Cabinet Declares 5-5 Partial Curfew

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FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 / RAJAB 22-23, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17629 16 PAGES 150 FILS BAN ON ENTRY OF FOREIGN NATIONALS EXTENDED INDEFINITELY Cabinet declares 5-5 partial curfew

Taxis to carry only two passengers

KUWAIT CITY, March 4, (Agencies): The Council of Ministers held an extraordinary It decided to impose a partial curfew in the country from Sunday, March 7, 2021 starting from 5:00 pm to 5:00 am the next day, until 5:00 am on Thursday, April 8, 2021. This decision will be reviewed after the re-evaluation of the health situation meeting, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Ha- in the country. mad Al-Sabah, on Thursday afternoon at Seif Palace. The decision also mandated the National Guard to assist the police forces in imposing the curfew. After the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr. Ahmed According to the decision, it is permitted during the partial curfew period to walk outside to perform the obligatory prayers Nasser Al-Muhammad Al-Sabah announced what transpired in the meeting. in mosques. Pharmacies, medical supply stores, cooperative societies and parallel markets will conduct their activities through The meeting decided on the recommendations received from the Ministerial Committee for COVID-19 Emergencies. delivery service only. Carrying out maintenance activities for air conditioners and elevators will also be allowed. The decision mandated the Minister of Commerce and In- dustry to take the necessary measures to ensure the delivery of es- Opinion sential supplies during the partial curfew period, and to regulate the presence at auctions and limit them to companies, cooperative societies, parallel markets and food marketing outlets. Cairo-Doha During the period from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm, dine-in services and entry in restaurants and ca- fes will be banned; orders can be received only from cars or via delivery services. Passengers in taxis will be limited to two only, open doors and all seating areas in public places, public parks and gardens will be closed. Regarding the lifting of entry By Ahmed Al-Jarallah ban on non-Kuwaitis, the Cabi- Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times net decided to continue to work according to Cabinet resolution GIVEN that nations need to unite against the lurking dan- No. 77, adopted during its ex- ger, the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Al-Ula Summit came traordinary meeting No. 4/2021 to open new paths, not only in the relations between the held on 3/1/2021 to ban non-Ku- four countries – Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab waitis from entering the country Emirates and Bahrain – and Qatar, but also at the Arab level until further notice. in general. Also, the Cabinet tasked its This is due to the fact that the clouds over the regional Economic Affairs Committee with studying an appropriate sky warn of a great storm, especially when realizing the mechanism to address the po- objectives of the current US administration in its attempt tential economic repercussions to shake up the region, and perhaps bring back Barack resulting from the COVID-19 Obama’s old plan, which was aimed to hand over the Ara- pandemic. bian Peninsula to Iran (Shiite), and leave the North Africa The Cabinet urged the public to a Sunni power – a plan that will defi nitely stir up a long- to take all precautionary mea- term sectarian confl ict. sures and health requirements That is why when Cairo opened its doors with a warm and stop all gatherings and meet- welcome to Doha, the latter responded warmly too. This ings in order to limit the spread affi rms that the page of the old disagreement caused by evil of the COVID-19 virus and pre- powers that sought to divide the Gulf ranks has been closed serve the safety of everyone and forever. the cohesion of the health system Based on this fact, the words of Qatar’s Deputy Prime and health services provided to Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad bin Ab- citizens and residents, something dulrahman Al-Thani, when he went to Cairo to complete that requires cooperation of all to the solid reconciliation formula that was achieved at the prevent the spread of the virus. Al-Ula summit in Saudi Arabia, asserted that his country The Cabinet praised the sin- “seeks to restore warm and normal relations with Egypt”. cere and tremendous efforts ex- On the other hand, the strength of the Qatari-Saudi broth- erted by the Ministry of Health, headed by Sheikh Dr. Basel ers emerged through the solidarity call of the Amir of the Hamoud Al-Sabah, and all the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, and the Crown leaders and workers of all sectors Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman after the of the ministry, and the sacrifices publication of the American report, which was based only they made since the beginning of on speculations and aimed to stir up dust around Saudi Ara- the pandemic and permanently to bia and to revive the old Obama plans. face this crisis. There is no doubt that the return of normal relations between Qatar and other GCC countries and Egypt is a natural Rapid result of the profound changes launched by Amir Tamim During the meeting, the Min- bin Hamad, after the previous leaders in his country real- ister of Health Sheikh Dr. Basel ized that their continuation of the same policy would lead Hamoud Al-Sabah explained the to an imbalance of power. They had thus handed the matter latest developments in the cur- to the expert who opened the fi les of the alliances of his rent situation of the COVID-19 old country, and radically reconsidered and corrected the pandemic in the State of Kuwait. course of Qatari politics. He affirmed that a rapid increase Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, I was in the United Arab in the number of cases is being Emirates. A dialogue took place between an Emirati offi - witnessed, reaching unprecedent- cial – one of the decision-makers in his country – and I ed numbers. He also revealed an increase in the number of deaths regarding the effects of the crisis on the Gulf Cooperation and those receiving treatment in Council. He said, “The differences will end ... they will not the intensive care units, such that last forever”. the total number of COVID-19 Here we are... as everyone hoped, the breakthrough was KUNA photo victims is 196,497 and total completed with the warm words of the Qatari minister, be- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah left Kuwait for the US Thursday for regular medical tests. His deaths is 1,105 since the begin- cause the agreement among the Arab countries with politi- Highness the Amir was seen off by His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, ning of the pandemic. cal and economic weight undoubtedly prevents many of the National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and senior state officials. The Cabinet was also in- risks and plots that saboteurs seek, from either within or formed of the measures taken outside the region. by the Ministry of Health to Today in the face of the new reality, we must ignore the continuously monitor the local discordant voices that try to sabotage any achievement and epidemiological indicators and rapprochement among the people of the same house. We Day by Day the measures taken by all sec- must continue to develop the relations in a way that serves tors of the ministry to address the the Gulf and Arab solidarity that we desperately need. This pandemic and limit the spread of is what the Amir of Qatar announced, and affi rmed his en- WHEN citizens got the news about the ar- the virus in order to preserve the deavor to achieve it. rest of former Minister Khaled Al-Jarrah by health and safety of citizens and State Security upon the order of the Ministers’ residents. Email: [email protected] Court, one of them commented, saying: Our The Cabinet noted the efforts dreams have begun to come true. Follow me on: exerted by the ministry to carry In the past things were not going well but out the COVID-19 vaccination with this news, the announcement of the new campaign to ensure reaching the government after painful birth pangs, and wait- desired herd immunity. ing for the verdict of the Constitutional Court re- The Cabinet decided not to [email protected] garding cases filed against the MPs, there is no doubt that our situation will improve – the first is extend the decision to close com- an end to corruption the size of which is so large mercial activities, which ends even camels cannot carry it on their backs. next Sunday, and accordingly, Add to this the decisions issued by some salons, barbershops ,health clubs, Allow entry of farm workers ministries, particularly the Ministry of Interior, and other commercial activities which sometimes issues unjust decisions. will reopen as of next Sunday KUWAIT CITY, March 4: According to Head of the Kuwait Farmers The unjust will be plagued by the ‘unjust’. March 7, provided that they close Union Abdullah Al-Damak, the agricultural sector, like many state sec- … Yet tomorrow is another day. with the start of the ban at 5 pm, tors, is suffering due to the repercussions of confronting the COVID-19 Zahed Matar reports Al Anba daily. crisis, especially the lack of employment, corruption, and the infl iction Kuwait, meanwhile, said of losses on some farms reaching about KD 50,000 per month, reports 1,716 people have tested positive Al-Qabas daily. for coronavirus with eight related He revealed that the farms are facing an acute shortage of manpower deaths reported on Thursday tak- during the current period, which has caused agricultural crops to be se- Newswatch ing the total cases up to 196,497 verely damaged. Therefore, he called for “the government to intervene as deaths rose to 1,105 respec- and allow farmers to bring in their workers according to controls set by tively, according to the health the health authorities.” KUWAIT CITY: The parliamentary -governmen- ministry. The number of people hospi- There is no doubt about the importance of the role played by the tal team formed after the meeting of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled and talised with the virus currently farmers in supporting food security throughout the crisis. the Group of 16 in the National Assembly has stands at 12,071, with 167 of Al-Damak said they “opened the doors of their farms to citizens to take reached advanced stages of agreement and coor- them in intensive care units, ac- agricultural products for free during the crisis. Most of the farms suffer dination, reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources. cording to ministry spokesman heavy losses due to exposure to damage and lack of labor and for not car- Sources revealed an agreement has been reached Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad, who rying out the picking process in a timely manner, as well as the diffi culty in to approve the bills on freedoms; which include revealed that some 11,208 swab distributing them to points of sale and marketing outlets later. amendment of the Audio-Visual Law and the Press tests were conducted over the last With the decision of the Cabinet to postpone the payment of install- and Publication Law, abolishing preventive deten- day out of a total of 1,822,389. ments owed by the owners of small and medium enterprises for a year, tion for those involved in opinion cases, and can- He went on to urge nationals Al-Damak refers to “the necessity to pay attention to the current suf- cellation of imprisonment as punishment for those and expatriates alike that abiding fering of farmers, and to postpone the farmers’ installments with the involved in opinion cases except these three cases: by health precautions, mainly, Kuwait Industrial Bank”. A chart on Kuwait released by World Obesity Federation as part of a global insulting the Divine Entity, the Prophets and Mes- following social distancing rules, He indicated that, “Small enterprises are related to consumer mat- report detailing the correlation between obesity and mortality rates as a conse- sengers — Peace Be Upon Them, or His Highness is the only way to halt the spread ters, while farmers are most concerned with providing food security”. quence of the COVID-19 pandemic to mark World Obesity Day. — See Page 2 the Amir. of the virus. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 2

Take it off before it takes you

To mark the World Obesity Day, the World Obesity Federation has released a new, global report detailing the correlation between obesity and mortality rates as a consequence of the pandemic. The report’s author, Dr Tim Lobstein — Senior Policy Advisor to the World Obesity Federation, shows that death rates are often ten times higher in countries where more than 50% of the population is overweight, resulting in 2.2 million of the 2.5 million COVID-19 global deaths recorded in countries with high levels of obesity. However, in the Gulf region, together with New Zealand and Austral- ia, the position appears to run against this trend where overweight preva- lence among adults is high (over 60%), but reported deaths from COVID-19 are relatively low, at below 10 per 100,000. These fi gures are clearly affected by national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and will change as the pandemic unfolds and as vaccination programmes are extended. The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom says that the report must act as a wake-up call to governments globally. Governments need to act now as failure to tackle obesity is ‘clearly responsible’ for hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths. Age has been the predominant focus of analysis of risks of hospitalisation and death to date, but this report shows for the fi rst time that overweight populations come a close second. The author shows that any excess body weight is likely to impact the severity of COVID-19 in a patient. “As we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, this new report sheds light on the dangers of a different global epidemic, obesity. In addition to putting people in greater danger of developing debilitating health conditions, obesity also signifi cantly increases the risk of hospitalisation and death due to COVID-19,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Ambassador for Noncom- municable Diseases and Injuries. The report also reveals the dramatic economic costs of preventing health services from being over- run through lockdowns could have been signifi cantly mitigated if governments had tackled population weight issues before the pandemic. Of the $28 trillion IMF projected global cost in lost economic output worldwide up to 2025, at least $6 trillion will be directly attributable to the issue of populations living with excess weight. The report is being made widely available to professionals and citizens through the World Obesity Day website which contains a wealth of additional resources and information. On World Obesity Day, a landmark global study from the World Obesity Federation reveals for the first time a driving factor between countries’ disparate death rates, demonstrating the dramatic impact of overweight and obese populations on global COVID-19 death rates. Through systematic analysis of the latest mortality data from Johns Hopkins University and WHO Global Health Observatory data on obesity, the report shows that 2.2 million of the 2.5 million global deaths were in countries with high levels of obesity. There has been much speculation about the difference in death rates between Asian and Western countries and low-income and high-income countries. Still, this report uncovers for the fi rst time a common denominator in keeping death rates low. The report’s author, Dr Tim Lobstein — Senior Policy Advisor to the World Obesity Federation, visiting Professor at the University of Sydney, and former advisor to the WHO and PHE — shows that death rates are ten times higher in countries where more than 50% of the population are overweight. The increase in national death rates where countries exceed the threshold of 50% of population overweight was dramatic. Strikingly, the report fi nds that there is not a single example internationally of a country with low levels of population overweight (less than 40% of the population) having high death rates (more than 10 per 100,000 population), while no country with high death rates (100+ per 100,000) had less than 50% of their population overweight. For example: Vietnam has the lowest death rate in the world and the second-lowest levels of population overweight (0.04 per 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 and 18.3% adults overweight WHO data); The UK has the third-highest death rate in the world and the fourth-highest obesity rate (184 deaths per 100,000 and 63.7 adults overweight WHO data), Followed by the United States of America (152.49 deaths per 100,000 and 67.9% living with obesity). Obesity is recognised as both a disease in its own right and a condition that increases the likelihood of developing a wide range of non-communicable diseases. Less well-known is the fact that obesity also increases the likelihood that infectious diseases will lead to serious consequences. This is most clearly apparent in the global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the resulting pandemic of COVID-19. Through detailed analyses of the latest peer reviewed data, we demonstrate how overweight is a highly signifi cant predictor of developing complications from COVID-19, including the need for hospitalisation, for intensive care and for mechanical ventilation. Overweight is also a predictor of death from COVID-19. The report shows that in countries where less than half the adult population is classifi ed as overweight, the likelihood of death from COVID-19 is a small fraction – around one tenth – of the level seen in countries where more than half the population is classifi ed as overweight. Of the 2.5 million COVID-19 deaths reported by the end of February 2021, 2.2 million were in countries where more than half thepopulation is classifi ed as overweight. “These results underscore the importance of fi ghting obesity around the world, including in lower- and middle-income countries where rates are rising fastest. We’ve seen the positive impact healthy food policies have in dozens of countries, and together we can make even more progress saving and improving lives,” said Bloomberg. In addition, the report also shows that overweight populations are much more susceptible to ■ respiratory diseases generally – and demonstrates that outcomes were also signifi cantly worse COVID-19 death rate is ten times higher in countries where 50%+ of the population is for people living with obesity during the MERS and H1N1 epidemics – making the case for overweight; 2.2 million of the 2.5 million COVID-19 global deaths were in countries with high investment in obesity prevention and management strategies to prepare for future pandemics. WOF is also calling on governments to move people living with obesity up the priority queue levels of obesity for vaccinations. ■ World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom says report must “This report must act as a wake-up call to governments globally,” said Dr Tedros Adha- act as a wake-up call to governments globally; Governments need to act now as failure to tackle nom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “The correlation between obesity and mortality rates from COVID-19 is clear and compelling.” obesity is ‘clearly responsible’ for hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths globally “Investment in public health and co-ordinated, international action to tackle the ■ Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, root causes of obesity is one of the best ways for countries to build resilience in health systems post-pandemic: we urge all countries to seize this moment.” says “These results underscore the importance of fi ghting obesity around the world, including At a high level policy event (Obesity — Re-setting the Global Agenda) with in lower- and middle-income countries where rates are rising fastest” WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom, WHO and UNICEF will ■ World Obesity Federation (WOF) calls for urgent vaccine prioritisation of those living with confi rm their commitment to build a coalition with the World Obesity Federation and its network. obesity Johanna Ralston, CEO of the World Obesity Federation, said: ‘Old age is unavoidable, but the conditions that contribute to overweight and obesity can be highly avoidable if governments step up and we all join forces to reduce the impact of this disease. The failure to address the root causes of obesity over many decades is clearly responsible for hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths. The most important author, said: ‘We now know that an overweight population is the next pandemic waiting to happen. Look at thing as we emerge from this pandemic will countries like Japan and South Korea where they have very low levels of COVID-19 deaths as well as very low be promising families who have lost levels of adult obesity. They have prioritised public health across a range of measures, including population loved ones and suffered severe eco- weight, and it has paid off in the pandemic. Governments have been negligent, and ignored the economic value nomic pain “never again”.’ of a healthy population at their peril. For the last decade they have failed to tackle obesity, despite setting them- Dr Tim Lobstein, selves targets at United Nations meetings. COVID-19 is only the latest infection exacerbated by weight issues, report but the warning signs were there. We have seen it in the past with MERS, H1N1 and other respiratory diseases.’

editor’s choice ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 3

Weather Expected weather for the next ening at times over coastal areas Bubyan - - Prayer Timings 24 hours: north westerly wind with speeds of Jahra 28 16 By Day: Warm with moder- 15-40 km/h. Failaka Island - - Fajr ...... 04:51 Asr ...... 15:20 ate to fresh north westerly wind Station Max Exp Min Rec Salmiyah 23 18 Sunrise .. 06:10 Maghrib .. 17:49 with speeds of 20-45 km/h and a Ahmadi 23 19 Zohr ...... 12:00 Isha ...... 19:06 Kuwait City 26 18 chance for rising dust. Kuwait Airport 27 15 Nuwaisib 23 17 By Night: Rather cold and partly Abdaly 28 12 Wafra 27 15 cloudy with light to moderate fresh- Salmy 26 15

VACCINE REGISTRATION WEBSITE: https://cov19vaccine.moh.gov.kw/SPCMS/CVD_19_Vaccine_Registration.aspx

National Bank of Kuwait slips 3 fi ls, NAPESCO gains Kuwait market heads south as volume turnover rebounds By John Mathews 699 fi ls paring the year’s gains to 42 fi ls. million shares. Kuwait International Bank eased 74 fi ls and Osoul Investment added 2 fi ls with ■ UUS$/KDS$/KD 0.30190/000.30190/00 Arab Times Staff Zain slipped 6 fi ls to 618 fi ls after moving 5.8 1 fi l to 201 fi ls. razor thin trading. million shares while Ooredoo whittled down Warba Bank eased 1 fi l to 239 fi ls and Ahli Gulf Insurance Group galloped 13 fi ls to 633 KUWAIT CITY, March 4: Kuwait stocks head- 3 fi ls. stc took in 1 fi l whereas logistics major United Bank was down 4 fi ls at 219 fi ls after fi ls whereas Kuwait Insurance Co and Warba ▼ Euro/KD 0.3643 ed south on Thursday as it wrapped up the week Agility skidded 13 fi ls to 659 fi ls with a volume moving 10.8 million shares. Commercial Bank Insurance paused at 405 fi ls and 119 fi ls respec- on a sour note. The All Shares Index dropped of 2.5 million shares. Humansoft Holding tum- was unchanged at 500 fi ls whereas Al Ahli tively. National Real Estate Co eased 0.2 fi l to ■ Yen/KD 0.0028 31.19 points to 5,653.32 points weighed mostly bled 64 fi ls to KD 3.701 extending last session’s Bank of Kuwait took in 1 fi l. Ahli United Bank 89.3 fi ls after moving 3.3 million shares and by heavyweights even as the broader sentiment losses and Boursa Kuwait Securities shed 12 fi ls. trimmed 1 fi l before closing at 299 fi ls. United Real Estate tripped 0.1 fi l. Salhia Real ▲ British £/KD 0.4230 turned downbeat. NAPESO jumped 15 fi ls to 915 fi ls. KIPCO eased 1 fi l to 170 fi ls and Imtiaz In- Estate dialed up 1 fi l whereas Tamdeen Real Es- The Premier Market dipped 39.65 points to The market opened slightly gap up and drifted vestment closed 2 fi ls in red after pushing 2.9 tate was fl at at 240 fi ls. ■ 0.0041 6,164 pts while Main Market shed 12.41 points. lower in early trade. The main index continued million shares. Kuwait Investment Co clipped National Industries Group was fl at at 190 fi ls The BK Main 50 was down 17.64 points at to erode amid selling pressure in some of the 2 fi ls to close at 122 fi ls and International Fi- whereas Gulf Cable shed 15 fi ls. Boubyan Pet- ■ Philippines Peso/KD 0.0062 4,828.39 pts. The volume turnover, meanwhile, counters and fell sharply in the fi nal hour before nancial Advisors followed suit to end at 110 fi ls rochemical Co galloped 56 fi ls to 790 fi ls and saw a modest rebound following the two-day closing with moderate losses. after pushing 3.2 million shares. Al Qurain Petrochemical Co scaled 4 fi ls. Inte- fall. Over 208 million shares changed hands – a Top gainer of the day, Fujairah Cement sprint- Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) stood pat grated Holding paused at 411 fi ls and Aznour ▼ FTSE -24.59 pts at closing March 4 6 pct rise from the day before. ed 9.85 pct to 35.7 fi ls and ALOLA climbed 8 at 82 fi ls whereas First Investment scaled 4.7 closed 2 fi ls in red. Mezzan Holding was down The sectors closed mixed. Basic Materials out- percent to stand next. Tahssilat skidded 13.93 fi ls to close at 63.2 fi ls. The Securities House 3 fi ls at 581 fi ls. ▼ Nikkei shone the rest with 3.88 pct gain whereas Indus- pct, the biggest loser of the day and ALOLA also eased 0.1 fi l and Arzan Financial Group slipped Jazeera Airways rose 4 fi ls to 653 fi ls taking -628.99 pts at closing March 4 tries slid 1.40 percent, the worst performer of the topped the volume with over 30 million shares. 7 fi ls to 93 fi ls. the month’s gains to 15 fi ls while ALAFCO day. Volume wise, Financial Services topped with Refl ecting the day’s gains, the market spread Tamdeen Investment Co climbed 9 fi ls to 230 gave up 3 fi ls. KCPC rose 4 fi ls to 447 fi ls ▼ Gold 1727.50 per oz (London) 44.3 million shares while Banking sector contin- was skewed towards the losers. 33 stocks ad- fi ls and Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) held whereas KPPC dialed down 1.4 fi ls. Kuwait and ued to dominate in value with KD 17.47 million. vanced whereas 84 closed lower. Of the 139 ground at 82 fi ls. Al Madar and KFIC trimmed Gulf Links Transport Co took in 1.8 fi ls and Au- Among the prominent losers, Kuwait Finance counters active on Thursday, 22 closed fl at. 0.9 fi l each whereas National International tomated Systems Co trimmed 0.8 fi l. ▲ NYMEX crude $62.26 per barrel House slipped 4 fi ls to 727 fi ls after trading 6.5 10.359 deals worth KD 43.63 million were House whittled down 2.6 fi ls. Al Deera Holding The market was mixed during the holiday million shares and Boubyan Bank followed suit transacted during the session. dialed down 1.6 fi ls. shortened week. The main index closed higher in ▲ Brent crude $65.18 per barrel to end at 566 fi ls. Sector bellwether National In the banking sector, Burgan Bank fell 3 fi ls Noor Financial Investment was unchanged at two of the four sessions adding 4 points week-on- Bank of Kuwait gave up 3 fi ls with a volume of to 220 fi ls after pushing 5.6 million shares while 405 fi ls whereas Bayan Investment edged 0.8 fi l week. week. It had slid 132 points during whole LIBOR rate 0.19375% 6.2 million and Mabanee Co was down 4 fi ls at Gulf Bank clipped 2 fi ls with a volume of over 7 into red. KAMCO Investment slipped 5 fi ls to of February and is up 124 points year-to-date.

