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TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 / JUMADA AL AWWAL 28, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17585 16 PAGES 150 FILS Qatar-Saudi direct flights resume amid detente

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DUBAI, Jan 11, (AP): A Qatar Airways airspace to Qatar on Monday, following a jetliner landed in Saudi Arabia on Mon- similar weekend announcement from the day, completing the first direct flight from United Arab Emirates. Still, travelers are Doha to Riyadh since the kingdom’s boy- not yet able to book direct flights to Qa- cott of the tiny, energy-rich state in 2017. tar on state-owned Emirati and Bahraini The resumption of direct flights came airlines. Egypt, which also participated after regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia in the yearslong boycott, has not publicly reopened its borders and airspace with Qa- elaborated on its restoration of ties with tar last week, paving the way for a broader Qatar. rapprochement. At an annual Gulf summit Saudi Arabia, seeking to unify Arab meeting in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, repre- ranks and position itself as peacemaker sentatives of the four boycotting coun- ahead of the incoming administration of tries signed a pledge to resolve the bitter President-elect Joe Biden, led the push to dispute that has fragmented the typically end the spat with the backing of the Unit- clubby Gulf Cooperation Council and ed States and regional mediator Kuwait. troubled America’s foreign policy in the On Saturday, the first Qatari vehicles region, including its efforts to isolate Iran. passed through the country’s only land Qatar Airways announced it would crossing with Saudi Arabia, which the state restart daily service to the capital of Ri- relied on for the import of dairy products, yadh, four weekly flights to the Red Sea construction materials and other goods be- city of Jeddah and daily flights to the fore the border slammed shut in 2017. Anti- eastern city of Damman using wide-body virus restrictions and mandated quarantines aircraft like the Airbus A350-1000 that will slow the traffic during the coming landed Monday. Saudi Airlines also flew months, and it remains uncertain whether to Doha later in the day. deep-rooted mistrust will hinder the swift “We also look forward to resuming resumption of weekend getaways, a com- a strong relationship with our trade and mon pastime before the boycott. cargo partners in the Kingdom of Saudi Saudi state-run Ekhbariya TV broad- Arabia, as well as the major airports in the cast what appeared to be carefully orches- Qatari Khaled, 12, is hugged by his aunt as he arrives on the first Qatar Airways plane in three years to land at King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, Saudi country,” the Qatar state airline said. trated footage of Qatari drivers receiving Arabia on Jan 11. Saudi Arabia, along with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, ended a three-year-old dispute with Qatar following a Gulf Cooperation Bahrain’s civil aviation affairs author- warm welcomes at the Abu Samra-Salwa Council (GCC) summit in AlUla last week. (AP) ity joined in saying it would reopen its desert crossing over the weekend. Opinion Remittance tax back in Oh GCC leaders, protect reconciliation from haters play as MPs submit bill By Ahmed Al-Jarallah to go back, due to which this matter Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times should be handled with extra care. It is natural for some distinctions to THERE is no doubt that the 41st Gulf occur in positions, or serious attempts ‘2.5 percent regardless of currency’ Cooperation Council Summit in the to sabotage this great achievement. city of Al-Ula in the Kingdom of Here the major responsibility rests Saudi Arabia turned the page of the with the leaders of the Gulf Coopera- By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Muwaizri and Khalid Al-Otaibi have submitted a bill crisis that lasted for three and a half tion Council. They must be very care- Arab Times Staff on taxing remittances. years. ful when dealing with these events, Al-Shaheen disclosed the bill aims to enhance the public budget, However, those with interests in and must work collectively to prevent KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: MPs Osama Al-Shaheen, contribute to ongoing efforts to generate more job opportunities, and the disagreement among the Gulf any sabotage attempts by haters. Hamad Al-Matar, Abdulaziz Al-Saqaabi, Shuaib Al- limit the transfer of money to other countries; taking into consider- countries would explore their options This reconciliation can be guarded to maintain their network of inter- through direct contacts or bilateral ation the facts revealed by the Finan- ests, either in Qatar or in the other meetings, or through the activation of cial Crimes Enforcement Network four countries. Their main objective the diplomatic safety net, in addition (FinCEN), Paradise and Panama would now be to preserve the larg- to increasing cooperation in the fi elds US to label Houthi rebels terrorist documents showing that millions of est possible portion of the investment of politics, security and economy, ex- WASHINGTON, Jan 11, (AP): Kuwaiti dinars were smuggled out of they made in the GCC crisis. changing goods and facilitating the Secretary of State Mike Pom- Kuwait and kept in tax haven coun- Countries, parties and groups, even movement of individuals, as the situ- peo has announced that he will tries abroad. businessmen and merchants, profi t ation prior to 2017. Iran-outreach designate Yemen’s Iran-backed Once the bill is implemented, it will from the crisis. Therefore, they will There is no doubt that Doha, under Houthi rebels as a “foreign ter- generate at least KD 100 million national not easily accept the new status quo, the leadership of Sheikh Tamim bin rorist organization” as time runs revenues per year. The bill stipulates pen- which includes opening of land and Hamad, is not what it used to be fi ve Burns for CIA down on the Trump administra- alties for those who will violate its provi- air borders, and the return of the fl ow years ago. This man is fully aware of tion. The designation will take sions. At present, the exchange compa- WASHINGTON, Jan 11, (AP): Wil- effect on Jan19, one