistic and religious fering, let our prayers be for the world to heal Al-Sabah sent a similar letter to the Spanish King. The National Economy Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al- backgrounds living in complete harmony. quickly and for a compassionate and healthy future. two letters were delivered by Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Khalifa during a meeting with His Highness the “This year all across the world, we observe Eid I pray that this festival strengthens our belief in and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Prime Minister at Bayan Palace. The meeting was Al-Fitr in the most difficult of times for humanity charity, our faith in fraternity and our commitment attended by Minister of Finance and Minister of Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah to Spain’s due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the last few in compassion. Once again, Eid Mubarak to all King during a meeting held on Monday at the royal State for Economic Affairs and Investment Khalifa weeks our brothers and sisters in India have been Hamada. — KUNA Indian nationals and friends of India in Kuwait. May palace in Madrid. facing many challenges. I am confident that in com- you all be safe and stay blessed.” The foreign ministers of Kuwait and Spain held talks on Monday over bilateral relations, marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties with a common of Ramadan. Following the session, Minister of Health, with the coronavirus pandemic, affirming the necessity push to bolster cooperation. Sheikh Dr Ahmad’s talks Kuwaiti Cabinet Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and State Minister to adhere to the health precautions and lauding efforts with his Spanish counterpart Arancha Gonzalez Laya for Cabinet Affairs, Sheikh Dr Basel Humoud Hamad of the frontline workers and the volunteers who shoul- underscored the mutual desire to improve bilateral Al-Sabah, stated that His Highness the prime minister, dered the responsibility of confronting the pandemic. ties, bringing to fruition the ambitions of the two applauds Amir’s at start of the session, expressed congratulations to The ministers noted that His Highness had warned that countries’ respective leaders, which serve the best His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- the state would not allow anyone to undermine interests of their people, according to a statement by Ramadan address Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Kuwait’s security, stability, national unity, re-affirming the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry. The talks come as the Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti peo- that cooperation among the authorities is the basis for Kuwaiti top diplomat started an official visit to KUWAIT: The Cabinet held its weekly session at Seif ple and residents of the country, on approaching onset successful national tasks. He further underscored that Madrid, sealing a number of major deals, chief among Palace on Monday under the chairmanship of His of Eid Al-Fitr. the state attaches particular concern for the new gen- them a memorandum of understanding for bilateral Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al- The ministers examined His Highness the Amir’s eration. They applauded His Highness’ statement that political talks, an agreement for diplomatic coopera- Hamad Al-Sabah, acclaiming His Highness the Amir’s address on the last 10 days of Ramadan, where he called for bolstering the national unity, the country’s tion and mutual visa exemption treatment for diplo- speech marking the last ten days of the fasting month called for more understanding and patience in coping security, stability and prosperity. — KUNA matic passport holders. — KUNA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Baghdad had sent its national security adviser Amir condemns “all sides need to de-escalate, reduce tensions, US contractor Qassim Al-Araji to the Balad base last week to try take practical steps to calm things down”. to reassure the American firm, days after the latest ‘tragic escalation’... Diplomatic sources said that Egypt and Qatar, leaves Iraq base salvo. Tahsin Al-Khafaji, spokesman for Iraq’s Joint who have mediated past conflicts, were Operations Command, said Lockheed Martin would Continued from Page 1 attempting to calm tensions. Arab League “continue to advise the Iraqi air force, even remote- Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit con- over attacks ly”, citing contractual obligations. wounded, drawing international calls for de- demned the Gaza strikes as “indiscriminate and The United States has provided Iraq with 34 F- escalation and sharp rebukes from across the irresponsible ... and a miserable display of force SAMARRA, Iraq: US contractor Lockheed Martin 16s, all stationed at Balad. It has also trained Iraqi Muslim world. at the expense of children’s blood”. has withdrawn its staff from an Iraq base where it pilots, while American contractors have been in The Kuwaiti Cabinet during its weekly meet- The United Nations rights office said yester- had been maintaining the Iraqi army’s F-16 fighter charge of the fleet’s upkeep. Arbil was long consid- ing on Monday denounced Zionist entity’s con- day it was “deeply concerned” by the escalation jets, military sources said, after a spate of rocket ered safer than the rest of Iraq, but the situation has of violence in the occupied Palestinian territo- tinued construction of settlements and the attacks. At least five attacks have targeted the Balad changed recently and Washington has deployed a ries. The Office of the UN High Commissioner forced displacement of Palestinians from East airbase, where other US companies including C-RAM rocket defense system as well as Patriot for Human Rights appealed for calm after sever- Jerusalem and Sheikh Jarrah’s area. It stressed Sallyport are also present, since the start of the year. missiles there, as it has done in Baghdad to protect al days of unrest. seriousness of continued building settlements At least three foreign subcontractors and one its troops and diplomats. In mid-April, pro-Iran Tensions in Jerusalem have flared into the which run counter to international law princi- Iraqi subcontractor have been wounded. The city’s worst disturbances since 2017 after ples and endanger international efforts aiming fighters sent an explosives-packed drone crashing Zionist riot police attacked large crowds of to reach a final solution to the Middle East con- attacks are rarely claimed, and when they are it is into Arbil airport in the first reported use of such a Palestinian worshippers on the last Friday of the flict as well as destabilize the region. by obscure groups that experts say are a facade for weapon against a base housing US troops in Iraq. holy fasting month of Ramadan. In this regard, the Cabinet welcomed the Iran-backed Iraqi factions. “On Monday morning, The Pentagon has warned that attacks against “We are deeply concerned at the escalation joint statement issued by Britain, Germany, 72 Lockheed Martin technicians left,” a high-rank- the US-led coalition rose in the first three months of of violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, France, Italy and Spain in which they called on ing Iraqi military official told AFP, while a second this year. “In Iraq, Iran-aligned militias increased including east Jerusalem,” Rupert Colville, the Zionist entity to suspend its decision on confirmed the move. their attacks targeting coalition positions and assets spokesman for UN rights chief Michelle building further settlements and end settlement “The technical team in charge of maintenance of this quarter, prompting a temporary departure of Bachelet’s office, told reporters in Geneva. “We expansion in the occupied West Bank as well as the F-16s left the Balad base for Arbil,” the capital US contractors supporting Iraq’s F-16 program,” it condemn all violence and all incitement to vio- halt the evacuation process in East Jerusalem of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the first source added, said in a report to Congress released earlier this lence and ethnic division and provocations.” mainly in Sheikh Jarrah district. — Agencies requesting anonymity. month. — AFP Established 1961 3 Local Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Kuwait stands with Palestine

KUWAIT: People in Kuwait took part in a protest at the Iradah Square in Kuwait City yesterday, holding up signs and chanting slogans in solidarity with the Palestinian people against the Zionist aggression. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

ed a meeting for 15 MPs who contacted the exiled MPs request former lawmakers and discussed ways to bring them back home. Mutairi said after the meeting pardon for that the meeting agreed to seek a special pardon from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to “bring those heroes opposition activists back to Kuwait”. He said that a number of MPs from the meeting By B Izzak will travel to Turkey after the next assembly meet- ing scheduled on May 25 to negotiate with the KUWAIT: A group of opposition MPs yesterday exiles a mechanism for their return. He said that a launched a different path to secure the return of a number of the former MPs who spoke with the group of opposition former MPs and activists who meeting over the phone “blessed the steps” being have been living in self-exile in Turkey by publicly taken by the lawmakers, a reference that they agree seeking a pardon from His Highness the Amir. for the Amiri pardon. Until now, the opposition has been pressing to Until recently, all opposition MPs had insisted pass legislation in the national assembly to pardon that the return of the exiles must be done through those activists who fled the country to Turkey legislation to be passed through the national about three years ago to avoid a harsh jail sentence assembly. But on March 30, the assembly rejected passed on them for taking part in storming the the comprehensive pardon draft law because all the national assembly building in 2011. opposition MPs had boycotted that session. Now, a Those activists include leading former MPs new law must wait until the next assembly term. Mussallam Al-Barrak, Jamaan Al-Harbash, Faisal A number of leading opposition lawmakers like Al-Muslim, Mubarak Al-Waalan, Salem Al-Namlan Mohammad Al-Mutair, Shuaib Al-Muwaizri, and others, who for years dominated the local Thamer Al-Suwait and others did not attend yester- political scene. day’s meeting of the opposition and no reason was Opposition MP Farz Al-Mutairi yesterday host- given for their absence.

public calls to abide by health precautions to curb Kuwait’s COVID the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, Dr Sanad said on Monday that daily count drops 6,500 vaccination doses for COVID-19 have been administered to employees at 360 and Al-Kout below 1,000 for shopping malls as part of the second phase of the roving inoculation campaign that kicked off on Sunday. Dr Sanad added that the ministry aims at second day immunizing all staff at the central commercial malls to ensure a safe environment for visitors of KUWAIT: Kuwait has registered less than 1,000 these markets. new COVID-19 cases for the second straight day Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah had Monday after the daily count remained over that informed the ministers during the Cabinet’s week- threshold since Feb 28. The Ministry of Health has ly meeting Monday about the latest developments announced recording 978 new coronavirus infec- related to the pandemic where casualties dropped tions on Monday and 992 the day before, giving a and recovery rate was estimated at 94.6 percent. sign of hope that the situation of the pandemic in The ministers were also briefed about the inocu- the country could be improving. The new figures lation campaign as part of the precautions aimed take the total cases in the country up to 286,064, at achieving community safety and stem spread of while total deaths reached 1,652 after the ministry the pandemic. announced seven related deaths Monday and 10 The ministers discussed recommendations set by the previous day. the coronavirus emergency committee and decided The ministry’s spokesman Dr Abdullah Al- to end the partial curfew as of first day of Eid Al- Sanad pointed out Monday that some 1,250 more Fitr, close all commercial business from 8 pm to 5 people had been cured of the virus over the pre- am except for pharmacies, food and pharmaceutical vious 24 hours, raising the total of those who have businesses, eateries and maintenance companies overcome the disease to 270,883. He added that and agencies, indefinitely. The government decided the number of people hospitalized with the virus to allow the reopening of cinemas and theaters only stood at 13,511 as of Monday, with 210 of them in for those who have been immunized. Eateries are intensive care units. Dr Sanad revealed that some allowed to pursue work with deliveries only. 8,212 swab tests were conducted over the same Establishments and institutions are allowed to call period, bringing the total to 2,411,948. He renewed in maximum 60 percent of their staff. — KUNA 4 Established 1961 Local Wednesday, May 12, 2021

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News in brief

Amnesty for prisoners

KUWAIT: An Amiri decree issued on Monday has offered amnesty and commuted the prison terms of some convicts, the Kuwaiti government said. The public prosecution and interior ministry will collec- tively implement this measure shortly, the govern- KUWAIT: A vendor displays prayer beads inside his shop at Mubarakiya Market in Kuwait City. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat ment’s communication center tweeted. — KUNA

Kuwait condemns blast

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Cabinet condemned the Ramadan Diwaniya “terrorist” Afghan school blast that left dozens of people dead and wounded. During its weekly meeting Monday, the Cabinet affirmed Kuwait’s firm stance rejecting all these terrorist acts, vio- lence and terrorism in all its forms and manifesta- Weather smartphone apps helpful, but tions. The Cabinet expressed their sincere condo- lences to the Afghan government and people, and the families of victims. — KUNA background necessary: Meteorologist Six hurt in fire

KUWAIT: Six people were injured, including two critically, in a fire reported in the Waha district of My curiosity about astronomy began at a young age: Saadoun Jahra Monday night. The victims were rushed to hospital to be treated from smoke inhalation. By Ben Garcia read books, because I find answers to all questions in Investigations are underway to find out the cause my mind. In my house I have the most advanced tele- of the fire. KUWAIT: Kuwaiti professionals are interviewed by scope that I use to observe the solar system. Kuwait Times to learn more about the nature of their Kuwait: How often do you use your telescope? jobs, and changes and challenges they have faced dur- Saadoun: When I was young, I had a smaller tele- Oil gains 82 cents ing the pandemic. The following are excerpts from scope that I used almost every day. But the telescope I Kuwait Times’ interview with astronomer and meteor- have now is huge and needs at least two people to set KUWAIT: Kuwait oil edged 82 cents higher dur- ologist Adel Saadoun. up before you can use it. I use it to observe heavenly ing Monday’s trading sessions to close at $68.13 Kuwait Times: Tell us about your journey as an phenomena, eclipses, planet conjunctions and some- per barrel (pb) against $67.31 pb the last Friday, astronomer and weather forecaster. times to enjoy the galaxies and nebulae. I am 70 years Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said yester- Adel Saadoun: My curiosity about heavenly bod- old and my activities are drastically reduced. Most of day. Benchmark Brent crude gained four cents to ies, galaxies and planets began when I was a teenage the time I prefer to stay at home, especially during this Adel Saadoun $68.32 pb and West Texas Intermediate rose two boy. I started reading books about the sun, moon and pandemic. cents to $64.92 pb. —KUNA stars. My curiosity took me to our national library, Kuwait Times: How did you become a weather cializing in atmospheric sciences related to weather where I was able to feed my hungry mind. Until now I forecaster? forecasting. If we are talking about the weather, we Saadoun: When I was young, I had a habit of writ- must know the main factors affecting the weather. ing about weather conditions in Kuwait that I used to Today, a lot of people predict the weather just by record in a small notebook daily. I got the proper his- looking at mobile applications. Certainly you can use them as they are based on science, but it is dangerous if you have no background of weather patterns. Kuwait Times: Tell us something about your famous Aladdin House in Fintas? I built my house Saadoun: I built this house to be my sanctuary. It is colorful and cozy with a wide and spacious living room to be my and a lofty ceiling. I want to go home after a long day of work and have a good feeling about the place where sanctuary I stay. I feel rested when I go home and see the decor. I have plants and colorful frescos and friezes - it’s a warm and happy house. This house has a mix of architecture from Central Asia, Europe and a bit of Arabic touch as well. If you look at the dome of my house, the design was bor- tory of our weather, which helped me with my predic- rowed by Arabs from Central Asia, particularly tions, although now you can easily predict the weather Mongolia, from where it spread to Russia, through modern technology. That small notebook is Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and other countries in the still with me today and it’s quite accurate. It launched region. I completed the house in 1995, two years my addiction to studying weather conditions in Kuwait. before I retired from my Shuaiba Port job. My convic- I also got interested in studying geography, and got tion is if you cannot make a house better, make no a degree in geography from Kuwait University, spe- house at all.