Other Voices

‘Women ready for a new role’ By Dr Alanoud Alsharekh, fi nally came to a head and had to be Women’s Rights Advocate dealt with. So in a way, our inner lives mirrored the challenges and upheavals t’s been a tough year. Corona ... in that were taking place on the ground as Itwo waves. Economic hardship. Cur- the pandemic dragged on. fews and lockdowns. Kuwait lost a be- As we always do in times of real loved Amir, and his popular son, and crisis, we also saw the best of Kuwait. many of us lost family and friends. We Effi cient planning for food, security, were forced to rethink our priorities as emergency evacuation and health ser- we worried about the health of loved vices on the government’s part was ones, or how we matched by amazing civic and vol- will bring those unteer initiatives to fi ll in the missed stranded abroad spots, providing food and relief for back home. those most in need. With time on our As we settle into a new era with a hands we started new Amir and Crown Prince, we also to refl ect more have to deal with the reality of a fe- on life and our male free legislative body and another purpose in it. cabinet shuffl e. So maybe it’s time to A few months explore with each other what being a into this pan- woman in Kuwait today really means, demic I started how we can give back best, and in what interrogating Dr Alsharekh capacity, beyond placating vagueness those closest to from policymakers or conversations me about what they had learnt about designed to offend on Clubhouse. I be- Photo by Mohammad Morsi themselves in this experience. Some lieve that we are ready for a new role Families enjoying over the weekend during the pleasant weather in Salmiya garden opposite the sea. were surprised to suddenly develop for women in post-Covid Kuwait, and baking talents, a desire to exercise, for the best of what we learnt, collec- or an aversion to social media, while tively and as individuals, to manifest many more realised that there was itself into creating an evolved environ- another, better way to live. Many dis- ment to live and work in beyond the Bedoun teachers ‘sacking’ rapped covered their secret selves and were “yes, but” excuses that we have been delighted or horrifi ed with who they receiving for every demand from quo- found. Some realised that they had not tas to sexual harassment. We have seen Stranded Egyptian teachers face cuts taken the time previously to really get what power we have when our voices to know their partners, family mem- rise together in the passing a domestic bers, friends, and even their country, violence legislation last summer, and By Raed Yousef/Abdul Rahman Al-Shammari tion, during its recent meeting, affi rmed the suspen- as unprecedented numbers of Kuwaitis in-state empowerment efforts to fi nally Al-Seyassah Staff stayed put through the summer and put women on the bench, but much re- sion of disbursement of salaries for Bedoun teachers weathered the heat and the lack of mains to be done. We now have young KUWAIT CITY, March 4: As the fi rst test for the new whose security cards have expired, stressing that their touristic options, where they glammed women literally refusing to be silenced, government that caused it great embarrassment, the services will be ended if their cards are not renewed up local alternatives between sand and and they are being supported by other sea to distract themselves, with a huge women and men, in the media and on Council of Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Educa- within the coming two weeks. toll on the environment. Problems the frontlines of changing attitudes. We Meanwhile, informed sources from the education sec- within our education system and in- need to channel this energy and courage tor said the council also discussed the fi le of the 1,000 frastructure surfaced too, as many is- into a fairer, and safer, community for Call to build shelters for stray dogs teachers stranded in Egypt, highlighting the need to sues that had been dragging for years all those who live here. specify the number of teachers who can be dispensed KUWAIT CITY, March 4: Municipal tours throughout the province from Feb with after considering the specializations needed by the Council member Eng Abdul Salam Al- 17, 2021 Feb 22, 2021 to raise the level Randi has called for the allocation of land of hygiene and clear all obstructions that ministry as well as those who can be replaced through Over 18,000 expatriates ‘leave’ to construct shelters for stray dogs, reports distort the general view of the governo- local contracts. Al-Qabas daily. rate, by lifting abandoned cars and boats Immediately after the announcement of the Ministry of Al-Randi took this step after noticing the parked in public squares or government Education’s Council of Undersecretaries regarding its approach spread of stray dogs, which endanger citi- land and ensuring that the shops adhere towards the Bedoun teachers, a number of MPs criticized it, Kuwait labor market in 51 days calling on the ministry to withdraw such an approach. zens and cause anxiety due to fear of being to the general hygiene regulation and road were transferred to family visa. attacked by the dogs; not to mention the occupancy conditions, reports Al-Seyas- Parliamentary sources revealed that they had contacted the By Faris Al-Abadan Minister of Education, Dr Ali Al-Mudhaf, who promised to Al-Seyassah Staff The number of renewed work permits repetition of accidents in some areas due to sah daily. follow up the issue and study the consequences of its imple- these dogs. In this context, Director of the depart- for expatriate workers during the same mentation from various aspects so that the necessary measures KUWAIT CITY, March 4: The Public Au- period reached 145,74, and 96 permits to He is hoping for the establishment of ment Muhammad Al-Jaba’a, explained the could be taken. thority for Manpower (PAM) revealed that shelters for stray dogs in Abdally, Wafra aim of the intensive fi eld tours is to moni- 18,775 residents will exit the country’s la- transfer to the government sector were Head of the Parliament’s Education Committee MP Hamad canceled. and Kabad to control their population. tor violators and take all legal measures Al-Matar considered the decision a “crime”. bor market within 51 days. Meanwhile, the Kuwait Municipal- against them, pointing out that the super- In a press statement, he said, “If the news is true regarding the According to offi cial statistics issued The statistics revealed that 596 work ity has allocated WhatsApp 24727732 visory team in the Public Hygiene Depart- Ministry of Education’s decision to dismiss the Bedoun teachers by PAM regarding the online transactions permits were issued, 60 work permits to receive complaints related to viola- ment pays great attention to raising the level who did not renew their security cards, then it is undoubtedly a carried out during the period from January were transferred from the government tions of health requirements, while the of hygiene in the areas which fall under its crime, as they are the first group after the citizens”. 12 to March 3, the work permits of 11,610 sector, 323 transferred from family visa, supervisory team of the Public Cleaning jurisdiction in addition to removing every- Al-Matar added, “We reject this unjustified act by the min- residents were cancelled because they 93 transferred from entry visas, 77 issued and Road Works Department in the Ha- thing that distorts the aesthetic view of the istry. We will take serious action with the minister to stop such stayed out of the country , 5,864 for fi nal based on permits, and 204 work visas walli Governorate branch carried out field governorate. tampering with people’s livelihood”. travel and 865 as a result of death, and 436 were printed. In this regard, MP Dr Abdullah Al-Turaiji said he wished the minister Al-Mudhaf would reconsider the decision in coordination with the concerned authorities and avoid cutting off or harassing people’s livelihood. He indicated that ending the services of Bedoun teachers whose security cards have expired will increase the living and humanitarian burdens on this group. Meanwhile, MP Dr Abdul-Karim Al-Kandari called on the Minister Al-Mudhaf to activate the role of private education in monitoring private schools. He stressed that the expulsion of Bedoun students due to non-payment of tuition fees is illegal, especially with the charitable fund guaranteeing the tuition fees, and the current implementation of the online learning system, which means there is no place or support for the fees. In addition, the council’s educational committee agreed recently to the proposal, based on the desire of MP Fayez Al-Jamhour, to oblige the Ministry of Higher Education to equalize higher education certificates of the employees who obtained their certificates without taking study leave. CDC places Kuwait on ‘no go’ list KUWAIT CITY, March 4: The US Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention (CDC) has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Kuwait, raising the coronavirus risk factor in Ku- wait to Level 4, reports Al-Qabas daily. A newsletter published on the CDC website stated that all air passengers coming to the United States, including US citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a fl ight to the United States. The bulletin also stated that the Covid-19 level in Kuwait is at level 4, which means that the risk of Covid-19 is at a very high level. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 LOCAL 4 Separation of edu ministries an opportunity for a change Move will help minister to envision nature of work

By Abdulrahman The ambassador with Ali Al-Saeed. Al-Shammari Indian envoy calls on Al-Saeed Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, The Ambassador of the Republic of eign Affairs, Kuwait and discussed, March 4: Academic Indian to Kuwait, Sibi George met Ali inter-alia, bilateral relations, ways and Sulaiman Al-Saeed, Assistant Foreign means for enhancing cooperation in and educational circles Minister, Asia Affairs, Ministry of For- various fi elds and Diaspora matters. welcomed the move by the Council of Minis- ters during the formation of the new government to separate the Ministry of Education from the Ministry of Higher Education, as it will provide a space for the minister con- KUNA photo cerned with education A group photo from the signing of the co-operation document. to focus optimally on Youths ministry, Lawyers Society sign co-op document a specifi c entity and make a qualitative leap Ministry of State for Youth Affairs tion to create job opportunities and replace foreigners with Ku- in its development and and Kuwait Society of Layers for Kuwaiti youths. The program, waitis to solve the unemployment lay the foundations for have signed a primary implemen- the fi rst of its kind in Kuwait, will problem. Applications can be soon Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during the speech on March 7, 1971. tation document to train attorney provide the profession of legal submitted through the minister’s its advancement with assistants. In a press statement, assistant attorney, fi nancial and offi ce website, and 50 attorney as- an emphasis on coop- Ministry Undersecretary Dr Mishal administrative assistant attorney. sistants who hold a diploma in law ‘Memory of World Int’l Register’ Al-Rubayye said, after signing It was developed in coordination will be selected, he said. On his eration and coordina- the document last night, that the with the Public Authority for Man- part, chairman of Kuwait Society of tion between them to trainees will attend a two-month power and the Supreme Council Lawyers Sharyan Al-Sharyan said Background of speech of Bangladesh intensive fi eld training program for Development and Planning, the society will provide an inte- provide high-level edu- which ends with employing train- Al-Rubayye indicated. He pointed grated training program for Kuwaiti cational outputs, espe- Father of the Nation on 7 March 1971 ees in law fi rms. In this regard, that the ministry seeks to provide youth and provide job opportuni- cially this will make the Al-Rubayye Praised Kuwait So- job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth, ties for trainees after passing the KUWAIT CITY, Feb 4: The 20th century ready to fi ght till their last blood for the ciety of Lawyers for its coopera- adjust the demographic structure, training period. minister of education witnessed a lot of nationalist movements, independence of their motherland. On 25 independent without which gave the birth of many independent March 1971, military crackdown started affi liation to any other states. All these nationalist movements all over the country by the Occupation 288 passengers arrived at KIA from Feb 21-March 1 party except for the were led by some charismatic leaders Forces against Bengali civilians, intelli- who could convince, organize, and mo- gentsia, students, politicians, and armed By Muhammad Ghanem with a total of 2,815 passengers leaving accompanying domestic workers, Ku- Ministry of Education tivate people by their character, speech, personnel. In the early hours of 26 March, Al-Seyassah Staff aboard 49 fl ights. waiti patients who are sent for treatment and its schools. and wonderful leadership. Bangabandhu Father of the Nation Bangabandhu calls This comes in conjunction with the abroad and their companions after the KUWAIT CITY, March 4: A recent This will also help the min- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was one of for independence of Bangladesh. After a implementation of civil aviation deci- end of the treatment period, on condi- them. He was such a leader who opened bloody and most devastating war of nine statistics issued by the Directorate-Gen- sions to prevent non-Kuwaitis from en- tion they submit a PCR certifi cate is- ister to envision the nature eral of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows of work and the capabilities the eyes of the East Pakistani (now Bang- months Bangladesh was liberated on 16 tering the Kuwait International Airport, sued by the Kuwaiti health offi ce in the ladesh) people about their right and led December 1971 and became one of the 288 passengers arrived at the Kuwait and the beginning of implementation of country where treatment was received; of his ministry’s undersec- them towards independence. He could independent and sovereign country in the International Airport (KIA) during be- institutional quarantine for 7 days and Kuwaiti students affi liated to foreign retaries and senior ministry ignite the light of the nationalist spirit world. tween February 21 to March 1, on board another 7 days home quarantine for in- universities, government and private offi cials to keep up with its among the people by his public speaking The historic 7th March, 1971 Speech 24 fl ights from 13 different destinations coming passengers who have to register medical personnel, their fi rst-degree aspirations and the vision it capacity and heart-rending speech. His of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu including Bahrain, Bangladesh, Ethio- on the Kuwait Musafer platform. relatives and their companions such as aspires to achieve. pia, Germany, India, Lebanon, Nepal, On the other hand, the DGCA has is- domestic workers, and minors under 18 historic speech of 7th March 1971 is often Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been includ- the Sultanate of Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, sued a circular to the airlines operating years traveling without an escort, pro- Resolved considered as one of the most infl uential ed in the Memory of the World Interna- speeches over the world. tional Register, a list of world’s impor- Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and the United from the Kuwait International Airport vided all excluded groups agree to 14 The sources explained that the Arab Emirates. detailing which passengers can be ex- days quarantine home provided they The historic 7th March Speech of tant documentary heritage maintained by Minister Ali Fahad Al-Mudhaf Bangabandhu was a speech given by UNESCO. The Director General of UN- The statistics indicated 2,263 pas- empted from institutional quarantine – subject to PCR test which should be has resolved the issue of the va- sengers left via the Kuwait Interna- persons working in diplomatic missions done at the expense of the traveler upon Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding ESCO, Irina Bokova, announced the deci- cancy of the position of the un- father of the nation of Bangladesh on 7th sion on 30 October 2017, at the UNESCO tional Airport during the same period and their fi rst-degree relatives irrespec- arrival in Kuwait and the second test six dersecretary of the ministry for a while 264 passengers were in transit, tive whether they travel alone and their days after arrival. March 1971 at the Ramna Race Course Headquarters in Paris. The Memory of year and a half ago, as confi rmed in Dhaka to a gathering of over 1 million the World International Register is a list that the position was decided by people. Speech of 7th March was a follow of documents having global signifi cance. the nomination of an academic up of long struggle in the history of Bang- The objective of creating the International in the Public Authority for Ap- ladesh to restore her identity and national- Register is to ensure preservation of, and plied Education and Training it ism led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur access to, documentary heritage in vari- is likely that the Council of Min- Rahman. Language Movement of 1952, ous parts of the world. A document to be isters will consider it during the United Front Election of 1954, Education included in the Memory of the World coming period, noting the need to Movement of 1962, Six Points of 1966, International Registrar has to satisfy UN- resolve the renewal of the posi- Mass Movement of 1969 and Election of ESCO that the document bears immense tion of undersecretary in the legal 1970 were the major events before the signifi cance and forms part of documen- sector, the private and qualitative speech of 7 March 1971. In the speech, tary heritage of the world at large. The education sector, which have Rahman proclaimed: “This time the strug- world will now get to know more about been vacant for nearly seven gle is for our freedom. This time the strug- the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh months, not to mention the va- gle is for our independence.” Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman cancy of the positions of three The speech inspired the Bengali people and Bangladesh’s glorious Liberation school district directors that are from all walks of life to prepare for a war War. being administered by proxy for of independence. The speech had elec- The historic speech with English sub- more than a year. trifying effects. It transformed the then titled is available at the link: http://www. This is in addition to many 75 million people into a people’s army, youtube.com/watch?v=9BW1BwwzvGo supervisory vacancies in the sectors, including the Director of Financial Administration, Direc- tor of Coordination and Director MP Al-Ardi queries about revenues of Development and the Director of Engineering Affairs indicating Panel cancels meeting set to discuss that these vacancies coincide with an exceptional and critical period that requires a double effort in decree on ‘oil’, related to MoF, KNPC dealing with the corona pandemic to draw a clear framework. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh April 2021. He argued that if this is true, In this context, a number of Arab Times Staff it is not the problem of citizens as it is the academics, educators and special- responsibility of the government. ists in the fi eld of education have KUWAIT CITY, March 4: The parlia- He also emphasized the need to assign expressed their optimism that Dr mentary Budgets and Final Accounts an independent institution which will de- Muhammad Al-Fares who has as- Committee cancelled its meeting slated termine how the money requested by the sumed the position of Minister of for Thursday to discuss the decree on oil government is spent. exploration and production concerning Higher Education is well-versed Bill in education affairs and has a good the Finance Ministry and Kuwait National reputation in academic circles and Petroleum Corporation (KNPC) due to the On the other hand, MP Abdullah Al- a good listener of all opinions and absence of the relevant ministers. Turaiji submitted a bill to amend National could distinguish between what is Rapporteur of the committee MP Badr Assembly Election Law number 42/2006 good and what is bad. Al-Dahoum disclosed the concerned min- in order to implement the one-man-three- The sources stated Al-Fares isters did not attend the meeting under the votes system. The bill stipulates dividing will bring about the required pretext that the new government has yet to the country into fi ve constituencies and change in academic institutions, take the constitutional oath at the National each constituency nominates 10 MPs, fi les and basic issues, which rep- Assembly. He said this is not a valid ex- while every voter has the right to vote for resent the fi rst steps of reform, on cuse and it contravenes the Constitution, two candidates in his own constituency top of which is the fi lling the va- considering the new government already and a candidate in any other constituency. cancies in basic academic institu- took its oath in front of His Highness the Therefore, every voter will be given two tions – the position of the director Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber ballots – one for the two candidates in his of Kuwait University, PAAET, Al-Sabah; hence, it can now perform its own constituency and the other for the the Kuwait Institute for Scientifi c executive duties. He clarifi ed the new candidate in another constituency. Research and the Higher Institute government’s oath taking at the Assembly MP Saad Al-Khanfour proposed allow- of Arts, Play and Music, which is for the ministers to start working in Ab- ing citizens to establish diwaniyas next to requires a quick decision to man- dullah Al-Salem Hall as members of the or in front of their houses provided they age it far from the so-called ‘par- legislature. pay the annual rent and obtain a permit achute’ appointments. from Kuwait Municipality. He said most Meeting of households consist of several families He unveiled the committee’s plan to in- and their houses are not big enough to allot vite HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah a portion of their properties for the con- KPC ‘stretches’ Al-Khalid and the concerned ministers to struction of diwaniyas. its meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Furthermore, MP Musaed Al-Ardi for- period of hiring budget defi cit which, according to the warded queries to Minister of Finance committee, is non-existent. He pointed out and Minister of State for Economic and ... PAAET grads that some public institutions have retained Investment Affairs Khalifa Hamada about revenues amounting to billions of Kuwaiti the revenues retained by various public KUWAIT CITY, March 4: Kuwait dinars, stressing the government does not institutions in the last fi ve years, revenues Petroleum Corporation (KPC) ex- need to resort to borrowing or withdraw- handed over to the Finance Ministry with- tended the period for the recruit- ing from the Future Generations Fund in the same period, surplus that these insti- ment of diploma graduates from if these revenues are handed over to the tutions retained and put in local banks and the Public Authority for Applied Ministry of Finance. investment companies, amount of interest Education and Training (PAAET) In addition, MP Khalil Al-Saleh earned from these investments, and if the until April in order to give a chance stressed the need for the new government ministry has a plan to collect the retained to those who will graduate this to strictly comply with the directive of revenues or not. year, reports Al-Anba daily quot- Highness the Amir on easing the suffering MP Thamer Al-Suwait asked the same ing sources from the oil sector. of citizens. He said the Assembly will not minister about the current value of the Fu- Sources said KPC took this approve the proposal of the government to ture Generations Fund. He requested for a decision after the Ministry of withdraw KD fi nancial statement detailing the amount Education and Higher Education 5 billion from the Future Generations deducted from the national revenues for instructed PAAET to expedite Fund every year. He criticized the state- the fund every year starting from the date the issuance of certifi cates to the ment of Minister of Finance and Minister of its establishment as per decree number graduating students and inform of State for Economic and Investment 106/1976, in addition to the amount with- KPC about the date of issuing Affairs Khalifa Hamada that the existing drawn from the fund and details of with- these certifi cates. cash is not enough to pay the salaries for drawals. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 LOCAL 5 REMEMBER WHEN

The local souks The covered souks of Kuwait offered abundant shade. well-guarded. In the background of this photograph, old Kuwait’s To wander through the souks was a pleasure for a visi- most famous coffee-shop can be seen. tor to the old city. He would enjoy walking through the Photograph courtesy Kuwait’s traditional markets, or souks, were an in- narrow and covered markets teeming with activity. He of The Center for Re- tegral part of the old city. Souks were colorful and would pass by a group of bedouins from the desert sit- diverse, some being highly specialized. They were ting near an arms shop waiting patiently for their guns to search and Studies on the meeting place of merchants, men, women and the be repaired, or hear a group of women bargaining with Kuwait and the work people of the desert. After a light breakfast and a cup a textile vendor, or watch an old man waiting calmly for of coffee, shopkeepers left their homes and headed for his turn to get a free cup of fresh water from an earthen of Dr Yacoub Al- the souk. They stayed in their shops buying, selling jar provided by a wealthy citizen. These were but a few Hijji in the book Old- and receiving friends until noon when they went home interesting sights the old souk had to offer before mo- for lunch and the noon siesta. In the afternoon they re- dernity changed the spirit of the souk and hastened the Kuwait: Memories turned to their shops where they stayed until sunset. Al- disappearance of most of them. (From the book ‘Old in Photographs ﬁ rst though the souks then became deserted, the shops were Kuwait: Memories in Photographs’)

published in 1996. Courtesy of The Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait

© N.M.M. diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION ‘Kuwaitis must work for homeland, accept taxes like other rich nations’ “‘THE citizen’s pocket shall not be touched’. This term is widely used by many started devouring more than a quarter of the budget, and the MPs with their needs special specifications that must be available in those who occupy it and MPs in confronting the government whenever the issue of increasing fees or proposals are the ones who contributed to raising wages to achieve electoral take charge of it, and we put the conscience in the first place, through which it imposing taxes to cover the budget deficit surfaces, saying Kuwait is a rich gains without taking into account the interests of the state. The important thing is determined whether the employee who occupies the supervisory position is country and does not need to overburden the citizen,” columnist Dr now is: How will we face this deficit when the MPs refuse to touch the citizen’s worthy of this responsibility or a burden, before taking into account other con- Abdelmohsen Hamadeh wrote for Al-Jarida daily. pocket? Debt is forbidden, and the future generational fund is a red line. siderations such as degree of education, culture, experience,” columnist Dr “In the meantime, these MPS demand the government to pay attention to “Some MPs claim the deficit is not real and our economy is rock solid, but Mohammad Khaled Al-Azmi wrote for Al-Rai daily. diversifying sources of income, and these deputies should know very well that from their point of view the government claims ‘shouts’ deficit to evade the “In fact, we say that the employee who has a religious, human and patriotic Europe and America are hundreds of times richer than rightful demands of the MPs, such as dropping loans that may cost the state sense, does not need a watchdog to work sincerely, because his conscience is Kuwait, and taxes and fees form the core of their bud- more than a billion dinars. the one that takes over this task and becomes a watcher over himself, so that he get. As for the diversity of sources of income, it is “There is no doubt the state is facing a real crisis and it will not be able to only pushes himself in the right path that is in the interest of everyone, and not known that industry, agriculture and tourism are among get out without a strong government, firm and capable of confrontation as the a personal interest. the most important sources of income for countries and constitution describes the Council of Ministers as the dominant and controlling “In view of the spread of corruption in some official bodies, the role of Kuwait’s share of these sources is negligible if not none. party over the state and it will only be able to do so with the presence of min- oversight has become necessary in order to control and follow-up business, but “When the Silk City project was proposed, on the isters who are able to take studied decisions which the state needs to address it has been noted that there are individuals in control who look for personal basis that it is a thoughtful investment project that will its problems, and are able to defend and implement those decisions. interests and are driven in their work by non-professional motives, such as contribute to transforming Kuwait into a global finan- “The competent minister must explain during a press conference the cause selectivity, racism, and the exchange of benefits, putting their conscience on cial and commercial center and help diversify sources of of the crisis and his opinion on the treatment of it instead of the masses giving the back burner. income, some people opposed it on the grounds that it their opinion based on rumors they read in the social media. “Therefore, it is necessary to follow up and monitor the performance of the will lead to the emergence of negative phenomena that “We have to know that Kuwaitis must assume their responsibilities and employees who have been entrusted with the follow-up and control tasks in the negatively affect the inherited values and morals espe- Dr Hamadeh duties towards their homeland like all other peoples of the world, and if the various ministries. Not everyone fears God and works according to the tasks cially clerics, thus this valuable project is still a ‘stalled’ state needs to impose taxes, then we must accept that with open arms, because required of him. project. this money will benefit the citizen himself because it will be spent on educa- “Corruption and loss of public money is really painful, especially if some of “It is clear that the state today is facing a real budget deficit because expen- tion, health, security, defense and road repairs.” those responsible for oversight are complicit with corrupt officials, who facili- diture has surpassed revenues, and the main reason for the increase in expendi- tate the seizure of state property or public money.” tures is the increase in salaries, wages and subsidies provided to citizens and Also: this increase was done randomly without a thought being applied to it until it “The supervisory position in any work, whether governmental or private, — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli ‘Office facing abuse, false news’ Other Voices ‘Case to be shelved’ Testimony of Iraq’s Hisham KUWAIT CITY, March 4: Legal sources By Ahmad alsarraf Al-Malaika was a professor at Kuwait suggested that the infamous case related to University, and the poet Saadi Yusef the car rental office would be reserved in am Hisham Al-Malak, a free learned in its schools, as well as the ‘IEuropean citizen’. The family of poets Abdul Karim Kassid, Mustafa the Public Prosecution, and that the case Hisham was killed by Saddam, threat- Abdullah and Zuhair Al-Dujaili, and would be closed without referring it to the ened him and forced him to leave his many other well-known writers and art- court, after receiving inquiries from some beloved homeland. This is my testi- ists and prominent academics, and there mony for history. is no room to mention all. state agencies about that office’s suspi- ‘It is the right of any individual whose ‘Some of them still live here among cious money-laundering operations, homeland has been subjected to a brutal their family and friends including the reports Al-Qabas daily. invasion to speak about his feelings novelist Professor Jamal Hussein Ali, The sources justified the expected action to reserve publicly, and explain his pain and mis- the well-known cultural and political the case by saying, “The office handed over all official fortunes and what editor in Al Qabas. Saddiq Aziz was happened to him also working as a legal advisor for invoices from clients to the Public Prosecution, which and his family Kuwait Airways and after liberation; the summoned all the accused and conducted investiga- and loved ones, Kuwaiti government did not hesitate to tions with them”. and this is what pay his full dues. They explained that the Public Prosecution did not sus- Sheikh Fawaz Al-Khaled during a meeting with Dr Al-Hassan. our friend Ahmad ‘Likewise, Iraqi citizens’ funds or pect in its investigations the commission of money launder- Al-Sarraf has their deposits in Kuwaiti banks, as is the ing crimes in the dealings of the well-known car rental Ahmadi Gov lauds UN role done, in more case with other citizens of other coun- office. The prosecution team, headed by the Director of the than one article. tries, even those whose governments Financial Crime Department in the Public Prosecution The Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Fawaz ates of Kuwait, and stressed on the ‘As an Iraqi, I stood against Kuwait were not subjected Hamoud Al-Shami, went to the headquarters of the car Al-Khaled in a meeting with the head of keenness to maintain effective commu- know with cer- to any confiscation or delay, rather, all rental office in January, and obtained all the documents, the United Nations Human Settlements nication and to exploit opportunities for tainty a lot about alsarraf their funds, the end of their services, and after reports were received about money laundering opera- Program ‘Habitat’ for the Arab Gulf cooperation and joint coordination what the tyrant of their shares in their private companies tions. states Dr Amira Al-Hassan has praised available for work programs and proj- Iraq, Saddam, did were transferred to their accounts It is worth mentioning that the defense counsel of the car the important role that the United ects and various other programs, during his barbaric invasion of Kuwait, abroad. rental office, who is the Head of the Criminal Law Nations Organization plays through its expressing his wishes for success to since I was there at the time. I saw with ‘I was one of those, and these are Department at Kuwait University, Dr. Hussein Bouarki missions and offices in Kuwait in coor- the various missions and offices of the my own eyes what happened, and I was dination and cooperation with many United Nations in strengthening their facts that the majority do not know. affirmed the firmness of the company’s financial position personally subjected to cruel and even Kuwait has provided opportunities for and the integrity of its legal position, denying all the accusa- ministries and state institutions and rel- active role in the Kuwaiti arena, reports evant bodies, including the governor- Al-Seyassah daily. barbaric treatment by the regime’s fol- a decent and stable life not only for tions leveled against it. lowers. Iraqis, but for the citizens of more than He said, “The office is subjected to abuse and false news, ‘I am an Iraqi, so how about a 120 countries. It was an oasis of free- after it has excelled in the field of distinguished car trade Kuwaiti. The tyrant Saddam fought and provided the services at competitive prices. The large ‘Cat killer’ held, faces fine dom in its surroundings, and this futile internal and external wars, and helped unleash creativity in it. The best number of rumors were raised by some competitors with the the result was the destruction of Iraq, aim of harming it. It is not true that the office sells cars at Arab journalists also worked in its and the ensuing devastation, and subse- newspapers which formed a refuge for less than the cost price. The cost price is actually much Why ‘Tower’ was not decorated ? quently led to the semi-dissolution of lower than what the competitors say”. the persecuted. KUWAIT CITY, March 4: The Ministry of Prosecution to take legal measures against Iraq at the hands of those who came ‘There is no utopia in this world, but The sources revealed that most car dealerships have after him due to his foolish misbehav- become more strict in dealing with cash payments as a result Communications said it has opened an him. Kuwait has always been the place where investigation why the Liberation Tower was Al-Daihani explained the person punish- ior. there is a minimum of tranquility and of bank checks on deposits. ‘I have previously felt an unjustified They said customers who want to pay the car’s value by not decorated during the national holidays ment will be charged with Zoophobia and opportunities for a quiet and stable life, like the rest of the buildings in the country, expected to be put behind bars and fined up sensitivity of the Iraqis towards Kuwait especially for our children, some of cash must prove the source of their funds, adding that for and the Kuwaitis. I thought that time the low brands, it may be acceptable to pay the amount in reports Al-Jarida daily. to 20,000 dinars or one of these two penal- whom were born in Kuwait and received The Ministry of Communication said, ties. and historical facts would gradually education in its most prestigious cash. eliminate them, especially since the Meanwhile, more than eight months after the decision to those responsible will be summoned for The punishment is doubled in case of schools, before they set out for the interrogation and referred to the Legal repeat of the offence. Kuwaitis were always loving and broth- ‘other’ world. freeze the funds of the Boutiqaat Company was issued last erly to the people of Iraq, thus large July, Attorney General Dhirar Al-Asousi decided yesterday Affairs Department and accused of breach ❑ ❑ ❑ ‘Despite everything that happened of duty. families had migrated to Kuwait since between Iraq and Kuwait, tens of thou- to unfreeze the funds and accounts of the company with all the fifties and became part of their citi- local banks. A report also will be submitted to the Kuwaiti arrested: Kabad police have sands of Iraqis still reside there, just like higher management once the legal proce- arrested a Kuwaiti, who is believed to be in zens, but I was wrong. everyone else. I remember all this with- He ordered the Central Bank of Kuwait to instruct all “Although Kuwait never hesitated to local banks and the concerned authorities to implement this dures have been completed. his 20s, who allegedly sneaked in the police out hesitation to the honesty and grati- Meanwhile, the Public Authority for station’s parking lot and attempted to steal embrace large numbers of the Iraqis tude for the decent life that Kuwait decision. who were rejected by their country after In this regard, reliable sources explained that the prosecu- Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources the ‘vanette’ which had been impounded by provided me, other Iraqis and our fami- (PAAAFR) strongly condemned what has police after the youth was caught driving talking about the regime became a rea- lies. We were, with great regret, tion will issue its decisions during the course of this month son for their persecution. in cases pertaining to money laundering that involve social been published in the social media show- recklessly, reports Al-Seyassah daily. deprived of it in our homeland, whose In Kuwait, the Iraqi poet Badr Shaker media celebrities either by reserving the cases or referring ing an unidentified person mutilating and The securitymen arrested the suspect as borders are only a few kilometers away them to the criminal panels for consideration. killing a number of cats, reports Al-Rai soon as he entered the police station yard Al-Sayyab received treatment at the from it.’ All the legal attachments to the celebrities’ case files have daily. and attempted to get away with the vehicle Amiri Hospital, where he died. Lamiea ❑ ❑ ❑ been completed, and the experts report has been prepared The PAAAFR spokesman, Talal using duplicate key. Abbas Omara also lived there for quite for each of them. It consists of more than 200 pages per Al-Daihani, said the person has been arrest- He has been handed over to the con- some time, and the great poet Nazik email: [email protected] person. ed and produced before the Public cerned authority. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 LOCAL 6