day before nies are collecting fees for remittances, of goods among the fi ve countries. the importance of the strategic depth liam Burns, a well-known figure in This new reality would not sit of his country. He is one of the young president-elect Joe Biden takes but the State gets nothing. The State will diplomatic circles around the world, office. benefit from remittances through this bill, comfortably with countries like Tur- leaders who works for the future of his is President-elect Joe Biden’s choice key and Iran, which are still working The announcement Sunday Al-Shaheen explained. country on the basis of solidarity and to lead the CIA, a selection likely to comes as Pompeo and his top This bill amends law number 32/1968 hard to prevent the development of union of the vision between the capi- be embraced by the rank and file at aides rush to complete actions which regulates the currency, Central reconciliation into natural fraternal tals of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the nation’s premier spy agency. they believe will cement their Bank of Kuwait (CBK) and banking pro- relations like it was before the crisis. and does not sing out of tune. A former ambassador to Russia legacy and the president’s. In ad- cedures. It adds two articles to the afore- Even the Muslim Brotherhood Irrespective of the discordant and Jordan, Burns, 64, had a 33-year dition to the Houthi designation, mentioned law as follows: Group, which strives to exploit the voices emanating from here and there Prime Minister’s Diwan photo career at the State Department under Pompeo in coming days is also Article 71 bis mandates the Central dispute to pass more of its ideas and through the press and the social me- HH the Prime Minister Sheikh both Republican and Democratic expected to likely re-designate Bank of Kuwait to take the necessary projects and market them in the larg- dia platforms, which have destroyed Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad presidents. He rose through the ranks Cuba as a “state sponsor of ter- steps to obligate local banks, branches of est possible area, will work with all more than what have built during Al-Sabah chairing Monday’s of the diplomatic corps to become rorism,” according to several ad- foreign banks and money exchange com- its strength to accumulate its balance, the past three and a half years, this Cabinet meeting. deputy secretary of state before retir- mininstration officials. panies to collect tax on remittances – 2.5 and will fi ght with all its weapons in should not turn into sparks that reig- ing in 2014 to run the Carnegie En- Both moves will impose or re- percent of the amount remitted regardless dowment of International Peace. this regard. Because of this, the cur- nite the fi re of disagreement. impose sanctions on the targets of the currency. This tax will be added rent stage is closer to the period of In his 2019 book “The Back Chan- and may complicate the incom- to the State treasury. Money transfers This reconciliation is fought nel: A Memoir of American Diplo- recuperation that the patient is going against, thus, dealing with what Newswatch ing Biden administration’s di- related to agreements on investment pro- macy and the Case for Its Renewal,” tection and money transferred by the gov- through, during which care becomes threatens it must be based on the plomacy. On Saturday Pompeo Burns called for a revamp of Ameri- angered China when he declared ernment are tax-exempt. a necessity more than before. utmost frankness and disclosure to can diplomacy, while recalling his What was achieved at the Al-Ula KUWAIT CITY: The Kuwaiti restrictions on US diplomatic The Central Bank must exempt Ku- ensure the blossoming of the recon- Ministry of Health declared days in the field, including helping contacts with Taiwanese officials waitis studying abroad, those undergo- Summit is the rebirth of the Gulf Co- ciliation. on Monday logging 527 new to spearhead the early stages of the ing treatment overseas treatment, and if operation Council. It needs hard work to be null and void. In addition, Email: [email protected] coronavirus cases in the last 24 Obama administration’s outreach to Pompeo plans before leaving of- the transferred amount is less than KD so that it does not suffer a setback. hours raising the caseload to Iran in 2013. fice on Jan 20 to draw explicit 10,000 per year from paying such tax. The great joy with which the GCC Follow me on: 154,841. If confirmed, he would succeed links between Iran and al-Qaeda Article 85 bis specifies the penalties nationals received the reconciliation The ministry spokesperson Dr Gina Haspel, the first female CIA di- and hit more Iranian entities with for whoever violates the law such as fine is an expression of the reality that Abdullah Al-Sanad reported rector, who guided the agency under sanctions, the officials said. equal to twice the amount transferred. In streams in the heart of everyone in two deaths, putting the death toll President Donald Trump. Trump ex- case the violation is repeated, the penalty at 945. The officials were not autho- the region. Therefore it is not easy [email protected] pressed skepticism about intelligence rized to discuss the steps publicly is toughened – closure of the erring com- He said in a statement to and frequently disparaged the assess- KUNA number of cases at inten- because they have not yet been pany. sive care units reached 50, with ments of US spy agencies, especially announced and spoke on condi- The executive regulations will be the count of confi rmed cases and about Russia’s interference in the tion of anonymity. drafted as per the decision of the finance 600 to receive Amiri Pardon in ’21 continued to receive medical care 2016 election to help his campaign. The administration had been minister within six months of enforcing standing at 4,523. Trump also fired several career weighing the formal designation the law. KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: According to re- inmates in the list are in compliance with Number of swab tests con- intelligence professionals in favor of of the Houthi rebels as a “foreign In addition, MP Fayez Al-Jomhour liable sources, the conditions for the Amiri the conditions and controls specified ac- ducted over the past 24 hours loyalists, including some with little to terrorist organization” for