SHAWWAL 6, 1442 AH TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021

16 Pages Max 45º Min 25º 150 Fils Established 1961

ISSUE NO: 18436 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net

‘I want to study’: Lebanon Macron rallies support Iraqis find escape, success Over 80% in Japan oppose 6 crisis cancels school for many 8 for ‘inspiration’ Sudan 12 on a virtual battleground 16 Olympics this year: Poll

Kuwait summons Czech envoy over Zionist post

Teacher fired for supporting Zionists • Assembly to hold special debate on Palestine

By B Izzak Dvorak said in the letter uploaded on the embassy’s Twitter account that “it KUWAIT: Kuwait summoned yester- was extremely insensitive of me towards day the ambassador of the Czech the feelings of many of my close Republic in the country after a social Kuwaiti and Muslim friends, and I want media post in support of the Zionist to apologize to them, as well as to all entity stirred nationwide online criti- Kuwaitis and Palestinians, and to anyone cism. This comes as Zionist air strikes else who feels aggrieved by this”. continued to hammer the Gaza Strip Thousands of Kuwaiti residents took after a week of violence that has killed to social media to express their discon- more than 200 people, the large tent, with some calling for Dvorak’s majority Palestinian. departure, along with the hashtag Martin Dvorak uploaded on his per- #FreePalestine. “It is not enough to sonal Instagram account an image of apologize. The ambassador should be himself, with a Zionist flag, along with a expelled,” said one Twitter user. statement that said: “I stand with (the Another commented on the ambas- Zionist entity).” Yesterday, he deleted sador’s Instagram account, saying: the post and issued a letter of apology “Think twice before you support a that said he was “extremely remorseful”. country that kills children.” “You are not The foreign ministry of Kuwait - welcome in Kuwait” and “shame on which has no official ties with the Zionist you”, others said. entity - said it summoned the ambassa- In a related development, an dor earlier that day to express their American school in Kuwait terminated “absolute rejection of his actions that go the services of an American teacher against the nature of his diplomatic after she posted support for the Zionist position”. It said in a statement that the entity on her Facebook page. In the ministry “categorically rejects and past week, Kuwaitis have held multiple strongly disapproves” of Dvorak’s rhet- protests in support of the Palestinians. KUWAIT: Kuwaitis take part in a protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat oric on his personal Instagram account. Continued on Page 2

Some 3,200 rockets have been fired by Hamas commanders, a day after bombing Gaza reels under Palestinian militants toward the Zionist the house of Yahya Sinwar, head of the entity since the conflict escalated on May group’s political wing. It gave no details of 10 in the heaviest exchange of fire in years, any casualties. An Islamic Jihad command- Zionist strikes as sparked by unrest in Jerusalem. er was killed yesterday, a source within the In Gaza, dust clouds from explosions group and the Zionist army said. Fighter violence continues rose near its Mediterranean port, with jets also hit what the Zionist army calls the the Zionist army confirming it had target- “Metro”, its term for Hamas’ underground GAZA CITY: Zionist jets kept pounding ed “a Hamas submergible naval weapon”. tunnels, which the Zionist entity has previ- Gaza yesterday afternoon, as the enclave’s West Gaza resident Mahdi Abed Rabbo, ously acknowledged runs in part through residents cowered indoors and the vio- 39, expressed “horror and fear” at the civilian areas. lence that has killed more than 200 people, intensity of the onslaught, saying: “There The renewed strikes come a day after most of them Palestinians, entered a sec- have never been strikes of this magni- 42 Palestinians in Gaza - including at least ond week. Before dawn, within just a few tude.” Another Gaza resident, Mani eight children and two doctors, according minutes, dozens of Zionist strikes bom- Qazaat, said Zionist Prime Minister to the health ministry - were killed in the barded the crowded Palestinian coastal Benjamin Netanyahu “should realize worst daily death toll in the enclave since strip controlled by Islamist group Hamas. we’re civilians, not fighters”. “I felt like I the bombardments began. In total, 200 Flames lit up the sky as intense explo- was dying,” he said about enduring a Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, sions shook Gaza City, sparking wide- heavy aerial bombardment. including at least 59 children, and more GAZA: Palestinian firefighters douse a huge fire at the Foamco mattress fac- spread power cuts and damaging hun- The Zionist army said yesterday it had than 1,300 wounded since the Zionist tory after it was struck by Zionist forces east of Jabaliya in the northern dreds of buildings, local authorities said. hit the homes of nine “high-ranking” Continued on Page 2 Gaza Strip yesterday. — AFP

fic as Saudi Arabia reopened its land, Saudis head to sea and air borders. The easing of rules prompted a Working 55 hours rush of holidaymakers to exit the Bahrain; Dubai kingdom, following the holiday of Eid a week increases Al-Fitr. “It’s a beautiful feeling after allows events such a long absence from Bahrain,” said Mohammed, a Saudi travelling to risk of death: UN AL JASRAH, Bahrain: Hundreds of the island nation. The opening of bor- GENEVA: Working more than 55 hours a week cars crowded roads linking Saudi ders will give a welcome boost to increases the risk of death from heart disease Arabia and Bahrain yesterday, as Bahrain’s tourism industry, which is and strokes, according to a United Nations Riyadh permitted citizens vaccinated heavily reliant on high-rollers from its study out yesterday. The report by the UN’s against COVID-19 to travel abroad conservative neighbor, the Arab World Health Organization and International more than a year after barring exter- world’s biggest economy. Labor Organization agencies comes as the nal trips. The King Fahd Causeway, a For decades, the causeway linking 25 km series of bridges closed in Bahrain to Saudi Arabia has served as Bahrain men welcome Saudi travelers with Saudi and Bahraini flags on King COVID-19 pandemic accelerates workplace Fahad Causeway yesterday. — AFP changes that could increase the tendency to March last year, was packed with traf- Continued on Page 2 work longer hours. The study, published in the Environment International journal, is the first global analysis outbreak. At least 12 people died over the weekend storm surges of up to four meters high in some of of the risks to life and health associated with Monster cyclone and yesterday in torrential rains and winds as Gujarat’s coastal districts. working long hours. It focuses on the period Cyclone Tauktae, according to press reports the The colossal swirling system visible from space before the pandemic, and the authors synthe- biggest to hit western India in 30 years, swept over has exacerbated India’s embattled response to a sized data from dozens of studies involving hun- makes landfall in the Arabian Sea with Gujarat state in its sights. huge coronavirus surge that is killing at least 4,000 dreds of thousands of participants. “The (Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm) people every day and pushing hospitals to breaking “Working 55 hours or more per week is a COVID-hit India Tauktae lies close to Gujarat coast. The landfall point. In waterlogged and windswept Mumbai, serious health hazard,” said Maria Neira, direc- process started and will continue during next 02 where authorities yesterday closed the airport and tor of the WHO’s environment, climate change AHMEDABAD: A major cyclone packing ferocious hours,” the Indian Meteorological Department urged people to stay indoors, authorities shifted and health department. winds and threatening a destructive storm made tweeted. The cyclonic system has been packing 580 COVID patients “to safer locations” from three Continued on Page 2 landfall in western India yesterday, disrupting the winds of 155-165 km per hour gusting up to 185 field hospitals. country’s response to its devastating COVID-19 kmph, the weather bureau added. It warned of Continued on Page 2 2 Established 1961 Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Local Amir receives state officials, new Kuwait aviation chief

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

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- meets Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sabah meets Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah and DGCA Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Ali meets Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, and Minister of State Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah and DGCA Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. to Transparency Enhancement Abdullah Al-Roumi. Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, Sheikh Hamad Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace Hamad Al-Sabah. Furthermore, His Highness the Highness the Amir also met Deputy Prime Minister, Jaber Al-Ali, Sheikh Abdullah Ali and Minister yesterday His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Amir received Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Minister of Justice, and Minister of State to Roumi at Bayan Palace. Meanwhile, His Highness the Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. His Highness of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah Transparency Enhancement Abdullah Al-Roumi at Prime Minister received the Defense Minister and the Amir also received Speaker of the National and the newly appointed Chairman of the Bayan Palace. In the meantime, His Highness the the newly-appointed Chairman of DGCA at Bayan Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanem and His Highness Directorate General of Civil Aviation Sheikh Crown Prince received Speaker Ghanem, His Palace. — KUNA

Kandari also accused the interior minister of “open- Frank Pega, a technical officer from Neira’s WHO Kuwait summons ing and closing” Irada Square as “he wishes” and Working 55 hours department, said the study found no difference in selectively applying the law, charging this amounts to the effects on men and women of working long violating the constitution. hours. However, the burden of disease is particularly Czech envoy over... The National Assembly office has decided to a week increases... high among men - who account for 72 percent of hold a special session next week to discuss Zionist Continued from Page 1 the deaths - because they represent a large propor- Continued from Page 1 aggressions on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem tion of workers worldwide and therefore the expo- and attacks on Gaza, Speaker Marzouq Al- “It’s time that we all - governments, employers, sure “is higher amongst men”, Pega told reporters. But the government yesterday prevented a pro- Ghanem said yesterday. Ghanem said he was and employees - wake up to the fact that long It is also higher among people living in the Western Palestinian gathering from taking place at Irada informed by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah working hours can lead to premature death.” Pacific and Southeast Asia regions, where there are Square opposite the National Assembly building. The Al-Khaled Al-Sabah that the government will The study concluded that working 55 hours or more informal sector workers who may be forced to ban was later lifted briefly and a demonstration was attend the special session. more per week was associated with an estimated 35 work long days, Pega added. allowed to take place. He added the Assembly office asked the percent increase in the risk of suffering a stroke, The WHO is concerned about the trend as the Student organizations and activists had planned Assembly’s legal and legislative committee to com- and a 17 percent rise in the risk of dying from number of people working long hours is increasing. the gathering to express their support to the plete a draft law to stiffen penalties for dealing or ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35 to It currently represents nine percent of the total Palestinian people in the face of continued Zionist air sympathizing with the Zionist state. Ghanem said the 40 hours. world population. The organization also said that raids and to call on the government to support the session will discuss any form of assistance that can The WHO and the ILO estimated that in 2016, the coronavirus crisis was speeding up develop- Palestinians. Two opposition MPs said they will file to be provided to Palestinian brothers. 398,000 people died from a stroke and 347,000 ments that could feed the trend towards increased grill Interior Minister Sheikh Thamer Al-Sabah for Ten lawmakers yesterday submitted a motion call- from heart disease after working at least 55 hours working hours. preventing the gathering, although organizers said ing to hold a special Assembly session to be com- per week. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly they had obtained permission from health authorities. pletely devoted to debating grillings against three deaths due to heart disease linked to long working changed the way many people work,” said WHO MPs Thamer Al-Suwait and Abdulkarim Al- ministers. They include the ministers of health, for- hours increased by 42 percent, while the figure for director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Kandari, who vowed to grill Sheikh Thamer, held the eign affairs and finance, and could include the interi- strokes went up by 19 percent. “Teleworking has become the norm in many indus- interior minister responsible for not applying the law. or minister if opposition MPs file their grilling soon. Most of the recorded deaths were among people tries, often blurring the boundaries between home Suwait accused the minister of being “selective and The next Assembly session is on May 25 and it will aged 60 to 79, who had worked 55 hours or more and work. In addition, many businesses have been oppressive” in applying the law, which unlawfully be the first session in almost one month following per week when they were between 45 and 74 years forced to scale back or shut down operations to prevented the Kuwaiti people from expressing their suspension of sessions due to a dispute over the old. “With working long hours now known to be save money, and people who are still on the payroll solidarity and support for the Palestinian cause. grilling of the prime minister. responsible for about one-third of the total estimat- end up working longer hours. “No job is worth the ed work-related burden of disease, it is established risk of stroke or heart disease. Governments, as the risk factor with the largest occupational dis- employers and workers need to work together to Saleh. agree on limits to protect the health of workers.” Saudis head to Bahrain tourism officials were jubilant at the ease burden,” the WHO said. reopening of the causeway, after the long closure which reportedly cost its economy more than $10 Bahrain; Dubai... million a day. The tourism sector was hit just as and 74 on the Zionist side, mostly soldiers. the pandemic triggered a decline in the oil price, Gaza reels under Opening a session of the UN Security Council on Continued from Page 1 in a double whammy for the smallest of the six the renewed violence on Sunday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the fighting “utterly Gulf Cooperation Council economies which has Zionist strikes as... appalling”. But the UN talks, already delayed by the a key artery, bringing visitors who pack out had to be bailed out by its neighbors in the past. Zionist entity’s ally the United States, resulted in lit- Bahrain’s nightclubs, shopping malls and hotels. Meanwhile, Dubai said yesterday it now Continued from Page 1 tle action, with Washington opposing a resolution. But since coronavirus slammed on the brakes, allowed people to attend sports events and con- President Joe Biden’s administration says it is work- traffic was reduced to a trickle. Travelers also certs, if they have been vaccinated against coro- entity launched its air campaign against Hamas ing behind the scenes, and that a Security Council flocked to Saudi Arabia’s airports yesterday for navirus. The emirate opened its doors to tourism after the group fired rockets, according to the statement could backfire. flights abroad. in July last year, but has maintained strict poli- authorities there. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced “sol- “We have been confined within Saudi for cies on social distancing and wearing masks, The Zionist entity says 10 people, including one idarity” with the Zionist entity in a call with around a year and a half, so we can hardly child, have been killed and more than 300 wounded alongside an energetic vaccination campaign. Netanyahu yesterday, reaffirming the state’s “right to believe the ban is lifted and we can see the by rocket fire that has been the most intense to ever The Dubai Media Office said that as of yester- defend itself” against rocket attacks, her spokesman world,” said Nawaf Al-Askar, a Saudi heading rain down on the Jewish state. Islamic Jihad said it day, entertainment venues can operate up to 70 said. France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his from Riyadh to Bosnia and Herzegovina with his fired more rockets towards Tel Aviv, and air raids percent full, with a maximum of 1,500 people Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, visiting family. Other travelers were leaving to resume sirens wailed across the Zionist entity again yester- indoors and 2,500 people outdoors. Hotels can Paris, agreed to continue pushing for “a rapid cease- their studies abroad or for long-delayed business day, especially near the Gaza border. also now operate at full capacity. Tourism has fire” to avoid a widening of the conflict, Macron’s trips. “We have been dreaming (of travelling) for Paramedics yesterday provided medical treat- long been an economic mainstay of Dubai, which office said. ment to 10 wounded people in Ashdod, including more than a year... Thank God the airport is open welcomed more than 16 million visitors in 2019 US envoy for the Zionist entity’s and Palestinian three hit by shattered glass, the Zionist entity’s and we can run away,” said Riyadh resident before the pandemic struck. — AFP affairs Hady Amr was in Ramallah yesterday and met Magen David Adom emergency service said. with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Netanyahu said Sunday that the Zionist entity’s Abbas, who urged Washington to act against “(the with 744 health teams deployed along with 174 ICU on campaign would “take time” to finish. Zionist bom- Zionist entity’s) aggression,” the official Wafa news wheels and 600 ambulances. “Besides the daily bardment of Gaza has displaced 38,000 people and Monster cyclone agency reported. The Zionist entity is also trying to requirement of 1,000 tons of oxygen in Gujarat per made 2,500 homeless, the United Nations says. contain inter-communal violence between Jews and day, an additional stock of 1,700 tons has been secured It has also battered crucial infrastructure, with Arabs, as well unrest in the occupied West Bank, makes landfall in... and could be used in case of emergency,” Rupani said. the electricity authority yesterday warning it only where Palestinian authorities say Zionist forces have Continued from Page 1 Virus safety protocols such as wearing masks, social had enough fuel left to provide power for another killed 19 Palestinians since May 10. distancing and the use of sanitizers would be observed two to three days. On Saturday, the Zionist entity A 56-year-old Zionist man who was beaten in the Six people died and nine were injured as the storm in the shelters for evacuees, officials added. The state gave journalists from Al Jazeera and AP news city of Lod last week died in hospital yesterday, lashed Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capi- also suspended vaccinations for two days. Mumbai did agency an hour to evacuate their offices before police said. Clashes broke out at Jerusalem’s Al- tal, the chief minister’s office said. Two navy ships were the same for one day. Thousands of disaster response launching air strikes, turning their tower block into a Aqsa mosque compound - one of Islam’s holiest deployed to assist in search and rescue operations for a personnel have been deployed, while units from the pile of smoking rubble. sites - on May 7 after Zionist forces moved in on barge carrying 273 people “adrift” off Mumbai’s coast, coast guard, navy, army and air force have been placed Netanyahu on Sunday said the building also on standby. Maharashtra evacuated around 12,500 worshippers. This followed a crackdown against the defense ministry added in a statement. hosted a Palestinian “terrorist” intelligence office people from coastal areas. protests over planned expulsions of Palestinians in Around 150,000 people were evacuated in neigh- and claimed it was a “perfectly legitimate target”. Four people died on Saturday as rain and winds bat- the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Zionist-annexed boring Gujarat, where all COVID-19 patients in hospi- US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said yester- tered Karnataka state, while two died in Goa as winds east Jerusalem. tals within five kilometers of the coast were also day he had requested “details” and a “justification” hit power supplies and uprooted trees. S M Bandekar, The Zionist police said a car-ramming attack in moved. Authorities there were scrambling to ensure for the strike. dean of the Goa Medical College Hospital, said that one Sheikh Jarrah on Sunday wounded seven police offi- there would be no power cuts in the nearly 400 desig- The violence between Hamas and the Zionist nated COVID hospitals and 41 oxygen plants in 12 COVID ward suffered minor flooding. “But there was cers, and that Zionist forces had killed the attacker. entity is the worst since 2014, when the Zionist enti- coastal districts where the cyclone was expected to hit no need to shift the patients,” he said, adding that the Guterres warned that the fighting could “unleash an ty launched a military operation on the Gaza Strip hardest. state’s hospitals were not affected by the power cuts uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis and with the stated aim of ending rocket fire and Chief minister Vijay Rupani told reporters that over because they had backup generators. Two others were .... further foster extremism, not only in the occupied destroying tunnels used for smuggling. The war left a thousand COVID hospitals in coastal towns have reported dead and 23 fishermen were feared missing in Palestinian territory and (the Zionist entity), but in 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, mostly civilians, been provided with generators and power backups, Kerala, local media said. — AFP the region as a whole”. — AFP Established 1961 3 Local Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Kuwait’s Foreign Minister decries Zionist crimes in UNSC address Zionist entity ‘has no desire’ to reach peace KUWAIT: Foreign Minister and Minister of State pied territories are invalid and false. They neither cannot be expropriated. He stated further, “We for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al- create a right nor a commitment. are at a dangerous crossroad that threaten to Mohammad Al-Sabah on Sunday addressed the Sheikh Dr Ahmad indicated how the occupation jeopardize any just and comprehensive solution to UN Security Council session on Palestine, held in forces along with settlers mercilessly assaulted the central cause of the Arab and Muslim nations; New York, renewing the State of Kuwait strong children and women to take over their properties. we are facing rapid schemes including not only condemnation of the crimes and attacks carried Such policies and practices affirm once again that expansion of the illegal settlements or expropriat- out by the Zionist occupation forces in the occu- the Zionist entity is seeking to bolster the occupa- ing Palestinian lands and properties, but Judaizing pied Palestinian territories. The State of Kuwait tion and show that it has no desire to reach a full East Jerusalem, namely the city’s old sector and renews its utter denunciation of the crimes and and just peace agreement, the Kuwaiti foreign evicting the Palestinian population. The State of offensives carried out by the Zionist occupation minister noted. Kuwait affirms once more its utter rejection of all forces in the occupied Palestinian territories, The attacks and crimes perpetrated by the the illegal settlement plans in the occupied including the city of Jerusalem. Moreover, Kuwait occupation Zionist forces are part of a chain of Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem. denounces all Zionist illegal settlement schemes, its violations by the Zionist entity, the occupation- These settlements are non-existent according to bid to seize Palestinians’ houses and properties, based power, of the Security Council resolutions the international law and relevant Security particularly citizens’ assets in Jerusalem, namely in 242, 338, 476, 478 and 2334, stipulating that sanc- Council resolutions.” KUWAIT: Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al- Sheikh Jarrah district, seeking to evacuate the holy tity of Jerusalem cannot be desecrated. Kuwait has spared no effort to alleviate hard- Mohammad Al-Sabah addresses the session. —KUNA city of its population for the sake of Judaizing it. Eviction of residents of the district, Sheikh ships of the Palestinian people since start the lat- Such practices are illegal and illegitimate breaches Jarrah, is a crime and breach of the international est Zionist offensives, he said, noting its contacts and constitute flagrant violation of the relevant law. This case is subject to the 1949 Fourth and participation in meetings with stakeholders. states option, Security Council resolutions, the international resolutions and references that affirm Geneva Convention, thus the occupation-based He renewed Kuwait’s adherence to the Arab land for peace principle, the road map and the that unilateral measures and decisions aimed at power must honor its obligations and maintain stance that affirms that peace is a strategic option, Arab peace initiative-all designed to enable the altering the legal and historic status in the occu- private properties in the occupied territories-that that the aspired settlement is based on the two Palestinians establish their independent. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Kuwaitis held a gathering at the Irada Square yesterday, which had initially been called off by authorities before Interior Minister Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah arrived to the scene and gave permis- sion for the rally to take place for 30 minutes. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Man dead in domestic dispute KUWAIT: A man died after his wife allegedly stabbed him inside their Salmiya apartment yesterday, accord- ing to reports. The victim, Egyptian, was reportedly sustained several stab wounds in the abdomen during a domestic dispute. Police placed the wife, Egyptian, under arrest and took her to the police station for fur- ther action.