ing excess good food from ‘Ramadan Basket’ going to waste to the plates of people in need.” helps feed 3,000 “At NBK, we are proud of this pioneering Kuwaiti youth in Refood. Hand in families in Kuwait hand, we look forward to further enhance and pro- KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and mote the culture of reduc- Refood concluded their food rescue initiative titled ing food waste and helping ‘Ramadan basket’. This initiative was launched as part Talal Al-Turki those in need, while at the of NBK’s Annual Ramadan Program ‘Do Good Deeds in same time conserving eco- Ramadan’ to support 3,000 families with food and nomic resources from waste,” he added. goods. NBK is committed to supporting promising Kuwaiti The “Ramadan Basket” Packages were delivered by initiatives that aim to give back to Kuwait. NBK has NBK and Refood volunteers via refrigerated trucks to maintained its leadership as a pioneer in adopting ini- maintain the quality and safety of products. Refood tiatives for the benefit of our community. NBK is con- and NBK volunteers collected sorted and stored sur- stantly seeking to further enhance its support promot- plus food and goods to share with low-income families. ing a sustainable future. Through this initiative, rescuing food and saving the It is worth mentioning that Refood is a non-profit environment went hand-in-hand. This initiative is con- company that aims to reduce waste from the food and sidered as one of the leading Rescuing food initiatives consumer goods sector by collecting excess products which strives to collect excess food that would’ve from local suppliers and manufacturers. Refood collab- gone to waste, and instead, give it to those in need orates with the industry’s largest food suppliers in across Kuwait. Kuwait to save the largest possible quantity of prod- Talal Al-Turki, NBK Public Relations Senior ucts from ending up in landfills. Refood provides a ben- Manager said, “NBK in partnership with Refood was eficiary registration service. Families that meet the eli- ISSUE NO: 18433 RAMADAN 30, 1442 AH delighted to create an initiative that encourages sus- gibility requirements can register and subscribe to tainable solutions and reduces food waste. This part- available Refood programs to benefit from the pack- Ramadan Quiz Ramadan Quiz nership aims to educate the Kuwaiti public about the Established 1961 Established 1961 ages on a regular basis. dangers of food waste and create a solution by divert- 30- What is the name of the celebration Date : observed to mark the end of Ramadan? Name : ❏ A. Eid al-Fitr Civil ID : ❏ B. Eid al-Adha Tel : ❏ C. Eid Al-Ghadir Email : International WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021 East Jerusalem hospital fills up after Al-Aqsa aggression Pfizer shot gets US nod for 12-15 year olds as India outbreak rages Page 7 Page 6 Nine dead in Russia school shooting Lone teenage gunman opens fire at a school in Kazan KAZAN, Russia: At least nine people, most of services and police vehicles lining nearby streets them children, were killed yesterday when a lone and law enforcement carrying automatic weapons teenage gunman opened fire at a school in the cen- patrolling the area. The number of dead reported tral Russian city of Kazan, officials said. President varied, with the city’s mayor saying eight people Vladimir Putin ordered a review of gun control laws had been killed. Russian news agencies, citing after the shooting-one of the worst in recent official sources, said earlier in the day that 11 peo- Russian history-which occurred on the first day ple had died. back to school following annual May holidays. The Interfax news agency, citing a nearby busi- The spree started around 9.30 local time (630 ness college, identified the shooter as Ilnaz GMT), sparking panic among students and teachers Galyaviev, who was enrolled at the Tatarstan at the School No. 175 in Kazan, the capital of the University of Management but was expelled one Russian predominantly Muslim republic of month ago for poor academic performance. “He was Tatarstan. always neat and calm, he was respectful of fellow Amateur footage on social media, apparently students and teachers,” a representative of the uni- filmed from a nearby building, showed people versity was quoted as saying. escaping from the school by jumping from second- There were initial reports of two shooters, with and third-floor windows, with sounds of gunshots one reportedly barricaded on the fourth floor of the echoing in the schoolyard. Police said they detained building and killed, but officials later said a lone the gunman approximately one hour after initial attacker was responsible. reports of shooting. Seven of the dead were children in the eighth ‘Deeply saddened’ grade, Tatarstan regional leader Rustam Tatarstan leader Minnikhanov described the Minnikhanov told reporters. He said two adults, shooting as “a major tragedy for our republic” including a teacher, also died. Another 20 were hos- shortly after the building was secured. “We are pitalized, including 18 children. Six of them were in deeply saddened that this has happened,” he told KAZAN, Russia: A woman cries as she is taken to an ambulance at the scene of a shooting at School No 175 intensive care, Lazzat Khaidarov, a spokesman for reporters. in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s republic of Tatarstan, yesterday. — AFP the regional authorities, told AFP. The ages of the He described the detained assailant as a “terror- injured people varied from between seven and 62. ist” and said the 19-year-old shooter had a license the school, told the Echo of Moscow radio station ple before shooting himself dead. In the aftermath of the killings, authorities to carry a firearm. A source told Interfax that earlier in the day that law enforcement was clearing In October 2018, a teenage gunman killed 20 declared a day of mourning for Wednesday while Galyaviev had been armed with a Turkish-made people from outside the premises. people at the Kerch technical college in Crimea, Putin expressed his “deep condolences” to the vic- Hatsan escort shotgun, the same weapon used in a “Parents are crying,” she told the radio station. the peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in tims and called for new gun laws. mass shooting at a college in Kerch in Russian- “People are hysterical.” 2014. The 18-year-old attacker shot himself dead “The president gave an order to urgently work annexed Crimea in 2018. at the site. He was shown in camera footage wear- out a new provision concerning the types of Officials ordered a minute of silence at football Columbine copycat ing a similar T-shirt to Eric Harris, one of the weapons that can be in civilian hands, taking into matches later yesterday and both cabinet and par- Russia has relatively few school shootings due to killers in the 1999 Columbine High School shoot- account the weapon” used in the attack, his liament meetings honored those dead in the attacks. normally tight security in education facilities and ing in the US, which left 13 people dead. The spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Witnesses offered chilling accounts of the the difficulty of buying firearms legally, although it Crimea shooter, Vladislav Roslyakov, was able to tragedy. “I was in class, I first heard an explosion, is possible to register hunting rifles. In November legally obtain a gun license after undergoing ‘Neat and calm’ then gunshots,” state news agency TASS quoted a 2019, a 19-year-old student in the far eastern town marksmanship training and being examined by a Images broadcast on state television showed student as saying in the wake of the attacks. of Blagoveshchensk opened fire in his college, psychiatrist. The shooting led to calls for tighter dozens of people outside the school with fire Elena, a Kazan resident who said she was outside killing one classmate and injuring three other peo- gun control in Russia. — AFP Qatar Amir visits Saudi Arabia Mexico mothers: as rift eases ‘Where are our RIYADH: Qatar’s ruler Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad missing children?’ Al-Thani landed in Saudi Arabia for talks Monday, in his second visit since the countries re-established relations MEXICO CITY: Thousands of mothers of in January following a three-year dispute. Crown Prince people missing in Mexico protested Monday to Mohammed bin Salman received Sheikh Tamim in the demand the authorities find their children, vic- Red Sea city of Jeddah, according to images and a tims of the violence and impunity that plagues statement published by Saudi state media. the country. “There’s nothing to celebrate. The visit, which came at the invitation of Saudi Where are our children?” said Yolanda Moran, Arabia’s King Salman, was aimed at discussing bilateral who attended the Mother’s Day march in relations and other issues of “common interest”, the Mexico City in her wheelchair. official Qatar News Agency said. Saudi Arabia and its “We mothers have come to remind the allies broke off ties with Qatar in June 2017. But in authorities that they need to look for them,” the January of this year, the boycotting countries agreed to 77-year-old said. She carried a large photo- restore ties with Qatar following a flurry of diplomatic graph of her son, Dan Jeremeel Fernandez, who activity by the administration of former US president disappeared on December 19, 2008 in the Donald Trump. northern city of Torreon at the age of 35. Sheikh Tamim last travelled to the kingdom in January Dressed in white and with a rose of the same for a summit hosted by Prince Mohammed in the desert color in her hand, she said the mothers of city of Al-Ula, which led to Doha being readmitted to Mexico’s missing were exhausted by their the regional fold. Since the reconciliation there have ordeal. “We do not live. We survive. Every year JEDDAH: This handout picture provided by the Saudi Royal Palace Monday shows Saudi Crown Prince been cautious steps towards normality, including the we are older, more tired, sicker,” she said. Mohammed bin Salman (right) receiving Qatar’s ruler Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani upon his resumption of air travel between the former countries “Narco, military, prosecutor, the same filth!” arrival in the Red Sea City of Jeddah. — AFP and the reopening of Qatar’s sole land border with read a banner carried by an elderly woman Saudi Arabia. — AFP dressed in black. More than 80,000 people have gone missing in Mexico since the government deployed the military in the war on powerful drug cartels in Iran warns US 2006, according to official figures. Around 300,000 more have been murdered over the navy over same period, according to the authorities, who say most of the killings are linked to gang vio- lence. The dead include three siblings aged 24, 29 ‘unprofessional and 32 whose bodies were found in a suburb of the western city of Guadalajara, prosecutors said behavior’ on Monday. They had been missing since Friday night when they were taken from their home by TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said yester- suspected drug cartel members for reasons that day they warned US vessels after Washington said are unclear, according to the authorities. warning shots were fired near Iranian attack boats, the latest confrontation between the rivals in the ‘Worn out’ Gulf. The US had earlier said the warning shots In the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, “we were fired after more than a dozen Iranian fast have at least 100 people go missing every day, attack boats buzzed close to a US Navy submarine but not all are reported out of fear,” said Miriam and escort ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Cabrera, the mother of Romel Cabrera, who The Revolutionary Guards’ navy confirmed it had This handout photo courtesy of US Navy and made available yesterday shows two Iranian Islamic Revolutionary vanished on June 28, 2015. Patricia Springton encountered seven US vessels in the incident, but Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) fast in-shore attack craft (FIAC), a type of speedboat armed with machine guns, con- brought photographs of her son, her husband, said it warned them “while maintaining the legal dis- ducting maneuvers while operating in close proximity to US naval vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. — AFP her sister-in-law and her niece, who were last tance ... against their risky and unprofessional seen on July 14, 2010 when they traveled to behavior, after which they continued on their way”. phenomenon,” said Kirby, referring to the Guards’ craft provoked warning shots when they came close Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas. It said in a statement that the US behavior navy. “It’s unsafe, it’s unprofessional. It’s the kind of to two US vessels in international waters in the “We spend our lives worn out, yes, with fear, included “flying helicopters, firing flares, and aim- activity that can lead to somebody getting hurt, and northern part of the Gulf, it said. And in early April but we’re not going to stop” searching, she said, less, unnecessary and provocative shooting”. The can lead to a real miscalculation there in the four Guard vessels, three fast attack craft and a fighting back tears. Mexico has almost a hun- Guards said its navy was conducting “routine mis- region,” Kirby added. Kirby pointed out that the large Harth 55 catamaran similarly came close to dred organizations of relatives of the missing sions in the territorial waters” of Iran, but did not Iranian actions took place in the Strait of Hormuz, two US Coast Guard patrol ships, crossing their who want prosecutors to create a national specify whether the American vessels had entered where ships have little room to move. bows while ignoring warnings. forensic data bank. According to official figures, the Islamic republic’s waters. “It’s an international waterway and of course No shots were fired in that encounter. In its there are at least 38,500 unidentified bodies Pentagon spokesman John Kirby had said earlier when you’re in the strait, there are certain limits to statement, the Guards’ navy said its forces will with the forensic services. that 13 Guards’ boats approached the seven US your ability to manuever,” he said. In response, the “calmly and confidently follow their missions in the Next to a carpet of photographs of the miss- vessels at high speeds, closing within 140 meters Guards called on Washington to avoid “false narra- Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf” and are ing, 54-year-old Marisa Trejo accused the (150 yards) before one of the US vessels fired 30 tives”, and accused it of being “the center of insta- ready to respond to “any miscalculation” by the US. Mexican authorities of “indifference.” President shots in two volleys, until they moved away. bility, threat and insecurity in the region”. The The confrontations comes amid talks in Vienna Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador “made many encounter was the second such incident in two between Iran and major powers on reviving a land- campaign promises of support and has never Risk of ‘miscalculation’ weeks, according to the US Navy. mark 2015 nuclear deal abandoned three years later really followed up on them,” she said. — AFP “Sadly harassment by the IRGC-N is not a new In late April, three Iranian fast inshore attack by then US president Donald Trump. — AFP 6 Established 1961 International Wednesday, May 12, 2021 East Jerusalem hospital fills up after Al-Aqsa aggression Several Palestinians lose eyes after being hit by Zionist bullets JERUSALEM: Palestinians wounded in Zionist the unrest began. Most injuries were to the head, attacks at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound have chest and limbs, he said-arguing the wounds filled the halls of an east Jerusalem hospital, showed that the forces intended to cause significant where several had lost eyes after being hit by injury. When “you mean to harm someone, you rubber bullets. shoot at the head”, he said, describing the inhuman Ezzedine, a 19-year-old carpenter from the West tactics being used by the occupation forces. Bank city of Nablus, said Monday that doctors at the large Makassed Hospital told him he would not ‘Provoke the youths’ regain sight in his left eye after a rubber bullet hit The Palestinian Red Crescent said it opened a him while he visited the holy site. He said he came field hospital to treat the wounded before evacuat- to Al-Aqsa to perform Ramadan prayers on Friday ing patients to local hospitals. The Augusta Victoria night when Zionist police began firing stun Hospital in east Jerusalem opened a special emer- grenades and tear gas in clashes. gency room to treat the injured. “They want to take a place that’s not theirs,” he Farhoud said the violence in Jerusalem was the said, referring to occupation forces’ actions at worst he had seen in years, although less severe Islam’s third holiest site. Even though Zionist than in 1990, when nearly 20 Palestinians were regime has insisted it is committed to the rights of killed in clashes with police at Al-Aqsa. Muslims to worship at Al-Aqsa, it seeks to instigate “Before, they were using live bullets,” Farhoud problems in the compound. said. “Now, they’re using rubber bullets”. One Rights group Amnesty International argued that patient, who was wheeled into surgery on a stretch- Occupation forces have repeatedly deployed dis- er, had suffered a spleen injury after being hit with a proportionate and unlawful force to disperse pro- rubber bullet. Another, Siraj, 24, sat in a wheelchair testers during violent raids” on Al-Aqsa. More than in jeans torn away from his legs, which were both JERUSALEM: Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded person who was hit by bullets fired by occupation forces 700 Palestinians have been wounded since Friday in wrapped in white gauze. in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Monday. — AFP attacks at Al-Aqsa and in other parts of occupied White paint covered his shirt from his early east Jerusalem. morning work renovating apartments. He said he and began firing stun grenades. my legs. I feel the pain and I hope it subsides”. The Makassed director general Adnan Farhoud said went from work to Al-Aqsa to pray, and was “They shot everyone, young and old people,” he actions have served to “provoke the youths”, the hospital had received over 200 patients since wounded when Zionist police entered the mosque said. “They shot a stun grenade toward me and hit argued Siraj. — Agencies

Amnesty: Zionists using ‘unlawful’ force in Jerusalem JERUSALEM: Amnesty International said Zionist entity is using “abusive and wanton force against largely peaceful Palestinian protesters” in east Jerusalem clashes that have wounded hundreds of demonstrators and dozens of police. The entity yesterday firmly defended the con- duct of its officers, insisting they have responded to violent Palestinian rioters with appropriate measures. But the London-based human rights group described some of those measures as “dis- proportionate and unlawful”, accusing security forces of “unprovoked attacks on peaceful demon- strators”. Amnesty’s statement came amid surging LONDON: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II reads the tension in the annexed Jerusalem, much of it con- Queen’s Speech on the Sovereign’s Throne in centrated at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque com- the House of Lords chamber during the State pound, Islam’s third holiest site. Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament in London yesterday. — AFP At Al-Aqsa and in clashes elsewhere in east Jerusalem, police used stun grenades, rubber bul- lets, tear gas and skunk water cannons. Amnesty said the regime has used excessive Queen returns to force over multiple weeks of east Jerusalem JERUSALEM: Zionist forces deploy in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after they stormed the compound protests. In one incident, it said the forces last Monday. — AFP public stage detailing week broke up a peaceful circle of Palestinians chanting against an attempt to evict them from their govt’s new agenda homes in the city’s Sheikh Jarrah district. The The rights group called on the international Palestinians wounded. The group Save the Children, forces on horseback sprinted toward the crowd, community “to hold the Zionist entity accountable also based in London, said it was “horrified” by the LONDON: Queen Elizabeth II opened a new trampling a man who was trying to run away, for its systemic violations”. air strikes and demanded a stop to “the indiscrimi- session of parliament yesterday, in her first Amnesty said. Clashes on Monday left more than 500 nate targeting and killing of civilians”. — AFP public appearance since the funeral of her late husband Prince Philip, as she revealed the Conservative government’s post-pandemic legislative agenda. Prime Minister Boris Young whale in Johnson, buoyant after his party’s triumph in local and regional elections in England last week, is vowing to deliver on his mantra to London’s Thames “build back better” with a wide-ranging raft of policies. is put down But he faces renewed questions over the UK’s cohesion after pro-independence forces LONDON: A juvenile minke whale that became won a majority in elections to the Scottish par- stranded in London’s River Thames has been put liament with pledges to hold another referen- down after its condition deteriorated and vets dum on breaking away from the centuries-old decided it could not survive in the open water. union. Johnson’s government, after rolling out a The whale, measuring three to four meters (10-13 successful coronavirus vaccination drive, is feet), was first spotted in southwest London on intent on reopening the economy and refocus- Sunday and was washed ashore at a set of gates ing on long-term promises to “level up” pros- controlling water flow. perity across Britain. Rescue efforts by the British Divers Marine “My government’s priority is to deliver a Life Rescue (BDMLR) service and firefighters national recovery from the pandemic that makes failed when the whale slipped its leash and then the United Kingdom stronger, healthier and more swam upriver, instead of towards the sea. “The prosperous than before,” the 95-year-old last 45 minutes we were with the whale its condi- monarch said in a speech from a gilded throne in tion was deteriorating, its breathing wasn’t right the upper House of Lords. and it wouldn’t have survived much longer,” BDMLR national coordinator Julia Cable said Borders focus late Monday. The Queen said the government would She said vets from London Zoo injected a “large” anaesthetic dose into the malnourished LONDON: A juvenile Minke whale, having been euthanized by vets from London Zoo, is lifted from the water at introduce an environment bill to set legally Teddington in southwest London after it had swum up the River Thames Monday. — AFP binding emissions targets as Britain prepares whale. It is thought the whale got separated from to host the UN’s COP26 climate summit in its mother and was unable to fend for itself. “It’s Glasgow in November. A “counter-state always sad, but we now know that putting it back great whales and typically grow to a length of 10 and as far south as the Equator. In January 2006, a threats bill”, meanwhile, will provide the secu- out into the open sea would have been sending it meters in adulthood. They can usually be found northern bottlenose whale became stuck in the rity services with tools to tackle hostile activity to starve out there,” Cable said. throughout the northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans Thames, sparking huge media interest. It died as it by foreign states and foreign actors. Minke whales are the smallest of the world’s but have been spotted as far north as the Arctic was being ferried back out to sea. — AFP New measures will also aim to strengthen Britain’s borders and deter “criminals who facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys”, of those qualified due on May 26-27, the interior presidential hopefuls, but are yet to declare whether after rising numbers of asylum-seekers com- Iran candidates ministry said. Former Revolutionary Guards Corps’ they will run. They include former parliament speak- ing on boats across the Channel from France. official Saeed Mohammad, a general and an advisor er Ali Larijani, judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi and Tightening immigration rules and securing to Guards commander Major General Hossein Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. borders were vote-winning promises of register for Salami, was one of the first to submit his name The country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Johnson’s campaign for leaving the European Tuesday. Khamenei, has in recent months urged for high Union in Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum, as presidential poll Mohammad, 53, who headed the Guards’ con- turnout, expressing hope that this would encour- well as in securing his thumping 2019 elec- struction and engineering arm for over two years, age the emergence of new young leaders, as the tion win. TEHRAN: Iran yesterday opened registration for resigned last in March to run. Another was generation who oversaw the country’s 1979 rev- But by differentiating between asylum- candidates hoping to succeed President Hassan Mohammad Hassan Nami, an army general who was olution is ageing. This year’s election is also seekers who enter by legal channels and those Rouhani, who will step down following the June 18 briefly telecoms minister under former ultra-conser- expected to feature a string of military figures, who enter Britain from “safe” destinations like elections after serving the maximum two consecu- vative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, state news stirring unease over a possible militarization of France, the government has provoked anger tive terms allowed. The five-day registration period agency IRNA said. the Islamic republic’s politics. among refugee groups. The UN refugee at the interior ministry ends on Saturday, with the According to the Hamshahri daily newspaper, The registration process comes as Iran and agency UNHCR has said the proposals could names of candidates then handed to the conserva- Nami is a former military attache to North Korea, world powers are engaged in talks to revive a breach international law and be “expensive and tive-dominated Guardian Council for vetting. and also holds a doctorate in “public management” 2015 nuclear accord, from which the US with- hard to implement”. — AFP More than 20 public figures have officially from Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung University. drew unilaterally in 2018, reimposing crippling announced their intention to run, with the final list Several top political figures are seen as possible sanctions. — AFP Established 1961 7 Wednesday, May 12, 2021 International Pfizer shot gets US nod for 12-15 year olds as India outbreak rages Wealthy nations ease curbs, but many others struggle to secure doses