months. submitted a proposal to establish Is- Pardon for the current year 2021 include cording to the organizing regulations. was at 10,087, with the tally of no experience in the field. But that effort had been bogged lamic Studies institutes in the six gov- about 600 prisoners convicted in various cas- The sources indicated that the expatri- such examinations standing at Burns has never been an Ameri- down in internal disagreements ernorates. es. Among them, about 120 prisoners will be ates who will be released and who are of 1,337,514. can intelligence officer, but he has over whether sanctions could be Meanwhile, MP Hamdan Al-Azmi released in early February, and the rest will several Arab and Asian nationalities will The Ministry of Health de- worked with many abroad. effectively enforced without wors- criticized the tender for the provision, in- enjoy either reduction of penalty or the drop- be deported to their countries immediately, clared on Monday that 366 pa- “I developed enormous respect for ening the dire humanitarian crisis stallation and operation of the Integrated ping of fines, reports Al-Qabas daily. stressing the keenness of Kuwait to devote tients who suffered from the my colleagues in the CIA,” Burns in Yemen. Tax Administration System (ITAS) that They explained that the conditions of the to human rights and rehabilitate the inmates coronavirus were healed during said in an online video statement Objections from the Treasury the Ministry of Finance floated recently. Amiri Pardon do not include cases related and reform them for a good life. past 24 hours. (KUNA) Monday with Biden. “I served with Department were apparently He wonders why the ministry took such ❑ ❑ ❑ to State Security, wastage of public funds, They said the release of those covered them in hard places around the world. overcome last week after certain a step even if there is no law on imposing and money laundering. Reports that circu- by the Amiri Pardon will create a new en- IRAN: A South Korean diplomat- I saw firsthand the courage and pro- exemptions to the sanctions al- tax. He warned the National Assembly lated on some social media sites about the vironment inside the prison that is consis- ic delegation arrived in Iran on fessionalism that they displayed lowing for aid work to continue will not remain idle as it is keen on ad- inclusion of the names of convicts involved tent with the health and security conditions Sunday to negotiate the release and the sacrifices that their families were arranged. dressing the issue. in the case known as the “Interior Hospital- sought by the security leaders, and will re- of a vessel and its crew seized by made.” Late Sunday, Pompeo an- He said Minister of Finance Khalifa ity” case in the amnesty is untrue. duce the number of inmates in the cells. Iranian forces amid an escalat- Burns called intelligence the first nounced that he was proceed- Musaed Hamada and His Highness the The committee responsible for vetting The sources indicated that all those who ing fi nancial dispute between the line of defense for the country and the ing with the designation of the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid the lists of the Amiri Pardons in the Minis- will be released are those who are serving countries, Iranian state-run media basis for making sound policy deci- Houthis, also known as Ansarsal- should be held responsible for this blun- try of Interior, with the cooperation of other their sentences inside the correctional insti- reported. sions. He also said he would deliver the lah, along with separate terrorist der, urging both officials to cancel the relevant authorities, has finished selecting tutions, and are known to have good behav- The South Korean-fl agged intelligence to Biden and policymakers designations of three senior rebel tender as a way of rectifying the mistake. the names of those covered by the Amiri ior, in order to give them the opportunity to tanker seizure by Iran’s Revolu- “without a hint of partisanship.” leaders. He pointed out the proper way is for the Pardon, based on the rules and regulations return to the society and work on contribut- tionary Guard in the crucial Strait Burns is perhaps an unconvention- “These designations will pro- government to submit a bill on imposing in force for the current year. ing to building their country. of Hormuz came as Iranian of- al choice for the CIA job that many vide additional tools to confront tax and float the tender once the bill is fi cials have been pressing South thought would go to a career intelli- After presenting them to the Minister It is worth mentioning that the amnesty Korea to release some $7 billion terrorist activity and terrorism by ratified. of Interior Sheikh Thamer Al-Ali and the rules in the year 2020 included amnesty for in assets tied up in the country’s gence officer. Ansarallah, a deadly Iran-backed On the other hand, MP Muhannad Al- Undersecretary of the ministry Lieutenant the remainder of the freedom-restricting banks due to American sanctions. However, he is also deeply expe- militia group in the Gulf region,” Sayer forwarded queries to the finance General Essam Al-Naham, the names will sentence, its reduction, or the fine imposed It appeared the Islamic Republic rienced in the kind of cloak-and-dag- he said. “The designations are in- minister about the tender. He asked about be sent to the Amiri Diwan by the end of on 2,370 inmates in prisons, as 958 prison- was seeking to increase its lever- ger secret contacts that is a hallmark tended to hold Ansarallah account- the objective of ITAS, targeted catego- January for verification, approval, and the ers were immediately released in accor- age over Seoul ahead of South of the agency and won plaudits for able for its terrorist acts, including ries, if these categories include compa- issuance of an Amiri Decree, in coordina- dance with the rules and regulations in force Korea’s pre-scheduled regional his analysis and reporting abilities cross-border attacks threatening nies and individuals, and classifications tion with the Public Prosecution, which will in the correctional institutions, and the rest trip, which included a stop in Qa- while he served as an American dip- civilian populations, infrastructure, of individuals if they are among the tar- review the statements and ensure that the had either their sentences or fines reduced. tar. (AP) lomat overseas. and commercial shipping. ” geted categories. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 2