Fatal crash A delivery man died in an accident between his motorbike and a car on King Fahad Road on Sunday. The victim, Egyptian, succumbed to his injuries on the scene. The vehicle’s driver, Kuwaiti, was taken in police’s custody for questioning.

Body found The prosecution ordered the removal of a Kuwaiti’s body who was found dead in his Riggae flat with a firearm in his hand. A Kuwaiti told police that he lost contact with a relative, then when he went to his flat, he detected a foul odor. He broke down the door and found him on the floor. The coroner recov- ered the body.

Suspicious exchange Police noticed two cars with their doors open, and saw a large amount of money in the hands of a man trying to hand it to a woman. When approached, the man told the woman to drive away as he threw the money in her car. When police attempted to arrest them, the man resisted and the woman escaped. The man was arrested and detec- tives are working on the case.

Officers fight A security source said a woman called and claimed she was detained in Bneid Al-Gar by some men, sent her location and switched her phone off. When police arrived, the woman was seen in a vehicle with four men, who refused to hand their IDs. Backup was called and three men who refused to show their IDs were arrested. Once at the police station, one of the sus- pects, who is a police corporal, attacked a policeman, so a lieutenant intervened. He was punched and lost a tooth. The corporal then attempted to escape. When the police shift changed, the new officers were also insulted. Investigations are ongoing. — Translated by Kuwait Times from Al-Rai and Al-Anbaa 4 Established 1961 Local Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Established 1961 Photo of the Day The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : 24833199 Extn. 125 COMMERCIAL : 24835618 P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. Email: [email protected] Website: www.kuwaittimes.net Kuwait Ministry launches donation campaign for India KUWAIT: The Ministry of Social Affairs announced launching an urgent donation campaign to aid India in the face of the new mutant coronavirus variant. The campaign, held with the participation of the Indian diplomatic mission in Kuwait, aims to ease suffering of the Indian people affected by the pandemic, assistant undersecretary for social development Hana Al-Hajeri said in a press state- ment on Sunday. Charity societies taking part in the cam- paign have presented an official request to the ministry to launch the campaign, she noted. Meanwhile, she said that the societies also launched urgent donation campaign to aid Palestinians. In the meantime, the Public Authority of Industry (PAI) announced dispatching the second rescue oxygen shipment through an air bridge allocated for sending res- cue goods from Kuwait to India upon a Cabinet decision. The second batch is estimated at around 210 tons of liq- uid oxygen and 2,100 oxygen gas cylinders. Upon instructions of Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah Al-Salman, a well-examined plan has been KUWAIT: Mall employees lined up to receive their COVID-19 vaccine inside a shopping mall in Salmiya yesterday. —Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh devised for outgoing and incoming of oxygen cylinders to guarantee dispatch of the largest amount possible of the liquid oxygen to India in the quickest possible means, PAI said in a statement. PAI also coordinates with the Kuwaitis are not allowed to travel unless vaccinated more people had been cured of the virus over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to follow the sched- KD 20 max for against COVID-19, in compliance with a Cabinet same period, raising the total of those who have had uled plan, and accordingly PAI upon the instructions of decision released in that regard. overcome the disease to 277,820. The number of the Authority Chairman Abdulkareem Taqi took all the Separately, Kuwait’s Ministry of Health had people hospitalized with the virus stood at 12,116 as needed procedures, in cooperation with Kuwait factories PCR test in Kuwait announced on Sunday recording 828 new coron- of Sunday, with 186 of them in intensive care units, avirus infections and six related deaths in the previ- he added. Dr Sanad revealed that some 6,996 swab producing liquid oxygen — which worked at their high- KUWAIT: The price for a PCR test should not ous 24 hours. The new figures took the total cases tests were conducted over the same period, bring- est capacity to meet the demands. Furthermore, PAI exceed KD 20 at any certified labs in Kuwait, the in the country up to 291,629 and deaths to 1,693 ing the total to 2,460,103. He renewed public calls cooperated with Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) and Ministry of Health said in a letter to the Directorate Kuwait General Administration of Customs to facilitate respectively, noted the ministry’s spokesman Dr to abide by health precautions in order to curb the General of Civil Aviation yesterday. In the meantime, the humanitarian mission. —KUNA Abdullah Al-Sanad. He pointed out that some 1,028 spread of the virus. —KUNA the DGCA has formally informed local airlines that

backing the Palestinian Information Ministry cause. Alluding to some objectives of the ministry strategy, the minister has ‘made headways’ affirmed that it will focus on the media as a “soft KUWAIT: Minister of Information, Culture and power,” and boosting the Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al- official media rhetoric. Mutairi yesterday affirmed that the ministry has The strategy essentially made significant headway on the path of upgrading aims to achieve integration the Kuwaiti media. The ministry has achieved this for the years 2021-2026 objective by encouraging creative staff, applying for the sake of “a sustain- digital media in various sectors and governance, able and pioneering media Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi said the minister in a statement addressed at the in the making of the pur- virtual forum, “Kuwait Media Day,” organized by poseful content.” Minister Mutairi has affirmed the the Kuwaiti Society for Media and Communications. efforts for boosting “the development and creative” Minister Mutairi started his statement by affirm- role of the Kuwaiti media in the shadow of global ing support for the Palestinian people who have developments where the social and virtual media been facing flagrant attacks on their rights and free- have become widely influential. He expressed satis- doms. He condemned criminal acts carried out by faction at the current status of the national media the Zionist forces against the Palestinians, their noting its role in the execution of Kuwait develop- lands and sanctities. The State of Kuwait, he has ment vision 2035. —KUNA affirmed, has put all possible efforts at disposal of

KUWAIT: Kuwait National Guard’s Deputy Chief Lt Gen Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Eid Al-Fitr greetings from top KNG officials and personnel yesterday. International TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021 ‘I want to study’: Lebanese crisis cancels UK confident existing vaccines protect against Indian variant Page 7 school for many Page 6

TEL AVIV: Palestinian residents of the coastal city of Jaffa near Tel Aviv, take part in a rally as Palestinians mark the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba, the “catastrophe” of the Jewish state’s creation in 1948. —AFP In Jaffa, Arabs face eviction threat Jaffa housing battles shed light on Arab-Jewish unrest TEL AVIV: Supermarket cashier Israa Jarbou has to an unnamed suspect’s arrest yesterday. Fearful “There’s no legitimacy for any type of violence, and dent doesn’t want to, then onward,” she said. Amir missed a week of work for fear of getting attacked by Muslim neighbors were quick to take down their this violence was extreme,” Schendowich said. He said Badran, a Jaffa native and a member of Tel Aviv’s city Jews on the bus out of Jaffa, a mixed Arab-Jewish Ramadan decorations. The root causes for the latest his partially state-funded organization aims to council, said most Amidar tenants in Jaffa today are quarter of Tel Aviv. spasm of violence go back decades. In Jaffa, an assault “strengthen” Jaffa’s Jewish community. He and the rab- Arab, and more than a third face an eviction threat. “They’ll see I’m religious,” said the 27-year-old, last month gave an early warning of long-simmering bi, Eliyahu Mali, are affiliated with Zionist entity’s West Amidar “ignores the fact that these properties are who wears the Muslim hijab head covering. “There is tensions over land and property rights. Bank settlement movement. Jaffa, Schendowich said, originally Palestinian ... and ignores the fact that Arabs no security.” Living nearby, Jewish seminary student “is not by definition an Arab city. “There’s definite- cannot afford to buy these properties,” he said. David Shvets, 24, voiced similar fears, saying local ‘They want to throw us out’ ly an Arab population here, and the Arab popula- Arabs had pelted him with stones and that a nearby Israa Jarbou shares a cramped public housing tion here is welcome, but the Jewish community Olive branches synagogue was torched. apartment with nine others including her husband, here is a thriving Jewish community.” Etaf Jarbou said she gets along with most of her “We now go in a large group with a police escort to their two children and her mother-in-law Etaf, 57. Jewish neighbors. Arabs in Jaffa typically speak Arabic get home at night ... in the heart of the Jewish state!” he Outside, where their chickens roam, they have seen ‘We’ve had it’ peppered with Hebrew, and often study and work in said incredulously, describing the situation as a “jun- vast changes in recent years. Low-income Arab neigh- Arabs’ grievances in Jaffa, as elsewhere, stem from Jewish society. Many are at pains to restore harmony. gle”. Hostility has gripped usually quiet mixed commu- bors are getting evicted as the housing blocks give Zionist entity’s founding in 1948, said local filmmaker Hundreds of Jaffa residents, Arab and Jewish, on nities of Jews and Arabs since the start of a full-blown way to luxury apartments that mostly rich Jews can Tony Copti. “For Arab Palestinians it was the capital of Sunday protested Zionist policy and called for peace- military escalation a week ago after Zionist army esca- afford. The Jarbous, too, face an eviction threat from education, of theatre, of cinema, schools and newspa- ful coexistence. Some held olive branches, even as lated attacks on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. the state public housing company Amidar, which pers,” he said. “It was a country unto itself.” others aired grievances. The most intense fighting since 2014 was sparked ordered them to move out in 2018, citing unpaid rent. Of the more than 70,000 Arab residents then, all “Arabs for the last three Gaza wars we didn’t do by unrest in Jerusalem, where Zionist riot police Lawyer Saar Amit said he got that eviction can- but 3,000 fled or were expelled, according to anything,” said Muhammad Mansour, 34, an Arab stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and clashed with celled and has requested the company allow the family Zochrot, a Zionist group that documents Palestinian engineer at the demonstration. “But now with the dis- Palestinian worshippers. Violence has flared nation- to stay, or to pay reduced rent in another, citing Etaf communities erased at the Jewish state’s founding. In crimination, we’ve had it up to here. It’s not only wide between Jews and Arabs, a 20 percent minori- Jarbou’s poor health and meager income. Amidar has Jaffa, the state seized Arabs’ homes, subdivided them about Al-Aqsa.” The local battle over housing has ty. Synagogues, mosques, graveyards, a theatre and not yet replied. and assigned apartments to impoverished Jewish and cemented solidarity with Palestinians across the restaurants have been targeted, and at least one man “They want to throw us out of our home,” said Etaf Arab residents, who paid a symbolic low rent as “pro- blockaded Gaza Strip, occupied West Bank and has died. Jarbou, who claims the two Jewish men came to her tected tenants”. annexed east Jerusalem. Now, in the Mediterranean seaside community of house. “And then they say there’s violence. But they’re But change came in the 1980s, when Amidar began Etaf Jarbou highlighted a dispute in east Jerusalem’s Jaffa, with its trendy bars and hummus restaurants, committing violence against us.” selling its properties across the Jewish statew, offering Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, where Zionist settlers are mounted police enforce nightly road closures, and offi- Moshe Schendowich, head of the Meirim Beyafo protected tenants a chance to buy their homes at a attempting to expel Palestinians from homes on land cers with assault rifles patrol sidewalks. seminary, said he and the seminary’s rabbi were discount. About 800 Amidar apartments in Jaffa are that Jews owned before 1948. “East Jerusalem breaks A 12-year-old Muslim boy was hospitalized after a inspecting property for building student housing when saleable, Amidar spokeswoman Shani told AFP. my heart,” she said. “And it’s not just there. It’s here. firebomb was thrown into his home, an attack that led the two men slapped, beat and kicked them. “The goal is to sell to the resident and, if the resi- They don’t want Arabs here.” —AFP

providers.” It added that a flight from Abu Etihad Airways Dhabi to Tel Aviv on May 19 had been can- celled. On Thursday the Zionist airports UN food agency steps authority said it was diverting all passenger suspends flights flights to Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv to up help for Gazans Ramon airport near the southern resort city of Eilat amid rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. ROME: The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said yes- to Zionist state The escalating conflict between the Jewish terday it was providing emergency assistance for more than state and the Palestinians prompted several 51,000 people in northern Gaza and appealed for $46 mil- ABU DHABI: The UAE’s national carrier airlines to suspend services to the Jewish Etihad Airways announced yesterday it was lion for its work in the region. Zionist air strikes hammered state last week, including KLM, Lufthansa, temporarily suspending flights to Zionist land the Gaza Strip yesterday after a week of violence that has Aeroflot and several US airlines. where the main airport near Tel Aviv has come killed more than 200 people, the large majority Palestinian, Etihad Airways began flying to Ben Gurion under rocket fire from Gaza. despite international calls for de-escalation. in April, with two flights a week. Meanwhile, The United Arab Emirates normalized ties “For people who have lost or fled their homes, one of the Dubai’s Emirates airline and budget carrier fly- with Zionist entity last year in a US-brokered most pressing needs at the moment is food,” said WFP dubai, have not announced any changes to deal, making it the third Arab nation to do so country director Samer AbdelJaber in a statement issued by GAZA CITY: Palestinian families walk with some of their belong- their schedules. Yesterday, Zionist air strikes after Egypt and Jordan. Bahrain, Morocco the Rome-based agency. “The quickest and most effective ings through Rafah to take shelter at a United Nations (UN) school continued to hammer the Gaza Strip after a and Sudan subsequently followed suit. way we can provide support is with cash, in the form of e- in the southern Gaza Strip city yesterday. —AFP week of violence that has killed more than 200 “Etihad Airways has temporarily suspended vouchers.” people, the large majority Palestinian. In total, passenger services to Tel Aviv in response to He said many shops were open and food was currently 197 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, The WFP said it supporting the coordination of humani- the ongoing conflict,” the Abu Dhabi-based including at least 58 children, and more than available in the crowded Palestinian enclave but warned the tarian cargo that may need to enter the area if borders stay carrier said in a statement. 1,200 wounded since occupation forces closure of crossings into Gaza “may soon cause a dearth of closed. “People in Gaza have already been living on the “Etihad is monitoring the situation and launched its air campaign against Hamas on commodities, including food, and push up food prices”. edge and many families struggle to put food on the table,” continues to maintain close contact with May 10 after the group fired rockets. —AFP Prices of fresh produce are already rising as farmers are added WFP Middle East and North Africa director Corinne authorities and security intelligence unable to reach their land, the UN agency said. Fleischer. —AFP

Humanitarian Law by the Zionist regime as well as a con- Cuba condemns tinuation of the colonization and occupation of the Arab and Palestinian territories with the connivance and impunity guaranteed by the United States, which has pre- criminal aggression vented the UN Security Council from taking action. Cuba strongly calls on the international community, all States, the United Nations, particularly its Security against Palestinians Council, to demand the immediate cessation of Zionist aggression. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba of Cuba reaffirms its unswerving support to a comprehen- condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack on sive, just and lasting solution to the Zionist-Palestinian con- the Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem and the indis- flict based on the creation of two States, which would make criminate bombings against the Palestinian people living in it possible for the Palestinian people to exercise the right to the Gaza Strip by occupation forces, which have caused free determination and have an independent and sovereign more than one hundred deadly casualties, the destruction State based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem of infrastructure and heavy economic damage. as its capital, and ensure the right of return of refugees. These attacks are a new serious and flagrant violation Note: Declaration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of of the UN Charter, International Law and International the Republic of Cuba 6 Established 1961 International Tuesday, May 18, 2021 ‘I want to study’: Lebanese crisis cancels school for many 1.2 million children in Lebanon have been out of school

BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon: In a camp for Syrian refugees coronavirus outbreak began last year, the UK-based in east Lebanon, Mohammad and his three sisters fear charity Save the Children says. It warned last month that a they will be out of school for a third consecutive year large number of children may never get back into a class- because remote learning is out of reach. “Look at my room, either because they have already missed so much phone. How do you expect my son to study on it?” asked school or because their families can’t afford to enrol them. his father Abdel Nasser, sitting cross-legged inside the “Education for thousands of children in Lebanon is hang- family’s tent in the Bekaa Valley. “The screen is cracked... ing by a thread,” it said. and I have no internet.” Lebanon’s economic crisis is at its worst since the Eleven-year-old Mohammad and his siblings are 1975-1990 civil war, with more than half the local popu- among tens of thousands of Syrian, Lebanese and lation now living in poverty. Poverty rates are even high- Palestinian children who have been left for months without er among Syrians, with 90 percent of families barely schooling due to coronavirus restrictions. An accelerating able to survive. Lisa Abou Khaled of the United Nations economic crisis means they may never return to school in refugee agency (UNHCR) says this is impacting educa- what rights groups are calling an “education catastrophe”, tion. “Some Syrian children have had to give up their especially affecting refugees who already struggled to studies to work and help their families,” she told AFP. access learning before the pandemic. “We can’t afford to Citing data from Lebanon’s education ministry, she said buy a cellphone for everyone. We must first be able to 25,000 Syrian students should have re-enrolled or feed our children,” said their mother Shamaa. entered grade one in 2020-2021 but did not. “We think Mohammad arrived in Lebanon from Syria in 2012 — the real number is higher than that,” she added, estimat- a year into an ongoing conflict that has killed 388,000 ing that more than half of Syrian school-aged children people and displaced millions. But he wasn’t enrolled in were currently out of the classroom. school until 2019 because Lebanon’s public school sys- tem didn’t open its doors to Syrian refugees until 2013, ‘Disgusted’ and even then only to a limited number. Mohammad’s The education catastrophe is also real for the tens of first school year coincided with the COVID-19 pandem- thousands of Lebanese who have lost jobs or seen their ic, which brought all classes to a halt by the second term. income slashed since the economic crisis accelerated in “He doesn’t even know how to multiply one by one,” his 2019. Inside a cramped apartment in the eastern Beirut father said. suburb of Burj Hammoud, 11-year-old Pamela points to a BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon: Syrian refugees Amal (left), Hind (center) and Sarah, can’t hold their tears keyboard-the only thing that remains from a desktop as they tell their story to an AFP journalist inside his family’s tent at a refugees camp in the area of ‘Hanging by a thread’ computer destroyed during last summer’s huge Beirut Tebrol in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa valley. —AFP Mohammad’s older sisters Hind, Sarah and Amal-aged port explosion. The August 4 blast, which killed more than 12 to 14 — had already been in school for four years when 200 people and destroyed swaths of the capital, hit the education ministry in March 2020 said it was shifting Pamela’s home and piled new misery on a family already Pamela said. As she has impaired vision, a small screen of-work taxi driver, said he had wanted Pamela to drop to online learning. “I was happy before,” 14-year-old Amal brought to its knees by the financial downturn. The family was already a nuisance. But then power outages lasting out months ago. “I don’t give a damn about education or said, sobbing. “I was studying Arabic, English, science and couldn’t afford to buy a replacement as it had become far up to 18 hours a day also left her struggling to keep her this country,” he said. But Pamela hasn’t entirely aban- geography. “But now my parents can’t afford to give me too expensive due to the rapid devaluation of the phone alive and connected to the internet. She decided doned hopes of returning to school. “I want to study so an online education.” More than 1.2 million children in Lebanese pound. to drop out. “I was disgusted with online education, I that I can get a decent job later and be able to help my Lebanon have been out of school since the country’s “So I started to follow lessons on my cellphone,” couldn’t take it anymore,” she said. Her father, an out- parents.”—AFP

specializes in freedom of speech and Russian court treason cases. The lawyers said it was not clear why defers Navalny yesterday’s hearing was held behind Wife of Belgian envoy closed doors. The Kommersant business daily yesterday cited a source saying the to Seoul invokes extremism case secrecy was because some of the case files contained personal information of immunity over assault MOSCOW: A Russian court yesterday police involved in dispersing opposition postponed the first hearing in the protests. But key Navalny ally Ivan SEOUL: The wife of Belgium’s ambassador to South “extremism” case against the political Zhdanov said on Twitter that the case Korea will exercise her diplomatic immunity to avoid network of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei materials were kept secret so that criminal charges on accusations she hit two boutique Navalny, part of a campaign to outlaw the “nobody could see the absurdity of what staff in the head in a row over shoplifting, police said opposition to President Vladimir Putin. As was happening”. yesterday. Ambassador Peter Lescouhier has previ- the hearing got underway behind closed doors, the prosecution submitted addi- ‘Opposition will be crushed’ ously said that he “sincerely regrets the incident MOSCOW: Lawyers Ivan Pavlov (center) and Ilya Novikov (second left) involving his wife”, adding that he “wants to apolo- tional documents and the proceedings Prosecutors in April requested that speak to the media outside the Moscow City Court yesterday, after the gize on her behalf”. The Belgium embassy “has were postponed until June 9, according Navalny’s regional network and his Anti- hearing of an extremism case against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s expressed it would maintain the right of immunity for to lawyers representing Navalny’s net- Corruption Foundation be designated Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) was postponed. —AFP the ambassador’s wife”, said a detective at Yongsan work. The case is part of a sweeping “extremist” organizations, accusing them police station in central Seoul, adding that police crackdown on Putin’s most prominent of plotting to stage a Western-backed would not pursue the case. critic and his supporters after Navalny uprising in Russia. Such a court ruling the opposition, they are destroying their Navalny was not allowed to run against South Korea is a signatory to the Vienna barely survived a poisoning with the would put Navalny and his supporters own legitimacy,” Gallyamov said, referring Putin in a presidential election in 2018, Convention, which gives accredited diplomats and Novichok nerve agent last summer. As and financial backers on par with mem- to Russian authorities. Navalny emerged as authorities had for years tolerated his their families immunity from criminal prosecution. part of the effort-which comes a few bers of the Islamic State group and Al- a top leader of Russia’s opposition move- political movement, which relies on dona- Officers questioned the woman earlier this month months before parliamentary elections- Qaeda and threaten them with long ment a decade ago, leading huge anti- tions from supporters. But analysts say after the embassy said she would cooperate with the lower house is set on Tuesday to prison sentences. Kremlin rallies sparked by claims of elec- the Kremlin is willing to take no chances police. Reports say the envoy’s wife tried on clothes begin debating a bill banning members of “The opposition will be crushed,” Abbas toral fraud in 2011. ahead of parliamentary elections in in a Seoul store before walking out, prompting an “extremist” organizations from being Gallyamov, an independent political analyst Established in 2011, the Anti- September as public fatigue is growing assistant to run after her to ask about an item she was elected lawmakers. Navalny’s network is and former Kremlin speechwriter, told AFP, Corruption Foundation has published with Putin’s two-decade rule and the wearing and triggering the confrontation. CCTV being represented by lawyers of Team warning that the official ban on dissent numerous investigations into the lavish coronavirus pandemic exacerbates eco- camera footage showed her pulling at one employee’s 29, a Saint Petersburg-based group that would eventually backfire. “By destroying lifestyles of Russia’s elite. Even though nomic woes. —AFP arm and hitting her in the head, before slapping another worker who tried to intervene across the upheld the results of Samoa’s April 9 general election, tion officials then awarded face. The footage-provided by the family of an ordering that parliament convene and plans for a sec- the HRPP an extra seat, alleged victim-was widely reported by local media Samoa opposition ond ballot this Friday be scrapped. saying it was needed to and circulated online and turned public opinion It also struck down the election of a government meet a constitutional sharply against the ambassador’s family. claims election win lawmaker, giving FAST a one-seat majority over the requirement setting out the The Belgian embassy issued the ambassador’s incumbent Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), minimum quota of women apology in a bilingual Facebook post as it sought to which until last month’s vote had ruled Samoa virtually in parliament. As the con- contain the damage, but its Korean translation sound- after court ruling unchallenged for almost four decades. The decision stitutional crisis dragged ed heavy-handed, further souring some reactions. leaves the nation of 220,000 on the brink of a seismic on, officials called another Public anger heightened in response to the use of APIA, Samoa: Samoa’s opposition claimed victory in an political shift unthinkable when FAST formed in July election for May 21, diplomatic immunity, with more than 1,000 largely election standoff yesterday after court rulings backed last year. The party said the Supreme Court’s unani- prompting the opposition negative comments posted on one online report. “I its bid to form a new government and install Fiame mous verdict gave it the majority to form the govern- to claim the government understand diplomats are given immunity but why are Naomi Mata’afa as the Pacific island nation’s first ment. “Glory to our Father! Now its time to get to was trying to retain power Fiame Naomi Mata’afa their families given such rights too?” asked one poster woman prime minister. Hundreds of FAST Party sup- work,” it said on Facebook. through “trickery”. on Naver, the country’s largest portal. “This incident porters sang hymns and cheered outside the Supreme Samoa gained independence in 1962 after nearly 50 should not pass by without consequences.”—AFP Court in Apia after two vital decisions went in favor of the fledgling opposition group led by Mata’afa. “It’s a ‘Feels significant’ years as a New Zealand protectorate and the HRPP has day to give thanks to God and to all of you for having New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said been in power since 1982, apart from a brief coalition the heart for this country,” she said. the judicial process should be allowed to run its course period in 1986-87. FAST leader Mata’afa is the daugh- “This is not about you or me, this is about the future but the election of Mata’afa in Samoa would be a “his- ter of the independent nation’s first prime minister and Swiss anti-terror of Samoa and protecting our inheritance of our ances- toric decision”. “Obviously we’ve seen some decisions is seen as a pioneering feminist in the conservative, tors. We were almost too late, it was nearly taken today which could be deemed the final outcome. “It staunchly religious nation. She was previously with the law sparks rights forcefully from us.” Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele feels significant to me, having been a member of the HRPP and served as Malielegaoi’s deputy until they fell Malielegaoi said he would appeal the rulings, which Pacific Islands Forum... it’s certainly a meaningful thing out last year over a suite of controversial laws intro- threaten to end his 22-year tenure in the top job. when you see a historic decision made when an office duced by the government to control the judiciary. She debate, referendum “There are major reasons for an appeal to be lodged. is held by a woman.” After the election, FAST won sup- is recognized on the global stage as a leading voice in These are mechanisms of the judiciary in the pursuit of port from an independent lawmaker to gain 26 seats, the fight for gender equality and is also outspoken on GENEVA: From the UN to Amnesty, fears abound that a justice,” he said in a televised address. The court which it believed gave the party a majority. But elec- the issue of climate change. —AFP new Swiss anti-terror law, which grants sweeping new powers to police to prevent future attacks, threatens Switzerland’s heritage as a human rights leader. Shocked Matiok told AFP, adding that seven others were Security Council passed a resolution prolonging by the deadly terror attacks in neighboring France in 12 killed in Sudan hospitalized with serious injuries. “Abyei until November 15 the UNISFA peacekeeping 2015, Bern produced a new law allowing police to take Administration and the entire people of Abyei mission, after Sudan and South Sudan failed to preventative action more easily when faced with a border region condemn in the strongest terms possible this bru- reach an agreement on the disputed territory. “potential terrorist”. The law, which received a parlia- tal, barbaric and cowardly attack and killing of UNISFA is around 4,000 strong and consists innocent people.” mostly of Ethiopian troops, and was deployed in mentary stamp of approval last year, would apply to a JUBA, South Sudan: Twelve civilians have been Matiok said the same herdsmen-who have been 2011 after deadly clashes displaced some 100,000 few dozen current cases, according to federal police. killed in a contested oil-rich border region implicated by the UN in past atrocities-were people. The Security Council has ordered that Switzerland has thus far been spared the large-scale claimed by Sudan and South Sudan in what local responsible for a separate incident Friday where Abyei remain demilitarized from any forces, attacks seen among its European neighbors. The government officials said yesterday was a mas- an elderly man was killed and another injured. AFP including armed elements of local communities. authorities nonetheless insist the threat level is high, sacre by nomadic herdsmen. The attack took has sought comment from Sudanese authorities. A But there have long been tensions between the and have said two knife attacks in the country last year place early Sunday at a village some 64 kilome- spokesman for the United Nations Interim South Sudanese Ngok Dinka community and the likely had “terrorist motivation”. But rights advocates ters (40 miles) east of the main town in Abyei, a Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA), which Misseriya herders, nomads who traverse the area and left-leaning politicians have voiced outrage over disputed region under UN protection since South deployed to the region in 2011, put the death toll looking for grazing. the law’s potential to trample on the rights of innocent Sudan gained independence in 2011. from Sunday’s attack at 11 and said a formal inves- UNISFA has initiated peace talks between the people. The text “raises questions about the credibility Kon Manyiet Matiok, the deputy chief adminis- tigation had been launched. two groups but civilian killings are not uncommon. of Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition,” Alicia Giraudel, trator of the Abyei Administrative Area, said “Of course our troops, immediately on hearing In April 2020, UNISFA said the Misseriya were a lawyer with Amnesty International’s Swiss chapter, armed Misseriya herders from Sudan stormed the the report, went to the scene but unfortunately the behind a bloody raid on a village that left four told AFP. And, she warned, it “could also open the way village of the Dunguob before dawn. “They attackers already left the place,” UNISFA people dead and dwellings in ashes. In January internationally to security-focused policies that attacked the area from three different directions, spokesman Daniel Adekera told AFP, adding no that same year, at least 19 people were killed in become punitive instruments applied to people who and the result was the killing of 12 people,” have committed no crime.” —AFP arrests had so far been made. This month the UN another attack blamed on the herdsmen. —AFP Established 1961 7 International Tuesday, May 18, 2021 UK confident existing vaccines protect against Indian variant 20m adults vaccinated with two doses of coronavirus jab in Britain

LONDON: Britain is confident that existing vac- the unvaccinated groups” and because of this the cines will provide protection from a more transmis- government “need to get as many people vaccinat- sible Indian coronavirus variant now spreading ed as possible”. across the country, Heath Secretary Matt Hancock The health secretary defended the government said on Sunday. And hours later, he was able to from criticism that it had been too slow to impose announce that the country had passed the mile- travel restrictions on India in the face of the new stone of 20 million adults vaccinated with two dos- variant. It was “completely wrong”, he said, to sug- es of the coronavirus jab. gest the UK could have acted faster to designate The news came just before England, Scotland India as a “red list” country meaning arriving trav- and Wales were unlocking parts of their economy ellers would have to quarantine in hotels. yesterday. But further steps to open up the country India was placed under the strict travel restric- again have been put in doubt by the Indian strain. tions in April before the variant was under investi- Hancock told Sky News the government had a gation, he said. He also rebuffed any suggestion “high degree of confidence” that vaccines would that any delay in acting had been influenced by a stand up to the B1.617.2 variant, following new pre- planned trip by Johnson in April to assist in post- liminary data from Oxford University. “That means Brexit trade talks. that we can stay on course with our strategy of “We take these decisions based on the evi- using the vaccine to deal with the pandemic,” he dence,” he said. Johnson’s visit was eventually said. Britain, one of the worst-hit countries in the scrapped because of surging COVID cases in India. world with over 127,000 deaths, has also seen a Indoor hospitality and indoor entertainment such rapid deployment of vaccines. as cinemas, museums and sports venues are to According to government data the case numbers open their doors in most parts of the UK for the of the Indian variant have risen from 520 to 1,313 first time in months yesterday. this week. In the face of the rising cases centered Under the new measures, people and families around the northern towns of Bolton and will also be able to meet in private houses with Blackburn, Prime Minister Boris Johnson some restrictions still in place, and limited interna- announced on Friday that second doses of vaccines tional travel will be permitted. BOLTON: Members of the public queue to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary vaccination cen- would be accelerated for over-50s and the clinical- The government and experts have sounded a tre at the Essa academy in Bolton, northwest England yesterday. —AFP ly vulnerable. note of caution over plans to completely lift restric- tions on June 21. Hancock said if the Indian variant high degree of confidence that the vaccine will Customers tucked in to sandwiches at ‘Spread like wildfire’ was 50 percent more transmissible than the so- overcome,” Hancock said. Barbarellas, a traditional family-run “greasy Hancock said the “vast majority” of people in called Kent or British strain that forced the UK into From pints indoors to cinema screenings and spoon” cafe near Waterloo station, central hospital in Bolton with the new variant had been a January lockdown “then we will have a problem”. hugs with loved ones, most of Britain yesterday London. Visitors also returned to cinemas, gal- eligible for vaccination but had not come forward. “We’re in a race between the vaccination pro- saw a significant easing of coronavirus restric- leries, museums and theatres, while fitness class- He warned because of the high transmission of the gram and the virus, and this new variant has given tions, despite new fears over a more transmissible es resumed and sports venues opened their Indian variant it could “spread like wildfire amongst the virus some extra legs in that race, but we have a Indian variant. doors for the first time in months. —AFP