Webinar aims to highlight trade and economic relations between Belgium, Luxembourg and Arab world Belgian-Kuwait economic trade ties flourishing: webinar participants BRUSSELS, March 4, (KUNA): The Kuwait Ambassador to Brussels Economic Affairs, included the par- our peoples,” concluded the Kuwaiti volume of trade exchanges between Jasem Albudaiwi, has also “personally ticipation of a number of Belgian and diplomat. Belgium and Kuwait is dynamic and contributed to enhancing ties by host- Kuwaiti public and private institutions. The online event was organised by constantly growing, participants in a ing a number of Belgian companies In line with the Kuwait Vision 2035 the Arab-Belgian-Luxembourg Cham- webinar have said. and providing them with a briefi ng on development plan, Kuwait is keen to ber of Commerce (ABLCC) under the Trade between Kuwait and Belgium investment opportunities in Kuwait,” consolidate and deepen its bilateral re- title “A window on Belgium: meet rose from 212 million euros, or about said Al-Kandari. lationship with Belgium in the fi elds of Belgian Trade Agencies and Arab USD 256 million in 2018 , to 224 mil- He stressed that Kuwait and Bel- renewable energy, port management, Economic Attaches.” Qaisar Hijazin, lion euros, or about USD 270 million in gium have a history of economic coop- health, and education, he stressed. Secretary General of ABLCC, in his 2019, according to Emad Al-Kandari, eration, beginning with the Economic In fact it is the desire of the Kuwait introductory remarks said the webi- First Secretary and Charge d’affaires at Agreement signed between both sides Oil Company (KOC) to sign a memo- nar aims to highlight the trade and the Kuwait Embassy in Brussels. in 1974. “Since then our relationship randum of understanding with the Bel- economic relations between Belgium, Speaking at a webinar on Arab-Bel- has only continued to fl ourish culmi- gian authorities specialized in the fi eld Luxembourg and the Arab world. “We gian trade and economic relations held nating in the successful Kuwait Eco- of renewable energy, said Al-Kandari. are looking forward to strengthen these Wednesday evening, he noted that Ku- nomic Forum under the slogan Kuwait “We are close partners in almost every relations,” he said. wait and Belgium enjoy a substantial Vision 2035, held in Brussels in Febru- aspect, sharing the same values and He noted that it is an unique op- two-way investment partnership. Ku- ary 2018, and most recently, the fi rst aspirations on a wide variety of is- portunity to gather the three Regional wait Petroleum International or (Q8) KUNA photo Belgium-Kuwait Joint Economic and sues, not limited to solely an economic Foreign Trade Agencies in Belgium in Belgium, owns about 450 fi lling Webinar on Belgian-Arab trade relations in Brussels. Technical Committee on November partnership. We must work together to and Arab Economvic Attaches as well stations under the brands Q8 and Q8 19, 2019 in Brussels,” he said. deepen our cooperation and increase as trade representatives from several easy, and accounts for approximately In addition, as part of the Vision 2035 panies specialized in digging and deepen- This meeting, chaired by Ambas- our coordination in order to ensure Arab countries to fi nd out more about 13.1 percent of the total sales for the development plan, Kuwait has expressed ing waterways to assist in the construc- sador Amal Al-Hamad, Kuwait’s As- business and investment opportunities the Agenda 2021 in Arab countries and domestic fuel market. interest in partnering with Belgian com- tion of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port. sistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for that will benefi t both our countries and the best sectors of investment. Evaluation of employees pending Dr Al-Otaibi inks contract for supply of 200K smart meters By Muhammad Ghanem working on avoiding the problem, as its employees have the authority to add Al-Seyassah Staff the names of employees to the evalua- KUWAIT CITY, March 4: The Min- tion system so that the evaluation pro- ister of Electricity, Water and Renew- cedures can be completed as necessary able Energy, Minister of Social Affairs by the line offi cial. and Community Development, Dr. Furthermore, the sources said the Mishaan Al-Otaibi, has signed a con- ministry had previously set Febru- tract for the supply of 200,000 smart ary 24 as the date for completing the electricity meters. evaluation of its employees, but it is After the signing Al-Otaibi said in expected that the evaluation process a press statement, that this is the fi rst will extend to March. phase of the three successive stages to In addition, sources from the ministry supply the smart meters to transform said they are expecting the signing of a the Ministry into an advanced digital tender for the supply of 200,000 smart system while the supply of 800,000 meters after the national holidays. electricity meters and 300,000 smart They indicated that the tender docu- water meters will be completed during ments are currently available to the the next three years to cover all gover- fi nancial controller for fi nal review norates of Kuwait. before they are submitted to the Min- Minister Al-Otaibi stated the smart ister of Electricity and Water Dr. Mu- meter system allows the customer to hammad Al-Fares to be signed and monitor the meter reading and know the approved. consumption in real time, through which Process he can control the consumption pattern and address the aspects of waste. The sources explained that the in- This is in addition to facilitating stallation process is expected to start the payment process automatically early next August. The ministry has through smart applications to avoid the fi nally addressed the Fatwa and Leg- need for the customer to visit the Min- islation Department and the Ministry istry’s customer services offi ces. of Finance regarding the tender for the The customer can also choose the second batch of smart meters, which pre-payment or post-paid method, in includes 300,000 electricity meters addition to it enables the ministry to and 150,000 water meters. It is await- ing the response of the two sides in KUNA photo know the faults through alerts sent by Opening of the Arab League’s regular 155th session held in Cairo on March 3. the smart meter to the ministry’s sys- preparation to roll out in May or June. tems, and then the malfunction is fi xed In other news, the Ministry of Elec- immediately. The smart meter has tricity and Water has applied an inno- many other features and benefi ts. vative and interesting method to mea- He added, one of the objectives of the sure the level of performance and to project is to replace the current meters uncover the defi ciencies in the delivery Arab FMs laud Kuwait efforts with smart meters that can be read and of services. It is doing this through the operated electronically from a distance. so-called “undercover client” method whereby ten employees assume the Consumption role of clients, visit the service de- This contributes to fi nding a way for partments of the ministry to complete the electricity and water demand plan- transactions, and then submit reports in achieving Arab, Gulf ‘unity’ ning process by obtaining accurate in- to the leaders about the level of perfor- formation on the consumption pattern mance, reports Al-Qabas daily. in order to develop plans to ensure the Assistant Undersecretary for the effi cient management of the Ministry’s Planning and Training Sector Ahmed Doha committed to Al-Ula statement resources. Al-Rashidi revealed that they applied Meanwhile, according to reliable this method since the beginning of the sources, the Ministry of Electricity and current year within the framework of CAIRO, March 4, (KUNA): Arab foreign ministers on the Arab issues, and unify Arab visions and stances to overcome challenges facing Water has completed the evaluation of a new policy to uncover defects and the region. about 20 percent of its employees to ob- defi ciencies in the services provided Wednesday extolled endeavors made by Kuwait to achieve Meanwhile, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mo- tain the excellent performance reward for in the departments that deal with the the Gulf and Arab unity and solidarity. hammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani reiterated Doha’s appreciation of Kuwait’s the year 2020, reports Al-Qabas daily. public, especially the customer service The Kuwaiti efforts were previously led by His Highness the late Amir mediation efforts to end the Gulf rift. They indicated that there are prob- and electrical installation departments. Speaking to foreign ministers at Arab League talks on Wednesday, Sheikh Mo- lems related to the automated sys- Al-Rashidi said, “The team that Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and were completed by His Highness hammad hailed these efforts, led by Kuwait’s late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad tem of the Civil Service Commission implements this policy is specialized the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, said a statement Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and completed by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- (CSC) which hinders the acceleration in following up the quality of service by the foreign ministers council of the Arab League after the regular 155th Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. of the evaluation process. provision and adherence to safety con- session held in Cairo. Doha is committed to the Al-Ula statement, struck by leaders at a recent Gulf The sources explained that the names trols in the ministry’s buildings and These endeavors were crowned with the recent Arab reconciliation, it said. Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, marking an end to a crisis that lasted for more of about 35 percent of the ministry’s em- customer service offi ces, as well as The statement pointed out that the outcomes made in this matter would serve than three years, he underlined. ployees, totaling 24,800 employees, do abidance by the health requirements This belief stems from the docu- not appear directly to the concerned em- imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic ment’s “policy and its fi rm conviction ployee on the automated system in order in order to reduce the spread of the vi- that constructive dialogue is the way to for him to evaluate them. rus among the employees and ensure resolve disputes by peaceful means,” The Administrative Affairs Sector is their protection.” he mentioned. The Qatari senior offi cial referred to the agreement’s positive impact in “strengthening Gulf and Arab relations and consolidating stability in the region,” expressing hope that it be a “catalyst” towards boosting this cooperation. On other matters, he said that the Palestinian issue remains Qatar’s “top priority,” stressing its fi rm position in support of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. This can only be achieved through a two-state solution, international and UN law along with the Arab Peace Initiative, he said. Regarding the Syrian and Yemeni crises, he renewed Doha’s support for both in fi nding a political solution, which preserves their unity, security Contract signing ceremony and stability. On Yemen, in particular, he also expressed the need for an end to the state Tanzania envoy visits Quran, Sunnah Authority KUNA photo of infi ghting and confl ict, and for Ye- Arab League’s regular 155th session in progress. menis to reach national reconciliation. The Director-General of the Public ni presented the projects and plans Authority for the Care of the Printing that are about to be completed in Also: and Publishing of the Holy Quran addition to studying the possibil- Virtual lecture on March 10 organized by Kuwaiti Obesity Association CAIRO: A tri-Arab meeting, includ- and the Sunnah of the Prophet and ity of cooperation between the two ing Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine, their sciences, Dr. Fahad Al-Daiha- parties in the future. stressed on Wednesday the importance ni, received in his office the Deputy At the end of the meeting, Dr. Al- Kuwait tops Arab region in obesity cases of halting Israeli settlements’ activi- Director-General of Information Daihani thanked the ambassador ties, which robbed any chances for and Support Services of Tanzania and presented her with a copy of By Marwa Al-Bahrawi in movement, as well as various psycho- therapeutic nutrition and psychiatry, peace in the Middle East. in Kuwait. the Holy Quran printed by the au- logical and social problems. to raise the level of awareness of the According to a statement by the Egyp- During the meeting, Dr. Al-Daiha- thority. Al-Seyassah Staff Dr Asrar revealed a recent study in- dangers of obesity and the available tian Foreign Ministry, the meeting in KUWAIT CITY, March 4: The Con- dicated that the formation of antibodies treatment methods. Egypt - gathering Foreign Minister sultant Endocrinologist at Al-Amiri after the (Covid-19) vaccine in obese She pointed out that the lecture will Sameh Shoukry in addition to his Hospital, Vice-President of the Ku- patients is less than in normal people, be held in Arabic and broadcast on Jordanian and Palestinian counterparts waiti Obesity Association, Dr. Asrar as an obese patient suffers from factors ‘YouTube’ with an English translation Ayman Safadi and Riyad Al-Maliki Al-Sayed Hashem, warned of the high that may reduce the formation of his in order to reach the largest segment of - commended the efforts by the three rates of obesity in the country, point- antibodies. Usually obese patients suf- followers in society. Arab nations in coordinating efforts to ing out that Kuwait is the fi rst in the fer from more severe symptoms when Meanwhile, the Al-Seyassah daily try and move the Middle East peace Arab world and the 14th in the world infected with the Covid-19 virus. has learned from well-informed health fi le forward. in terms of obesity, with the percent- She was speaking on the occasion of sources that the Minister of Health The three ministers expressed eager- age among adults reaching 37.9% in the celebration of the World Obesity Sheikh Dr. Basil Al-Sabah has issued ness to promote the Palestinian cause addition to 50% of the children and ad- Day, which falls on March 4 of each a decision to appoint the Director of at various levels to achieve peace olescents who are termed ‘overweight’ year. Makki Jumah Hospital, Dr. Ali Al- through constructive and serious nego- and ‘obese’. Dr Asrar said a virtual lecture on Mousawi, as a health attaché in Paris, tiations between Israel and Palestine. Dr. Asrar said in a statement to Al- Wednesday, March 10 will be orga- as of this March, to succeed the former The meeting stressed the importance Seyassah daily that Obesity causes more nized by the Kuwaiti Obesity Associa- health attaché, Dr. Bashar Al-Hashash. of reaching sustainable and just peace, than 500 diseases and health problems, tion, in cooperation with the Ministry The sources added Dr Al-Sabah is leading to the formation of a Palestin- including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, of Health and Novo Nordisk, with the about to issue shortly a number of sub- ian state based on the June 4th, 1967 fat accumulation on the liver, respiratory participation of a group of doctors and sequent decisions to arrange the health borders with east Jerusalem as the Ambassador of Tanzania receives a copy of the Holy Quran printed in Ku- problems, joint roughness and diffi culty specialists in endocrinology, surgery, abroad. capital. wait. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021

IES Kuwait stalwarts honored at the award ceremony IES Bhavans mark 15th Annual Day, under the theme ‘Ujjeevanam’

KUWAIT CITY, March 4: Indian Varrier, Commerce Stream second Education School Bharatiya Vidya place, Pallavi Veena Rajkumar, Com- Bhavan, Kuwait celebrated the 15th merce Stream third place, Saniya Annual Day recently. Everyone in the Manoj Bhargava, Vysakh Vinod Nair, virtual auditorium went home with a Alisha Roy Edakkarote, English Top- new-found conviction and vision to re- pers, Nandhakrishnan Mukundhan, vive our mother Earth to make it a bet- Deepak Rengaraj, Accountancy Top- ter place for everyone and everything pers, Akshara Adhikesavalu, Alka to live in. It’s our filial duty. ‘We do Suza Kurian, Mukthaa Gopakumar not inherit the earth from our ances- Menon, Raga Kannan and Swathi tors; we borrow it from our children’. Krishna Sithara, Informatics Toppers. Yes, if child is the father of the man, The virtual avatars of the prodigious it’s our filial obligation. students were brought on stage via The Chief Guest, Dr. Jacob Thomas augmented reality. IPS (retd), former Director-General Grade 10 position holders: Aparna Sud- of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bu- heer Nair, Vaishnavi Rajesh Pai, Vishnu reau, Government of Kerala, Ali Ju- Balram and Pranav Ashok Kumar, top- dian Al Rashidi, the school Sponsor, pers in English, Dhanya Laxmi Bharathi N.K. Ramachandran Menon, Chair- Photos from the event. Kumar and Abhay Jitesh Menon, toppers man Bhavans Middle East, Mrs. Sudha in French, Sricharan Sridhar, topper in song, and the Bhavans Anthem ren- thought of choosing the right path It can be located on the Google Map “Life will give you various experi- Ramachandran, CA Sooraj Ramachan- in our life. He advised the students and its growth can be monitored on the ences.” Sanskrit, Alicia Rose Sebastian, Matthew dran, Vice-Chairman Bhavans Middle dered by the school choir. Thomas Paul, and Sarah Elizabeth San- to choose their paths wisely instead website. The idea of gifting a plant is The Award Ceremony saw the stal- East, CA Divya Rajesh Ramachan- Invocation tosh, toppers in Mathematics (Basic) and dran, Director Bhavans Middle East, of going with the ‘fool multitude to spread awareness on the importance warts of IES Kuwait being honoured Parvathi Sheethal Nambiar, topper in So- Krishnadas Menon, Director Bhavans Matthew Thomas Paul, the Cul- that choose by show, not learning of revitalizing Mother Nature around for the incredible results they reaped cial Science. Kuwait, T. Premkumar, Principal, In- tural Secretary, Indian Education more than the fond eye doth teach’. us. in the Grade 10 and Grade 12 CBSE The awards were conferred on to the dian Education School Kuwait, Ms. School Kuwait, delivered the welcome He urged them to unearth their un- Tejas, the annual school magazine, Board Examination 2020. Grade 12 students par excellence as well as the Anselma Tessy, Vice-Principal, Senior speech. An invocation dance of clas- cut gems of talents, refine and pol- is the voice and soul of the young position holders: Ujvala Rajmadam pedagogues par excellence by Prem- Section, IES, Ms. Meenakshi Nayyar, sical fusion performed by Lakshmi ish them, and take the rough roads Bhavanites where their creativity and Pradeep, Science Stream first place kumar. Vice-Principal, Middle Section, IES, Nanda Madhusoodanan, Nidhi Murali, to achieve glory. ‘Never measure imagination transform into words and in the Kuwait Chapter and the sec- The day of dream ended with a Ms. Lalitha Premkumar, Vice-Prin- Bhavyashree and Tanushree induced your progress using someone else’s hues to create marvelous wonderlands. ond rank holder in the Middle East, vote of thanks proposed by Theertha cipal, Primary and Kindergarten Sec- a divine spirit in the audience letting ruler!’ was his wisdom-wrapped The e-magazine, Tejas 2020, was re- received 20-gram gold for being the Krishna, the Cultural Secretary, IES tions, IES and other distinguished dig- them wholeheartedly submerge in the message to everyone in general and leased by Dr. Thomas along with other Bhavans Middle East Topper and an Kuwait, followed by the Indian Na- nitaries graced the virtual event. ocean of divinity. students in particular. dignitaries amid deafening applause. endowment prize in the memory of G. tional Anthem. The emcees for the The day started with soul-soothing Dr. Thomas IPS was introduced The Chief Guest was gifted a sap- Viswanathan. Deepa Dharshini, Sci- day were Ryan John Samuel, Roshini verses from the Holy Quran rendered to the audience through a video pre- ling and an e-certificate by Menon Determination ence Stream second place in the Ku- R Nair, Fida Ancy and Gayathri Saju. by Zara Imtiyaz of 9A followed by the sentation showcasing his journey as a token of love, respect, and grati- CA Divya Rajesh Ramachandran wait Chapter and the third rank holder Thus, another eventful historic day in Kuwait National anthem. The ceremo- from a small-town lad in Kerala to tude from the Bhavans Family in the delivered the Director’s Address. The in the Middle East, Natasha Martha the life of every Bhavanite ended on a nial virtual lamp was conjointly lit by one of the most respected law en- Middle East. This sapling is planted synergy embedded in her inspiring Fernandes, Science Stream third place, high note, paving way for another ex- the Guests. The day of magnificence forcement officers in India. In his in Kerala, India with the name of the words vibed determination and reso- Sharon Maria Domini, Commerce ceptional academic year with certain- was further unfurled with a prayer address, he conveyed the Frostian Chief Guest tagged with a QR code. lution in the hearts of all the listeners. Stream first place, Rebiram Ramesh ties in the time of uncertainty.