North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and hu- man heritage. The vast area, covering AlUla 22,561km², includes a lush oasis val- ley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Li- hyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned. an ancient The most well-known and recog- nised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Ara- Hegra Jabal Ikmah bia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra land front was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of more than 100 well preserved tombs & center with elaborate facades cut out of the Elephant rock sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement. for Saudi Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after conquering the Vision 2030 Nabataeans in 106 CE. In addition to Hegra, AlUla is home to a fascinating historical and archaeo- logical sites such as: Ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms, which is considered one of the most developed 1st-millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula; thousands of ancient rock art sites and inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah; Old Town, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick Oasis homes developed from at least the 12th century, and Hijaz Railway and Hegra Fort, key sites in the story and con- quests of Lawrence of Arabia. About The Royal Commission for AlUla The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) was established by royal decree The Royal Commission for in July 2017 to protect and safeguard AlUla launches ‘the world’s All photos courtesy of The Royal Commission for AlUla AlUla, a region of outstanding natural masterpiece’ campaign and cultural significance in North-West he Royal Commission for AlUla campaign is targeting domestic travel- and Marketing Officer, RCU. cluding trails, bikes and buggies coming The campaign was conceived by this needed the appropriate gravitas. We 64% of the regional affluent traveller resumes, research tells us people will be Saudi Arabia. RCU is embarking on a in the efforts to achieve T(RCU) launched the first ever des- lers and aimed at deepening the King- AlUla is the first of the significant throughout 2021 we encourage visitors RCU’s GCC region creative agency, wanted to convey feelings of nostalgia market, Melanie de Souza, Executive looking for meaningful travel, vast open long-term plan to develop and deliver the goals of the Saudi tination brand campaign for AlUla, the dom’s pride and affection for AlUla as Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives to wel- to book ahead, think about mid-week Leo Burnett, and directed by Bruno and the emotion of seeing the destina- Director Marketing, RCU expects it to spaces and close to nature experiences. a sensitive, sustainable transformation heritage and culture centrepiece of Sau- of the region, reaffirming it as one of Vision 2030 to diversify the well as ultimately increasing intention come visitors, having re-opened key and plan to stay a few days,’ said Jones. Aveillan. Born in Toulouse, Aveillan tion for the first time. AlUla is a unique have some organic reach digitally in in- AlUla is well-positioned in the domes- the country’s most important archaeo- di Arabia, on the 9th of January 2020. to visit. heritage sites to visitors in October The hero film features a young Saudi is one of the most distinguished and place in the world, we needed to make ternational markets. tic market for all of those reasons and logical and cultural destinations and ecomony and opening up The campaign, developed by RCU ‘The World’s Masterpiece is a play 2020 as a new year-round offer. woman reflecting on her time in AlUla sought-after commercials directors in the first ever destination film with a ‘We are already receiving a lot of internationally as a new and significant preparing it to welcome visitors from to tourism with creative partners Leo Burnett, in- on both the skilful artistry of ancient ‘We know Saudis love to travel and we and visiting key sites including UNES- the world today. He was immediately style that no other place could imitate.’ interest from international travellers ex- boutique heritage and culture destina- around the world. RCU’s development cludes a 90 minutes film directed by re- civilisations who carved elaborate art- hope this campaign will inspire many of CO World Heritage Site Hegra, Dadan, creatively and emotionally inspired by It is hoped that the campaign will cited to explore a new destination with tion,’ said de Souza. work in AlUla encompasses a broad nowned cinematographer Bruno Aveil- works into the rocky outcrops, as well them to appreciate a must-see destination, Jabal Ikmah, AlUla Old Town and Ja- AlUla and sought to convey that feeling help to achieve RCU’s visitor projec- such history including ancient civilisa- The campaign was launched in broad- range of initiatives across archaeology, lan and a suite of digital assets under the as the pure and unspoilt beauty of the a world masterpiece, closer to home.’ bal AlFil (Elephant Rock). She appears through the film. tions of 90k for 2021 and 130k for 2022. tions from the Dadanites to the Naba- cast, outdoor and digital from January tourism, culture, education and the arts, concept of The World’s Masterpiece. geological rock formations and land- ‘Our heritage sites are now available marvelling at the mirrored architectural Aveillan said, ‘It was such an honour And while the campaign is aimed at the taeans and the Romans.’ 9th 2021. reflecting the ambitious commitment to In what is hoped will be a year of scapes sculpted by nature,’ said Phillip all year-round and with new hotels, res- wonder, Maraya, and strolling through and privilege to work on this project. domestic market, and specifically three ‘The travel landscape has been ir- About AlUla cultivate tourism and leisure in Saudi travel recovery, AlUla’s new brand Jones, Chief Destination Management taurants and adventure experiences in- the lush winter oasis. An historic and important destination as core audience segments which represent reversibly altered, but as travel slowly Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in Arabia, outlined in Vision 2030.