‘Ripped apart’ How conspiracy “My mother has gone full QAnon. I have baby- News in brief stepped around the issue, but it’s gotten out of hand,” said one user. “My family has been ripped Algeria to reopen borders theories wreck lives apart by Q insanity,” posted another. “I can’t talk to my two younger brothers at all because they’re lit- ALGIERS: Algeria announced it plans to resume PARIS: Suddenly a loved one becomes a stranger. erally obsessed with Q and adjacent nonsense international flights from June 1 following a more A dad, a mom or a friend lost to a parallel world about vaccines, the election, etc..” The movement than year-long closure of its borders to curb the spread of COVID-19. “The council of ministers made up of conspiracy theories and dangerous fan- takes its name from “Q”, believed to be a former US senior official close to Trump who posted cryptic approved proposals for a partial reopening of tasies destroying couples and families. Some call Algeria’s land and air borders at the start of June,” messages alluding to conspiracies on social media. conspiracy theories the evil of the century. Others the presidency said in a statement after a cabinet say they are a reflection of a world starved of People with conspiracy believers in their lives meeting. It said the opening would start with “a plan meaning. Either way, they are spreading fast on the are often reluctant to come forward, feeling for five daily flights from and to Algiers, Constantine internet, with very real consequences offline. ashamed at an uncle who believes that the Earth is VIENNA: In this file photo taken on January 16, 2021, a and Oran airports” from June 1. Algeria has kept its A forum on the US website Reddit offers a flat (a “flat-earther”), or a husband who threatens borders closed since March 17, 2020. It had organ- to disown his children if they wear facemasks to demonstrator holds a QAnon flag and a poster reading glimpse into conspiracy distress. QAnon Casualties, ‘Freedom’ during a protest against the novel coron- ized flights home for its nationals abroad although protect against COVID-19. launched in 2019, counts more than 150,000 mem- avirus (COVID-19) restrictions at the Maria Theresien they were also suspended earlier this year. —AFP bers whose loved ones believe in QAnon, an A French retired teacher, who identified himself Platz in Vienna, Austria. —AFP extremist movement claiming that former US presi- only as Yves, said he was stunned when an old dent Donald Trump has been leading a secret war friend posted “the pandemic is bogus” in a 100 migrants swim to Ceuta enclave against Satan-worshipping paedophiles. The visi- WhatsApp group. Yves told AFP he’d known the become a focal point. bility of QAnon — which has never produced proof man for 50 years “and we’ve often had lively “Conspiracy theories offer an explanatory soft- MADRID: About 100 migrants, some using inflat- for its claims-got a boost when some of the move- debates, but never, never have our views of reality ware that designates the heroes and the villains,” she able rings, swam to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta ment’s members were in the crowd that attacked been this far apart”. said. “That’s a big part of their success.” French book- from neighboring Morocco early yesterday, Spanish the US Capitol in January. Conspiracy theories usually spread when peo- seller Paul-not his real name-still finds it hard to come authorities said. The migrants set off from beaches The Reddit forum’s members offer each other ple feel that they are being lied to, said Marie to terms with how his mother, fearful of a second south of Ceuta and were detained when they support for dealing with people close to them who Peltier, an author and expert in the field. She said coronavirus lockdown, left her home late last summer entered the tiny Spanish territory, a spokesman for the Guardia Civil police force said. They were most- subscribe to outlandish claims, with hostility the 9/11 attacks in 2001 were instrumental for to join a man who had bought an entire village in ly young men but among them were also children towards COVID-19 vaccinations now high on the contemporary conspiracy theories, amplified by Bulgaria to house a community of French people social media, while more recently Covid-19 had and some women, according to a spokesman for the list of topics. wishing to escape restrictions at home. —AFP Spanish government delegation in Ceuta. Some used inflatable swimming rings while others used rubber waters, the rising temperatures are causing intense dinghies, he said. —AFP Cyclones in Arabian storms to become more common, experts say. “Now what is happening-the Arabian Sea temperatures, the ocean’s surface temperatures-are warming rapidly,” cli- Thailand virus cases soar Sea: Why are mate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology told AFP. Rising sea levels BANGKOK: Thailand reported a new daily high of could also boost storm surges from cyclones, making nearly 10,000 coronavirus cases yesterday, more they increasing? them even more deadly and destructive. than two-thirds of them in prisons, as the kingdom battles its third wave of the pandemic. The king- NEW DELHI: A powerful cyclonic system, Tauktae, Why are there more in the Arabian Sea? dom’s Covid-19 task force reported 9,635 new cas- was expected to make landfall in the Indian state of Scientists say historically, the Arabian Sea averaged es, 6,853 of which were among prisoners. Nearly Gujarat late yesterday after barreling up the Arabian two or three cyclones, that were typically weak, in a half of 24,000 inmates tested at eight prisons, Sea in the Indian Ocean. It is the equivalent of a year. The Arabian Sea also previously experienced mainly in Bangkok and its suburbs, including sever- Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic and East Pacific fewer severe cyclones than the Bay of Bengal off al where prominent democracy activists have been Ocean basins and reports say it could be the biggest to India’s eastern coast. But rising water temperatures detained, were found to have the virus. Until last hit western India in three decades. MUMBAI: Waves lash over onto a shoreline in Mumbai because of global warming is changing that, they said. month, the kingdom had kept coronavirus infec- Here are several facts on why stronger cyclones are yesterday as Cyclone Tauktae, packing ferocious This is the first time since the start of satellite records tions low, through draconian restrictions on people developing in the region. winds and threatening a destructive storm, surge bore entering the country and swift action to isolate in 1980 in India that there have been four consecutive down on India, disrupting the country’s response to its years of pre-monsoon cyclones in the Arabian Sea. confirmed. —AFP What is a tropical cyclone? devastating COVID-19 outbreak. —AFP “One of the reasons that we are seeing more and Cyclones are low-pressure systems that form over more storms and cyclones in the tropical regions, warm tropical waters, with gale-force winds near the especially regions like Arabian Sea and all, is because Catalan parties agree to form govt center. The winds can extend hundreds of kilometers al meters higher than the normal tide level. The large of ocean warming, rapid ocean warming,” Koll said. (miles) from the eye of the storm. Sucking up vast swells move faster than the cyclone and are sometimes “The Arabian Sea is one of the fastest warming BARCELONA: Catalonia’s two main separatist par- quantities of water, they often produce torrential rains spotted up to 1,000 kilometers ahead of a major storm. basins across the global oceans.” Cyclones have been ties said yesterday they had reached an agreement and flooding resulting in major loss of life and property The surge can extend for dozens of kilometers relatively rare in Gujarat, but they can be destructive on forming a new coalition government, more than damage. They are also known as hurricanes or inland, overwhelming homes and making roads impass- and dangerous. The worst was in 1998 when more than two months since a regional election. The wealthy typhoons, depending on where they originate in the able. A storm surge is shaped by a number of different 4,000 people died. northeastern region of Spain has since 2015 been world, when they reach sustained winds of at least 119 factors, including storm intensity, forward speed, the governed by a coalition made up of the leftist ERC kilometers per hour (74 miles per hour). size of a storm and the angle of approach to the coast. What else is making them more deadly? and the more hardline “Together for Catalonia”. In a Tropical cyclones (hurricanes) are the most power- The underlying features of the land at the coast, Cyclones can unleash catastrophic storm surges- joint statement, the two parties said they had ful weather events on Earth, according to NASA. including bays and estuaries, are also at play. In pre- tsunami-like flooding-when they make landfall. They vious storms, people failed to flee because they did reached an “agreement in principle” to form a new can be the deadliest part of a cyclone and are only coalition and “avoid new elections” which will likely Why is climate change fuelling them? not grasp the surge’s deadly threat. That was the case partially affected by wind speeds. be headed by the ERC this time around as it got one Ocean soak up more than 90 percent of the heat for 2013’s Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,350 The term “storm surge” refers to rising seas more seat than JxC in the February 14 polls. — AFP generated by greenhouse gases, leading to rising water dead or missing in the central Philippines, primarily whipped up by a storm, creating a wall of water sever- temperatures. As cyclones draw their energy from warm due to the surge. —AFP Colombia may talk to protesters Both governments have been tightening restrictions detected in India, “appears to affect children more”. Singapore shuts to fight a recent rise in cases, after remaining relatively “Some of these mutations are much more virulent and BOGOTA: The Colombian government said Sunday unscathed during the pandemic compared with the rest they seem to attack the younger children,” Education it would consider protesters’ demands to “guarantee of the world. Authorities in Singapore said Sunday that Minister Chan Chun Sing said. the right to protest” as a condition for negotiations schools, Taiwan primary and secondary schools as well as junior col- “This is an area of concern for all of us,” he said, after 19 days of bloody demonstrations against leges would shift to full home-based learning from adding that none of the infected children was seriously President Ivan Duque. Triggered by a now-aban- bars foreigners Wednesday until the end of the school term on May 28. ill. The government is “working out the plans” to vacci- doned tax reform plan, the nationwide demonstra- The announcement came after Singapore confirmed nate students under the age of 16, Chan said in a tions have drawn thousands of pandemic-weary Colombians to the streets, venting their anger over 38 locally transmitted coronavirus cases, the highest Facebook post. SINGAPORE: Singapore will close schools from poverty, yawning inequality and the government’s tomorrow as authorities warned new coronavirus daily count in eight months. Some of the cases involved Taiwan’s capital Taipei and adjacent New Taipei harsh response to the protesters. Spokespersons for strains such as the one first detected in India were children linked to a cluster at a tuition center. An addi- City announced Monday that schools would suspend the government and the most visible protester affecting more children. Taiwan also shut schools in the tional 21 local transmissions were reported yesterday. classes from today until May 28. The island emerged organization met in Bogota for the second time since capital Taipei to control an outbreak, and the island Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, citing a conversation relatively unharmed by Covid-19 last year, but it the protests erupted on April 28. — AFP banned all foreigners from entry or transit for a month he had with the ministry’s director of medical services announced a further 333 local cases yesterday, bringing unless they had a residency card. Kenneth Mak, said Sunday that the B.1.617 strain, first the total to just over 2,000. —AFP Established 1961

TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021 Macron hosts summit to bolster Sudan’s post-Bashir recovery French government promises to lend $1.5 billion to Sudan

PARIS: The French government promised yesterday summit aims to unite the international community to lend $1.5 billion to Sudan to help it pay off its mas- around helping Sudan, in particular addressing its vast sive foreign debt, kicking off an international summit debt pile. aimed at helping the aspiring democracy emerge from Hamdok told AFP ahead of the meeting that he decades of authoritarian rule. hopes Sudan can secure relief and investment deals at The conference hosted by President Emmanuel the Paris conference. Sudan’s debts to the Paris Club, Macron aims to provide financing breathing room for which includes major creditor countries, is estimated Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok as he pursues to make up around 38 percent of its total foreign debt. economic reforms while paying off a foreign debt bill “We are going to the Paris conference to let for- of $60 billion. “Rebuilding an attractive and resilient eign investors explore the opportunities for investing market takes time, but today, I hope we will convince in Sudan,” Hamdok said. “We are not looking for private investors that the fundamentals for business grants or donations.” are fully there,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said ahead of the summit. Africa summit “President Macron will confirm later today that Sudan was taken off Washington’s blacklist of state France will provide the $1.5 billion bridge loan to clear sponsors of terrorism in December, removing a major Sudan’s arrears to the IMF,” he said. Several heads of hurdle to foreign investment. But many challenges state are in Paris to also discuss investment in Sudan, persist. Also attending will be President Sahle-Work as is International Monetary Fund director Kristalina Zewde of Ethiopia, whose country has been locked in Georgieva, along with top European diplomats includ- a long dispute with Sudan over water resources that ing EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. PARIS: France’s President Emmanuel Macron (right) welcomes Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi upon his has sometimes threatened to erupt into open conflict. Hamdok is pushing to rebuild and reform a crip- arrival for an international conference on Sudan which aims to provide financing breathing room for its Prime Africa has so far been less badly hit by the pled economy and end Sudan’s international isolation Minister as he pursues economic reforms in Paris yesterday. — AFP COVID-19 pandemic than other global regions-with a under former strongman Omar Al-Bashir, whose three total of 130,000 dead across the continent. But the decades of rule were marked by economic hardship Among those attending both meetings will be lence and support Egypt’s mediation attempts,” an economic cost is only too apparent, and Tuesday’s and international sanctions. Yesterday, a Paris summit Rwandan President Paul Kagame in a rare visit to official at the Elysee Palace said. Africa summit will focus on making up the shortfall in on African economies will try to fill a financing short- France as Paris presses for reconciliation with Kigali the funds needed for future development-a financial fall of almost $300 billion caused by the COVID-19 after a historic report made clear French failings over ‘Explore opportunities’ gap estimated by the IMF to amount to $290 billion pandemic. the 1994 genocide. Also attending is Egyptian France wants the Sudan summit to send a signal of up to 2023. Around two dozen African leaders from Both meetings, held in a temporary exhibition cen- President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, making another jour- the help African countries can receive if they embrace across the continent will attend the meeting, including ter near the Eiffel Tower, present a chance for Macron ney to key ally France after his state visit in late 2020 democracy and turn their backs on authoritarianism. Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi whose country is to show himself as a statesman on Africa whose influ- enraged rights activists. “The Sudanese transition is considered by us-but also battling a bloody Islamist insurrection in its north. A ence goes beyond the continent’s Francophone Macron’s office said he would also meet privately by the entire international community-as an example French presidential official said Macron and Nyusi regions. The meetings will also mark a return to in- with Sisi for talks on the escalating conflict in Gaza, of democratic transition in Africa and as such would hold a bilateral meeting and the summit would person top-level gatherings after the COVID-19 pan- where Zionist forces again launched air strikes deserves special attention,” said a French presidential also be a chance for the international community to demic made video conferences the norm. overnight. “France’s goal is to stop the spiral of vio- official who requested anonymity. The official said the coordinate efforts to help Mozambique. — AFP

for moving ahead on Europe’s biggest defense pro- Boost for fighter gram, which aims to prove the continent’s ability to integrate its disparate defense forces and increase its military sovereignty. Time had been running out for the jet as Paris, Berlin, German government to secure parliamentary approval for the research phase before a general election loom- Madrid seal deal ing in the autumn. Parly and her German and Spanish counterparts, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Margarita Robles, PARIS: France, Germany and Spain said yesterday said the three countries were ready to give the deal that they had reached agreement on the next phase of “formal validation”. France and Germany announced their plans to build a joint European fighter jet, cap- plans to build a common fighter in 2017, with Spain ping months of negotiations over how to share the joining later. work and the intellectual property. France’s Dassault Aviation and European planemak- Defense ministers of the three countries said they er Airbus, which are teaming up to build the jet, had had reached a “balanced” deal on carrying out the expected to complete a demonstrator by 2026 but are research necessary to select the technology that will now only expected to do so by 2027. underpin the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The plane is slated to replace the French-made French Defense Minister Florence Parly’s office said Rafale jets and German and Spanish Eurofighter the “Phase 1B” contracts would be worth 3.5 billion planes by 2040. Beyond a next-generation fighter jet, euros ($4.3 billion) between now and 2024 and would the FCAS programme includes drones and an ultrafast In this file photo taken on March 20, 2021 an anti-lockdown protester wears a mask of US business magnate Bill be funded and shared equally between France, communications network dubbed the “combat cloud” Gates during a march against the ongoing coronavirus restrictions, in central London. — AFP Germany and Spain. Phase 2 will involve building a that will use artificial intelligence capabilities. The total demonstrator, an early prototype aimed at testing the cost of the program is expected to reach nearly 100 reliability of the jet’s cutting-edge technology. billion euros, up from previous estimates of 50 to 80 Gates and his wife Melinda, who co-founded their The agreement announced yesterday was crucial Gates left Microsoft charity two decades ago to battle global poverty and billion euros. — AFP disease, announced their divorce on May 3 after 27 years of marriage. A spokesperson for Microsoft told board amid probe AFP that the company was alerted in the second half of 2019 that “Bill Gates sought to initiate an intimate into relationship relationship with a company employee in the year 2000. A committee of the Board reviewed the concern, aided by an outside law firm, to conduct a thorough WASHINGTON: Bill Gates left the Microsoft board investigation.” in 2020 as the board pursued an investigation into the The employee, an engineer, claimed in a letter to billionaire’s romantic relationship with a female have had a sexual relationship with Gates “over years,” employee, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. the Journal reported. According to the Journal, some The founder and former head of the US technology board members also asked about links between Gates giant stepped down as board chair in March 2020. and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed “Microsoft Corp. board members decided that Bill himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for allegedly Gates needed to step down from its board in 2020 as trafficking minors. they pursued an investigation into the billionaire’s pri- Gates’s team assured the board the Microsoft or romantic relationship with a female Microsoft founder had met Epstein for “philanthropic reasons” employee that was deemed inappropriate,” the Journal and “regretted doing so,” the Journal said. Gates, who reported, citing people close to the matter. founded Microsoft in 1975, stepped down as the com- This was “an affair almost 20 years ago which end- pany’s CEO in 2000, saying he wanted to focus on his ed amicably,” a spokeswoman for Gates told the foundation. He left his full-time role at Microsoft in Journal. According to the spokeswoman, Gates left 2008. His seat as board director, which he left in Microsoft to focus more on his philanthropic organiza- PARIS: France, Germany and Spain said yesterday that they had reached agreement on the next phase of their plans March 2020, was the last position that officially linked to build a joint European fighter jet tion, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. him to the company. — AFP

Animal Planet and others-holding 29 percent. the likes of Comcast, owner of NBCUniversal. The slump AT&T to spin off Discovery president chief executive David Zaslav in WarnerMedia’s value highlights the changing land- will lead the new company, which will include HBO and scape in media as traditional Hollywood giants lose its “Games of Thrones” franchise, the Warner Bros ground to new streaming players. Analyst Richard WarnerMedia in library of “Batman” films, and TV channels such as Greenfield at Lightshed Partners said AT&T never Discovery, Cartoon Network, HGTV, TNT, TBS and achieved the “synergies” from tieing its broadband and Discovery tie-up Eurosport. “This agreement unites two entertainment telecom operations with broad content available from leaders with complementary content strengths and Warner Bros, Turner Media and other operations. positions the new company to be one of the leading “In today’s media world, focused scale is the only way WASHINGTON: AT&T said yesterday it was spinning global direct-to-consumer streaming platforms,” AT&T to be both large enough and nimble enough to embrace off its WarnerMedia unit and combining it with CEO John Stankey. “It will support the fantastic growth technological change and carve a meaningful space in a Discovery, creating a new standalone media giant and and international launch of HBO Max with Discovery’s tech platform dominated landscape,” Greenfield said in a ending the telecom group’s ambition to become a con- global footprint and create efficiencies which can be re- blog post. “Merging Discovery and WarnerMedia clearly tent and delivery powerhouse. The deal carves out the invested in producing more great content to give con- increases overall scale, but it is not the type of transfor- AT&T division which includes HBO, Warner Bros studios sumers what they want.” mative merger we were hoping for from WarnerMedia.” and CNN, to ramp up efforts in streaming media against AT&T’s main streaming platform HBO Max has rivals such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. Retreat from empire-building struggled to gain subscribers, with some 61 million com- When the deal is finalized, AT&T will receive $43 billion The deal however marks a retreat from the block- pared with 204 million for Netflix and 164 million for and AT&T’s shareholders will take stock representing 71 buster acquisition announced in 2016 in which AT&T Disney’s platforms which include Hulu, ESPN+ and percent of the new company, with owners of Discovery- agreed to buy Warner for $85 billion as part of a move Disney+. Discovery has channels in 220 countries, which operates Discovery Channel, Food Network, to combine content and distribution and compete with according to its website. —AFP Established 1961 9 Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Business EU, US move to post-Trump trade truce over steel row Countries to tackle China’s outsize role in the dispute

BRUSSELS: The EU and US took a step towards a ‘China to account’ post-Trump trade truce yesterday, agreeing to While never addressing the Trump tariffs specif- hold talks to end a tit-for-tat feud over steel and ically, the statement said both sides “agreed to aluminum tariffs. avoid changes on these issues that negatively affect In a carefully phrased statement, United States bilateral trade”. Singling out China, the statement Trade Representative Katherine Tai and her EU said that “the United States and EU member states counterpart Valdis Dombrovskis announced “dis- are allies and partners, sharing similar national cussions to address global steel and aluminum security interests as democratic, market excess capacity” that would tackle China’s outsize economies”. role in the problem. The Europeans will, in addi- This alignment, it added, means the EU and US tion, temporarily suspend a plan to increase tariffs “can partner to promote high standards, address on the US, the EU said. shared concerns, and hold countries like China that The peace offering is the latest chapter in a support trade-distorting policies to account.” The row that began in June 2018 when then US pres- Europeans had hoped that the US would commit ident Donald Trump imposed US tariffs of 25 further to the truce and had offered to suspend all percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum metals-related tariffs for six months as they pur- from Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Brussels sued a longer term solution. responded with counter-tariffs on 2.8 billion The tariffs however have proved politically pop- euros worth of iconic US products, including ular in steel producing states in the US Midwest bourbon whiskey, jeans, orange juice and and the Biden administration has for now decided Harley-Davidson motorbikes. to keep the protections in place. German MEP The EU was planning to increase those count- Bernd Lange, who heads European Parliament’s er-tariffs on June 1 but, given the easing of ten- trade committee, said Europe must remain vigilant sions with the Biden administration, will now on Washington’s reluctance to end the tariffs and refrain from doing so. pointed to a meeting between President Joe Biden In return, both sides have agreed to talk about and the EU chiefs next month in Brussels. the overproduction of steel, which has helped Lange said the EU’s “gesture needs to be recip- BRUSSELS: The EU and US took a step towards a post-Trump trade truce yesterday, agreeing to hold depress prices with output-mainly from China- rocated by the US with a tangible commitment dur- talks to end a tit-for-tat feud over steel and aluminum tariffs. —AFP flooding the global market and putting steel plants ing the EU-US summit”. “If not, rebalancing tariffs,” in difficulty. This would be a fresh attempt to he warned, in reference to the tariff hike that was pressure Beijing after years of on-and-off interna- temporarily suspended by the EU. decade long dispute over aircraft manufacturers Spain and other EU nations-has also mellowed, tional talks to address China’s steel overproduc- In an earlier sign of détente, both sides in March Airbus and Boeing. Yet another fight-this one over with US tariffs suspended and all sides pursuing a tion delivered no result. suspended punitive tariffs in the separate, two- digital taxes slapped on US big tech by France, global solution at the OECD. —AFP