‘Kuwait helped fulfill dreams’ Int’l literary group MKM marks Kuwait National Day with its first poetic meet KUWAIT CITY, March 4: On the ture. He was followed by Mrs. Vi- eve of the National Day and Libera- jaya Laxmi’s who recited a poem tion Day of Kuwait, Mahila Kavya highlighting the changes required Manch’s Kuwait unit organized it in social customs and traditions for fi rst poetic meet. MKM, Kuwait the betterment of the society. Mrs. is the newly established branch of Parul Chaturvedi paid tribute to the MKM, an international literary or- brave soldiers and martyrs through ganization of the women, by the her poem while Dr. (Mrs) Radhika women and for the women. Guleri Bhardwaj recited a poem Conducted over the virtual plat- mentioning the importance of time Madame Vera Al Mutawa MBE, Founder Director of BSK. Scott Bryant, Lower Phase Head Teacher. form of Zoom, the meeting was at- and how it changes during differ- tended by offi ce bearers and famous ent phases of life. Kamla Prakash poet / poetess from Kuwait, Dubai presented an emotional poem de- and India. The patron of MKM Nar- scribing a person’s love for thy esh Naaz’s presence was a moment motherland. Anupama Chaturvedi’s of pride for the Kuwait unit. Dr. beautiful poem on women empower- (Mrs.) Durga Sinha, the Gen. Secre- ment amused everyone. tary of the International units presid- Poetess from India Medha Jha ed over the program while Mrs. Sne- also recited a poem on women and ha Dev, the in-charge of the MKM her inner strengths. Girija Guleri GCC units was the Chief Guest of shared her wonderfully woven the day. Mrs. VijayLaxmi Jangid’s words through her poem about the presence as Guest of Honour added world of words. Rizwana Iqra’s to the gladness of the Kuwait unit. Urdu poetry spread vivid colors The evening started with a beau- and created a different environ- tiful quote from Ms. Nazneen Ali, ment all together while Deepa President of MKM and the anchor Swaminathan’s symbolic poem of for the day. She mentioned that all a traditional art and life of a wom- the residents of Kuwait, irrespective an was enjoyed by all. Students performing a Kuwaiti dance. BSK students with Chef Sadiqa Ismael at Dar Hamad Restaurant. of their nationality love Kuwait as Nazneen Ali recited a motivation- this country is the breeding ground al poem depicting strong willpower. for their development and suc- She then invited the chief guest of Program takes audience on a virtual tour around Kuwait cess. The Vice President of MKM, the evening Sneha Dev who recited Dr (Mrs.) Radhika Guleri Bhard- a poem of a member Mr Ram Swa- waj, Gen Secretary, Mrs. Anupama roop Dixit who could not join due Chaturvedi and poets from Kuwait to some emergency. Later she pre- Mrs Kamla Prakash and Mrs Parul sented her poem on the capabilities BSK celebrates National Day of Kuwait Chaturvedi also praised this great of a women in managing things and nation for welcoming the expatriate another philosophical creation. The KUWAIT CITY, March 4: On community and helping them to ful- evening ended with a beautiful poem this special day, our National Day, Platform matches organizations with applicants fi ll their dreams and allowing them by Dr. (Mrs.) Durga Sinha who took there was plenty to celebrate at The in contributing for the progress of the poetic meet to another level. She British School of Kuwait (BSK) as this country. appreciated Kuwait unit for conduct- it promised its students and parents The poetic session started with ing such a beautiful program and a full and exciting programme that GUST partners with Khibra to benefit its students a beautiful song by Narsh Naaz wished them all the success. In the was delivered virtually. The Na- who also appreciated the ladies for end Naresh Naaz thanked everyone tional Day celebrations began live KUWAIT CITY, March 4: Gulf Uni- els of education but also the support their dedication in nurturing litera- and wished prosperity for Kuwait. through the BSK Facebook page versity of Science and Technology its students deserve post-graduation for all of our parents and students offi cially announced the partnership to ensure a successful career launch. to watch and enjoy. Our students with Khibra, a Kuwait-based plat- Our students can be confi dent that dressed in National Day themed form that offers employment services they will have the best opportunities attire before enjoying the educa- for university graduates in the Mid- as GUST alumni.” dle East. This partnership comes as Partnering with Khibra will pro- tional experience from the com- an effort to help connect graduates vide students with an effi cient and fort of their homes. Thanks to the with employers, creating better op- streamlined experience in fi nding the magic of animation, we were able portunities and connections. right job opportunity using detailed to transform a regular show into a GUST’s Alumni Offi ce continu- analytics. This advanced system will magical adventure and tour around ously seeks to strengthen their rela- also better understand the Alumni Kuwait. tionship between its alumni and the Offi ce of the local job market, em- The traditional ceremony was university by providing them with ployer needs, and GUST alumni’s declared open by our two masters a platform of diverse organizations Hebah Al-Roumi career status. This partnership will of ceremony Malak Allam and that showcase potential employment also provide GUST with an event Hassan Sarkouh. This was fol- opportunities. By joining forces with in their employment journey with hosting platform that will bridge em- lowed by a salute of the fl ag by the Khibra, the Offi ce helps alumni ac- Khibra. ployers and alumni. Scouts before our BSK student pi- cess job opportunities and start their Head of the Alumni Offi ce, Hebah The Alumni offi ce encourages all ano ensemble played the National professional journey. The Alumni Al-Roumi, said “This partnership alumni to sign up at www.getkhibra. Anthem with all students playing Offi ce takes pride in GUST’s alumni demonstrates GUST’s commitment comand to learn more about how this from their homes. It was a delight- accomplishments and supports them in providing not only the highest lev- platform can benefi t them. ful sight! The Quran recitation by Ali Al-Khalifah was very blissful indeed and the students were happy We were very fortunate to have desert. to Year 5 were invited to submit to see Miss Natasha Zikic, Junior Chef Sadiqa Ismael from the Dar The stream of surprises was never wonderful videos showing them Phase Head Teacher, and Mr Scott Hamad restaurant teach us how to ending as in collaboration with Ku- performing around Kuwait in- Bryant, Lower Phase Head Teach- make Guirs Ogaili. With the aid of a wait Scientifi c Center we were able cluding outside some very famous er, giving their welcome speeches. drone, Chef Sadiqa Ismael could be to explore the desert of Kuwait and landmarks to a variety of Kuwaiti Miss Hebat Allah Gomaa, the Head seen waving to us from the famous observe its animals which included songs. We are eternally grateful of Primary Arabic also delivered a Dar Hamad restaurant, famous for a falcon, another iconic symbol of to our BSK parents and students rousing Arabic speech. its delectable Kuwait cuisine on Kuwait. The explanations of the for their contributions as they per- One of our Year 5 students, the Gulf Road. Some students were instructor Salah Bebehani further formed with such perfection and enhanced the learning experience. Zainah AlKhaldi recited a beautiful invited to decorate cupcakes in the it was a wonderful way to end the poem, the opening stanza of which colours of the Kuwaiti fl ag at the Information show. began with ‘Kuwait our hearts are restaurant. As the drone was ready Other creatures shown included a This truly was a fantastic virtual full of love for you, a love so true to take off again we could see our wild cat, a spiral lizard, a hedgehog event showcasing the innovative we savour. Kuwait you are in our BSK students showing their deli- and different types of desert birds way BSK can adapt to challeng- souls. You are our one and only....’ cious edible cupcakes along with a of prey such as the owl eagle. Two ing situations and bring together which perfectly summed up our big cake, on which were the words of our students gave us further in- its community during a pandemic love for Kuwait. ‘We Love Kuwait’. What a beauti- formation about falcons and their to celebrate our love for Kuwait. We reminisced with a collage of ful view from the sky! strength and about their power of Our thanks to everyone who was photos of National Day events of The fun of the adventure did not vision, which enabled them to iden- involved in the creation of this bygone years which did provoke stop there as we visited our student tify static or moving prey a couple spectacular show and to our school a tear or two. We also celebrated Christopher Brtanian out in the of kilometres away. The sight of a community for watching and giv- students who had participated in desert refl ecting on how our fore- falcon fl ying and then landing on ing us such wonderful comments. our art competition and the primary fathers lived, admiring how they one of the students provided a fur- Take a look at The British School National Day Arabic composition benefi ted from camels with their ther thrill. of Kuwait Facebook page to watch Zoom photos from the event. competition. unique survival traits to live in the BSK students from Reception and enjoy the event at your leisure. Michaels signs a deal with Apollo to go private

Arts and crafts retailer The purchase price repre- ment of the pandemic, led to said there’s signifi cant oppor- Michaels is going private. sents a 47% premium to the an unsolicited offer to buy the tunity to improve the Michaels In this fi le photo, cus- The retail chain, based in Ir- closing stock price on Feb. 26, company,” said James Quella, brand, store experience and tomers lineup outside a ving, Texas, said Wednesday the last trading day prior to the chairman of the Michaels Cos. online business across North Michaels store in Hou- that it has agreed to be ac- media speculation about the board of directors. America. ston. The arts and crafts quired by Apollo Global Man- potential deal. Company executives said The deal includes a 25-day retailer is going private. agement Inc for a transaction In midday trading, shares that by going private, Michaels go-shop period which lets (AP) valued at $5 billion. rose 23%, or $4.17, to $22.19. will have the fi nancial fl exibility Michaels to solicit and evalu- Under the terms of the “The company’s impres- to invest and improve its retail ate other offers and to ter- agreement, approved by sive growth transformation, and online business. minate the deal for a better Michaels’ board, Apollo will including our fi nancial and Andrew S. Jhawar, senior proposal. UBS is acting as the begin a tender offer to buy operational performance in partner and head of retail and company’s exclusive fi nancial shares for $22 each in cash. the unprecedented environ- consumer group at Apollo, adviser. (AP)

Market Movements 04-03-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts FRANCE - CAC 40 +0.59 5,830.65 AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries -67.22 7,000.65 JAPAN - Nikkei -628.99 28,930.11 GERMANY - DAX -23.69 14,056.34 EUROPE - Euro Stoxx 50 -7.93 3,704.85 S. KOREA - KRX 100 -94.66 6,588.68 PHILIPPINES - PSEi -60.27 6,882.49 INDIA - Sensex -598.57 50,846.08 Business

Spread of new coronavirus variants prolongs concerns about economic weakness OPEC, allies keep oil output unchanged, prices jump FRANKFURT, Germany, March 4, (AP): Members of oil producer cartel OPEC and allied countries have agreed to leave most of their existing oil production cuts in place as the spread of new coronavirus variants prolongs concerns about economic weakness. OPEC countries led by Saudi Ara- bia joined with non-members led by Russia to reach the deal in an online meeting Thursday. Most signifi - cantly, one million barrels per day in voluntary cuts from Saudi Arabia will remain in place at least through April. Many analysts had expected a small production increase and the decision not to increase production quickly sent crude oil prices higher. The U.S. contract, which had plunged last year as the pandemic restrictions on businesses devastated demand for energy, spiked 5.6% higher on the day on Thursday to $64.70 a barrel. “I hate to disappoint those who tried to predict what we would do,” said Saudi energy minister Abdulaziz bin Salman. Russia’s deputy prime minister Alexander Novak expressed “careful optimism” that the oil market was sta- bilizing. Under the deal, non-OPEC countries Russia and Kazakstan can make small production increases. The so-called OPEC Plus - which includes countries like Russia that are not part of the cartel but have been coordinating production in recent years - made deep cuts in output in 2020 to stave off a collapse in prices. As more economic activity returned around the world, the group decided to add back 500,000 barrels per day in December. Saudi Arabia in January voluntarily cut 1 million barrels per day, supporting markets for crude oil. Caution about more production on the part of Saudi Arabia faces a different outlook from Russia, which has been a reliable advocate for more supply. One factor contributing to differences is that Russia can balance its state budget at lower oil prices In this fi le photo dated March 6, 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, people stand outside the headquarters of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, than can Saudi Arabia, according to in Vienna, Austria. Members of oil producer cartel OPEC and allied countries are meeting online Thursday March 4, 2021, considering a possible increase in production now that prices have the International Monetary Fund. recovered to near their pre-pandemic levels. (AP) Consumer spending, auto sales mixed JOBLESS CLAIMS TICK UP TO 745K Fed survey fi nds modest gains in economy in Feb US 4th quarter productivity WASHINGTON, March 4, (AP): A ported the economy was growing in Federal Reserve survey of business February at a modest pace although conditions across the United States has the Dallas region said activity had been found that economic activity was ex- disrupted by a severe winter storm that panding at a modest pace in February. knocked out electricity to millions of The Fed survey released Wednes- residents for a time. revised to a decline of 4.2% day shows that the central bank’s “Unprecedented winter storms and business contacts were expressing widespread power outages in mid- optimism last month about a stronger February severely disrupted economic rebound as more COVID-19 vaccines activity, although the impact is mostly Service sector growth slows sharply in Feb are distributed. expected to be transitory,” the Fed’s Reports on consumer spending and Dallas regional bank reported. WASHINGTON, March 4, to 51.9%, down from a January reading as just a brief pullback from January’s Thursday’s report from the Labor auto sales were mixed, while overall The New York Fed was one of the of 61.8%. The index readings for busi- high level with further gains coming in Department showed that jobless claims manufacturing showed moderate gains few regions that reported a decline in (AP): U.S. productivity fell ness activity and employment also fell the months ahead. rose by 9,000 from the previous week. despite supply-side constraints, ac- activity last month, pointing to “par- at an annual rate of 4.2% in from the previous month. “The services sector is locked and Though the pace of layoffs has eased cording to the Fed survey. ticular weakness” in the service sector. the fourth quarter, a sharp Andrew Hunter, senior U.S. econo- loaded for a summer surge,” said since the year began, they remain high The report, known as the beige book, The beige book survey found that mist for Capital Economics, noted that Oren Klatchin, lead U.S. economist by historical standards. Before the vi- is based on surveys conducted by the demand for labor varied considerably decline but not as large as price pressures jumped sharply in Feb- at Oxford Economics. “Encouraging rus fl attened the U.S. economy a year Fed’s 12 regional banks. It will form by industry and skill levels. Many fi rst estimated. ruary with the prices paid index climb- Covid statistics, accelerating vaccine ago, applications for unemployment the basis for discussions when central businesses noted continued diffi cul- That revised fi gure released by ing to a reading of 71.8%, a level that distribution and the Biden administra- aid had never topped 700,000 in any bank offi cials meet on March 16-17 to ties in attracting and retaining qualifi ed the Labor Department Thursday he said signaled that the Federal Re- tion’s push to make vaccines available week, even during the Great Recession. mull their future moves on monetary workers, with lack of child care and a was slightly smaller than the 4.7% serve’s preferred price gauge could be to every adult American by the end of All told, 4.3 million Americans are policy. variety of other constraints still being decline estimated a month ago. rising by around 2.4% within the next May offer hope the health crisis’ end receiving traditional state unemploy- The expectation is that the Fed will imposed by the pandemic. Labor costs rose at a 6% rate in the few months. is nearing.” ment benefi ts. Counting supplemental keep its benchmark short-term rate at “Wage increases for many dis- fourth quarter, slightly lower than the The Fed’s target for infl ation is 2% In their survey responses, the ISM federal unemployment programs that a record low of zero to 0.25%. The tricts are expected to persist or to pick 6.8% fi rst estimated. but Fed offi cials have said they are ex- report said that service sector busi- were established to soften the econom- central bank is also expected to again up somewhat over the next several Productivity is the amount of output pecting a temporary jump in prices in nesses were mostly optimistic about the ic damage from the virus, an estimated signal that rates will not rise for the months,” the report said. per hour of work. The revisions refl ect- coming months as the country re-opens recovery although they did cite supply 18 million people are collecting some foreseeable future and the current pace Overall manufacturing activity in ed the fact that the government revised but they do not expect the infl ation chain problems such as production-ca- form of jobless aid. of $120 billion per month in bond pur- most districts showed modest increases its estimate of the performance of the readings to last. pacity restraints and material shortages Restrictions on businesses and the chases will also continue. despite challenges from supply-chain gross domestic product, the country’s Anthony Nieves, chair of the ISM’s among the problems they are facing. reluctance of many Americans to shop, Most of the Fed’s 12 regions re- disruptions. total output of goods and services, to services survey committee, said that In a separate report, the number of travel, dine out or attend mass events show an increase of 4.1% at an annual higher energy prices were impacting the Americans applying for unemploy- have weighed persistently on the job rate in the fourth quarter slightly higher supply chain which is heavily dependent ment benefi ts edged higher last week market. Job growth averaged a mea- than its initial estimate of 4% growth. on trucks to transport products to retail to 745,000, a sign that many employers ger 29,000 a month from November S. Korea economy shrank in For all of 2020, productivity rose stores and other establishments. continue to cut jobs despite a drop in through January, and the nation still 2.5%, up from an annual gain of 1.8% Many analysts saw the slowdown confi rmed viral infections and evidence has nearly 10 million fewer jobs than in 2019. In recent years, productivity in services sector activity in February that the overall economy is improving. it did in February 2020. Though the un- 2020 for 1st time in 22 years growth has been exceptionally weak employment rate was 6.3% in January, and economists are uncertain about the a broader measure that includes people SEOUL, March 4, (AP): South pandemic forced millions around cause. who have given up on their job search- Korea’s central bank says the the world to work at home. Meanwhile, growth in the services es is closer to 10%. country’s economy shrank for The bank expects South Korea’s sector, where most Americans work, “The source of all labor market dam- the fi rst time in 22 years in 2020 economy to manage a modest re- slowed sharply in February with hur- age continues to be COVID-19,” said as the coronavirus pandemic de- covery this year driven by exports. dles related to the pandemic hindering AnnElizabeth Konkel, economist at stroyed service industry jobs and But it says it would take a longer growth. the Indeed Hiring Lab. “Increased vac- depressed consumer spending. time for the job market to recover The Institute for Supply Manage- cine distribution is promising, since the Preliminary data released by from the damage to services indus- ment said Wednesday that its index public health situation must improve the Bank of Korea on Thursday tries such as restaurants and trans- of service sector activity dropped to a for there to be a full economic recov- showed the country’s gross do- portation. reading of 55.5% in February, down ery. When we completely return to mestic product last year contracted The bank since March last year 3.4 percentage-points from January ‘normal’ is still unknown.” 1% from 2019. It was the fi rst an- has maintained its policy rate at when activity neared a two-year high. The data fi rm Womply reports that nual contraction since 1998, when an all-time low of 0.5% to help Even with the decline, it was the 64% of movie theaters and other en- South Korea was in the midst of a pump money into the economy. ninth straight month of growth in the tertainment venues, 40% of bars and crippling fi nancial crisis. But experts say traditional fi nan- services sector. Any reading above 50 34% of hair salons and beauty shops The economy would have been cial tools aimed at lowering bor- signifi es growth. are closed. And on Wednesday, the even worse if not for the country’s rowing costs have had only lim- Economists had expected some roll- Federal Reserve reported that across technology exports, which saw ited effect during the pandemic back from the January high but the size the country, “overall conditions in the increased demand driven by per- that has damaged both supply and of the February drop was much bigger leisure and hospitality sector continued sonal computers and servers as the demand. than expected, driven by a sharp de- In this fi le photo, a passerby walks past a hiring sign while entering a Target to be restrained by ongoing COVID-19 cline in the new orders index. That fell store in Westwood, Massachusetts. (AP) restrictions.” ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 BUSINESS 9

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways reports $1.7 billion loss in 2020

Abu Dhabi’s national carrier Etihad on before the pandemic wiped out the global the United Arab Emirates halted fl ights to Thursday reported core operating losses of aviation industry. Since 2016, Etihad has lost stem the spread of the virus. Passenger In this Dec 18, $1.7 billion in 2020, refl ecting the severe a total of $5.62 billion as it has aggressively traffi c plummeted to just 4.2 million travel- 2014 fi le photo, an toll of the coronavirus pandemic on the bought up stakes in airlines from Europe to ers from 17.5 million the year before, the Emirati man takes long-troubled airline that has lost billions in Asia to compete against the region’s other airline said. Total passenger capacity on a selfi e in front recent years. leading airlines, Dubai-based Emirates and planes dropped 64%. The carrier lost $758 of a new Etihad Etihad reported revenues of $2.7 billion Qatar Airways. With cost-cutting measures, million over the fi rst half of 2020 alone. The Airways A380 in in 2020 compared to $5.6 billion the year the company was just starting to recover losses rippled across the company, forcing Abu Dhabi, United before, a precipitous decline it attributed to from the economic pain early last year. It an- the airline to cut 33% of its workforce and Arab Emirates. “drastically fewer people traveling” as the nounced the sale of 38 aircraft to an invest- slash salaries by 25-50%. By comparison, (AP ) surging pandemic crippled air travel. ment fi rm in an attempt to bolster profi ts, in a Etihad lost $870 million in 2019. The airline But the airline, one of the Middle East’s top deal valued at $1 billion. reported losses of $1.28 billion in 2018 and carriers, struggled with fi nancial losses long Then, the pandemic struck. Last March, $1.52 billion for 2017. (AP) US stocks trade mixed; oil prices jump

World shares track Wall St decline as bond yields rebound

NEW YORK, March 4, (AP): Stocks were mixed on Thursday as investors wait to hear from Feder- al Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later in the day and ahead of the government’s monthly jobs report due out on Friday. The S&P 500 index was up 0.1% as of 11:10 a.m. East- ern. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up slightly, only 0.1%, while the Nasdaq index fell 0.3%. Energy companies were broadly higher as oil prices jumped more than 4%. Members of OPEC are meeting Thursday to discuss potentially increasing oil production as the global economy recovers from the pandemic. Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron were all up more than 3%. Wall Street continues to look to Washington, where economic data, comments out of the Federal Reserve and President Joe Biden’s stimulus package remain key points of focus. Treasury yields went as high as 1.50% last week as investors braced for stronger economic growth but also a possible increase in infl ation. Powell will speak starting at noon Eastern time in what has been labeled as comments on monetary policy. Investors heard from him last week when he testifi ed in front of Congress, but Thursday’s Q&A In this photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, a trader works on the fl oor on March 3. (AP) format may be more illuminating than Powell’s calculated answers to politicians. Wall Street forecasting revenue to soar even higher Surveyed Investors are looking ahead to the February jobs report on Friday. Economists surveyed by FactSet For fi rst time since COVID, profi ts are rising again expect employers created 225,000 jobs last month. The report also NEW YORK, March 4, (AP): The for the end of 2020 than analysts ex- includes numbers for how much freefall for corporate profi ts because pected. Wall Street is forecasting Bank names winner of Privilege draw wages are rising across the econ- of the pandemic is over, at least for revenue to soar even higher as the now. year progresses and more people get omy, a key component of infl ation. The last few companies are let- COVID-19 vaccinations. The market also is closely watch- ting their investors know how much But another challenge is looming, AUB congratulates winners of Al-Hassad draw ing bond yields. Shares have kept profi t they made during the last three outside of the pandemic. Worries closely tied with fl uctuations in months of 2020, and if the trend about higher infl ation have rattled KUWAIT CITY, March 4: In ac- The bank announced 20 Winners san Salman, Reem Salem Al-Enezi, bond yields recently. When yields holds, they’ll likely blow past ex- markets recently, particularly in how cordance with full preventive guide- of KD 1,000 as follows Fatemah Amirah Abdulhameed Al-Qallaf, rise quickly, as they have in recent pectations. Earnings for the big com- it could affect corporate profi ts and lines and measures set by health au- Mohammad Hadi, Nahar Traiheeb Hend Ibrahim Abdulaziz, Heirs Of weeks, it forces Wall Street to re- panies in the S&P 500 index are on the value that investors ascribe to thorities, Ahli United Bank (AUB) Al-Daihani, Ahmad Hamed Boare- Late Khaled Mohammad Al-Yaseen, think the value of stocks. Tech- track to be nearly 4% higher than a stocks. held the weekly draw of Al-Hassad ki, Adel Abdulla Al-Deghaishem, Tukacs Laszlo, Aslam Ali Rumaney, nology stocks are most vulnerable year earlier. Beyond the boost to the economy Islamic account on March 3, 2021, Weerappuli Muhandiragme Kan- And Wafaa Mohammad Al-Arbash. to this reassessment after having That may sound like only luke- that vaccines will bring, President which is the very fi rst draw account thilatha, Naser Al-Mudhaf, Mo- (AUB) also held the Privilege soared during the pandemic, mak- warm growth, but it was much bet- Joe Biden and Congress are trying in Islamic banking in Kuwait. Al- hammad Mnahi Al-Osaimi, Fara- draw of 24 February 2021 of Al- ing them look pricier than the rest ter than the nearly 10% drop that to pump another $1.9 trillion into the Hassad Islamic account offers over jollah Yadollahi, Ahmad Abdullah Hassad Islamic account and an- of the market. analysts expected at the start of the economy. That could ignite infl ation 750 prizes in over 12 month period Al-Sharqawi, Saleh Ahmad Hasan, nounced the KD 25,000 Privilege U.S. government bond yields have reporting season. It’s also the fi rst after years of remaining relatively and has reshaped the lives of thou- Wadhha Motlaq Al-Hajri, Mohamed draw winner as Abdallah Abdala- quarter of growth for the S&P 500 dormant. sands lucky winners. Abdulsayid Mohamed, Hussain Has- zeez Al-Doseri. rebounded after easing earlier in the The draws of Al-Hassad include week. The yield on the benchmark in a year, since the pandemic leveled Oil prices have already climbed, economies around the world. with U.S. crude back above $60 per several cash prizes, such as KD 10-year Treasury note slipped back 100,000 each Eid and the grand to 1.47% Thursday after rising to Nearly four out of fi ve companies barrel after starting the year below have reported stronger earnings for $50. That should lead to higher trans- quarterly draw of KD 250,000 prize 1.48% earlier in the day. the last three months of 2020 than portation and shipping costs for all which continues to be a key aspira- The Senate is moving forward analysts expected, according to Fact- kinds of companies, sapping some tion for customers who are wishing with President Biden’s stimulus Set. By that measure, it’s one of the profi ts. Pay for workers is also rising to fulfi ll their dreams. Al Hassad of- bill, with most of the negotiations most surprisingly strong quarters for at some companies. Congress has been fers 20 weekly prizes of KD 1,000 now happening between the more earnings reports since FactSet began debating raising the minimum wage, for each winner. In addition to this moderate Democrats in the Senate tracking the fi gures in 2008. though by mid-week it appeared that attractive package of rewards, Al- and the White House. Such a performance was sorely ambition was all but dead. Hassad Islamic account incorporates World shares fell, tracking a needed. Stock prices have soared During their discussions with a Wakala contract for projected an- decline on Wall Street as another across Wall Street since March, analysts following their earnings re- nual profi ts, making this account rise in bond yields rattled investors even though COVID-19 restrictions ports in recent months, several CEOs benefi cial to all customer segments who worry that higher infl ation and frightened customers were ham- talked about the pressure they’re ex- that are aspiring to build their short may prompt central banks to raise mering profi ts. S&P 500 earnings pecting from higher costs. and long-term savings through a ultra-low interest rates. plunged nearly 32% in the spring At Kimberly-Clark, for example, unique savings account with many Benchmarks were lower in most of 2020, after the stock market had the maker of Huggies diapers and advantages. already made its turn higher, for ex- Cottonelle tissue said it’s looking for Furthermore, for the fi rst time in major markets and the dollar rose Kuwait, the AUB Al-Hassad pre- against the Japanese yen. ample. its commodity costs to be up to $600 If profi ts can keep rising, it would million higher in 2021, from pulp to sents the “Privilege Draw”, which Lost help to justify the lofty prices stocks resin costs. is a quarterly draw of KD 25,000 have reached and cool down the Overall, though, analysts are fore- exclusively for Al-Hassad custom- Germany’s DAX lost 0.17% to ers who maintained their balances 14,056.34 and the CAC 40 in Paris warnings of a dangerous bubble that casting the boom in revenue to be have been growing louder. more than enough to offset increases for more than one year and have not fl at at 5,830.65. Britain’s FTSE won a prize in the past fi ve years. 100 gave up 0.37% to 6,650.88. One encouraging sign is that most in price, and they’re forecasting even companies reported stronger revenue stronger growth ahead. For all draws, the clients are eli- In Asian trading, Japan’s Nik- gible for one draw chance for each kei 225 lost 2.1% to 28,930.11 KD 50 deposited in their Al-Hassad and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong was in the midst of a crippling fi - Show me the money! account. dropped 2.2% to 29,236.79. Aus- nancial crisis in 1998. It is worth mentioning that Al- tralia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.8% to The U.S. dollar rose to 107.29 Hassad Islamic account has won the 6,760.70. Japanese yen, its highest level in “Best Savings Product in Kuwait The Shanghai Composite index seven months, from 106.99 yen EU proposes fi x for gender pay gap 2019” by the prestigious Banker shed 2.1% to 3,503.49. Investors late Wednesday. Higher yields and Middle East Magazine for the nu- are anticipating that policies out- interest rates would tend to push BRUSSELS, March 4, (AP): The Since its inception in 1957, the Eu- doesn’t lead anywhere,” she said. merous unique features it provides. lined during the annual session of the greenback higher. European Union executive wants to ropean Union has sought to end such She said that over the past 7 years, Such features include the simplest the National People’s Congress, a The euro slipped to $1.2039 force employers to be much more open gender bias, but progress has been the gap had closed only by little over and easiest program, highest num- about how much their staff earn to slow over the decades. When it comes 2 percentage points. “You can imag- ber of winners, largest prize value, largely ceremonial legislature that from $1.2066. make it easier for women to challenge to pension rights, refl ecting working ine if we continue like that, we will convenes on Friday, may point to Traders also sold off smaller unique draws during Eid Al-Fitr and wage imbalances and close the gender conditions of the past 30 to 40 years, achieve pay fairness some time in Eid Al-Adha, loyalty multipliers, a tightening of monetary and gov- company stocks, dragging the pay gap. the gender gap still stands at 30%. several decades. So we cannot con- Russell 2000 index 1.1% lower to unique online account opening fea- ernment stimulus. Even though the gender pay gap Wage conditions and scales in Eu- tinue like that.” ture, transparent draws held during South Korea’s Kospi lost 1.3% 2,207.79. across the 27-nation bloc has been re- rope have long been shrouded in secre- Under the commission’s proposals, duced to 14% for people doing exactly cy, which has helped extend inequality employers would have to give infor- radio shows with live broadcast on to 3,043.49 after the central bank In other trading Thursday, U.S. the Bank’s social media platforms,. reported the economy contracted benchmark crude oil rose 16 cents the same work, the European Commis- and proved to be a big hurdle for those mation about initial pay levels in the sion wants to eliminate the disparity demanding pay justice. vacancy announcement and ahead For more information about Al- in 2020 for the fi rst time since to $61.44 per barrel in electronic Hassad Account added to the invest- 1998. trading on the New York Mer- by imposing specifi c rules to make pay And companies have fallen far short of the job interview, during which levels public. in helping bridge the gap, said EU employers will not be allowed to ask ment savings account, the prizes it Preliminary data released by cantile Exchange. It gained $1.53 “For equal pay, you need transpar- Vice President Vera Jourova. “We about applicants’ previous pay grades. offers and relevant criteria, please the Bank of Korea on Thursday on Wednesday to $61.28 per bar- ency. Women must know whether have suffi ciently strong evidence that Employees will be allowed to ask visit any of AUB branches, contact showed the gross domestic product rel. Brent crude, the international their employers treat them fairly,” said we need to have binding rules and not employers the average pay levels “Hayakom” Service on 1812000 or fell 1% from 2019, in the fi rst an- standard, added 21 cents to $64.29 EU Commission President Ursula von only to rely on social responsibility of by gender for people doing the same visit our website: www.ahliunited. nual contraction since South Korea per barrel. der Leyen. the companies because we see that it work. com.kw. GM looking to build 2nd US battery factory