WASHINGTON: The United States drug regulator As many as 45 bodies washed up on the banks of the authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children Ganges river near the border between Bihar and Uttar News in brief aged 12-15 as the country aims to speed up its COVID- Pradesh-two of India’s poorest states. Locals suggested 19 recovery, but the huge outbreak in India persisted to AFP that people were putting the bodies of relatives British activist cleared in Thailand with known coronavirus deaths approaching 250,000 who had died of COVID-19 into the river because they yesterday. With some wealthy nations easing restric- could not afford wood for funeral pyres or because cre- BANGKOK: A rights activist hit with almost a tions thanks to rapid inoculation drives but many others matoriums were overwhelmed. While some people even decade of lawsuits after raising concerns about struggling to secure doses, the head of the World Health in normal times prefer to immerse bodies in the river labor conditions at a Thai pineapple company Organization slammed so-called “vaccine diplomacy” rather than cremate them, the Times of India quoted an received a court decision yesterday clearing him in and called for cooperation without strings attached. unnamed police officer as saying there has been a surge the final case against him. Andy Hall faced a series Among those under pressure to do more for poorer in the number of floating bodies found recently. of defamation charges after contributing to a 2012 countries is the United States, where more than 115 mil- The WHO has warned that the B.1.617 variant report on alleged poor working conditions, low lion people have been fully vaccinated and authorities spreading in India appears to be more contagious, clas- wages and child labor at Natural Fruit’s factory. In have started to ease curbs to help with the recovery of sifying it as a “variant of concern at the global level.” 2016 the Briton was found guilty of criminal the world’s biggest economy. MIAMI, Florida: Sylvia March, from Argentina, gets a defamation and given a suspended three-year Those efforts got another boost Monday when the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccination from a health- ‘Vaccine diplomacy’ prison sentence before the conviction was over- US Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer care worker at Miami International Airport in Miami, The head of the WHO on Monday slammed nations turned in June last year. The company later launched shot for 12- to 15-year-olds. “This is a promising devel- Florida. — AFP for using COVID-19 vaccines as a tool for “geopolitical a 300-million-baht ($9.6 million) civil defamation opment in our fight against the virus,” said President maneuvering,” saying the world needed transparent case but dropped the case before it went to trial last Joe Biden. The US Centers for Disease Control said its cooperation instead of competition. “Vaccine diplomacy year. — AFP advisory committee will now meet to discuss a recom- ful crowds celebrated in the streets without masks or is not cooperation,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told mendation for this age group. social distancing. reporters. He was responding to a question about alle- The move has been criticized, however, by some “The virus threat still exists,” Justice Minister Juan gations that countries such as Russia and China have Carlos Campo wrote in El Pais, urging Spaniards to public health experts who say these doses would be donated large quantities of their homegrown vaccines Taiwan bans large events better used in other countries where highly vulnerable behave “responsibly.” Spain was one of the nations to desperate nations in exchange for market access and people are still waiting for vaccines, instead of a low- hardest hit in the first months of the pandemic, which influence. And there were fresh concerns about the has so far claimed more than 3.3 million lives worldwide. TAIPEI: Taiwan yesterday banned large gatherings risk group in the United States. The head of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, already delayed by a year, after a cluster of local infections prompted authori- European Medicines Agency said Monday that the EU as Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka said she was “not India outbreak worries ties to raise the coronavirus alert level in a place could also soon approve the Pfizer-BioNTech jab for really sure” the coronavirus-hit event should go ahead. with one of the world’s best pandemic responses. the 12-15 age group, as early as this month as several The death toll in India, suffering from one of the Tokyo and other parts of Japan are currently under a worst outbreaks in the world, approached 250,000 The self-ruled island has been hailed as a global nations on the continent aim to revive their economies. coronavirus state of emergency, and doubts are swirling leader in containing the COVID-19 pandemic with Ireland on Monday lifted domestic travel restric- yesterday-a number experts warn is much lower than about the ability of organizers to stage the Games safe- the actual figures. The surge appeared to be easing in just 1,210 confirmed cases, 12 deaths and minimal tions and Greece opened nursery, elementary and ly. And in Hong Kong, authorities abandoned a plan to social distancing needed once the initial outbreak middle schools ahead of kicking off the tourism season major cities. But reports from rural areas suggested the make vaccines mandatory for foreign domestic workers, virus is rampaging through India’s vast hinterland, home was quelled. Last year Taiwan recorded 253 straight from May 14. But Spain, which at the weekend lifted a mostly poor women from the Philippines and Indonesia. days without any local infections. But in recent six-month state of emergency and allowed travel to around two-thirds of its 1.3 billion people and where Manila’s top diplomat had said the proposal “smacked access to healthcare is limited. weeks a small but growing outbreak involving the between regions, sounded a note of caution after joy- of discrimination.” — AFP staff of Taipei-based China Airlines (CAL) and a Novotel airport hotel has sparked alarm. — AFP er, Fikri said. “Initially, rescuers were having difficulties Seven killed in to evacuate victims to a rescue vehicle because the ter- rain at the site was challenging,” Fikri said, but in the end all survivors went to hospital for emergency treat- China blasts Danish conference landslide at ment. The disaster occurred just two weeks after anoth- er landslide hit the Chinese-backed Batang Toru COPENHAGEN: China yesterday blasted a Indonesia mine hydropower project in North Sumatra, killing 10 people. democracy conference in Copenhagen attended by Three people were still missing when rescuers ended Taiwan’s president and a Hong Kong activist along- their search last week. side Danish government officials this week, qualify- JAKARTA: At least seven people were killed and one Fatal landslides and flash floods are common across ing it a “political farce”. The Copenhagen reported missing after a landslide at an Indonesian gold the country during the rainy season. Last month, more Democracy Summit was held Monday and yester- mine, authorities said yesterday. Torrential rains trig- than 200 people were killed in a cluster of far-eastern day in the Danish capital and organized by the gered a landslide on Monday, inundating the mine with islands and neighboring Timor Leste as Tropical Alliance of Democracies, an organization targeted mud mixed with stones and debris in South Solok Cyclone Seroja turned small communities into waste- by Beijing sanctions in March and founded by for- regency, West Sumatra, said the local emergency lands of mud and uprooted trees. mer NATO boss Anders Fogh Rasmussen. In addi- department head Fikri, who like many Indonesians goes Indonesia’s disaster agency estimates 125 million Rescuers searching leopards which escaped from a tion to Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and Hong by one name. In a statement, the department said “at people-nearly half of the country’s population-live in wild park in Hangzhou, in China’s eastern Zhejiang Kong democracy activist Nathan Law, Danish least seven killed and one is missing”. areas at risk of landslides. The disasters are often province. — AFP Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod also participated in Rescuers managed to save nine survivors from the caused by deforestation and poor mitigation planning, the forum by video link, which Beijing said violated mud and were combing the area to find the missing min- according to environmentalists. — AFP “the one-China principle.” — AFP Chinese hunt for leopard, dangle Uzbekistan jails anti-graft blogger TASHKENT, Uzbekistan: A court in Uzbekistan chickens as bait has sentenced a blogger known for speaking out on corruption to 6.5 years in jail on extortion and libel SHANGHAI: Residents in a Chinese city were warned charges, his lawyer told AFP yesterday. The case of to stay indoors as authorities released flocks of chick- Otabek Sattoriy, a popular video blogger from the ens as bait to track down a leopard that escaped from southern town of Termez in the Central Asian coun- a safari park, state media reported yesterday. The leafy try, was widely viewed as a test for authorities who lakeside city of Hangzhou has been on edge since late according to rights groups have been clamping last week, when residents began spotting leopards down on free speech ahead of a leadership election roaming around local hills covered in forest and tea in October. A court in the southern Surkhondaryo plantations. The leopard is one of three that escaped region sentenced Sattoriy to six years and six on April 19 — the other two have since been recap- months in jail on Monday, lawyer Umidbek Davlatov tured-a lapse that police said was concealed by the told AFP, calling the verdict “completely unfair” and Hangzhou Safari Park’s management for nearly three pledging to appeal. — AFP weeks to avoid hurting its visitor numbers during a long holiday last week. The incident has unleashed a torrent of Chinese internet posts savaging the park for endangering the Moscow rejects US ransomware claims public, and lamenting the abysmal safety and animal- welfare record of the country’s chaotic zoos and MOSCOW: Russia yesterday rejected US accusa- wildlife parks. Public outrage has also been fanned by tions that a Russia-based group was behind a ran- SOLOK: Rescuers retrieving bodies after a landslide at a gold mine in south Solok, West Sumatra province yes- footage of one of the big cats being mauled in a forest somware attack that forced the shutdown of the terday, where at least seven people were killed and one reported missing. — AFP by a pack of fierce hunting dogs, and another showing largest oil pipeline in the eastern United States. “We one of the recaptured leopards with part of its hind categorically reject the baseless fabrications of indi- foot missing. vidual journalists and reiterate that Russia does not several international trips that turned into massive The first leopard was quietly recaptured by the conduct ‘malicious’ activity in the virtual space,” the media events and proved wildly popular. His insis- Panic, prayers: park on April 21, and the second last Friday by a far Russian embassy in the United States said in a tence on direct contact with the faithful-taking chil- larger government search organized as news of the statement. On Monday, US President Joe Biden said dren in his arms and allowing people to touch him-was escapes went viral. But the remaining feline has so far there was no evidence of Russian government The day John completely new, but complicated the work of his secu- eluded the thousands of search personnel using track- involvement in the cyberattack on the US fuel rity team. er dogs, powered parachutes, and armed with drones pipeline but said there were indications the ran- Paul II was shot The atmosphere at the Vatican that day was “unreal and night-vision and heat-detection equipment.—AFP somware was “in Russia.” — AFP and mind-blowing” according to one AFP journalist. Worried Catholics gathered in St Peter’s Square PARIS: Saint Peter’s Square in Rome was packed with repeated Vatican Radio prayers blasting out from 20,000 faithful hoping to catch a glimpse of John Paul after meetings with officials from the Philippines and loudspeakers as police choppers flew low above them. HK scraps mandatory Indonesia. Philippine foreign affairs secretary Teodoro II on that fateful May afternoon 40 years ago. One woman in the crowd cried out everyone’s Suddenly as his open white Fiat “Popemobile” eased Locsin had previously said the initial proposal worst fear: “The pope is dead.” But the famously tough “smacked of discrimination”. through the crowd, the pontiff collapsed-shot at close John Paul II was out of the woods-no vital organ had vaccines for foreign range by a far-right Turkish nationalist whose motives Hong Kong health officials announced the mandatory been affected and he came through the critical surgery vaccination plan and the testing of all domestic workers remain mysterious to this day. lasting nearly six hours.—AFP At 5:41 pm on May 13, 1981 AFP flashed: “Pope domestic workers last month after two were found to be infected with one John Paul II wounded by two gun shots.” The 60-year- of the more virulent strains of the coronavirus. They said domestic workers were “high risk” because they often old Karol Wojtyla was immediately rushed to hospital. HONG KONG: Hong Kong yesterday scrapped a plan He was hit in the abdomen, left hand and right arm. work with the elderly and meet in parks on Sundays- to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for foreign usually their one day off a week. Two women in the Polish-born pope’s entourage were domestic workers after the proposal sparked an outcry also hurt. Rome was gripped by panic. Paramedics, Labour groups representing domestic workers said and a diplomatic tussle. they felt they were being singled out, noting that the police and journalists rushed to the scene and to the But authorities ordered all foreign helpers to under- hospital. families they worked for-as well as locals working in go another round of mandatory testing, triggering environments such as care homes-were not required to Italian authorities quickly confirmed the shooter — renewed criticism from the Philippines. Health officials 23-year-old Mehmet Ali Agca-had been arrested and get vaccinated. They also pointed out that wealthier for- planned to roll out mandatory inoculations for the eign migrants such as the city’s white-collar financial that his weapon was a Browning handgun. His accom- 370,000 domestic workers in the city, mostly poorly plice-another Turk-Oral Celik fled and was arrested a workers were not forced to get vaccines when out- paid women from the Philippines and Indonesia. breaks of the coronavirus were traced to their well- few years later in France for drug trafficking and then Those wanting to apply for work visas-or renew extradited to Italy. heeled districts. their current ones-would need to show they had The last round of compulsory testing saw long received two doses. But on Tuesday city leader Carrie queues form at facilities across the city. Three coron- Wildly popular Lam announced a U-turn. The news set off a frenzy around the world and In this file photo, Pope John Paul II waves to the avirus cases were uncovered over nine days. Yesterday, “The government has decided not to request Lam said all non-vaccinated helpers would be ordered prayers flooded in for the first-ever Slavic pope. crowd in Paris during his official visit in France on mandatory vaccination when helpers renew their con- Elected in 1978, the charismatic Jean Paul II had made May 30, 1980. — AFP to undergo a second round of testing by the end of the tracts,” she said, adding the decision had been made month.—AFP Established 1961

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021 Business Slowest China population growth in decades Changing society has significant economic and political implications