based on historical fundraising. Indonesian unicorns The combined business of two of Indonesia’s top unicorns-start-ups with a valuation of more than $1 billion-will be led by Gojek’s Andre Soelistyo as to merge, creating GoTo Group CEO and Tokopedia’s Patrick Cao Stocks drop as traders serving as GoTo Group president. “Today is a truly largest tech firm historic day as we mark the beginning of GoTo and weigh recovery, the next phase of growth for Gojek, Tokopedia and JAKARTA: Two of Indonesia’s most successful GoTo Financial,” Soelistyo said in the statement. new infections start-ups are to merge, the companies announced “Gojek drivers will deliver even more Tokopedia yesterday, creating the largest tech firm in the packages, merchant partners of all sizes will benefit LONDON: Stock markets mostly dropped and the world’s fourth most populous country. from strengthened business solutions and we will dollar fell yesterday, as optimism about the global Ride-hailing and payments giant Gojek and e- use our combined scale to increase financial inclu- recovery was offset by concerns about a spike in commerce firm Tokopedia-which generated transac- sion in an emerging region with untapped growth new infections in several countries that have offi- tions worth a combined $22 billion in 2020 — potential.” cials battling to avert new lockdowns. Traders agreed to form the GoTo Group, they said in a state- The new entity will seek to expand its services SURABAYA: Gojek riders wait for their delivery orders looked past Wall Street’s strong lead Friday, sup- ment. The deal will form an Indonesian tech giant to reach underserved areas of Indonesia “where at a distribution center in Surabaya yesterday as ported by data showing US retail sales flattened combining e-commerce and financial services with 140 million people have little or no access to the Gojek and Tokopedia unveiled a merger to form GoTo last month. on-demand offerings such as ride-sharing in what country’s financial system”, the statement added. Group, creating the largest tech firm in the world’s That helped ease traders’ fears that a surge in will be the first such platform in Southeast Asia. Gojek is a multi-service platform and digital fourth most populous country. —AFP inflation could force the Federal Reserve to wind “The GoTo Group will tap into the huge payment platform that was first established as a back its ultra-loose monetary policies sooner than potential of Southeast Asia’s largest economy motorcycle ride-hailing call centre in 2010, and has corn” after its value hit $10 billion. Tokopedia ini- expected. However, a fall in consumer confidence with its fast-growing middle class and young, grown to offer deliveries, takeaway food and finan- tially provided an online bridge between merchants owing to rising prices indicated the issue was tech-savvy population,” the statement read. The cial services. It has since expanded its services into and customers but has since expanded into fintech, unlikely to go away any time soon, and analysts said companies did not disclose the expected value of Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand. payments, logistics and retail businesses. central bank officials had to tread a fine line the new firm, but said the combined past valua- In 2019, US research institution CB Insights Indonesia’s second-biggest unicorn after Gojek, it between getting the economy back on its feet and tion of Gojek and Tokopedia was $18 billion declared the start-up to be Indonesia’s first “deca- has a valuation of $7.2 billion. —AFP keeping inflation under control. “On the one side, we have the Fed’s view, apparently embraced by equity investors, implying there is nothing to see very excited,” Thompson said, 11 years after his first here, given that base effects and reopening dynam- Portugal greets first visit to the coastal region of Algarve. Some 30 ics mean we should expect volatility in the data,” flights from the UK were expected in Portugal on said National Australia Bank’s Rodrigo Catril. Monday, including 17 taking around 5,500 passen- “On the other side of the argument... (are) rising UK tourists as gers to Faro. concerns that inflation is becoming unanchored “We were desperate to come back. It’s fantastic,” with a decline in consumer sentiment a reflection of travel curbs lifted said Diane Healy, who owns a property in Lagos, a the negative impact inflation is having on dispos- coastal town west of Faro. “I’m over the moon. It’s able income.” Focus this week is on the release of FARO, Portugal: British holidaymakers returned to wonderful to be back.” minutes from the Fed’s latest policy meeting at the Portugal yesterday as the country seeks to revive its The lifting of restrictions came after London end of last month, which will be pored over for an battered tourism industry after lifting travel restric- placed Portugal on its “green list” of countries to idea about members’ views on inflation in light of tions that had been imposed to curb COVID-19. visit without having to self-isolate on returning surging commodity prices, supply bottlenecks and Britons are the biggest contingent of tourists in home. Thousands of English football fans are also economic reopenings. Portugal, a country whose economy relies heavily expected later this month for the May 29 “Record highs in copper prices and fears over on foreign visitors. Champions League final between Manchester City ALGARVE, Portugal: A passenger arrives as tour opera- extended oil price gains will be hard to ignore” Portugal imposed a strict, two-month confine- and Chelsea in Porto. Britons can now visit tor’s hosts wait for clients at Faro airport in Algarve, heading into the second half of the year, said Eric ment earlier this year to control a new wave of Portugal as long as they show a negative PCR test south of Portugal, yesterday. —AFP Robertsen at Standard Chartered. “The Fed coronavirus infections. It lifted restrictions on visi- result for Covid-19 at most 72 hours before board- believes this is part of the economic reopening nar- tors from Britain and most European Union coun- ing the plane. region, home to 500,000 people, greeted some 3.6 rative” and will hold off making any moves now, he tries from yesterday. Portugal and Britain currently have two of the million foreign tourists in 2019 alone, a third of them added. “But it might start looking over its shoulder “It’s nice to get away and be back here,” said lowest virus rates in Europe. from Britain. if prices stay high.” Barry Thompson, a 63-year-old retired policeman Tourism plunged in Portugal last year. The coun- “Today is a special day because we are restart- from Manchester who landed in the southern town try saw 16.4 million tourists before the pandemic, ing the engine of our economy,” the head of tourism Musk hits bitcoin of Faro with his wife and 11-year-old son. “We’re and only a quarter of that in 2020. The Algarve for the region, Joao Fernandes, said. —AFP Elsewhere, bitcoin fell to $42,185 briefly, its low- est since February, after Elon Musk on Sunday appeared to suggest his Tesla carmaker may sell-or Social Development Council (NESDC) said already had sold-its holdings in the cryptocurrency. Thai economy gross domestic product shrank 2.6 percent on- The unit later pared the losses to sit at $44,455. year in the first three months. The NESDC also Tesla had already hammered the digital currency gave a cool forecast for the recovery, cutting its last week when it said it will halt bitcoin transac- shrinks 2.6% in 2021 growth outlook to 1.5-2.5 percent, from its tions because of environmental concerns. In com- previous estimate of 2.5-3.5 percent. pany news, trading in Hong Kong’s largest pro- first quarter With tight travel restrictions already reducing democracy media group was suspended yesterday, the usual flow of foreign visitors to a trickle, days after authorities froze the assets of its jailed BANGKOK: Thailand’s economy shrank in the first Thailand has been hit by a third coronavirus wave, owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law. quarter, official data showed yesterday, as it was triggering fresh curbs on economic activity. Next Digital Limited-which publishes the Apple battered by coronavirus restrictions that have hit Thailand has recorded just over 111,000 COVID Daily newspaper-said it would halt trading “pend- the key tourism sector hard. The kingdom last year infections, the vast majority since the start of the ing the release of an announcement” about Lai’s suffered its worst full-year performance since the latest surge in infections, which began in April. BANGKOK: People make their way down a busy street frozen assets, in a statement to the city’s stock Asian financial crisis of 1997 with a 6.1 percent con- Officials reported 9,635 new cases yesterday-the past food stalls and massage parlors in Bangkok exchange. —AFP traction. highest for a single day-driven by more than 6,800 yesterday. —AFP The Office of the National Economic and infections in prisons. —AFP

close the world’s vaccine gap by sharing just 20 per- find itself 190 million doses short of what it had share, while France has pledged 500,000 doses and UNICEF says rich cent of their June, July and August stocks with the planned to distribute. Sweden 1 million, with Switzerland considering a simi- Covax jab scheme for poorer nations, a study by The shortfall is in part due to a devastating flare- lar donation. Some 44 percent of the 1.4 billion doses of British firm Airfinity showed. up of the virus in India, which was due to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines so far injected around the world countries can afford “And they could do this while still fulfilling their and export the majority of Covax doses and is now have been administered in high-income countries vaccination commitments to their own populations,” instead putting them to use at home. accounting for 16 percent of the global population. to donate Covax jabs UNICEF director Henrietta Fore said. The UK is due With additional shortages in supplies and funding, Just 0.3 percent have been administered in the 29 to host its fellow G7 member states Canada, France, the statement called for swift action until more sus- lowest-income countries, home to nine percent of the GENEVA: Countries belonging to the G7 and the Germany, Italy, Japan and the US for a summit in June. tainable production models are within reach. “Sharing world’s population. The yawning gap spurred WHO European Union can afford to donate more than 150 By that time UNICEF said the Covax program immediately available excess doses is a minimum, chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to ask vaccine- million vaccines to countries in need without compro- being co-led by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, along with essential and emergency stop-gap measure, and it is wealthy nations last Friday to refrain from giving jabs mising their own goals, UNICEF said yesterday. The the World Health Organization (WHO) and Coalition needed right now,” it read. to children and adolescents and instead donate those world’s seven richest states and the EU could help for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will The US has 60 million AstraZeneca doses it could doses to Covax. —AFP 10 Established 1961 Business Tuesday, May 18, 2021 China retail sales slow, raising economic recovery concerns Private consumption yet to pick up momentum

BEIJING: Chinese retail sales grew at a slower pace than expected last month, data showed yesterday, rais- ing concerns about the recovery in the world’s number two economy. China was the first major economy to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic thanks to tight lockdowns and mass testing, with factories doing Gulf Bank officer most of the heavy lifting as companies producing everything from protective gear to electronics and other goods sold around the world. selected as part There is a general consensus that as they slowly returned to their normal lives, the country’s army of of DAA board cashed-up consumers would then take over the reins, and while data in recent months has suggested that KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced that Mai Al- was the case the latest figures show the rebound will Owaish, Gulf Bank’s Chief Data Officer, has been not be smooth. Retail sales expanded 17.7 percent on- selected as part of the Board of Directors of the year in April, according to the National Bureau of Digital Analytics Association (DAA), an interna- Statistics (NBS), well below the 25 percent forecast in tional association dedicated to advancing the use a Bloomberg survey and almost half the previous of data and influencing legislation that affects data month’s reading. The exceptionally high figures are practices. mostly down to the fact they have a very low base of Al-Owaish was selected to serve as part of the comparison owing to the economy essentially shutting This aerial photo shows a port in Haikou in China’s southern Hainan province. — AFP upcoming term of the Board of Directors of the down last year. DAA, along with six other industry leaders from UOB economist Ho Woei Chen told AFP this was dent the economic recovery, with prices expected to Still, there was more positive news on unemploy- around the world, who were recognized for their the “more worrying aspect”, given that retail sales was spike over the next few months as life gets back to ment, with the urban jobless rate falling to 5.1 per- leadership, business acumen, and knowledge of expected to take over the lead in driving growth from normal and people spend. The country’s factory prices cent, which UOB’s Ho said was the most positive of the data and analytics practice. The DAA is a pro- the second and third quarters on. rocketed at their fastest pace in nearly four years last Monday’s data, given it is the “lowest since fessional association dedicated to advancing the “Private consumption is expected to pick up going month, driven by a sharp rise in demand for key com- November 2019”. “If the labor market continues to use of data worldwide with the aim of under- forward, but the April data shows it is still lagging,” she modities such as copper and iron ore, and observers improve, there are prospects for retail sales to standing and improving the analytics industry said, adding that consumer caution due to virus-relat- say those rises could seep through to consumers. improve further,” she said. through best practices and professional develop- ed uncertainties was likely behind this. Meanwhile, industrial output rose 9.8 percent, in line With vaccines being rolled out around the world, ment. The association is based in the US, with Analysts expect faster retail sales growth in May, as with forecasts but also slower than March. especially in the key US market, and economically international chapters in Germany and Canada. China’s army of consumers came out in force during “Production demand continued to grow... and the painful lockdowns being eased, demand for China’s Al-Owaish is an active member and a mentor the Labour Day holiday. But Nomura chief China economy continued to stabilize and resume develop- goods picked up this year after falling off a cliff in at the DAA, having economist Lu Ting cautioned: “The recent small virus ment,” said NBS spokesman Fu Linghui, though he 2020. Analysts say that April’s data points to a more contributed multiple outbreak in Anhui and Liaoning provinces may have cautioned that the global epidemic situation remained moderate growth outlook in the second quarter. thought leadership some small impact on recovery momentum of the hos- “complicated, and the recovery of the world economy “We expect a slightly weaker industrial production pieces on data models pitality services sectors.” is very uneven”. Julian Evans-Pritchard, senior China growth in May,” said Nomura’s Lu. and mobile analytics. economist at Capital Economics, added that month- This was likely weighed down by new environmen- As part of her Urban jobless rate falls on-month changes showed “momentum in industry tal policies, he said, even as strong export growth will responsibilities at the There are also concerns that surging inflation could continued to soften”, partly due to supply constraints. continue to bolster output. — AFP DAA, Al-Owaish has led multiple task forces, including the HK newspaper DAA’s “Women in Analytics” communi- Mai Al-Owaish ty, and spearheaded shares halted the “Women In Tech Maturity Model” project, a model that was devel- after asset freeze oped to assist tech organizations in measuring their progress in terms of supporting women in tech, and indicating what steps organization can HONG KONG: The trading of stock in Hong Kong’s take to advance their efforts. largest pro-democracy media group was halted yes- On this occasion, Gulf Bank’s Chief Data terday, days after authorities froze the assets of its Officer, Mai Al-Owaish, said, “I am delighted to be jailed owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security selected as a Board of Directors member of an law. The announcement came the same day Lai-who is international data and digital analytics association already in jail-pleaded guilty alongside nine other as prestigious as the Digital Analytics Association. activists to “unlawful assembly” charges, the latest in a I look forward to providing more to the data ana- string of prosecutions brought against the city’s lytics sector through my new position, and pro- democracy movement. viding even greater value for our esteemed Gulf In a statement to the stock exchange, Next Digital Bank clients through innovative digital solutions Limited-which publishes the Apple Daily newspaper- and data-driven products and services.” requested a halt to trading “pending the release of an Al-Owaish joined Gulf Bank in January 2021 as announcement” about Lai’s frozen assets. Hong Kong’s Chief Data Officer, leading the data and analytics Security Bureau on Friday said it was freezing Lai’s practice in Gulf Bank and overseeing the strategy shares in Next Digital as well as the contents of three and implementation of data science to facilitate of his bank accounts, using the security law which the Bank’s digital transformation. As part of her Beijing imposed on the city last year. Crown had been “facilitating” money laundering role, Al-Owaish is also responsible for executing It marks the first time authorities have wielded the Crown Resorts through so-called “high roller” gambling junkets linked Gulf Bank’s digital initiatives and accelerating law to freeze the shares of a listed company’s majority to Chinese triads and other organized criminal groups. innovation with the purpose of creating value for shareholder-a step that could cause further jitters for Blackstone, which owns a 9.99 percent stake in Crown, Gulf Bank’s customers. Al-Owaish brings two investor sentiment in the business hub. A rags-to-rich- rejects Blackstone had already revised its offer from an initial Aus$11.85 decades of experience in the e-commerce and es billionaire, Lai, 73, has long been a thorn in Beijing’s per share to Aus$12.35. analytics field, along with international work side thanks to his caustic tabloids and unapologetic takeover bid But the Crown board told the Australian Securities experience, having worked for 10 years in the support for democracy. Exchange (ASX) the bid still “undervalues” the com- United States with Google partners, offering con- pany, while regulatory requirements “present an unac- sultation services on Google’s data and analytics SYDNEY: Troubled Australian casino operator Crown ceptable level of regulatory uncertainty for Crown solutions. Resorts rejected a takeover bid from US private equity shareholders”. In a separate statement to the ASX, the Al-Owaish is a published author, speaker, and giant Blackstone yesterday, saying the offer “underval- board said it was still considering Star’s proposal, winner of multiple awards. As the recipient of the ues” the gaming group. which offers a combination of Star shares and cash to DAA’s President’s Award, Al-Owaish was recog- The casino operator, which is subject to multiple Crown shareholders. nized for her vital role and impact on multiple ini- inquiries into allegations of money laundering and ties The proposed merger would create a dominant $12 tiatives at the DAA. Her thought pieces on analyt- to organized crime, said the bid of more than Aus$8 billion ($9.3 billion) casino group that would probably ics models were featured in the “Applied billion (US$6.2 billion) was not in the best interests of face close scrutiny from the Australian Competition Marketing Analytics” journal and published in the shareholders. Crown said it was still studying a sepa- and Consumer Commission to proceed. Crown and its “Analytics Interpreted” book. Al-Owaish has also rate merger proposal by rival Australian casino opera- largest shareholder, media scion James Packer, have spoken at the “Women in Analytics” conference in tor Star Entertainment Group. Blackstone launched its been in the spotlight over allegations that its casinos in Ohio, USA in 2019; the “Analytics One” HONG KONG: In this file photo, Hong Kong pro-democracy bid in March, just weeks after regulators refused to Melbourne and Perth were used to launder the pro- Conference in Chicago, USA in 2020; both media tycoon Jimmy Lai (center) is led into a police van as grant Crown a license to run its flagship casino in a ceeds of crime. Crown’s then CEO and three long-time Google Summits of 2019 and 2020 in California, he heads to court. Hong Kong authorities Saturday gleaming 75-storey Sydney tower, owing to suspected directors resigned in the wake of the Sydney inquiry, USA; and most recently at the Middle East announced they had frozen the assets of Lai, including links to organized crime. Authorities acted on the rec- while executive chairman Helen Coonan accepted its Banking AI & Analytics Summit in 2021. shares in his media publications, for breaching the city’s ommendations of a public inquiry, which reported findings as “warranted”.—AFP national security law. — AFP

regions taking into consideration their competitive border with China that provide easier access to Apple Daily, the city’s most popular tabloid, has advantages. Creating a truly diversified and techno- China’s market. The zone has many other facilities staunchly backed Hong Kong’s pro-democracy cause, Business and logical economy and sustainable economic develop- including storage, production, textile manufacturing, including the huge and often violent protests that ment are long-standing priorities. chemical and metal treatment. swept the international financial hub in 2019. investment The county has made substantial progress in Another important partner for foreign companies Chinese authorities have made no secret of their improving good governance, reforming the civil in Kazakhstan is the Astana International Financial desire to see Apple Daily shut down and Lai silenced. opportunities in service and introducing e-governance. It has been Centre or the AIFC. The Centre serves a diverse Hong Kong police chief Chris Tang has also accused increasing competition, supporting small and medi- customer base: companies and individuals, newcom- Apple Daily of publishing “fake news”. Kazakhstan um-sized businesses, encouraging research and ers and large corporations involved in financial, development, foreign direct investment. Strenuous industrial and trade sectors. The main activities of New conviction efforts have been made to reinforce the rule of law, the AIFC are capital markets, asset management, Apple Daily responded with defiance over the reform judiciary and law-enforcement agencies. private banking, green finance, financial technology. weekend, saying that the company’s own bank KUWAIT: Over the last two decades, Kazakhstan Free trade practices and more prudent monetary and The AIFC has a unique jurisdiction based on the accounts were not affected. “Apple Daily staff vowed has been one of the fastest-growing transition budgetary policies have been pursued. principles, norms and precedents of the law of to continue speaking out for the truth without fear economies. It has taken steps towards institutional Today Kazakhstan is an upper-middle-income England. A special amendment to the Constitution of despite the newspaper group’s challenges,” the paper integration in the global economy, joining the World country with a conducive business environment. Kazakhstan was introduced to this end. The AIFC said in a report over the weekend. Other weekend arti- Trade Organization and signing an Enhanced There is an enormous untapped potential in many Court, which is separate and independent from cles included a column about the persecution of Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the sectors including ferrous and non-ferrous metallur- Kazakhstan’s judiciary system, comprises the Court Uighur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, the use of European Union in 2015. The nation has been work- gy, petrochemicals, machine building, production of of First Instance and the Court of Appeal. public hotlines to report national security offences and ing to adapt best practices and standards recom- construction materials, pharmaceuticals, medical Thus, a foreign company or individual not an editorial on the recent discovery of a senior Hong mended by the Organization for Economic Co-oper- equipment, IT, data storage and processing and oth- acquainted with the Kazakh law has an option to Kong national security police officer at an unlicensed ation and Development. ers. There are more opportunities in creating large enter the Kazakh market incorporating a new entity massage parlor. However, Apple said the company Kazakhstan has been implementing comprehen- ecosystems in the production and processing of in the AIFC under the English common law. A would probably only survive another nine or 10 sive reforms gearing towards equitable distribution meat, fruits, vegetables, cereals, oilseeds and dairy friendly tax regime and operational incentives help months without Lai’s cash, which he has used to prop of benefits and responsibilities, leading role of pri- products. reduce expenses and make the cost of doing busi- the group up. Lai owns around 70 percent of Next vate enterprise, fair competition, increased produc- The country is located along transcontinental ness in the AIFC attractive to its clients and Digital’s shares. The asset freeze comes as Chinese tivity, human capital development, green economy, routes between Europe and Asia. Kazakhstan estab- increase their competitiveness. - Embassy of authorities roll out a relentless and successful cam- environmental protection. It is committed to pro- lished a dry port and a free economic zone on the Kazakhstan, Kuwait paign to silence dissent in Hong Kong.—ÅFP mote a well-balanced economic development of Established 1961 11 Business Tuesday, May 18, 2021 NBK named silver winner at MMA 2020 Smarties MENA Awards Award recognizes NBK Geo Alerts in Smarties Award