General Motors says it’s look- ry complex, which is one of other north of the city in Orion the new Bolt electric SUV. In this file photo, a ing for a site to build a second three sites the company has Township, Michigan. Industry analysts have said GM logo is shown U.S. battery factory with joint designated to build electric GM is likely to need far that automakers face a global at the General venture partner LG Chem of vehicles. more battery capacity if it’s shortage of batteries as the Motors Detroit- Korea. A joint venture between GM able to deliver on a goal of industry moves away from gas- Hamtramck The companies hope to have and LG Chem currently is converting all of its new pas- oline powered vehicles. Most of Assembly plant in a decision on a site in the first building a $2 billion battery fac- senger vehicles from internal the world’s batteries are built in Hamtramck, half of the year, spokesman tory in Lordstown, Ohio, near combustion engines to elec- China and other countries. Michigan. (AP) Dan Flores said Thursday. Cleveland, that will employ tricity by 2035. The Wall Street Journal first Flores would not say where about 1,000 people. The site is LG Chem now has a battery reported that GM and LG Chem the company is looking, but fairly close to GM’s two other cell plant in Holland, Michigan, are pursuing a site in it’s likely to be near GM’s designated electric vehicle that supplies power to the Tennessee to build a new bat- Spring Hill, Tennessee, facto- plants, one in Detroit and the Chevrolet Bolt hatchback and tery plant. (AP) Business PPluslus Remittances help smooth pandemic-induced economic shocks in developing world Global citizens emerge as economic first responders

2021. A predicted rebound of GDP growth in sender economies, as vaccines are rolled out, restrictions are lifted, fiscal policy remains support- ive and pent-up demand is released, augurs well for remittances in 2021. Remittances are the hidden engine of global connectivity; people are single-handedly responsible for the massive capital movement across the world’s borders. Financial flows between individuals/people contribute to interdependence worldwide - social, economic, and political. It is unmatched by any other type of public or private cross-border investment flows. Remittance flows are directed to meet the recipients’ specific needs in developing economies. In comparison, governments’ fiscal response and flows of overseas development aid (ODA) can sometimes be delayed and blunter in their application. Also, developing country governments have less budgetary capacity to support their economies. While the World Bank estimates that remittances fell by 7% in 2020, this decline will be significantly less severe than the expected decline in private investment capital. UNCTAD expects foreign direct investment (FDI) to develop economies to decline by 35% to 45% in the full year 2020. Remittances multiply through a nation’s economy contributing 0.40 cents GDP for every USD1.0 of inflow. The .40 cents multiplier is comparable or higher than some multiplier estimates of FDI or ODA. Applied to the $548bn of developing-country remittance inflows in 2019, this translates to a direct GDP impact on these economies of $219bn. Remittances have short-run effects on national output, as additional spending is received as income else- where in the economy. However, the full economic benefits of remittances are only realized in the long term due to the transformative effects of increased In this photo, women wearing protective face masks stand at a safe distance to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus, as they wait for food assigned to their children outside a school spending on education, health, and in the largely indigenous Xesuj village, Guatemala, where many residents depend on remittances, almost all from the US. The devastation wrought by COVID-19 across the developed world other investments. is cutting into the financial lifelines for people across Latin America, Africa and Asia. (AP) Remittances represent social insurance for households in developing Report by Oxford Economics who then use the money to fund a poverty, with the total potentially ris- Key Highlights countries. At a micro level, remittances broad range of economic activities. ing to as many as 150 million in benefit recipient households in develop- erson-to-person (“P2P”) interna- Remittances were a silver lining in This “Remittance Effect” drives pro- 2021. The developing world, home to a cloudy 2020 for developing nations. ing countries by providing an additional tional transfers, or remittances, found gains for developing econo- P many of the world’s most economi- Positive data for 2020 on remittance income source that helps fund essential sent by global citizens to their home- mies, including reducing poverty and cally vulnerable people, will face the expenditures, lowers the incidence of lands represent the largest foreign driving increases in economic activi- inflows from several central banks in most extreme consequences. receiving countries, positive earnings extreme poverty, shields them against economic support structure for ty. In addition to being engines for To avoid the economic divide, economic shocks, and supports long- growth, P2P transfers enhance con- data from leading money transfer developing economies. According to Western Union is encouraging policy- companies, as well as survey evi- term investment in healthcare and edu- a new report by Oxford Economics, nectivity by linking individuals makers across the spectrum to priori- cation. (Agencies) ... Crises make people worldwide, thereby contributing to dence indicating the resiliency of commissioned by Western Union tize legal, smart, safe, and equitable senders, who have been highly moti- The global clout of remittances is ‘ (NYSE: WU), a global leader in economic, social, and political inter- cross-border migration systems, underappreciated, despite being the vated to support families and loved more determined to cross-border, cross-currency money dependence between nations, even as which will uplift developing nations’ largest foreign capital inflow to devel- governments shut borders. ones back home, have all supported a oping markets (excluding exports). movement, remittances have helped economies and continue to support stronger than expected potential out- provide support to the smooth COVID-19 pandemic- “The research further shines a light developed economies to recover and Remittance flows to developing econ- on the resilience of this global web of turn for remittances in 2020. omies are indispensable, exceeding induced economic shocks, increas- address human capital shortages. Family ties and rebounding econo- financial interconnectivity and con- Ersek added, “In the critical task ODA by a factor of three. According people they care about. ing the resilience of developing firms what Western Union has wit- mies may prove resilient for remit- to the World Bank, remittances to nations throughout 2020 and pre- of rebuilding developing nations in a tance flows, potentially exceeding nessed repeatedly: Crises make peo- post-pandemic world, millions of developing countries totaled $548bn When times get hard in senting a potential lifeline for recov- ple more determined to provide sup- World Bank forecasts for 2021. The these Economic First Responders will in 2019, overtaking FDI to become ery in 2021 and beyond. port to the people they care about. remittance outturn for 2021 could fall the largest inflow of foreign capital The Remittance Effect: A Lifeline When times get hard in developing continue to step up. These heroes anywhere within a wide range developing economies, deserve so much credit for the irre- (excluding exports) to developing for Developing Economies Through economies, remittance-senders between a decline and a return to the markets. remittance-senders be- the Pandemic and Into Recovery iden- become front-line workers of eco- placeable role they play in their host pre-pandemic trend of growth, as A robust study of the remittance tifies several positive economic and nomic security,” said Hikmet Ersek, and home countries’ economies. uncertainty around the outlook is ‘multiplier’ is critical, as the current come front-line workers remittance consumer fundamentals President and CEO of Western Union. There has also simply never been a high. The World Bank forecast of a modeling is inadequate and underes- that could support unexpected “This report justifies bestowing a greater need for innovation and tech- further 7.5% slowdown in 2021 may timates the real effects. The remit- strength in remittance flows to devel- new title of ‘Economic First nology that provides the on-the- be exceeded. As predicted by the tance ‘multiplier’ is lower than one of economic security oping nations compared to World Responders’ upon these global citi- ground financial support flowing World Bank, a cumulative fall of 14% due to the impact of ‘leakages’ - ’ Bank forecasts of slowdown in 2021. zens and local heroes. The love and instantly across borders.” Read blog. over 2020 and 2021 would be unprec- some of the funds are saved or used The report states that global P2P money they send across the world’s For 170 years, Western Union has edented in the recent history of remit- to pay off debt (not spent), while a transfers to developing nations, which borders have helped smooth the eco- been focused on connecting individu- tance flows, which have tended to high share of spending in develop- surpassed the value of Foreign Direct nomic shocks from the pandemic and als to their families and loved ones trend upwards year-over-year. ing economies is likely to be on Investment in 2019, can potentially foster resiliency and recovery within globally, anytime, anywhere, and Positive economic trends, sender imported goods (e.g., medicines). A achieve what overseas development their home nations throughout 2020 today, it continues to connect them economy recovery, sender resilience, lack of investment opportunities in aid (ODA) and private direct invest- and into 2021 and beyond,” he added. through one of the world’s largest and high demand for remittance from developing economies may also ment cannot – the P2P transfers The World Bank estimates that the global financial networks that move receiver countries could combine to explain why remittance flows often quickly and efficiently put money pandemic will push an additional 130 currencies electronically world- support unexpected strength in remit- fail to generate self-reinforcing directly into the hands of individuals 88-115 million people into extreme wide within minutes. tance flows to developing nations in development. (Agencies) The tax credit fix many can’t afford to miss By Liz Weston toward two crucial tax benefits that date tax software or well-informed tax was more than $2,500. “It’s one of the few areas of some NerdWallet keep millions of working families preparers, and Phillips worries that Families who qualify for the earned consensus across the parties that with children out of poverty: the many eligible people won’t learn income tax credit can receive thou- rewarding workers on the low end of amilies battered by the pandem- earned income tax credit and the addi- about it before filing their returns. sands more. The maximum credit for the wage spectrum with these tax Fic recession soon may discover tional child tax credit. The IRS will begin accepting returns working families with three or more credits makes sense,” Flacke says. If you’re a single parent that the tax refunds they’re counting “If you’re a single parent or a cou- Feb. 12. children is $6,660 for 2020, and it’s If you might qualify for one of the ‘ on are dramatically smaller – or that ple with kids living on, say, $25,000 a “People are going to start trying to refundable, which means filers get the tax credits, make sure your tax soft- or a couple with kids they actually owe income tax. year, you might see 25% or more of file taxes as soon as they possibly money even if they don’t owe any ware or tax preparer looks at both Congress offered a partial solution, your annual income in the form of can,” Phillips says. “If you think that tax. your 2019 and 2020 incomes before but the fix hasn’t been widely pub- your federal tax refund because of you’ve got thousands coming in the The amount you can earn and still submitting your return. If you find out living on, say, $25,000 a these credits,” says Timothy Flacke, mail or to your bank account, you’re qualify rises with family size, so that too late that you could have received licized, consumer advocates say. executive director of Commonwealth, there day one with your paperwork a married couple with three or more a bigger refund, you can file an year, you might see 25% Refunds are crucial to many lower- a nonprofit that promotes financial ready to go.” children could get at least a partial amended return, but you may face a and moderate-income households, security. Those who rely on refunds tend credit with adjusted gross income up longer wait. Instead of getting your or more of your annual which use the money to catch up on There’s A Fix on Credits, but not to file early to $56,844. A single person without refund in a few weeks, an amended bills and medical treatments, pay enough people know about it Research confirms that the earliest children may qualify for a small cred- return can take up to four months to down debt and boost savings. There isn’t an easy workaround for recipients of refunds each year tend to it with an adjusted gross income up to process. income in the form of But the unemployment insurance tax refunds shriveled by inadequate be lower income, says Fiona Greig, $15,820. Meanwhile, the regular child Going forward, President Joe Biden that kept many people afloat last year withholding. But Congress provided a co-president of the JPMorgan Chase tax credit for children under 17 is has proposed one-year expansions of your federal tax refund may cause problems at tax time this potential fix for the tax credits issue Institute, which studies data from mil- $2,000 and not refundable. But low- the credits as part of his coronavirus year. Unemployment benefits are tax- in the $900 billion coronavirus relief lions of customer bank accounts. income families may qualify for a relief package. He wants to increase because of these credits able, but tax withholding is typically legislation passed last month: Filers “(A tax refund) tends to be a larger refundable credit, which can be up to the maximum earned income tax ’ voluntary - and many people who lost can choose to use their 2019 income relative cash infusion event for them, 15% of earned income over $2,500, credit for childless adults from $538 jobs either didn’t know their unem- to determine their credits rather than and as a result, they tend to seek their up to $1,400 per child. to nearly $1,500 this year and to raise ployment checks would be taxed, or their 2020 income. refund earlier in the tax refund sea- Tax credits have widespread sup- the income limit. He also wants to they decided against withholding. But that fix hasn’t been widely son,” Greig says. port increase the child tax credit to $3,000, (Relief checks, such as the $1,200 reported, says Leigh Phillips, chief In typical years, tax refunds equal The credits have been around for plus an extra $600 per child under age sent out last year, are not taxable.) executive officer of SaverLife, a non- almost six weeks’ take-home pay for decades and have widespread biparti- 6, and make the full amount refund- Further, unemployment benefits are profit that encourages working fami- the average recipient, the institute san support among lawmakers, able. If enacted, these credits could be not earned income and so don’t count lies to save. Not everyone uses up-to- found. Last year the average refund Commonwealth’s Flacke says. claimed on returns filed in 2022. (AP) ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 SCIENCE 11