BEIJING: China’s population has grown at its slowest said Wang, and “justify its legitimacy by providing pace in decades, reaching 1.41 billion, census results the basic social benefits.” showed yesterday, highlighting fears of a looming crisis Falling marriage rates have played out in slower birth over an ageing society. The growth of 5.4 percent over rates, as have rising costs of living and increasingly the past decade was the slowest since the 1960s, and empowered and educated women delaying or avoiding comes alongside a sharp drop in the number of work- childbirth. Ning Jizhe from China’s statistics bureau said ing-age people. China remains the world’s most popu- China’s fertility policy had achieved “positive results” lous nation - but its neighbor India is catching up with but conceded the ageing population “imposed contin- around 1.38 billion people, and its youthful population is ued pressure” on development. expected to overtake China in the near future. China’s gender balance has also been skewed by the After nearly 40 years of a controversial “one-child” one-child policy and a centuries-old social preference policy, Beijing in 2016 allowed families to have two for boys which prompted a generation of sex-selective children as fears grew about China’s shrinking work- abortions and abandoned baby girls. The latest census force. China imposed the policy in the late 1970s, data showed the country still has 34.9 million more men forcing couples to have only one baby in a dramatic than women, making up just over 51.24 percent of the effort to slow population growth. But the relaxation of population. the rule is yet to produce the expected baby boom to In the near term, Ning said the coronavirus pandemic help stall a demographic slump in a country which is had also discouraged couples from having children. getting old fast. COVID-19 “increased the uncertainty of everyday life “The census not only confirmed rapid population and increased worries around hospitalized childbirth,” ageing, but also sustained low fertility,” said Wang Feng, he added. There were around 12 million births in 2020, professor of sociology at the University of California, he told reporters - the lowest number since 1961. The Irvine. “At that low a level, the population cannot sustain average size of a family is now 2.62 people, census data DANZHAI, China: A medical staff member takes care of a newborn baby at a hospital in China’s south- itself.” The changing society has significant economic showed, down from 3.10 people 10 years ago. western Guizhou province yesterday. —AFP and political implications for the world’s second biggest economy. Urban and mobile The number of people aged between 15 and 59 In a stark sign of changing society, the urban pop- which can make it harder for families to access needs a large population to sustain its international dropped nearly seven percentage points, while those ulation grew by 236.4 million. More than 63 percent of schools or healthcare. influence. China is trying to remove barriers against over 60 was up more than five percentage points. Chinese people now live in urban areas. However, Yun Jiang, editor of China Neican at the Australian having children and promote conservative social atti- The surging number of elderly would challenge nearly 500 million now work in places other than their Centre on China in the World, said Beijing has already tudes “such as shaming single women and penalizing Beijing to spend more on healthcare and pensions, official household registration, known as the hukou, “moved to a more ‘pro-birth’ direction” because it working women”, she said. —AFP

opera scriptwriters including several Emmy Award webtoons mobile platform Tapas, which presents Kakao to buy Radish winners to “present the newest and brightest in bite-sized comics on the go and has published entertaining, diverse serial fiction to readers”, the over 90,000 stories, for $510 million. company says. Founded in 2012 by South Korean entrepreneur G7 must invest app for $440m There are currently more than 50 such original Chang Kim, the San Francisco-based company has ASEOUL: Online fiction app Radish is being series, and the category accounted for more than become a “magnet for webtoon fans and content $10tn for sustainable bought for $440 million by South Korean Internet 90 percent of the company’s revenue of $20 million creators”, Kakao said in a press release. Some conglomerate Kakao, the two firms said yesterday, last year, it said. It also acts as a platform for inde- South Korean internet firms have struggled to recovery: Report making a multi-millionaire of its 30-year-old pendent writers, and says on its website that some expand their operations overseas and Kakao said founder only five years after he set it up. The deal make nearly $40,000 every three months. Founder the deals would help it to “expand its original con- PARIS: G7 nations should collectively spend a is one of two acquisitions Kakao announced yes- and CEO Lee Seung-yoon set up the company tent business in North America and other English- trillion dollars a year over the next decade to put terday totaling nearly $1 billion as it seeks to after graduating from Oxford in 2016 and attracted speaking regions.” the world on a path to sustainable growth, a expand in English-language markets. funding from investors including SoftBank Group’s While at university, Radish CEO Lee became report requested by Britain’s prime minister said Pay-to-read platform Radish presents serialized venture arm and Lowercase Capital. president of the Oxford Union debating society, Monday. As rich countries, still reeling from a storytelling in bite-sized instalments optimized for The unit buying his firm, Kakao Entertainment, a post which has previously been held by politi- pandemic that saw global GDP drop four percent smartphones, with readers paying around 20 to 30 already produces original content of its own from cal leaders including British Prime Minister in 2020, transition from rescue to recovery, US cents to access the next episode immediately, web novels to TV series, movies and music, he Boris Johnson and late Pakistani leader Benazir investment must flow in the right direction, said said, adding the acquisition would realize his Bhutto. Asked whether he was interested in lead author Nicholas Stern, former chief econo- or wait for an hour to read it for free. Likened to a Netflix for novels, Radish recruited in-house soap- vision “on a much larger scale and in a fascinating going into politics one day, Lee told AFP: “No I mist at the World Bank and author of the land- way”. Kakao said it had also separately acquired am not.” —AFP mark Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change. The shift from brown to green energy, the pro- continue to fall. Local government is also making moves: tection and restoration of nature, reducing social New Yorkers start City hall brought back 80,000 employees last Monday. inequality, facilitating the rollout of vaccines in The announcements accelerate a return-to-work move- developing nations - all of these goals must be ment that was just getting under way in America’s largest pursued at once, the report noted. “The world is to return to offices city. New York has taken a cautious approach to reopen- confronting a complex set of interwoven chal- ing after finding itself the early epicenter of the US’s out- lenges,” Stern told journalists in a Zoom press call break in spring 2020. as the report was released. “Unless you tackle in hybrid mode Just 16 percent of workers had returned to offices at them together, you are not going to do very well NEW YORK: From large corporations calling employees the end of April, up from 13 percent in January, according on any of them.” back to business district skyscrapers to the return of to Kastle Systems, which specializes in building security. “Get it right, and we have a much more attrac- lunchtime lines at salad bars: signs that workers are “There’s definitely an upward trend, but it is an incre- tive way of growing and developing,” he added. returning to New York’s offices, albeit in “hybrid” mode mental trend,” Kastle Systems chairman Mark Ein told “Get it wrong, and we have a lost decade for for now, are multiplying. Several companies emblematic AFP. “It is a slowly building wave.” development, stuttering growth, increased prob- of America’s financial capital are preparing for a huge in- New York occupancy rates are below the US average lems of social cohesion in the richer world, and we person return of staff after 14 months of widespread but some insiders are predicting a sharp increase in the NEW YORK: Rob Byrnes, President at East Midtown undermine the future of the climate and biodiver- next two months. “We’ve seen a dramatic shift,” said Partnership, works in his office in midtown Manhattan on sity for generations to come.” teleworking and a vigorous vaccination campaign. JP Morgan Chase bank led the way at the end of April Craig Deitelzweig, president of Marx Realty, a company May 7, 2021.—AFP A G7 gathering in England starting June 11 is managing seven buildings in Midtown and Wall Street. Its an opportunity for wealthy nations to take the when it announced that it would bring all of its US staff back to the office on a “rotational” basis starting in early occupancy rates passed 30 percent last week, against outdoor spaces and windows that open - not always the lead, he added. Formed in the mid-1970s, the G7 less than 20 percent previously. “The tenants who club of major industrialized nations includes the July. Then last week, fellow New York financial giant case in Manhattan skyscrapers. “Before I would look Goldman Sachs sent employees a memo telling them to weren’t back were saying September and now we’re through my window at the avenue and there would not US, Germany, Britain, Japan, France, Canada and hearing June or July, some even in May,” he said. Italy. A trillion dollars a year spread across these prepare to return to the office from June 14. The instruc- be a single person on the sidewalk,” said Robert Byrnes, tions came around the same time that New York president of the East Midtown Partnership, a business seven economies would translate to about two ‘Optimism’ percent of their pre-pandemic GDPs, the report Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that most of New association. “Now, it is still not packed, but I can see a Potential clients scouting out new offices have also calculated. The independent report, set in motion York’s pandemic-era restrictions will be lifted on May 19 few dozen people from my window. There’s definitely a picked up, he said, with many expressing a demand for by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said G7 as Covid-19 positivity rates, now around two percent, sense of optimism,” he added. —AFP nations should not leave the June meeting without closing the $20 billion funding gap for COVAX, the UN-led effort to vaccinate the developing dependent lifestyles in the region. Circuit boards, magnets est professions,” said Pascal Leroy, from the WEEE Forum, world against COVID. E-waste recycling in disk drives and electric vehicles, batteries and fluores- one of the authors of the report. “What makes this era dif- cent lamps are among items containing critical raw materi- ferent from previous eras is that we need the critical raw Symbol of trustworthiness als - including gold, silver and cobalt - that could be recy- materials to make products that sustain our high tech The grouping should also double their efforts matter of national cled and reused, the research found. lifestyle,” he said. so as to cover the shortfall in the long-standing, This would safeguard supplies for consumer electronics With these elements needed for wind turbines and elec- rich-nation pledge to provide $100 billion per security: Report and even the defense industry, said the consortium behind tric cars, they also play a crucial role in meeting climate year in climate finance by 2020. Exactly how the European Union funded CEWASTE report, which said goals and manufacturing competitiveness. But Leroy said much has been provided in recent years is sharply the fate of these materials was a “societal challenge”. Europe’s supply chain had become “too vulnerable”. He PARIS: Recovering precious elements from e-waste is a contested, but even the most generous tallies fall Despite these essential materials being vulnerable to geo- told AFP the defense industry was particularly exposed, security imperative for Europe that should be written into tens of billions short. “One hundred billion dollars political upheavals, it said, Europe remains too reliant on with everything from computer systems to drones reliant law, according to a report Monday that said it was “crucial” is small in relation to the overall investment foreign supply, with recycling rates “close to zero”. on external supplies such as rare earth elements, which to ensure industry competitiveness and sustain tech- demand,” Stern told AFP in an interview. “But it is “We’ve been recycling for centuries, it’s one of the old- almost exclusively come from China. —AFP important symbolically because that was a com- mitment by the rich world to help with the transi- ness, job creation, tourism and other positive ripple tion in the poor world. It is a symbol of the trust- ‘Ripple effects’: effects”. Construction of the $259 million project began worthiness.” in Dec 2014, co-funded by the African Development The report calls for structural policies that Bank (AfDB), the Japan International Cooperation leave no doubt about where things are headed. Botswana-Zambia Agency (JICA), regional governments and other grants. These include the rapid phase-out of fossil fuel Namibia and Zimbabwe joined the consortium in 2018. subsidies totaling hundreds of billions per year; The bridge will facilitate intra-regional freight trans- ramping up the price companies pay for carbon bridge a boon port by allowing trucks to bypass the notorious pollution; and building climate resilience and Beitbridge border post between Zimbabwe and South environmental protection into all development KAZUNGULA, Zambia: A road and rail bridge linking Africa, which is perennially congested, with vehicles policies. Botswana and Zambia was inaugurated on Monday, spending hours and sometimes days queueing to cross. The disclosure by corporations of exposure to marking the completion of a multi-million-dollar project At Monday’s ceremony, Botswana’s President climate risk - currently done on a voluntary basis - aimed at easing congestion at border crossings through- Mokgweetsi Masisi said the bridge would “open avenues should become mandatory, the report said. A recent out the southern African region. The curved Kazungula for improved trade”. report from CDP, a non-profit that tracks corporate bridge, which stretches for 923 m over the Zambezi River, And Zimbabwe’s leader Emmerson Mnangagwa environmental policy, found that half of financial provides a long-needed alternative route for hauliers. hailed what he called a “milestone achievement” for the institutions have failed to assess the impact of their “This will lower the cost of doing business,” Zambia’s region. The current leader of the African Union and pres- President Edgar Lungu said at the ribbon-cutting cere- KAZUNGULA, Botswana: An aerial view of the newly built portfolios on climate change. —AFP ident of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Kazungula bridge over the Zambezi river on Monday. —AFP mony, anticipating “an increase in trade and competitive- Tshisekedi, also attended the event. —AFP Established 1961 9 Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Business It’s all about the money honey: Australia, NZ clash over manuka Explosion in demand pushed honey exports to new record in 2019-20

SOMERSBY, Australia: Beekeepers in ited. With manuka though, the margins Protected status by geographical desig- New Zealand are seeking the exclusive are greater.” nation is common in Europe, where prod- right to use the “manuka” label for their They sell their honey directly at mar- ucts such as champagne and Parma ham honey, pitting them against rival Australian kets, and increasingly now, over the fall under the European Union’s Protected farmers over a prestige product that can Internet. At the end of the first season at Food Names scheme - which proponents fetch hundreds of dollars per jar. Manuka Somersby, they collected 2.5 tons of manu- say helps maintain high standards for con- honey takes its name from the Maori term ka honey, Martin said. Online, a 250-gm jar sumers. But Australian producers deny for Leptospermum scoparium, the flower- sells for roughly $20-60, depending on its there is a difference in the quality of their ing shrub whose nectar forms its essence, composition - although some higher end honey. “Our honey has the same chemical which is found in both Australia and New brands can cost hundreds. composition as New Zealand honey,” said Zealand. Paul Callander, President of the Australian But Australian production could soon be ‘Misleading’ Manuka Honey Association. dealt a heavy blow, with a group of New But the New Zealand producers behind He also dismissed the heritage argu- Zealand producers launching proceedings the move to register the term “manuka” ment. “It’s proven that Australia has been in multiple countries to register the term complain the Australians are misusing the producing manuka honey since at least the “manuka” and claim its exclusive use. If name. “In the mind of the consumer, manu- 1840s,” he said, pointing out that “manuka” they are successful, it would be devastating ka represents a badge of origin that it is the common name for Leptospermum for Australian producers like Ana Martin comes from New Zealand,” John Rawcliffe, scoparium in Tasmania and Victoria state. This file picture taken on April 20, 2021 shows beekeeper Sven Stephan explaining and Sven Stephan. spokesman for the Unique Manuka Factor about manuka honey in the New South Wales town of Somersby. —AFP Last year they bought land where a Association, told AFP. “Manuka is a Maori Huge export value crop of Leptospermum scoparium was word.” Not all producers in New Zealand are growing in Somersby, about 100 km north He said that Australian beekeepers use behind the push to register the name. stakes are considerable. en-brown condiment for its supposed of Sydney, installing around 50 hives on the name “manuka” for all varieties of Comvita, the biggest producer of honey An explosion in demand attributed to health benefits. Despite volumes ten times the side of a hill. The couple have almost Leptospermum scoparium, of which there in the country, has been associated with the pandemic pushed honey exports to a smaller than those exported by China, in 300 hives across several locations along are 80. “This is misleading and misrepre- the Australian firm Capilano since 2016, new record in 2019-20, of which manuka 2020 New Zealand became the world’s the coast of New South Wales. “Being a sents the product sold. It’s like calling all producing and selling manuka honey in honey made up 76 percent. Gwyneth largest exporter of honey by value, with beekeeper is a seven-day-a-week job,” citrus fruits lemons to get a higher market Australia. But for those without a busi- Paltrow and tennis star Novak Djokovic cumulative sales estimated over 300 mil- Martin told AFP. “And the returns are lim- price,” he continued. ness interest across the Tasman Sea, the are among the celebrities to tout the gold- lion US dollars. —AFP

