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MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 / SHAWWAL 12, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17695 16 PAGES 150 FILS Nod to Moderna likely; societal immunity close

New cases at 1,017

KUWAIT CITY, May 23, (Agencies): The Ministry of than Pfizer and Oxford, the sources indicated that the Moderna vaccine Health is not keen about vaccines whose effectiveness is likely to be approved soon. They highlighted the situation in some countries that resorted to administer- KUNA photo and safety have not been proven through the scientific Restaurants and coffee shops opened Sunday for customers after a long period ing the third dose of some COVID-19 vaccines, which are not approved in of closure. The Kuwait Cabinet decided to reopen all eateries provided custom- studies published about them, reports Al-Qabas daily Kuwait, about six months after administering the second dose. ers abide by health precautionary measures against COVID-19 and conduct quoting official sources from the Ministry of Health. Meanwhile, the sources explained that Kuwait is just a few steps away from temperature checks. Regarding the possibility of approving and supplying vaccines other achieving the milestone of two million COVID-19 doses administered to the people of Kuwait. They affirmed that the min- istry is intensifying its efforts Opinion Newswatch to vaccinate about 70 percent of the country’s population in order to achieve community im- KUWAIT CITY: His Highness munity within the shortest period the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- of time. This is aimed to contain Merchants of bloodshed ... resistance, wealth don’t mix; Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent the pandemic and stop its spread Saturday a cable of congratula- among the various segments of tions to winner of 5th Constituen- the society. Palestine liberation not in French perfume, Cuban cigars cy by-elections for National As- The sources said the total sembly Dr Obaid Al-Mutairi, number of COVID-19 doses ad- wishing him well in his endeavor ministered so far in the country serving the country. exceeded 192,000 as of Wednes- By Ahmed Al-Jarallah His Highness the Crown Prince day last week, adding that the Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al- pace of vaccinations accelerated Jaber Al-Sabah and His High- in the recent period with the ar- REVOLUTION becomes impossi- ness the Prime Minister Sheikh rival of Pfizer vaccine shipments ble when it combines two extremes Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al- almost weekly. which never concur in a manner Sabah sent similar cables to the They stressed that the vaccina- that would produce a reality that elected MP. (KUNA) tion campaigns have started to can be relied upon. ❑ ❑ ❑ bear fruit through the improve- Indeed, everyone should admit KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait Red ment of the epidemiological to this fact instead of going into the Crescent Society (KRCS) an- situation of the country, and the cycle of bloodshed and destruction nounced that the fi rst relief plane positive indicators that now re- that has been ongoing since 1947 has taken off from Abdullah veal decrease in the number of when the United Nations resolu- Al-Mubarak Air Base, carry- deaths and infections, as well tion No. 181 was issued for the ing medical aid to Cairo Airport as a remarkable decrease in the partition of Palestine into Arab in Egypt, to be delivered to the number of intensive care patients and Jewish states with the city of Palestinian people in Gaza Strip, suffering from COVID-19. Jerusalem as a separate entity to be who are facing diffi cult living Kuwait, meanwhile, has governed by a special international conditions due to the brutal Is- jumped to the 28th position in regime. raeli aggression. the world in terms of societal For over seven decades, the Pal- Speaking to KUNA, The immunity against the ‘Corona’ estinian leaders have been proving Chairman of the Board of Direc- virus out of 208 countries around that they are not seeking to liberate tors of KRCS, Dr Hilal Al-Say- er, said on Sunday, that the relief the world, by immunizing about their land. They hence wasted sev- 47.5 percent of the population, eral opportunities, and resorted to fl ights of Kuwait’s humanitarian “Air Bridge” to Gaza Strip began which predicts to acquire total investing in the blood of their peo- today, which is a translation of community immunity in Kuwait ple in order to accumulate wealth. the keenness of His Highness the early next September, according This is what the Vietnamese Amir of Kuwait, Kuwaiti govern- to the CovidFax website. General Vo Nguyen Giap de- ment, and Kuwaiti people, to sup- Informed health sources said duced from the Palestinian lead- port the brothers in Gaza Strip. Kuwait has made great strides in ership when he visited Beirut in He added that the plane was community immunization since the 1970s to study the conditions carrying 40 tons of medicines, the start of the national vaccina- of the Palestinian resistance. He medical supplies, blankets and tion campaign which kicked off witnessed its leaders living a lofty wheelchairs, accompanied by a at the end of last December and life and enjoying luxury cars, Cu- number of volunteers who would continues to date. ban cigars, luxurious Italian suits go to the Rafah crossing and and expensive French perfumes. deliver them to the Palestinian Pace This prompted him to compare the Red Crescent, noting that KRCS It has succeeded in administer- Palestinian resistance with the re- distributed food baskets and two ing more than 2 million doses to sistance of the “Viet Cong” in the ambulances for the brothers in citizens and residents. The sourc- Palestine over the past days. Vietnamese jungles, and declare A child weaves between columns of Hamas militants as they parade through the streets for Bassem Issa, a top Hamas’ es say the efforts of the Ministry unequivocally to the Palestinian commander, who was killed by Israeli Defense Force military actions prior to a cease-fire reached after an 11-day war (KUNA) between Gaza’s Hamas rulers and Israel, in Gaza City, May 22. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ of Health to speed up the rate of leadership, “Your revolution will immunization in the country has not triumph!” TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament been greatly appreciate, pointing When the leaders asked him Speaker said Sunday that interna- out in the beginning the ministry why, he replied, “Because revo- Hamas defiant tional inspectors may no longer could not keep up the pace due lution and wealth do not meet. A Lack of quorum adjourns session access surveillance images of the to the lack of availability of vac- revolution that is not led by con- Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites, cines, then gradually increased science turns into terrorism. A rev- in Gaza ‘strut’ escalating tensions amid diplo- the pace and the vaccines became olution that is showered with mon- matic efforts in Vienna to save available by doubling the number ey turns its leaders into thieves. If GAZA CITY, May 23, (AP): Grilling motions still in play Tehran’s atomic accord with of vaccination centers and units, you see someone claiming to seek Hundreds of masked Hamas world powers. and the intensification of home revolution but living in a palace or fighters brandishing assault rifles The comments by Iran’s par- By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh violating Article 99 of the Constitution and liament speaker Mohammad and mobile campaigns. a luxurious apartment, eating the paraded in Gaza City and the The ministry indicated that most delicious dishes, and enjoy- group’s top leader made his first Arab Times Staff Article 121 of the National Assembly Decree. Bagher Qalibaf, aired by state ■ The grilling motion of MP Shuaib Al- TV, further underscored the nar- the rise in societal immunity, ing life in luxury while his people public appearance on Saturday, followed by an expansion in the in a defiant show of strength af- KUWAIT CITY, May 23: National Assembly Muwaizri against Minister of Finance and rowing window for the US and live in camps and beg for interna- others to reach terms with Iran. procedures for returning to nor- tional aid to survive, then know ter the militants’ 11-day war with Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim adjourned the Minister of State for Economic and Invest- special session on Sunday due to lack of quo- ment Affairs Khalifa Hamada for violating The Islamic Republic is already mal life, easing health restric- that the leadership does not want Israel. tions in public places, opening Saturday marked the first full rum as the government had earlier declined Article 99 of the Constitution and Article 121 enriching and stockpiling ura- to change the status quo. How can nium at levels far beyond those air traffic inside and outside, such leadership win?” day of a cease-fire, and Egyptian the invitation to the session and only 23 MPs of the National Assembly Decree. were present. ■ Electing members of some committees allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal. while adhering to the necessary This fact was known to the Ar- mediators held talks to firm up “Regarding this, and based on health requirements according to abs and the Palestinians for 73 the truce which ended the fourth The Assembly was supposed to discuss the to fill up vacancies. the expiration of the three-month grilling motions against Minister of Finance ■ Second reading of the bill on amending each stage of the gradual return years. We did not see any of the Israel-Hamas war in just over a deadline, defi nitely the Interna- to normal life. leaders of the various Palestinian decade. and Minister of State for Economic and Invest- Audio-Visual Law number 61/2007, which tional Atomic Energy Agency ment Affairs Khalifa Hamada, Minister of For- was approved in its first reading on March 30, The Directorate-General of factions living in camps, or living In the fighting, Israel un- will not have the right to access Civil Aviation (DGCA) an- leashed hundreds of airstrikes eign Affairs and Minister of State for Cabinet 2021. images from May 22,” Qalibaf like the rest of their people. Rath- ■ nounced that the exemption er, we told them they are enjoying against militant targets in Gaza, Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Muhammad, Voting on the proposal to amend Print and said. May 22 was Saturday. from the quarantine decision for opulent life to the greatest extent. while Hamas and other militants and Minister of Health Dr Basel Al-Sabah. Publication Law Number 2/2006, which was Hours later, however, a web- Kuwaitis returning home (those During the Israeli siege of the fired more than 4,000 rockets to- The Speaker then invited the government approved in its first reading on March 30, 2021. site called Nournews that’s be- who have received the vaccine ■ lieved to be close to Iran’s Su- Lebanese capital Beirut in 1982, ward Israel. More than 250 peo- and MPs to the ordinary sessions slated for Reports of parliamentary committees on against the Coronavirus and I remember coming across a state- ple were killed, the vast majority Tuesday and Wednesday, disclosing the agen- various bills, such as occupying public sector preme National Security Council quoted an anonymous offi cial those recovering from it from ment made by one of the advisors of them Palestinians. da of the cancelled special session will be tack- jobs and nationalizing the sector. the quarantine decision came of the late Palestinian leader Yas- In Gaza City, residents began led in this week’s ordinary sessions as follows: Meanwhile, Al-Ghanim confirmed receiv- suggesting Tehran’s deal with ■ the IAEA could be extended “an- into effect yesterday, reports Al- ser Arafat when he asked about the assessing damage. The grilling motion of MPs Muham- ing the grilling motion of MP Shuaib Al-Mu- Seyassah daily. mad Barrak Al-Mutair and Hamdan Al-Azmi waizri against His Highness the Prime Minister other month.” (AP) scarcity of water during the siege. One of Gaza City’s busiest ❑ ❑ ❑ The Deputy Director General He said, “We have no problem commercial areas, Omar al- against HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid; and that he informed for Planning and Projects Affairs with water”. Mukhtar Street, was covered in Al-Khalid on the selective enforcement of the premier about the motion. The grilling mo- LONDON: Photos on social me- and spokesman for the DGCA, This revolution has transformed debris, smashed cars and twisted laws. tion consists of the following points: dia appear to show a missing ■ ■ Saad Al-Otaibi, told KUNA the since the establishment of the Pal- metal after a 13-floor building in The grilling motion of MPs Hassan Violation of Article 100 of the Constitu- Dubai princess who months ear- decision includes citizens who estine Liberation Organization its center was flattened in an Is- Jawhar, Muhannad Al-Sayer and Mehalhal tion when the government refused to attend lier described herself in a video as received their first dose two (PLO) in the early 1960s. The vari- raeli airstrike. Merchandise was Al-Mudaf against HH the Prime Minister on the special session allotted for deliberations being held against her will out at weeks ago, as well as those who ous factions, which total about 20 covered in soot and strewn inside violating Article 98 of the Constitution that on the grilling motions against three minis- two major malls in the city-state. have recovered and were abroad organizations in number, never smashed stores and on the pave- obligates the new government to submit its ters, as this undermines the right of MPs to Images published by a woman identifi ed in British media as for- for 90 days. agreed on a position, as each one of ment. Municipal workers swept work plan to the Assembly upon its forma- question ministers – a right guaranteed by the Kuwait’s Ministry of Health them is affiliated with an Arab or a broken glass and twisted metal tion, systematic stealing of public funds and Constitution. mer Royal Navy member Sioned Taylor show Sheikha Latifa bint reported five COVID-19 deaths regional group or state. All of them from streets and sidewalks. manipulating the wealth of Kuwaiti people. Article 100: (1) Every member of the Na- and 1,017 infections in the past ■ Mohammed Al Maktoum at the fell into the claws of temptations. “We really didn’t expect this The grilling motion of MP Musaed Al- tional Assembly may address to the Prime Mall of the Emirates at a movie 24 hours. Some of them were agents of amount of damage,” said Ashour Ardi against HH the Prime Minister for delib- Minister and to ministers interpellations with theater there, as well as at a res- The new figures took the Israel and were used to expand Is- Subeih, who sells baby clothes. erately disrupting the work of the legislative regard to matters falling within their compe- taurant at Dubai Mall near the country’s death toll to 1,724 and rael’s control over all of Palestine “We thought the strike was a bit authority. tence. Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest the caseload to 298,223, noted by employing them to carry out further from us. But as you can However, the agenda which the National (2) The debate on such an interpellation building. the ministry’s spokesperson Dr terrorist operations, thereby allow- see not an area of the shop is in- Assembly Secretariat General distributed to shall not take place until at least eight days The photos corresponded to Abdullah Al-Sanad in a state- ing Israel to continue with further tact.” Having been in business journalists stated that the legislature has ap- have elapsed after its presentation, except in those locations, with the Mall of ment. expansion and occupation. for one year, Subeih estimated proved the proposal of the government to case of urgency and with the consent of the the Emirates image likely taken He pointed out that 1,039 This Israeli tactic was and con- his losses were double what he postpone the discussion of grilling motions Minister concerned. in May due to the fi lm being ad- patients have recovered over tinues to be in par with the state- has made so far. against HH the Prime Minister until the end (3) Subject to the provisions of Articles vertised in it. the past day, raising the total to ment made by the former Israeli Drone video and photos of the second round of the current parliamen- 101 and 102, an interpellation may lead to the Taylor did not respond to a re- 283,952. Prime Minister Levi Eshkol on the showed some city blocks reduced tary term. question of no confidence being put to the As- quest for comment. The govern- He added that the number of to rubble, in between homes and ■ The grilling motion of MPs Ahmed sembly. ment’s Dubai Media Offi ce did people hospitalized with the vi- Continued on Page 4 not acknowledge the release of businesses left standing. Mutei Al-Azmi and Soud Bu Sleeb against ■ Violating Law Number 3/2016 on the rus currently stands at 12,574, Email: [email protected] the images. Both Israel and Hamas have Minister of Health Dr Basel Al-Sabah on the establishment of Kuwait Anti-Corruption The photos’ pedestrian cap- including 164 currently in ICUs. Follow me on: claimed victory. failure to deal with the coronavirus crisis, ad- Authority (Nazaha), which obligates public tions belie the fact that United Al-Sanad revealed that 8,249 On Saturday, hundreds of ministrative and financial corruption, and fail- officials to submit their financial disclosures Nations experts and human rights swabs conducted over the last Hamas fighters wearing military ure to cooperate with the Assembly. within 60 days of assuming public office. Fail- activists had called on Dubai’s day, bringing the total to 2.51 camouflage paraded past the ■ The grilling motion of MP Shuaib Al- ure to do so warrants a fine of KD 5,000 maxi- ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin million. [email protected] mourning tent for Bassem Issa, Muwaizri against Minister of Foreign Af- mum; while those who delay the submission Rashid Al Maktoum, to pro- He renewed calls to abide by a senior commander killed in the fairs and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs for more than 90 days will be imprisoned for vide information on his daughter. health precautions to curb the fighting. Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Muhammad for three years and fined KD 3,000 to 30,000. (AP) spread of the virus. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 2 Weather Expected weather for the next and partly cloudy with light south Abdaly 46 30 24 hours: westerly wind to light to moderate Bubyan - - Prayer Timings By Day: Very hot and partly freshening at times north westerly Jahra 47 33 cloudy with light to moderate wind with speeds of 08-40 km/h Failaka Island - - Fajr ...... 03:20 Asr ...... 15:20 freshening at times north westerly with a chance for rising dust with Sunrise .. 04:52 Maghrib .. 18:38 a slight chance for rain that might Salmiyah 42 32 Zohr ...... 11:45 Isha ...... 20:06 wind to south westerly wind with speeds of 15-55 km/h causing ris- be thundery at times. Ahmadi 41 37 ing dust with a chance for rain that Station Max Exp Min Rec Nuwaisib 46 32 might be thundery at times. Kuwait City 45 36 Wafra 48 31 By Night: Hot to rather hot Kuwait Airport 47 31 Salmy 45 33 VACCINE REGISTRATION WEBSITE: https://cov19vaccine.moh.gov.kw/SPCMS/CVD_19_Vaccine_Registration.aspx

Mezzan Holding climbs 5 fi ls, KNCC tumbles Kuwait bourse ekes feeble gains after volatile session

By John Mathews Holding scaled 5 fi ls to close at 670 fi ls and soared 16.7 pct to 44 fi ls while Equipment 16.7 million shares. Commercial Bank stalled Arab Times Staff Humansoft Holding shed 12 fi ls partly erasing Holding scaled 8.11 percent to stand next. Ba- at 500 fi ls and Al Ahli Bank gave up 2 fi ls. ■ UUS$/KDS$/KD 0.30075/850.30075/85 last session’s gains. Kuwait National Cinema reeq Holding skidded 36.5 percent, the steep- Ahli United Bank Kuwait took in 1 fi l. KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Kuwait stocks crept Co KNCC) tumbled 47 fi ls to 850 fi ls. est decliner of the day and AAN topped the Kuwait Investment Co was fl at at 188 fi ls ▲ Euro/KD 0.3662 higher on Sunday recouping last session’s Zain inched 1 fi l higher to 599 fi ls with a volume with 82.6 million shares. and International Financial Advisors too did slight losses. The All Shares Index rose 5.71 volume of 1.8 million and Ooredoo tripped Despite the day’s gains, the market spread not budge from its earlier close of 117 fi ls ■ Yen/KD 0.0027 points in volatile session to 6296.04 pts even 1 fi l. stc fell 2 fi ls to 865 fi ls while logistics was slightly skewed towards the losers. 55 after pushing 1.8 million shares. Coast In- as the broader sentiment remained lackluster. major Agility sprinted 14 fi ls to KD 1.048 on stocks advanced whereas 66 closed lower. Of vestment added 1.7 fi ls and Securities House ▼ British £/KD 0.4254 The Premier Market climbed 10.66 pts back of 2.8 million shares. KIPCO added 1 the 143 counters active on Sunday, 22 closed edged 1.1 fi ls higher to 71.3 fi ls. Arzan Finan- to 6835.47 points taking the month’s gains fi ls before ending at 152 fi ls whereas Na- fl at. 14,927 deals worth KD 54.5 million were cial Group dialed down 2 fi ls with a volume ■ Indian Rs/KD 0.0041 to 212 pts while Main Market gave up 5.73 tional Investment Co and Mabanee Co stood transacted during the session. of 4.7 million shares and First Investment points. The BK 50 Main was down 3.41 points pat at 183 fi ls and 747 fi ls respectively. Jazeera Airways climbed 13 fi ls to 678 fi ls tripped 1.3 fi ls. ■ Philippines Peso/KD 0.0063 at 5466.54 points. The volume turnover meanwhile dropped following last session’s National Industries Group rose 2 fi ls to 237 taking the month’s gains to 65 fi ls and ALAF- Noor Financial Investment rose 1 fi l to 225 upswing. Over 473 million shares changed fi ls after moving 2.7 million shares and Gulf CO added 2 fi ls to close at 227 fi ls. Azn- fi ls and Tamdeen Investment gained 5 fi ls. ▼ FTSE -1.74 pts at closing May 21 hands – down 11 percent from Thursday. Cable followed suit to close at 861 fi ls. Bou- our was unchanged at 252 fi ls and Integrated Kuwait Financial Investment Centre (Markaz) byan Petrochemical Co slipped 4 fi ls to 920 fi ls Holding closed 5 fi ls in green. Kuwait Cement inched 1fi l higher to 132 fi ls whereas KMEF- The sectors closed mostly in green turf. ▲ Energy outperformed the rest with 1.93 pct and Al Qurain Petrochemical Co inched 1 fi l in Co rose 4 fi ls to 257 fi ls and Kuwait Port- IC erased 3 fi ls. Bayan Investment Co added Nikkei +219.58 pts at closing May 21 gain whereas Real Estate shed 0.77 percent, red. Independent Petroleum Group paused at land Cement followed suit to end at 900 fi ls. 1.7 fi ls and Aayan Leasing clipped 1 fi ls with 555 fi ls and Sultan Centre paced 11 fi ls HEISC sprinted 10 fi ls. brisk trading. Gulf Investment House gave the biggest loser of the session. Volume wise, ▲ Gold 1877.65 per oz (London) Financial Services continued to top with 170.6 The market opened fi rm and pulled higher In the banking sector, Gulf Bank rose 1 fi l up 2 fi ls and Osoul Investment closed 1.1 fi ls million shares and Banking sector was ahead in early trade. The main index fl ipped and see to 22 1 fi ls with brisk trading while Kuwait in red. KAMCO clipped 1 fi l and KFIC was in value with over KD 17 million. sawed in broad range before scaling the day’s International Bank held ground at 213 fi ls Bur- down 3 fi ls at 118 fi ls ▲ NYMEX crude $63.82 per barrel In the individual shares, Kuwait Finance highest level of 6848 points almost an hour gan Bank eased 1 fi l to 228 fi ls with a volume The market was mixed during the previous House dialed up 2 fi ls on back of 6.7 million into the session. It headed south again to bot- of 1.7 million and Boubyan Bank clipped 2 week. The main index closed lower in three of ▲ Brent crude $66.73 per barrel shares while sector bellwether National Bank tom at 6827 points and clawed back in the fi ls. the four sessions and added 11 points week- of Kuwait clipped 2 fi ls after pushing 3.8 mil- fi nal minutes to close with marginal gains. Warba Bank was unchanged at 253 fi ls and on-week. It has rallied 182 points from start of LIBOR rate 0.1470% lion shares and settled at 837 fi ls. Mezzan Top gainer of the day, Energy Holding Ahli United Bank dialed up 1 fi l on back of the month and is up 749 points year-to-date. Kuwait, UAE mull travel for people with 2-doses Quarantine must for ‘no-jab’ arrivals

KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Kuwait and the -- whether they enter the country through the airport or land and sea borders, reports Al-Qabas daily quoting reliable United Arab Emirates (UAE) are current- sources. ly studying the latter’s proposal to imple- Sources said the arriving passengers are divided into two ment a safe travel mechanism between the categories: vaccinated and unvaccinated. Sources revealed the vaccinated arriving passengers are exempted from insti- two countries for people who already took tutional quarantine, provided they got vaccines approved by the Covid-19 vaccine, reports Al-Anba the country, as well as those who recovered from corona and daily quoting highly reliable sources. have not been infected for more than 90 days as they have Sources told the daily that the proposed mechanism acquired immunity by recovering from the disease or vac- covers the citizens and expatriates in the two countries, cination, provided they undergo PCR test upon arrival and who will be required to present vaccination certifi cates their home quarantine will end after three days if the test KUNA photo result is negative. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah expressing his views at the or negative swab test results within 72 hours through Sources added arriving passengers, who have not been meeting. the approved applications in the two countries or in vaccinated, must undergo hotel quarantine for a week and line with the precautionary measures in each country. then home quarantine for another week. Sources said these Sources confi rmed this is made possible through the coor- passengers must undergo PCR test upon arrival and another Minister congratulates new appointees dinated efforts of both countries. on the sixth day. Meanwhile, Kuwait Airways will begin bookings for Sources enumerated fi ve categories of vaccinated people summer vacations to a number of destinations, including exempted from institutional quarantine upon arrival at the Bodrum, Trabzon, Tbilisi, and Sarajevo, starting from Sun- airport as follows: ‘Qualifi ed citizens must serve country’ day noon, reports Al-Anba daily. 1. Kuwaitis who underwent overseas treatment and their The bookings can be done on the company’s website, the companions, KUWAIT CITY, May 23, (KUNA): The new heads of mili- The minister urged the new representatives of military smart phone application and the company’s various offi ces, 2. Diplomats not registered on ‘Shlonik platform, tary offi ces abroad and the military attachés were appointed offi ces to continue exerting tremendous efforts, cooperate as well as other travel and tourism offi ces. 3. Those below 18 years old, based on the new approach in giving qualifi ed citizens the with members of the Kuwaiti diplomatic corps abroad, and The sources say the fl ights are expected to take off as of 4. Kuwaiti students, opportunity to serve and represent their country, says Dep- work with them hand in hand with the spirit of one team June 10 with two or more fl ights a week. 5. Medical personnel (They are required to undergo PCR uty Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad in order to strengthen the bonds of friendship and extend The sources said the Kuwait Airways, for the fi rst time, test on the seventh day and return to work if the result is Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah. bridges of cooperation between Kuwait and brotherly and has increased the number of cities it will fl y to Turkey -- Is- negative). In a press statement after meeting the new personnel at the friendly countries in a manner that refl ects the prestigious tanbul, Sabiha International Airport, Bodrum and Trabzon. Sources added those exempted from quarantine upon ar- Defense Ministry’s headquarters on Sunday, Sheikh Hamad and wise policy of our beloved country. He said this is in On the other hand, the sources indicated that the ‘Ku- rival through the land and sea borders are as follows: Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah explained their appointment is based addition to providing all forms of support and assistance to waitia’ is waiting for the approval of the Kuwaiti health au- 1. Truck drivers, on a new mechanism and regulations aimed at highlighting their brothers, employees of the ministry who are abroad for thorities to start operations to destinations such as Malacca, 2. Workers in the divided zone, the capabilities of offi cers in the ministry while effi ciently study or treatment and their families or those on offi cial as- Geneva and Paris during this summer. 3. Offi cial delegations, carrying out their tasks in various positions. signments. He asked them to fully abide by the regulations, Institutional quarantine remains in effect for arriving pas- 4. Sports delegations, Chief of the General Staff of Kuwait Army Lieutenant laws and procedures of the countries where they will be sta- sengers who have yet to be vaccinated against coronavirus 5. Ship crew members. General Sheikh Khaled Saleh Al-Sabah, Deputy Chief of tioned, praying that God Almighty will help them carry out Staff Lieutenant General Fahd Al-Nasser and a number of their tasks and to enable everyone to work for the good and senior offi cers in the army attended the meeting. prosperity of the country under the wise leadership of His At the beginning of the meeting, the minister congratu- Highness the Amir and Supreme Commander of the Armed 41pc borrowers lated the new heads of offi ces and military attachés for being Forces Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His chosen to represent the State of Kuwait and Kuwait Army Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al- opt for deferred in a number of brotherly and friendly countries. He pointed Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh out this is the result of their efforts, theoretical and practi- Sabah Al-Khalid, may God protect them and guide them on payment of cash cal distinction; considering they passed the personal inter- the path towards goodness. views and written tests that were developed in line with the On the other hand, Chief of the General Staff of the Army KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Ku- new approach to give them a chance to represent and serve Lieutenant General Khaled Saleh Al-Sabah thanked the min- wait Credit Bank has announced their country abroad. He added the committee in charge of ister for supporting and guiding the committee tasked to ap- 63,118 customers have accepted selecting heads of military offi ces and attachés has exerted point representatives of military offi ces abroad. He said the the offer for deferred payment tremendous efforts under the direct supervision of the Chief committee carried out its work based on the standards of out of a total of 154,501 borrow- of the General Staff of the Army, his deputy and a number of competence, ability and distinction for the offi cers who were ers, at a rate of 41 percent, with Army commanders who are in charge of setting the criteria, chosen according to a new approach that guarantees their right when the offer date expired, re- principles and controls for the selection of offi cers deployed to represent the country and through a mechanism which en- ports Al-Jarida daily. abroad. He confi rmed these offi cers are subject to continu- sures impartiality in the selection process. He also expressed The bank stated, the total val- ous evaluation, review and follow-up to ensure the success gratitude to the deputy chief of staff and other offi cials who ue of the deferred installments of the selection process and mechanism. are part of this committee for accomplishing this task. is approximately 44.104 million dinars, which have been post- poned based on Law No. 3 of MPs push anti-normalization bill 2021 for a period of six months. 3 hurt in fi erce The bank added the requests to defer installments payments KUNA photo street fi ghting were made through the bank’s Kuwait Health Minister Sheikh Dr. Basel Al-Sabah speaking at the virtual meet- Call to penalize Israel supporters online portal and the mobile ap- ing of the 55th session for Arab Health Ministers Council. plication, in addition to receiv- By Munif Nayef By Abdul Rahman Al-Shimmari and natural and legal persons must not ing the elderly (65 years and Covid-19, vaccine plan discussed Al-Seyassah Staff Al-Seyassah Staff conclude any agreements, protocols, or over), people with disabilities, meetings of whatever nature with Israel families of prisoners, martyrs KUWAIT CITY, May 23: A KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Five parlia- -- the Zionist entity and its organizations Kuwait Health Minister Sheikh Dr. Ba- and programs. and heirs by reviewing the bank sel Al-Sabah on Sunday took part in a He mentioned that the ministers fi erce quarrel broke out between mentarians have proposed a law to pre- throughout the world or with any party to branch to which the customer 5 civilians on one side and two vent dealing with Israel or any of kind of which it belongs, directly or indirectly. virtual meeting of the 55th session for also discussed a report on health belongs according to the card Arab Health Ministers council. conditions in Palestine, including East other people – a bedoun and a normalization with the Jewish state, and Likewise, it is forbidden for a citizen address between April 18 and Saudi on Damascus Street. stricter penalties for violators and col- or expatriate who is permanently or tem- Dr. Basel said in a statement the Jerusalem and Syria’s Golan Heights. May 18. Arab health ministers discussed is- He pointed out that the Council also During the fi ght three people laborators with the entity. porarily residing in the State of Kuwait The bank pointed out that for sues of Arab strategy projects, anti- discussed matters concerning the Ex- were wounded. According to a se- The proposal submitted by MPs Adnan and every natural or legal person in the those who applied for the post- coronavirus measures and methods ecutive Offi ce of the Health Ministers curity source, the quarrel broke out AbdulSamad, Dr. Ali Al-Qattan, Ahmad State of Kuwait to sympathize with, par- ponement before May 4, the of obtaining vaccines and distributing Arab Council for 2021-2022. among the youths due to disagree- Al-Hamad, Dr. Hisham Al-Saleh and ticipate, or demand dealing or normali- installment delay would apply them fairly to Arab countries. The meeting was attended by the ments between them on the right of Khalil Al-Saleh prohibits dealing, nor- zation through any media or electronic from May until October 2021, He stressed on importance of the Assistant Undersecretary for Planning way, which ended with both sides malization, or establishing of any direct or social media sites and through any and whoever applied for the ministerial meeting for coordination and Quality Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al- stopping in the middle of the road or indirect contacts or relations with Is- modern or new means and in any form postponement after May 4, the and exchange information to enhance Khashti and the Director of the Inter- and assaulting each other. rael -- the Zionist entity -- and its organi- or an image calling for cooperation, com- capabilities of health systems and national Health Relations Department installment delay would apply support health development plans Dr. Rehab Al-Watian. The source indicated all the zations throughout the world. munication or participation in any matter from June to November 2021. seven people have been referred It also stipulates that anyone who vio- that indicates or alludes to cooperation, ❑ ❑ ❑ to the Qadsiya Police Station. lates the provisions of the law be pun- normalization, or dealing with Israel - the Cases have been fi led against ished with imprisonment for a period of Zionist entity and its organizations, and Ban on export: The Minister them and both sides have sub- not less than a year and not exceeding it is prohibited for every Kuwaiti citizen of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Pregnant women to get vaccinated mitted medical reports accusing three years, and a fi ne not exceeding fi ve or expatriate residing temporarily or per- Abdullah Al-Salman according each other of assaulting fi rst. thousand dinars. manent residence to travel to Israel -- the to the ministerial decision issued KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Obstetrics, ing women as recent research and studies The arrests came after the in- The proposal stipulates “it is prohibited Zionist entity, whether with a passport or recently, export and re-exports gynecology and fertility medicine con- proved the safety of corona vaccines for cident was posted on the social to deal, normalize, or establish any direct without a passport. of local and imported live sheep sultant and head of the Fertility Medi- these women. media. or indirect contacts or relations with Is- All support, glorifi cation, promotion, and goats of all kinds are banned cine Unit at Jahra Hospital Dr Hazem He said the vaccines do not affect the The Public Authority for In- rael -- the Zionist entity and its organi- propaganda or support for any cultural, for 4 months from May 17, 2021, Al-Rumaih expects Kuwait to begin vac- fertility of men and women, clarifying dustry has requested to amend zations in all parts of the world, and it is informational, religious, social, artistic, until September 15, 2021. cinating pregnant and lactating women there is no need to wait for three months the purpose of allocating Site No. prohibited to open representative offi ces constructional, real estate or commercial The aim of this decision is to against COVID-19 soon, reports Al- after vaccination to get pregnant. He add- 16 in Mina Abdullah area from of any kind and at any level with the Zi- business or dealings is prohibited under protect the local market and the Jarida daily. ed pregnancy is a risk factor for infection storage activities to medium and onist entity, direct or indirect contact is any other form or name in hidden or ex- consumers who mainly depend He confi rmed that a number of coun- with coronavirus, urging pregnant and light industries, reports Al-Qabas also prohibited. plicit dealings with Israel -- the Zionist en- on the imported sheep and goats tries around the world have already start- lactating women to register on the vac- daily. All government and private institutions tity and its organizations and in any way. available in the local market. ed vaccinating pregnant and breast-feed- cination platform. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 LOCAL 3 diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION ‘Exodus of expatriates to adversely affect development of Kuwait’

“AFTER lean months, restaurants and cafes have begun to breathe following anymore in the country. “The mother lost her role and the maid took over the house affairs, and the the Cabinet’s decision to allow them to receive customers according to health “I hope that this report will not be ignored with a reminder that Kuwait teacher has no importance in society, and his status was demeaned by students requirements, and this step, we hope, will be promising and a breakthrough needs more development and is on the way to projects that necessarily require and before them the parents, unlike what it was in our society in the days of to reopen the airport for travel, provided that the expected openness includes expatriate manpower.” the good people, role model and prestige. at least a fi rst step for everyone, including the arrivals who reside in Kuwait “I fear our situation will be like the guard of the Great Wall of China. I hope since the connection with their families was cut off for about two years, and Also: we will return as guards of the gates of the old Kuwaiti wall.” then there are those who are compelled to stay for fear of traveling to their “History is full of stories and lessons that tell about the bygone peoples ❑ ❑ ❑ homelands and not being able to return again to Ku- and nations and the disasters they have gone through while those who came wait for more than 3 years,” columnist Mohammad after them did not learn the lesson whether with intention or without so that “Societies and countries develop by upgrading their institutions, supplying Al-Jalahmah wrote for Al-Anba daily. the situation remains as it is in the interest of the ruling oligarchy over mat- them with ambitious young blood that makes a difference, change and devel- “The segment that I talk about is estimated in the ters to protect its interests and the continuity and permanence of its system,” opment. Developed countries seek to benefi t from the energies of their youths hundreds of thousands, and certainly their stay in the columnist Ameen Ma’arafi wrote for Al-Qabas daily. and empower them to occupy leadership positions. This comes with the aim country has greatly affected the commercial move- “It is said when the ancient Chinese wanted to live in safety from the evils to develop their institutions for the advanced thinking of young people and to ment, especially they leave for their countries with of others, they built the Great Wall of China and believed that no one could keep pace with everything new in order to realize the ambition and desire to clothes, gifts, etc, in addition to the travel suspension, climb it due to the severity of its fortifi cation and its height, but during the fi rst build, succeed and prove one’s self,” columnist Dr Hamad Al-Matar wrote which infl icted millions of losses for airlines, and the hundred years after its construction. for Al-Jarida daily. tourism and travel sector. “China was invaded three times and each time the enemy armies need not “As for the lagging countries, they are usually aging from inside, with lead- “Although all medical reports say that the dreaded penetrate or climb the wall in to get into China, every time they paid bribe to ers sitting at the top of institutions and where leaders are usually chosen based coronavirus is not capable of affecting those who have the guard, then they entered the gate and achieved their goals with ease due to on favoritism and quotas. Such practices kill ambition among young people and make them feel hopeless as a result of exclusion and lack of competency received the vaccine, the issue of not allowing people Al-Jalahmah the corruption of the guard who did not pay interest to his country. to leave and return to the country again continues. “The Chinese were busy building the Great Wall and forgot to build the standards. Or, they are chosen according to bureaucratic obsolescence, which “It is not bad to take precautionary measures to prevent those who come guard (the Chinese man). Building man comes before building everything, often makes the institution slow-moving, with little accomplishment and from high-risk countries but the continuation of the lockdown in conjunction and this is what the generations need to know now. weak. Thus, the State weakens and its fi les pile up so problems are diffi cult to solve, as the case with us in Kuwait. with the vaccination of a number that may exceed 3 million people by the end “One of the Orientalists says: ‘If you want to destroy the civilization of an “Sometimes, development does not require huge scientifi c progress or im- of this month is unjustifi ed and is not in the public interest. entire nation, there are three methods, the fi rst is destruction of the family, possible technological development. First of all, it needs to refresh the blood “The issue of travel and the return of citizens who have been vaccinated is the second demolition of education, and the last dropping of role models and references. of institutions and to empower young people who - with what God has given a duty not to discuss the issue whether to allow them to return or not, and if them like ambition and enthusiasm - can achieve technological progress, “He pointed out that in order to destroy the family you have to neglect the the curfew is permissible at the time of the peak of the epidemic it is no longer search for everything new, set plans and keep pace with their implementation valid in the face of the vaccine and its effectiveness according to medical role of the mother by making her ashamed of describing her as a housewife, vigorously. Actively, we just need to give them the opportunity, not to fi ght reports issued by respected scientifi c bodies. and in order to destroy the education do not give importance to the teacher in them, break their ambitions and spread despair among them. “I was taken aback by the survey conducted by the German network ‘In- society and underestimate the teacher’s status so that the students despise the “The ambition of our youths is broken, especially the diligent ones. They ternations’, which revealed that a third of the people living in Kuwait have teacher, and in order to undermine the role models start with scholars, so that are desperately looking for the possibility of assuming the positions they de- changed their future plans due to the repercussions of the coronavirus, and they are not heard of and no follows them. serve to advance the country. Despite their efforts, diligence and their scien- that they are planning at the moment to accelerate their departure from the “If the enlightened mother disappeared and the sincere teacher disappeared tifi c and cognitive empowerment, they see positions in all institutions going country before the dates they had planned to leave whether going back to their and the role models and reference vanished, then who will groom children out of date among those who view the seat of responsibility as a privilege, a countries or searching for another country to settle and work. with noble values. gift and a place for convenience, prestige and a tool of personal infl uence. The “The report clearly shows the impatience of the expatriates who were wait- “These three things are a bitter reality in many Arab and Islamic societies, recent appointments by the government are the biggest proofs of this.” ing for a breakthrough after receiving the vaccine, but they found themselves and I have nothing to do with them, so what matters to me here is what is hap- ignored by the government, and there is a message that they are not wanted pening these days -- the unparalleled corruption in Kuwait. — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli

Other Voices Increase mall visit time from 8 to We miss you Monsieur Antoine 10 pm, business owners demand By Ahmad alsarraf It also built the Al Hamra Tower, the tallest in Kuwait which won 4 interna- ntoine was born in 1939 in the tional awards. The company also com- ‘Avoid high-risk countries in any future travel’ AGemmayzeh district of Beirut, a pleted the fourth phase of the Avenues middle-class, Maronite neighborhood. with two hotels, in addition to the 360 His father, Eng Naguib enrolled him Complex with tennis courts, the Kazma KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Business own- in the distinguished Frere Catholic Military Camp on an area of 3 million ers are hoping for a quick response to their School, where he became a diligent stu- square meters and other distinctive demands, such as extending the operation dent, prominent in the sports of basket- buildings and projects. ball and later became the captain of the This is not a memorial to the late hours of malls until 10:00 pm instead of national team and represented Lebanon friend Antoine who left our world sud- 8:00 pm; indicating this will have a positive in several international matches. denly a few days ago, while he was in impact on restaurants and cafés as people His father then sent him to Laus- the glory of his eighties. He really de- anne, Switzerland, where he graduated serves a lot and this will be mentioned usually go to these place after shopping and in engineering elsewhere, but I am writing to show the once the commercial shops are closed, re- in 1965 from a credit of expatriates or residents over well-known pol- ports Al-Anba daily quoting sources. Kuwait, and their positive, constructive Sources said the business owners pointed out that the ytechnic institute role. All these successful projects and and returned to pioneering companies run by citizens, approval of regulations, including maintaining a dis- Beirut for a short there was and still is a large part of the tance of two meters between tables, is enough to achieve while before he credit for their success to expatriate the goal of the Ministry of Health to curb the spread of decided to take residents. corona and protect public health. the step that They are the ones who established Sources disclosed the business owners are appealing to changed his life and successfully managed them, in- the concerned authorities to pay attention to their demand, and then began cluding the Ahmadiyya and the efforts especially since the owners of restaurants and cafés have his distinguished of the Najjar family that are decisive been incurring losses since the pandemic started. They ar- success story. alsarraf in its development. The partners in gued that once travel is allowed, the airplanes will not be Eng Naguib the Ahmadiyya and elsewhere of the obligated to maintain a distance of two meters between pas- KUNA photo Najjar “Antoine’s father” founded the mixed-ownership companies would not The head of the General Fire Brigade exchanges souvenirs with the Deputy Minister Ahmadiyya Contracting Company with sengers, even for some fl ights which last for more than two have achieved all this success, with full hours. They said dining in a restaurant or café takes less of Defense of the Czech Republic. “Abd al-Latif al-Thuwaini” in 1954, respect to them, had it not been for the and it was named Ahmadiyya after the than two hours while the two-meter distance rule is strictly efforts of the external element which followed. This is in addition to the demand to allow hook- Fire Dept seeks Czech expertise late Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber, the ruler added much to its expertise, capabilities of Kuwait at the time and gratefully ahs (shisha) in open spaces, sources stated. and dedication. Sources went on to say that the Supreme Ministerial Chief of the General Fire Force, Lieu- The Ministry of Public Works an- thanked his son, Sheikh Sabah, the late We also do not forget the valuable Amir of Kuwait, in introducing the two Committee for Corona Emergencies, headed by Deputy tenant General Khaled Al-Mikrad, dis- nounced that a joint team with the En- contributions of residents and their out- cussed on Sunday with Czech Deputy vironment Public Authority will monitor men to each other before becoming standing additions to art, literature, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad partners. Jaber Al-Ali, continues to consider the recommendations Minister of Defence Tomáš Kopecný violations and infringements of public journalism, culture, and all other vital the joint cooperation in the fi eld of fi re- networks in Jahra Governorate. The Ahmadiyya Company’s business and humanitarian fi elds. of ministries to take more precautionary measures and the expanded over time which required the opening of commercial establishments for the country to fi ghting and civil protection and ways to The ministry said in a press re- We will miss the joyful presence of enhance and develop them to reach the lease Sunday that the joint environ- joining of the son, Antoine, in 1967 as Tony (Antoine), his constant smile, our move to the fi fth stage of its gradual return to normal life mental team visited a number of rain a partner. ambitions of the two friendly countries. meetings with him, his generosity, his plan in September at the latest. This came in a press release issued and emergency networks in the bird The Ahmadiyya, both during the joy and the kindness of his heart, and Sources pointed out the owners of commercial establish- sanctuary in Jahra, as well as some reign of its founder and general manag- by the Public Relations and Informa- we were greatly saddened by his sud- ments should be reassured that the committee is looking tion during the reception of Lieutenant industrial and crafts areas in the gov- er “Naguib Najjar,” and subsequently, den demise. into all the proposals. They explained it is not logical to al- ernorate. during the reign of his son, Antoine, General Al-Mikrad, Deputy Minister of We offer his family, and in particu- low restaurants outside the commercial malls to open until Defense of the Czech Republic and She added that samples were taken after the death of his father in 1972, had lar our dear “Laila” and his two broth- 10:00 pm, while those inside the malls close at the same by the authority’s laboratories to con- a good reputation and indeed, according Ambassador of the Czech Republic to ers Ibrahim and Habib, and the friend time the malls are closed. the State of Kuwait Martin Dvorak and duct the required laboratory tests to to my knowledge, it was a distinguished “Elie Hani” our sincere, heartfelt con- the accompanying delegation. ensure the safety of the outputs from company in its dealings with everyone On the possibility of allowing people to travel, sources those outfall and their compliance with dolences. said the Supreme Ministerial Committee for Corona Emer- The statement added that during the and it was never known for any delay * * * the environmental protection law. gencies is regularly assessing the conditions of land and sea meeting, the Fire Force team welcomed She indicated that if there is an in- in paying the wages of its workers or Note: Charities announced a fun- the guests and exchanged with them the dues of its subcontractors. It also borders to determine if it is permissible to travel. crease in the percentage of pollutants, draising campaign for victims of ag- Sources added citizens should be warned about trave- the friendly talks, discussing existing co- a fi eld survey will be conducted for avoided entering into any dispute with gression in Gaza, and this is beautiful. operation between the two countries. At the parties it contracted with. ling to high-risk countries, as they might lack knowledge the entire network and the benefi ciary It is not nice that a majority insists on in this regard. They then stressed the need to immediately the end of the meeting, souvenirs were body will be addressed and infringe- The “Ahmadiyya” has completed deducting 12.5% of the donations for exchanged between the two sides. large projects including the power sta- publish information about high-risk countries, indicating ments on public networks will be pre- themselves. Those who called for ‘No ❑ ❑ ❑ vented. tions in Al-Shuaiba, the Salhiya com- Deduction’ were intimidated. What a the travel agencies must be obligated to distribute a copy plex and the Marriott Hotel and the rest charity! of this publication to those wishing to travel before book- of the major projects in Salhiya, the lat- ❑ ❑ ❑ ing tickets. est of which is the “Al-Asimah” com- plex project. email: [email protected] Top fi re offi cial dies in Sources of Quran on Net unknown neighbor house blaze ‘Obtain permission before printing’ By Munif Nayef Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, May 23: The Public Au- 10/2011 and obtain prior permission from thority for the Care of the Publication and the concerned authority to print, sell and KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Major Abdulaziz Al-Dawas Printing of Holy Quran has issued a state- circulate the Holy Quran. from the Salmiya Fire Station died while fi ghting a fi re ment to declare that the Holy Quran ver- Meanwhile, earlier, the Public Authority that broke out in his neighbor’s house in Bayan. sion, which is without the fourth chapter for the Care of Publication and Printing of His corpse has been referred to Forensics medicine. (Surah Al-Nisa’a), being circulated on so- Quran had referred a report related to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Cabi- cial media was neither printed nor revised circulation of a copy of the Holy Quran net Affairs Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al-Muhammad, or licensed according to the best and most that does not include chapter four (Surah the head of the Directorate-General of Fire Department, accurate technical specifi cations set by the Al-Nisa’a) to the Public Prosecution in or- Lieutenant-General Khaled Al-Mekrad, and all employ- concerned authority in Kuwait, reports Al- der for the necessary measures to be taken ees of the General Fire Force, including military and ci- Anba daily. against those who printed or published vilian mourned the death of Major Al-Dawas. In a press statement, the authority spokes- them and circulated them, reports Al-Rai According to the details, the Ministry of Interior opera- person Mubarak Al-Hayyan said, “As soon daily. tions room received a report of a fi re at the maid’s pre- as information was received from the Min- According to an offi cial source from ister of Awqaf regarding the incident, the the authority, the law on establishment of fabricated room in a house in Bayan, and immediately Director General of the authority Dr Fahad the authority obliges anyone who imports, the securitymen and fi re engines rushed to the spot to put Al-Daihani took prompt action to refer the distributes or publishes copies of the Holy out the fi re. incident to the Public Prosecution so that Quran to obtain an offi cial license to do so. The source added the deceased saw the fi re rising from necessary measures can be taken and those The authority searched its records, and it be- the maid’s room in his neighbor’s house, so he hurried responsible for its unlicensed distribution in came clear that the circulating copy of the and tried to extinguish the fi re with a fi re extinguisher the country can be caught”. Holy Quran without the fourth chapter is not before the arrival of fi refi ghters. After he was injured he He urged publishing houses, printing registered with it, after taking its data from was rushed to a hospital and succumbed to the burns fi ve houses and libraries to adhere to law No. the image in circulation. hours later. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 LOCAL 4 MoU aims at promoting cultural artistic events, training courses NCCAL, Kuwait Heritage Society ink memorandum HH the Amir with HH the Crown Prince (left). KUWAIT CITY, May 23, (KUNA): The Na- tional Council for Culture, Arts and Lit- erature signed on Sun- day a Memorandum of Understanding and cultural and heritage cooperation with the Kuwait Heritage So- ciety with the aim of promoting and initiat- ing activities that con- KUNA photos tribute to community HH the Amir with HH the Prime Minister (left). participation, cultural artistic events and HH Amir receives senior officials training courses. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Moreover, His Highness Sheikh The Secretary-General of Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Nawaf received Deputy Prime Min- the Council, Kamel Al-Abd His Highness the Crown Prince ister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, and Al-Jalil, said in a press state- Al-Sabah at Seif Palace on Sunday. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of ment on the occasion that His Highness also received His Justice and Minister of State for Integ- this memorandum will frame Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh rity Enhancement Abdullah Al-Roumi. many of the joint and distin- Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. (KUNA) guished activities that it stipu- lated, based on the balance KUNA photo of the leading and upscale National Day greetings sent Officials of NCCAL and Kuwaiti Heritage Society in a group photo after the signing of MoU. artistic association inside and outside Kuwait. He added that the Kuwait Heritage HH Amir congratulates Yemen Society is a pioneering as- KUWAIT CITY, May 23, (KUNA): His His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh sociation that contributes to Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah deepening and strengthening Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah addressed on and His Highness the Prime Minister cultural and historical rela- Sunday a congratulatory cable to Yemeni Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al- tions, stressing the Council’s President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi on the Sabah sent similar cables to the Yemeni keenness to develop and build occasion of his country’s National Day. president. bilateral partnerships with the Society in every field that serves heritage and history. Open House at Indian Embassy He explained that the Council KUNA photos will activate technical, research, The KRCS distributes 200 tons of agricultural products to needy Lebanese families and Syrian refugees in cultural and heritage coopera- to be held on May 26 at 4:00 pm Lebanon. tion with the association for the benefit of historical and cultural KUWAIT CITY, May 23: The Indian ries may send their queries with full name KRCS distributes 200 tons of agricultural products in Lebanon issues in Kuwaiti society in ac- Embassy in Kuwait will organize the as in Passport, Passport Number, Civil cordance with the frameworks virtual Open House on May 26, 2021, ID Number and contact number and ad- with HE Ambassador Sibi George at dress in Kuwait by email to community. Kuwait Red Crescent Society the produce to these segments, largest low-cash segments of the agreed upon in the memorandum. Futhermore, he indicated that the 4:00 pm. [email protected]. (KRCS) started on Sunday dis- in coordination with the Lebanese population in Lebanon. The central theme of the forthcoming The link for the event is https:// tribution of 200 tons of agrivcul- Red Cross. He has affirmed that the KRCS Council granted this pioneering association a special headquar- Open House is ‘Covid Situation in India zoom.us/j/97951316366?pwd=Tnhx tural products to needy Lebanese He underscored necessity of is continuing humanitarian and and Assistance from Abroad’. emtPMkhhZitieXNHNjFicXRuZz09 families and Syrian refugees in such projects to help Lebanese relief projects that support peo- ters for it and followed it with a second headquarters to carry out Ambassador will update the commu- and the login details are as follows: • Lebanon. people and Syrian refugees in their ple, refugees and hospitals, af- nity on the assistance being sent from Meeting ID: 979 5131 6366 •Password: In a statement to KUNA, Deputy difficult living conditions. fected with the fiery explosion its museum activities, noting that work will always be made to in- Kuwait to India and also on its utilization. 023430. Chairman of KRCS Anwar Al-Hasa- On his part, Head of KRCS’s that hit the Lebanese capital in He will also respond to queries on Vac- The event, except the interactive ses- wi said the society aims to support mission to Lebanon Dr Musaad Al- August 2020. volve it in the internal and exter- farmers and needy citizens as well Enezi told KUNA that the society The KRCS carries out Such hu- nal festivals of the Council in a cination Certifi cates in India. sion, will also be live streamed on Em- as refugees by buying crops from is keen on implementing humani- manitarian missions throughout the manner befitting the ancient heri- The Open House is open to all Indians bassy’s Facebook handle (https://m.face- Lebanese farmers and distributing tarian projects that can benefit the year. (KUNA) tage of the State of Kuwait, while in Kuwait. Those who have specifi c que- book.com/indianembassykuwait/) fully observing the copyright and neighboring rights law. Directives For his part, the Assistant Sec- retary-General for the Culture Sector and the official spokes- person for the Council, Dr Issa Al-Ansari, said in a similar state- ment that the signing of the mem- orandum of understanding comes in implementation of the direc- tives of the Minister of Informa- tion and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdul- rahman Al-Mutairi to strengthen the community partnership. Al-Ansari explained that the Kuwaiti Heritage Society was established in 2017, and much depends on it in preserving the national history of the State of Kuwait, its people and its various components, in order to pass it on to current and future generations. He added that the memorandum, which is valid for three years and is automatically renewable, stipu- lates many areas of cooperation, including the coordination of a joint media campaign to market all cultural events and training courses for workers agreed on through the social media sites of the two parties and according to the agreed media. The Guest Show poster. He indicated that the memoran- dum contributes to encouraging the TGS hosts Pamela Khraibut establishment of cooperative rela- tions, the exchange of scientific, This Thursday, The Guest Show on AWL played a significant role during research and training experiences, Radio Kuwait will host Pamela Khrai- the Iraqi invasion and continued to do and scientific trips between the two but, President of the American Wom- so even after liberation. After a quiet parties, the exchange of books, pe- en’s League (AWL), the oldest expat few years, the AWL was resurrected riodicals and publications issued by women’s group in Kuwait. AWL has a some years back to take its rightful them, and research programs, and history that reflects the social devel- place as a vibrant and active organi- the encouragement of intellectual, opment of Kuwait. The organization zation. On the Guest Show, Pamela cultural and knowledge production acts as a bridge and helps members, Khraibut speaks about all of this and aimed at developing society and many of them married to Kuwaitis as- about her journey of discovery in her the nation. similate with the local culture. The adopted homeland. Tune in. Results He stated that the memoran- “Fatah Land”. dum also provides for the ex- Merchants of During the civil war, Abu Iyad said his change of the results of seminars, famous phrase, “The road to Palestine pass- lectures, training programs, and Continued from Page 1 es through Jounieh”, justifying the massa- all activities and activities related eve of the 1967 war in a meeting during cre of the Lebanese people. They had estab- to the purposes and objectives of which it was decided to launch the battle, lished a de facto authority in an independent both parties, and to provide coop- explaining the risks and future isolation state that agreed to support their resistance. eration and exchange of experi- that Israel would face, as well as its stra- However, instead of returning the favor, ences with regard to joint cultural tegic planning. they destroyed Lebanon and bequeathed it and artistic workshops. Eshkol said, “Suppose I today accept and to Iran to complete its destruction. He pointed out that coopera- break the enemy’s strength, the enemy will Today, after the end of the confl ict in tion includes coordination and start rebuilding his strength from tomorrow, Gaza for which defenseless innocent peo- cooperation in preparing and because we too will have lost our strength. ple paid a heavy price, these leaders did adopting a timetable for the Then, we will have to fi ght after every ten not hesitate to invest their crime against implementation of joint activi- years. Therefore, we will continue fi ghting the Palestinians by begging for more ties and events that will be held wars in the future in order for the Arabs to money from the Arab countries. throughout the year, and par- forget the lands occupied in previous wars The senior leader of Hamas Ismail Hani- ticipating in providing the re- and to negotiate with us over the newly oc- yeh was clear in his sermon, one day after quirements for organization and cupied lands. We will still need something the recent ceasefi re came into effect, about preparation, provided that it is that would push us to go to war”. This is the need for fi nancial aid for the reconstruc- of a high level and that the type what the factions in Palestine have been tion of Gaza. At the same time, he praised of activity is distinct and uncon- giving Israel since the confl ict began. and thanked Iran, which had supplied weap- ventional according to what is The Palestinians forgot their cause ons to the so-called resistance movement. agreed upon and achieves the ob- when they waged a war against the gov- Based on all of the aforementioned facts, jectives of the values of society. ernment in Jordan, citing the slogan that we ask them, “Whom should we help? Is In turn, the head of the Kuwait “The road to Palestine passes through it the internationally recognized Palestinian Heritage Society, Hani Al-Asousi, Amman”. They hijacked civilian aircraft authority that seeks to fi nd a two-state solu- thanked, in a similar statement, to blow them up in the Jordanian desert tion for which the US President Joe Biden Minister Al-Mutairi, Secretary- in order to draw the world’s attention to promised his support, or the factions that General of the Council Kamel Al- their cause, or so they claimed, but in- have done nothing but invest in blood and Abd Al-Jalil and the leaders of the stead provoked all the nations such that destruction? This affi rms what was said by Council for their great role in sup- the West stood in support of Israel. the Vietnamese General Giap, who defeat- porting the association and activat- They also did it in Lebanon where they ed colonialists, the French and American ing its activities. occupied a part of its land and called it forces, and had liberated his country. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 LOCAL 5

Event aims at informing guests about ABCK-AmCham Kuwait’s goals, upcoming plans ABCK-AmCham Kuwait holds Annual General Meeting of 2021 KUWAIT CITY, May 23: The bers to be part of this door-knock ABCK-AmCham Kuwait held in order to have their voices heard their Virtual Annual Membership during the organization’s visit to the and Elections event, consisting of U.S.. ABCK-AmCham Kuwait members Almanee finalized his updates and non-members from across dif- by informing the members that ferent industries in Kuwait and the AmCham Kuwait’s Membership GCC region. The event was aimed at with AmCham MENA has enabled informing guests about ABCK-Am- stronger collaborations throughout Cham Kuwait’s goals, initiatives, the region, and he announced that updating them on past performance AmCham MENA will be launch- as well as upcoming plans. ing a virtual market soon for our In his opening statements, membership base to announce their ABCK-AmCham Kuwait’s Chair- business opportunities around the man, Frank Belonus, thanked the region. This will also be reflected membership and the Board of Di- on AmCham Kuwait’s website in rector on their constant support and order to further showcase the mem- contribution to the organization. He bers businesses. informed the membership that Fred After that, ABCK-AmCham Ku- Shuaibi, former Board of Directors wait’s Vice Chairman, Pete Swift, Member had been granted an honor- spoke about past events and high- ary membership with the organiza- lighted some of the events that tion due to his contributions as one ABCK- AmCham Kuwait has in of the 15 founding members of the store for 2021.Swift also reminded organization. Belonus gave a snap- the attendees about the Board of Di- shot of the organization’s activities rectors’ Elections for 2021, and he over the past year: “We saw a 45% asked that each company choose 1 increase in organizational growth representative to vote on behalf of over the past 12 months, despite the whole company, as he informed the challenges that the pandemic the attendees that the results of the brought to our organization and elections would be announced on the members We currently have over 20th of May. 600 members from top companies The event concluded with virtual and leaders in virtually every in- speed networking where new and dustry in Kuwait”. Belonus also existing members had the chance touched based on the organization’s to get to know each other and learn increased regional collaborations about different businesses and indus- with other AmChams and entities tries. throughout the region, as this has ❑ ❑ ❑ increased the number of online ac- tivities that the Chamber has been Photos during ABCK-AmCham Kuwait’s AGM ABCK-AmCham Kuwait: Is a able to do for their membership, to non-profit organization operating keep them engaged and informed. and Board Member, who spoke AmCham Kuwait within the past 18 Paola de la Roche, ABCK-Am- their crucial role in the strategic dia- since 1985 and is composed of 500 Belonus then spoke about Am- about AmCham Kuwait’s most re- months, with a special sponsorship Cham Kuwait’sActing Executive logue which involved topics such as corporations, small and medium Cham Kuwait’s industry-based fo- cent achievement on becoming on that has strongly contributed to the Director, then presented attendees economic diversification, education, sized companies, as well as promi- cus groups which are comprised of the 30th signatory in the State of sustenance of the organization. He with the financial performance for economic growth, collaborations, nent business leaders and entrepre- every member within the organiza- Kuwait for the Women’s Empow- announced to the participants the 2020, and allocated budget for the among other topics during these vis- neurs, both American and Kuwaiti. tion, as this has allowed members erment Principles from the United 2 companies that earned this pres- upcoming year. its.AlManee also spoke about Am- ABCK-AmCham Kuwait has acted to connect with others within their Nations Global Compact and Unit- tigious recognition: GOFSCO and De la Roche then introduced Cham Kuwait’smembership with the as an advocate for American inter- industry and collaborate to find ed Nations Women. Lockheed Martin; He thanked the 2 Rashed AlManee, Chair of the Poli- Middle Eastern American Chambers est in the state of Kuwait. For More solutions for challenges within Belonus also spoke about the new organizations for the crucial support cy & Strategic Committee and Board of Commerce (MECACC), as there Information, please visit our website their industry. Belonus introduced ‘Champion’ recognition that has during the year of 2020, which al- Member, who spoke about the U.S./ will be a door-knock at the U.S. Cap- at www.amchamkuwait.org or fol- Dr. Arezou Harraf, Chair of the been created for Chairman’s Club lowed AmCham Kuwait to continue Kuwait Strategic Dialogue of 2020, itol which will be held in September, low us on social media channel @ Women in Business Focus Group companies who have supported with its advocacy efforts. and thanked the U.S. Embassy for and encouraged the American Mem- abck1985. Kuwait’s Commerce Minister issues new regulations for jewellery shops ‘Indicate price, other details in each displayed piece’

KUWAIT CITY, May 23, (KUNA): Kuwait’s Min- ister of Commerce and Industry Dr Abdullah Al- Salman on Sunday issued a new ministerial decision regarding precious hand- made crafts and jewellery, imposing new regulations, namely tagging each dis- played piece with a price. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry added in a statement the price tag must entail the company’s name, serial number (barcode), car- ats, weight, and type of the piece, as well as its factorial value, along with the weight of the lobes and their type. Meanwhile, regarding the precious handmade crafts of special nature, they should be exposed to customers in an isolated and clear location at the shop, with a tag of the company’s name, serial number (barcode), which is related to the electronic sale system, type, weight and description of the piece, it added. The precious jewellery commercial shops should tag the piece they sell with fixed price, and the price should be registered in the shop’s commercial record, it added. In other news, Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Develop- ment Shaya Al-Shaya discussed with Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr Abdullah Al-Salman during a meeting, KUNA photo KUNA photos ways to enhance the role of the agri- Formation of low and medium clouds accompanied by sporadic rain are witnessed in Kuwait on Sunday. His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- cultural sector in the country and find Sabah receives His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled necessary solutions to push this vital ‘Unstable weather and winds may reach storm limits’ Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Ministers of Defense, Interior and Justice. sector towards achieving food security on the internal front. The Kuwait Meteorological De- decreases with these winds to less sion of India’s seasonal depression. Audiences of HH the Crown Prince The meeting, which was held the partment expected Sunday, that than 500 meters in some areas, and He called on citizens and resi- Commerce Ministry headquarters, also the country will be affected by in- low and medium clouds proliferate, dents to follow the weather forecast His Highness the Crown Prince Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al- discussed the proposal submitted by stability in weather conditions, as accompanied by scattered rain that through the administration page on Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al- Ali Al-Sabah and Interior Minister Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs the northwest winds are active is sometimes thunderstorm and its website, as well as through the Jaber Al-Sabah received His High- Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) means and their speed exceeds 70 kilom- leads to the height of sea waves to application of Kuwait Meteorologi- ness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sa- Al-Sabah. of support for the local produce and eters per hour, and may reach the more than 6 feet. cal Department on smartphones, bah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah at He also hosted Deputy Prime strengthening of the efforts of national threshold of a storm causing dust. Al-Qarawi expects the chances of especially during weather fluctua- Seif Palace on Sunday. Minister, Minister of Justice and farmers during high production periods The observer for weather fore- thunderstorms to continue until dawn tions, to know the latest develop- Moreover, His Highness the Minister of State for Integrity (Naza- or what he called the ‘agricultural calen- casts at the administration, Ab- Monday, with wind speeds gradually ments in the weather and to know Crown Prince received Deputy ha) Enhancement Affairs Abdullah dar’ saying this is one of the demands of dulaziz Al-Qarawi, told Kuwait News slowing at noon, due to the fact that the weather warnings if the matter Prime Minister and Minister of Al-Roumi. (KUNA) to the agricultural sector in the country. Agency that the horizontal visibility the country is affected by the exten- required issuing them. (KUNA) Amount represents cost of dropping consumer loans and housing loans Balance of citizens’ debts to be paid to banks about KD 12 bln KUWAIT CITY, May 23: The Central ic Affairs and Investment Khalifa Hama- returns due on those loans until the end government’s role in the economy and pres- Bank of Kuwait stated that the balance deh to a parliamentary question submitted of their terms is about KD 15.1 billion”. ents solutions to the deficit. of the consumer loans and installment by Khaled Al-Otaibi regarding the cost of Meanwhile, the Economic Affairs Com- The employment policy in the public sec- financing services provided by banks dropping consumer and installment loans mittee in the Council of Ministers warned tor is not sustainable and that there are sig- and the investment and finance compa- by local banks, investment companies and last week about serious structural imbal- nificant imbalances in the labor market, con- nies that are subject to the supervision of finance companies subject to the supervision ances in public finance and exacerbation of sidering more than four out of five Kuwaitis the Central Bank of Kuwait for Kuwaiti of the Central Bank. the liquidity crisis with the depletion of the working in government offices. citizens (excluding interest and returns) Regarding the financial cost of drop- General Reserve Fund, reports Al-Rai daily The program aims to control spending amounted to about KD 12 billion as of ping the benefits of consumer and install- quoting sources. and increase non-oil revenues; and in the end of March 2021, reports Al-Rai daily. ment loans for citizens in local banks, Sources said the committee estimated the medium to long term, to support economic It affirmed that this amount represents investment companies and others, the budget deficit in the next five years to range diversification, improve the business envi- the cost of dropping the consumer loans Central Bank revealed that, “The balance between KD45 to KD 55 billion. ronment, stimulate private sector growth, and housing loans for citizens, indicating of consumer and housing loans and other Sources disclosed the concerned team and develop the labor market. that the cost of dropping six-month debts of financing operations by banks and invest- is finalizing the national program for eco- The program is being developed and citizens will be higher than the cost of their ment and finance companies subjected nomic and financial sustainability, in co- revised according to data changes, stress- postponement. to the supervision of the Central Bank operation with the Ministry of Finance, for ing the development of the labor market This declaration of the Central Bank was for citizens without interest and returns submission to the committee. by attracting foreign investment and sup- part of the response of the Minister of Fi- amounted to about KD 12 billion. The This economic program extends for four porting entrepreneurs and the industry nance and the Minister of State for Econom- total balance including the interest and years -- from 2021 to 2025. It redefines the sector. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021

6

From left: Award winners Tejia Wang, Deema Mouazzen, Witold, the youngest winner; teacher Karol Masternak, Grand Prize winner Yamen Tarek and The Grand Prize winner Yamen Tarek (left) with Ambassador of Poland to Kuwait Music Academy Co-founder Fajer Al-Mazidi. Kuwait Pawel Lechowicz .

Sulaiman Moukhaiber, prize winner Kuwaiti Dr Esraa M. Abdullah, prize winner on adult piano with her teacher Mohammad Al Khawaja, male voice winner with his teacher Inna Agiba- Keisha Mokashi, junior piano prize on high piano with his teacher Karol Dr Inna Agibalova. lova. winner with his teacher Karol Mas- Masternak. ternak.

Kaouthar Chebli, second prize win- Teacher Victor Shramko with Van Pham, junior piano prize winner and Chi Lizabeth Tu, 1st prize winner on in- Hassan Ashkanani, distinction ju- Daniel Badawi, 2nd prize junior ner on adult piano. Tran, intermediate flute prize winner with Karol Masternak. termediate piano with teacher Karol nior piano winner with his teacher piano winner with Karol Masternak. Masternak. Kinga Masternak. Kuwait Music Academy holds 6th Gulf Int’l Competition

The Kuwait Music Academy recently organized the 6th during the pandemic. Kuwait Music Academy’s objective is to encour- cians. Gulf International Competition in Kuwait. Over 140 par- The winner of the Grand Prize and the Ambassador age and develop the musical skills and education of Every year students of the academy have opportu- ticipants from Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the of the Republic of Poland Award was Yamen Tarek, the youth in Kuwait and Across Gulf Countries. They nity to show their achievements on the Gala Concerts United Arab Emirates, representing over 30 nationali- playing the high piano. seek to cooperate with all music schools, instrument and annual ToT Festival. ties took part in the competition. The competition ignit- All the winners of different categories were honored music teachers, music lovers and musicians in the All young musicians are welcomed to take part in the ed interest, emotion and offered healing through music during the Awarding Ceremony. countries to benefit of the young generation of musi- event.