Coronavirus

EU seeks jab ‘overdrive’ Modifi ed vaccines ‘review’ expedited LONDON, March 4, (AP): Regulators in the UK and four other countries have announced new rules to fast-track the development of modifi ed COVID-19 vaccines to ensure drugmakers can move swiftly to target emerging variants of the disease. Previously authorized vaccines that are modifi ed to combat new variants “will not need a brand new approval or ‘lengthy’ clinical studies,” Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said Thursday. “The clear goal is that future vaccine modifi cations that re- spond to the new variants of coronavirus can be made available in the shortest possible time to UK recipients without compromising at any stage on safety, quality or effectiveness,” Dr. June Raine, the head of the agency, said in a briefi ng for reporters. The new guidance is based on the model already used to modify the seasonal fl u vaccine to keep up with annual changes in the virus and was issued jointly by regulators in the UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Switzerland. The US Food and Drug Administration and European Medi- cines Agency have issued similar guidance. Under the new rules, developers will be required to provide “robust evidence” that modifi ed COVID-19 vaccines produce a strong immune re- Draghi sponse to the variant, as well as data showing they are safe and meet quality standards. Doctor Anil Mehta, surrounded by his team of doctors, administers a dose of the Pfi zer vaccine to Geeta Waddon to mark the 10,000th jab in his small practice in This means developers will be required to carry out small- London, Sunday, Feb. 28. (AP) scale trials on a few hundred people, rather than the trials in tens of thousands of individuals that were required for initial approval, said Dr. Christian Schneider, the MHRA’s chief scientifi c offi cer. Coronavirus “I’d like to emphasize that to date we don’t have evidence that the vaccines in use in the UK are signifi cantly lacking in effectiveness,” Raine said. The announcement comes amid concerns that the virus that Biden vows enough COVID vaccines for all adults causes COVID-19 may mutate to create new variants that are resistant to existing vaccines. The UK has banned direct fl ights from 33 countries in an effort to prevent variants fi rst discov- ered in Brazil and South Africa from becoming established in Britain. US to vaccinate all adults by May Variants WASHINGTON, March 4, (AP): Pres- vaccine will be distributed this week to White House adviser Andy Slavitt Vaccine makers have already been developing booster shots ident Joe Biden said the US expects to pharmacies, on top of the 2.4 million said Wednesday that Biden was pre- to target the new variants. take delivery of enough coronavirus they are now getting from Pfi zer and paring for all contingencies to speed Moderna said Feb. 24 that it had shipped a variant-specifi c vaccine for all adults by the end of Moderna. the vaccine supply, and that the new vaccine candidate to the US National Institutes of Health for May - two months earlier than antici- Those pharmacies will be key in May timeframe was achievable. review. The coronavirus pandemic has infected over 115 mil- pated - and he pushed states to get at getting the vaccines into the arms of “We are not in the habit of over- lion people around the world and killed at least 2.5 million, least one shot into the arms of teachers teachers - particularly in the roughly promising,” he said. according to Johns Hopkins University. by the end of March to hasten school 20 states where they have not been pri- The White House said Merck would Meanwhile, slow off the blocks in the race to immunize reopenings. oritized for shots. The aim is to help re- devote two plants to the production its citizens against COVID-19, Germany faces an unfamiliar This image made available by the Biden also announced Tuesday that open schools to better educate students process. One would make the vaccine problem: a glut of vaccines and not enough arms to inject them China National Space Administration drugmaker Merck will help produce who have been at risk of falling behind and the other would handle inserting into. on March 4, shows a high-resolution rival Johnson & Johnson’s newly ap- during the pandemic and reduce the the vaccine into vials and ensuring Like other countries in the European Union, its national vac- photo of the surface of Mars taken by proved one-shot vaccine, likening the burden on parents who have had to strict quality controls. Psaki said the cine campaign lags far behind that of Israel, Britain and the China’s Tianwen-1 probe as it orbits partnership between the two drug com- choose between child care and a job. Biden administration was using its United States. Now there are growing calls in this country of the planet in preparation for landing. panies to the spirit of national coopera- “Let’s treat in-person learning as the powers under the Defense Production 83 million to ditch the rulebook, or at least rewrite it a bit. China says a cohort of astronauts tion during World War II. essential service that it is,” Biden said. Act to help Merck retool to work on Germans watched with morbid fascination in January as have been selected and are in training Despite the stepped-up pace of vac- Teachers will be able to sign up direct- the production. to carry out four crewed missions this cine production, the work of inoculat- ly through participating retail pharma- The White House said the fi rst doses Britain trained an army of volunteers to deliver coronavirus year as the country works to complete shots, then marveled that the UK - hit far worse by the pan- ing Americans could extend well into cies, the administration said. produced with Merck’s assistance its fi rst permanent orbiting space sta- the summer, offi cials said, depending White House press secretary Jen would be available beginning in May. demic than Germany - managed to vaccinate more than half a tion. (AP) million people on some days. both on the government’s capacity to Psaki also announced Tuesday that Federal offi cials have cautioned that The US drive-thru inoculation centers and the COVID-19 deliver doses and Americans’ willing- the federal government was increas- setting up the highly specialized man- shots given out in American grocery store pharmacies drew ness to roll up their sleeves. ing supply of the Moderna and Pfi zer ufacturing lines to produce vaccines baffl ement in Germany - that is, until the country’s own plans Biden’s announcements quickly vaccines to states next week to 15.2 would take months. for orderly vaccine appointments at specialized centers were raised expectations for when the nation million doses per week, up from 14.5 Compared with the two-dose ver- overwhelmed by the demand. could safely emerge from the pandem- million previously. States will also re- sions produced by Moderna and Pfi zer, Britain and the United States “had a much more pragmatic ic, but even as he expressed optimism, ceive 2.8 million doses of the J&J shot the J&J vaccine is less resource-inten- approach” to vaccination, said Hans-Martin von Gaudecker, a Biden quickly tempered the outlook. this week. sive to distribute and administer, mak- “I’ve been cautioned not to give an ing it critical for U.S. plans to spread professor of economics at the University of Bonn. “What nor- Coordinator mally makes German bureaucracy stolid and reliable becomes answer to that because we don’t know vaccinations around the world - but an obstacle in a crisis and costs lives.” for sure,” Biden said, before saying his On a call with governors Tuesday, only once Americans are inoculated. The European Medicines Agency approved the AstraZeneca hope for a return to normal was some- White House coronavirus coordinator The J&J vaccine can be stored for vaccine for all age groups, but several EU nations, including time before “this time next year.” Jeff Zients said states should prepare months at refrigerated temperatures, Germany, imposed tighter age limits. Xi Musk As Biden spoke, states across the to administer 16 million to 17 million rather than frozen. With its stockpile of AstraZeneca vaccine doses set to top 2 country were moving to relax virus- total weekly doses of Pfi zer and Mod- J&J has set up a global production million, Germany is looking to make more people eligible for related restrictions. This despite the erna vaccines by the end of March, network that includes brewing bulk the shots that have so far been restricted to a fraction of the Discovery objections of the White House and the climbing to 17 million to 18 million vaccine at its Janssen facility in the population: people in the top priority group who are under 65. nation’s top infectious disease expert, weekly by early April. The supply of Netherlands, and with a company in France changed tactics earlier this week, allowing some Dr. Anthony Fauci, who have warned J&J doses to states, expected to dip af- the US, Emergent BioSolutions, and people over 65 to get the AstraZeneca vaccine after initially against any relaxation of virus proto- ter the initial shipment this week, will another in India, Biological E. Ltd. Starship explodes in latest test: cols until more Americans are vacci- climb to 4 million to 6 million weekly Other contract manufacturers are lined restricting its use to younger people. Health Minister Olivier SpaceX’s futuristic Starship looked like Veran said the shot would soon also be available to people nated. doses by the end of March and 5 mil- up to help with later steps, including it aced a touchdown Wednesday, but In Texas, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott lion to 6 million doses weekly through putting the vaccine into vials, in the over 50 with health problems that make them more vulnerable. then exploded on the landing pad with so France, which at more than 87,000 dead has among the high- moved to lift his state’s mask-wearing the end of April. US, Italy, Spain and South Africa. much force that it was hurled into the air. mandate and a host of other limita- Offi cials have said J&J faced unex- In the scramble to create COVID-19 est coronavirus tolls in Europe, had used only 25% of the 1.6 The failure occurred just minutes after million AstraZeneca vaccines it has received as of Tuesday. tions. Michigan’s Democratic Gov. pected production issues with its vac- vaccines, the three Western drugmak- SpaceX declared success. Two previous Gretchen Whitmer eased capacity lim- cine and produced only 3.9 million ers who’ve dominated the vaccine Restrictions test fl ights crash-landed in fi reballs. its on restaurants and both public and doses before being cleared for use on industry for decades - Merck & Co., The full-scale prototype of Elon residential gatherings. Saturday. J&J Vice President Richard Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline - surpris- European nations’ age restrictions on AstraZeneca com- Musk’s envisioned Mars ship soared pounded problems caused by initial delivery delays and some Fauci has previously said the na- Nettles told lawmakers on Capitol Hill ingly all fell short. Merck halted its public reticence toward the vaccine. more than 6 miles (10 kilometers) after tion must achieve a vaccination rate of last week that the company had faced own plans to develop a coronavirus Yet data this week from England’s mass vaccination pro- lifting off from the southern tip of Texas about 80% to reach “herd immunity.” “signifi cant challenges” because of its vaccine earlier this year, fi nding that gram showed that both AstraZeneca and the Pfi zer-BioNTech on Wednesday. It descended horizontally Only about 8% of the population has “highly complex” manufacturing pro- its candidates were generating an in- vaccine were around 60% effective in preventing symptomatic over the Gulf of Mexico and then fl ipped been fully vaccinated, according to the cess. ferior immune system response com- COVID-19 in people over 70 after just a single dose. The upright just in time to land. Centers for Disease Control and Pre- Before the approval of the J&J shot, pared with other vaccines. It said it analysis released by Public Health England, which hasn’t been The shiny bullet-shaped rocketship vention, though the pace of vaccina- Biden had suggested that it would take would instead focus its work on devel- peer reviewed yet, also showed that both vaccines were about remained intact this time at touchdown, tion has been increasing. until the end of July to have enough oping treatments for COVID-19. 80% effective in preventing hospitalizations among people prompting SpaceX commentator John In- The Biden administration has told vaccine for every adult in the US. Now, with a global clamor for more over 80. sprucker to declare, “third time’s a charm governors to make preparations to ad- Psaki said an “across-the-adminis- vaccine doses, those heavyweights are Belgium and Italy, too, are loosening their age restrictions as the saying goes” before SpaceX ended minister even more doses in the com- tration effort” was required to get the helping manufacture doses for less- for the AstraZeneca vaccine as they scramble to confront a its webcast of the test. ing weeks. More shots are also headed two historic rivals to work together experienced rivals whose vaccines looming third spike in COVID-19 cases driven by more con- But then the Starship exploded and was toward the federally backed program on the vaccines, even though conver- won the fi rst emergency authorizations tagious virus variants. tossed in the air, before slamming down to administer doses in retail pharma- sations between J&J and Merck have from regulators. Merck has since said In Italy, Premier Mario Draghi’s new government ousted into the ground in fl ames. cies, which federal offi cials believe been going on for months. it was in talks to help other drug com- the COVID-19 emergency czar this week and put an army gen- There was no immediate comment can double or triple their pace of vac- “There’s a difference between con- panies with vaccine production, but eral with expertise in logistics and experience in Afghanistan from SpaceX on what went wrong. But cination. versations and it moving forward,” she wouldn’t say Tuesday whether other and Kosovo in charge of the country’s vaccination program. Musk looked on the bright side in a tweet: More than 800,000 doses of the J&J said. deals are imminent. Denmark, meanwhile, stands out as an EU vaccination suc- “Starship 10 landed in one piece! RIP cess story. The Scandinavian nation leads the bloc’s vaccina- SN10, honorable discharge.” He added: “SpaceX team is doing great CNSA listed 12 astronauts training for tachment of scientifi c modules launched president is Xi Jinping. (AP) tion tables along with tiny Malta and expects to vaccinate all the crewed missions, including veterans later. ❑ ❑ ❑ adults by July - far ahead of the EU goal of 70% of adults work! One day, the true measure of success will be that Starship fl ights are com- of previous Shenzhou fl ights, newcom- ISS is backed by the US, Russia, Japan, vaccinated by September. ers and women, though it wasn’t clear if Europe, Canada and others, but China did Activists sue big retailer: Environ- Rather than hold back doses for the required second shot, monplace.” mental groups and indigenous activists Musk plans to use Starships to send there were others selected. not participate, partly at the insistence Danish health authorities followed the British model of using Up to three crew members will report- of the United States, which was wary of from the Amazon region fi led a lawsuit all available vaccines as they came in - an approach more EU people to the moon and Mars. Wednesday in a French court alleging The last two prototypes reached a edly live at a time in the the core module, sharing technology with the secretive, countries are now considering. which has docking ports to allow the at- military linked Chinese program. China’s that France-based supermarket chain And all of Denmark’s 6 million people have digital health similarly high altitude in December and Groupe Casino is violating human rights records linked to a single ID number, allowing authorities to February, but slammed into the ground at and environment rules by selling beef pinpoint exactly who is eligible for vaccination and reach out Boca Chica, Texas, and exploded. (AP) linked to deforestation and land grabs. to them directly. British authorities also text people directly to ❑ ❑ ❑ Casino, a big retailer in South America, set up shots. Chinese astronauts ‘training’: China would not immediately comment on the “There are historical reasons why we don’t have a central- said Thursday a cohort of astronauts is lawsuit. In a statement to The Associated ized register like in Denmark,” said von Gaudecker, citing training for four crewed missions this Press, it said the company “fi ghts actively Germany’s grim history of state oppression under Nazism and year as the country works to complete its against deforestation linked to cattle raising Communism. fi rst permanent orbiting space station. in Brazil and Colombia” and uses a “sys- “Of course a state can do terrible things with data,” he said. The station’s core module, christened tematic and rigorous policy to control the “But it can also potentially do great things with data.” Tianhe, could be launched as soon as origin of beef delivered by its suppliers.” Better targeting available doses for those who need them is next month, according to the China The activist groups are seeking com- one way European countries hope to stay ahead of the virus in National Space Administration and pensation for damages to indigenous the coming months, as more contagious variants spread. foreign observers. The massive Long lands and livelihoods in Brazil and Co- France and Spain plan to give just one shot of the two-dose March-5B Y2 rocket and its payload lombia attributed to Amazon deforesta- vaccines to some people who have recovered from COVID-19, were moved into place last month at the tion for cattle raising. arguing that recent infections act as partial protection against Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in They fi led the lawsuit in the French the virus. tropical Hainan province for assembly city of Saint-Etienne, where Groupe Ca- Italy, France and the Czech Republic are prioritizing vac- and testing. sino is based, using a 2017 French law cinations in outbreak hotspots. Hungary’s leader got a Chinese requiring large companies to prevent any COVID-19 shot over the weekend and his country and Slova- That launch would be the fi rst of 11 missions over the next two years to fi n- In this image from video made available by SpaceX, one of the company’s serious human rights and environmental kia are buying Russia’s Sputnik V to supplement other vac- violations in their businesses and supply cines delivered by the EU. Poland’s president has suggested ish constructing the station by the end Starship prototypes fi res its thrusters as it lands during a test in Boca Chica, of 2022. Two other modules will be Texas, on March 3. SpaceX’s futuristic Starship looked like it aced a touchdown chains. Violators must pay reparations for that his country may follow Hungary’s lead in getting Chinese Wednesday, but then exploded on the landing pad with so much force that it vaccines. launched later, along with four Tianzhou any damage caused by their inaction. cargo supply mission and the four Shen- was hurled into the air. The failure occurred just minutes after SpaceX declared It is now up to the prosecutor’s offi ce to zhou crewed missions. success. (AP) decide whether to take up the case. (AP) Film FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 FFeatureseatures than anyoneelse. Africa announced. (AP) language broadcasterswillsoonbe on TelemundoandtheEnglish- In the and countriesacrosstheglobe. will airinmorethan160territories permitted towatchinperson. whether alimitedaudiencewillbe Memphis. Miss USAcompetitionheldin guidelines asNovember’s2020 competition. Itwillfollowsimilar spent monthsplanningasafe release Wednesdaythatthey’ve Organization, saidinapress president oftheMissUniverse winner, was inDecember2019andits Rock Hotel&CasinoHollywood. will beheldattheSeminoleHard on May16. tion willreturnwithalivetelecast a half,theMissUniversecompeti- Foo Fighters,Iron Maiden,and top, leaders ofthatpoll are,fromthe chance atinduction.Thecurrent held untilApril30—haveabetter winners oftheannualfanvote— tional votingbody,butthetopfi and Todd Rundgren,TinaTurner Dolls, RageAgainsttheMachine, Fela Kuti,LLCoolJ Chaka Khan,CaroleKing, Go-Go’s, IronMaiden, Bush include honoring theinductees. ally replacedwithanHBOspecial coronavirus pandemic,andeventu- was canceledbecauseofthe Ohio hall offameitselfislocatedinthe York March 2019,tookplace before thepandemic,heldin forward, newsoutletsreported. the fallwilllikelystick,going ris 30. FieldHouse inClevelandonOct will takeplaceatRocketMortgage that the2021inductionceremony Hall ofFameannouncedTuesday seeing metaphorically. appearance ofthedemons,orCOVID-19,assomefans,likeNasu,are that simplenormallifestyle,perhapstakenforgranteduntilthesudden she identifi ence,” shesaid. their ownuniquestories.Peoplecanreallyempathizewithexperi- a pandemic. hero tryingtosavelivesdespiteadversitystruckhome,especiallyamid April 25awardsceremony. 2021 AcademyAwards.NominationsareannouncedMarch15,forthe ami, startinglastmonth.AUSrunisrequiredtobeeligibleforthe CLEVELAND: WASHINGTON: passing live-actionfi era Japan,andpossiblywiththeworld. no YaibatheMovie:MugenTrain,”hasstruckachordwithpandemic- picted intheswashbucklinganimatedfi spreading likepurpleslime,lurking,killing.Theterrifyingplightde- TOKYO, March4,(AP):Thedemonsareeverywhere,sometimes Animated ‘DemonSlayer’strikeschord withpandemicJapan Paula M.Shugart The MissUniversecompetition It’s stillunderconsideration The lastMissUniversepageant The 69thMissUniverseevent Ballots aresenttoaninterna- The 16nomineesthisyear The lastin-personceremony President andCEO saidtheceremony’smoveto The themeisperennial:Familyloveandtheuniversalyearningfor Nasu gotsoenwrappedinasceneshecriedthetheater.Shesaid “There aremanycharacters,buteachone,eventhedemons,have Akina Nasu,aTokyohairstylist,saysthestoryofspirituallypure The 2020fi “Demon Slayer”hasbecomethebiggestgrossingfi Dionne Warwick Fela Kuti city.Lastyear’sceremony , DEVO,FooFighters,The ’s BarclaysCenter,butthe US , haswornthecrownlonger Mary J.Blige,Kate Zozibini Tunzi ❑ itwillairinSpanish es closelywiththemaincharacter’ssenseofjustice. , TinaTurner,the lm, directedbyHaruoSotozaki,gotalimitedruninMi- The Rock&Roll After ayearand , the lms andevenHayaoMiyazaki’s“SpiritedAway.” , NewYork . 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programs. commentary onvarious network McEnany House presssecretary that ithadsignedformerWhite ticipated, FoxNewssaidTuesday This imagereleasedbySonyPicturesClassicsshowsAurelioConternoandhisdogBirbainascenefrom‘TheTruffl NEW YORK: The Go-Gos.(AP) McEnany, formerPresident eat-dog world. movie thatdelightsinthenoblescavengersofadog- of thestars“Truffl Charlie. Fiona.Nina.Titina.Yari.Thesearesome appropriate respectintheendcredits.Birba.Biri. dogs they’reboundto,liststhecanineswith about oldItalianmenwhoscavengetruffl ory Kershaw’sexquisitelycharmingdocumentary white Albatruffl it seems.Theirwayoflifeisadyingone.Therare as Narnia. surely, isagentlerealmeverybitasbewitching — PepeandFionainapink-tiledtub.This, kindly butpassionatesoul,batheswithhispups dog, Titina.Theyounger,long-hairedSergio,a fle huntatnight)andslipintothewoodswithhis his wife(whosternlybelieveshimtoooldtotruf- smiling, especiallywhenhemanagestogetpast sitting onthetable.Carlo,88,neverseemstostop tal. 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DweckandKershaw,bothcinematographers, Friday, issetinthenorthernItalyforestsofPied- which SonyPicturesClassicswillreleaseintheaters best documentaryattheAcademyAwardsand Y Enchanting butbesetworldin‘Truffl lmthetruffl lm, “DemonSlayer:Kimetsu “The Truffl “The Truffl But thehunters’earthyendeavorisn’tassimple The film,scoredbycomposerEdCorteswith ❑ Variety before itdoesitsexecutiveproducers. ou’ve gottoloveamoviethatcreditsitsdogs asacontributorto offer As widelyan- lm forJapan,sur- ehunters—aging,sweetmenpractic- e Hunters,”MichaelDweckandGreg- e Hunters,”whichisshortlistedfor e isincreasinglyhardtofi Kayleigh By JakeCoyle e Hunters,”aprofoundlylovely ‘It’s essentiallyacoming-of-agestory’ Film hit TVanimationseries,nowstreamingonNetfl Next” listnamedthemamongthe“emergingleaderswhoareshaping name. Theauthorhasneverappearedinpublic,thoughthe“Time100 Jump, from2016,writtenanddrawnbyKoyoharuGotouge,apen brothel, althoughthereisnographicsexdepicted. controversy overitsappropriatenessforchildren.Thesettingisa McEnany Harris The movie,whichtakesplaceonanightmarishtrainride,follows The originalcomicseriesraninweeklymagazineShukanShonen Its secondseasonairsinJapanlaterthisyearbuthasalreadystirred animation. swordsman, hedisplayshissamuraitechniquesinafl the demons,or“oni.”Likeacutedoe-eyedMusashi,legendary become awarriortosavehissister,andultimatelytheworld,from social-distancing measures. barely started. fewer thansomenations,buttheyarerising.Thevaccinerollouthas are inmourning.Thenationhasseenabout8,000relateddeaths,much only economicallybutalsopsychologically.Peopleareworried.Some The heroof“DemonSlayer”isTanjiroKamado,whosetsoutto Japan hasneverhadalockdown,andmovietheatersareopenwith Like therestofworld,Japanhasbeenhurtbypandemic,not nd because es andthe One ofthegreat dogmovies fragile justthesame. good dog.Thosethingsaren’tdelicacies,butthey’re splendor, thecharmsoftradition,and,aboveall,a expensive rarities.What’sworthsavoringisnatural cacies. Butthefi The truffl documentary ofavanishingagriculturalpastime. land,” “TheTruffl runs downapath,panting. of thehunters’dogswhenhe’sletoutcarand point ofview.Wesee—viadogcamlikeone movies —evenwrylyoccasionallyshiftstoadog’s Truffl time: 84minutes.Fourstarsoutoffour. sociation ofAmericaforsomelanguage.Running release, isratedPG-13bytheMotionPictureAs- “The Truffl Just aslastyear’sbeekeepingbeauty“Honey- Wonder andwhimsyisbackintheforest.“The simple andeternal. colorless modernlifethathaslostthetasteof is seenin“TheTruffl miles removedfromthemuddyforestsofPiedmont, feast onthehunters’fi Michelin-starred restaurantsandauctionhousesthat by awell-dressedbuyer.Higherup,still,arethe by headlight,thehuntersseemalwayslowballed follow thetruffl corrupt worldonlyexpandswhenthefi are, liketheirfour-leggedfriends,innocentsina for thedogsmorethanmoneyoranythingelse— writes. furiously athistypewriter.“Dogsareinnocent,”he hunter, intentonputtingsomethingdown,hammers ing his,poundsonhisdrumsforcatharsis.Another ing poisonedbycompetitors.Sergio,terrifi truffl lost,” onemanurgesAurelio.Sosought-afterarethe morrow somethinghappens,yourwisdomwouldbe The huntersareoftenpressedfortheirsecrets.“Ifto- of effectsonthesoilconnectedtoclimatechange. Original The sensethatthehunters—whoarereallyinit e Hunters”—surelyamongthegreatestdog es thattheirdogsareperpetuallyatriskofbe- es, weighedandsniffedatmarket,aredeli- White House. Foxsaidatthe time work forFoxafter leavingthe while stillinoffi US McEnany haddisclosedtothe Tuesday. Fox’s new roleduringaninterviewwith secretary, didn’tspeakabouther Donald Trump e Hunters,”aSonyPictures Classics It wasreportedinJanuarythat Offi nerthingsrhapsodizedherearenot e Hunters”isarichlyallegorical e foodchain.Hagglingoverprices Harris Faulkner ce ofGovernmentEthics ix. Forest e Hunters”likeanantiseptic, nds. Thiscommercialworld, ce thatshewould ’s fi nal press urry ofcolorful thataired lmmakers ed oflos- characters.” types ofearnest,fun-loving,passionate,loyalandhard-working tense fightingability—thebestJapanesemangafeatures,these rights to“DemonSlayer,”buttheywentacompetitor. ing Dead’havetoAmericans,”hesaid,addingtriedacquirethe hipness.” “Demon Slayer”broughttogetherJapanesefolklore“withamodern ican distributorandpublisherofanimemanga,lovestheway McDonald’s. ThethemesongsbyLiSAarepophits. copycat productsofthehero’searringsandHappyMealstickersat just particularlyresonateswithpeople,”saidNakatani. all thethingsgoingoninworldtoday,thisstoryofperseverance gives uphopeandisabletomaintainthecoreofwhoheis.Maybewith one ofitstop-sellerswithmorethan3millioncopiesinprinttheUS. American mangapublisheranddistributor,says“DemonSlayer,”is the future.” gest regret attheWhiteHouse was views. Fox Newsprograms forinter- McEnany frequentlyappearedon CNN. McEnany wasacommentatorat McEnany buthadpausedthem. that ithadbeenindiscussionswith “The maincharactershaveagreatbalance—likeabilityandin- “It hasthesameappealthatbestzombieshowslike‘TheWalk- Stu Levy,founderandchiefexecutiveofTOKYOPOP,anAmer- In Japan,“DemonSlayer”hasspunoffvideogames,toyfi “Through itall,hemanagestothrive,grow,andsomehownever “It’s essentiallyacoming-of-agestory,”hesaid. Andy Nakatani,ShonenJumpeditor-in-chiefatVIZMedia,the She saidTuesday that herbig- While attheWhiteHouse, Before workingforTrump, Swansea without everknowingeachother.Shewasbornin apart andmovedinsimilarcirclesduringtheiryouth series, butneveraregularseriesrole. guest episodesandappearedinTVmoviesmini- Phillips day’s episode,directedbyco-star for me.” panel. “It’sbizarre.Thatwas,ofcourse,ahugepull Tuesday inavirtualTelevisionCriticsAssociation er crossed.Mymomanddadknowhisdad,”shesaid months apart. talk show. show onthesamedayshewaswatching“TheView” came toplay.Itwasseamless.” sions,” shesaid,referringtotheBritishcomedian. went intoinsidejokes, plays anincarceratedserialkillersurgeon. crew hadalreadybeentogetherforaseason.He Zeta-Jones tocomeontoasetwherethecastand of darkmaterial.” a darkfamily,”Zeta-Jonessaid.“Igravitatetokind ming on HBOMax.(AP) Fox, andthefi stamp ofapprovalthatcamefromnowhere.” what I’mtalkingabout,’”shesaid.“Thatwaslikea credible kindofthumbsupandI’mlike,‘Yes,that’s working alongside join theshow,shejumped,luredbyprospectof fan of“ProdigalSon,”sowhenthechancecameto LOS ANGELES: The Welshactorswerebornincitiesaboutanhour She plays Zeta-Jones joinsFox’s“ProdigalSon”inTues- “We haveallthesemutualfriends,butwe’venev- “ Zeta-Jones toldheragentshewantedtojointhe Phillips said,“Shecamelikeateamplayer,she “As soonasLoushouted,‘Cut,’MichaelandI Sheen’s presenceincreasedthecomfortlevelfor “It’s afamilydramawithtwistofdangerandit’s The show’ssecondseasoniscurrentlyairingon Whoopi Goldberg e Hunters.’(AP) appears intwoepisodesasacockyEuropolagent. . Previously,theOscarwinnerhaddone andSheenwasbornin Dr. VivianCapshaw rst seasonbeganstreamingTuesday Catherine Zeta-Jones Michael Sheen justrandomlygivesitthisin- Also: Tommy Cooper former president’s backers. (AP) insisted thatitdid not representthe mob ofTrumpsupporters, butshe the Jan6Capitolriot, ledbya administration washorrifi tenable,” shesaid. of theTrumpadministration. outlining alltheaccomplishments not beingabletoholdabriefi She saidthat“everyoneinthe “But afterJan.6,itjustwasnot . and Newport Lou Diamond was alreadya Alan Cum- e’ impres- seven ed” by gures, ng ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