terms of that agreement were now null and void in expand data collection from its two billion users News in brief Germany halts Europe’s top economy for three months. It will hand around the world. The service, which was set to the case over to the European Data Protection enforce its new data-sharing policy on May 15 - fol- Board, an independent EU body that enforces rules lowing a delay in response to a user outcry - said Philippines economy shrinks Facebook sharing throughout the 27-nation bloc. on its website that it would not immediately cut off The head of the German regulator, Johannes users who don’t accept the new terms, although it MANILA: The Philippine economy shrank in the first WhatsApp data Caspar, said past Facebook data protection breaches would send reminders to those who don’t opt in. three months of the year as coronavirus restrictions as well as Germany’s general election in September The update will allow additional sharing of informa- suppressed activity. Gross domestic product contracted 4.2 percent from a year ago, the statistics authority said, BERLIN: A German regulator yesterday slapped a showed the “dangers” of “mass building of user pro- tion from WhatsApp with Facebook and its other files” that could be exploited. “This ruling is intended applications such as Instagram and Messenger, such marking the fifth straight quarter of decline as efforts to three-month ban on Facebook collecting user data combat COVID-19 deepened the country’s economic to protect the rights and freedoms of the many mil- as contacts and profile data, but not the content of from WhatsApp accounts and referred the case to pain. The number of infections has surpassed a million an EU watchdog, citing concerns about election lions of user across Germany who give their permis- messages which remain encrypted. in the Philippines, where authorities have used crippling integrity. The Hamburg Commissioner for Data sion to the new use and privacy policy,” he said. A WhatsApp spokesman said the German order lockdowns to ease pressure on overstretched hospitals. Protection and Freedom of Information, which has “That includes not only the private sphere but “is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the But the measures have thrown millions out of work, jurisdiction because Facebook’s German branch is also the possibility of using profiles to influence purpose and effect of WhatsApp’s update and forced businesses to scale back operations and smoth- based in the city, sent the order to the social net- voter choices and manipulate democratic deci- therefore has no legitimate basis”. He said the ered consumer spending. —AFP work which owns the popular messaging service. sions.” Caspar noted that with nearly 60 million update actually “provides further transparency The tech giant informed WhatsApp users earlier users in Germany WhatsApp was “by far” the coun- about how we collect and use data”. this year that they must consent to a new data use try’s most popular social media app. WhatsApp on As the Hamburg authority’s “claims are wrong, Moscow rejects US attack claims policy to continue using the service. The German Friday stepped back from its plan to require users the order will not impact the continued roll-out of authority said in an emergency decision that the to accept the new terms which critics said could the update,” he added. —AFP MOSCOW: Russia yesterday rejected US accusations that a Russia-based group was behind a ransomware attack that forced the shutdown of the largest oil pipeline in the eastern United States. On Monday, US President Joe Biden said there was no evidence of China factory gate Russian government involvement in the cyberattack on the US fuel pipeline but said there were indications the prices jump as ransomware was “in Russia”. The FBI identified the group behind the hack of Colonial Pipeline as DarkSide, a shadowy operation that surfaced last year and commodities rally attempts to lock up corporate computer systems and force companies to pay to unfreeze them. —AFP BEIJING: China’s factory gate inflation rose at its fastest rate in nearly four years last month, data showed yesterday, as a strong recovery in the Renewable energy powers ahead world’s number two economy sees a surge in demand for key commodities such as iron ore and PARIS: Renewable energy grew at its fastest rate in two copper. The forecast-beating jump in prices comes decades, driven primarily by gains in China and wind as global investors grow increasingly worried that power, the International Energy Agency said in a report the blast in economic activity expected to be yesterday. Around 280 gigawatts (GW) of electricity caused by the easing of lockdowns and reopening production capacity was added last year, a 45-percent of economies could force central banks to wind increase from the amount added in 2019, according to back their ultra-loose monetary policies. the IEA. That was the biggest gain since 1999. Renewable Having largely contained the coronavirus crisis energy accounted for 90 percent of new electricity gen- early last year, China has enjoyed months of eration installed last year. New wind turbine installation improvement and was the only major economy to nearly doubled last year to 114 GW. Installation of new expand in 2020. The recovery has helped the coun- This file photo taken on May 8, 2021 shows workers checking rolls of sheet aluminium at a factory in photovoltaic solar panels should also continue to break records, hitting 160 GW by 2022. —AFP try’s manufacturing sector bounce back strongly and Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province. —AFP its voracious appetite for commodities return. That has pushed the price of iron ore and copper, which prices elevated in the near-term. ING chief economist for Greater China Iris Pang, Norway taps oil wealth are used in a wide variety of goods, to record highs. China’s economy has bounced back since however, cautioned that the ongoing semiconduc- The producer price index (PPI), which meas- authorities brought the coronavirus crisis largely tor chip shortage globally may soon bring “price OSLO: Norway will spend billions of dollars more than ures the cost of goods at the factory gate, rose under control through strict lockdowns and border increases in many parts and goods such as home planned from its oil revenues to mitigate the impact of 6.8 percent on-year in Aprils, the National Bureau restrictions, and Beijing set a 2021 growth target of appliances, cars, and computers” as well. “We the pandemic, the government announced yesterday, as of Statistics said, the highest since October 2017 above six percent for the year with a mass vaccina- believe that the chip price increase has already tough elections loom in September. In an amended draft and well up from the previous month’s 4.4 percent. tion campaign under way. Official data on Tuesday pushed up prices of fridges, washing machines, finance bill, the rightwing government said it plans to Analysts had predicted strong growth owing to also showed China’s consumer price index (CPI) TVs, laptops and car prices in April,” Pang added, spend a record 402.6 billion Norwegian kroner ($49 the low corresponding figures for last year, when rose to 0.9 percent on-year in April - slightly lower noting that rising costs could also squeeze produc- billion) of its oil revenues, which normally goes into its much of the country was closed to contain the than expected. Dong said the increase came as ers’ profits. sovereign wealth fund the largest in the world. Having coronavirus. “domestic consumption continued to recover and But analysts believe policy rates are expected to put away most of the country’s oil revenues for several “In April, domestic industrial production recov- prices were generally stable”. remain stable this year, with ANZ Research noting decades, Norway has the world’s largest sovereign ered steadily, the prices of international commodi- As domestic tourism continued to increase, the policymakers had made employment and financial wealth fund, now worth more than €1.1 trillion. —AFP ties such as iron ore... rose, and prices in the pro- prices of air tickets and hotels increased, she said. risks top priorities. Capital Economics analysts duction sector continued to rise,” said senior NBS China’s CPI, a key gauge of retail inflation, had in added that industrial metal prices were likely to fall statistician Dong Lijuan. The key driver remains the recent years been driven up by pork prices after an later in the year with a tighter policy stance weigh- US states oppose kids’ Instagram rally in global commodity prices, said Capital African swine fever outbreak ravaged stocks. This ing on construction activity. “We don’t think infla- Economics in a note, adding that supply shortages has since stabilized with officials working to boost tion will rise to the point where it triggers a major SAN FRANCISCO: Officials representing most US states on Monday called on Facebook chief Mark may persist for a while longer - keeping producer supplies of the country’s meat staple. policy shift by the (central bank),” they said. —AFP Zuckerberg to nix plans to launch a version of Instagram for children. In a letter to the founder and ed by billionaire entrepreneur Jack Ma, with a on Gelonghui, a popular stock-discussion account chief of the leading social network, 44 state attorneys record $2.78 billion fine last month for abusing its on China’s Twitter-like Weibo. Wang quickly deleted general argued that such a service would be “harmful Meituan tumbles for myriad reasons”. Concerns expressed by attorneys market dominance with anti-competitive practices. the post and has said it was mistakenly interpreted. general included cyberbullying, predatory adults, men- Two weeks ago regulators said they had also Shares of Meituan, which is backed by Chinese tech after CEO’s poetic tal well-being, and Facebook’s missteps on data protec- launched a similar probe of Meituan, a consumer giant Tencent, had surged since it listed in Hong tion and privacy, according to a statement released by lifestyle super-app through which users order con- Kong in 2018, vaulting it into the ranks of China’s New York Attorney General Letitia James. —AFP swipe at officials sumer goods and book entertainment, health and most valuable tech companies. leisure services. Resulting pressure on Meituan Meituan has vowed to present authorities with a SHANGHAI: Shares of Chinese online giant Meituan shares turned into a rout after CEO Wang Xing last “rectification” plan to address what China’s national German investor confidence jumps plummeted for a second straight day yesterday amid Thursday posted on social media a classic ancient market watchdog has called “suspected monopolis- a run of bad headlines that included the CEO posting poem about the tyrannical rule of China’s first emper- tic behaviors”. Financial regulators summoned 13 BERLIN: German investor sentiment jumped to its an ancient poem viewed as a veiled criticism of or, which was widely viewed as a swipe at authorities. internet companies in late April to order them to highest level in two decades in May on hopes that con- China’s government. Meituan’s Hong Kong-listed The current broad tech clampdown gained pace make changes to their fintech operations, after 34 sumers will send growth soaring once Europe’s biggest shares closed more than five percent lower yesterday only after Ma publicly criticized regulators in major companies were earlier told to respect anti- economy finally reopens shops, bars and restaurants. - and down around 12 percent since last week - as October, so Wang’s post sparked fears of similar competition guidelines. The ZEW institute’s monthly barometer measuring eco- investors bet it would become the next big Chinese retribution against Meituan. Compounding Aside from the huge fine on Alibaba, its financial nomic expectations rose 13.7 points in May to 84.4, its tech company humbled by government regulators. Meituan’s troubles, an influential Shanghai consumer arm Ant Group was forced to scuttle a planned highest reading since 2000 and by far the highest since Beijing has moved aggressively to loosen Big advocacy group on Monday accused the platform of record-shattering $35 billion Hong Kong-Shanghai the beginning of the pandemic, data showed yesterday. Tech’s hold on the daily finances of consumers and - problems with refunds and misleading content on its IPO late last year. Ant has pledged to comply with ZEW’s assessment of the current economic situation in analysts believe - to curb the sector’s growing influ- mobile app. government demands to bring its fast-growing Germany jumped by 8.7 points to minus 40.1 - a marked ence on society by using anti-monopoly probes. “Using such a cryptic poem at such a sensitive online lending, credit and wealth management busi- improvement on the previous month but still deep in negative territory. —AFP Regulators hit e-commerce titan Alibaba, co-found- time, investors will shiver in fright,” said a posting nesses in line with banking regulations. —AFP 10 Established 1961

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Business AUB reports net profit of $159.6m for period ended March 31, 2021

KUWAIT: Ahli United Bank BSC (AUB) reported 3.8 percent and 0.7 percent compared to the trail- March 2021 increased by 1.2 percent to $4.1 bil- a balanced and struc- a net profit attributable to its equity shareholders ing Q4/2020 quarter with improved core interest lion (31 December 2020: $4.0 billion). Return on tured manner and its of $159.6 million for Q1/2021 (Q1/2020: $171.4 and fee income streams. Average Equity for Q1/2021 was 15.0 percent results reflect its conser- million, -6.9 percent) primarily due to lower net Non-performing loans ratio stood at 2.7 per- (Q1/2020: 15.6 percent). The AUB Group’s total vative stance in terms of interest income driven by low-key benchmark cent (31 December 2020: 2.6 percent) with specif- assets on 31 March 2021 was marginally lower (- risk assessment and man- interest rates and reduced activity based fees and ic provision coverage of 85.2 percent (31 1.6 percent) to $39.4 billion (31 December 2020: agement.” commission and other income resulting from the December 2020: 85.9 percent). Provision cover- $40.1 billion) reflecting prudent balance-sheet “AUB will continue to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The basic and age levels are calculated on a cash provision basis management under subdued operating and fund- focus on providing a safe diluted earnings per share were US 1.6 cents in excluding the value of the additional significant ing conditions. Return on Average Assets was at operating environment Q1/2021 versus US 1.7 cents in Q1/2020. non-cash (real estate and securities) collateral 1.7 percent for Q1/2021 (Q1/2020: 1.9 percent). for all staff, clients and Comprehensive income attributable to the available against non-performing loans. Meshal Al-Othman, AUB Chairman, commented counterparties, on build- owners of the bank for Q1/2021 was $174.8 million The cost to income ratio was maintained at “While governments across the world are in vari- ing a seamless remote (Q1/2020: $-37.0 million). Net interest income 27.7 percent (Q1/2020: 27.1 percent) reflecting ous stages of rolling out their mass vaccination capability through its Meshal Al-Othman was $207.0 million in Q1/2021 (Q1/2020: $213.8 AUB’s continuing cost discipline and well programs, global and regional economies are still existing digital initiatives million, -3.2 percent) and total operating income entrenched intelligent spend approach achieved being impacted by the resurgence of new virus to transact its business client needs and on pro- was $291.0 million in Q1/2021 (Q1/2020: $318.7 through streamlining of processes and leveraging variants which adversely affect business confi- tecting its core earnings capacity and multi coun- million, -8.7 percent). Meanwhile, net interest its on-going digital transformation initiatives. dence and delay recovery efforts. AUB continues try franchise until business as usual conditions can income and total operating income improved by The Group’s equity attributable to owners at 31 to navigate these challenging market conditions in be restored”.