Some screenshots from the event. Bhavans holds virtual farewell function to outgoing batch of Grade 12 ‘Shubhashish 2021’: IES bids adieu to its twelfth graders

KUWAIT CITY, May 23: Bhavans In- community for its outstanding courage four D’s, commitment competence and 12C and Arundhati Sharma of 12D virtual auditorium further echoed of togetherness. Thus, the day let the dian Education School, Kuwait, grand- displayed to cope with all odds in the compassion along with discipline, ded- shared the deep emotions etched with blessings as the class teachers students take a stroll down memory ly organized ‘Shubhashish 2021’, a face of adversity. N. K. Ramachan- ication, determination and devotion, to in their minds, fondly recollecting of grade 12 graciously showered lane encapsulating the best moments virtual farewell function for the out- dran, Chairman, Bhavans Middle East, attain success. Ms Meenakshi Nayyar, the days spent at IES. The repre- words of appreciation, acknowl- of their lives spent at IES. The pro- going batch of grade 12, on May16, while wishing the students community Vice Principal, Middle Wing, ex- sentatives from parent community, edging the accomplishments of the gram came to an end with the vote of 2021. The event held virtually in no good luck in all their endeavours, re- pressed her best wishes to the students Mohammed Parvez Khan, father of students and wishing them good thanks proposed by Susanth K.V., Co- way lacked the fervour and the energy quested them to always make their par- and requested them to be role models- Mohammed Adnan of 12A, Umesh luck for their future. ordinator of grade 12. The whole pro- of tradition as mixed emotions wafted ents proud by living up to their trust. T. who would discharge their duties with Panda, father of Abhishek Panda T. Premkumar, Principal, IES, lifted gramme was emceed by E.P. Prasad, in the air, bringing nostalgic moments Premkumar, Principal, IES, expressed integrity and hard work. Ms Lalitha of 12B Sreekumar Pokattu, father the spirits of Bhavanites by dedicating the Subject Coordinator of Department alive in the minds of the attendees. his gratitude to the parent community, Premkumar, Vice Principal, Primary of Nikhil of 12C and Ms Cynthia a solemn prayer to the almighty, seek- of English. The event began at 9.00 am with the teaching fraternity and the students and Kindergarten Wings, while wish- Lewis, mother of Nigel Lewis of ing blessings for Bhavanites to look Undoubtedly, the uphill journey a prayer song by Akshita Rajesh of for their endurance and support in the ing good luck to the students, advised 12D, shared their pleasant and re- forward to better prospects and scale of Bhavanites will leave an indelible Grade 8, seeking the divine grace of testing times of the ongoing pandemic. them to love themselves and to earn warding experiences of being asso- greater heights in their lives. Yet an- mark on the sands of time as they as- the Almighty. Ms Anselma Tessy Ju- In his message, he not only wished the the blessings of all other fellow beings. ciated with Bhavans and expressed other highlight of the day was the un- pire, excel and fulfil their noble dreams deson, Vice Principal, Senior Wing, students with all good prospects but The class representatives, Sharon their heartfelt gratitude to the entire veiling of the class photographs which with the indomitable spirit clad in hu- welcomed the august gathering and ex- also urged them to make excellence a Balaji of 12A, Shreya Varsha Arun Bhavans family for shaping their made the students reminisce about the mility, continuing to live up to the ide- pressed her appreciation to the student habit by embracing the three C’s and of 12B, Aishwarya Babu Prasad of wards into fine human beings. The treasured moments of their school life als of their alma mater. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 7

America News in Brief

‘No obvious frontrunner’ 2 dead in shooting: At least two people were killed and 12 oth- ers were wounded in a shooting at a South Jersey house party, state police Trump criminal probe said. New Jersey State Police said a 30-year-old man and 25-year-old- woman were fatally shot. There were 12 other people who were injured and ‘looms’ over DA polls transported to local hospitals. Offi cials said police responded to a NEW YORK, May 23, (AP): Eight committed crimes in Manhattan, I house in Fairfi eld Township, about an days after Donald Trump turns 75 will prosecute them,” said candi- hour outside of Philadelphia, late Sat- next month, New York City vot- date Eliza Orlins, a public defender urday night. 6ABC reports that police ers will cast their last ballots in an who once appeared as a contestant said it was party with a couple hun- election that’s sure to have conse- on “Survivor.” dred people. Aerial footage shows de- quences for the former president. “It is more vital now than ever, bris throughout the home’s yard. (AP) It’s not another White House that the offi ce of the district attor- ❑ ❑ ❑ run, but a vote in the Democratic ney be understood not to be a polit- Party pri- ical offi ce, that the district attorney Italian cable car plunges: A ca- mary for not be perceived to be in bed with ble car taking visitors to a mountain- Manhat- anyone,” said another candidate, top view of some of northern Italy’s tan’s next Lucy Lang, a former assistant dis- most picturesque lakes plunged to district trict attorney and former director the ground Sunday, killing at least 12 attorney of John Jay College’s Institute for people and sending two children to – the per- Innovation in Prosecution. the hospital, authorities said. son who Rescue crews were continuing to would Robust search the area given possible indica- likely end The robust fi eld includes three tions that a 15th person might have up han- former prosecutors in the Man- Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II presents the 15 years long service and good conduct medal to Petty Offi cer Matthew been in the cable car, said Walter Mi- dling pros- hattan district attorney’s offi ce – Ready, during a visit to the HMS Queen Elizabeth at HM Naval Base, ahead of the ship’s maiden deployment, in lan, spokesman for Italy’s Alpine res- ecution if Lang, Liz Crotty and Diana Flor- cue service. The scene of the wreck- Trump Portsmouth, England, Saturday May 22, 2021. HMS Queen Elizabeth will be leading a 28-week deployment to the an ongoing ence – and two former federal Far East that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted is not confrontational towards China. (AP) age showed the crushed and crumpled investigation prosecutors, Tali Farhadian Wein- remains of the cable car in a clearing of Trump’s business fi nds criminal stein and Alvin Bragg. Three can- of a thick patch of pine trees near the wrongdoing. The current district didates have never been prosecu- summit of the Mottarone peak over- attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr, is leav- tors, including Orlins, civil rights Briefed on upcoming deployment looking Lake Maggiore. (AP) ing offi ce at the end of the year, lawyer Tahanie Aboushi and state ❑ ❑ ❑ meaning there’s a good chance Assembly member Dan Quart. he’ll pass the two-year probe to his No obvious frontrunner has 3 dead outside Ohio bar: At least successor. emerged in the crowded fi eld. three people were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting The matter of who will take over The Trump investigation, which Queen visits navy carrier has taken on new urgency after the Sunday outside a bar in Youngstown, the former president has decried as Ohio, police said. announcement this week that the a “witch hunt,” carries major impli- LONDON, May 23, (AP): Queen Eliz- Marines. including India, Japan, South Korea state attorney general’s offi ce had Offi cers were called to the Torch cations for his political future and abeth II made a quick visit Saturday to Arriving by helicopter, the 95-year- and Singapore with more than 70 en- Club Bar & Grille in Youngstown joined the DA’s Trump criminal the fate of his company. the Royal Navy’s fl agship aircraft car- old monarch was greeted by the ship’s gagements, including sailing alongside around 2 a.m. Sunday. investigation – a sweeping look at Trump isn’t the only topic of rier that bears the name of her epony- commanding offi cer, Captain Angus the French carrier Charles De Gaulle Authorities said no one was in cus- hush-money payments, property discussion in the race, amid reig- mous 16th- century predecessor, ahead Essenhigh, and Commodore Stephen in the Mediterranean. A total of 3,700 tody but they were talking to several valuations, tax strategies, executive nited concern over street crime and individuals. compensation and other dealings. the ongoing debate about criminal of its maiden operational deployment. Moorhouse, commander of the U.K. sailors, aviators and marines are in- The HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Carrier Strike Group. volved in the deployment which will Police were still investigating the justice and the role of prosecutors, shooting and more information was Solidly renewed in the wake of the Min- latest Royal Navy ship to honor the While aboard, she was given a brief- cover 25,000 nautical miles. Tudor-era monarch who vanquished ing on the upcoming deployment and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has not immediately known. (AP) In a solidly Democratic bor- neapolis police killing of George ❑ ❑ ❑ ough, the party’s June 22 primary Floyd a year ago. “At the beginning the Spanish Armada in 1588, will be had a chance to chat with some of the said the deployment “will be fl ying the is highly likely to decide the win- of the race, maybe last year, a lot leading a 28-week deployment to Asia 1,700 personnel. The queen wore a fl ag for Global Britain - projecting our Greek dog owners protest: ner. of folks thought that Trump would that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has scarab brooch that had been a gift from infl uence, signaling our power, engag- Several hundred dog owners and The eight candidates have made be a primary talking point, but he insisted is not confrontational toward her late husband, Prince Philip, a for- ing with our friends and reaffi rming our their pets gathered Sunday outside clear they’re not afraid of taking on doesn’t really seem to be the main China. mer high-ranking naval offi cer who commitment to addressing the security Greece’s Parliament in protest against the former president, but most have issue in this crop of candidates,” The 3 billion-pound ($4.2 billion) died last month at age 99. challenges of today and tomorrow.” a draft law that will make sterilization been cautious to stay away from said Christina Greer, political sci- ship, which has eight RAF F35B stealth The carrier group will travel through The trip comes after the British gov- of household pets - especially cats and overtly anti-Trump rhetoric. ence professor at Fordham Univer- fi ghter jets on board, is scheduled to the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, ernment’s review of defense and for- dogs - mandatory. “While I can’t say what I will sity. “He’s in a long list of issues, The dog owners railed against the specifi cally do without seeing all but crime and how the DA will depart from Portsmouth Naval Base in then from the Gulf of Aden to the Ara- eign policy recommended that the U.K. bill’s “abolition of amateur breeding, the facts and the evidence, if Don- prosecute particular cases seem to southern England, accompanied by six bian Sea and Indian Ocean to the Phil- “tilt” its focus towards the Indo-Pacifi c the backbone of dog loving,” as they ald Trump or any of the Trumps be the more prescient issues.” Royal Navy ships, a submarine, 14 na- ippine Sea. region, in response to China’s growing called it in a statement. (AP) val helicopters and a company of Royal It will carry out visits to 40 countries infl uence on the world stage. Breeze Airways says it will begin fl ying in late May

American travelers are about to get their second travelers, who are returning from pandemic lock- Burbank, California. new airline of the spring. down faster than business travelers. Breeze said its fi rst fl ights will connect This fi le Breeze Airways said Friday that it will begin The new airlines hope their timing is right. U.S. Charleston, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and photo provided fl ying May 27 and expand by July to 16 cities, air travel is recovering rapidly, although it re- Hartford, Connecticut. Other destinations will be by CeanOrrett mostly in the Southeast and central U.S. mains about one-third below pre-pandemic lev- added each week through July 22, stretching shows David Breeze, the creation of JetBlue Airways els. The plunge in travel means that used planes from Providence, Rhode Island, to San Antonio, Neeleman founder David Neeleman, is targeting second- are plentiful and cheap, and there is a ready la- Texas. with Breeze ary cities that are largely overlooked or aban- bor supply among pilots and other workers who Breeze will start with 13 Embraer jets, some of aircraft. (AP) doned by bigger carriers. Neeleman says 95% lost their jobs at bigger airlines. which it is getting from another Neeleman airline, of Breeze’s early routes have no other nonstop To survive, the newcomers must avoid antag- Brazil’s Azul. Neeleman said in an interview that fl ights. onizing larger competitors that could crush them. Breeze will achieve trip costs 20% to 25% less Like fellow startup Avelo Airlines, which began Several other budget carriers also pursue vaca- than those of bigger airlines, allowing it to serve fl ying in late April on the West Coast, Breeze tion travelers, and one of them, Frontier Airlines, smaller markets and still become profi table by plans to offer low base fares to attract leisure already announced plans to challenge Avelo in year end. (AP)

Market Movements 21-05-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries +12.70 7,265.25 CHINA - Shanghai SE -20.39 3,486.56 JAPAN - Nikkei +219.58 28,317.83 GERMANY - DAX +67.25 15,437.51 FRANCE - CAC 40 +42.83 6,386.41 EUROPE - Euro Stoxx 50 +25.87 4,025.78 S. KOREA - KRX 100 +8.27 6,631.41 PHILIPPINES - PSEi +1.61 6,199.25 Business

Consumers growing more confi dent and opening up their wallets Choppy jobs recovery could mean bumpy economic rebound WASHINGTON, May 23, (AP): April’s weak jobs report is a sign that while the U.S. economy continues Deal worth $630m its post-pandemic recovery, the road ahead will be bumpy. Only 266,000 jobs were created High infl ation? A generation Tribune OKs last month, shocking Wall Street and leaving the U.S. still about 8.2 million jobs short of the where the Alden’s ‘bid’ country stood before the coronavirus NEW YORK, May 23, (AP): began to spread last year, killing just Shareholders of Tribune Publish- over 579,000 Americans and shutter- of investors has never felt it ing, one of the country’s largest ing wide swathes of the economy. newspaper chains, approved a The shortfall raises concerns about $630 million takeover bid by how quickly the U.S. economy can hedge fund Alden Global Capital return to normal. Consumer spending, on Friday, the company said in which has been steadily recovering a brief statement. Alden, which and accounts for 70% of economic already owned nearly one-third activity, can only push the economy of Tribune, stands to take full so far. Fuller employment, and more control of the Chicago Tribune, people getting paid, will be needed to Baltimore Sun and other Tribune sustain an economic rebound. papers. “This report is a humbling experi- Through its Digital First Me- ence for economists and strategists dia chain, Alden owns the Bos- given the wide miss versus expecta- ton Herald, Denver Post and San tions,” said Katie Nixon, chief invest- Jose Mercury News. Tribune offered little ad- ment offi cer at Northern Trust Wealth ditional detail beyond the fact Management. that it expects the deal to close At April’s pace for job growth, it on May 25. In a statement, Al- could take until the end of 2023 for den said the move “reaffirms employment to reach levels seen just our commitment to the news- before the pandemic hit. But, growth paper industry” and its focus on has been choppy and far more jobs retooling publications so they were added in March. At that pace, can ”operate sustainably over employment would fully recover to the long term.” pre-pandemic levels by the middle of The Alden deal is just the latest 2022. major acquisition of a newspaper Growing company by an investment fi rm dedicated to maximizing prof- Consumers are growing more its in distressed industries. The confident and opening up their wal- collapse of print advertising as lets while manufacturers ramp up readers migrated to digital publi- and travel demand rebounds. But cations has rocked the traditional with the employment market stub- newspaper business. Publishers bornly lagging behind, it’s been a have shut down more than 2,000 reality check for an exuberant mar- papers over the past 15 years and ket projecting a steady and fast re- half of newsroom jobs have dis- covery this year. appeared. “We anticipate the strong eco- Investment fi rm owners are of- nomic recovery to continue,” Nixon ten criticized for valuing profi ts said. “It does, however, highlight our over the mission of local journal- shared belief in the Fed’s view that ism, and Alden is no exception. there is a ‘ways to go” before we get The deal drew opposition from back to pre-COVID-19 levels of em- many of the company’s journal- ists in an unusual spate of em- ployment.” In this fi le photo, a trader works the fl oor at the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. The central question gripping Wall Street in spring 2021 is whether The latest employment report also the burst of infl ation hitting the economy as it recovers from the pandemic is just temporary or the start of a real problem. (AP) ployee activism. They set up ral- threw the market a curve, in that it lies, tried to fi nd local buyers and painted a picture of a recovery mov- begged for a rescue in their own ing so fast that the supply of workers newspapers. They had rooted for has not yet caught up with demand. Fast price gains could force Fed to reverse its record-low rate policy a higher bid from hotel mogul Many workers are still reluctant to Stewart Bainum in the belief that look for work because of the linger- it would be better for local jour- ing threat from COVID-19, while NEW YORK, May 23, wildly off the mark? - it could rav- through it.” tion era. Their message to him so far? nalism, although that never came unemployment benefi ts still remain age the economy and force the Fed The numbers show that the high- “They told me this is nothing,” to fruition. They lobbied Trib- (AP): The central ques- une’s No. 2 investor, Los Ange- enhanced. Analysts have also pointed tion gripping Wall Street to reverse its record-low interest rate infl ation era was painfully bumpy for Jacobsen said. “Mainly because they out supply chains for lumber and oth- policy and trim the bond purchases stocks, giving some credence to the lived through it before, and they’re les Times owner Patrick Soon- er commodities have slowed produc- is whether the burst of in- that are boosting markets. worries that are shaking Wall Street like, ’4.2% infl ation? Put a 1 in front Shiong, to vote no and scuttle the That possibility has led to some now. The S&P 500 tumbled 29.7% in of that number and then maybe I’ll deal. tion and paused the need for hiring in fl ation hitting the economy In a blog post, the president of some sectors. as it recovers from the pan- jagged moves in the stock market. 1974 as infl ation shot up to 12.1%. worry. Don’t wake me until it’s The S&P 500 slumped 2.1% in one 14.2%.’” the union representing Tribune Restaurants, hotels and entertain- demic is just temporary or But big gains were interspersed journalists lamented that Trib- ment venues notched gains last month day last week after a report showed through the period as well, such as a Regular investors logging into une’s shareholders had “ let eve- as people feel more comfortable go- the start of a real problem. the Consumer Price Index rose at the 31.5% surge in 1975. trading apps on their phones, though, ryone down ” by approving the ing out to eat and travel. Hiring for The answer threatens to fastest pace since 2008 in the year Brian Jacobsen, a senior invest- don’t get to lean on institutional deal, but said the union would jobs more related to the e-commerce crack the stock market’s in- through May. ment strategist at Wells Fargo Asset knowledge like that. And experts say “continue to hold Alden Global that skyrocketed during height of the The diffi culty is that the last time Management, was born a year after they are making up a bigger propor- Capital accountable.” pandemic, like warehousing, fell. credible, record-setting run very high, long-lasting infl ation was that, in 1976. tion of trading volume, as waves of Confusion arose earlier in the The lagging jobs market is con- that began in March 2020. a serious threat for the economy was new investors jump into the stock day when a spokeswoman for trasted by strong growth in consumer Adding to the fog of the debate before many of today’s professional Infl ation market for the fi rst time. That could Soon-Shiong said he “abstained” confi dence and spending. Consumer - and the uncertainty that has mar- money managers were born. To have Most of Jacobsen’s working life be adding to the market’s overall un- from the vote. According to Trib- confi dence rose sharply in April, hit- kets churning - is that more than had experience in such a market, has been in an era of ever-moderat- ease and volatility. une’s April 20 proxy statement, ting the highest level since the pan- a generation has passed on Wall they need to remember the 1970s and ing infl ation and interest rates. He By some measures, retail investors which states that approval of the demic began. April’s retail sales re- Street since investors had any ex- early 1980s, when infl ation remained doesn’t know what it was like to live made up more than a third of all U.S. deal required the votes of at least port from the Commerce Department perience at all with high, long-last- stubbornly above 10%. through the trauma of price controls trading volume for stocks in the early two-thirds of shares not owned is expected on Friday, but March’s “Certainly, having gone through or having to pay a mortgage with a part of this year, up from a quarter in by Alden, an “abstain” vote report showed that consumers fl ush ing infl ation. counted the same as an “against” What’s clear is that the average that, it’s helpful,” said Rich Weiss, a 10% interest rate. But he spent much the years before the pandemic. One with stimulus cash drove the biggest of his time studying it while earning vote. increase since May of 2020. Widen- cost of regular gasoline has jumped 61-year-old senior portfolio manager diffi culty for all investors, big and Neither Tribune nor its board ing distribution of vaccines and busi- to $3.04 per gallon from $1.89 a year at American Century Investments. his doctorate degree in economics. small, is that there is no clear play- made any public comments on nesses reopening have helped bolster earlier. Used cars and trucks cost He started in the industry in 1984, “Fortunately, experience can be book for navigating high infl ation. vote result until late in the day spending. 21% more last month than a year when infl ation was fi nally on the de- transmitted through generations of Gold is often pitched as protection Friday. In its statement, Tribune In March, the Commerce Depart- before. Airline fares ascended nearly cline, but he remembers how painful investors,” he said. against infl ation, but the biggest ETF effectively confi rmed earlier re- ment revised its forecast for GDP 10%. the earlier years had been while he Like American Century’s Weiss, holding the metal is down 1.8% for porting attributed to unnamed growth to around 6% for the year, Many economists, as well as the was in graduate school. Jacobsen believes this rise in infl a- 2021, as of Wednesday. Bitcoin has Tribune offi cials that Soon- which would be the strongest per- Federal Reserve, say not to worry “Anybody, if they want, can go tion will be only “transitory,” which also been recommended for protec- Shiong’s ballots were submit- formance since a 7.2% GDP gain in about any of this. They’re convinced back to the numbers and see what is the word Fed offi cials have used to tion against infl ation, but its price ted without the “abstain” box 1984 when the economy was com- these fast price gains will prove fl eet- happens when infl ation becomes in- describe it. fell sharply on the day of the infl a- checked, and so were counted ing out of a deep recession. It would ing. If the experts are wrong, howev- grained, embedded in the fabric of He also talks regularly with col- tion report last week and then tum- as “yes” votes toward the Alden also put the total GDP above its 2019 er - remember last month’s jobs data, the economy and the markets,” he leagues, both retired and still-work- bled further on Wednesday. Treasury takeover in accordance with the levels. where economists’ predictions were said. “But it’s different if you live ing, who lived through the last infl a- Infl ation-Protected Securities are instructions on the ballot. Trib- une did not name Soon-Shiong bonds whose payouts rise and fall directly, but said that proxies with infl ation, but many are offering from “one of the company’s larg- negative yields. est shareholders” were submitted Hack leaked passengers’ Stocks are supposed to be some in this fashion. of the better performers during infl a- Soon-Shiong’s representa- tionary periods, but returns there can tive, Hillary Manning, said the data, says India’s carrier be volatile too, as evidenced by the billionaire viewed Tribune as a 1970s and early 80s. “passive investment” and that NEW DELHI, May 23, (AP): Personal Lufthansa were among those affected. At Columbia Threadneedle Invest- he is focused on the “revitaliza- data of an unspecified number of trav- Air India said almost 4.5 million pas- ments, few fund managers are look- tion” of the L.A. Times and the elers has been compromised after a sengers globally were affected in the ing to the historical record to gauge San Diego Union-Tribune, which company that serves India’s national “highly sophisticated” attack but did not he bought from Tribune in 2018. whether long-lasting infl ation should Soon-Shiong stands to gain about carrier was hacked, Air India said. specify how many of them were its trav- be a big worry now, “as we’ve never The hackers were able to access 10 elers. It said no password data was $150 million from his Tribune years’ worth of data including names, breached during the attack and that the reopened an economy after a global stake. passport and credit card details from company was investigating. pandemic,” spokeswoman Liz Ken- Legal experts agreed that if the Atlanta-based SITA Passenger The company said it recommended nedy said. Soon-Shiong left his ballot blank, Service System, Air India said in a in an email to its customers that they “Many said they needed more he likely did so deliberately. statement Friday. should change their account passwords data over a longer time period as One possibility, said Andrew It disclosed the scale of the breach as a precaution. Air India started as a the economy reopens to really get Verstein, a UCLA School of Law nearly three months after it was first mail carrier in 1932 before gaining a sense for how this plays out,” she professor, is that Soon-Shiong informed by the IT provider. commercial popularity. It has been said. intended to vote yes but didn’t The breach that happened in late incurring losses since its 2007 merger If that’s the case, be prepared to want to take fl ak for that vote. “If February had compromised the data of with a state-owned domestic carrier, experience even more swings in the you say yes, people yell at you some major global airlines, too. SITA Indian Airlines. The debt-laden carrier stock market as Wall Street’s biggest for selling out the newspaper,” he said. at that time had said that Singapore is currently in the process of finding In this fi le photo, an Air India plane is seen in the background of slums question waits even longer to be an- Airlines, New Zealand Air and new buyers. adjoining the the international airport in Mumbai, India. (AP) swered. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 BUSINESS 9

Sri Lanka OKs panel to run huge Chinese luxury development

Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Thursday lamation of land and construction of infra- development could become a virtual Chi- the bill so that a majority of the fi ve to seven and casino businesses. passed a law installing a powerful eco- structure adjacent to the Port of Colombo. nese outpost or colony. commission members appointed by the China has provided billions of dollars nomic commission to administer a huge In return, it obtained the right to use 62 Sri Lanka’s government sees the pro- country’s president will be Sri Lankan. The in loans for Sri Lankan projects over the Chinese luxury oceanside development hectares (153 acres) of marketable land ject as a lifeline for an economy hit hard government rejected an opposition propos- past decade - including a seaport, air- after altering elements of the bill ruled un- on a 99-year lease from the Sri Lankan by the coronavirus pandemic. al to have part of the commission’s funds port, highways, power stations and the constitutional by the country’s top court. government, according to the project’s Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court decided allocated by Parliament to ensure that the port city. But that debt has deepened Sri The bill to create the Colombo Port City website. The planned project includes an that some elements of the bill confl icted commission stays under state supervision. Lanka’s debt burden. Economic Commission passed with a integrated resort and casino and confer- with the constitution, saying some claus- The law retained clauses giving the the Sri Lanka leased a Chinese-built port in 149-58 vote in Sri Lanka’s 225-member ence center zone, a marina, residential es would need approval in a public refer- commission the power to make rules and the city of Hambantota, which is near the Parliament. developments, a fi nancial zone and green endum to become law. The highest court create businesses exemptions from laws world’s busiest east-west shipping route, to a The CHEC Port City Colombo company, spaces. also suggested ways to amend the bill so related to taxes, customs, betting and Chinese fi rm in 2017 for 99 years in a bid to a unit of China Communications Construc- The project has raised concerns in it would conform with the constitution. gaming levies, employee terminations, recover from the heavy burden of repaying a tion Company, invested $1.4 billion for rec- Sri Lanka and neighboring India that the The government in response amended entertainment taxes, foreign exchange loan the country took to build the facility. (AP)

Brussels seeks to cement trade ties with Biden team EU fi nance ministers see economic recovery taking hold