editor’s choice ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 LOCAL 3

Other Voices ‘Storming could set bad precedent’ “THE uncivilized scene that the television screens “After the departure of 2020, we must remember showed us on the day the US Congress was stormed by those heroes -- martyrs who died of infection with the supporters of President Trump took place in a country deadly virus and they have our sincere prayers for mercy ruled by institutions, and institutions have many tasks and for everyone who has endured tiredness, effort and that are aimed at one goal, which is to protect the public hardship to help us and protect us.” order, legislative, judicial, political and security sourc- “Welcome New Year and we ask God Almighty to es,” columnist Mudhaffar Abdullah wrote for Al-Jarida make it a year of goodness, mercy and generosity. We daily. pray to God to protect Kuwait and humanity as a whole “Therefore, with the misery of the scene that we saw, from all harm.” the fate of things, the consequences are guaranteed with ❑ ❑ ❑ the completion of the procedures for the inauguration of the new President Biden, bearing in mind that any “There is a priority that we must not neglect until the strange and new behavior within the American tradition end of the first session. We must ensure that this prior- will set a dangerous precedent that may be built upon in ity is not left pending and becomes forgotten over the upcoming protest movements and in different circum- days because the parliament is preoccupied with politi- stances. cal discord and priorities that are not at the forefront of “Many questions came to mind as we watched the our political, popular and oversight needs,” Tariq Idris KUNA photo storming incident. In the American case, apart from wrote for Al-Anba daily. HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received in his office HH the Prime Minister cursing what happened, what can the “Trumpian case” “Of course, the issue of corruption and the corrupt is Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah. Various issues were discussed. develop inside and outside America in oppressed politi- the most important priority. We reiterate the need to en- cal societies? sure that the number of corruptors does not accumulate “In our Arab countries, what would have happened during the convening period of the 16th legislative term if the scene was repeated with other details coupled and become the snowball that confuses the parliament with the loss of the American source of power that we sessions and disrupts draft laws. We may fall into an PACI launches a new version mentioned, which is the ‘state of institutions’ to which endless debate until the legislative roles and political everyone, including Trump, acqui- exit are lost, because of the neglect of the issue of ac- esces? countability of corruption and the corrupt. “With a lot of assumption that “Therefore, we say that the parliament and the govern- things would have proceeded to- ment must emphasize this most important priority and of Kuwait Finder application wards a coup, or the practice of close the file of corrupt persons after accountability and killing through contact with securi- retribution against all abusers who have incurred admin- ty men, or intelligence intervention istrative, financial and social corruption until matters are from friendly countries, and so on, straightened. The political and judicial deterrence will Demand grows from users: Al-Assousi for no reason other than the lack be in dealing with this file with governmental and parlia- of agreed upon traditions of politi- mentary cooperation to eliminate this complex file with By Muhammad Ghanem cal work, and fi xed and inherited all those issues that have been revealed and those that devices and computers. institutions that manage political have not been revealed. This is necessary so that time is Al-Seyassah Staff The new version has a set of new features and func- competition and societal confl ict at Abdullah not stolen from the 16th session and this parliament falls KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: The Public Au- tions and came at the request of the application’s wide the borders acceptable separating him from the line of into the trap of fabricated crises, such that the agenda user base whose notes and requests are taken with a violence and liquidations. of personal priorities becomes more important than the thority for Civil Information (PACI) be- lot of attention and care, especially since there is an “The incursion incident, which was dominated by national priorities that deal with the issue of corruption gan 2021 by launching a new version of people who seemed well trained and thoughtful, cannot and the corrupt ... For this, we say that “The surveillance integrated follow-up and review team which receives be removed from the situation of Middle Eastern coun- eyes do not sleep”, not the eyes of the corrupt!” the Kuwait Finder application on smart feedback on a daily basis. tries whose political groups rebel against their will in the ❑ ❑ ❑ Director-General of PACI, event of a lack of consensus on the results of the political mp profile getting to know you Musaed Al-Assousi, said game due to the loss of authority of their institutions or “Five MPs submitted a proposal to broadcast the Na- more than 25 million search- their lack of respect for them. tional Assembly sessions live for the people to know es happen every month using “The victory of the institutions in the countries is the what goes on under the dome of Abdullah Al-Salem Kuwait Finder, in addition to guarantor to prevent the success of any play like the one in terms of heroism, stubbornness and unnecessary using the various functions led and incited by Donald Trump.” screams,” columnist Abdulaziz Al-Tamimi wrote for Al- Voting Record provided by the application. Shahid daily. In view of the increasing use Also: “Wisdom in