negative repercussions on local and global econo- ating expenses for the first Double-digit profit my, KFH’s exiting deals reached only KD 6.7 million quarter of the year as of the end of Q1 2021. Al-Roshood added that dropped by 6.5 percent growth confirms KFH’s exiting from non-strategic investments is part of compared to the same Mezzan Holding KFH strategy that focuses on core banking business period last year. The capi- and sustainable profits. tal adequacy ratio reached strong financial position He added that the Group’s non-performing 16.98 percent which is reports Q1 2021 financings decreased to 2.47 percent as of the end of above the minimum limit KUWAIT: Acting Group Chief Executive Officer at Q1 2021, as per the CBK’s accounting principles. required by regulators, Kuwait Finance House (KFH) Abdulwahab Al- Total debt coverage ratio stood at only 220 percent confirming the solid finan- financial results Roshood said that the positive financial indicators and 206.8 percent for KFH solo and the Group cial position of KFH. KUWAIT: Mezzan Holding KSC, one of the largest achieved by KFH in Q1 2021, despite the exception- respectively as of the end of the first quarter of 2021. The Q1 results of KFH Abdulwahab Al-Roshood manufacturers and distributors of food, beverage, al economic conditions, and the double-digit net As for the contribution of KFH subsidiaries in the reflect the balanced and FMCG and pharmaceutical products in the Gulf, profit growth at 12.9 percent, confirm its solid finan- Q1 net profit, Al-Roshood said that their contribu- strong performance of the announced the company’s financial results for the first cial position and credit worthiness as well as its tion until end of Q1 2021 reached 35.4 percent, Group and the prudent approach in managing risks quarter ended 31 March 2021. high efficiency in dealing with fluctuations. whereas KFH-Turkey’s contribution was 35 percent and dealing with changes and different economic The company recorded KD 73.4 million in rev- In an interview with CNBC Arabia TV, Al- compared to 23.3 percent. repercussions. KFH continues its leading national role enue, driven by its food manufacturing and distribu- Roshood added that net financing income increased He added that financing receivables as of the end in the economy and society as part of its sustainable tion, fast-moving consumer goods and healthcare as 5.3 percent to KD 153.6 million, the cost to income of the first quarter of 2021 reached KD 10.870 bil- development strategy, supporting the growth of well as Mezzan’s industrial segment. Earnings Before ratio for the Group stabilized at 37.3 percent, down lion, i.e. an increase of 1.1 percent compared to end Islamic finance industry in the markets it operates in. Interest, Tax, and Depreciation and Amortization from 51.3 percent in 2014, financing portfolio of year 2020, most of the growth was achieved in In addition, KFH keeps focusing on its digital (EBITDA) grew by 1 percent due to the reduction in increased 1.1 percent to KD 10.9 billion, and deposit the corporate sector. transformation strategy and its proactive approach Selling, General & Administrative Expense (SG&A). accounts stabilized at KD 15.3 bn. KFH reported net profit of KD 50.0 million for to adopt technology and innovation and reinforce Mezzan’s Q1 2021 Net Profit to Parent Company Al-Roshood pointed out that the Group total the first quarter of 2021 for KFH shareholders, an customer experience through delivering the best Shareholders grew by 6.8 percent compared to Q1 provisions and impairment charge decreased 25 increase of 12.9 percent compared to the same peri- innovative banking solutions in collaboration with 2020, as a result of improved operating results. percent to KD 56 million, including Financing, od last year. Earnings per share for the first quarter FinTech, employing AI and robots, and keeping investment and other provisions. of 2021 reached 5.97 fils; an increase of 12.6 percent pace with developments in the global banking Q1 2021 Financial Highlights: He explained that due to the pandemic and its compared to the same period last year. Total oper- industry. l Revenue: KD 73.4 million, down 1.4 percent l Operating Profit: KD 6.4 million, up 0.9 percent l EBITDA: KD 8.7 million, up 1.0 percent cumstances, our banks are taking large provisions, that we remain guarded l Net Profit to Parent Company Shareholders: KD KIPCO announces while our real estate and hospitality sector waits for about 2021, as it is evident 5.0 million, up 6.8 percent people to go back to a more normal way of life. that the virus will remain Commenting on the results, Mezzan Holding operating profit of KIPCO reported a net loss of KD 8.4 million ($-27.8 with us for some time to Executive Vice Chairman Mohammad Jassim Al- million) in the first quarter (the three months ended come. We continue to hope Wazzan, said:” I am proud to announce that Mezzan March 31, 2021), as a consequence of the situation that that the rollout of the vac- has started 2021 strong, with an increase of 6.8 per- KD 15.4m for Q1 2021 the local and international business communities are cine will help bring busi- cent in net profit to parent company shareholders facing. nesses closer to pre-COVID during our first quarter compared to the same period KUWAIT: KIPCO - the Kuwait Projects Company In the first quarter, the company’s revenue came to levels. In the meantime, our last year. Despite the challenges that we continue to (Holding) - has announced an operating profit of KD KD 169.7 million ($561.2 million). Consolidated assets companies will continue to encounter as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 15.4 million ($50.9 million) for the first three months for the first three months of the year came to KD 10.1 serve their clients in the best Mezzan managed to increase profitability, generating of 2021. billion ($33.4 billion), compared to KD 10.4 billion manner possible, while an operating profit of KD 6.4 million, an increase of The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an ($34.4 billion) reported at year-end 2020. ensuring that all measures 0.9 percent compared to the first quarter of 2020. impact on the Group’s core businesses, as second Faisal Al-Ayyar, KIPCO’s Vice Chairman (Executive), are taken to maintain effi- Faisal Al-Ayyar These results are a proof to Mezzan’s robust, defen- waves hit different parts of the world. Under these cir- said: “We said in our recent Shafafiyah Investors’ Forum cient business models.” sive business model. Mezzan Holding CEO, Garrett Walsh, commented: “We are pleased to announce consistently strong quar- zens of Kuwait and all residents across the country. terly profits since the beginning of COVID-19 pandem- AUB offers services May Allah the Almighty bless the nation with pros- ic, while maintaining a steady financial position, stable perity and joy during this Holy time. asset quality metrics and strong capitalization”. All AUB branches in Kuwait will be closed to customers during from Wednesday, 12 May 2021 till Sunday, 16 Q1 2021 Financial Performance Review: May 2021 and will resume work on Monday, 17 Food Business Line: Eid Al-Fitr holidays May 2021. AUB has reconfirmed that during this Total Revenue for the Food Business Line reached period customers will be able to conduct their KD 44.6 million, a decrease of 3.6 percent compared banking services through the Bank’s electronic KUWAIT: On the occasion of the blessed Eid Al- channels, including mobile and internet banking with the same period in 2020. The Food Business Fitr, Ahli United Bank (AUB) congratulates and Line accounted for 60.8 percent of Group Revenue. (www.ahliunited.com.kw), and through the 24/7 extends its warm wishes to His Highness the Amir of telebanking ‘Hayakom’ service through 1812000. The Business Line comprises the following three divi- Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, sions: Manufacturing and Distribution (generating Furthermore, customers can also conduct their His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al- financial transactions through the Bank’s ATMs 46.0 percent of Group Revenue), Catering (generat- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the government, the citi- ing 10.0 percent of Group Revenue) and Services which are conveniently located across Kuwait. (generating 4.8 percent of Group Revenue). ogy is simple enough: Calculate the amount of car- are divided up is a matter of policy, politics and l Manufacturing and Distribution: Q1 2021 rev- Growing movement bon currently in Earth’s atmosphere attributable to a ethics,” he added. “Speaking as a concerned citizen, enue increased by 2.0 percent. specific country’s historic greenhouse gas emissions, and not just a scientist, I do think countries like the l Catering: Q1 2021 revenue decreased by 15.6 then factor in that country’s capacity - measured in US with a legacy of two centuries of producing car- percent. for ‘fair share’ wealth - to help other nations reduce their own bon pollution have a special obligation to lead.” l Services: Q1 2021 revenue decreased by 21.1 emissions. The US is by far history’s largest emitter, account- percent. climate commitments This year a coalition of around 175 climate groups ing for more than 28 percent of all carbon pollution launched US Climate Fair Share. Far from an emissions since 1850. Yet it is far from alone in having an out- Non-Food Business Line: PARIS: When US President Joe Biden pledged last cut of 50 percent by 2030, the groups said the US’s sized historical contribution to climate change. The Revenue reached KD 28.8 million, an increase of month to cut his country’s carbon emissions in half “fair share” would be equivalent to 195 percent of Climate Equity Reference project, launched by think 2.2 percent compared with the same period in 2020. by 2030, Japan and Canada quickly followed suit. 2005 levels. That means the US would need to nearly tanks EcoEquity and the Stockholm Environment The Non-Food Business Line accounted for 39.2 per- But many green groups and scientists say that this completely decarbonize its own economy, then facili- Institute, applies the bedrock UN climate treaty prin- cent of Group Revenue. The Business Lines compris- is still not good enough. Biden’s initiative may have tate significant emissions cuts in countries around the ciple of “common but differentiated responsibilities es the following divisions: FMCG and won praise from political allies, but these cam- world through investment in clean energy and infra- and respective capabilities” to managing Earth’s Pharmaceuticals business division (generating 37.3 paigners want to see a different calculus rooted in structure. remaining carbon budget. percent of Group Revenue) and Industrials (generat- history and ethics. “Even if we go 100-percent zero emissions - not Their fair-share calculator shows that - in a sce- ing 1.9 percent of Group Revenue). To keep the world from tilting into catastrophic net-zero, but real zero - by 2030, that’s still not our fair nario where 1.5C is achieved through emissions cuts l FMCG and Pharmaceuticals: Q1 2021 revenue warming, they argue, developed nations that got rich share, because we have such a historical legacy of cli- alone - the European Union should reduce its carbon increased by 1.5 percent boosted by strong perform- burning fossil fuels must face their historic responsi- mate pollution,” said Wu. “We’re not calling for nega- pollution by the equivalent of 170 percent. In total, ance of KSPICO and pharmaceutical segment. bility for the climate crisis - and pay for it, too. When tive emissions or anything like that. We’re calling for high-income countries would need to slash emissions l Industrials: Q1 2021 revenue increased by 19.1 countries struck the landmark Paris Agreement in international finance to support reductions elsewhere.” by 136 percent, the calculator shows. percent. 2015, they committed to limit global temperature rises Conversely, climate vulnerable nations with virtu- to “well below” two degrees Celsius compared to pre- ‘Who made this mess?’ ally no responsibility for historic emissions, can “fair- Regional Business Highlights in Q1 2021: industrial levels. Climate Action Tracker, a think tank that compiles ly” continue roughly along current emissions lines l In Kuwait: Q1 2021 revenue grew by 0.6 percent Nations also agreed to strive for a safer warming and evaluates national emissions reduction plans, such that 1.5C remains in play. “It sounds dry and due to strong performance in FMCG and healthcare cap of 1.5C through voluntary emissions-cutting found that the pledges made during last month’s sum- complex but it’s really just basic ethics,” said Wu. segment, as well as strong performance in Mezzan’s plans, known as National Determined Contributions, mit would, if fully implemented, knock 0.2C off pro- “OK, who made this mess? You have to clean it up.” industrial segment. or NDCs, that would be ratcheted up in scope and jected warming. But the “emissions gap” between “And if you have more wealth and more privilege than l In UAE: Q1 2021 revenue increased by 3.6 per- ambition every five years. “What they refused to allow what has been promised and what is needed to stay your neighbours, then you should correspondingly do cent due to the increase in distribution activities. was any assessment of how the individual pledges below 1.5C remains enormous: even the latest round a little more.” l In Qatar: Q1 2021 revenue decreased by 18.1 compared to each other,” Brandon Wu, director of of commitments would - if honored - still see Earth Most wealthier nations plan to deploy carbon cut- percent due to the decline of catering business line. policy and campaigns at ActionAid USA, told AFP. warm 2.4C this century. ting schemes to help achieve their net-zero emissions l In KSA: Q1 2021 revenue increased by 15.6 per- “As civil society, we thought that was a really cru- Michael Mann, director of Penn State’s Earth targets. In 2019, then-prime minister Theresa May cent as Mezzan continues to launch new products. cial piece of the puzzle - it’s important both whether all System Science Center and author of “The New pledged that Britain would “eradicate its net contri- l In Afghanistan: Q1 2021 revenue decreased by the pledges add up to the 1.5C goal, but it’s also impor- Climate War”, told AFP that the emissions gap does bution to climate change by 2050”. A subsequent 57.3 percent due to the departure of U.S troops from tant whether they’re fair relative to one another.” not account for “fair share” cuts. “It simply tells us report by the Chatham House think tank said there the country. The concept of “fair share” emissions cuts has what the global reductions in carbon emissions must were “many reasons to question” Britain’s path to l In Jordan: Q1 2021 revenue increased by 16.5 per- been gaining traction among environmental and be to achieve certain critical targets - for example to net-zero, which relies heavily on carbon dioxide cent due to improving Mezzan’s logistics operations. human rights organizations for years. The methodol- avoid dangerous 1.5C warming,” he said. “How they removal projects. —AFP Established 1961 11 Business Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Abdulaziz Al-Batain, Omar Al-Thuwaini and Mijbil Alayoub with the team. Alayoub and Nazem Al-Ghabra with interior ministry staff.

KUWAIT: Humanitarian aid is of exceptional impor- reality and inspire them to rely on themselves in Customers had the privilege of choosing one of community a better place and create a safer digital tance to Ooredoo Telecom, the first to introduce performing daily activities such as walking, eating, these free routers; Huawei CPE Pro 2, Huawei world for ourselves and others. The campaign innovative digital services in Kuwait, mirroring its or dressing. CPE, Huawei 5G Portable routers, or Nokia aimed to encourage community members to adopt core mission of launching and supporting humani- Driven by the company’s social responsibility FastMile 5G Gateway. strategies that make the Internet a platform that tarian initiatives that aim to improve lives, support program, Ooredoo Kuwait has also donated KWD allows everyone to share their ideas freely and the community and needy, and achieve sustainable 5,000 to Al-Najat Charity Society, for its drilling Free premium smartphones respectfully and encourages creative thinking so development that promote prosperity while protect- wells campaign. The campaign aims to provide Customers also had the chance of getting a free that everyone can better enjoy the Internet. The ing the earth. clean drinking water for the poor countries includ- premium smartphone with Ooredoo Kuwait’s exclu- campaign inspired people to give the Internet a bet- Since the beginning of Ramadan, Ooredoo ing; Niger, Bangladesh, Mauritania, India, Tchad, Kuwait’s humanitarian journey has exceled, in and others; and defeating diseases resulting from which it was keen on launching humanitarian initia- clean water scarcity that leads to loosing hundreds tives and community activities that inspire all, of lives every day. The campaign aims to dig 500 reflect the values of the blessed month of Ramadan artesian wells, with a total cost of KWD 250,000. and the authentic norms and traditions of the Ooredoo Kuwait also handed over than a hun- Kuwaiti people, and aim of nurturing a culture of dred food baskets for the needy families in the good deeds and giving among the community. country. Ooredoo’s designated team together with Al-Najat Charity Society volunteers distributed the Philanthropic Activities food baskets across the country. Ooredoo’s charity Ooredoo Kuwait, in association with Al-Najat campaign is integral to its commitment to enable Charity Society, has intensified its humanitarian collective humanitarian work, promote social campaigns during Ramadan including; “Teach me responsibility, and increase awareness among the Islam”, a campaign aimed to educate 4000 convert- local community. ers the principles of Islam, Arabic -language of Girgian the Qur’an-, Sharia sci- As part of its social responsibility, Ooredoo ences and Islamic stud- Kuwait continued its humanitarian initiatives by ies. actively participating in all social events that bring “Your righteous deeds the community closer to each other especially dur- will pay off”, is another ing these times. Ooredoo Kuwait shared the joy of campaign aspired to Girgian with its employees and the heroes at the establish an integrated Ministry of Interior (MOI), who are in charge of pro- village that includes all tecting the country’s internal security, honoring their the basic facilities and efforts and dedication during these challenging Mijbil Alayoub provide a decent life for times. The company has also distributed SIM cards, the needy families. with free internet and minutes to keep them in Alayoub, Al-Ghabra and Mohammed Al-Khattaf with interior ministry staff. touch with their family and friends. “Orphan Sponsorship” campaign, continued for sive Shamel 5G postpaid plans and enjoying unlim- ter future, by making them realize that the Internet three days, and the monthly sponsorship cost was ‘The Joy of Giving’ ited YouTube and social media internet. Customers is our collective responsibility. KWD 15. Hence, a sponsor’s support helps cover Ooredoo has launched special online offers in had a wide range of options to select from includ- Mijbil Alayoub, Senior Director, Corporate essential needs, such as food, clothing, health celebration of the holy month of Ramadan, and as ing; Samsung S21, and iPhone 12 family, or any Communications, Ooredoo Kuwait, said: “Ooredoo care, or education. Through this initiative, Ooredoo part of its Ramadan campaign “the joy of giving”. other device. Hence, the Samsung S21 family Kuwait stands at the forefront of companies in sup- and Al-Najat Charity Society aimed to sponsor 350 The company was keen to design these offers and plans start from KWD 25 per month, while the porting humanitarian and societal campaigns, by orphans in various poor countries. provide valuable gifts, taking into account the cur- iPhone 12 family plans start from KWD 24 per launching and participating in many humanitarian, Moreover, and as part of Ooredoo Kuwait’s con- rent circumstances and to encourage customers to month. social, charitable and volunteer activities inside and tinues support to Humanitarian campaigns, and Al- stay at home and make the best use during this outside the country.” Najat Charity Society groups of initiatives during holy month. Ramadan TVC “Ooredoo as a pioneering company in humani- the last ten days of Ramadan, another initiative Ooredoo Kuwait in association with Ooredoo tarian aid, will continue extending a helping hand to was launched with the aim of offering young chil- Free 5G routers Group launched an advertising awareness cam- the needy communities and countries which goes dren and youth who have lost any parts of their Customers had the chance of getting a free 5G paign during the holy month of Ramadan that shed in-line with the company’s social responsibility strat- bodies like an arm or leg in result of wars and acci- router during Ramadan with Ooredoo Kuwait’s light on the fact that the Internet can be a powerful egy” Alayoub added. dents, with artificial limb. The charity also aimed exclusive Shamel Internet plans while enjoying and useful tool when used in the right way, and it is through this humanitarian initiative, to change their unlimited 5G internet for only KWD 20 per month. the responsibility of all of us to make the Internet 12 Established 1961 Lifestyle Feature Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Sufi Dervish dancer Muayad Al-Kharrat, 28, dances with his lit dress at a restaurant in the Shahgur district of the old city of Syria’s capital Damascus. — AFP photos

hree-year-old Anas Al-Kharrat Damascus restaurant. “He is the ‘Humility’ gracefully raises one hand to youngest dervish dancer in Syria”. Muayad said he can twirl dozens of Tthe sky as his long white robe Whirling-a sort of moving meditation times per minute “without moving an twirls around his tiny spinning body. through which Sufis seek to com- inch away from the axis”. In war- His dancing skills run in the family- mune with the divine-sees perform- wracked Syria, whirling offers relief ers twirl to the hypnotic rhythm of from the woes of a conflict that has prayer, until they reach a trance-like been exacerbated by a dire economic state. crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, Popular in Iran, Afghanistan and he said. “Whenever I feel distressed... Turkey, the dance emerged alongside I confine myself to my room, and turn Sufism-a spiritually focused approach and turn until I feel at peace.” In the to Islam, founded by followers of living room of their Damascus home, 13th-century Persian mystic and poet Muayad pulled a long white robe over Jalal Al-Din Rumi. The Kharrat family Anas’s head before helping him with is one of the most reputed in a matching jacket and a tall burgundy Damascus, and boasts 20 dervish felt cap. dancers who often perform during the Around them stood relatives in Islamic holy month of Ramadan. matching outfits and similar “sikke” arms we are begging for mercy from Sufi Dervish dancer Muayad started twirling as a child, caps, which can be brown or black God and sending a prayer to the Mahmoud Al-Kharrat (cen- taught first by his grandfather, then and are designed to emulate the stick heavens,” Mahmoud said, gesturing ter), his brother Muayad his uncle and finally his father. At 28, shape of the first letter of the word toward the sky. “Placing our hands (right behind), Muayad’s son he now owns a fragrance shop in a God in Arabic (“Allah”). They then against our chest is a sign of submis- Anas (center below) and oth- Sufi Dervish dancer popular Damascus market, but his descend a long staircase towards a siveness and humility before God.” er members of the Kharrat Mahmoud Al-Kharrat (right), his dervish dancer father Muayad is real passion lies in Sufi spiritual prac- courtyard, to practice whirling to the family pose for a picture in 34, guides other members of whirling next to him, in front of a tice. “Sufism in general is a means to rhythm of prayer with Muayad’s broth- costume at their home in the his family as they dance at a spellbound audience. “Anas learnt to worship and exaltation,” he said. er Mahmoud. The 34-year-old is Shahgur district. courtyard in their house. whirl before he learnt to talk,” his “Whirling is just one way of reaching teaching the children how to hold their father said, speaking inside a God.” arms while twirling. “By raising our

Sufi Dervish dancers of the Kharrat family descend a staircase at their home.

Three-year-old Sufi Dervish dancer Anas Al-Kharrat (left) and his cousin Yasser, dressed in their dance costume, dance at a restaurant.

Sufi Dervish dancers of the Kharrat family don their costumes at their home.

Sufi Dervish dancer Muayad Al-Kharrat, 28, dances with his lit dress at a restaurant.

Sufi Dervish dancer Muayad Al-Kharrat (behind), 28, dances with his three-year-old son Anas (front) by their home. Established 1961 13 Lifestyle Features Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Ramadan special for whirling dervishes, who perform for Before the outbreak of the Syrian audiences sipping coffee or smoking conflict in 2011, Mahmoud performed in shisha in cafes and restaurants after a several European countries, and even day of fasting. Almost every popular spot toured the United States. “We spent in the capital offers some form of dervish more time outside Syria than inside,” he performance to attract customers. “We said. Travel restrictions imposed on eagerly await the month of Ramadan to Syrians due to the conflict brought the share this ritual with people,” said family’s performances abroad to a halt, Mahmoud. “Whirling is for every time forcing them to keep up the tradition by and place, but it is even more spiritual performing at local events. “We have during Ramadan”. — AFP performed in restaurants and weddings,” Mahmoud said. Evening performances during Ramadan “are one of our last (From left) Sufi Dervish dancers hopes” to make a living, he added. Yasser, Anas, and Muayad Al- The holy month is a busy time of year A Sufi Dervish dancer of the Kharrat family Kharrat, members of the Kharrat dances at a courtyard in their house. family, dance at a restaurant.

Sufi Dervish dancer Mahmoud Al-Kharrat (right), 34, dances with other members Sufi Dervish dancer Muayad Al-Kharrat, 28, dances at a restaurant. Three-year-old Sufi Dervish dancer Anas Al-Kharrat dances with his family mem- of his family at a courtyard in their house. bers at a restaurant.