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has digital banking services and location-based notifications about offers, discounts and received the Silver Award in “Location-based Services” our keenness to provide the promotions on their phones while shopping. This serv- category at MMA Smarties in the MENA region for latest and most advanced ice came in line with the bank’s continuous endeavors to 2020. This comes in recognition of NBK Geo Alerts services to our customers.” upgrade NBK Mobile Banking App by providing the provided via NBK Mobile Banking App that was “NBK Geo Alerts reflects most advanced digital solutions to meet customers’ launched at the end of last year. our keenness to provide needs. NBK Customers can activate the service when NBK is the only bank in Kuwait to win this award, technological solutions that they download or update NBK Mobile Banking App, and the only bank in Kuwait that provides this unique offer convenience to our through which they will receive notifications for dis- service as well. Smarties Awards provided by Mobile customers and suit their counts and offers at specific stores on their phones Marketing Association (MMA) are presented to the different daily lifestyles, in while shopping nearby, in addition to receiving exclu- most innovative and effective modern marketing cam- line our strategy to enrich sive, tailor-made promotions at The Avenues Mall, and paigns that ran across the Middle East and North Hisham Al-Nusif their integrated banking Kuwait International Airport (Terminals 1 and 4). Africa region during 2020. The New York-based experience,” he added. NBK recently launched a number of updates includ- association is comprised of over 800 leading global Al-Nusif stressed that ing enabling customers to update their information, brands operating in a variety of sectors across over 50 NBK is keen on continuously upgrading NBK Mobile including mobile number and e-mail using the NBK countries worldwide. Banking App by adding new services and improvements Mobile Banking App, without the need to visit the On this occasion, Hisham Al-Nusif, Deputy General that are designed based on an analytical study of cus- branch. It also launched eQMatic service for getting a Manager of Consumer Banking Group at National Bank tomers’ needs, expectations and different consumer queue number digitally through the App, as well as a of Kuwait said: “We are pleased to receive this presti- patterns from all segments. campaign to reward the App users opting to NBK Push gious award, which reflects our leadership in providing Through NBK Geo Alerts, customers can receive Notifications instead of SMS notifications.

and eventually achieve the best customer service KFH launches ‘Qaddha’ according to global standards. The program’s name “Qaddha” signifies challenge initiative to upgrade and motivation of employees’ capabilities to provide the best service. He reiterated that the management has full confidence of the employees’ capability to customer service accept the challenge. Also, the program reflects the management vision to achieve service excellence KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) launched the through employees’ motivation. The name “Qaddha” “Qaddha” initiative in cooperation with Ara Research refers to the accomplishment and enhancement of and Consultancy Company, aiming to upgrade cus- vocational and scientific capabilities and encourage- tomer service according to the highest global business ment of employees to win the challenge and achieve excellence standards, enrich customer experience and excellence. achieve utmost customer satisfaction. Al-Shamlan affirmed that the “Qaddha” program is The initiative comes as part of KFH vision to supported by the fact that achieve highly remarkable levels of innovation and dis- KFH has all the means of tinction in customer service, lead global development success. KFH has achieved of Islamic finance services, introduce distinguished remarkable growth in all its solutions and products, facilitate applicable proce- financial and sustainability dures, adopt digital banking and build on the latest indicators and has an technology developments in the best possible manner ambitious, coherent and to fulfill customer aspirations. KFH has made signifi- target oriented youthful cant qualitative leaps in customer service, using most business team that realizes smart refrigerators and robot vacuum cleaners are modern technologies, highly skilled and enthusiastic its responsibilities and Huawei HarmonyOS, supported by such a motley bunch of operating employees and youth talents who continue their work with a teamwork systems that many cannot communicate with each endeavor to innovate new methods to increase market spirit and great compas- other at all. share and maintain leadership in a highly competitive Khaled Al-Shamlan sion to signify the a unique What’s more, mobile Internet app innovation is environment. supremacy of the bank still limited to isolated operating systems. For exam- The KFH Group General Manager - Retail Banking, position globally. operating system ple, watch apps are mainly limited to sports, health, Khaled Al-Shamlan said “In order to ascertain our On the other hand, the Managing Partner at Ara and personalized watch faces. TV apps focus on predominance in service excellence and maintain the Research and Consultancy Company, Abdulkhaleq Ali entertainment and education. Almost all in-car apps highest standards of facilitation, speed, accuracy and said “We are proud to work with a pioneering financial KUWAIT: Huawei HarmonyOS is about to be made are related to navigation and video. In a world efficiency, KFH has particularly focused on customers’ institution in Kuwait and worldwide. Ara Research and available to smartphone users. On September 10, where an increasing number of individuals own mul- basic needs and achieving their future aspirations in its Consultancy Co. has devoted the expertise of its con- 2020, Huawei released beta versions of HarmonyOS tiple smart devices, fragmentary single device “Qaddha” campaign which aims to motivate employees sultants and employees, its global partners network to for TVs, watches, and automotive head units, and ecosystems simply don’t cut it anymore. App devel- to continue customer service strategy and develop- the service of Arabian markets in general and KFH in invited app developers to experiment and develop opers need to develop different versions of the ment of business plans”. particular”. apps for the operating system. At the time, Huawei same app for different devices, generating heavy He noted that business excellence comes on top of He added that the “Qaddha” campaign has formed a also announced their intention to bring HarmonyOS adaptation workload. Consumers often find that the KFH priorities as it is considered as the cornerstone major challenge due to the size and type of services to its phones. The beta version of HarmonyOS for experience of an app is not consistent across differ- for building customer’s trust and loyalty. Also, it is the rendered by KFH as well as the highly advanced pro- phones was released in December, together with ent devices. means to ensure business continuity and sustainability grams and systems required to improve employees’ the SDK, development documents and tools, and But problems also bring opportunities. There is a by making KFH as the best choice and the most capabilities to respond to customers’ needs. Al-Ali simulators, giving developers the chance to create gap in the market for an operating system that appropriate banking institution for new customers. said that working with KFH for more than one year HarmonyOS-based mobile phone apps before the enables the interconnection of different devices, Al-Shamlan emphasized that “Qaddha” program is was crowned with the “Qaddha” campaign which is official launch. and whoever delivers this system can float atop the the outcome of the thorough studies of the market the biggest program to develop customer service in Wang Chenglu, President of Huawei’s Consumer rising tide of IoT. needs and customer aspirations, stating that the pro- Kuwait. The program comprises continuous study and Business Group Software Engineering Dept, a major gram covers various banking and service channels and training and advanced periodical reports. In the IoT era, what does an contributor to HarmonyOS, said that HarmonyOS is gives equal and parallel care to all tiers of customers. Al-Ali expressed his thanks and gratitude to KFH operating system need to be? the ideal operating system for the Internet of The benefits of the program are focused on enhancing for choosing Ara Research and Consultancy company Today, the opportunities brought by IoT mark Everything era. He said that HarmonyOS will pro- customer’s experience with KFH, measuring customer for the “Qaddha” campaign as it reflects the bank’s another turning point in the history of operating vide users with more access to apps and services satisfaction, provide appropriate solutions to process trust in Ara expertise, research, advanced modern systems. This time, HarmonyOS aims to be the first and a smart life experience, disrupting the market any shortcomings in serviced, highlight outstanding technology means in the market research in general mover, and a number of parties are working to rap- and creating huge opportunities. performance through appropriate motivation and and customer service and satisfaction particularly. Al- idly develop an ecosystem around this next-genera- To understand the significance of HarmonyOS, it remuneration policies, enhance employees loyalty and Ali has strongly appreciated the cooperation and sup- tion OS. is useful to zoom out and see how it fits into the belonging, identify and improve weak performance port which Ara has received from KFH team to make HarmonyOS aims to be the ideal operating sys- overall development of the Internet. this campaign as success. tem for the Internet of Everything era. It can sup- port smartphones and other smart devices including The Internet of Things (IoT) was invented long TVs, automotive head units, and wearables. In the works, which includes Gulf Bank Algeria - AGB ago. Why hasn’t it become popular yet? past, users enjoyed personalized apps. With Burgan Bank (Algeria), Bank of Baghdad - BOB (Iraq & Lebanon), Throughout the history of the information tech- HarmonyOS, users can have personalized devices, Tunis International Bank - TIB (Tunisia), and fully nology industry, there have been companies which better satisfy their needs. In the era of feature reveals winners owned Burgan Bank Turkey. Furthermore, Burgan involved in technological revolutions. Many compa- phones, the hardware and software of a phone were Bank has a presence in the UAE through its corpo- nies have capitalized on such transformations of fixed. In the smartphone era, hardware was still rate office, Burgan Financial Services Limited. information technology to achieve enormous com- fixed, but new ability to download apps offered of Yawmi draw The Bank has continuously improved its perform- mercial success users a more personalized experience. Now, the ance over the years through an expanded revenue The concept of the Internet of Things is an revolutionary distributed technology of HarmonyOS structure, diversified funding sources, and a strong increasingly familiar one, but it has so far failed to KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday the capital base. The adoption of state-of-the-art serv- means that capabilities can be decoupled from names of the daily draw winners of its Yawmi change the world. Less than 20 percent of smart hardware, allowing multiple physically independent ices and technology has positioned it as a trendset- devices are actually connected to a mobile or Wi-Fi account draw, each taking home a cash-prize of KD ter in the domestic market and within the MENA devices to converge into one “Super Device”. It can 5,000. network. The installation rate of apps from house- flexibly invoke and combine the software and hard- region. Burgan Bank’s brand has been created on a hold appliance vendors is less than 10 percent, and ware capabilities that are most suitable for the cur- foundation of real values - of trust, commitment, the usage rate of smart features is not even 1 per- The lucky winners are: excellence and progression, to remind us of the high rent use case, providing users with a smooth, seam- 1. Amer Abdulqader Al-Awadhi cent. The potential of the smart appliances is going less AI experience. HarmonyOS enables devices to standards to which we aspire. ‘Driven by You’ is the to waste. Projecting a phone screen to another 2. Abdullah Essam Al-Fayez foundation on which its products and services are provide services based on users’ requirement and 3. Tarek Rahman Omara device is still quite complicated, and the Internet of defines devices based on use cases to deliver opti- developed. Everything is still just a dot on the horizon. In addition to the daily draw, Burgan Bank also The bank obtained the ISO/IEC 27001: 2013 mal experience. offers a quarterly draw with more chances to win For example, if you open a map app on your Information Security Management Systems certifi- higher rewards, offering the chance to one lucky Why? phone and select a destination, then as soon as you cate (ISMS) and was re-certified with the prestigious customer to win KD 125,000 every three months. The main reason has been the lack of communi- get in your car, the map is automatically synchro- ISO 9001:2015, making it the one of the few banks in The Yawmi Account offers daily and quarterly cation technologies and hardware devices that sup- nized to the screen of the head unit. When you get the GCC and Kuwait to receive such certification for draws, wherein the quarterly draw requires cus- port the effective communication of a large number out of the car, the map switches seamlessly over to the Fifth consecutive time. The Bank also has to its tomers to maintain a minimum amount of KD 500 in of connected devices. Progress on AI and big data your watch. Hardware equipped with HarmonyOS credit the distinction of being the only Bank in their account for two months prior to the draw date. is still a constraint on the development of IoT. offers new levels of convenience. Connection is as Kuwait to have won the JP Morgan Chase Quality Additionally, every KD 10 in the account will entitle However, in recent years, with the rapid upgrade of simple as tapping a phone against another house- Recognition Award for twenty consecutive years. customers to one chance of winning. If the account hardware such as smartphones and the populariza- hold appliance. In this way, you can check the status balance is KD 500 and above, the account holder tion of 5G and AI, a viable Internet of Things is of your oven from the screen of your phone. You gradually coming into view. According to Huawei’s can find a recipe in an app, and with a single tap on will be qualified for both the quarterly and daily Global Industry Outlook Report, by 2025, the num- the screen, set the corresponding temperature and draws. ber of smart personal devices is expected to reach time on your oven, making it easier than ever to Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open a 40 billion, the total number of connections globally cook like a master chef. Household appliances also Yawmi account and/or increase their deposit to will reach 100 billion, and the number of wearable actively communicate with you, reminding you to maximize their chances of becoming a winner. The CBK bonds and devices such as smartwatches and glasses will reach clean the oil filter of the range hood, for example. higher the level of the deposit, the higher the likeli- 8 billion. Data from Statista also shows that from In the ecosystem construction of HarmonyOS, hood to win. related Tawarruq 2015 to 2025, the number smart devices per capita the biggest challenge is to obtain the support of Established in 1977, Burgan Bank is the third is expected to increase from two to nine. app developers and vendors. For app developers, largest bank by assets in Kuwait, with a significant focus on the corporate and financial institutions sec- However, ecosystem fragmentation means that the distributed technology of HarmonyOS brings a KUWAIT: The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) different devices cannot collaborate with each oth- platform for developing innovative cross-device tors, as well as having a growing retail and private bank customer base. Burgan Bank has majority announced the most recent issues of CBK er, and user experience suffers as a consequence. apps. For hardware manufacturers, HarmonyOS bonds and related Tawarruq at a total value of Different devices have their own operating systems, presents dizzying range of opportunities. This owned subsidiaries, collectively known as the “Burgan Bank Group”, in the MENAT region sup- KD 240 million for six months with a rate of making communication between them quite a com- unique operating system is set to navigate on the return at 1.250 percent. plicated proposition. Household appliances such as rising tide of IoT. ported by one of the largest regional branch net- 12 Established 1961 Lifestyle Features Tuesday, May 18, 2021

An Iraqi Kurdish youth plays the PUBG video game on his Iraqi Kurdish youths play the PUBG video game on their mobile phones in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. — AFP photos mobile phone in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

ashar Abo Khalil’s PUBG character Better internet, better opportunities 10 years to register his non-governmental dashes around a wall in a pink dress Some Iraqi parents have criticized the Iraqi Electronic Sports Federation as a full Band samurai helmet, thwacking an game as time-sucking or have expressed member of the international gaming body enemy with a frying pan-standard fare in worry about the violence it portrays, with before succeeding in 2020. “The youth the mobile game that is a mega-sensation guns-a-plenty and explosives sending up ministry structure for eSports was last in Iraq. The online star, known as G2G, is blood spatter. But Reshar Ibrahim, who modified in 2009, and a lot has changed in one of many Iraqis hooked on plays PUBG Mobile competitively, said the eSports since then,” the 38-year-old told PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds-a battle game would never be as bad as what AFP. Iraq suffers from war-ravaged infra- royale first-person shooter game that’s many Iraqis had experienced in real life structure and poor electricity-most house- reminiscent of the book and film series over the decades of conflicts that have holds only have a few hours of state-pro- “The Hunger Games”. devastated the country. “It’s just a game,” vided electricity per day. The mobile version of the game has said the 19-year-old Iraqi Kurd, who has But there are 40 million mobile phone become so popular in Iraq, where 60 per- lived in Sweden for the past three years. In connections in the country and 30 million cent of the 40-million-strong population is 2019, the country’s parliament banned internet users, according to a 2021 under 25, that the country’s youth have PUBG amid local reports it was leading to DataReportal study. Last year, PUBG was been dubbed the “PUBG generation”. bankruptcy, suicide and divorce. the 11th-most-searched term in Iraq on Iraqis across the country are spending The move, which was easily circum- Google, and variations on the game’s hours every day on the game’s virtual bat- vented, was criticized as being out of name took several top spots on YouTube tleground, socializing via its live chat, play- touch with the real challenges facing searches as well. PUBG’s widespread ing competitively or even falling in love. Iraqis. Nearly 40 percent of Iraqi youth are popularity is in part due to the launch of a Abo Khalil, 31, said he used to play for unemployed, according to the World Bank, Iraqi Kurdish youths play the PUBG video game on a mobile phone in Arbil, the capital of the free-to-play mobile version by Chinese hours to “stop thinking about problems”. and the country’s poverty rate has doubled autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. — AFP photos tech giant Tencent, which said in March “When you’re playing the game you can to 40 percent during the COVID-19 pan- that over one billion people had down- become closed off to the rest of the world. demic. Later that year, thousands of young Valuable Player in the PUBG Mobile Star tournament with the Iraqi iKurd E-Sports loaded the app since 2018. It can be like a drug,” he added. Now Iraqis-some dressed in PUBG outfits-filled Arabia Challenge, which doled out team, said it wasn’t just that Iraqis “play iKurd player Jiner Hekmat, 18, said he based in Turkey, he earns a living stream- the streets to protest endemic corruption $100,000 in total prize money. His team, against teams abroad who have much was hooked on the mobile version but ing games and making videos. Fan Dalya and unemployment. Over the months that GunZ Esports, won the competition stronger internet”. There was also “no sup- wasn’t banking all his hopes on being a Waheed said she plays PUBG for an hour followed, some 600 demonstrators were despite one player in Iraq losing power port” from private or governmental spon- competitive player, saying he wanted to or two a day with friends she met on the killed in protest-related violence. mid-game and another having to travel sors, he lamented. Elsewhere in the Arab focus on his studies. But, he added, “I’m game, and has even set up a gaming hub Abo Khalil and Ibrahim are just two of from southern Najaf to the northern world, governments and major sponsors also going to do everything I can to keep at the electronics reseller where she many successful Iraqi gamers outside the Kurdistan region-where internet connectiv- are pouring money into eSports. In the my level in PUBG, and keep playing as works. “It’s really easy to meet people on country, away from the additional chal- ity “is slightly better”, Ibrahim said. Gulf, the gaming market is expected to long as the game exists”. — AFP PUBG,” said the woman in her thirties, lenges of poor internet and unreliable reach $821 million this year, according to who lives in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish electricity that players back home face. Hooked consulting firm Strategy&. region. Ibrahim, aka Freak, recently won Most Helmat Shiar, 23, who competed in the Hayder Jaafar said he had struggled for

reopen on June 17,” the park said in a statement, adding that it will follow Disneyland Paris “enhanced health and safety measures”. Initially, Disneyland Paris had hoped to re-admit visitors in February, before setting to reopen June April 2 as its new target date, which it then also cancelled. Last month, the site began hosting mass COVID vaccinations as 17 as COVID France accelerated its inoculation drive. Yesterday, the theme park said it would require guests over six years old to wear curbs ease face masks. Attendance would be limited, and advanced ticketing and reservations were required. Depending on COVID guid- isneyland Paris, Europe’s biggest ance from the authorities, some attractions Dtourist attraction, said yesterday it could be shut or modified, it said. A union would reopen on June 17 as France source at Disneyland said earlier this year eases COVID-19 restrictions. The theme that management expects a return to pre- park, which employs 17,000 people, pandemic levels of activity only in 2022. closed between March 13 and July 15 last The Disney group has announced 32,000 year and has been shut again since job cuts at its theme park activities world- October 30. It has had to cancel its wide, mostly in the United States, because reopening plans twice because of the of the impact of the coronavirus.—AFP In this file photo Miss Mexico Andrea Meza is greeted onstage at the Miss Universe 2021 In this file photo Miss Mexico Andrea Meza is ongoing pandemic. “We are pleased to Pageant at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. crowned Miss Universe 2021 onstage at the announce that Disneyland Paris will — AFP photos Miss Universe 2021 Pageant.