People

Meghan saddened Palace to investigate ‘bullying allegations’ LONDON, March 4, (AP): Buckingham Palace said Wednesday it was launching an investigation after a newspaper reported that a former aide had made a bullying allegation against the Duchess of Sussex. The Times of London reported allegations that the duchess drove out two personal assistants and left staff feeling “humiliated.” It said an official complaint was made by Jason Knauf, then the communications secretary to Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry. He now works for Harry’s elder brother, Prince William. The palace said it was “clearly very concerned” about the allegations. It said in a statement that the palace human resources team “will look into the circumstances outlined in the article” and would seek to speak to current and former staff. “The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tol- erate bullying or harassment in the workplace,” it said. American actress Meghan Markle, a former star of the TV legal drama “Suits,” mar- Meghan ried Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, at Wind- sor Castle in May 2018. Their son, Archie, was born the following year. In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, Cal- ifornia, and are expecting a second child. The bullying allegations were reported four days before the scheduled broadcast of an Oprah Win- Elizabeth Stanley appears during a performance of ‘Jagged Little Pill’ in New York. Stanley earned her first Tony Award nomination playing the mom of a Connecticut frey interview with Meghan, which is anticipated to family spiraling out of control in the musical set to the music of Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name. (AP) draw a huge audience. It also comes less than two weeks after the palace announced that the couple’s split from official duties would be final. A spokesman for the duchess said she was “saddened by this latest attack on her character, particu- Theater larly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.” In a 30-second clip released by CBS Wednesday ‘Jagged Little Pill’ rooted in contemporary issues night, Winfrey asks Meghan how she feels about the palace “hearing you speak your truth today?” Falsehoods “I don’t know how they could expect that after all Stanley seeks ‘healing & connection’ of this time we would still just be silent if there was an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuat- NEW YORK, March 4, (AP): A knew we even had on the page or in I’m anxious to get back to the show ing falsehoods about us,” Markle says. “And if that short time after Broadway shut down our minds,” said Price. - I don’t feel done with this part yet.” comes with risk of losing things, I mean, there’s last year, Elizabeth Stanley went on Stanley made her Broadway debut The “Jagged Little Pill” musical been a lot that’s been lost already.” a tiny rescue mission. in the 2006 revival of “Company” is so rooted in contemporary issues Meanwhile, a British newspaper publisher has She was offered a chance to get and has had roles in “Cry-Baby,” facing America that she believes the said that it plans to appeal against a judge’s ruling back into her dressing room at the “Million Dollar Quartet” and “On discussions and marches over racial that it invaded the privacy of the Duchess of Sus- Broadhurst Theatre — home of her the Town.” A Tony nomination this justice will find voice whenever sex by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her musical “Jagged Little Pill” — and time is welcome, indeed. Broadway restarts. estranged father after her 2018 marriage to Prince to grab anything she needed. “It’s a dream I’ve had for the “I think it will influence our in- Harry. “I went and retrieved a bunch of whole time I’ve been performing terpretation of it as a cast, but it will The American former actress Meghan Markle, plants,” she says, laughing. “I knew and pursuing a career in the perform- also influence the audience and how 39, sued publisher Associated Newspapers for in- ing arts,” she says. “So I feel like vasion of privacy and copyright infringement over they won’t survive in a room with no they will see that,” she says. “Go- This image released by KIMETSU NO windows and no water.” whatever crazy year it came in, I’ll ing to see a piece of theater allows five February 2019 articles in the Mail on Sunday YAIBA©2016 by Koyoharu Gotouge/ take it.” and on the MailOnline website that reproduced SHUEISHA Inc. shows a scene of the That strong nurturing side of Stan- us to receive a message and feel it in large portions of a letter she wrote to her father, manga book ‘Demon Slayer.’ ‘Demon ley was also clearly evident from the The musical is about a family con- a more palatable way than watching Thomas Markle. Slayer,’ directed by Haruo Sotozaki, stage before the pandemic closed fronting drug addiction, sexual as- a three-hour news cycle about some- High Court judge Mark Warby ruled last month has become the biggest grossing film theaters. She earned her first Tony sault, struggles with gender identity thing.” that the publisher had misused the duchess’s pri- for Japan, including live-action films, Award nomination playing the mom and transracial adoption. Morissette During the past year, Stanley has vate information and infringed her copyright. He and has struck a chord with pandem- of a Connecticut family spiraling out has told the cast she hopes the musi- been part of “Jagged Little Pill” on- said the duchess “had a reasonable expectation that ic-era Japan, and possibly with the of control in the musical set to the cal can be a hopeful beacon. line concerts and appearances. She the contents of the letter would remain private” and world. (AP) — Details on Page 12 music of Alanis Morissette’s 1995 Authenticity also went through a series of craft- concluded the paper’s publication of large chunks album of the same name. ing phases - baking, sewing and tie- of it was “manifestly excessive and hence unlaw- “She wants us to be a story about Stanley is seemingly comfortable healing and connection,” says Stan- dying. She made new throw pillows ful.” singing anything, from complicated for her couch. In written submissions released as part of a court ley. “And I think that’s such a beau- Stephen Sondheim show tunes to tiful sort of takeaway that she’s COVID-19 ruined what was to be hearing on Tuesday, Associated Newspapers’ law- rock songs by Morissette, classics by one of her happiest days: her wed- yer Antony White sought permission to appeal, say- infused the piece with and that has ing a bid to overturn Warby’s ruling “would have a Leonard Bernstein and modern gems always been in her music. I think it’s ding. Engaged in January 2020 to ac- real prospect of success.” by Jason Robert Brown. like this rallying cry for transparency tor and teacher Charlie Murphy, the The publisher’s lawyers argue that the duchess “In some ways, people didn’t and authenticity.” couple were supposed to tie the knot wrote the letter not simply as a private message to know what to do with me always and Stanley — as the mom, Mary Jane in September. They even put down her father but “for the public record upon advice I think that’s honestly worked out — is the spine of the musical, trying — and lost — a security deposit at from royal family members and palace communica- to my benefit most of the time,” she to connect with her workaholic hus- a venue. tions staff and for use as part of a media strategy.” says. “I didn’t just get stuck playing band and aloof teenage kids. She’s Now they’re rethinking what they Oz Limon one singular type of part.” really want when COVID-19 releas- Permission also hiding an addiction to Oxycodo- Eva Price, the three-time Tony ne developed after being prescribed es its grip on the city. The original The judge refused permission to appeal, saying Award-winning producer behind the opioid following a car accident. idea was to have an intimate affair he saw “no real prospect” of another court reaching Variety “Jagged Little Pill,” says Stanley During the musical, her character with just family and a few close a different conclusion than he had. has put her entire heart and soul into also reveals her own history with friends. “The Court of Appeal, of course, may take a dif- her latest character ever since work- sexual assault. “Now I really want to party with ferent view,” he said, adding that Associated News- shops started. a lot of people,” she says, laughing. papers can take its case directly to the appeals court. WARSAW, Poland: Jerzy Limon, a “There’s so many layers to get Lawyers for Meghan, meanwhile, demanded the Polish academic who was honored by “She actually created a multi-di- into that I think it took me a long “Now I need everyone there that Queen Elizabeth II for creating and di- mensional, 360-degree, completely time to really find all of her,” says I haven’t been able to see, and I’m publisher hand over the letter and destroy any elec- recting a Shakespeare theater and festival tronic copies or notes it held. They also asked the layered, contemporary female pro- Stanley. “In fact, I don’t even think surrounded by all of my friends and in Poland, has died of COVID-19. He tagonist in a way that none of us I’m done. That’s one of the reasons we’re just being crazy.” judge to order the Mail on Sunday to remove the was 70. five articles from its website and to run a front-page Magdalena Hajdysz, a spokeswoman statement about the duchess’ legal victory. for the Gdansk Shakespeare Theater, said Ian Mill, an attorney for Meghan, said “the de- Limon died at a hospital in Gdansk in ernment oversight of youth residential says she was abused mentally and physi- The Provo institution is under new fendant defiantly continues to do the very acts northern Poland. treatment centers and documentation for cally, recalling that staff members would ownership and the administration has which the court has held are unlawful.” Limon was a professor, a translator when they use restraints. It would also beat her, force her to take unknown pills, said it can’t comment on anything that The publisher’s lawyers agreed to remove the and writer specializing in Shakespeare prohibit treatment centers from using watch her shower and send her to solitary came before the change, including Hil- articles from the website until the legal issues are and Elizabethan theater. He taught at sedation or mechanical restraints without confi nement without clothes as punish- ton’s time there. (AP) resolved. The judge didn’t immediately rule on the the Gdansk University and, as visitor, at prior authorization. ment. ❑ ❑ ❑ request to hand over the letter. New York’s Hunter College, Washing- Hilton testifi ed last month in support The socialite and reality TV star also The television personal- He ordered Associated Newspapers to make an ton’s Shakespeare Institute and at the of the legislation and spoke about abuse spoke about the abuse in a documentary LOS ANGELES: interim payment of 450,000 pounds ($625,000) to- University of Delaware and the Univer- ity known simply as Dr Oz gave details she says she suffered at Provo Canyon titled “This is Paris” that was released Wednesday about a tense real-life scene ward Meghan’s legal costs, and said further “finan- sity of Colorado. School for 11 months at age 17. Hilton this fall. He was the creator of the Gdansk in which he helped police save a man’s cial remedies” would be dealt with later. life at Newark Liberty International Air- In early 2020, Meghan and Harry announced Shakespeare Theater, a replica of an Elizabethan-era theater which opened port as anxious spectators looked on. they were quitting royal duties and moving to North The incident occurred late Monday America, citing what they said were the unbearable in 2014. Britain’s Prince Charles and Poland’s Oscar-winning movie director night when Port Authority of New York intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. and New Jersey Police Offi cer Jeffrey They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, Cal- Andrzej Wajda were patrons of the project, and Prince William and his wife Croissant saw the 60-year-old man fall ifornia, and are expecting a second child. Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, took a to the fl oor near a baggage claim area. In his ruling last month, the judge ruled in tour of the theater with Limon in 2017. Croissant called for backup, and began Meghan’s favor on most points, but said a “limited Actors from around the world staged performing CPR immediately on the uni- trial” should be held to decide the “minor” issue of Shakespeare’s plays and those by his dentifi ed man, who wasn’t breathing and whether the duchess was “the sole author” and lone contemporaries at the theater, and an an- didn’t appear to have a pulse, according copyright holder of the letter. It is expected to take nual festival was launched in 2017. (AP) to the Port Authority. place in the fall. ❑ ❑ ❑ When another person came over Recently, Prince Harry, who decamped from to help, Croissant didn’t immediately England to Southern California last year, rapped the SALT LAKE CITY: Utah is one hurdle recognize it was Mehmet Oz, the cardiac theme song to the 1990s sitcom “The Fresh Prince away from stricter rules regulating surgeon and longtime host of TV’s “Dr. of Bel-Air” during a late-night talk show appear- treatment centers for troubled teens, Oz Show,” who happened to be nearby. ance in which he said he didn’t walk away from his weeks after Paris Hilton gave emotional “The gentleman had face-planted, and royal duties. testimony in support of the bill. there was a pool of blood like a murder During a segment on the CBS television net- The legislation for facilities that treat scene,” Oz told The Associated Press. Oz work’s “The Late, Late Show with James Corden” teens with behavioral and mental health said he tried to rouse him, but the man issues gained fi nal approval in the House had no pulse and his face had begun to that aired early Friday, Harry said he decided to on Tuesday and is headed to the governor turn purple. step away from his work as a front-line member of for consideration. It’s unclear whether Croissant performed CPR on the man the royal family to protect his wife and son - and his Republican Gov Spencer Cox plans to while Oz worked to clear his airway with mental health. support the legislation. Laura Pausini performs during the Sanremo Italian songs contest, on the stage a face pack and a tongue-depressing oral The proposal would require more gov- of the Ariston theater in San Remo, Italy, March 3. (AP) airway device. (AP) ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 SPORTS 14

Ibrahimovic struggles to recover in time for some big matches Struggling Milan visit Verona needing to rebuild confidence MILAN, March 4, (AP): As far as col- lapses go, AC Milan’s isn’t all that spectacular. It hasn’t even had much of an im- Leipzig down Wolfsburg to reach German Cup semifinals pact on the Serie A standings. LEIPZIG, Germany, March 4, (AP): Yussuf Pouls- defenders before hitting the ball past goalkeeper only the second fourth-tier club ever to reach the At the beginning of the year, Mi- en scored as Leipzig reached the semifinals of the Koen Casteels. Hwang Hee-chan made sure of semifinals after Saarbrücken managed the feat lan was in fi rst place in the league German Cup with a 2-0 win over a Wolfsburg team the win in the 88th when he lashed in a rebound last year. Kiel knocked out last year’s cup winner and hadn’t lost in 10 months. But the which hadn’t conceded a goal for eight games. after Casteels parried a close-range shot from Bayern Munich in the second round in January. team could fi nd itself six points be- Wolfsburg had the chance to seize control of Emil Forsberg. Borussia Dortmund booked its place in the hind league leader Inter Milan ahead the quarterfinal when it was awarded a first-half Leipzig and Wolfsburg are also rivals for semifinals on Tuesday when Jadon Sancho of Sunday’s tricky match at Hellas penalty after a video review found Christopher Champions League qualification, sitting second scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win Verona. Nkunku had fouled Kevin Mbabu while trying to and third respectively in the Bundesliga table. over local rival Borussia Mönchengladbach. The clear the ball. However, top scorer Wout Weg- Leipzig lost the cup final in 2019 and is bidding other quarterfinal between Werder Bremen and horst slipped as he took the spot kick and sent to win its first major trophy. second-division Jahn Regensburg was due to SOCCER the ball high over the crossbar. Also Wednesday, second-division Holstein be played Tuesday but was called off the day Poulsen picked up a pass from Alexander Kiel powered into the semifinals with a 3-0 win before when a number of Regensburg’s players Milan was in astounding form in Sorloth in the 64th minute and powered past two over Rot-Weiss Essen, which was bidding to be and staff tested positive for the coronavirus. 2020, losing only two games in the entire calendar year, but the team has lost match against Udinese. “I think the tinguished us.” against Manchester United, his former day, is unbeaten in four matches, a run four of its 11 league matches in 2021. AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie team’s spirit and desire to never give Even more troubling for Pioli is that club. that includes a draw against Juventus. The fi rst of those was against Juven- (79) scores the penalty spot during up, to dig deep even when things are the team is struggling to score goals. Milan is also without a number of “We have to look each other in the tus on Jan. 6, ending the Rossoneri’s the Serie A soccer match between tough, are not in doubt. That said, In the past six matches in all competi- other injured players, including for- eyes and understand what we want 27-match unbeaten run. AC Milan and Udinese at the San we cannot be happy tonight. We are tions, Milan has scored only once from ward Mario Mandžukić. from our future, because there aren’t Milan has since lost its sense of in- Siro stadium, in Milan, Italy, on not satisfied with our performance open play. The other goals have come “We’re disappointed that we didn’t many games left and the next matches vincibility and Wednesday’s 1-1 draw March 3. (AP) and the result. from penalty kicks or own-goals. manage to take more advantage of the will be vital,” Milan defender Davide against Udinese capped a miserable “In the morning we’ll start prepar- Zlatan Ibrahimović’s injury absence many crosses we put in, also because Calabria said. “We all know its going month which has seen the team lose dip, coach Stefano Pioli said he was ing for the next match. We’ll analyze has added to Milan’s problems. The we were missing our two out-and-out to be tough. Hellas play good soccer two of its last four league matches with not too concerned. That has changed. this one, but then need to think about Swedish forward is struggling to re- forwards that we have in the squad,” and are on a positive run. We have to only one victory. “We could have and should have the next one. We need to rediscover cover in time for some big matches, Pioli said. work to get to this match in the best When Milan’s form fi rst started to done more,” Pioli said after the that enthusiasm and freedom that dis- including the Europa League game Verona, Milan’s opponent on Sun- possible way.”

Motsepe favored candidate Koeman transforms Barcelona FIFA ‘tours’ Africa, aims to hold sway in election amid club chaos and elections GENEVA, March 4, (AP): As the tion to be elected FIFA president head of African soccer battles in in 2016, and one year later trav- court this week to stay on the bal- eled extensively during the cam- lot for re-election, FIFA President paign to help Ahmad unseat long- Barca return to Copa del Rey final Gianni Infantino is coming off a time CAF president Issa Hayatou. comprehensive tour of the conti- African tours during election nent. periods “are clearly very problem- BARCELONA, Spain, The timing of the visit does not atic,” said Miguel Maduro, the in- appear to be coincidental. dependent offi cial who vetted can- March 4, (AP): Whoever Infantino fueled talk of election didates for FIFA in 2017 before becomes Barcelona presi- interference by visiting about a being ousted by the leadership in dent will have a hard time dozen African countries and meet- Zurich. getting rid of Ronald Koe- ing heads of state along the way “Their (African members) ac- - ala predecessor Sepp Blatter – cess to money depends on the man as coach. while promoting his preferred can- goodwill of the president of The progress the team has made didate, South African billionaire FIFA,” Maduro told The Associat- since losing to Bayern Munich 8-2 Patrice Motsepe. ed Press in a telephone interview. in August was evident on Wednes- The current president of the Infantino’s latest trip was de- Confederation of African Football, tailed in news updates on FIFA’s day, when Barcelona rallied past Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar, website. He echoed Blatter’s Sevilla to reach the Copa del Rey is appeal- trademark rhetoric by promis- final with a 3-0 extra-time win. ing against ing more money and praising his In the build-up to the second leg a fi ve-year hosts. of the semifi nals in Seville, Koeman ban imposed called on the rest of team to step up by FIFA for SOCCER and give Lionel Messi a hand in scor- fi nancial ing goals. And although Messi was misconduct still the engine that drives Barcelona’s while run- “Before my arrival at FIFA, attack with his passing, dribbling and ning the each federation received $250,000. vision, it fell to three of his teammates Cairo-based Today it’s $1.5 million per year,” to put the ball past Sevilla’s imposing body. Infantino said in Brazzaville, Re- defense. Although public of Congo. “Is it enough? “This is my happiest night as Bar- Infantino Motsepe No, we can do more. We must do celona’s coach,” Koeman said after his helped put Ahmad in offi ce four more.” team overturned Sevilla’s 2-0 victory years ago, it is unlikely that even Infantino said in Mali that play- from the fi rst leg at Camp Nou last a victory for the Madagascan at ers at a new technical center will month. the Court of Arbitration for Sport “lift this great nation to the highest “We always believed. We have nev- would help his chances in a cam- heights of African and world foot- er given up on this Copa,” the former paign increasingly infl uenced by ball.” In Benin, he said the country Barcelona defender said. “It is a ques- the FIFA president. could “very well be one of those tion of mentality. As coach, I cannot In the aftermath of Infantino’s models” for world soccer. ask my team to give any more than African tour, a deal was offered FIFA said in a statement that the what it did tonight.” to the four candidates challenging focus of the tour “was on football Barcelona faces an even bigger Ahmad in the March 12 election development across the continent” hurdle next week when it visits Paris to clear the way for Motsepe, ac- and to hear the candidates’ views Saint-Germain in the Champions cording to the offi ce of Senegalese and plans. League trailing 4-1 from the fi rst leg. candidate Augustin Senghor. No Infantino has consistently But the team can aspire to keep up its agreement was reached. said he wants African national positive momentum in the Spanish Motsepe, a mining magnate, is and club teams to be contenders league. the brother-in-law of South Afri- in FIFA competitions. No Af- Barcelona visits Osasuna on Satur- can President Cyril Ramaphosa rican team has ever gotten past day and a win would put it two points and the owner of South African the quarter-finals of a men’s or behind leader Atlético Madrid, which club Mamelodi Sundowns. Infan- women’s World Cup, nor won faces a derby against third-place Real tino met with Ramaphosa in Cape the Club World Cup. Madrid on Sunday. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi vies for the ball with Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, left, during the the Copa del Rey semifinal, Town last month. “There is an impression that second leg, soccer match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, After Infantino completed his Africa is going backwards,” In- SOCCER on March 3. (AP) tour, his top aides traveled to Mo- fantino cautioned African soccer rocco, where the challengers met leaders last year. in Rabat. The city will also host Still, the timing of Infantino’s In the match against Sevilla, Ous- Sheffield hold on to beat Villa the election next week. packed travel schedule raised mane Dembele further shed the image The candidates are set meet questions during a pandemic and of the player who in previous seasons again this weekend at a soccer just before an election. was injury prone and erratic by start- tournament in Mauritania. He was also likely targeting his ing Barcelona’s comeback with a goal Man United, Leicester stumble to draws FIFA presidents have long own re-election in 2023, Maduro from beyond the area. courted Africa, which has 54 vot- said. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen later smoth- LONDON, March 4, (AP): The most was held 1-1 at relegation-threatened the injury problems in his squad, ers among the 211 member federa- “Of course, that is their concern. ered a penalty shot from Lucas Ocam- grueling and intense Premier League Burnley on Wednesday and might which is currently depriving him of tions. FIFA operates as a political car- pos, and Gerard Pique then sent the season appears to be catching up with also be feeling the effects of an ardu- attacking midfi elders Harvey Barnes, Infantino defi ed African opposi- tel,” the Portuguese lawyer said. match into extra time by heading in a Manchester United’s misfi ring play- ous season that has included a Europa James Maddison, Dennis Praet and goal in stoppage time. Instead of Messi ers. League campaign, too. Ayoze Perez, along with Jonny Evans providing the winner, Barcelona’s It may yet cost them a place in next United and Leicester have won and James Justin. workmanlike Martin Braithwaite en- season’s Champions League. Sheffi eld United’s players aren’t joyed the glory by heading in the third just fi ve of their last 16 league games There were worrying signs in Unit- combined and they are giving their leaving the Premier League without goal. ed’s third straight 0-0 draw, this time a fi ght. It was a choral performance that top-four rivals a big opportunity to in the fog at Crystal Palace. Bruno reel them in. West Ham, Chelsea, Chris Wilder’s last-place team held confi rmed the strides Koeman has on after a 57th-minute red card to vet- made with the young players he has Fernandes was sloppy in possession, Liverpool and Everton are all within shepherded along since his arrival. Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford eight points and have games in hand, eran center back Phil Jagielka to beat Pedri González and Frenkie de Jong exchanged angry words in the second while Tottenham and Arsenal further Aston Villa 1-0. dictated the midfi eld, Sergiño Dest half and - maybe most alarming of all back should not be discounted now. With 11 games left, Sheffi eld Unit- ed is 12 points from safety so secur- attacked on the fl ank, and Óscar Min- - there was never any sign of the kind Leicester recovered from conced- gueza held fi rm in the three-man back- of late onslaught United teams down ing a third straight season in the top the years have been renowned for. ing a goal in the fourth minute to fl ight remains highly unlikely. line. Matej Vydra, with Kelechi Iheanacho Barcelona’s presidential election Perhaps it is no surprise that Unit- The players aren’t giving up, ed, which is now 14 points behind volleying in the equalizer in the 34th. though. will come a day after the match against Leicester manager Brendan Rodg- Osasuna. Club members will choose Manchester City in what is becoming “We’re all still fi ghting for our between three candidates - former a procession to the title, is running ers considered it a decent result given future and for this club,” said striker president Joan Laporta, former board out of steam. David McGoldrick, who scored the member Toni Freixa and businessman winner from close range in the 30th In this, March 3, 2020 file photo, FIFA President Gianni Infantino Víctor Font. None have publicly com- SOCCER minute. “The saying is, ‘It’s not over mitted to keeping Koeman as coach, till the fat lady sings.’ We’re all fi ght- addresses a meeting of European soccer leaders at the congress and the possibility of former player ing to the end.” of the UEFA governing body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. (AP) Xavi Hernández returning to the club, Due to its involvement in the Euro- possibly as coach, was one of the cen- pa League and going deep in both do- tral topics in a debate between the can- mestic cups, United has played games David scores 2 as Lille win to stay 2 points clear of PSG didates this week. every midweek in this condensed, Koeman signed a two-season con- pandemic-affected season except for PARIS, March 4, (AP): Canada for- missing Kylian Mbappe through sus- stay one point behind of PSG. tract with Barcelona last year. The club during international breaks. A last-16 ward Jonathan David scored two late pension and was without the injured Lyon is now four points clear of fi red two coaches last season, its fi rst double header against AC Milan in goals as Lille beat Marseille 2-0 to stay Neymar, while striker Moise Kean was fourth-place Monaco after it lost 1-0 to fi nish without a title since 2007-08. the Europa League is coming up over top of the French league. ruled out after testing positive for the at Strasbourg for a fi rst defeat in 13 The election comes with Barcelona David netted in the 90th minute and coronavirus earlier Wednesday. league games. the following two weeks, and before again two minutes into injury time. Lyon forward Memphis Depay cre- in its worst moment in well over a de- that a Manchester derby on Sunday. cade. Already facing debt of more than The northern side remains two points SOCCER ated the winning goal for substitute 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), the No wonder energy levels seem ahead of defending champion Paris Houssem Aouar in the 73rd minute. club’s reputation took another blow to be down and there’s no attacking Saint-Germain, which won 1-0 away Depay sprinted through down the this week when Josep Bartomeu, the spark in Solskjaer’s side. to Bordeaux. Winger Pablo Sarabia fi lled in and right, but then lost his balance after club president until he resigned in Oc- “It’s been a long season,” Solskjaer Marseille goalkeeper Steve Man- scored in the 20th minute when he shrugging off a defender just outside tober, was arrested on suspicion of ir- said after United’s sixth 0-0 draw in Sheffield United’s Phil Jagielka, danda kept out shots from United turned in Idrissa Gueye’s cross from the penalty area. He got quickly back regularities during his administration. the league, the most of any team this left, jumps for the ball with Aston States forward Timothy Weah and Da- the left. up and slid-tackled the ball to Aouar, But underneath all the chaos and season. Villa’s Ollie Watkins during the Eng- vid in the second half to frustrate Lille. Bordeaux winger Hatem Ben Arfa who clipped the ball neatly over the noise, Koeman has been doing his There’s still 2 1/2 months left of it, lish Premier League soccer match But the veteran France No. 2 spilled should have equalized against his former goalie. work on the fi eld. more than enough time for United to between Sheffield United and As- an angled shot from Jonathan Ikone in club when he ran through in the 70th, Lyon had struggled to break down “The team is growing with the lose its spot in the Premier League’s ton Villa at Bramall Lane stadium the 90th and David fi nished from close only to shoot just wide of the left post. a well-organized Rennes side whose changes we have made, giving chances top four if it’s not careful. The same in Sheffield, England, on March 3. range. The top three sides all won 1-0, with coach Julien Stephan resigned on to young players,” Koeman said. applies to third-place Leicester, which (AP) Defending champion PSG was Lyon edging out Rennes at home to Monday after a bad run of form. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 SPORTS 15 Vrana lifts Caps over Bruins in shootout