Marley’s condition worsened. He landed in Miami to seek emergency treatment. Forty years “Money can’t buy life,” he reportedly told his son Ziggy from his hospital bed before his death on May 11, 1981, forty on, Bob years to the day on Tuesday. The Wailers, reunited Learning of Marley’s death is a Marley’s rich moment seared into Mowatt’s con- sciousness. “It was a Monday morning, ilan’s legendary La Scala opera according to its management. Renowned “Macbeth”. Performed by the La Scala sitting on the veranda like I am now, and house erupted into huge applause for its exceptional acoustics and red velvet- Chorus, it was led by musical director legacy thrives I got the phone call that Bob passed,” Mon Monday to hail a stirring per- draped boxes, technicians have been busi- Riccardo Chailly. “We have recorded she said. “It was very painful. All the formance at its triumphant reopening after ly getting the ornate opera house ready to many concerts in streaming, but it was vir- years we have worked together has six months of silence imposed by the coro- reopen. tual, here it’s different, with the public it’s an come to a closure and it just hit me. navirus pandemic. The performance came intense moment of emotion that we share, t’s been four decades since Bob a day before the 75th anniversary of a his- ‘Magical’ as the final applause that we missed,” Marley’s death, a period longer than “Bob was gone forever.” Marley was given a state funeral in toric concert in 1946 that celebrated the To respect social distancing, the musi- Cardo said. Ithe reggae icon’s brief but potent life postwar reopening of La Scala which had cians took over the ground-floor seating Jamaica on May 21, 1981, that com- that skin cancer ended when he was 36. been bombed three years earlier and area, with the audience confined to the bal- ‘Tears of joy’ Yet Marley lives on as a voice of the dis- bined elements of Ethiopian Orthodox and Rastafari tradition. He was eulo- rebuilt. The musicians and performers conies. Only 500 spectators will be admit- Emotions were running high. “We have possessed, the palpable vibrancy, spirit were greeted by loud applause and volleys ted for each performance for the time all listened to recorded concerts from our of protest and moral zeal of his songs gized by former Prime Minister Edward Seaga and buried in a chapel near his of “Bravos!” from the small but enthusiastic being-a fraction of La Scala’s normal armchairs, but this has nothing to do with including “One Love,” “Redemption the emotion of live music, the quality and Song” and “I Shot The Sheriff” enduring birthplace, with his guitar. This year’s 40th anniversary of Marley’s death is beauty of natural sound,” said Dominique in a way few bodies of popular music Meyer, La Scala’s director since 2020. “I have ever done. His rich anthems of particularly poignant, as 2021 marked the death of the last surviving member of am sure that with the return of the specta- peace and struggle, hope and discon- tors to La Scala, there will be tears of joy,” tent, still reverberate globally and espe- the original Wailers, Bunny. “This is the first year that we are the Frenchman, who previously headed cially in his native Jamaica, a small the Vienna Opera for a decade, said. nation whose rich culture its most memorializing Bob’s transition anniver- sary from 1981 in the context of all three Making her La Scala debut on Monday famous son popularized on an interna- was 34-year-old Norwegian soprano Lise tional stage. Wailers leaving, Peter (Tosh) having left in 1987, and Bunny surviving them both Davidsen, delivering moving interpretations “It is said the brightest stars some- of arias from Wagner’s “Tannhaeuser”, times don’t burn as long and, in many for 40 years and 33 years respectively, transitioning here in 2021,” Maxine Richard Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” and ways, Bob Marley was our brightest star; Tchaikovsky’s “Queen of Spades”. The he accomplished a lot in a short period Stowe, Bunny Wailer’s long-time manag- er, said. The Wailers “are now reunited concert ended with the famous chorus of of time,” said Judy Mowatt, an original slaves, “Va, pensiero”, from Verdi’s member of the influential I-Threes trio in another plane of existence,” Stowe said. The group in the 1960s helped “Nabucco”, the ode to freedom also sung whose vocals backed Marley. “Looking during Toscanini’s concert in 1946. back now, I believe in many ways, he transform reggae, with its heavy bass lines and drums, into a global phenome- was before his time,” Mowatt told AFP. ‘Signalling Italy’s revival’ “His words have been prophetic-he was non with untold impact. The genre-which emerged out of La Scala’s reopening was preceded by a man who believed everything he sung, A general view shows the Scala Opera House prior a rehearsal in Milan. — AFP Italian conductor Riccardo Muti leading the it wasn’t just lyrics and music.” Jamaica’s ska and rocksteady styles, also drawing from American jazz and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for the first blues-has influenced countless artists audience of 500 lucky music lovers. capacity of 2,000. “It was magical, the time in more than five months on Sunday ‘Money can’t buy life’ “It’s a huge emotion to be able to once return to the passion of the big premiere in the northern Italian city of Ravenna. And Marley was diagnosed with acral and inspired many new music styles including reggaeton, dub and dancehall. more breathe in the atmosphere that only evenings”, raved one of the opera-goers, Muti returns to La Scala on Tuesday for the lentiginous melanoma in 1977, which the public can give us,” said first violinist Pia Matteoni. The retired teacher, in black 75th anniversary. “La Scala has always was first discovered underneath a toe- The style is often championed as a music of the oppressed, with lyrics Laura Marzadori, smiling broadly. “I hope evening dress with a big pearl necklace, been a symbol for the Milanese and for nail when he suffered a foot injury play- this is a new beginning and that we won’t had shunned the concerts streamed online Italy, it is the second Italian brand in terms ing football. He opted against doctors’ addressing sociopolitical issues, impris- onment and inequality. “His voice was stop again after these sad months of during the lockdown, waiting instead for of reputation, behind Ferrari,” said Meyer, recommendations that he amputate his silence.” Bass clarinettist Stefano Cardo the big reopening. an economist by training. toe, a procedure that would have violat- an omnipresent cry in our electronic world, his sharp features, majestic locks called it “a double rebirth,” as conductor But with no intermission and the bars “Paradoxically, it is La Scala giving the ed his staunch Rastafarian faith. While Arturo Toscanini had opened La Scala closed, one sound that was missing was signal for the revival of an entire country, in New York in 1980 to perform two and prancing style a vivid etching on the landscape of our minds,” Seaga said after the war “and we are trying to revive it the usual clinking of champagne flutes. whereas at the beginning of the health cri- shows at Madison Square Garden, after the pandemic”. More than 122,000 Instead, guests were treated to hydro-alco- sis, it was said that culture was not an Marley collapsed during a Central Park during his eulogy. “Most people do not command recollection. Bob Marley was people have died during the pandemic in hol gel, as well as temperature checks and essential activity,” he added. Despite hav- jog. He was rushed to the hospital, Italy, which reopened its cinemas and the- masks. Cardo admitted to being “a little ing performed virtually, musicians and where doctors found the cancer had never seen. He was an experience which left an indelible, mystical imprint atres on April 26. The storied opera house nervous” before the concert on Monday singers said it was no substitute for the crept into his brain, lungs and liver. in Italy’s financial capital has not been evening, which began with the majestic thrill of a concert. —AFP Marley performed what would be his with each encounter,” Seaga continued. “Such a man cannot be erased from the spared, with a total of 144 cases of “Patria Oppressa” (“Oppressed final show in Pittsburgh on September COVID-19, including 64 in the chorus, Fatherland”) from Giuseppe Verdi’s 23, 1980. Not long after, he cut his tour mind. He is part of the collective con- short and underwent months of ultimate- sciousness of the nation.”— AFP ly unsuccessful alternative cancer treat- ment in Germany. On his way home to Jamaica to receive one of his nation’s Posthumous highest awards, the Order of Merit, DMX album set for release May 28

posthumous album from rapper DMX, who died last month, is set Afor release on May 28, its produc- er announced Monday. “EXODUS” will feature all new original material, accord- In this file photo people gather to pay homage to rapper DMX at Barclays Center in New York ing to a statement from producer Swizz City. — AFP Beatz, who said the album will be released with Def Jam Recordings. “My fans all around the world to hear and lowing a heart attack. The artist born brother X was one of the most pure and show just how much he valued each and Earl Simmons in the New York suburb of rare souls I’ve ever met. He lived his life every single person that has supported Yonkers saw his first five albums debut dedicated to his family and music. Most him unconditionally.” DMX, who reigned at the top of the Billboard top US songs of all, he was generous with his giving over the late 1990s and early 2000s and chart, starting with his 1998 debut “It’s and loved his fans beyond measure,” the was among hip-hop’s most vulnerable Dark and Hell Is Hot,” which featured the In this file photo taken a man pedals past a mural of late musician Bob Marley in producer said. and endearing stars, died in April at age smash “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” — AFP Kingston. — AFP “This album, X couldn’t wait for his 50 after nearly a week on life support fol- 14 Established 1961 Sports Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Photo of the day ‘Change is coming’ at the top, says Djokovic

Stefanos Tsitsipas

ROME: Novak Djokovic said Monday that the Competitor performs during Red Bull Car Park Drift at Souq Marfaa Palm Deira in Dubai. —Photo taken from www.redbullcontentpool.com recent run of Masters 1,000 titles won by NextGen players is clear evidence that “change is coming” at the top of men’s tennis and his position as world number one is under threat. Two of this year’s three Masters champions, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Hubert Hurkacz, have been first-time winners, while Matteo Berrettini reached Japan’s Osaka ‘not sure’ Olympics his first such final at the Madrid Open. Alexander Zverev returns this week to Rome, the site of his first Masters title in 2017, fresh off a second triumph in the Spanish capital — and fourth overall at this level. “The results are showing that,” Djokovic, who sat should happen as doubts grow out the Madrid tournament, said ahead of his Italian Open defense. “There are guys like Tsitsipas, Zverev, Berrettini, (Andrey) Rublev that are winning TOKYO: Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka admitted she against all of us and playing a lot and building their was “not really sure” the coronavirus-hit Tokyo ranking points. (Daniil) Medvedev as well, of course, Olympics should go ahead as doubts grew about the Games just weeks before the opening ceremony. The and challenging for the top spots. Dominic Thiem of four-time tennis Grand Slam winner joined fellow course has been there for many years. It’s inevitable Japanese player Kei Nishikori in raising concerns, with that it’s going to happen. The change on the men’s Tokyo and other parts of Japan under a virus state of rankings, top of the rankings is coming. Whether it’s emergency. A top politician also warned that Japan still going to happen in a month or a year or whatever, I had to make a “careful decision” about whether to hold don’t know.” the Games, which have scant public support according Djokovic in March eclipsed Roger Federer’s to opinion polls. record for the most weeks spent at number one. Scrapping the 2020 Olympics, postponed last year This week marks his 320th at the top of the men’s as the pandemic advanced, is a concept that has never game. But the Serb, who won his 18th major at the quite gone away, despite repeated assertions from offi- Australian Open in February, insisted his focus now cials that they will proceed. A survey by a leading is on surpassing Federer’s haul of 20 Grand Slams Japanese daily released on Monday found 59 percent of — a record he shares with Rafael Nadal. respondents want the Olympics cancelled, underlining “I’m not personally paying too much attention persistent public concerns over the risk of infections. anymore to the rankings as much as I am to my Osaka, Japan’s biggest sports star and a major gold- game for the Grand Slams. Those are the biggest medal prospect, said “to be honest, I’m not really sure”, when asked if the Olympics should take place as planned. focus tournaments right now at this stage of my “I’m an athlete, and of course my immediate thought is career. I have managed to achieve the milestone of that I want to play in the Olympics,” the four-time Grand the historic ranking No. 1, and that was the focus up Slam winner told the BBC. “But as a human, I would say to recently. Now it’s more about really trying to we’re in a pandemic, and if people aren’t healthy, and if TOKYO: Kaede Maegawa of Japan competes in the women’s long jump - T63 category during a para-ath- peak at Grand Slams and make those count for my they’re not feeling safe, then it’s definitely a really big letics test event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo yesterday. —AFP career.” cause for concern.” Djokovic has played just two events since win- Nishikori said there “definitely should be a discus- Athletes until now have largely stayed quiet about the “But as an athlete, until we are told it’s cancelled, we ning in Melbourne. He lost to Dan Evans in the last sion” on whether Tokyo should plough ahead. “I don’t Olympics, in contrast to last year when there was a wel- need to presume it’s going ahead and prepare for that,” 16 at Monte Carlo and was beaten by Aslan know how much they are thinking about how they are ter of complaints before the historic postponement in she said. Another para-athlete, Ikoma Tomoki, said he Karatsev in the semi-finals at home in Belgrade. He gonna make (a) bubble, because this is not like 100 peo- March. A series of test events have been cancelled, post- had “a strong desire for them to hold it, even given the is gearing up for another bid for a second Roland ple,” he said. “It’s 10,000 people in the village and play- poned or held behind closed doors, underlining the chal- circumstances”. Garros title, as he attempts to become the first ing tournaments. So I don’t think it’s easy, especially lenges facing organizers. Olympic officials insist the Games can still be held man to win all four Grand Slams twice since Rod (with) what’s happening right now in Japan.” Meanwhile, an increasing number of sections of the safely and have released rulebooks they say will ensure Laver in 1969. Olympic torch relay have been scaled back and moved the biggest international event since the pandemic began Djokovic lost to Nadal in straight sets in last year’s ‘So much to think about’ off-road to prevent people from gathering to watch, with does not spread the virus. On Monday, International America’s Serena Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam the relay legs in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi the latest Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach was forced French Open final. “I didn’t have too many matches. I titles — one off the all-time record — as well as four casualties, organizers said. to cancel a visit to Japan planned for this month, after the didn’t play so great in Monaco and Belgrade, but I’m Olympic golds, said she was yet to commit to Tokyo. “I At a para-athletics rehearsal yesterday, competitors state of emergency was extended last week. hopefully going to change that here in Rome and haven’t spent 24 hours without her (three-year-old daugh- told AFP they were training on the assumption the Toshihiro Nikai, number two in the ruling Liberal then another week in Belgrade before the French ter Olympia) so that kind of answers the question itself,” Games would be held. “It’s only natural that there are Democratic Party, said Japan needed to take advice from Open,” he said. “Four tournaments before the French she said at the WTA tournament in Rome. “I haven’t really voices of disapproval. Can we really hold safe Olympics “Olympic experts” before deciding whether to hold the is I think enough in terms of match play. So I’m build- thought much about Tokyo, because it was supposed to be for everyone under these circumstances? I don’t think we Games. “A careful decision will be necessary in the ing my fitness and I’m building just my game slowly last year and now it’s this year, and then there is this pan- can say yes with confidence right now,” said Tomomi future,” he said late on Monday, according to the Jiji step by step in order to peak in Paris. That’s definitely demic and there is so much to think about.” Tozawa, a 100m T63 runner. Press news agency. —AFP where I want to play my best.” —AFP Kuwait figure skaters grab 17 medals in int’l tourney England stars told to put int’l duty ahead of IPL matches LONDON: England stars such as Ben aging director, has made it clear he Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler expects national service to be the prior- have been told their international com- ity from now on in a year culminating mitments will have to take precedence with Joe Root’s men heading to in the event of a fresh fixture clash with Australia in a bid to regain the Ashes. a delayed finish to this year’s Indian “We’ve got a full future tours pro- Premier League. The 2021 edition of gram and if those tours are going ahead the lucrative franchise Twenty20 tour- I’d expect them (IPL players) to be nament was suspended last week due there,” Giles said Monday. “The New to the devastating coronavirus out- Zealand scenario was very different. A break in India. rearranged IPL...none of us knows what There is speculation the IPL may that looks like at the moment, where it’s resume midway through September, going to be, or when or if.” which could lead to a clash with Giles, a former England left-arm England white-ball tours of Pakistan spinner, added: “But we’ve got a lot of and Bangladesh that are meant to take important high profile cricket including place between the end of the home sea- a T20 World Cup and Ashes, so we’re son and a T20 World Cup in India planning on the involvement of England scheduled for October. Halting he IPL players in England matches.” Giles has left England with a potentially larg- reduced England’s backroom staff last er player pool than they envisaged for month when he ditched national selec- next month’s two-Test series at home to tor Ed Smith and gave his responsibili- New Zealand. ties to head coach Chris Silverwood. Previously, the England and Wales “It’s a change I’ve been looking at Cricket Board had been prepared to let for some time. For me, it’s more modern KUWAIT: Members of the Kuwaiti figure skating girls team with head of Kuwait Winter Games Club Fehaid Al-Ajmi. —KUNA players miss those matches in order to and it’s cleaner; let the coach pick the honor their previously agreed IPL deals. team,” said Giles. “His head’s on the KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti figure skating girls one in the three-day competition, head of tries. Hussa Al-Saraawi won two gold A position that angered some England block. I don’t want that to be the head- team grabbed up to 17 medals in the online Kuwait Winter Games Club Fehaid Al-Ajmi medals, Khairiyah Al-Kanderi grabbed two fans was justified by the ECB on the line but it’s a conversation I’d have had open international tournament that con- said on Monday. gold ones, Lulwa Al-Darman and Lara Al- grounds that the New Zealand series with Chris...if we lose in Australia the cluded in the Romanian capital Bucharest Ajmi praised the Kuwaiti female players Barrak each snatched one gold and one had been a late addition to an already pressure is on all of us. You might as recently. The national champions won nine for their outstanding performance vis a vis silver medal, while Sara Al-Laho grabbed crowded fixture list. well have a free run at it, it’s your gold medals, six silver medals and a bronze top-notch competitors from various coun- two silver medals. —KUNA But Ashley Giles, the England man- team.” —AFP Established 1961 15 Sports Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Deschamps warns against complacency as France target World Cup and Euro double