good opinion, quiet discussion, and seri- of the program on offi ce de- “The year passed, the accumulated and rapid surpris- ous and useful work does not require any kind of pub- He has no voting record as he is licity. I advise whoever works for fame to go to Hol- a first-time MP. vices, the authority decided to es, which are diffi cult to follow or even follow without present a completely new ver- touching their pains and then bid them farewell peace- lywood, not the National Assembly, especially since Salman Al-Azmi sion of the program, which fully. A year of sudden change in management, industry, Kuwait is in dire need of hard workers keen on complet- Independent/Tribal/Sunni In the 2020 elections, he won was developed with the latest trade, human behavior in general, tourism and money, in ing construction and development. “Whoever wants to follow the sessions of the National Second Constituency 2,866 votes which put him in fifth programming languages, in the individual, family and society everything in us and place in his constituency. addition to taking into ac- around us has been purifi ed. Even the clock has gone Assembly through live broadcast on television and radio re- count the security aspects and back to the pre-industrial era and to the age of discovery lies on others to prepare his bread and accomplish his work. SALMAN AL-AZMI was born in Statement all over again,” columnist Dr Mubarak Al-Therwa wrote “Imagine that the parliamentarian’s wish is realized 1967 and holds a secondary best practices in developing He revealed that his the application in a manner for Al-Rai daily. and the sessions are broadcasted live, including those stage certificate. “The sky was empty of fl ights, and the world’s airports extending until after prayer, do you expect an employ- He contested the 2013 priorities in the 16th that allows the user a smooth and comfortable experience looked deserted and the roads rejoiced after the absence of ee to remain in his workplace to perform his patriotic National Assembly elec- parliamentary term cars, and deserts without camps and people chasing crea- duty? Or, we will find all the Kuwaiti people in the cafés include pushing for when using the application. tions but he lost as he ob- He pointed out that a tures and the oceans and seas looked purifi ed because no smoking hookah, as they follow the National Assembly tained 1,079 votes which the ratification of the ships, boats, oil and transport ships moved the sky was sessions just like the fans of Real Madrid and Barcelona General Amnesty Bill, new version has also been put him in 13th place in the launched for smart devices clear of fumes and smoke and it rained the air purifi ed and in Murghab cafés and some offices that have a subscrip- Second Constituency. as well as ensuring washed with their water the human greed. tion in television stations.” proper enforcement of in order to support the up- He also lost in the 2014 dates made to the operating “A year has passed since we learned the value of a doctor, ❑ ❑ ❑ elections with 1,449 votes; laws on addressing the systems and to take ad- a nurse, and the entire health system, its importance in our as well as the 2016 elec- lopsided demographic lives, and the risks that are involved in its work. “From time to time, we receive complaints from con- vantage of the capabilities sumers about the shortage of a type of vegetables or high tions when he obtained Al-Azmi structure and Islamic of these systems, as many “Forgive us, dear doctor, for how much we have un- Sharia. He intends to derestimated your presence and how much we have truly prices due to lack of local production and the imported 1,668 votes and ranked functions in the application ones,” columnist Abdulrahman Al-Awwad wrote for Al- 12th in the constituency. He lost focus on solving the housing is- have been added and im- appreciated you now. sue in a bid to reduce the waiting “We got to know our families and relatives again in a Sabah daily. in the 2019 by-elections with 2,752 proved, for example linking “A person does not know what to say if we cannot do votes and ranked ninth among the period for citizens who applied with the ‘WhatsApp’ appli- different way and a new understanding of the family world in light of the pandemic, with it all accounts were restored, many things, the simplest of which is the cultivation of contenders. for a housing grant. cation so that addresses can vegetables -- the easiest to grow as they do not require be opened. and the etiquette of greeting, food, joys and condolences was formulated in a new way. We stayed with them more much effort, long experience or even huge expenses. It is shared through the “The problem that we present here is not the lack of WhatsApp application di- than ever, we listened to them and talked with them. We realized with our homes and students how much the need produce, but the merchants ’unforgiving greed’. They rectly on Kuwait Finder, do not allow farm products to reach the market except Govt sector starts evaluating work and gives the possibility of is to follow their lessons and duties and their awareness and guidance, their worries and their fears. through them. If the farmer complains about this, they linking other systems and “The year 2020 was truly a lesson for a thousand uni- fight and refuse to buy from the farmer. output of employees for stipends applications with the Ku- versities and that would not have been possible without “In the past, the Ministry of Social Affairs took a de- wait Finder application in the unknown educator (Corona)! cision to force cooperative societies to buy directly from KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: Government replaced with the recorded attendance. an easy and simple way, and “Scientifi c research has been active this year more farms, but some hidden hands thwarted such efforts. The agencies have started evaluating the per- Sources added most of these