iss Mexico was crowned Miss first time, before rushing back for a group for Myanmar.” Myanmar has been in uproar MUniverse on Sunday in Florida, after hug with the other competitors. Meza beat since February 1, when the army ousted fellow contestant Miss Myanmar more than 70 contestants from around the civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. used her stage time to draw attention to the globe in the 69th installment of Miss At least 796 people have been killed by bloody military coup in her country. Sunday Universe, which was held at the Hard Rock security forces since then, according to a night marked the Miss Universe competi- Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. local monitoring group, while nearly 4,000 tion’s return to television, after the pageant In the days leading up to the final com- people are behind bars. Miss Singapore was cancelled in 2020 for the first time due petition, Miss Myanmar Thuzar Wint Lwin, Bernadette Belle Ong-who did not make the to the coronavirus pandemic. Andrea Meza, who made the top 21, made waves when top 21 — also used the national costume In this file photo visitors and staff wearing protective face masks, walk down the Main Street 26, finished first ahead of the Brazilian and she used her time in the spotlight to bring portion to make a political statement. of Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, near Paris. — AFP Peruvian finalists in a flashy televised event, attention to the coup in her country. “Our Dressed in a glittering red bodysuit and hosted by American actor Mario Lopez and people are dying and being shot by the mili- matching thigh-high boots, she turned television personality Olivia Culpo. tary every day,” she said during her biogra- around to reveal her cape-in the colors of because He has a really high IQ for the Former Miss Universe contestants phical video, which showed photos of her the Singaporean flag-was painted with the game,” Patriots chief operations officer Cheslie Kryst, Paulina Vega and Demi- taking part in the anti-coup protests. words “Stop Asian Hate.” “What is this plat- Hip-hop to Haydee Ndayishimiye told AFP. Leigh Tebow (who won the title in 2017) “Therefore I would like to urge everyone to form for if I can’t use it to send a strong “He has a history of playing the game served as competition analysts and com- speak out about Myanmar.” She also won message of resistance against prejudice ... We just thought that he is a great fit with mentators, and a panel of eight women the award for best national costume: during and violence?” she wrote on Instagram hoops: J Cole the team and as we have seen in practice determined the winner. Dressed in a that competition segment on Thursday, she alongside pictures of her outfit.—AFP he is gelling well with the team. While they sparkling red evening gown, Meza tearfully wore an outfit beaded in traditional Burmese joins Rwanda are practicing with him, they are looking walked the catwalk as Miss Universe for the patterns and held up a sign that said, “Pray good out there. He really compliments the team,” she added. Ndayishimiye said Cole’s contract was confidential, and he basketball team would only be with the team for the dura- tion of the tournament. Cole will play in the merican rap star J. Cole has signed tournament’s opening game between the with the Rwanda Patriots and will Patriots and Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers on A Sunday. The BAL tournament will run until play as a shooting forward in the maiden NBA-backed Basketball Africa May 30. The first edition of the 12-club League which starts in the East African event was scheduled for last year, but had nation on Sunday. The award-winning rap- to be postponed because of the coron- per and music producer, whose full name avirus pandemic. is Jermaine Lamarr Cole, 36, played the BAL president Amadou Fall said the sport in high school and university, and league “will provide a platform for elite has long dreamed of a professional bas- players from across the continent to show- ketball career. His name featured on the case their talent and inspire fans of all roster of 13 players released Friday night ages”. The BAL is being supported by the by Patriots head coach Alan Major. Cole International Basketball Federation and will play in jersey number 15 for the team the USA-based National Basketball Miss Mexico Andrea Meza is crowned Miss Miss Universe 2021 Pageant at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. representing Rwanda in the BAL. “J. Cole Association. —AFP Universe 2021 onstage. is a very good shooter. We picked him Established 1961 13 Lifestyle Features Tuesday, May 18, 2021

arvel superhero series comedies adapted from Jenny Han’s “WandaVision” was the big winner young adult novels-was named best Mat the MTV Movie and TV Awards movie. on Sunday, as Sacha Baron Cohen poked Baron Cohen won a non-competitive fun at his recent Oscars loss-with a little award-accepting in a video that saw him help from Borat, Bruno and the gang. arguing with various of his own comic and “WandaVision,” which takes characters frequently inappropriate personas such as from Marvel’s record-breaking superhero Borat and Ali G. “Right before anyone else blockbuster films and shifts the action to does it, I am officially canceling myself,” the Disney+ streaming platform, won four joked Baron Cohen. “I was actually really awards at the Los Angeles ceremony, looking forward to this after losing at the including best show. The oddball but Oscars. You can keep it. Go on, you’re a acclaimed series set in a bizarre, sitcom- caricature,” he told his gay Austrian fash- inspired world also bagged best perform- In this file photo US actor Chadwick Boseman ionista alter-ego Bruno, handing over his ance in a series for its star Elizabeth poses in the press room during the 2019 statuette. Baron Cohen had been nominat- Olsen, best villain for Kathryn Hahn, and In this file photo US actress Elizabeth Olsen (left) and English-US actor Paul Bettany arrive onstage American Music Awards at the Microsoft the- ed for best supporting male in “The Trial of “best fight.” for the Marvel panel to present the show WandaVisionin Hall H of the Convention Center during atre in Los Angeles. the Chicago 7” and best adapted screen- “This is bananas, this whole thing-this Comic Con in San Diego, California. — AFP photos play for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” but whole year has been so trippy,” said Hahn, blockbuster season, and voted for online failed to win either Academy Award. one of several stars to refer to the pan- surprisingly failed to posthumously win between male and female actors, and by the public, the awards tend to recognize Scarlett Johansson was also honored for demic’s impact, with the live in-person best actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” have been honoring Hollywood since 1992 more mainstream and commercial her career by MTV on Sunday. — AFP award show taking place in Hollywood a at last month’s Oscars-was honored for with “golden popcorn” statuettes for uncon- favorites than other ceremonies. “To All the year after the previous edition was can- best performance in a movie. ventional categories including “best kiss.” Boys: Always and Forever”-the conclusion celed. The late Chadwick Boseman-who The awards do not differentiate Taking place at the start of the summer to Netflix’s trilogy of teenage romantic

her childhood. “I grew up in Ireland, eating potatoes every day, and I grew up right by the coast,” she said. Core aims to source not just its produce but even its china and silverware from Britain. At the same time, its team is highly international, something that Smyth hopes to preserve despite the tougher rules on immigration from the European Union after Brexit. “We need these constant young people, this constant staff coming in,” she said, expressing her fear that “Brexit is going to have a huge impact on recruiting staff”. uring lockdown, British chef Clare Smyth won the ultimate accolade of Harry and Meghan In this file photo a film editor works on the reconstruction of the Apollo version of the Napoleon A film editor works on the reconstruction of the Dthree Michelin stars for her London Smyth was 16 when she left her fami- movie (1927) by French director Abel Gance in the buildings of the Cinematheque Francaise at the Apollo version of the Napoleon movie (1927). restaurant and she is optimistic for the ly’s farm in County Antrim, west of Belfast, Fort-de-Saint-Cyr in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, near Paris. — AFP photos sector despite the current challenges. The and went to train in England. She worked 42-year-old from Northern Ireland became at Alain Ducasse’s Louis XV restaurant in the first British woman to be awarded Monaco and then spent 13 years at three Michelin stars in January-one of only Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, under the four British chefs to have achieved the celebrity British chef in the chic London honor. She says getting the third star for district of Chelsea. Both restaurants have her Core by Clare Smyth restaurant was a three Michelin stars. Prince Harry and “dream come true” adding that it was “bril- Meghan Markle chose Smyth to cater their liant that it happened in such a difficult wedding reception in May 2018, which she year”. Britain’s hospitality sector has been says was “like a fairy tale” and “something hit hard by the pandemic with restaurants we’ll certainly all remember for a long barred from indoor service over the winter time”. n a mammoth restoration task for one of all times while working with the reels and hand-held-and horse-mounted-camera months. cinema’s most audacious and elusive still recalls the “strong stench of vinegar” shots, super-imposition and a famous final During lockdown the staff at Core, Itreasures, a team of obsessives has when she opened one box in which a reel sequence featuring three split screens which opened in London’s fashionable spent 12 years recreating the original sev- had gone mouldy. Using a mix of chemical requiring three projectors in the cinema. Notting Hill neighbourhood in 2017, spent en-hour cut of Abel Gance’s 1927 silent processes and the latest digitisation tech- “Each sequence was a cinematic revo- time preparing hundreds of meals for char- classic, “Napoleon”. “It’s an act of mad- niques, they have managed to restore lution,” said Mourier, describing it as the ity. The restaurant also began offering ness,” admits Georges Mourier, head of missing frames and turn the whole film last “super-production” of the silent era. takeaway and delivery menus, “which the 2.5 million-euro (three-million-dollar) into a high-definition print that promises to There had been hopes of presenting this worked really well”, Smyth says. project. When they began in 2008, he and maintain the “soul and feel” of the celluloid latest version in time for the bicentennial of Lockdown also meant the chef, who editor Laure Marchaut had only planned to original. Napoleon’s death on May 5, but the work exudes a calm authority, had to tell her spend a few months tidying up Gance’s has taken longer than expected. Mourier team about the Michelin star via video call. archives in the basement of the “We celebrated with a bottle of cham- Cinematheque Francaise in Paris. pagne and a pizza,” she tells AFP. As But in the process, they realised that restaurants prepare to fully re-open on previous restorations had mixed up two Monday, the absence of tourists due to versions shown at the original premieres: travel restrictions means that for some it a short one for the general public (still might be a while before business gets some three hours long) and a longer ver- back to normal. sion that Gance cut himself. Piecing But at Core the restaurant the dining together the French director’s original room is fully booked until August. “We’re vision has been a mixture of detective very lucky, we’ve got a great regular work, digital wizardry and extraordinary base,” Smyth said, with celebrities such as Britain’s newest winner of three Michelin stars, dedication. Despite initial excitement upon footballer David Beckham and his family Clare Smyth poses for a portrait at her restau- its release in 1927, the epic tale of among the clientele. To comply with social rant in west London. — AFP photos Napoleon’s early years struggled to find an distancing rules, the restaurant has had to audience, in part due to its gargantuan cut the number of covers to 44 from 54 She has also appeared on cooking length, but also because it came just as and its 42 staff take weekly virus tests. the advent of sound killed off interest in shows such as “MasterChef” in Britain and silent movies. Australia, Netflix’s “The Final Table” and Nostalgic potato dish the US reality show “Top Chef”. In July, Repeated attempts to re-edit the film by With its shelves of vintage recipe distributors, film historians and Gance him- she is set to open her first restaurant in A film editor works on the reconstruction of the Apollo version of the Napoleon movie (1927). books, decanters of liqueurs and comfort- Australia, Oncore, at the Crown Sydney self meant reels were scattered around able chairs, Core’s interior feels warm and the globe-some lost, some damaged, oth- ‘Cinematic revolution’ hopes to complete the project by the end hotel. Along with Core, this year the only intimate. The Michelin guide praises its other British restaurant to receive a third ers mixed up or respliced, leaving up to 22 The film itself has long had a near- of the year. The job now is to find a setting “modern dishes that deliver superb versions in existence. “It’s a Frankenstein mythical status among cinephiles and film- worthy of such a massive spectacle. Michelin star was Helene Darroze at The flavours and textures but in a restrained, Connaught hotel in London, named after film!” Mourier told AFP. His team often makers, not least director Francis Ford Previous showings have been expensive understated style”. Chef Helene Darroze, had to work shot by shot. To put together Coppola who owns many of the rights affairs, using live orchestras and requiring its French chef. To have two female chefs told AFP Smyth was “a monster of rigor top the table is “quite rare”, Smyth admit- the original scene of Napoleon hearing La through his company, American Zoetrope, vast screens to accommodate the triple- and precision” and had a “strength of char- Marseillaise, for instance, Mourier and and presented one of the restored ver- screen finale. Mourier dreams of pulling in ted, but she anticipates more women acter in her work that is quite incredible chefs following in their footsteps. “I’ve got Marchaut had to combine images from a sions to widespread acclaim in 1981. A thousands for a mass screening and stag- and which I really admire”. The menu is version found in Rome with others found British film historian, Kevin Brownlow, ded- ing it in the courtyard alongside quite a few in my kitchen that I hope in the about perfecting simple unpretentious next five to 10 years will be coming in Copenhagen. “We weren’t just sewing icated 50 years of his life to finding and Napoleon’s tomb at Les Invalides in Paris. ingredients such as potatoes and carrots. pieces together, we were lacing them,” restoring different cuts of the film, and it is “One thing is certain: the audience will through and winning their own Michelin A signature dish is “potato and roe”, which stars.”— AFP said Mourier. His team has now worked his version (a breezy five and a half hours) never have any idea of how far we went is a potato topped with herring and trout through 100 kilometers (60 miles) of film, that was released on DVD and Blu-Ray by with this,” he said.—AFP roe, served with a beurre blanc sauce. much of it on the verge of disintegrating the British Film Institute in 2016. The Smyth says the dish is “very nostalgic and highly flammable. film’s reputation stems from its many tech- for me” and was inspired by the flavors of Marchaut had to keep her gloves on at nical innovations, including rapid editing,

When the incident began May 9, fright- good for the tiger.” The Houston Police ened neighbors saw the nine-month-old tiger Department released a video of the 175- Bengal tiger found wandering through their yards in a residential pound (80-kilogram) tiger being petted and neighborhood. Videos showed an off-duty given a drink. The big cat was transported to unharmed after week sheriff’s deputy pulling a gun when he saw the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in the tiger, before Cuevas arrived to take it Murchison, Texas, where it will have its own away. The animal was recovered by the habitat with half an acre of land (0.2 hectare), missing in Texas owner’s wife, and she agreed to hand it over including a wooded area and pool. Bengal tiger last seen a week ago to police, Borza told reporters late Saturday. “Our goal is to provide him the best quali- roaming the lawns of suburban He did not say where the big cat had spent ty of life for the rest of his life,” ranch director AHouston and terrifying locals has been the week but stressed that the woman had Noelle Almrud told a press conference. found unharmed and was moved Sunday to always known its whereabouts. “We are hap- Almrud told reporters that India would go into an animal sanctuary, police said. “We got py to report that the missing tiger seen in a quarantine for 30 days before being intro- him, and he’s healthy,” Houston police com- Houston neighborhood last week has been duced to its new habitat, although he looked mander Ron Borza was seen saying in a found and appears to be unharmed,” city healthy based on an initial visual inspection. video. The animal, named India, had been in police said. Texas is known for having a large number of the custody of the wife of its owner, a 26- tigers in captivity. Nationwide, the WWF con- year-old man seen in social media videos Easy to catch a tiger? servation group estimates that there are last week kissing the untethered tiger before Owning a tiger is illegal within Houston some 5,000 tigers living in captivity, a num- placing it into his car and driving off. The city limits-though it is permitted in many parts ber greater than the entire world population man, identified as Victor Cuevas, was arrest- of the state under certain conditions-but of wild tigers. Borza, in his news conference, ed Monday, freed Wednesday, then re- police said Cuevas’s wife would face no thanked the Houston police officers who Nine-month-old Bengal tiger called ‘India’ is seen in a cage after being captured by authori- arrested Friday. He had faced a past murder charges. Still, Borza told reporters, “You helped track the animal down.—AFP ties in Houston, Texas. — AFP charge. should not have that in your home. It’s not 14 Sports Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Barcelona thrash Chelsea to win women’s Champions League GOTHENBURG: Barcelona became the first Spanish thought we showed some naivety at times. We’re not plate for Hansen to tap into an empty net. side to win the women’s Champions League with a quite European champions yet, but we are the second Two years ago it was Barca who found themselves stunning performance to thrash Chelsea 4-0 in best team in Europe and I’ll take that as a step in the 4-0 down after just 30 minutes against a dominant Gothenburg on Sunday. The La Liga champions right direction.” Lyon side in the Champions League final in Budapest. scored all four goals inside 36 minutes as a Melanie The Blues were rocked after just 33 seconds when “We deserve it. It has been a lot of work since the final Leupolz own goal, Alexia Putellas’s penalty and simple after Lieke Martens’s shot came back off the crossbar, in Budapest. We had a goal to get back to the final and finishes from Aitana Bonmati and Caroline Graham Fran Kirby’s attempted clearance looped into her own win it and we’ve done it,” said Bonmati, who won play- Hansen killed the game as a contest. net off the unlucky Leupolz. Chelsea had the chance to er of the match. Barca have romped to the Spanish title with a 100 hit back immediately as Pernille Harder, who cost a The French giants had won this competition for the percent record after 26 games in La Liga, boasting a world record transfer fee when she arrived in London past five seasons, but their reign was ended by Paris 123 goal difference. “Congratulations, champions, from Wolfsburg in September, fired over from close Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals, who were then you are unstoppable,” tweeted Barcelona president range. Jenni Hermoso pulled another big chance wide eliminated by Barcelona in the last four. Chelsea will be Joan Laporta. “You are a reference. You are an for Barca before Harder was denied again by a last- hoping to show similar resilience to come back and example. You are one of the big reasons that make ditch tackle in an end-to-end start. But Chelsea were win the competition for the first time as they missed Barca more than a club. You moved us with your shell-shocked once Hermoso went down under out on becoming the first English side to become magnificent victory.” Leupolz’s challenge and Putellas confidently slotted European champions since Arsenal in 2007. Chelsea had been on course for a quadruple, but home the spot-kick. Sam Kerr missed a number of chances to pull a goal BILBAO: Real Madrid’s French coach Zinedine Zidane even the big-spending English champions were no A brilliant team move made it 3-0 as Martens fed back for Hayes’s women in the second-half. But Barca gestures during the Spanish League football match match for the Catalans’ speed of thought and move- Hermoso, who drilled a pass into the path of Bonmati could afford the luxury of withdrawing Hansen and between Athletic Club Bilbao and Real Madrid CF at the ment. “Today was difficult because the game was over and she beat Ann-Katrin Berger from close range. Hermoso as they cruised towards the title and set a San Mames stadium in Bilbao on Sunday. — AFP before it began,” said Chelsea manager Emma Hayes. Martens was toying with Chelsea right-back Niamh new record winning margin in a women’s Champions “We will learn from because this is the next step up. I Charles and the Dutch international laid the fourth on a League final. — AFP Zidane denies telling players he will leave Real at end of season