PARIS: Didier Deschamps captained France to a the final in Rotterdam. He has gone on to enjoy a World Cup and European Championship double as remarkable coaching career, having success at a player and is now hoping to repeat the feat as Monaco, Juventus and Marseille before accepting coach when the delayed Euro 2020 finally goes the France job in 2012 and reviving the fortunes of ahead in June and July. However, in an exclusive the national team in stunning fashion. interview with AFP, the 52-year-old warned against any complacency from the defending world champi- Tough at the top ons, saying major international tournaments are not A side containing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, won “just by clicking your fingers”. Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba beat Croatia 4- After lifting the World Cup in Russia in 2018, a 2 in the Moscow final three years ago and is now, gifted France squad is inevitably among the Deschamps hopes, hungry for more. “Nobody can favorites to win the European Championship which take away what we have done. It will always be concludes in London on July 11. However they could there, but we need to tell ourselves that we can’t not have asked for a harder group in the first Euro just stop here, we need to go and try to win more to be held - despite the pandemic - in multiple titles,” he said before warning of the looming threat countries all across the continent. France play from the likes of England, Spain, Belgium and sever- Germany in Munich and Hungary in Budapest, as al other sides at the Euro which kicks off in a well as facing the reigning European champions month’s time. Portugal. “You don’t just win by clicking your fingers. The “Two years at the highest level is a long time, other nations are progressing, working hard, not even if it is not a lot in life in general. There are sitting still. We need to have that ambition. When a obviously big expectations after the success we tournament starts we want to go as far as possible.” have had and that is the aim of this squad, of this France’s first game will be on June 15 against PARIS: In this file photo taken on Sept 6, 2020 France’s coach Didier Deschamps attends a team training generation,” Deschamps told AFP in Monaco as he Germany, who had been as close to a sure bet as session at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. —AFP pondered the chances of doing the double. West there is in international football before unravelling Germany held both trophies when they won the at the last World Cup, going out in the group stage. yourself. We can’t go higher, but sometimes there had to mix things up. It is not just about surprising 1974 World Cup on home soil after winning the Since then they have suffered an embarrassing is not much in it to prevent you from dropping the opposition but also about surprising yourself European Championship when it was just a four- 6-0 defeat by Spain in the Nations League and away,” Deschamps added. sometimes,” he said. nation event in Belgium in 1972. lost at home to North Macedonia in World Cup France have lost just three times in 28 games Deschamps will name his 26-man squad for the Spain then pulled off the remarkable feat of win- qualifying. Coach Joachim Loew will stand down since the World Cup, despite Deschamps making Euro next week. His squad will get together on May ning back to back Euros in 2008 and 2012, either after the Euro, and their slide is perhaps a warning regular changes in personnel and in playing style. 26 and will play friendly matches against Wales in side of their 2010 World Cup triumph. Before that to the French of what can happen. “It is very, very That has included sometimes abandoning the 4-4-2 Nice on June 2 and Bulgaria in Paris on June 8 Deschamps skippered France to glory in 1998 and difficult to get to the very top, but it is even hard- formation that was the foundation of their success before that mouthwatering opening game against at Euro 2000 as they defeated Italy in extra time in er to stay there. You always need to challenge in Russia for a back three, for example. “I felt that I Germany. —AFP

larity in Japan with analysts estimat- Iniesta to stay ing he has generated more than $100 News in brief million in ticket sales and merchandis- Germany adds Mueller with Kobe for ing revenue. He has appeared in TV commercials for Japanese sake and mobile phone services. BERLIN: Germany coach Joachim Loew has reportedly 2 more years Named Kobe’s captain in April contacted Thomas Muller and is poised to reverse the 2019 after a shake-up at the club, forward’s 2019 exile by naming the Bayern Munich player TOKYO: Spanish football legend Iniesta was sidelined for several in his Euro 2020 squad. According to daily Bild yester- Andres Iniesta celebrated his 37th months after he suffered a ruptured day, Loew has phoned Mueller and “told him he wants to birthday yesterday by signing a con- tendon in his right thigh last recall him” when the 26-man Germany squad for the tract extension that will keep him at J- December. Following surgery in European Championship is named on May 19. Mueller, 31, League side Vissel Kobe for two more Barcelona, he was back training in has been in outstanding form for Bayern, who were con- years. The former Barcelona midfield April before returning to action in the firmed Saturday as Bundesliga champions for the ninth maestro joined Kobe in 2018 in a deal J-League this month. straight season. Mueller has made 100 appearances for worth a reported $30 million a year Widely considered one of the most Germany since 2010 and was a key part of the squad and recently recovered from a serious gifted midfielders of all time, he scored which won the 2014 World Cup. —AFP thigh injury. the winning goal as Spain won the “I will continue on my quest to 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and TOKYO: Vissel Kobe player Andres Iniesta poses with Hiroshi Mikitani, make Vissel Kobe a stronger club,” he was a key member of the European Chairman and CEO of Rakuten and club chairman, as they display a cake Flick agrees to deal: Report said the World Cup-winning midfield- Championship-winning side’s of 2008 to celebrate Iniesta’s birthday at a press conference. —AFP er, speaking through a Japanese and 2012. Iniesta was the driving force translator. “I am determined to con- behind four Champions League wins BERLIN: Hansi Flick, who is stepping down as Bayern tribute as much as possible to bring with Barcelona and helped the Catalan Kobe after 22 years at Barcelona, 16 of while elevating the standard of foot- Munich coach at the end of this season, will take over the this team to a higher level,” he added club secure domestic trebles in 2009 them as a first team player, was seen as ball in Japan. Iniesta “has not just German national team after this summer’s Euro, a German sitting alongside Kobe’s tech-billion- and 2015. a coup for Japanese football, which improved Vissel’s status, but he has newspaper reported on Monday. Flick is expected to sign aire owner Hiroshi Mikitani. He also won nine La Liga titles, two had been struggling to attract big improved the global recognition of the for three years, according to the Abendzeitung, a Munich Iniesta’s debut at Kobe in July 2018 European Super Cups and three FIFA names tempted by cash-rich Chinese J-League,” Mikitani said. Iniesta said newspaper, allowing him to lead the national team at the ended with an embarrassing home Club World Cups, leaving Barcelona as clubs in the twilight of their careers. he wanted to stay engaged with Vissel 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Euro 2024, which is sched- defeat, but he helped lead the team to the most decorated Spanish player of Kobe owner Mikitani said Iniesta’s Kobe once his playing days were over, uled to take place in Germany. Flick, 56, has long been their first Japanese Super Cup title in all time, with more than 30 trophies for decision to stay will help the team’s although he did not say in what considered the preferred candidate for the post of 2020. Iniesta has enjoyed huge popu- club and country. His decision to join ambition to be the top club in Asia capacity. —AFP national coach by the German Football Association (DFB). He was assistant to Joachim Loew, who is standing down after 15 years, between 2006 and 2014, when Germany won the world title. —AFP here - that’s always been the case,” Parker willing to said Parker, who signed an improved three-year contract last September to lead Fulham’s keep him at the club until the summer Ibra misses two games of 2023. Fulham’s season only got promotion bid going following the loan signings of ROME: Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be out for at least two Ademola Lookman and England mid- matches with a knee injury, just a month before the start fielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, after the of Euro 2020, AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli said yester- LONDON: Fulham manager Scott first four games yielded no points. day. The Swede, who returned to international football in Parker has been linked with the mana- Those two though could well March after a five-year absence, suffered the injury dur- gerial vacancy at Tottenham but says return to their respective clubs - ing Milan’s 3-0 victory over top-four rivals Juventus at his priority is to try and help his cur- Bundesliga side RB Leipzig and the weekend. He could be back for Milan’s potentially rent club make an immediate return to crucial final Serie A match at second-placed Atalanta on the Premier League. Fulham joined Chelsea. However, Fulham will have May 23. Sweden open their Euro 2020 campaign against West Brom and Sheffield United in funds to spend as they will receive Spain in Seville on June 14, before further Group E games being relegated from the Premier £42 million ($60 million) in parachute against Slovakia and Poland in Saint-Petersburg. —AFP League following a 2-0 loss to payments for being relegated. Parker Burnley on Monday. It is the first time can take encouragement that two of that relegation from the division has the three teams relegated last season have made immediate returns - been resolved with three games LONDON: Burnley’s Czech striker Matej Vydra collides with Fulham’s Injured McLean ‘devastated’ Norwich and Watford - with the third remaining. French goalkeeper Alphonse Areola during the English Premier League Parker has been linked with Spurs - team, Bournemouth, in the playoffs. football match at Craven Cottage on Monday. —AFP “What’s key for me is we sit down, LONDON: Norwich midfielder Kenny McLean says he is who he played for from 2011-13 - due “devastated” to be missing Euro 2020 due to a knee injury, analyze and learn, are brave enough to the crowd-pleasing style Fulham in what is Scotland’s first appearance at a major tourna- to see where we’ve gone wrong and have played since he took over, initial- as well as draws at Spurs and Arsenal. “We have failed this season,” he ment since the 1998 World Cup. The 29-year-old midfield- not go through the same cycle,” said ly in a caretaker capacity, in 2019. However, they only won five league said. “It was not good enough. We did er played in all three of Scotland’s recent 2022 World Cup Parker. “I’ll be the first to put my point However, the 40-year-old former matches all season and have the sec- not deserve to stay up. Overall, we qualifiers, while he also played a key role in Norwich mak- England midfielder said he was across along with all the others to ond-worst goalscoring record with 25 have finished where we deserve to be. ing an immediate return to the Premier League. Scotland focused on having his say on where bring this club back into this league goals from 35 matches. Serbia striker We did not show the big character, begin their campaign at the delayed European things went wrong and how Fulham and hopefully stay here.” Parker can Aleksandar Mitrovic, one of those big mentality and we cracked under Championship against the Czech Republic on June 14 in can bounce straight back and avoid point to impressive results against who failed to find his form by scoring the pressure. We tried, we fought, we Glasgow. They then play old rivals England on June 18 at continuing the “rollercoaster” of rele- some of the heavyweights. just three league goals compared to worked hard but we needed more Wembley and face 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia on gation, promotion and relegation. They recorded away wins at 26 in the promotion season, did not quality on the ball. We got punished June 22 in Glasgow in their final group game. —AFP “I’ve been committed since I came Leicester City, Liverpool and Everton mince his words. today and this season.” —AFP

a penalty call they didn’t get. “That was 100 percent a against Nashville after the death of their mother. Miami rally for penalty,” Inter Miami coach Phil Neville fumed. “Poor But Inter were without injured starters Nico Figal refereeing. “It got reviewed, so whoever reviewed it and Robbie Robinson and midfielder Blaise Matuidi draw, decry lack has let the referee down. We’ll put that in the report.” exited in the 14th minute after colliding with Atlanta’s Inter had trailed much of the match after Atlanta’s Santiago Sosa. The match marked a reunion of sorts Josef Martinez fired a left-footed shot from the center for Neville and Gabriel Heinze. The two were team- of penalty call of the area into the bottom corner to open the scoring mates for one season at Manchester United and in the ninth minute. Scotland’s Morgan finally got the Heinze was named head coach of Atlanta shortly LOS ANGELES: Lewis Morgan’s late equalizer gave equalizer with a left-footed blast that marked the before Neville was tapped to lead David Beckham’s Inter Miami a 1-1 Major League Soccer draw against 2020 Most Valuable Player’s first goal of the season. Inter Miami. Atlanta United on Sunday, but inter were incensed at Neville had challenged Morgan to step things up on Elsewhere the Seattle Sounders rode second half being denied a chance at a stoppage time penalty for attack, and he kept Morgan even though he was goals from Raul Ruidiza and super-sub Fredy the victory. Gonzalo Higuain fired a perfect cross in cramping late in the second half. Moreno to a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers in from the left to Victor Ulloa, who appeared to be “I didn’t want to take him off because I knew you a Cascadia regional clash. Bill Tuiloma fired in a fouled by Brad Guzan when after the Atlanta goal- need to keep your match winners, your players on the stunning free kick for the Timbers just before the keeper blocked his shot and Ulloa raced up to try pitch that can produce moments of brilliance, and he final whistle, but it was the Sounders who came FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida: Erick Torres #31 of Atlanta again with the rebound. did that,” Neville said. Higuain was back in the lineup away with their third victory in four matches this United and Leandro Gonzalez #6 of Inter Miami CF bat- Guzan, still on the ground, appeared to trip Ulloa and his brother Federico came off the bench in the season. With 10 points they top the Western tle for a header during the second half at DRV PNK with his arms, prompting Miami players to appeal for second half after they missed last week’s match Conference standings. —AFP Stadium on May 9, 2021. —AFP Established 1961 Sport

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021 History made as Westbrook sets NBA triple-double record

LOS ANGELES: Russell Westbrook and Robertson have scored 100 or more wrote his way into NBA history on triples on the all-time rankings, with Earvin Monday, bagging the 182nd triple-double “Magic” Johnson third with 138 and Jason of his career to break Oscar Robertson’s Kidd fourth with 107. “It’s just a bless- 47-year-old record. Washington Wizards ing...You put so much into the game,” star Westbrook, who had equaled Westbrook said. “Just to be mentioned Robertson’s record of 181 triples on with guys like Oscar, Magic, Jason Kidd, Saturday, sealed his record-breaking triple those guys. It’s just something I would nev- with 8min 33sec remaining in Monday’s er have dreamt about.” Wizards coach 125-124 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks. Scott Brooks described Westbrook’s Westbrook’s 36th triple-double of the achievement as “phenomenal.” season included 28 points, 21 assists and “It’s great for him,” Brooks said. “You 13 rebounds. He is already assured of can’t take anything away from him. The averaging a triple-double per game this guy’s a winner. He’s making the basketball season. A triple-double occurs when a and the non-basketball world a better player makes double-digit tallies in three place. Not a lot of guys can do that, not a of the five major statistical categories in a lot of guys have the impact that he has, on game — points, rebounds, assists, steals and off the court.” Johnson, meanwhile, and blocks. had paid tribute to Westbrook’s record- Westbrook has averaged a triple-dou- breaking career prior to Monday’s game, ble per game in four of the last five sea- saying the Wizards ace didn’t always get sons, an eye-popping statistic that the credit he deserved. ensured he rapidly caught and overtook Robertson’s historic benchmark, which ‘Give him his respect’ had stood since 1974 and was once “When we show highlights, it’s how widely regarded as unbeatable. many points somebody had, how far can “Normally I don’t like to pat myself on they shoot out on the court,” Johnson told the back, but tonight I will,” Westbrook The Athletic. “Russell Westbrook is nei- said afterwards. “I am just so grateful for ther one of those things. He gets all these those that came before me.” triple-doubles, but you don’t see him on The 32-year-old Westbrook now has the highlights. The things he’s been able to several seasons left in his career to extend do, hopefully, we will say, ‘Give him his ATLANTA: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards is congratulated by Atlanta Hawks players after breaking the NBA his record, with few of his contemporaries love, give him his respect.’ This is really career triple-double record in a game between the Washington Wizards and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Monday in anywhere near his total. Westbrook has big. This is something I couldn’t even do. I Atlanta, Georgia. — AFP nearly twice as many triple-doubles as his know how big it is.” nearest rival among currently active play- Westbrook’s critics have accused him and Houston Rockets and a 2017 NBA Westbrook’s failure to land a champi- Robertson told The New York Times. ers. After Westbrook with 182, LeBron of artificially inflating his personal stats to Most Valuable Player award has yet to onship ring. “I think he’s one of the elite “Players don’t win championships by James is in second spot with 99 triples, keep his triple-double tally ticking over, yield an NBA Championship. guards in basketball, and I think it’s ridicu- themselves. You’ve got to have good man- while James Harden is third with 58. noting that a career that has included However, Robertson himself is among lous that some sports writers criticize him agement. You need to get with the right Only two other players after Westbrook stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder those who have dismissed the criticism of because he has not won a championship,” group of players.” — AFP