agencies adding a picture-in-picture specifi cally than ever before in all corners of knowl- mediator returned to impose the type of goods, quality formance of their employees in the past are expected to complete the evaluation feature during navigation edge and the fi elds of science in medicine, education, and prices on cooperatives. year according to Civil Service Commis- of employees by the end of April, except mode (Android devices), software, e-commerce, industry and food security have “A carton of cucumbers, which used to be sold at 60 sion (CSC) circular number 23 of 2020, those with a large number of workers. in addition to showing the gained many great achievements and successes and rap- fils, is now sold at 660 fils - more than 10 times the ac- reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources. Meanwhile, Director-General of the path options available to the id progress and in Islamic and legal jurisprudence. tual price.” Sources revealed the circular stressed Kuwait Public Authority of the Dis- user and improving the per- “On the other hand, we have remained in our homes ❑ ❑ ❑ the need for government agencies to ad- abled, Dr Shafi qa Al-Awadhi, said the formance and consumption and knew the meanings of seclusion, retreat, self-re- “When I was a child, I remember attending the elec- here to the evaluation factor for record- Authority has been keen from day one of the battery and the pos- view, self-evaluation and behavior, and reconsideration ed attendance; instead of the total num- of the emergence of the corona pan- sibility of adding the work tions of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry of many behaviors of supplication and relaxation before for the first time in 1987 or 1988 with my father. At that ber of tardy days during the evaluation demic, to continue working to provide site and home more easily Coronavirus. But in all cases we learned the lesson. year considering the measures taken in all services to people with disabilities, and the ability to locate and time, the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry “How much time do we need to know all destinies are played a pivotal role in calling for the return to work view of the corona crisis such as the reports Al-Anba daily. access to car parking and in the hands of God which is a reality that we witness suspension of the fi ngerprint attendance She noted, after the opening of centers, support the latest versions in the constitution,” Dr. Anwar Al-Shraia’an wrote for every day? How much do we need to learn the principles Al-Shahed daily. system until further notice. institutions and centers for people with of operating systems. of prevention from sterilization, wearing gloves, social Sources told the daily that govern- disabilities, the authority works in coordi- Al-Assousi pointed out distancing and medical examination, how much do we “Its role in the last two decades has been limited to ment agencies will not grant a privilege nation with the Ministry of Social Affairs that the process of develop- need to train in saving time on travel, tourism, hospital- technical matters and serving its members more than its estimate rating to their employees who and the Ministry of Health to open nurser- ing and improving Kuwait ity and independence. national role, but it seems clear that the return of Al- have been exempted from work since ies, and added, the vaccinations for those Finder is based on analyz- “How many years do we need to realize the truth of Saqer to the political scene through the chamber has the start of the corona crisis. Sources residing in the shelters will be given after ing data and studying user freedom when we are imprisoned in quarantine or kept moved stagnant waters. said these agencies are now waiting for taking consent of their parents. behavior. in isolation in which you cannot do what you want? “The chamber’s statement issued recently, titled “Our the CSC’s opinion regarding employees She added, the medical committees He indicated that the How many lessons do we need to understand the im- country is in danger” is, in my opinion, a new and dif- with 50 percent attendance rate; point- work with a capacity of 80 percent and Kuwait Finder application portance of human relationships, the relationship of kin- ferent beginning for the chamber, which combines eco- ing out the conditions for entitlement to that the authority continues to issue a has witnessed a signifi cant ship, the values of neighborliness and good treatment of nomically rational opinion, politically prudent opinion, the reward include obtaining excellent life-long disability certifi cate for those expansion in use during the human beings? and bold criticism. rating in in the performance evaluation who meet the conditions. past year, as the number “In the midst of the Corona crisis, racism, sectarian- “Personally, and from an economic point of view, factors specifi ed by the CSC. Al-Awadhi also stressed that the re- of application downloads ism, and stinking ethnicity fell apart to raise the banner I admit that this statement or document issued by the Sources asserted the government agen- duction in the authority’s budget will reached more than a mil- of human service, human tolerance, and the preservation chamber is the best among all that was presented during cies must complete the annual evaluation not affect the services, salaries of em- lion times. The average of the planet from destruction. We saw many creatures the past ten years due to its comprehensiveness, frank- of employees on time, especially since ployees and educational allowances for daily user base is 171,000, emerging from their hideouts, holes and caves, after the ness, boldness and its details.” the fi ngerprint attendance factor has been persons with disabilities. an increase of 32% since the people left the arena. — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli beginning of January 2020.