Maple Leafs rout Oilers 6-1

BOSTON, March 4, (AP): Golden Knights 5, Wild 1 Jakub Vrana scored the In Las Vegas, Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves and Vegas beat Min- only goal in the shootout nesota to sweep the two-game set and the Washington Capi- and remain atop the West Division, tals beat the Bruins 2-1 in one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues. Zdeno Chara’s return to Jonathan Marchessault, Alex Boston. Tuch, Mark Stone, Chandler Ste- Lars Eller scored in regulation, phenson, William Karlsson scored. and Vitek Vanecek made 18 saves Fleury improved to 11-3-0. He has to help the Capitals improved to limited teams to two goals or fewer 7-1-1 in their last nine games. in 10 of his 14 appearances. The 43-year-old Chara, the Bru- Marcus Foligno scored for Min- ins’ captain for his 14 seasons with nesota. the club, signed a one-year contract Blues 3, Ducks 2 as a free agent with the Capitals in In Anaheim, California, Jordan the offseason. He helped Boston win Binnington made 27 saves and St the 2011 Stanley Cup, and was a key Louis scored on all three of its power part of its runner-up teams in 2013 plays to beat skidding Anaheim. and 2019. Oskar Sundqvist, Brayden David Pastrnak scored for Boston, Schenn and Zach Sanford scored and Tuukka Rask stopped 27 shots. for St Louis, The Blues are 6 for Maple Leafs 6, Oilers 1 10 with the man advantage against In Edmonton, Alberta, Jimmy Anaheim this season. Overall, the Vesey scored twice, Frederik Ander- Blues have converted 17.1% of sen made 26 saves in his return from their power plays. an injury and NHL-leading Toronto completed a three-game sweep of Edmonton. ICE HOCKEY John Tavares and Zach Hyman each had a goal and an assist, and St. Louis has won all four meet- William Nylander and Ilya Mikhey- ings against the Ducks this year and hev also scored to help Toronto im- six of their last seven. prove to 18-4-2. Max Comtois and Rickard Rakell Andersen returned after missing scored for Anaheim. The Ducks are four games with a lower-body inju- 0-6-2 in their last eight. Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith (41) makes a save as Oilers’ Kris Russell (4) and Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares (91) go for the rebound during the third period of an NHL hockey game, on March 3, in Edmonton, Alberta. (AP) ry. Auston Matthews, the NHL goals Coyotes 3, Kings 2 leader with 18, also was back after In Los Angeles, Clayton Keller missing the last two games with a and Nick Schmaltz scored power- Wilimovsky dominates men’s 1,500-meter sore wrist/hand. play goals in the second period and The Maple Leafs outscored the Antti Raanta made 40 saves in Ari- Oilers 13-1 in the three games, win- zona’s victory over Los Angeles. ning 4-0 on Saturday night and 3-0 Johan Larsson scored 13 seconds Ledecky wins major swim meet amid pandemic on Monday night. after Schmaltz’s goal, and the Coy- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored for otes snapped a two-game skid by SAN ANTONIO, Texas, March Edmonton. hanging on in the fi nal minute of 4, (AP): Like everyone else, Katie Aztecs clinch 2nd MWC crown their only road game in a 27-day Ledecky was forced to shelve her plans span. when the coronavirus pandemic took Drew Doughty and Gabriel Vilar- hold. Instead of looking far into the future, the fi ve-time Olympic champion Villanova bags Big East title; di scored for the Kings. swimmer switched to a more immedi- Avalanche 4, Sharks 0 ate mindset. In San Jose, California, Mikko Forget that the four-year cycle lead- coach McDermott under fire Rantanen scored twice and had two ing to the 2024 Paris Olympics is al- assists as Colorado blanked San ready underway. Ledecky is still work- VILLANOVA, Pa, March 4, (AP): Conference). Damion Rosser added 13 Jose. ing toward making a big splash at this Justin Moore scored 24 points and points. Ahren Freeman had 12 points Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves summer’s delayed Tokyo Games. helped No. 10 Villanova capture the and fi ve assists. for his 14th career shutout and the Big East title with a 72-60 win over Idaho St 68, E. Washington 63 Avalanche got payback for a 6-2 loss SWIMMING a No. 14 Creighton team playing with In Cheney, Washington, Robert Monday night in San Jose. coach Greg McDermott under fi re for Ford III posted 17 points and seven re- Gabriel Landeskog added a goal using language evocative of slavery. bounds as Idaho State defeated Eastern and three assists for Colorado, which “In some ways not traveling over Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added 14 the past year and just being able to Washington, making a late 9-0 run. went 3-1 on its road trip and pulled points and 14 rebounds for Villanova Trailing 63-57 with just under three Washington Capitals defenseman train has been really good for me and In this July 27, 2019 file photo, (16-4, 11-3), which lost star senior Nick Jensen (3) tangles with Bos- into a three-way tie for third place in something I hope will pay dividends,” shows gold medalist Katie Ledecky minutes to go, the Bengals drained the West Division with Arizona and guard Collin Gillespie to a left knee in- back-to-back 3-pointers from Daxton ton Bruins center Brad Marchand she said from Northern California in a of the United States waving on jury in the fi rst half. He writhed in pain (63) during the third period of an Minnesota. recent virtual interview. “I’m someone the podium following the women’s Carr and Brayden Parker, the latter for NHL hockey game, on March 3, in Martin Jones stopped 34 shots for 800m freestyle final at the World on the court and immediately needed a 64-63 lead. Parker added two free that really loves training. I kind of like help to the locker room. Boston. (AP) the Sharks. the day-to-day of just going to work Swimming Championships in throws and Idaho State was up 66-63 Gwangju, South Korea. (AP) Mitch Ballock led Creighton (17-7, with 21 seconds left. and putting in that work in the pool and 13-6) with 14 points. eventually seeing the results.” HBU 72, Incarnate Word 67 meet since the pandemic began. Florida St 93, BC 64 NHL Results/Standings Ledecky returned to national com- Aiming to make his fi fth Olympic In Houston, Pedro Castro tallied 18 petition on Wednesday for the fi rst In Tallahassee, Fla, M.J. Walker points and 11 rebounds to lift Houston team, Lochte is entered in fi ve events. scored 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, time in a year, winning the 1,500-me- Ledecky is entered in her other usual Baptist to a win over Incarnate Word. ter freestyle at the TYR Pro Swim Se- and RaiQuan Gray added 16 points to Darius Lee had 12 points for Hous- events: 200, 400, and 800 freestyles. She’s WASHINGTON, March 4, (AP): Results and standings from the NHL games on ries meet in San Antonio, Texas. help Florida State beat Boston College ton Baptist (5-17, 4-10 Southland Con- Wednesday. She led by a half-pool length for also set to swim the 50 and 100 free. for its 25th straight ACC home win. ference), which ended its four-game Washington 2 Boston SO 1 Arizona 3 Los Angeles 2 most of the 30-lap race before touch- Her Olympic schedule will focus on Gray scored in double fi gures for an losing streak. Toronto 6 Edmonton 1 Vegas 5 Minnesota 1 ing in 15 minutes, 42.92 seconds. the 200, 400, 800 and 1,500, plus any 11th straight game for the Seminoles St Louis 3 Anaheim 2 Colorado 4 San Jose 0 relays. The 1,500 is a new women’s (15-4, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Confer- Miss St 63, Texas A&M 57 East Division West Division Ashley Twichell fi nished well back in In Bryan-College Station, Texas, second at 16:04.29. event in Tokyo. ence), who are in position to win the GP W L OT Pts GF GA GP W L OT Pts GF GA Last March, when it was announced league’s regular-season title with a win Iverson Molinar scored 18 points and Washington 22 13 5 4 30 75 70 “I didn’t set too many expectations D.J. Stewart added 14 as Mississippi NY Islanders 22 12 6 4 28 58 50 Vegas 19 14 4 1 29 61 41 coming into this fi rst race,” Ledecky said the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, at Notre Dame on Saturday. Boston 20 12 5 3 27 60 52 St Louis 23 13 8 2 28 75 73 State fended off Texas A&M. Colorado 20 12 7 1 25 61 48 afterward. “I knew getting the fi rst race out Ledecky resumed classes at Stanford. San Diego St 71, UNLV 62 Philadelphia 19 11 5 3 25 63 59 She had planned to take the year off The Aggies were playing their fi rst Pittsburgh 21 12 8 1 25 65 67 Minnesota 20 12 7 1 25 62 54 of the way would kind of be a milestone in In Las Vegas, Matt Mitchell scored game in 32 days, having postponed all NY Rangers 20 8 9 3 19 53 54 Arizona 22 10 9 3 23 59 66 this journey back into real racing.” from school leading up to the games; 19 points and Jordan Schakel added 16 New Jersey 18 7 9 2 16 46 54 Los Angeles 21 9 8 4 22 62 59 instead, she signed up for a full sched- seven games they were scheduled to Buffalo 20 6 11 3 15 46 60 San Jose 20 8 10 2 18 59 77 Jordan Wilimovsky won the men’s for No. 19 San Diego State, which beat play in February due to COVID-19 is- Central Division Anaheim 23 6 12 5 17 48 69 1,500 in 15:15.28. He’s already quali- ule of virtual classes in the spring and UNLV to clinch the Mountain West fall. She completed her psychology de- sues within the program. GP W L OT Pts GF GA North Division fi ed for Tokyo in open-water competi- Conference regular-season title for the Abdul Ado added eight points, six Tampa Bay 20 15 4 1 31 71 39 GP W L OT Pts GF GA gree with a minor in political science. tion. second straight year. rebounds and fi ve blocked shots for Carolina 22 15 6 1 31 76 60 Toronto 24 18 4 2 38 87 56 “That was a great silver lining,” she Nathan Mensah scored 14 points for Florida 21 13 4 4 30 67 60 Winnipeg 22 14 7 1 29 74 59 Ledecky is among several big names Mississippi State (14-12, 8-9 South- Chicago 23 12 7 4 28 73 68 Edmonton 25 14 11 0 28 80 78 diving back in with three months to go said. the Aztecs (20-4, 14-3 MWC), who Columbus 24 9 10 5 23 66 78 eastern Conference), which shot 53% Montreal 21 10 6 5 25 68 61 until the U.S. Olympic trials. Caeleb In the early days of the pandemic, used a 14-0 run spanning halftime to for the game (26 of 49) with 18 assists Nashville 22 10 12 0 20 51 68 Calgary 23 10 11 2 22 59 70 Ledecky scrambled to fi nd a pool to take control and win their 11th straight Detroit 25 7 15 3 17 52 82 Vancouver 26 9 15 2 20 74 90 Dressel, Simone Manuel, double back- and eight 3-pointers. Tolu Smith also Dallas 17 6 7 4 16 46 47 Ottawa 25 8 16 1 17 67 95 stroke world-record holder Regan Smith, train in after Stanford shut down its fa- game. They get a week of rest before scored eight and added fi ve assists. Note: Two points for a win one point for overtime loss. The top four teams in and Ryan Lochte will swim over four cilities. She and Manuel worked out in returning to Las Vegas as the No. 1 each division will qualify for playoffs under this season’s temporary realignment. days in the fi rst single-site American a backyard pool. seed in the conference tournament. Boston U. 69, Lehigh 58 In Boston, Walter Whyte had 19 points and eight rebounds and Sukh- BASKETBALL mail Mathon posted 16 points, seven West Virginia women beat Kansas State 72-64 rebounds and three blocks as Boston Morehead St 61, SE Missouri 54 University beat Lehigh in the Patriot In Evansville, Ind., Ta’lon Cooper League Conference Tourney fi rst Indiana rallies for Big Ten home victory over Iowa came off the bench to score 17 points round. to carry No. 2 seed Morehead State to Javante McCoy had 13 points for BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, March (54.3%) overall and shot a season-high 3:51 to go and that was enough.Moore a win over Southeast Missouri in the BU (7-10). Jonas Harper added 10 4, (AP): Grace Berger, Mackenzie 55% (11 of 20) from 3-point range. fi nished with 11 points for the Gators fi rst round of the Ohio Valley Confer- points and nine rebounds. Holmes, and Ali Patberg each scored Frida Formann and Mya Holling- (11-11), who ended a four-game losing ence Tourney. Penn State 84, Minnesota 65 22 points as 10th-ranked Indiana ral- shed scored 16 points apiece for Colo- streak. Smith also reach 1,002 points Johni Broome had 14 points and 11 In University Park, Pa., Myreon lied from a seven-point defi cit in the rado (10-10). for her career. rebounds for Morehead State (21-7). Jones scored 17 points, knocking down third quarter for an 89-80 Big Ten USC 71, ASU 65 Alaina Rice led Auburn (5-19), Devon Cooper added 12 points. Sky- four 3-pointers, as fi ve Penn State home victory over Iowa. In Las Vegas, Jordyn Jenkins scored which lost its 17th straight, with 15 elar Potter had six rebounds. players reached double-fi gures and the The Hoosiers (17-4, 15-2 Big Ten) a career-high 16 points, Endyia Rog- points. Unique Thompson scored 14 New Orleans 92, NW State 83 Nittany Lions walloped Minnesota. pulled to within a half-game of No. 8 ers added 15 points and dished off a points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her In New Orleans, Troy Green posted Tre’ Williams added 17 points for Maryland (19-2, 15-1) for the regular- career-high 11 assists and eighth-seed- 58th career double-double, seventh in 19 points, eight rebounds and seven Minnesota (13-13, 6-13) and Isaiah Ih- season conference crown. Indiana has ed usc defeated ninth-seeded Arizona SEC history. Honesty Scott-Grayson assists as New Orleans got past North- nen scored 12 with 10 rebounds. The one game remaining while the Terra- State in the fi rst round of the Pac-12 added 12 points. western State. Gophers have lost six straight and have pins have two. tournament. BC 67, Pittsburgh 56 Rodney Carson Jr had 16 points for not won a road game in 10 tries this Jordan Sanders scored 14 points for In Greensboro, N.C., Cameron New Orleans (8-14, 7-7 Southland season. BASKETBALL usc, with the three top scorers combin- Swartz scored a career-high 33 points Florida A&M 65, NC Central 58 ing to make 20 of 25 shots to help the and 13th-seeded Boston College In Durham, N.C., Bryce Moragne Colorado forward Charlotte Whit- Trojans shoot 65% (30 of 46). They opened the Atlantic Coast Conference tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds to Iowa freshman guard Caitlin Clark, taker (45) passes the ball as Wash- were 7 of 14 from 3-point range. tournament with a win over 12th-seed- carry Florida A&M to a win over the nation’s second-leading scorer at ington forward Khayla Rooks, (left), Wash. State 57, Utah 48 ed Pittsburgh. North Carolina Central. 26.9 points per game, led all scorers and guard Nia Lowery (15) defend In Las Vegas, Freshman Charlisse Jayla Everett scored 22 points MJ Randolph had 13 points and nine with 32 points before fouling out late during an NCAA college basketball Leger-Walker scored 15 points, Bella for Pitt (5-14), which finish with a rebounds for Florida A&M (8-10, 7-4 in the fourth quarter. Manika Czinano game in the first round of the Pac- Murekatete added 13 points and 12 re- five-game losing streak since beat- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference). added 20 points for the Hawkeyes (14- 12 women’s tournament, on March ing BC 83-80. Amber Brown added Kamron Reaves added 13 points. Jalen 3, in Las Vegas. (AP) bounds, and seventh-seeded Washing- 8, 10-8). ton State beat No. 10 seed Utah in the 15 points and nine rebounds for the Speer had 10 points. Berger scored eight of her points in fi rst round of the Pac-12 Conference Panthers, who shot 33% and had 22 Alex Caldwell had 11 points for the the pivotal third quarter, when Indiana Kansas State (8-16, 3-14) scored 10 turnovers. consecutive points to take its fi rst lead tournament. Eagles (4-8, 2-5), who have now lost outscored Iowa 27-16. That’s when Leger-Walker was just 3 of 16 from fi ve consecutive games. C.J. Keyser Indiana clamped down defensively on at 20-19 with 49 seconds left in the Oregon St 71, California 63, the fi eld but made 7 of 8 free throws. In Las Vegas, Taylor Jones had 17 added 11 points and six rebounds. Iowa’s one-two punch as Clark had fi rst quarter, but Martinez answered Senior Krystal Leger-Walker added 12 with a layup 30 seconds later and the points and 13 rebounds and Oregon UCF 73, Tulsa 69 just four shots and Czinano missed points. The sisters each had eight re- State moved on in the Pac-12 tourna- fi ve-of-seven shots. Mountaineers led the rest of the way. In Orlando, Fla., Isaiah Adams had bounds and two 3-pointers. ment with a opening-round victory 19 points as Central Florida narrowly W. Virginia 72, Kansas St 64 Washington 68, Colorado 54 Florida 69, Auburn 62 over California. defeated Tulsa. In Manhattan, Kansas, Esmery Mar- In Las Vegas, Freshman Tameiya In Greenville, S.C., Kiki Smith Talia von Oelhoffen had a career- Darius Perry and Darin Green Jr. tinez scored 23 points on 11-of-15 Sadler had 18 points and a season-high scored 19 points, Danielle Rainey add- high 20 points for fi fth-seeded Or- each added 14 points for Central shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds to eight assists, Ashley Van Dyke also ed 13 and 12th-seeded Florida opened egon State (11-6), which has won four Florida (9-11, 7-10 American Athletic help No. 20 West Virginia beat Kansas scored 18 points, and the No. 11 seed the Southeastern Conference tourna- straight and seven of its last eight. Conference). Avery Diggs had three State. Washington women beat Colorado in ment with a win over 13th-seeded Au- Leilani McIntosh had 14 points to Villanova forward Jermaine Samu- assists. Kysre Gondrezick added 14 points, the fi rst round of the Pac-12 tourna- burn after blowing an 18-point third lead No. 12 seed Cal (1-16), which els (23) goes to the basket past Brandon Rachal had 16 points and Kirsten Deans and 13 points and nine ment. quarter lead. trailed by as many as 15 points but Creighton forward Damien Jeffer- nine rebounds for the Golden Hurri- assists, and Jasmine Carson scored 11 Quay Miller and Alexis Griggsby Kristina Moore then hit a 3-pointer threatened late. Evelien Lutje Schiphol son (23) during the second half of cane (10-11, 7-9). Darien Jackson add- points for West Virginia (19-4, 13-4 added 11 points apiece for Washing- and Rainey two more as the Gators added 13 points and 10 rebounds and an NCAA college basketball game, ed 13 points and Keyshawn Embery- Big 12). ton (7-13). The Huskies made 25 of 46 scored 12 straight for a 66-57 lead with Ugonne Onyiah scored 13. on March 3, in Villanova, Pa. (AP) Simpson had 11. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, MARCH 5-6, 2021 16

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kwang Hyun Kim throws during the ﬁ rst inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Mets, March 3, in Jupiter, Fla. Cardinals won 14-9. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com 76ers win battle of division leaders

Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert (left), cannot get a dunk past Philadel- phia 76ers’ Joel Embiid during the second half of an NBA basketball game, March 3, in Philadelphia. (AP)

Left: Indiana Pacers’ T.J. McConnell, (left), and Cleveland Cavaliers’ Collin Sexton reach for the ball during the ﬁ rst half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 3 , in Cleveland. Right: Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden drives to basket for a layup past Houston Rockets’ Ben McLemore, (left), during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Houston. (AP)

Nets down Rockets Hosts on course to win series PHILADELPHIA, March 4, (AP): Joel Embiid had 40 NBA Results/Standings points and 19 rebounds and England out for 205, India reach 24-1 in last Test hit a tying 3-pointer late AHMEDABAD, India, March 4, tea. Left-armer Axar Patel cleaned ers within the fi rst two overs to a simple catch to mid-off in Patel’s in regulation, and Tobias WASHINGTON, March 4, (AP): NBA re- (AP): India spinners claimed eight up with 4-68, just missing a 5-for Patel. Patel took 11 wickets in the second over. sults and standings on Wednesday. Harris scored 11 of his 22 Indiana 114 Cleveland 111 more England wickets as the visi- for a fourth straight innings. 10-wicket win in the third Test, Siraj replaced Jasprit Bumrah - points in overtime to lead Detroit 129 Toronto 105 tors were bowled out for 205 on India’s reply started with Shub- and was immediately successful unavailable for personal reasons Philadelphia 131 Utah OT 123 the fi rst day of the fourth and fi nal man Gill lost lbw off the third ball when captain Virat Kohli intro- - and brilliantly set up Root’s dis- Philadelphia past Utah in a Brooklyn 132 Houston 114 Charlotte 135 Minnesota 102 test on Thursday. to James Anderson. Cheteshwar duced spin in only the sixth over. missal with a sharp in-swinger to battle of division leaders on Atlanta 115 Orlando 112 India were 24-1 at stumps, and Pujara, on 15, and Rohit Sharma, Patel knocked back the stumps trap the skipper as England slipped Chicago 128 New Orleans 124 Wednesday night. Dallas 87 Oklahoma City 78 on course to win the series 3-1. 8, saw the home team to stumps. of Dom Sibley (2) off his second to 30-3 inside the fi rst hour. Ben Simmons added 17 points Portland 108 Golden State 106 England opted to bat fi rst on an- Earlier, England lost both open- ball, and Zak Crawley (9) chipped Bairstow and Stokes counterat- for the Eastern Conference-leading Sacramento 123 LA Lakers 120 other dry pitch at Narendra Modi tacked to reach lunch at 74-3. But 76ers. Eastern Conference Stadium, where India won the third Siraj claimed both of them. Stokes Donovan Mitchell had 33 points, Atlantic Division W L Pct GB Test inside two days. But this pitch looked comfortable against spin, eight rebounds and six assists in the Philadelphia 24 12 .667 - was batsman friendly and England welcoming Ashwin with a straight NBA-leading Jazz’s second straight Brooklyn 24 13 .649 -1/2 wasted it. There were several good loss. Mitchell was ejected with 30.8 Boston 18 17 .514 5-1/2 seconds left in overtime after picking New York 18 18 .500 6 starts but only Ben Stokes made a Toronto 17 18 .486 6-1/2 half-century while dealing with a CRICKET up his second technical. He got his Southeast Division fi rst with 57.5 seconds remaining in W L Pct GB stomach issue. the extra period after arguing a foul Charlotte 17 18 .486 - Stokes negotiated 121 balls for Miami 17 18 .486 - call. Atlanta 16 20 .444 1-1/2 55 until he was trapped by Wash- six and reached his half-century Nets 132, Rockets 114 Washington 13 20 .394 3 ington Sundar in the middle ses- with an authoritative reverse swept Orlando 13 23 .361 4-1/2 sion - the most prosperous session boundary against Patel. But he was In Houston, James Harden had Central Division undone by Sundar, who bowled a triple-double with 29 points, 10 W L Pct GB for England as they scored 70 runs rebounds and 14 assists in the fi rst Milwaukee 21 14 .600 - for the loss of two wickets. around the wicket to the left-hander. Indiana 16 18 .471 4-1/2 Patel, 4-68, and Ashwin, 3-47, meeting with his former Houston Chicago 16 18 .471 4-1/2 Medium-pacer Mohammed Siraj teammates and the Brooklyn Nets Cleveland 14 22 .389 7-1/2 trapped the dangerous Joe Root on struck at regular intervals to leave won 132-114 to hand the Rockets Detroit 10 25 .286 11 5 and Jonny Bairstow on 28 to England with a below-par total. their 13th straight loss. Western Conference reduce England to 78-4 just after A win or draw for India will Southwest Division W L Pct GB lunch, and Stokes was next out. also send them into the world test San Antonio 18 13 .581 - Ollie Pope, with 29, and Dan championship fi nal against New BASKETBALL Dallas 18 16 .529 1-1/2 Lawrence, with 46, shared a 45- England’s Ollie Pope ( left), plays a shot during the fi rst day of fourth crick- Zealand in June. A win for Eng- Memphis 16 15 .516 2 New Orleans 15 20 .429 5 run stand until Ravichandran Ash- et Test match between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium in land would complicate matters for Houston 11 23 .324 8-1/2 win claimed three wickets after Ahmedabad, India on March 4. (AP) India and help Australia. The Nets set a franchise record Northwest Division with their seventh straight road vic- W L Pct GB tory and have won 10 of their last Utah 27 9 .750 - Mavericks 87, Thunder 78 held out. The game was originally maining as Atlanta Hawks rallied won consecutive games for the fi rst Portland 20 14 .588 6 11 overall. It’s the longest skid Denver 20 15 .571 6-1/2 In Dallas, Kristaps Porzingis had scheduled for Tuesday night, but from 19 down in the second half to time in 5 1/2 weeks. McMillan took for the Rockets, who had just eight Oklahoma City 14 21 .400 12-1/2 19 points and 13 rebounds with Euro- postponed because of the Raptors’ beat Orlando. over Monday when Lloyd Pierce was players available because of inju- Minnesota 7 29 .194 20 pean sidekick Luka Doncic sidelined COVID outbreak. Atlanta made 9 of 13 on 3-point- fi red. Nikola Vucevic had 29 points ries, since they dropped 15 in a row Pacifi c Division ers in the fourth quarter and 21 of 45 and nine rebounds for Orlando. W L Pct GB by a back issue going into his second Hawks 115, Magic 112 in 2001. They’ve had a tough time Phoenix 23 11 .676 - All-Star appearance, and Dallas beat in the game to complete their biggest Bulls 128, Pelicans 124 since Harden was traded Jan. 14 and LA Clippers 24 13 .649 -1/2 Oklahoma City. In Orlando, Fla., Trae Young comeback of the season. haven’t won since Feb. 4. LA Lakers 24 13 .649 -1/2 scored 32 points and hit the go-ahead In New Orleans, Zach LaVine Golden State 19 17 .528 5 Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 Atlanta improved to 2-0 under John Wall had a season-high 36 free throws with eight seconds re- interim coach Nate McMillan and capped a 36-point performance with Sacramento 14 21 .400 9-1/2 points, Josh Richardson added 16 a driving layup and four free throws points for Houston, and Victor Olad- and Dallas cruised most of the sec- ipo also set his season high with 33. during the fi nal minute, and Chicago in the Western Conference. ond half without the NBA’s sixth- held off New Orleans. Kings 123, Lakers 120 leading scorer. Pacers 114, Cavaliers 111 Coby White scored 25 points for In Sacramento, Calif., Buddy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored the Bulls. They led by many as 19 Hield shook off a sore ankle to score In Cleveland, T.J. McConnell set 15 points for Oklahoma City. and were still up 18 in the fourth 29 points and Sacramento beat short- an NBA record with nine steals in Pistons 129, Raptors105 quarter before the Pelicans’ late handed Los Angeles. the fi rst half and had his second career triple-double with 16 points, 13 In Tampa, Fla., Wayne Ellington surge pulled them as close as 117- Hield’s status for the game was in 113 on Jaxson Hayes alley-oop dunk doubt because of a sprained right an- assists and a franchise-best 10 steals, scored 25 points and Detroit beat vi- leading Indiana past Cavaliers. rus-depleted Toronto to snap a three- as he was fouled with 1:49 left. kle but he decided to play through it Zion Williamson led the Pelicans and helped the Kings win for just the McConnell was one off the NBA game losing streak. second time in the past 12 games. record of 11 steals set San Antonio’s Ellington was 8 of 11 from 3-point with 28 points. They took advantage of a banged- Larry Kenon on Dec. 26, 1976, at range and the Pistons were 20 for 41 Hornets 135, Timberwolves 102 up Lakers team missing LeBron Kansas City, and matched by New overall from long range. Detroit’s In Minneapolis, Terry Rozier James and Anthony Davis to bounce Jersey’s Kendall Gill on April 3, backup had 56 points, with Rod- scored 31 points, Gordon Hayward back from Sunday’s late-game col- 1999, against Miami. ney McGruder and Saben Lee each added 23 and Charlotte headed into lapse against Charlotte when they McConnell was 8 of 8 from the fi nishing with 20. Norman Powell the All-Star break with an easy vic- missed fi ve foul shots in the fi nal 69 fi eld in 36 minutes off the bench, and had 36 points for Toronto, and Kyle tory over Minnesota. seconds to blow an eight-point lead. Malcolm Brogdon scored 27 points Lowry added 21 points. The Hornets have alternated wins Dennis Schroder scored 28 points to help Indiana snapped a four-game The Raptors played without Pas- and losses for the past 11 games, with to lead Los Angeles, Montrezl Har- skid. The Pacers overcame a 19-point cal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, (left), jumps for the ball with Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic the victory coming after a loss Monday rell added 26 points and Kuzma 25. defi cit in the third quarter. Anunoby, Malachi Flynn and Patrick during the Copa del Rey semifi nal, second leg, soccer match between FC night at Portland. The Timberwolves But it wasn’t enough for the Lakers, Collin Sexton had 32 points, 10 as- McCaw because of the NBA’s health Barcelona and Sevilla FC at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, have lost nine in a row and 13 of 14. who lost for the sixth time in eight sists and three steals for Cleveland. and safety protocols. Coach Nick March 3. Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-2 on aggregate to advance to the fi nal. Minnesota is 0-5 since Chris Finch re- games to fall into a tie for third place The Cavaliers had won four in a row. Nurse and most of his staff also were (AP) — See Page 14 placed Ryan Saunders as coach.

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