BRUSSELS, May 23, (KUNA): The make sure that the audiovisual industry Eurogroup finance ministers met in can more easily reach European and person in Lisbon, Portugal, Friday international markets and audiences to discuss macroeconomic and fiscal developments in the 19-member euro Also: area under the pandemic. BRUSSELS: European Union and U.S. EU threatens to freeze huge “As we look at where we are, we top trade officials on Thursday further are positive about the progress that we cemented recent advances on some have made. key differences that have soured trans- But we are also very cautious about Atlantic relations over the past few the outlook. We can see a recovery years. taking hold. But we also know that the EU trade ministers used a virtual challenges remain great, that the risk of meeting with U.S. trade representative investment ‘deal’ with China scarring, the risk of damage from this Katherine Tai to highlight the break- pandemic in our societies,” said Paschal throughs in the longstanding dispute Donohoe, President of the Eurogroup, in over airplane production subsidies and press statements after the meeting. a fight over steel tariffs. Legislators flay Beijing’s ‘baseless and arbitrary sanctions’ He added that the Eurogroup agreed “We agreed that finding effective to continue to focus on the role of the solutions together is essential to pre- euro, on its future, on the potential op- serve our critical industries,” EU Vice BRUSSELS, May 23, (AP): tions that are there regarding it becom- President Valdis Dombrovskis said. ing even more a green currency, con- “It is spring here in Brussels and The European Parliament sidering digital developments that are there is a spirit of optimism,” German has warned China that it happening across the world. Trade Minster Peter Altmaier said. It won’t ratify a long-awaited Ministers also adopted the Euro- stood in sharp contrast with the four group work program for the second years of divisive relations under Presi- business investment deal as half of 2021. dent Donald Trump. long as sanctions against Portugal holds the current EU Presi- U.S. President Joe Biden will visit the European Union legislators dency. EU next month seeking to further increase Meanwhile, The European Union cooperation on anything from battling the remain in place. Ministerial Council of youth and cul- COVID-19 pandemic and confronting a EU lawmakers adopted a reso- ture Tuesday approved an action plan surging China as a disruptive rival. lution in which they condemned to support recovery and transformation “I stressed the importance of stick- “the baseless and arbitrary sanc- of the European media sector. ing together regarding what happens in tions” imposed by Beijing on Eu- The audiovisual industry and the China,” Dutch Foreign Trade Minister ropean individuals and institutions news media are important economic Sigrid Kaag said. in March. actors with an annual turnover of 193 Germany’s optimism was boosted The European Parliament’s criti- billion euro (USD 235 billion). further when the Biden administration cism was echoed by European Com- Both sectors have suffered during on Wednesday spared the German com- mission Vice President Valdis Dom- the COVID-19 crisis, said the Council pany overseeing a natural gas pipeline brovskis, who said after a meeting of in a statement following its physical from Russia into the EU, underscoring EU trade ministers that China’s sanc- meeting in Brussels today. how Biden wants to mend relations with tions haven’t created a favorable envi- The Action Plan puts forward a a key ally that were unsettled during the ronment for a deal to be concluded. number of initiatives to support the au- Trump administration. “We cannot see this process of ratifi- diovisual and news media sectors. Even if Germany is the juggernaut cation outside of the broader context of A planned MEDIA INVEST ini- of the EU’s economies, France is its EU-China relations,” he said. tiative will provide 400 million euro strategic partner in dealing with Wash- The European Parliament said Bei- (USD 488 million) to support invest- ington, and French Foreign Trade Min- jing’s sanctions amount “to an attack ment in the audiovisual industry. ister Franck Riester equally lauded on fundamental freedoms and urge the News media will benefit from the “the very positive signals coming from Chinese authorities to lift these wholly loans and investments of the NEWS the United States.” unjustified restrictive measures.” initiative. And the European Union has done The text was approved in 599-30 Advertising revenue dropped by its part too. Just on Monday, it hit In this file photo, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks during a media conference after a vote with 58 abstentions. meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels. China on May 21 rejected European over 20% and Europe’s cinemas in- the pause button and temporarily sus- Among those targeted were five curred massive losses, it noted. pended some upcoming measures at Parliament demands that it lift sanctions against European Union legislators in order to save a trade deal between members of the European Parliament: the two sides. (AP) “The role of news media and the the heart of a steel tariff dispute. With Reinhard Butikofer, Michael Gahler, audiovisual industry in providing ac- it, the bloc wouldn’t increase some Raphael Glucksmann, Ilhan Kyuchyuk curate information and entertainment tariffs targeting U.S products, includ- and Miriam Lexmann. the multi-billion deal. lations, especially if you look at slave ment, not a gift from one party to the is of great importance for Europe’s ing Harley-Davidson motocycles and China made its sanctions move after the The EU hopes the agreement, labor,” Dutch Foreign Trade Minister other.” democratic debate and cultural diver- bourbon. EU, Britain, Canada and the United States known as CAI, will help correct an Sigrid Kaag said. “And there are many “Second, China’s sanctions on the rel- sity. But the media and the audiovisual And they agree to address together launched coordinated sanctions against of- imbalance in market access and cre- companies investing in Xinjiang and it evant EU institutions and personnel who sector face enormous challenges such the global steel and aluminum excess ficials in China over human rights abuses ate new investment opportunities for is unclear how the production happens have long maliciously spread lies and as changes to people’s viewing habits capacity, where they see China as a in the far western Xinjiang region. European companies in China by en- and if slave labor is being used.” false information on Xinjiang issues and and loss of advertising revenue,” said common adversary. The European Parliament’s hard suring they can compete on an equal According to EU figures, China is seriously damaged China’s sovereignty Graca Fonseca, Portuguese Minister of It already followed the four-month stance is likely to delay the ratification footing when operating in the country. now the bloc’s second-biggest trading and interests are necessary to safeguard Culture, in press statements. suspension of tariffs used in the long- of the multi-billion investment accord EU companies face competition from partner behind the United States, and its national interests,” Zhao said at a “COVID-19 has put additional pres- standing Airbus-Boeing dispute. Both that was agreed in principle in Decem- state-owned Chinese enterprises that the EU is China’s largest trading part- regular news briefing Wednesday. “It sure on both sectors. The conclusions sides now face a July 10 deadline to ber and needs lawmakers’ approval to may get government support and eas- ner. China and Europe trade on aver- is also a necessary, legitimate and just we adopted today set out clear steps find a new breakthrough. take effect. ier access to financing. age over 1 billion euros a day. response to the European side’s confron- to help them recover fast and emerge “Work is advancing. So I would In addition to the lifting of sanc- “We were going to tackle the trade Chinese Foreign Ministry spokes- tation with sanctions. It is clear cut that stronger from the crisis,” she said. Por- say that this timeline is realistic,” tions, legislators said they will take imbalance. But if you see what came person Zhao Lijian said Wednesday who unreasonably provoked troubles tugal currently holds the six-month ro- Dombrovskis said. “Of course, it re- into account the human rights situation out over the past months, we have ex- that the agreement is “a balanced, mu- first and who was forced to take legiti- tating EU Presidency. quires effort on both sides, but it’s in China when deciding to greenlight treme worry about human rights vio- tually beneficial and win-win agree- mate response.” The Council also called for efforts to possible.” Company faces allegations over ‘illegal monopoly’ Apple CEO faces tough questions in Epic Games case SAN RAMON, Calif, May 23, (AP): Under friendly questioning from a occasionally seemed flustered while He seemed to stumble slightly again Apple CEO Tim Cook described the company lawyer, Cook delivered pol- being grilled by Epic lawyer Gary when when Bornstein confronted him company’s ironclad control over its mo- ished remarks that sometimes sounded Bornstein. His unease was particularly about a deal in China that could compro- bile app store as the best way to serve like a commercial for the iPhone and evident when pressed about the level mise user privacy, even as the company and protect iPhone users, but he faced other Apple products. of profits in a store that Jobs initially maintains that protecting its customers’ tough questions about competition is- But the normally unflappable CEO thought would be lucky to break even. personal information is a top priority. sues from a judge Friday about allega- tions he oversees an illegal monopoly. The rare courtroom appearance by one of the world’s best-known executives came during the closing phase of a three- week trial revolving around an antitrust case brought by Epic Games, maker of the popular video game Fortnite. President of the European Investment Bank Werner Hoyer, (left), and Eu- Epic is trying to topple the so-called ropean Central Bank President Christine Lagarde, (center), look up during “walled garden” for iPhone and iPad apps a group photo of EU finance ministers and central bankers during a meet- that welcomes users and developers while ing in Lisbon, May 21, 2021. (AP) locking out competition. Created by Ap- ple co-founder Steve Jobs a year after the iPhone’s 2007 debut, the App Store has become a key revenue source for Apple, Amazon shuts down warehouse helping power the company to a $57 bil- lion profit in its last fiscal year. The trial focuses on Epic’s conten- construction site in Connecticut tion that Apple has turned its store into a price-gouging vehicle that not only WINDSOR, Conn., May 23, (AP): working with the FBI and state po- reaps a 15% to 30% commission from Amazon has temporarily shut down lice. A reward has been doubled to in-app transactions, but blocks apps a new warehouse construction site $100,000 for information leading to from offering other payment alterna- in Connecticut after a seventh noose the identification of the culprits. The tives. That ban extends to showing a link was found hanging over a beam, a first noose was found at the site last that would open a web page offering series of incidents local police called month. commission-free ways to pay for sub- “potential” hate crimes. Connecticut NAACP leaders scriptions, in-game items and the like. Another rope tied like a noose was joined with state and local officials discovered Wednesday at the site in at a news conference outside the Windsor, about 10 miles (16 kilome- site Thursday to condemn what they ters) north of Hartford, prompting an called racist acts. intensified law enforcement investi- “We’re here to make sure that gation and calls by the state NAACP people are safe,” said Scot X. Es- on Thursday for the suspect or sus- daile, president of the state NAACP. pects to be brought to justice. “We’re making sure that the voices Amazon said in a statement that are heard and that this situation is it is closing the site until Monday so dealt with in a professional and ad- that additional security measures can equate way.” be put in place. Carlos Best, an iron worker and “We continue to be deeply dis- foreman at the site, said he has heard turbed by the incidents happening racist remarks there, including some at the construction site in Windsor,” made a worker that he fired. Amazon said. “Hate, racism or dis- “Personally, on this job here, I crimination have no place in our so- have seen a lot of racism,” he said In this file photo, Apple CEO Tim ciety and are certainly not tolerated at the news conference. “This is not Cook is photographed at the World in an Amazon workplace.” the only construction site that these Economic Forum in Davos, Swit- Windsor police said they are things occur on, and it has to stop.” zerland. (AP) ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 BUSINESS 10

hackers targeted SolarWinds earlier than previously known

The hackers who carried out January, according to Sudha- was first reported last Decem- private sector corporations in the massive SolarWinds in- kar Ramakrishna, the com- ber and which U.S. officials an apparent act of cyberes- In this file photo, SolarWinds trusion were in the software pany’s president and CEO. have linked to the Russian pionage. The U.S. imposed president and CEO Sudhakar company’s system as early “The tradecraft that the at- government, is one in a series sanctions against Russia last Ramakrishna speaks during a as January 2019, months ear- tackers used was extremely of major breaches that has month. Senate Intelligence Commit- lier than previously known, the well done and extremely so- prompted a major cybersecuri- Also Wednesday, Ram- tee hearing on Capitol Hill in company’s top official said. phisticated, where they did ty focus from the Biden admin- akrishna apologized for the way Washington. (AP) SolarWinds had previously everything possible to hide istration. By seeding the com- the company blamed an intern traced the origins of the hack in plain sight, so to speak,” pany’s widely used software earlier this year during congres- to the fall of 2019 but now Ramakrishna said during update with malicious code, sional testimony for poor pass- believes that hackers were a discussion hosted by the hackers were able to penetrate word security protocols. That doing “very early recon activi- RSA Conference. the networks of multiple U.S. public statement, he said, was ties” as far back as the prior The SolarWinds hack, which government agencies and “not appropriate.” (AP) Minivans skillfully adhere to traffic laws and can detect people, vehicles yards away Reporter’s driverless van ride: Cool tech, freaky turns CHANDLER, Arizona, May 23, (AP): The annoyed wheel.” shopper paced around and knocked on the windows of I felt uneasy as the minivan crept into an intersection a minivan blocking him from leaving his Costco park- and waited for oncoming traffi c to pass before making ing spot. He didn’t seem to notice, or care, that there a left turn. It was as if a ghost was handling the steer- was no one inside. ing wheel. A colleague and I had called for the Waymo ride – My jitters lifted until minutes later, when we made a our fi rst in a fully driverless vehicle – and quickly en- bold left turn at another green light. countered a hiccup: fi guring out how to tell it to meet With several oncoming cars zipping toward us, the us at the curb. minivan darted across the road into a parking lot. Though We ended up spotting the minivan across the bustling we didn’t come close to crashing, the turn frightened us. parking lot, and hurried over. As we pulled away, the Waymo later examined the maneuver, saying the shopper raised his arm and extended his middle fi nger. cameras and remote-sensing technology in a dome Welcome to the United States’ fi rst large-scale ride- atop the minivan had detected the oncoming cars, hailing service with no backup drivers, which Waymo knew their speed and understood that the vehicle could A Waymo minivan arrives to pick up passengers for an A Waymo minivan moves along a city street as an emp- recently launched in suburban Phoenix. autonomous vehicle ride on April 7, 2021, in Mesa, Ari- ty driver’s seat and a moving steering wheel drive pas- make the turn safely. An AP photographer and I took it for a spin and zona. (AP) sengers during an autonomous vehicle ride in Chan- “In your case, it was certainly safe,” Saswat Pani- discovered some impressive technology. Waymo’s dler, Arizona. (AP) grahi, a senior product manager at Waymo, told me. minivans skillfully adhere to traffi c laws and can de- The company said customers’ comments are being tect people, vehicles and objects from several hundred During our rides, the minivans slowed for speed quickly to put self-driving vehicles in action in 2018, used to refi ne its autonomous driving systems and user yards away. bumps and carried out a textbook right-on-red turn. but a fatal crash involving an Uber test vehicle in Tem- interfaces to address such safety concerns. But amid the advances lurk challenges that develop- Most impressive was a careful maneuver at a green pe slowed development. Its ride-hailing program serves hundreds of passen- ers face as they race to bring autonomous cars to the light where a woman with a walker stood dangerously Only recently did the industry show signs of recov- gers each week and offers prices in line with Uber and masses: adapting the machinery to human behavior - close to the corner. ery. Still, most experts believe there won’t be wide- Lyft. Waymo runs 300 to 400 vehicles in Arizona for and getting passengers to feel at ease without a person But customers in crowded parking lots might fi nd it spread use for another fi ve years or so, and autono- the program and testing. behind the wheel. hard to pinpoint pickup locations without drivers who mous vehicles won’t be in every major city until at We hailed another Waymo minivan to a public library, “The technology is great, but the experience isn’t can call, text or simply watch for them. least late this decade. but were dropped off on a nearby private street instead. there yet,” said Andrew Maynard, a professor at Ari- A Waymo minivan also made an aggressive turn Waymo started offering autonomous rides to a lim- Panigrahi believes the minivan might have been rerouted zona State University’s College of Global Futures who at a green light that we would have never taken. An- ited number of customers during 2019 in an early test- due to traffi c or a road closure in the area. studies the social and ethical aspects of autonomous other failed to go the requested location, dropping us ing program in Arizona. Last fall, it opened its ride- From there, we tried to catch a ride back to Costco, but vehicles and other emerging technologies. off about a four-minute walk away. And watching the hailing program to anyone seeking a ride within its Waymo canceled four trip requests and stopped accept- Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc, is wheel turn by itself was, well, eerie. 50-square-mile (129-square-kilometer) service area ing my credit card as a fraud prevention measure, because one of several companies testing driverless vehicles The company said it is listening closely to customer covering parts of Chandler, Tempe and Mesa. several requests had been made in a matter of minutes. in the US While there are some low-speed driverless feedback and acknowledges it needs to improve pas- Our trip began with a welcome from the minivan – With my Waymo account locked up, I requested a shuttle services in operation, Waymo is the fi rst of- senger pickups. It’s also working to set the proper ex- an automated voice correctly pronounced my French ride from another ride-hailing service with a human fering lifts to the public at roadway speeds with no pectations with riders and has launched a campaign fi rst name, which people often mangle. A partition driver. He warmly chitchatted about his career plans human in the driver’s seat who can take over in sticky that provides tips. separated the empty front seats from the rest of the but, when fi rst picking us up, carefully avoided trying situations. Automakers and tech companies were moving vehicle, with a sign saying, “Don’t touch the steering to pronounce my name. Biden administration bets on wage growth

GOP warns of inflation

WASHINGTON, May 23, (AP): The Biden ad- ministration recently gave a bit of simple ad- vice to businesses that are unable to find workers: Offer them more money. This recommendation, in- cluded in a White House memo about the state of the economy, gets at a fundamental tension in an economy that is returning to full health after the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses are cop- ing with spiking prices for goods such as steel, plywood, plastics and asphalt. Yet workers, after enduring a year of job losses, business closures and social dis- tancing, are no longer interested in accepting low wages. Administration offi cials say the White House is not trying to target a specifi c wage level for workers. But offi cials say higher wages are a goal of President Joe Biden and a In this file photo, President Joe Biden closes the folder after signing an executive order relating to US sup- byproduct of his $1.9 trillion relief ply chains, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. (AP) package and at least $3.5 trillion in additional spending being proposed leased minutes from the Fed’s April President Donald Trump, to mini- led by party offi cials is 4.6%, while for infrastructure and education. meeting suggest the U.S. central mize the economic damage from Democratic states have an average un- Boosting wages gets at the central bank could possibly raise interest the pandemic. Biden’s own relief employment rate of 6.3%. promise of the Biden presidency to rates earlier than previously indi- package was geared toward helping Republicans see the $300-a-week improve the lives of everyday Ameri- cated to stamp down infl ation and to boost wages, with enhanced un- federal unemployment payment as cans and restore the country’s compet- potentially limit economic growth. employment benefi ts, new monthly discouraging people from working itive edge in the world. Republicans The monthly jobs and infl ation data payments to parents, aid to restau- because they can earn more money say that Biden’s policies have already can be volatile as the economy re- rants and money for state and local by staying unemployed. Their view let loose a torrent of infl ation that will starts, such that a single month could governments to increase pay for es- is that this limits how many jobs can hurt the economy. The outcome of be an outlier instead of an underlying sential workers. be created and how high wages will these competing forces could decide trend. Biden’s aides are choosing to “We’re in uncharted waters ultimately rise. the trajectory of the U.S. economy as look at moving three-month averages across the board,” said Tyler Good- It’s not clear how much of a de- well as the factors weighing on voters on economic data and they see the sit- speed, an economic adviser for terrent the added payments are, but in next year’s elections. uation as positive. They also said more Trump who is now a fellow at the there are early indications that the White House economic adviser Jar- people will accept jobs as vaccinations Hoover Institution. “We’ve never impact might be modest so far on ed Bernstein said the goal is “to pull increase. had a recession like this. We’ve people accepting jobs. forward a robust, inclusive recovery The Senate’s Republican leader, never had a recovery like this.” An analysis this month by econo- that provides good employment op- Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, says Goodspeed said the best way to mists at the San Francisco Fed found portunities to people who have been he has seen enough from the data so raise wages is to reduce the unem- that “each month in early 2021, the heroes of this pandemic, folks who far. He has told voters that Biden’s ployment rate closer to its pre-pan- about seven out of 28 unemployed are in the bottom half, who went to decision to provide an additional demic level of 3.5%, which would individuals receive job offers that work, often in unsafe conditions, or $300 a week in unemployment ben- signal a genuine shortage of avail- they would normally accept, but one had to stay home to take care of their efi ts and the spending in his relief able workers that would then lead of the seven decides to decline the families and deal with school closures package are hurting the economy. employers to pay more. offer due to the availability of the and childcare constraints.” He said Thursday on Fox Business Part of the dispute between Biden extra $300 per week” in unemploy- The New York Federal Reserve that the package “Democrats jammed and Republicans is a more fun- ment benefi ts. reported this month that there has through on a party-line vote” is “pro- damental one on how economies There are 23 states - all with Repub- been a 26% increase over the past ducing both people not wanting to grow. The administration has em- lican governors and GOP-controlled year in wage expectations by non- work and raging infl ation.” braced a philosophy of investing in legislatures - that plan to block the en- college graduates. The lowest aver- What makes the current situation workers and providing them with hanced federal benefi ts in June, under age salary they expect for a new job unique is that wage pressures gener- benefi ts to make it easier for them to the belief that the loss of income will is $61,483, up more than $12,700 ally build when the unemployment juggle life responsibilities and jobs. cause people to take jobs. from a year ago. rate is low. But the rate is 6.1% and By contrast, Republicans believe Aaron Sojourner, a labor econo- The wage pressures feeds into the country is 8.2 million jobs below the key is to minimize taxes and other mist at the University of Minnesota, some anxiety about infl ation. The its pre-pandemic levels, historically barriers for employers so that lower warned that scrapping the benefi ts Biden team sees the 0.8% month- the kind of numbers that might lead operating costs lead them to invest could reduce families’ incomes and over-month jump in consumer workers to settle for lower earnings. and hire. The Republican National possibly encourage employers to prices in April as temporary, a sign The difference this time is that Committee issued an analysis Friday pay less such that workers’ incomes of consumer demand and the bottle- the government spent a combined saying that the GOP’s principles for might be depressed. “Lower wages necks that naturally occur when an $6 trillion over the past year, includ- growth were superior because the is exactly the premise of the Repub- economy restarts. But newly re- ing relief packages passed under average unemployment rate in states lican position,” Sojourner said. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 SCIENCE 11