MADRID: Zinedine Zidane has denied already telling his players he will resign as Real Madrid coach at the end of the season. Zidane was asked again about his future after Madrid’s 1-0 victory away at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, a win that keeps them two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid heading into La Liga’s final weekend. According to Onda Cero radio and Goal online earlier on Sunday, Zidane, who has a contract until 2022, informed his squad a week ago that he was going to leave after the team’s final game next week- end. But Zidane said in Sunday’s post-match press conference that was not the case. “How am I going to tell my players that I am going now? It’s a lie,” he said. “I focus on this season. There is a game left and we are going to give everything. I only care what happens in this finale. The rest, we will see at the end of the season.” Former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, ex- Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez and Joachim Loew, who will step down as Germany coach at the end of this GOTHENBURG: Barcelona’s players raise their trophy after winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League final between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona in Gothenburg, summer’s European Championships, have all been Sweden, on Sunday. — AFP mentioned as possible successors. Zidane hinted on Saturday he could leave, saying he believes “there comes a time when it’s the moment to change”. “I don’t leave because it’s easy. It’s not like I turn Solskjaer hopes fans PSG move point behind Lille away and don’t look back,” Zidane said. “No, there are moments when you have to be there and there are will cheer not jeer on to re-ignite French title chase moments when that’s it, it’s finished, it’s time to change. PARIS: Lille’s bid to win the Ligue 1 title will go to the have an significantly inferior goal difference to both But for the good of everyone, not just for me.” return to Old Trafford final weekend of the season after Sunday’s goalless Lille and PSG and would therefore need to win at Lens draw with Saint-Etienne allowed Paris Saint-Germain on the final day and hope both their rivals lose their ‘Extraordinary’ Suarez to move to within a point of the leaders. Reigning fixtures. Diego Simeone hailed Luis Suarez as “extraordi- LONDON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes Manchester champions PSG strolled to a simple 4-0 win over 10- They hold the final Champions League spot but are nary” on Sunday after the Uruguayan scored the goal United fans will ditch their protests against club own- man Reims to pile the pressure on Lille, who will looking over their shoulders at Lyon, who are a point that could win Atletico Madrid La Liga, his late winner ers, the Glazer family, and cheer on the team when nonetheless claim the French title for the first time further back in fourth following their flamboyant 5-2 snatching a dramatic 2-1 win over Osasuna. “He’s supporters return to Old Trafford for the first time in since 2011 if they win at mid-table Angers next win at Nimes, who were relegated following the defeat extraordinary,” said Diego Simeone. “He came here more than a year on Tuesday. Sunday. Christophe Galtier’s Lille hit the post in the and wins for both Lorient and Nantes. wanting to prove people wrong, wanting to show that final seconds of a frustrating match with little in the Nimes’ fight to stay in the top flight looked on when he was a forward still at the top of his game. Who bet- way of goalmouth incident. It was not the display the Moussa Kone capitalised on a poor backpass to open ter than him to decide a match that seemed to be get- fans who had gathered to follow the team bus to the the scoring in the fifth minute, but Lucas Paqueta lev- ting away from us?” Stade Pierre Mauroy ahead of the match expected and elled for away side Lyon just three minutes later and Atletico’s players and substitutes piled onto Suarez will leave those supporters with frayed finger nails from then on it was almost one-way traffic. in the corner and at full-time, some of their players next weekend. Memphis Depay crashed home Lyon’s second in the dropped to their knees, not with ecstasy, but relief, the “Our start was very sluggish. It was a little better 20th minute and nine minutes later Paqueta had his title now just one win away. “These are moments of afterwards, but we could not expect much success second with a low strike from the edge of the area. happiness,” said Suarez. “It was one of the best first tonight because we played a very average game,” said Paqueta then laid on Houssem Aouar for the fourth halves of the season. We missed a lot of chances, me in Galtier. “We are still ahead. We have a final in Angers nine minutes after the break and although Kone pulled particular, but to win the league you have to suffer and that we will have to win if we want to be champions.” one back for Nimes just after the hour mark Islam today we stepped up.”—AFP PSG meanwhile were gifted a perfect start at the Slimani sent them down three minutes from the end. Parc des Princes when Yunis Abdelhamid handled Nimes are five points behind Nantes, who occupy Kylian Mbappe’s shot in front of an empty goal, con- the relegation play-off position, and six behind AC Milan complicate ceding a penalty and being sent off in the process. Strasbourg, Brest and Lorient who are all aiming to MANCHESTER: Demonstrators protest against Neymar slotted home the spot-kick in the 13th minute avoid a clash with a team from Ligue 2 to save their Manchester United’s owners outside Old Trafford stadi- and 11 minutes later Mbappe pounced on a wayward place in the top division. With the top four places Champions League um in Manchester, north west England, on Thursday, pass across the area by Thomas Foket to tap home the sewn up Marseille need just a point to secure fifth ahead of the English Premier League football match second. Marquinhos made it three in the 68th minute place and Europa League football next season after fate with stalemate between Manchester United and Liverpool. — AFP with a thumping header from Neymar’s corner. Moise hat-trick hero Arkadiusz Milik fired them to a last- Kean rounded off an easy win for PSG one minute gasp win over Angers. Poland forward Milik, who is from the end. on loan from Napoli, struck the winning penalty in MILAN: AC Milan complicated their passage to the United’s last three home games have featured fans the fifth minute of added time to complete his treble Champions League with a goalless draw at home protesting against the Glazers after they signed up to Monaco close gap after Remain Thomas had leveled for Angers with against Cagliari in the San Siro on Sunday. Stefano the European Super League before the supporters Monaco are also still in with a potential shout for only five minutes remaining. Jorge Sampaoli’s Pioli’s side could have sealed a return to elite furious reaction saw them withdraw hastily. United’s the title after their 2-1 home win over Rennes moved Marseille are three points ahead of sixth-placed Lens European football for the first time since the 2013- home game with Liverpool had to be postponed earli- Niko Kovac’s third-placed side three points behind with a superior goal difference ahead of their final 2014 season with a win over the Sardinians. er this month when fans broke into the stadium and got Lille with one to play. However the Principality club fixture at Metz next weekend. — AFP But with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic injured the onto the pitch. The re-scheduled game last Thursday northerners dropped points with a top-four finish also featured protests outside the ground — as did going down to the wire in their final game at second- last Tuesday’s home defeat to Leicester. Solskjaer placed Atalanta next weekend. “We were too tense,” wants to hear more positive sounds when they host said Milan coach Pioli. “We had the game of a lifetime relegated Fulham where victory would secure them against Juventus, then Torino, so it will be another second place in the table. against Atalanta. We will have to try.” Around 10,000 fans are expected to attend as the Atalanta ensured a third consecutive season of latest easing of the British government’s coronavirus Champions League football with a 4-3 win over Genoa restrictions comes into force. Although some clubs on Saturday. Milan are third, equal on 76 points with welcomed back around 2,000 fans for a short spell last fourth-placed Napoli, who won 2-0 at Fiorentina earli- December the last time a club entertained a sell out er on Sunday. But Juventus are just a point further crowd was Leicester’s 4-0 win against Aston Villa at behind on 75 after beating champions Inter Milan 3-2, the King Power Stadium on March 9, 2020. with their final game at Bologna. “We’ve been waiting for a long, long time to wel- Cagliari had already assured their top flight survival come the fans back,” said Solskjaer at his eve-of- before kick-off after Crotone held Benevento 1-1. match press conference. “Of course the last couple of Milan had beaten Torino 7-0 midweek, but the hosts’ home games, especially the Liverpool ones with the poor home form continued with just eight wins out of protests... It’s never nice to see a club that is not unit- 19 games played in the San Siro. Hakan Calhanoglu, ed, fans with the team, so we’re hoping that Tuesday is Samu Castillejo, Alexis Saelemaekers and Ante Rebic going to be a positive day that we move together, that all missed chances with Cagliari also threatening. we play a good game of football.” Gianluigi Donnarumma saved two second-half headers Solskjaer, though, blames the protests for their last from Leonardo Pavoletti and Diego Godin. two home defeats to Leicester and Liverpool. Even Napoli’s final game will be at home against midtable without the protests United’s overall home form this Hellas Verona. Juventus play their final game at season has been poor — six defeats in all — and Bologna desperate to avoid missing out on the effectively cost them giving champions Manchester Champions League for the first time in a decade. Lazio will not play among the European elite next season City a run for their money in the title race. Their away PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian defender Marquinhos (center) is challenged during the French L1 after a 2-0 derby defeat to Roma on Saturday. Sixth- form by contrast has been scintillating — unbeaten on football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Stade de Reims at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris placed Lazio are eight points behind Juventus having the road in the Premier League this season and have on Sunday. — AFP not lost an away league game in 15 months.—AFP played a game less.—ÅFP Established 1961 15 Sports Tuesday, May 18, 2021 Jazz earn No 1 seed in playoffs, Lakers settle for spot in play-in LOS ANGELES: The Utah Jazz claimed top spot in the playoffs, Stephen Curry captured the scoring title, and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers set- tled for a spot in the play-in round as Sunday’s final day of the regular season saw all 30 NBA teams in Fury vs Joshua title action. LeBron James scored 25 points as Los Angeles easily beat the short-handed New Orleans Pelicans 110-98 but the win wasn’t enough to get the Lakers showdown in Saudi directly into the playoffs. The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets Arabia on August 14 to earn the sixth seed ahead of the Lakers, who finished seventh for a place in the play-in tournament that begins today and ends Friday. Los Angeles next plays LONDON: Tyson Fury said Sunday his long- tomorrow night against Curry’s Golden State Warriors, awaited world heavyweight title unification bout who have won six in a row. “We just go to play to the against Anthony Joshua would take place in best of our ability,” said James. “We got to play Laker Saudi Arabia on August 14. “Massive announce- basketball. We are playing the MVP of our league in ment FURY VS JOSHUA IS ON AUGUST 14 in Steph. We got to be ready for the opportunity and the The kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The worlds (sic) pressure.” biggest sporting event all eyes on us,” Fury Anthony Davis scored 14 points for the Lakers, tweeted. whose fate was determined in the season finale for both Between them, the two British boxers hold all teams. James exited the game with six minutes to go in four major versions of the heavyweight title. the fourth quarter to rest his sore right ankle that side- Saudi Arabia staged the 31-year-old Joshua’s lined him for 26 games down the stretch. “I will be fine,” rematch against Andy Ruiz, when the Briton James said after the game. regained his WBA, IBF and WBO titles in Curry earned his second NBA scoring title as the December 2019, putting him on a collision Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 113- SAN FRANCISCO: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball during the game against the Memphis course with Fury, who became the WBC champi- 101. Curry finished the regular season with a 32.0-point Grizzlies on Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. — AFP on shortly afterwards. In a video posted to scoring average, claiming the league title over Twitter, Fury said: “I have got some massive news. I have just got off the phone with Prince Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal. race for the sixth and final direct playoff spot with a the East play-in, in which the seventh through 10th- Elsewhere, the Jazz claimed sole possession of the Khalid of Saudi Arabia and he told me this fight 132-116 win over the Nuggets, who they will meet in placed teams will battle for the final two playoff spots. is 100 percent on, August 14.” No 1 spot in the NBA playoffs for the first time in fran- the first round of the playoffs. CJ McCollum scored 24 Washington rallied to beat the Charlotte Hornets chise history by beating the Sacramento Kings 121-99 Fury, a year older than Joshua, added: “All eyes points, Damian Lillard recorded 22 points and 10 115-110 to set up a play-in tournament clash with the of the world will be on the Kingdom of Saudi behind a 33-point performance from Jordan Clarkson. assists and Jusuf Nurkic added 20 points and 13 Boston Celtics. Beal scored 20 of his 25 points in the Rudy Gobert had a double-double of 13 points and 16 Arabia. “I cannot wait, I repeat, cannot wait to rebounds in the wire-to-wire win. Nikola Jokic scored second half for the Wizards, who trailed by as many as smash Anthony Joshua on the biggest stage of all- rebounds as the Jazz finished with a 52-20 record to 21 points in the first half before exiting for the Nuggets, 15 in the third quarter. beat out the second place Phoenix Suns for league time. This is going to be the biggest sporting event who landed the third seed in West. Washington’s Russell Westbrook closed out the reg- ever to grace the planet Earth. Do not miss it.” bragging rights. In the East, Kevin Durant delivered 23 points as the ular season with a triple-double, taking his career tally Mike Conley had 11 points and nine assists and Brooklyn Nets seized the second seed in the confer- to 184 the week after he broke the all-time record with Bojan Bogdanovic had 18 points. Conley was playing in ence with a wire-to-wire 123-109 victory over the his 182nd. The Hornets lost their fifth straight and just his second game back after missing two weeks Cleveland Cavaliers. Brooklyn beat out the Milwaukee dropped to 10th in the East. They’ll open the play-in with a hamstring problem. The Jazz won’t know who Bucks for the second seed after ending their season against the ninth-place Pacers in Indiana. their first opponent is until they face one of the surviv- with a five-game win streak. Grabbing the No 8 spot was big for Washington, ing teams from the play-in games. A loss by Brooklyn and a Milwaukee win over the since both the seventh- and eighth-placed teams get Chicago Bulls would have pushed the Nets into the two chances to book a playoff spot with a single win, Blazers beat Nuggets third seed due to losing the head-to-head tiebreaker while the ninth- or 10th-placed team would need two Also, the Trail Blazers earned the upper hand in the with the Bucks. Early games saw the schedule set for wins to advance. — AFP ICC says ‘insufficient evidence’ in Al-Jazeera Tyson Fury (left) and Anthony Joshua

corruption claims What is widely expected to be the richest fight in British boxing history started to loom into view when Fury stopped Deontay Wilder to PARIS: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said win the WBC title in February last year after yesterday there were “insufficient grounds” to bring Joshua had avenged the only loss of his profes- charges against five people who were featured in an sional career by defeating Ruiz. Joshua retained Al-Jazeera television program about corruption in the his three belts in December with a ninth-round game. ‘Cricket’s Match Fixers’, broadcast by Al- knockout of mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev. Jazeera on May 27, 2018, alleged that two matches Meanwhile a third fight between Fury and were fixed: India v England in Chennai in 2016 and Wilder has failed to take place, meaning the ‘lin- India v Australia in Ranchi in 2017. eal champion’ has been inactive in more than 12 The ICC anti-corruption unit’s investigation, months since stopping Wilder in Las Vegas. which focused on the claims made by the program, Fury’s co-promoter Bob Arum recently said a the suspects who were part of it and how the pro- fight in July or August was “dead in the water”. BOSTON: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels hits a game-winning two-run home run in the ninth inning gram gathered evidence, concluded that there was But earlier this week, Eddie Hearn, who pro- against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday in Boston, Massachusetts. — AFP “insufficient credible and reliable evidence” to motes Joshua, said the two camps were close to pursue the matter. The ICC engaged four inde- securing a date as well as a venue. “August 7, pendent betting and cricketing specialists to ana- Mike Trout hit a bloop single after Barnes had retired August 14,” Hearn told Sky Sports when asked lyze the claims. All four concluded that the pas- Japan’s Ohtani hits the first two batters he faced in the ninth as the Angels about a date for Joshua-Fury. “It’s a very bad tried to avoid a three-game sweep to Boston. Trout, who sages of play identified in the program as being secret that the fight is happening in Saudi Arabia. had no hits in his last 18 bat appearances, hit his single to allegedly fixed were entirely predictable, and I don’t mind giving that information, Bob Arum’s ninth-inning homer, right center field. Ohtani came up next and hammered therefore implausible as a fix. already done it.” the first pitch, a 96 mph fastball, to right field. “There are fundamental weaknesses in each of the Hearn added: “It’s the same people we did the Angels cool off Red Sox It was Ohtani’s 12th home run of the season and it areas we have investigated that make the claims deal with for Andy Ruiz, that event was spectac- came against Boston’s ace closer Barnes, who was nine- unlikely and lacking in credibility, a viewpoint that has ular. As partners, they were fantastic as well, so of-nine in save opportunities this season. “He’s the most been corroborated by four independent experts,” said we’re very comfortable. We’re very comfortable. LOS ANGELES: Japan’s Shohei Ohtani blasted a two- physically gifted baseball player that we’ve ever seen,” ICC general manager Alex Marshall. “We have been Anthony’s comfortable, he knows those people. run homer with two outs in the ninth as the Los Angeles Barnes said. “I don’t know that you’re ever going to see unable to assess the full context of the conversations They delivered on every one of their promises Angels came from behind to beat the Boston Red Sox 6- someone who can throw 100, 101 and hit the ball 600 that took place beyond what was seen on screen ver- last time — we’re ready to go.” 5 on Sunday. Ohtani’s two run shot came off Red Sox feet. He’s a special player and incredibly talented. sus what the participants claim actually happened. This Hearn indicated then that August 14 was the closing pitcher Matt Barnes and snapped a four-game Hopefully, he stays healthy and has a long career.” combined with the absence of any other credible evi- more likely date so as to avoid a clash with the losing skid for the Angels. Mike Mayers earned his second save of the season dence means there are insufficient grounds to bring Olympics, which are scheduled to finish six days “Coming off a losing streak and the first two games of for the Angels by striking out three batters in the ninth. charges.” One of those named in the program, Sri earlier provided the coronavirus pandemic does the series, the way we lost, it wasn’t a good way to lose,” The Angels jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second off Red Lanka fast bowler Dilhara Lokuhettige, was handed an not force a change or even scupper the already Ohtani said. “So, it was huge for us and the team to come Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi, getting four hits, a hit-batter eight-year ban last month on a separate charge of delayed Tokyo Games completely.—AFP up with this. We showed that we can beat any team.” and a walk in the inning. — AFP match-fixing. — AFP Established 1961 Sport

TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021 Over 80 percent in Japan oppose Olympics this year

TOKYO: More than 80 percent of Japanese polled ponement was not listed as an option. oppose hosting the virus-postponed Olympics this year, Olympic organizers say tough anti-virus meas- a new survey showed yesterday, underlining public ures, including regular testing of athletes and a ban antipathy less than 10 weeks before the Tokyo Games. on overseas fans, will keep the Games safe. But the The latest downbeat poll comes after Japan Kyodo poll found 87.7 percent of respondents wor- expanded a coronavirus state of emergency Friday ry that an influx of athletes and staff members from as the nation battles a fourth wave of infections. The abroad may spread the virus. surge in cases has put pressure on the country’s Amid mounting public opposition to the games, healthcare system, with medical professionals several dozen protesters rallied in central Tokyo repeatedly warning about shortages and burnout. against the Olympics. “It’s obvious to everyone that The weekend poll by the Asahi Shimbun daily we should cancel the Games, but nobody — the found 43 percent of respondents want the 2020 Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, the Tokyo gov- Games cancelled, with 40 percent wanting a further ernment nor Prime Minister (Yoshihide) Suga — postponement. Those figures are up from the 35 none of them are making the decision,” Toshio percent who backed cancellation in a survey by the Miyazaki, 60, who organized the demonstration, paper a month ago and the 34 percent who wanted told AFP. “We cannot afford to host the Olympics a further delay. when we have to defeat the coronavirus.” “I am one of those in the 80 percent. I think the Another demonstrator slammed government pol- Olympics should be postponed. Is it that difficult to icy as “contradictory”. “If authorities put priority on postpone it?” passer-by Sumiko Usui, 74, told AFP the economy, I want them to lift the restrictions on in Tokyo. Takahiro Yoshida, 53, also expressed restaurants and bars,” Yusuke Kawai, a 40-year-old doubts over the event. “In my honest opinion, it will match-making party organizer, said. “If they priori- be difficult to hold the Games... Athletes from over- tize the anti-virus measures, I want them to cancel seas must be worried as well, because Japan’s coro- the Olympics.” navirus situation is bad,” he said. Asked about the state of public opinion yester- Only 14 percent support holding the Games this day, government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said summer as scheduled, down from 28 percent, the administration would “make efforts so that the according to the Asahi poll of 1,527 replies from Japanese people understand the Tokyo Games will 3,191 telephone calls. If the Games go ahead, 59 be held in a safe and secure manner”. “We need to percent of respondents said they want no specta- give explanations on details of the concrete (coron- tors, with a third backing lower fan numbers and avirus) measures,” he said, insisting that the Games TOKYO: People take part in a protest against the hosting of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP only three percent a regular-capacity Games. would not put further pressure on medical services.

‘Cancel the Olympics’ Mass vaccinations cent of respondents considered the rollout slow, centers which will deliver up to 10,000 shots a day For months, polling has found a majority in Japan Japan has seen a smaller Covid-19 outbreak than with 71.5 percent unhappy with the government’s in Tokyo and 5,000 in Osaka, initially to the elderly. oppose holding the Games this summer. A separate many countries, with fewer than 11,500 deaths so handling of the pandemic. All 25,000 available slots were already booked up poll by Kyodo News published Sunday showed 59.7 far. But the government has come under pressure Thousands of slots were snapped up yesterday in Osaka, the center said, while around 21,000 percent back cancellation, though further post- for its vaccine rollout. The Kyodo poll found 85 per- as online bookings opened for two mass vaccination reservations were made in Tokyo. — AFP