Coronavirus

‘Signifi cant & staggering’ Shot makers vow 2.3b doses to poor nations

ROME, May 23, (AP): A global health summit that under- lined the growing disparity between rich and poor countries during the pandemic closed Friday with pledges by pharma- ceutical companies to deliver more than 1.3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries this year. Italian Premier Mario Draghi, host of the Rome summit that brought together the Group of 20 and the European Un- ion’s executive arm, called the contributions by private com- panies “signifi cant and staggering.” The pledges made include 1 billion doses from Ameri- can pharmaceutical company Pfi zer and German company BioNTech’s, 200 million from Johnson & Johnson and 100 million from Moderna. They will be provided at cost for low-income countries and at a low profi t for middle-income countries. Pfi zer and BioNTech pledged an ad- ditional 1 billion for next year, while European Union nations promised an- other 100 million doses for this year. Many of the European deliver- ies will take place through the UN- backed COVAX program, said Euro- pean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who co-hosted the summit. COVAX aims to ensure eq- uitable access to COVID-19 shots for Ursula low-and middle-income countries. Earlier this week, the program suffered a major setback when its biggest supplier, the Serum Institute of India, an- nounced it would likely not export any more vaccines until the end of the year due to COVID-19 crisis on the subcon- tinent. The pharmaceutical companies did not specify if their pledges would be fulfi lled under any particular umbrella. Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s director general, (right), attends the exhibition ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’, in Venice, Italy Friday, May 21. The United Nations’ cultural But Draghi said the commitments made Friday in some agency has opened an exhibit detailing plans to rebuild the Iraqi city of Mosul that underlines the role of architecture in helping heal wounds. (AP) measure refl ect “a desire to remediate the injustices and in- equities when in the most diffi cult moments some closed UNESCO exhibit in Venice focuses on rebuilding Mosul sites themselves and ignored the rest of the world.” Both he and von der Leyen expressed confi dence that the The United Nations’ cultural agency has opened an State group. “Healing wounds means rebuilding the city and its pledges would be honored. exhibit detailing plans to restore multicultural land- Iraq is one of three countries participating for the historic fabric. It also means reviving the spirit of Mo- “These companies have committed their whole reputa- marks in the Iraqi city of Mosul, underlining the role fi rst time at the Biennale, with an exhibit by Rashad sul, through heritage, culture and education,’’ UN- tions to this. It is a very, very important move that really of architecture in helping heal wounds. Salim titled “Ark Re-Imagined” that is an artistic ex- ESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said in an will change the landscape,” Draghi said, adding that interna- The exhibit, “Revive the Spirit of Mosul,” is being amination of the impact of the great fl ood in ancient speech opening the exhibit on Friday. “The spirit of tional organizations like the World Health Organization and on the sidelines of the 17th International Architec- Mesopotamia. Mosul is, fi rst and foremost, refl ected in the diversity the World Trade Organization would have a role in ensuring ture Exhibition, which opened Saturday after a one- The UNESCO exhibit, in the Zorzi Palace where of its communities, which had lived together peace- the commitments. year pandemic delay under the title: “How will we the agency’s regional offi ces are houses, unveils the fully for centuries.” Von der Leyen said the doses pledged by European coun- live together?” winning project for restoring the Al-Nouri Mosque, An international jury last month chose a project tries were carefully considered, “so we feel responsible and The Venice Biennale’s central question resonates built in the 12th century and once famous for its by Egyptian architects led by Salah El Din Samir in particular in Iraq, which is experiencing turbulent leaning minaret. IS leader Abut Bakr al-Baghdadi Hareedy to rebuild the mosque, part of a UN- accountable.” change, and the old city of Mosul, where 80% of declared an Islamic caliphate from the mosque in ESCO project that will also rebuild the Al-Habda As vaccination campaigns continue to progress in the the city’s monuments were destroyed by extremists 2014, and IS extremists blew it up as Iraqi forces minaret and the churches of Al-Tahera and Al- Western world, poorer countries are struggling to acquire during the city’s 36-month occupation by the Islamic closed in in 2017. Saa’a. (AP) supplies. The UN Security Council expressed concern this week about the small number of doses that have reached Af- rica. Last week, World Health Organization chief Tedros Ad- hanom Ghebreyesus urged rich countries to donate their Coronavirus vaccines before immunizing younger populations, including children. Experts warn that allowing the virus to spread un- checked anywhere in the world could lead to the emergence of potentially dangerous variants. Pre-pandemic life in US has largely resumed During Friday’s global health summit in Rome, Draghi said that nearly 1.5 billion vaccine doses have been adminis- tered in over 180 countries worldwide. Yet only 0.3% were in low-income countries, while richer countries administered New cases fall to lowest in 11 months around 85%. “The differences in the vaccination rates are staggering,” NEW YORK, May 23, (AP): New cor- dropped across much of the country. for plastic beads and trinkets tossed the Italian leader said. “Not only are these disparities unac- onavirus cases across the United States President Joe Biden’s administration from fl oats Friday night as Alabama’s ceptable, they are also a threat so long as the virus continues have tumbled to rates not seen in more is trying to convince other Americans port city threw a Mardi Gras-style pa- to circulate freely around the world it can mutate danger- than 11 months, sparking optimism to sign up for shots, using an upbeat rade. But only about a quarter of the ously and undermine even the most successful vaccination that vaccination campaigns are stem- message that vaccines offer a return to county’s population is fully vaccinat- campaign.” ming both severe COVID-19 cases and normal life. ed. Many went without masks, though To address inequalities and contain the pandemic, the the spread of the virus. White House health offi cials on health offi cials had urged personal re- head of the World Trade Organization said on the eve of the As cases, hospitalizations and Friday even waded into offering dat- sponsibility. summit that it’s also crucial to diversify vaccine manufac- deaths steadily dropped this week, pre- ing advice. They are teaming up with Alabama’s vaccination rate — 34% turing and to have more production taking place in Africa pandemic life in America has largely dating apps to offer a new reason to of people have received at least one and Latin America. The European Union raised many of the resumed. Hugs and unmasked crowds “swipe right” by featuring vaccination dose — is one of the lowest in the same points WTO Director-General Okonjo-Iweala made, Shoppers hold their shopping bags as returned to the White House, a Mardi badges on profi les and in-app bonuses country. It’s part of a swath of South- specifi cally looking to increase manufacturing production in they wait to cross the street in down- Gras-style parade marched through for people who have gotten their shots. ern states where vaccine uptake has Africa. town Chicago on Saturday, May 22, Alabama’s port city of Mobile, and Ohio, New York, Oregon and other been slow. Health experts worry that “Today, Africa imports 99% of its vaccines, and this has to 2021. Major US retailers drop mask even states that have stuck to pandem- states are enticing people to get vacci- areas with low vaccination rates could change,” EU executive von der Leyen said. “And therefore, requirements for fully vaccinated ic-related restrictions readied to drop nated through lottery prizes of up to $5 give rise to new virus variants that are team Europe is launching an initiative with African partners shoppers, effectively moving to a day them. However, health experts also million. more resistant to vaccinations. to develop vaccine production in Africa. The initiative will after the Centers for Disease Control cautioned that not enough Americans “My biggest concern is new strains develop a number of regional hubs distributed across the and Prevention issued new masking have been vaccinated to completely Reopened of the virus and the need to remain vig- guidelines. (AP) continent and it will draw on the full toolbox of team Eu- extinguish the virus, leaving the poten- Across the country, venues and ilant in the months ahead,” said Boston rope, including 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) of investment.” tial for new variants that could extend events reopened after shuttering for College public health expert Dr. Philip Despite a recent call by the United States to waive COV- the pandemic. much of the last year. J. Landrigan. ID-19 vaccine patents as a way to increase supplies, partici- As the seven-day average for new On Saturday, Karen Stetz readied to A medical center in Louisiana re- pants at the summit were expected to insist that intellectual cases dropped below 30,000 per day this welcome what she hoped would be a ported Friday it has identifi ed the property rights were an important tool to boost vaccine pro- week, Rochelle Walensky, the director good crowd to the Grosse Pointe Art state’s fi rst two cases of a COVID-19 duction. of the Centers for Disease Control and Fair on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair. variant that has spread widely since There is a lack of consensus among EU countries on a Prevention, pointed out cases have not With natural ventilation from the being identifi ed in India. The COV- temporary waiver of patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines. been this low since June 18, 2020. The lake and mask and capacity restric- ID-19 variant has been classifi ed as a EU offi cials have argued that waiving patents would yield average number of deaths over the last tions easing, Stetz was optimistic that “variant of concern” by Britain and the no short-term or intermediate improvement and could even seven days also dropped to 552 — a artists who make their living traveling World Health Organization, meaning have a negative impact. rate not seen since July last year. It’s a a show circuit that ground to a halt there is some evidence that it spreads Draghi said Italy is open to the idea on the condition that dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a last year would begin to bounce back. more easily between people, causes the any waiver measure is “targeted and time-limited and devastating crescendo in January. The event usually draws from 5,000 to more severe disease, or might be less does not undermine incentives for pharmaceutical compa- Yuan Branson “As each week passes and as we 10,000 people. responsive to treatments and vaccines. nies to innovate.” continue to see progress, these data “I feel like most people are ready to The variant has also been reported in give me hope,” Walensky said Friday get out,” Stetz said by phone shortly several other states, including Tennes- Also: Discovery at a news conference. before opening the fair. “It seems like see, Nebraska and Nevada. TORONTO: Canada’s most populous province is resuming Health experts credit an effi cient people are eager, but it’s hard to know Though Landrigan said the big drop use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, but only rollout of vaccines for the turnaround. still. I’m sure there’s a percentage in cases nationwide was “the best as a second dose for those who’d received it initially, of- Volcano erupts near Goma: A volcano More than 60% of people over 18 have of people that are going to wait until news we’ve had on the pandemic” and fi cials said Friday. erupted near Goma in eastern Congo on received at least one shot, and almost they’re comfortable.” showed that vaccines are working, he Ontario and several other provinces stopped giving out Saturday, turning the skies a fi ery red and half are fully vaccinated, according to In Mobile, thousands of joyful rev- warned that people should remain vigi- fi rst doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca earlier this month on con- panicking residents in the city of nearly 2 the CDC. But demand for vaccines has elers, many without masks, competed lant for local fl are-ups of new cases. cerns over reported links to rare blood clots, which previ- million people. ously led some European countries to restrict its use. The Nyamulagira volcano erupted around The Ontario government said that decision was also based 7 pm local time, according to Honore Chi- “Grandpa Ye, have a good journey!” 20% higher than existing varieties — mean- decades, according to the World Food Prize, on the increased supply of alternative vaccines from Pfi zer raba, a volcanologist with the Volcano Ob- It was in the 1970s when Yuan achieved ing it could feed an extra 70 million people which was created by Nobel Peace Prize lau- servation Offi ce in Goma. the breakthroughs that would make him a a year, according to Xinhua. reate Norman Borlaug in 1986 to recognize and Moderna and a downward trend in cases. However, there was confusion and fear, The province also has delayed giving second vaccine dos- household name. He developed a hybrid His work helped transform China from scientists and others who have improved the as the local governor said it was the Ny- strain of rice that recorded an annual yield “food defi ciency to food security” within three quality and availability of food. (AP) es in order to get as many people covered by a fi rst shot as iragongo volcano, whose last eruption in ❑ ❑ ❑ possible. While protocols initially called for a three-week in- 2002 left hundreds dead and coated airport terval, studies found a longer gap often was more effective. runways in lava. VSS Unity completes fl ight: Virgin Ga- Ontario’s chief medical offi cer for health, Dr. David Wil- There were reports that the eruption, which- lactic on Saturday made its fi rst rocket-pow- liams, said “informed consent” is needed to get the second ever volcano it was, had taken out a highway ered fl ight from New Mexico to the fringe of dose of AstraZeneca. Those who got the fi rst dose between that connects Goma with the city of Beni. No space in a manned shuttle, as the company March 10 and March 19 will be eligible as soon as next week initial word has been given on casualties. forges toward offering tourist fl ights to the for the second shot. Chiraba told The Associated Press that edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. The government said data from the UK strongly suggests lava from the Nyamulagira volcano usually High above the desert in a cloudless sky, fl ows in the direction of the Virunga Nation- VSS Unity ignited its rocket to hurtle the a much-reduced risk of the rare blood cots in second doses of al Park, not toward Goma. (AP) ship and two pilots toward space. A live AstraZeneca. Williams said it is one in 600,000. ❑ ❑ ❑ feed by NASASpaceFlight.com showed the Ontario has more than 50,000 doses of the vaccine set to ship accelerating upward and confi rmed a expire at the end of the month and offi cials don’t want to Scientist Yuan dies: Yuan Longping, landing later via radar. waste them. a Chinese scientist who developed higher- Virgin Galactic announced that its VSS The province said nearly a million Ontarians aged 40 and yield rice varieties that helped feed people Unity shuttle achieved a speed equal to over received the AstraZeneca vaccine as their fi rst dose be- around the world, died Saturday at a hos- three times the speed of sound and an alti- tween March 10 and May 11. pital in the southern city of Changsha, the tude of just over 55 miles (89 kilometers) Canada has overtaken the US in the percentage of people Xinhua News agency reported. He was 91. above sea level before making its gliding Yuan spent his life researching rice and return through the atmosphere. with at least one dose, but Canada has only fully vaccinated was a household name in China, known British billionaire and Virgin Galactic about 3% of the population. Second doses are expected to by the nickname “Father of Hybrid Rice.” founder Sir Richard Branson says the be administered for most adults in June and July in Canada. Worldwide, a fi fth of all rice now comes fl ight and landing bring the roughly 15-year- Canada has relied largely on the Pfi zer and Moderna vac- from species created by hybrid rice follow- old venture tantalizingly close to commer- cines. Plans to distribute the fi rst 300,000 doses of the John- ing Yuan’s breakthrough discoveries, ac- cial fl ights for tourists. Virgin Galactic says son & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Canada remain on cording to the website of the World Food those fl ights could begin next year. hold after Health Canada learned part of them were manu- Prize, which he won in 2004. A person stands in front of lava from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, in “Today was just an incredible step in the factured at a Maryland facility where the US Food and Drug On Saturday afternoon, large crowds hon- Buhene, on the outskirts of Goma, Congo in the early hours of Sunday, May 23. right direction,” Branson told The Associated Administration had uncovered manufacturing violations. ored the scientist by marching past the hos- Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo erupted for the fi rst time in nearly two decades Sat- Press shortly after the fl ight landings. “It test- pital in Hunan province where he died, local urday, turning the night sky a fi ery red and sending lava onto a major highway as ed a lot of new systems that the teams have media reported, calling out phrases such as: panicked residents tried to fl ee Goma, a city of nearly 2 million. (AP ) been building and they all worked.” (AP) Media MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 FFeatureseatures them Black. estimated 300people, mostof by awhitemobthat killedan to educatepeople about theattack at ONEOKField. member &RiseeventonMay31 sacre, aneventoffi niversary oftheTulsaRaceMas- remembrance ofthe100than- nationally televisedceremonyin John Legend winning singerandsongwriter physicist in GermantoPolishAmerican were equivalent. absolute andthatmassenergy demonstrating thattimewasnot squared —changedphysicsby mass timesthespeedoflight tion themostfamousinworld. RR Auctionsaid,callingtheequa- ston point ofview,” both aholographicandphysics ed ittosellforabout$400,000. to RRAuction,whichhadexpect- became publicrecently,according one inaprivatecollection,only ing equationinhisownhand. 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Hispartingwayswiththenetworkwasconfi often taskedwithgivingtheRepublicanpointofviewduringcampaign made aboutNativeAmericanculture. current TVanalyst Film NEW YORK: iigtnLegend Livingston He sparkedcontroversyinanApril23speechbeforetheYoung On CNN,Santorumwasaseniorpoliticalcommentatorwho Alison Rudnick national broadcaster. view therulesgoverningoversightofeditoriallyindependent BBC’s integrity,whiletheBritishgovernmenthassaiditwouldre- Diana famouslyremarked. erately hurtherselfinadesperatebidforhelp. tionship withCamilla.Dianasaidshewassodepressedthatdelib- — fi Bowles, whomCharleswouldgoontomarryadecadelater. failed becausehewasstillinlovewithformerloverCamillaParker honest tacticstopersuadeDianagranttheinterview. Spencer, complainedthatBashirusedfalsedocumentsandotherdis- The falloutfromthereporthasraisedseriousdoubtsabout “There werethreeofusinthismarriage,soitwasabitcrowded,” Diana, then34,saidshewasdevastatedwhenfoundoutin1986 In theinterview,DianasaidhermarriagetoPrinceCharleshad ve yearsafterhermarriage—thatCharleshadrenewedhisrela- lm, shehas Feel-good moviebasedonatruestory CNN iscuttingtieswithformerRepublicansenatorand , vicepresidentofHLNCommunicationsandCNN Rick Santorum ness tothefi the ManicStreetPreachers),there’sstillabland- ance, asdotunesbytheSuperFurryAnimalsand color (TomJones’“Delilah”doesmakeanappear- much rousingdrama.Despiteallthepotentiallocal cerity thancomedy.Eventheracespassbywithout motley crewbut“DreamHorse”goesmoreforsin- Alliance. Intherarifi cisions, it’sreallyJan’scall.TheynameitDream have afront-rowseat,”saysone. plenty ofsongstosingalongtheway. to thetrack,withlittlereasonexpectwinbut they’re merrilyridingtogetherinabusontheway lights ofapubpooltable,andinnottoolong Club” wasfriendlier,Welshandequestrian. from theirhumdrumlives.It’salittlelikeif“Fight rifi Horse” atasteadygallop,andTealemakester- tune thatcomestheirway,Collettekeeps“Dream c companion.Her questleadsotherstobreak They voteonthehorse’sname,but,likemostde- “If thecircusiscomingtotown,Imightaswell They fi “Dream Horse,”aBleeckerStreetrelease,israt- But justasJanseeminglywillsallthegoodfor- from it. successful racehorseandtrainthefoalthatcomes money tohelppaythefeebreedmarewitha ard, awidow—whojoininsyndicate,tossing small former-miningvillage—abutcher,drunk- cluding thedozenortwoothersfromaroundtheir race torun.Herzealinspiresthosearoundher,in- something todo,ananimalcareforandanew money orprestigebutsimplybythejoyofhaving her for350quid. sources. Shefi digs intoissuesof“Horse&Hound”andotherre- raised whippetsandpigeonsbefore,shesoon It’s quicklyapparentthatJanisn’tmotivatedby Also: streaming service starting inJune. supported version of itsHBOMax is rollingouta$10-a-month ad rst meetbeneaththequarter-operated LOS ANGELES: overdisparagingcommentshe That’s $5 offthecurrentprice lm. screening willbeinplace.(AP) requirement andatemperature precautions thatincludeamasking ❑ nds anill-temperedmareandbuys Sincerity ed racingworld,theymakea WarnerMedia rmed Saturday rmed create anew mediacompany in and CNN,withDiscovery Incto media assets,which includesHBO combine itsmassive WarnerMedia popular plan. charges $14amonthforitsmost cheaper thanNetfl launched inMay2020.And for thead-freeversion,which philia andbestiality gay rightsadvocatesbyappearingtocomparehomosexualitypedo- his viewsongaymarriageandhomosexuality.In2003,heinfuriated fought forasaleaderintheCongress.” cans washorrifi Americans,” hesaid.“Farfromit.ThewaywetreatedNativeAmeri- context ofthefoundingUnitedStatesgovernment. spoke” inthesensethatitwasn’tclearhewasspeaking from morethan500tribalnationsanditsalliesworldwide. cal development,”shewroteinastatement. tions, eachwithmillenniaofdistinctcultural,spiritualandtechnologi- icas werethousandsofcomplex,sophisticated,andsovereigntribalna- provides himaplatform.” rassing racistwhodisgracesCNNandanyothermediacompanythat Congress ofAmericanIndians,tocallhim“anunhingedandembar- culture.” Americans, butthereisn’tmuchNativeAmericanculturein from ablankslate. said immigrantscreatedanationbasedontheJudeo-Christianethic AT&T saidMondayitwill Santorum’s commentshavegarneredblowbackbefore,especially “People sayI’mtryingtodismisswhathappenedtheNative Santorum latersaidon Sharp calledonCNNtofi “To correcttherecord,whatEuropeancolonizersfoundinAmer- The commentprompted “We birthedanationfromnothing,”hesaid.“Yes,therewereNative projects, aidingthelocaleconomy.(AP) the studiowouldopenGlynnCountytomorefi he said.“We’renotgoingtothrowthemout.” one ofthenewlyconstructedtownhomes. residents willalsohavetheoptionofmovinginto site willberelocatedatnocosttothem.Hesays a mobilehomeparkattheNewHopePlantation townhomes. north ofBrunswick. water towerandtreatmentfacilityatthesite meter) buildings.Theownerswillalsobuilda contain three90,000-square-foot(8,400-square- zoning forthecomplex. to day onNetfl Hardwick fi a heistinLasVegasoverrunwithzombies.The Dead.” Init,agroupofmercenariestrytopulloff the 2004 seven yearsafterSnyder’slaststabatzombiesin the Dead”clocksinat148minutes,andcomes Netfl League,” themaximalistfi after thereleaseofhisfour-houredit“Justice of laden,thunderingactioncontent.Twomonths bloom and lm, starring BRUNSWICK, Ga.: LOS ANGELES: Glynn CountyCommissioner “They canstayuntilthenewunitsareavailable,” Property owner The developmentisalsosupposedtocontain The BrunswickNewsreportsplansforthestudio Glynn County time: 113minutes.Twoandahalfstarsoutoffour. ica forlanguageandthematicelements.Running ed PGbytheMotionPictureAssociationofAmer- ix, andreturnedtozombies.His“Armyof ix, which c. ItgoesagainsteveryboneandeverythingI’veever George A.Romero and ix afteraweekrunintheaters. Zach Snyder Dave Bautista,EllaPurnell,Omari Ana DeLaReguera When thebirdschirp,fl ❑ aftercommissionersapproved Chris Cuomo Fred Barber A fi re Santorumorpotentiallyfaceaboycott Fawn Sharp Also: lm studiocouldbecoming releasessix-plushours in the traditional HBOchannel combined subscribers toHBO Maxandthe that thereare44.2 million HBO Max. is stillgoingaheadwithplansfor until mid-2022,andWarnerMedia transaction isn’texpectedtoclose a $43billiondeal.Howeverthe lmmaker hasshiftedto AT&T saidearlierthismonth remake“Dawnofthe US ’s CNNshowthathe“mis- saysresidentsof , presidentoftheNational Cap Fendig . (AP) , debutedFri- owers said lm ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

TV

Streaming rise Networks ‘bank’ on reboots, franchises

By David Bauder and Lynn Elber verything old is new again on network television, Eand without apology. As the TV industry rushes into the future with streaming services, traditional broadcasters unveiled 2021-22 schedules that rely heavily on familiar series brands and reboots of decades-old shows. There’s even a two-fer based on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” the Las Vegas-set forensics drama that dazzled viewers when it arrived in 2000. Get ready for “CSI: Vegas,” a CBS remake complete with original stars William Petersen and Jorja Fox and, in a sign of diversity progress, Black actor Paula Newsome as the lead investigator. The annual network tradition of wooing potential ad buyers with lavish New York City presentations of up- coming shows and their stars was reduced by COVID to a virtual presentation for the sec- ond year. But a deeper disruption came with the announcement that Discovery and Warner- Media plan to merge, adding yet another media behemoth with streaming services — Discovery+ and HBO Max Kimmel — to the fray that began with Netflix. The broadcast networks aren’t merely on the sidelines. Most are aligned with streaming services through their corporate owners, such as Disney’s ABC and Disney+, which means they’re both competing and cooperating. The strategy to double-down on standard network fare comes as lavish streamed shows including “The Crown” draw critical acclaim, Emmy Awards and subscribers. But it’s ad dollars that the networks need, and they’re uniquely positioned to provide the mass Maneskin from Italy celebrate with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest at Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, May 22. (AP) audiences that justify them. Here are the key takeaways from last week’s an- nouncements by ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. Rough Waters Music Tuning in to some of the broadcast network’s on- line presentations felt like watching a phone company show off its new collection of landlines. With rotary dialers! It’s interesting. Maybe even helpful. But it doesn’t CMA board limits Wallen’s award eligibility refl ect the world of today, or tomorrow. Streaming un- deniably draws the buzz now — the hot programs that get critical attention or awards, and the format is what business leaders concentrate on. Italy’s rock band wins Eurovision During the 1995-96 television season, 56% of peo- ple watching television in the evening were seeing the ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, May try. The band, which honed its musi- Ahead of the show, crowds gathered live output of network affi liates — primarily CBS, 23, (AP): A four-piece band of Italian cal style busking in Rome, won with a outside the arena in the Dutch city of NBC, ABC and Fox. This year, that was down to 26%, rockers won the Eurovision Song Con- total of 529 points from second-placed Rotterdam. Drag queens mingled with according to the Nielsen company. test in the early hours of Sunday, giv- France. Switzerland, which led af- families as a man in a gold suit waited The always caustic Jimmy Kimmel referred to ing one of the countries hit hardest in ter national juries had voted, finished to get into the venue. ABC as “Disney minus.” He torpedoed the network’s Europe by the coronavirus pandemic third. Milo Mateo and Carlo Sossa, wear- show “Big Sky” as “the #1 new drama that no one has reason to cheer. United Kingdom singer James New- ing matching sequin-covered hats and ever heard of or seen.” Maneskin’s win was only Italy’s man’s song, “Embers,” failed to ig- draped in Italian flags, came from It- The unveiling of a new fall schedule at CBS - for two third victory in the immensely popular nite any love at all and did not score a aly for the show and were hoping for decades generally America’s most-watched television contest and the first since Toto Cutug- single point, finishing last, just as the a Maneskin victory since that would network - used to be the week’s centerpiece. This year Senhit, (left), from San Marino per- no took the honor in 1990. UK did at the previous Eurovision two bring next year’s contest to Italy. it was rushed through, almost an afterthought. Instead, forms Adrenalina with rapper Flo Rida The music festival was cancelled years ago. “If we win, it will be very, very nice, CBS and its Viacom corporate partners emphasized at the Grand Final of the Eurovision last year amid the pandemic but this US rapper Flo Rida didn’t manage because the next year will be in Italy. all of the content available on multiple platforms. Song Contest at Ahoy arena in Rot- year’s event in Rotterdam’s Ahoy are- to translate his star power into points That’s very good. Let’s hope. Fingers “We talk about literally looking at our company terdam, Netherlands, May 22. (AP) na with its regime of testing and strict for tiny San Marino’s entry that was crossed,” Mateo said as he waited to holistically, and where these shows end up, where hygiene protocols was seen as a step get into the arena. they seem to fit best,” said CBS entertainment chief sung by Senhit. They finished with just toward a post-COVID-19 return to live 50 points. The popular Icelandic band Dadi Kelly Kahl in an interview. “That’s the goal of what og Gagnamagnid, known for its kitsch we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get the best entertainment. “We think that the whole event was Victory dance moves and green leisurewear shows in front of viewers, however they decide to costumes, could not perform live be- watch.” a relief. We think that we were really For lovers of kitsch, German singer thankful ... to have had the chance to Jendrik played a sparkling ukulele and cause one member tested positive for Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier sounded the virus earlier in the week. Instead, almost plaintive in talking to advertisers about his be part of this huge event,” Maneskin danced with a woman dressed in a gi- lead singer Damiano David said. ant hand costume optimistically show- viewers saw a recording of one of the network’s shows: “These are not built for subscribers, band’s dress rehearsals. they’re built for you, to help your brand.” “This Eurovision means a lot, I ing the victory sign. He finished close That’s as close as you’ll get a television executive think, to the whole of Europe. It’s go- to last. Also: ing to be a lighthouse. So thank you, Lithuanian band The Roop danced to saying they’re making material to be played in be- NASHVILLE, Tenn: Country singer tween commercials. everybody. Really,” he added. in bright yellow costumes in a tongue- Italy, the bookmakers’ favorite, in-cheek homage to 1980s synth pop. Morgan Wallen will be eligible for It’s a business. And while executives may be on Hawkins Cuomo multiple awards at this year’s CMA their heels, advertisers committed to some $18.6 trailed Switzerland, France and Malta Pravi’s song. “Voilà,” was a re- Awards but not the show’s top prize, a billion in spending for commercials last year on after the national juries delivered their strained ballad that built to a swirling sign of the continuing fallout after he broadcast and cable networks after hearing their votes but were propelled to victory by crescendo on a largely darkened stage, was caught on camera using a racial plans, even with uncertainty caused by the pandem- Variety votes from the viewing public. but there was still plenty of the over- slur. ic, according to Media Dynamics, Inc. Ad spending “The audience is the most important the-top spectacle that has become Eu- The Country Music Association’s hasn’t dropped the way viewership has, since the thing, of course,” said bassist Victoria rovision’s trademark. Board of Directors voted that Wallen programming is still among the few opportunities MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala: Roger Hawk- De Angelis. Norwegian singer Andreas Hauke- will not be eligible for individual art- to reach a large audience. ins, the original drummer for the studio “So the fact that so many people land, whose stage name TIX is a refer- ist categories, such as entertainer of So while the rise of streaming makes this feel like a band immortalized as “The Swampers” vote for us, it’s the most meaningful, ence to growing up with Tourette syn- the year and male vocalist of the year, business in transition, it’s not entirely clear what lies in the rock hit “Sweet Home Alabama,” because that means that those people drome, sang “Fallen Angel” in a pair according to Catharine McNelly, a ahead. died. are coming to our gigs, they are listen- of giant white wings while chained to CMA spokeswoman. Hawkins, who was 75, died after an ing to our music. And this has much four prancing devils. The board decided that Wallen could Want Fries With That? extended illness, said Ana Hyde, studio more value than a jury” At the other end of the spectrum — still be nominated for awards that rec- The term “franchise” applies to the fast-food indus- and operations manager at Muscle Shoals A crowd of 3,500 fans, who all Finland’s hard-rocking Blind Channel ognize an artistic work, such as album try and to TV, with some networks making the adapt- Sound Studio. tested negative for the coronavirus, played their song “Dark Side” amid of the year, song of the year, single of Hawkins was the drummer for the watched the finalists perform live. bursts of pyrotechnics and Ukraine’s able series formats it describes as a central part of their legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Sec- the year, musical event and music vid- schedules. tion, also known as “The Swampers.” He Maneskin is Danish for moonlight, Go_A performed surrounded by skel- eo, “so as to not limit the opportunity A key producer is Dick Wolf, whose series will fi ll was a founder of Muscle Shoals Sound a tribute to De Angelis’ home coun- etal white trees. for other credited collaborators.” nine prime-time hours on two networks this fall: The Studio, along with his partners, Jimmy new “Law & Order: For the Defense” is joining long- Johnson, David Hood and Barry running “Law & Order: SVU” and recently introduced Beckett. Cuomo had joined a series of conference Time” encouraged his brother to take a of the calls that the newspaper did not “Law & Order: Organized Crime” on NBC, which A Facebook post from the studio paid calls with aides and advisers. defi ant position and not resign, the Post identify. already airs Wolf’s three “Chicago”-set dramas, and tribute to Hawkins whom Jerry Wexler The host of CNN’s “Cuomo Prime said, quoting two people present on one CNN said in a statement that Chris CBS is adding “FBI: International” to make it a trio of called “the greatest drummer of all time” Cuomo has not been involved in the his “FBI” shows. “We love you Roger. Rest in Peace network’s coverage of the allegations, CBS is expanding its “NCIS” family (from another and watch over us as we are all better either on the air or behind the scenes, producer) with a Hawaii-set newcomer added to the for having known you. We will think because he could not be objective and franchise that includes the original series starring of you as we listen to your many hits often serves as a “sounding board” for Mark Harmon and “NCIS: Los Angeles.” including, “Respect Yourself,” “Mustang his older brother. “If you look at what is working these days on broad- Sally,” “When A Man Loves A Woman,” “However, it was inappropriate to cast television, it’s impossible to escape that franchis- “Chain of Fools,” “I’ll Take You There” engage in conversations that included es help you on several levels,” said CBS executive and so many more,” the post read. members of the governor’s staff, which Kahl. A brand name helps launch a series and viewers Roger played on hundreds of hit Chris acknowledges,” the network said. like to watch franchise shows — and thus the com- recordings. His session credits include “He will not participate in such conversa- recordings with Aretha Franklin, tions going forward.” mercials — as they air, he said, adding, “our bread and Wilson Pickett Percy Sledge Bob , , The network did not announce any butter is still selling ad time.” Seger, Clarence Carter, The Staples disciplinary action against its show host. The shows also do surprisingly well on streaming. Singers, Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, There are 350-plus episodes of durable “NCIS” on Steve Winwood, Otis Redding, James On his show, Chris Cuomo said Netfl ix, and the show had the second-most minutes Brown, Etta James, Levon Helm, being involved in the calls was “a streamed in the last week of April against such buz- Alicia Keys and many more. mistake.” zworthy competition as “The Falcon and the Winter In lieu of fl owers, the family suggested “I put my colleagues here (at CNN), Soldier.” donations be made to the Muscle Shoals who I believe are the best in the business, Music Foundation or the Alabama Music in a bad spot,” the anchor said at the top More Diversity Hall of Fame. (AP) of his show. “I never intended for that, The network plans refl ected notable efforts at ❑ ❑ ❑ I would never intend for that, and I am promoting diversity and social activism, in the year sorry for that.” following the murder of George Floyd and the wide- NEW YORK: CNN has said it was “inap- Asked about the Post story, Cuomo spread demonstrations afterward. propriate” for anchor Chris Cuomo to press secretary Richard Azzopardi said have been involved in phone calls with that “there were a few phone conversa- Fox will televise “Our Kind of People,” a series tions, with friends and advisers giving about upper-middle-class Black professionals who the staff of his brother, New York Gov Andrew Cuomo, where strategies on the governor advice.” vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. CBS will premiere how the governor should respond to The New York Democrat is facing “The Activist,” a reality show about people looking to sexual harassment allegations were alleg- In this May 13, 1968 file photo, singer John Lennon appears during a press allegations that he abused his power by bring change in the areas of health, education and the edly discussed. conference in New York. Lennon is featured in ‘1971: The Year That Music inappropriately touching and sexually environment. (AP) The network was responding to a story Changed Everything’, an eight-part documentary series that premiered Friday harassing women who worked with him in The Washington Post that said Chris on the Apple+ streaming service. (AP ) or met him elsewhere. (AP) ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 SPORTS 14 Hernandez homers as Indians top Twins

Rays beat Jays for 9th win in row MLB Results/Standings

CLEVELAND, May 23, RBI in all six games since making his Dodgers debut on Monday. (AP): César Hernández WASHINGTON, May 23, (AP): Results and Yankees 7, White Sox 0 standings from the MLB games on Saturday. hit a two-run homer in the NY Yankees 7 Chic. White Sox 0 In New York, Gerrit Cole shook off Texas 8 Houston 4 10th inning off Alex Co- rare control problems to pitch four-hit Kansas City 7 Detroit 5 ball over seven innings, and New York Cleveland 5 Minnesota (10 inn) 3 lomé, giving the Cleveland Washington 12 Baltimore 9 Indians a 5-3 victory over won its fi fth straight. Tampa Bay 3 Toronto 1 Cole (6-2) allowed four singles, Boston 4 Philadelphia 3 Minnesota that dropped struck out seven and walked as many San Diego 6 Seattle 4 Oakland 6 LA Angels 2 the Twins to 0-8 in extra- as three for the fi rst time since Aug. Colorado 7 Arizona 6 inning games this season. 31. New York had four straight starts Atlanta 6 Pittsburgh 1 Hernández’s fi rst career game- of seven shutout innings for the fi rst Miami 3 NY Mets 1 time since 1932. Milwaukee 4 Cincinnati 3 ending home run led off the 10th St Louis 2 Chicago Cubs 1 Justin Wilson and Luis Cessa fi n- LA Dodgers 6 San Francisco 3 and sliced over the right-fi eld wall ished the fi ve-hitter. The Yankees lead American League to score Austin Hedges, who start- the major leagues with eight shutouts. East Division W L Pct GB ed at second base under pandemic Gleyber Torres had three hits and Boston 29 18 .617 _ rules. four RBIs. Tampa Bay 28 19 .596 1 Colomé (2-4) also gave up Jordan New York 27 19 .587 1-1/2 Toronto 23 21 .523 4-1/2 Luplow’s leadoff homer in the 10th Baltimore 17 28 .378 11 inning of a 5-3 loss at Cleveland on BASEBALL Central Division April 26. W L Pct GB James Karinchak (2-0) got four Chicago 26 18 .591 _ Cleveland 24 19 .558 1-1/2 outs, fi nishing a 4 2/3 hitless scoreless Dylan Cease (2-1) allowed a season- Kansas City 21 23 .477 5 Indians bullpen behind AL Cy Young high fi ve runs and fi ve hits in 4 1/3 in- Detroit 18 27 .400 8-1/2 Award winner Shane Bieber. nings. Toulouse players lift the trophy after the fi nal whistle during the Heineken Champions Cup fi nal match between La Minnesota 16 29 .356 10-1/2 West Division Bieber allowed three runs and eight Rays 3, Blue Jays 1 Rochelle and Toulouse at Twickenham Stadium, London, on May 22. (AP) W L Pct GB hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six, Oakland 28 19 .596 _ ending his 23-game streak of at least In Dunedin, Florida,Taylor Walls Houston 26 20 .565 1-1/2 seven strikeouts. hit a pair of doubles in his major Wild Knights beat Sungoliath 31-26 in Top League fi nal Seattle 21 25 .457 6-1/2 league debut and Tampa Bay won its Texas 21 27 .438 7-1/2 Dodgers 6, Giants 3 Los Angeles 19 27 .413 8-1/2 ninth straight game. National League In San Francisco, Max Muncy hit a Manuel Margot hit a go-ahead sin- East Division home run into McCovey Cove, con- gle in the eighth inning and Mike Toulouse win record 5th Champions Cup W L Pct GB Zunino homered for the Rays. Center New York 21 18 .538 _ necting off Scott Kazmir in the lefty’s LONDON, May 23, (AP): Back row Knights have shared 10 titles since the Atlanta 22 24 .478 2-1/2 fi rst big league game since 2016, and fi elder Kevin Kiermaier left in the fi fth Jerome Kaino said Toulouse was mo- tournament began in 2003. Deans has Philadelphia 22 24 .478 2-1/2 Los Angeles beat San Francisco for its inning with left eye irritation. tivated by the club’s past successes now added four Top League titles to Miami 21 24 .467 3 Washington 19 23 .452 3-1/2 seventh straight win. Five Rays combined on a six-hitter as it became the fi rst team to win fi ve his fi ve Super League titles with the to send Toronto to its fourth straight Central Division Walker Buehler (3-0) pitched seven Champions Cup titles. Christchurch-based Crusaders. W L Pct GB innings and Austin Barnes also homer- loss. Rays starter Shane McClanahan Toulouse edged out La Rochelle in Japan astronaut Akihito Hoshide St Louis 26 19 .578 _ ed for the Dodgers. allowed one run and four hits in fi ve an all-French fi nal in front of 10,000 counted down the fi nal seconds to the Chicago 23 22 .511 3 innings. Andrew Kittredge (4-0) threw Milwaukee 22 23 .489 4 The 37-year-old Kazmir (0-1) al- fans at Twickenham, a red card for fi nal from the International Space Sta- Cincinnati 20 24 .455 5-1/2 lowed just one run – on Muncy’s a scoreless seventh and Diego Castillo Levani Botia seeing its opponents re- tion with the match providing a climax Pittsburgh 18 27 .400 8 homer – and two hits in four innings. worked the ninth to get his eighth save. West Division duced to 14 men in the fi rst half. to a season disrupted by the corona- W L Pct GB The three-time All-Star struck out two, Red Sox 4, Phillies 3 virus pandemic. South Africa-born San Diego 29 17 .630 _ walked none and threw 55 pitches, In Philadelphia, Xander Bogaerts center Dylan Riley scored the opening Los Angeles 28 18 .609 1 Buster Posey homered for San and Danny Santana hit consecutive RUGBY try of the fi nal for the Wild Knights, in- San Francisco 28 18 .609 1 Francisco. The Giants have lost two Arizona 18 29 .383 11-1/2 home runs in the sixth inning, Matt tercepting a pass from the Sungoliath’s Colorado 17 29 .370 12 straight to their division rivals after a Barnes retired Bryce Harper and Rhys All Blacks fl yhalf Beauden Barrett. season-best fi ve-game winning streak. Japan winger Kenki Fukuoka, Hoskins to strand the potential tying Toulouse was still second best up (right), of Panasonic Wild Knights Japan winger Kenki Fukuoka scored Albert Pujols had an RBI single run in the ninth, and Boston beat Phila- front for the 80 minutes, but Juan Cruz runs past Suntory Sungoliath’s a try in his fi nal match before retiring dropped the ball making the tag. in the eighth and has had a hit or an delphia for its fourth straight win. Mallia’s try helped them to a 22-17 Beauden Barrett of New Zealand to put the Wild Knights ahead 23-7 at Braves 6, Pirates 1 victory, despite Tawera Kerr-Barlow’s on way to a successful try during halftime. A try to Tonga-born Japan in- Nathan Eovaldi (5-2) ended a streak In Atlanta, Ozzie Albies hit home of three no-decisions, allowing two late effort for La Rochelle. the fi nal of Japan’s Top League ternational prop Asaeli Ai Valu put the runs and fi ve hits in 5 1/3 innings. “I’m absolutely stoked and it didn’t club competition in Tokyo, on May Wild Knights further ahead at the start runs from both sides of the plate and Four relievers combined for one- come easy. I’m glad we got over the 23. (AP) of the second half. Ronald Acuña Jr. led off with his ma- jor league-best 15th homer as Atlanta run, two-hit relief, and AL East-lead- line,” Kaino said. “The pressure comes Robbie Deans guided the Panasonic But Barrett’s kicking kept Sungo- from day one when you walk into the liath in the hunt for their sixth Top beat Pittsburgh. ing Boston improved to a season-high Wild Knights to a 31-26 win over 11 games over .500 at 29-18. club and you’re quite aware of the League title and tries to scrumhalf It was Acuña’s 22nd career leadoff Philadelphia has lost four in a row golden years. It’s a relief and feels perpetual rivals Suntory Sungoliath Naoto Saito and fullback Seiya Ozaki shot, extending his franchise record, and six of seven, dropping two games great to get that fi fth star.” Sunday in the fi nal of Japan rugby’s cut the defi cit to fi ve points before time including three this season. under .500 for the fi rst time this year Meanwhile, former Wallabies coach Top League. Sungoliath and the Wild ran out. Albies added a two-run shot in the at 22-24. fi fth as a left-handed hitter. He hit an- other homer, his ninth, from the right Padres 6, Mariners 4 fi ce bunt by Joe Musgrove, a starting ton overcame a pair of fi ve-run defi cits ban rookie added another solo shot in side off Sam Howard in the seventh. In San Diego, Eric Hosmer hit a two- pitcher who sometimes is called on to in a win over Baltimore. the seventh off Andre Scrubb (1-1). Bryse Wilson (2-2) allowed one run run, bases-loaded single and Fernando pinch-hit. The Mariners committed Zimmerman’s home run in the Jose Trevino hit a two-run double on fi ve hits in 6-2/3 inning. Michael Tatis Jr. came around and scored on an three errors in the inning, two after fourth against Adam Plutko (1-1) broke during a fi ve-run seventh inning as the Pérez hit a homer off Wilson in the error on the play to highlight the fi ve- Hosmer singled. a 6-all tie. Rangers overcame a 4-3 defi cit. third. run fi fth inning for San Diego, which Athletics 6, Angels 2 Baltimore (17-28) dropped its fi fth Brewers 4, Reds 3 Royals 7, Tigers 5 beat Seattle for its eighth straight win. straight and lost for the 11th time in 13 Cleveland Indians starting pitcher The game was tied at 1 when the Pa- In Anaheim, California, Chris games. The Orioles led 5-0 after an in- In Cincinnati, Daniel Robertson hit In Kansas City, Mo., Andrew Beni- Shane Bieber delivers in the fi rst dres broke through against left-hander Bassitt pitched fi ve-hit ball into the ning and 6-1 after 2 1/2 frames. his fi rst home run in more than two ntendi drove in three runs, Josh Stau- inning of a baseball game against Justus Sheffi eld (3-4) in the fi fth. The eighth inning and Seth Brown hit a In his 907th career game, Josh Har- years, a tiebreaking, seventh-inning mount escaped a bases-loaded jam the Minnesota Twins, on May 22, in Padres scored fi ve runs on four singles, two-run homer in the Athletics’ victory rison started for the fi rst time in center drive in his second game back from in the ninth inning and Kansas City Cleveland. (AP) two walks, a stolen base and a sacri- over the Angels. fi eld for the Nationals and hit his fi rst a concussion, and Milwaukee topped stopped Detroit’s four-game winning Matt Olson and Aramís García hit career grand-slam in the third. Cincinnati. streak. solo homers, while Mark Canha tri- Robertson came into the game in the Detroit’s Robbie Grossman hit a pled, doubled and scored two runs as Rockies 7, Diamondbacks 6 sixth inning as part of a double switch, two-run homer, and the Tigers went 3 New Zealand men, women beat the fi rst-place A’s took the fi rst two In Denver, Charlie Blackmon hit a led off the seventh and homered on a for 15 with runners in scoring position. games and claimed the series victory tiebreaking, two-run homer off Madi- fi rst-pitch slider from Heath Hembree Brady Singer (2-3) gave up three over their last-place downstate rivals. son Bumgarner in a four-run sixth in- (0-1). runs on four hits in 6-1/3 innings, strik- Australia in pre-Olympic sevens Bassitt (4-2) gave up only a leadoff ning, left fi elder Raimel Tapia made a Brent Suter (3-2) won after allowing ing out six. walk and David Fletcher’s slow-rolling dazzling catch to thwart a rally attempt Tyler Stephenson’s sixth-inning RBI Akil Baddoo had the fi rst three-hit WELLINGTON, New Zealand, wins on Sunday, 36-5 and 31-14. single during the fi rst seven innings. and Colorado dealt Arizona its 12th single that tied the score 3-3. Josh Ha- game of his career, including a two-run May 23, (AP): New Zealand’s They had won the first four match- Although he struck out eight and got straight road loss. der struck out two in a perfect ninth for single in the Detroit second. Harold men’s and women’s rugby sevens es on Friday and Saturday. within four outs of his fi rst career com- Bumgarner (4-4) allowed seven runs his 10th save in 10 chances. Castro added an RBI single in the fi fth. teams both set themselves up as The women’s team won its plete game, Bassit gave up three hits - fi ve earned - and eight hits in six in- Marlins 3, Mets 1 Cardinals 2, Cubs 1 and both runs in the eighth, getting nings. favorites for the Tokyo Olympics series against Australia 5-1. After chased by Shohei Ohtani’s RBI triple Tyler Kinley (1-0) earned the win In Miami, Garrett Cooper hit a two- In St. Louis, Four pitchers combined with commanding victories over dropping the opening match 19-15 to center. and Daniel Bard earned his fi fth save in out, two-run homer in the ninth inning, for fi ve innings of scoreless, two-hit on Friday, New Zealand won the Ohtani also doubled - giving him eight chances. and Miami Marlins beat New York. relief after Miles Mikolas appeared to Cooper’s fi fth homer of the year get injured in his delayed season de- next five. a major league-leading 28 extra-base Rangers 8, Astros 4 RUGBY The Australian women beat hits - and drove in his team-leading came on a 3-2 pitch from Drew Smith but, and Yadier Molina hit a tiebreak- New Zealand to take the gold 34th run of the season for Los Angeles, In Arlington, Texas, Adolis García (1-1). ing home run that lifted St. Louis over which has lost nine of 12. hit two homers and helped power Tex- The Mets’ Dominic Smith tied the Chicago. medal when sevens was first con- as past Houston. game at 1 with a two-out, RBI single Molina broke a 1-1 tie when led off Australia in weekend series. tested at the Olympics in Rio de Nationals 12, Orioles 9 García, who hit a three-run, walkoff in the eighth. the seventh inning with his seventh The New Zealand men’s rugby Janeiro in 2016. Fiji won the gold In Washington, Ryan Zimmerman drive in the 10th inning to beat the Brian Anderson scored the Marlins’ home run this season, connecting on a sevens team completed a 6-0 series in the men’s event after beating hit a tiebreaking three-run homer and Astros 7-5 on Friday night, had a solo fi rst run from third on a sacrifi ce fl y in slider with an 0-2 count from Adbert sweep over Australia with two New Zealand in the quarter-finals. fi nished with three hits, and Washing- homer in the fi fth. The 28-year-old Cu- the seventh when catcher Tomás Nido Alzolay (2-4). ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 SPORTS 15

Ruud warms up for French Open by winning Geneva Open fi nal Coco Gauff beats Wang for 2nd career title and 1st on clay PARMA, Italy, May 23, (AP): Amer- opponent in Parma. ican teenager Coco Gauff stormed to She won more than three-quarters her second career singles title as she of her fi rst-service points and fended comfortably dispatched Wang Qiang off each of the four break points she 6-1, 6-3 at the Emilia-Romagna faced against the 48th-ranked Wang. Open in her fi rst clay-court fi nal. Gauff, who reached her fi rst semi- The 17-year-old Gauff also won fi nals on clay at the Italian Open last the doubles title with Caty McNally week, dropped just one set in Parma later Saturday, becoming the young- en route to victory. She is gearing est player to complete the singles/ up for the French Open, which starts doubles sweep in nearly 17 years, May 30. since Maria Sharapova won both “It means a lot, especially on clay titles in Birmingham in 2004. That which is not really I feel like a sur- was just 92 days after Gauff was face that people associate me with,” born. Gauff said, before adding with a “I feel like all week I was just laugh: “It feels good, I like the dirt thinking about it (winning both), now. I always talk about it how I especially when we got to the semi- don’t like it but I like it now.” fi nals and you’re thinking about it, Gauff has won 20 of her last 26 and you’re like it would be pretty matches on tour. In contrast, she won cool to win both the singles and dou- 21 matches in the whole of 2019 and bles titles. And I’m happy I was able 2020 combined. to do that today,” Gauff said. Gauff won her only previous fi nal Gauff and McNally beat Darija in Lienz, Austria, in 2019. Jurak and Andreja Klepac 6-3, 6-2. In the singles fi nal, Gauff needed TENNIS just 74 minutes to beat her Chinese In Geneva, Casper Ruud warmed up for the French Open by winning the Geneva Open fi nal, beating Den- is Shapovalov 7-6 (6), 6-4. Third-seeded Ruud served more cleanly and allowed no break-point chances to second-seeded Shapoval- ov. Ruud clinched with his fi rst match point when Shapovalov sent a back- hand service return long. The 15th- ranked Canadian’s record in fi nals fell to 1-2. A second career title lifted Ruud’s Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry (35) stops a shot on goal by New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal (13) during the second period of Game 4 record to 2-2 in fi nals, all at clay- of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup fi rst-round playoff series, on May 22, in Uniondale, NY. (AP) Casper Ruud of Norway kisses court events. The 22-year-old Nor- wegian’s previous title was at Bue- the trophy after beating Denis weather) has been challenging this hope I can be in the second week,” Shapovalov of Canada during their nos Aires last year. fi nal men’s match, at the ATP 250 “This week has been unbelievable week but it was nice to get some sun he said. Geneva Open tournament in Ge- for me,” said Ruud, whose rank- today.” The main draw begins at Roland Isles top Pens, neva, Switzerland, on May 22. (AP) ing is set to rise from No. 21. “(The “I’m looking forward to Paris, I Garros on May 30. Zepeda outboxes Lundy to 10-round decision tie ‘series’ at 2 Taylor unanimously outpoints Ramirez in unifi cation bout Knights blank Wild, grab 3-1 lead LAS VEGAS, May 23, (AP): Scot- land’s Josh Taylor said his unification Lightning 6, Panthers 2 bout with Jose Ramirez started much Stewart, Loyd star UNIONDALE, NY, May earlier than. 23, (AP): Ilya Sorokin In Tampa, Florida, Alex Killorn “The plan was to get inside of scored two second-period goals and Ramirez’s head and use his aggression Storm rally to beat stopped 29 shots, Oliver Tampa Bay rebounded a loss to rout against him. It worked perfectly all Wahlstrom and Ryan Pu- Florida and a 3-1 series lead. week,” Taylor said. Wings in overtime lock each had a goal and an The reigning Stanley Cup champi- Indeed it did, as Taylor knocked ons pushed their intrastate rivals to the down Ramirez in the sixth and seventh ARLINGTON, Texas, May 23, assist and the New York Is- brink of elimination by scoring three rounds and unanimously outpointed (AP): Breanna Stewart had 36 landers beat the Pittsburgh first-period goals, then building their him Saturday night to become the points, 11 rebounds and five blocks Penguins 4-1 in Game 4 to advantage to 5-1 when Killorn beat undisputed junior welterweight cham- to help the Seattle Storm beat the goalie Sergei Bobrovsky twice in 1:34 pion. even the fi rst-round series. to break it open. Dallas Wings 100-97 in overtime. Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three All three judges scored it 114-112. Jewell Loyd added 25 points, Josh Bailey and Jordan Eberle “I walked him into some good also scored for New York. Sorokin, assists, Anthony Cirelli, Yanni Gourde eight rebounds and six assists for and Ondrej Palat also scored and Andrei shots,” said Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs). Seattle and Jordin Canada scored who had 39 saves in the Islanders’ “I knew he would try for a left hook Vasilevskiy stopped 39 shots. 14 points - including a floater in the 4-3 win in Game 1, was back in Maple Leafs 5, Canadiens 1 to the body or the right hook up to the goal after Semyon Varlamov start- head, the big right hook he’s very good lane with 4.4 seconds left in regula- In Toronto, Auston Matthews broke at that. He left himself open, puts his tion that forced the extra period. ed Games 2 and 3 – both losses. a tie early in the second period and Zach Aston-Reese scored for head down and I took a step back and Josh Taylor hits Jose Ramirez during a junior welterweight title boxing Toronto beat Montreal in Game 2 to hit him with the uppercut.” BASKETBALL Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 23 even the first-round playoff series. bout, on May 22, in Las Vegas. (AP) saves, and drew mocking chants of Matthews also had assists, William “Jar-ry! Jar-ry!” from Islanders fans. BOXING Stewart, who became the fast- Game 5 is Monday night in ICE HOCKEY est player to reach 2,500 points and Pittsburgh, and Game 6 back at Nassau Taylor’s big left counter cross to 1,000 rebounds, scored eight points Coliseum on Wednesday night. the jaw dropped Ramirez early in the in the final 3 1/2 minute and her two Nylander added goal and an assist, and sixth round and he used a destructive free throws with 30.5 seconds re- Jason Spezza, Rasmus Sandin and left uppercut in the seventh round. maining gave Seattle (3-1) the lead Alexander Kerfoot, into an empty net, The second knockdown clearly dazed for good at 98-97. After an offensive also scored. Jack Campbell stopped 22 Ramirez, as referee Kenny Bayless foul by Arike Ogunbowale on the shots, and Mitch Marner had two assists. had to ask him twice to step forward other end, Canada made two foul Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored for without stumbling. shots to cap the scoring with 12.9 Montreal, and Carey Price stopped 29 “I actually think the referee gave seconds to go. shots. him too much time,” Taylor said. The best-of-seven matchup between “That should have been fight over.” Ogunbowale had 28 points and six the Original Six rivals shifts to the Bell Taylor, who already held the WBA assists for Dallas (1-1) and Marina Centre for games Monday and Tuesday and IBF titles, is the first Scottish fight- Mabrey made a career-high tying nights. The Canadiens won the opener er to attain undisputed status after tak- six 3-pointers and finished with a ca- 2-1. ing Ramirez’s WBC and WBO belts. reer-best 26 points. Isabelle Harrison Knights 4, Wild 0 Despite Taylor exhibiting tremen- added 16 points and 11 rebounds and In St PaulL, Minn, Marc-Andre dous speed, Ramirez (26-1, 17 KOs) Kayla Thornton had 14 points and a Fleury made 35 saves for his 16th was in control early in the fight and career-high 12 boards. career postseason shutout, Nicolas Roy won three of the first four rounds. Ogunbowale scored in double fig- Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Ka- scored twice and Vegas beat Minnesota While ducking in and out of Tay- Simone Biles warms up before competing in the US Classic gymnastics ures for the 39th consecutive game, prizov (97) is hit by Vegas Gold- 4-0 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, lor’s left hand, Ramirez was able to competition in Indianapolis, on May 22. (AP) the longest active streak of its kind en Knights defenseman Nicolas Alex Tuch and Mark Stone each got close the gap and keep his body close in the WNBA and one shy of the Hague (14) in the fi rst period of an their third goal of the series and enough to land short power shots to the franchise record set by Skylar Dig- NHL hockey game, on May 22, in Keegan Kolesar had two assists for the body, and occasional slips to the head. Biles makes history in return gins-Smith. St. Paul, Minn. (AP) Golden Knights. An early third-round spree by Ramirez left Taylor staggered, as he continued to wear down the 30-year- to ‘competition’ at US Classic Gilliland claims 1st NASCAR trucks series victory old and ended his best round with a 25- 11 advantage with landed shots – 21 of INDIANAPOLIS, May 23, (AP): Si- The miscue was merely a speedbump them power shots. Ramirez registered mone Biles and her ever-expanding ar- on a night when she showcased what 30 more attempts in the third round, ray of signature skills sure look ready separates her from every other gymnast leading Taylor to come out cautious for the Tokyo Olympics. in the sport’s long history. Busch dominates Xfi nity race in Austin in the fourth. It also made it easier for The reigning world and Olympic Wearing a white leotard with a AUSTIN, Texas, May 23, (AP): Kyle Busch turned in a 20 turns, s-curves and elevation changes. None are trickier Ramirez to close the gap and stay in champion returned to competition for rhinestone goat - a nod to her status as dominating performance to win the NASCAR Xfi nity race than the fi rst corner, a left-handed switchback that quickly the Greatest of All-Time - on the back, tight, where he is used to fighting in a the fi rst time in more than 18 months at the Circuit of the Americas, with lessons learned for send the cars into a 133-foot descent. comfort zone and stand to shoulder to by cruising to victory at the U.S. Clas- Biles posted the highest scores of the shoulder while answering everything sic. night on balance beam, fl oor exercise maybe an even bigger victory later in the weekend. Busch had cut through the wet conditions in the morning thrown his way. Meanwhile, a frustrat- The 24-year-old continued her quest and vault. Busch, looking to get some extra laps and much-needed to earn pole position and was just as dominant when the ed Taylor, whose left eye was cut in to push the boundaries of what’s possi- So much for being rusty after the track experience before the NASCAR Cup Series race, sun came out. the third, was warned for a third time ble by a female gymnast in the process. COVID-19 pandemic pushed the stepped into the Xfi nity lineup and crushed the fi eld from Ross Chastain started second and challenged Busch from for pulling Ramirez’s head down. Biles’ all-around score of 58.400 - Olympics back a year. the pole position with a pace and road course mastery that the start through the fi rst corner. But his race was done early “I thought, after the fifth round, easily the best of the night in a crowded The miscue on bars will give Biles left little doubt about the outcome from the opening laps. as he broke an axle when he left the track in the fi rst lap and ya know I’m doing really well,” said fi eld of seniors trying to join Biles on something to focus on before the na- Busch led 36 of 46 laps and fi nished 11 seconds ahead of his car limped back the garage. Ramirez, 28, who had only been the U.S. Olympic team this summer - tional championships in Fort Worth, A.J. Allmendinger for his record 98th Xfi nity victory and Busch led most of the fi rst stage but wound up 13th after knocked down twice previously. “I felt was almost beside the point. Texas, next month. 217th in NASCAR’s top three series. getting delayed by traffi c in pit lane. He quickly returned to like I was winning the sixth round, too, Behind her, however, the picture for The win and the course knowledge will be a boost heading the front before pitting again at the end of the second. Justin until the knockdown came.” who will join her in Japan in July re- into Sunday’s Cup race if conditions stay the same. The Sat- Haley, who missed last week’s race at Dover because of Taylor’s patience through the first GYMNASTICS mains unclear. urday race was dry. Rain looms in the forecast for Sunday. what was termed as problems with coronavirus protocols, five helped him transition from being Jordan Chiles, a friend and team- NASCAR’s inaugural race weekend at the 3.4-mile track won the second stage. disciplined and to a strategic tactician The Yurchenko double pike vault mate of Biles, is moving closer to be- built for Formula One is pushing drivers to quickly learn its Busch then closed the door on the fi eld with a bolt up the who set Ramirez up perfectly as he con- has historically only been done by men. ing a favorite for one of the remain- hill out of third-stage restart. He had a car-length lead head- tinued to charge into attack. Taylor’s Not anymore. Biles sprinted down the ing spots available. The 20-year-old ing in the fi rst turn, denying Allmendinger’s best chance to counter punches proved to be too much. runway, did a roundoff onto the spring- proved her victory in the Winter Cup in make a race of it late. “It was quite easy to keep the dis- board followed by a back handspring February was no fl uke. Chiles fi nished Justin Allgaier fi nished third. Xfi nity series leader and tance and keep boxing him,” Taylor onto the vault, fi nishing with two back- second in the all-around (57.100) to defending champ Austin Cindric, who has three wins and said of his game plan. “I actually could fl ips with her legs ramrod straight and Biles and ranked in the top four in each seven top-fi ve fi nishes this season, fi nished fi fth. have made that fight a bit easier if I her hands seemingly magnetized to her of the four events. kept a little bit more disciplined. When hamstrings. Biles had so much momen- Kayla DiCello came in third, buoyed he got success was when I put my tum when she landed that she hopped by a victory on bars. CAR/TRUCK RACING hands up and closed my guard and let back a step or two. Chellsie Memmel clenched her fi sts him through. He was strong doing that. No matter. Her score of 16.100 was in joy after landing her vault in her Meanwhile, Todd Gilliland powered through wet condi- “My will to win is second to none, higher than either of her gold medal- fi rst competitive meet in more than tions early, then grabbed the lead late to pull away for his I’m so determined. I’ve done every- winning vaults at the 2016 Olympics in nine years. The 2005 world all-around fi rst NASCAR trucks series victory of the season at the Cir- thing right this week.” Rio de Janeiro. And that was with the champion and 2008 Olympic silver cuit of the Americas. It marked the second time the judges dinging her for the extra steps. medalist’s score of 13.750 didn’t mat- Gilliland was in a four-car group that drew from the pack 140-pound title was unified. Terrence The rest of her night was steady, if not ter. Neither did a nervous beam routine at the start of the fi nal stage, then overtook Sheldon Creed, Crawford beat Julius Indongo with a spectacular. She sailed off the uneven that fi nished with an 11.800. Saturday Kyle Busch raises the trophy in Victory Lane after win- Tyler Ankrum and Kaz Grala over the fi nal laps. This was third-round knockout the first time on bars on her fi nal event on an element was about simply arriving at the mo- ning the NASCAR Xfi nity Series auto race at the Circuit his second career trucks win and fi rst since 2019. Aug 19, 2017. that she has struggled with in practice. ment itself. of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on May 22. (AP) Gilliland noted he just turned 21 a week ago. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 16

First place Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of The Netherlands celebrates after winning the Monaco Grand Prix at the Monaco racetrack, in Monaco. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Sainz Jr, Norris complete podium Verstappen wins Monaco GP, takes lead

MONACO, May 23, (AP): Max Ver- he crossed the fi nish line. rest of the season.” didn’t think it was going to happen. I’ll stappen took the lead in the Formula It is the fi rst time since the German He was then greeted by tennis star cherish it.” One championship race for the fi rst Grand Prix in 2018 that Mercedes has Serena Williams, who waved the Sergio Perez was fourth for Red time in his career with a dominating not led the championship. Hamilton checkered fl ag and was an honorary Bull, which moved back on top of the victory Sunday at the Monaco Grand fi nished seventh on an uncharacteristi- guest at the event. constructors championship ahead of Prix, his fi rst win on the vaunted circuit. cally bad day for the usually reliable “It’s so special around here to win. Mercedes. Verstappen took control of the race Mercedes team. It’s my fi rst time on the podium here,” Mercedes has won the last seven right at the start from the second posi- Bottas retired from the race af- said Verstappen, whose father Jos se- drivers’ and constructors’ champion- tion, in part because pole sitter Charles ter a right-front wheel stub axle was cured two podiums in 106 F1 races and ships, but Sunday marked the fi rst time Leclerc did not start the race because was seven-time F1 champion Michael in fi ve races this season that Hamilton of a mechanical issue. Schumacher’s teammate at Benetton. and Verstappen did not fi nish 1-2. Verstappen darted in front of Valt- MOTOR RACING “I remember when I was very little, Sergio Perez was fourth for Red teri Bottas and led start to fi nish for his you always want to win this one.” Bull and Sebastian Vettel was fi fth for second win the season and 12th of his stripped during his pit stop and Mer- Verstappen fi nished 8.9 seconds his best fi nish of the season. career. The Red Bull driver took a four- cedes could not remove the tire. ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr of Ferrari. Leclerc’s chances of winning his point lead over seven-time F1 cham- Verstappen sprinted over to his team Lando Norris scored his third career home race from pole position ended pion Lewis Hamilton in the standings. and jumped into their arms after the podium the same week he signed a when he pulled off track with a gear- “That was master class and you’re race. contract extension with McLaren. box problem. He crashed with 18 sec- Belgian cyclist Victor Campenaerts, (right), followed by Dutch rider Os- leading the championship. Well done, “It is so special to win here. Of “I don’t know what to say, it’s a onds remaining in Saturday qualifying car Riesebeek, celebrates as he crosses the fi nish line to win the 15th mate,” Red Bull team principal Chris- course I’m very proud,” Verstappen dream to be on the podium here,” and risked a fi ve-place grid penalty if stage of the Giro d’Italia cycling race, from Grado to Gorizia, northern tian Horner radioed to Verstappen as said. “But I’m thinking ahead to the the 21-year-old British driver said. “I Ferrari changed his gearbox. Italy. (AP) Campenaerts gets Giro stage victory

GORIZIA, Italy, May 23, (AP): Liverpool, Chelsea into CL Belgian rider Victor Campen- aerts won the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Sunday for his first victory in a Grand Tour, and Egan Bernal kept the leader’s pink jersey after a day that was marked by a large crash at the be- ginning of the route. Campenaerts, who rides for Team Qhubeka Assos, edged out Oscar Riesebeek at the end of the 147-kilometer (91-mile) route from Grado to Gorizia that crossed into Slovenia and cov- ered the fourth-category climb to Gornje Cerovo three times. The duo had attacked from a breakaway approaching the final climb, with the rain falling heav- ily. Nikias Arndt won a sprint for third, seven seconds behind Campenaerts. Bernal crossed the line in the

CYCLING peloton, more than 17 minutes behind. The 2019 Tour de France champion maintained his lead of 1 minute, 33 seconds over Simon Yates and is 1:51 ahead of third- place Damiano Caruso. The stage was halted for about half an hour shortly after the start following a mass crash. Several riders had to get medical atten- tion at the side of the road and there were numerous bicycle changes. Emanuel Buchmann, who had hopes of a podium finish, was one of the riders forced to retire from the race because of his in- juries. The German cyclist was Manchester City players raise the trophy to celebrate winning the English Premier League title after the soccer match between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad stadium in Manchester. (AP) sixth overall, 2:36 behind Bernal. Natnael Berhane and Jos Van Emden also had to abandon. Ru- Leicester 5th, Aguero scores twice on farewell with City ben Guerreiro rode on for a while before also quitting. LONDON, May 23, (AP): United. only were supporters back after 14 Liverpool and Chelsea se- Sergio Aguero scored twice in a fai- months away but it was their first rytale Premier League farewell as chance to salute the champions and Mavs draw fi rst blood against Clippers cured the fi nal two Champi- Manchester City completed their title- acknowledge their European exploits. ons League qualifi cation spots winning campaign by thrashing Everton The fans certainly made their pres- on a thrilling last day of the 5-0. ence felt throughout the afternoon. Premier League season, with City’s record scorer, who is leaving Before the game, big numbers spilled Nets recover from stars’ slow the club following next week’s into the streets as City’s team coaches Leicester missing out in the Champions League final after 10 years made what is normally a straightfor- three-way fi ght for a top-four at the Etihad Stadium, hit a quickfire ward journey from the nearby training fi nish on Sunday. double after coming off the bench with complex to the stadium. Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Aston 25 minutes remaining. Only 10,000 were permitted inside the start to beat Celtics in Game 1 Villa didn’t prove critical because That added to earlier strikes from stadium but the atmosphere they gener- Leicester conceded three late goals Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus and ated inspired the team and few left before NEW YORK, May 23, (AP): Maybe to earn the No. 7 seed. all six of his attempts. it was Boston’s defense. It could have The Celtics managed just 40 points Game 2 is Tuesday night at Staples to lose 4-2 at home to Tottenham Phil Foden as City showed no sign of the post-match ceremonies, which letting up ahead of the final against included the club tributes to Aguero. even been Brooklyn’s own fans. in the second half and shot 37% for the Center. and stay in fi fth place. Chelsea in Porto on Saturday. Everton formed a guard of honor to Whatever the reason, something had game. The Clippers didn’t make more Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 2-0 Everton, which had gone into the greet City players as they came onto the the Nets’ Big Three out of rhythm to Mavericks 113, Clippers 103 than three 3-pointers in a quarter until thanks to two goals from Sadio Mane game with a chance of qualifying for field and players from both sides then start the playoff opener. In Los Angeles, it took three quar- the fourth, when they hit four. Dallas and jumped into third place, two points Europe, were overwhelmed on an did likewise for Aguero. Once the second half arrived, Kevin ters before Luka Doncic fi nally went controlled the closing minutes, ending above fourth-place Chelsea. emotional occasion that saw City pre- Supporters would have to wait to see Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden quiet. The damage was already done, the game on an 18-5 run. The Clippers sented with the Premier League trophy the Argentinian in action, however. The went from way off to off and running. although his teammates kept the pres- were limited to two baskets - both by SOCCER and fans return to the stadium. striker, having been troubled by a mus- Durant had 32 points and 12 re- sure on in the fourth. George - over that stretch. The Merseysiders, for whom Gylfi cular injury in recent weeks, was not fit bounds, Irving scored 29 points and the Doncic scored 31 points and the The Clippers tied it at 60 early in the Leicester, which also missed out on Sigurdsson missed a penalty, slumped enough to play the full 90 minutes and Nets recovered from their superstars’ outshot the NBA’s leading team from third on Patrick Beverley’s 3-pointer Champions League qualification by to 10th in the standings. had asked manager Pep Guardiola if he frigid start to beat the Celtics 104-93 3-point range, beating the Los Angeles before the Mavs scored eight in a row losing on the final day of last season, For City, it was a celebration. Not could start from the bench. on Saturday night. Clippers 113-103 in Game 1 of the to go up 68-60. were leading 2-1 after 76 minutes, Harden fi nished with 21 points, fi rst-round playoff series. Trail Blazers 123, Nuggets 109 only for goalkeeper Kasper nine rebounds and eight assists in Doncic was held to one point in the In Denver, what had Damian Lillard Schmeichel to punch the ball into his just the ninth appearance of the sea- fourth on a free throw. so excited wasn’t his 34 points or 13 own net. Substitute Gareth Bale son for the trio. The three combined assists or how he led Portland’s 3-point scored in the 87th and again in stop- to go 0 for 11 from 3-point range in BASKETBALL barrage that sparked the Trail Blazers’ page time as Leicester poured for- the fi rst half, then stormed out of the win over the undermanned Denver ward in search of a winner. locker room with an 18-4 run to open Nuggets in their playoff opener. West Ham beat Southampton 3-0 to the third and swing the lead the Nets’ Tim Hardaway Jr. added 21 points It was holding NBA MVP front- finish in sixth place to qualify for the way for good. and Dorian Finney-Smith had 18 for runner Nikola Jokic to a single assist. Europa League and Tottenham’s win at The Nets announced a sellout crowd the Mavs, who led most of the game. That’s something no opponent had Leicester ensured the team got into the of 14,391 after playing in fully or most- Doncic and Hardaway Jr. made fi ve done all year against the Nuggets su- new Europa Conference League. ly empty arenas for most of the season. 3-pointers each, and Finney-Smith had perstar center who averaged a career- Harry Kane finished as the league’s Harden said the loud crowd was an ad- four to help Dallas shoot 47% from best 8.3 assists this season. top scorer, for the third time, on 23 justment. long-range. Jokic matched Lillard’s scoring out- goals - one ahead of Liverpool’s Durant, Irving and Harden scored The Clippers gave up 68 points to put, but wasn’t nearly the same facili- Mohamed Salah - after scoring at 28 of the Nets’ 31 points in the period, four other players besides Doncic, in- tator. Leicester. The striker also had more with Joe Harris - who made Brooklyn’s cluding 14 to 7-foot-3 Kristaps Porzin- The Blazers hit 19 of 40 shots from assists than anyone else, with 14. only 3-pointer of the fi rst half - hitting gis. beyond the arc, and Lillard, sport- Arsenal failed to qualify for European another for the other points. Kawhi Leonard had 26 points and ing silver sneakers that were a fi tting competition for the first time in 25 years Harris had 10 points for the Nets, 10 rebounds for the Clippers, and Paul choice for his sterling performance, after finishing in eighth place, a point who host Game 2 on Tuesday night. George added 23 points. But they were had fi ve of them. behind north London rivals Tottenham, Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, but a combined 3 of 14 on 3-pointers. As a Subs Carmelo Anthony and Anfern- despite beating Brighton 2-0. Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, (left), reaches for the ball in front of shot just 6 for 20 and couldn’t come to team, the Clippers were 11 for 40 af- ee Simons added four each as the Blaz- There were also wins for Manchester Boston Celtics guard Evan Fournier during the second half of Game 1 of an his 50-point effort in the play-in tour- ter leading the NBA at 41% during the ers outscored Denver by 24 points from United, Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield NBA basketball fi rst-round playoff series in New York. (AP) nament, when Boston beat Washington regular season. Marcus Morris missed beyond the arc.

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