Some jump queue Call for transparency KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: The Ministry of Health has disregarded the reservations of those wishing to be vaccinated against covid-19 despite its previous announcement regarding the online registration sys- tem, reports Al-Anba daily quoting some citizens. These citizens told the daily that they were among the fi rst who made online reservations, but they have yet to receive a message from the ministry about their vaccination. The citizens pointed out certain celebrities, pho- tographers and other well-known personalities have been vaccinated even if they did not register online as they were given priority. “We do really know what they mean by that,” the citizens asserted. The citizens stressed that the vaccination cam- paign must be transparent and neutral such that rules should be applied on everyone, especially since the State spent millions of dinars to procure the vaccine. They said they are afraid that no one will benefi t from the vaccine due to the absence of an effi cient vaccination mechanism. Meanwhile, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has announced vacant administrative posts for Kuwaitis who graduated recently with the fol- lowing specializations: human resource manage- ment, administrative information system, account- ing, fi nance, marketing and media, reports Al-Anba daily. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 LOCAL 4

Contractors of oil rig tender complain about KOC Kuwaiti passport slips two places to 55th in the world By Muhammad Ghanem zens to enter 96 countries, while came last in the Gulf to 66th glob- available destinations. lated to production. The delay in competition and violate the regula- Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies the UAE advanced from the 18th ally with 79 available destinations, ❑ ❑ ❑ completing the drilling rigs may tions, as it harms the reputation and position in the world in 2020 to the down from 64th last year. lead to a decline in the company’s credibility of the company with in- KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: The Ku- Contractors complain about KOC: 16th place this year with the pos- In the Arab world, Tunisia According to reliable sources, the production. ternational oil companies. waiti passport fell two places to sibility of its citizens entering 173 ranked 74th with 71 destinations The contractors expressed their They said, “The participants in this 55th in the world, out of 107 coun- contractors participating in the countries, to top the Arab and Gulf available, Morocco ranked 79th oil rig tender, which was fl oated great surprise that KOC changed tender had submitted bank guaran- tries’ passports in 2021, compared countries. with 64 destinations available, last April, affi liated to the Kuwait its strategy for the gearing mecha- tees, which had to be extended. This to the 53rd place last year, accord- Qatar also advanced in the rank- Jordan ranked 92nd with 51 avail- Oil Company (KOC), complained nism, as the 30 drilling rigs were led them to bear additional burdens. ing to the Henley Index, which ing from 56th last year to 54th this able destinations, Egypt ranked about lack of transparency and supposed to be installed by ten We wonder if it is reasonable for a ranks world passports based on the year, with possibility of travel to 95 93rd with 50 available destinations, fair competition, reports Al-Qabas companies. Surprisingly, after the company of the size of KOC, after the freedom of citizens of each country destinations. Lebanon 102 with 40 destinations, daily. tender closed and the offers were closing of the tender and having been to travel and move between coun- Bahrain fell from 61st place last Libya 104 with 38 destinations, According to the information viewed, the companies were re- informed of the prices, to change its tries without a visa, or get the visa year to 64th this year with 83 avail- Yemen and Somalia ranked 106 received by the daily, this tender, duced to three only, and one of awarding strategy. We demand the on arrival. able destinations, and Oman fell with 33 destinations, Syria in the which has large question marks them was given more than half the regulatory authorities to intervene to According to the classifi cation, from 62nd to 65th with 80 avail- 108th place with 29 available des- and has been pending for more number of platforms. Such a meas- stop any practices or potential manip- the Kuwaiti passport allows citi- able destinations, and Saudi Arabia tinations, and Iraq the 109 with 28 than six months, is directly re- ure would negatively affect the ulation in awarding this tender”. PAM imposes new fees for some of its services Final cancellation of work permits, data modification ‘free’

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: New fees have been imposed on the services offered by the Public Authority for Man- Al-Jarida photo power (PAM) for all Flying gravel collected on shoulder of highway. service groups that fall ‘Flying gravel cause of most accidents’ under it, reports Al- Qabas daily. The head of the Kuwait Traffi c Safety accidents. The Minister of Commerce Association, Badr Al-Matar, says he is Al-Matar explained, in a press surprised at the lack of seriousness on statement, the association had earlier and Industry and the State the part of the concerned authorities touched on this issue and said it is Minister for Economic to address the phenomenon of fl ying neither an emergency nor a phenom- Affairs Faisal Al-Medlej gravel, which has become remarkably enon although it has infl icted heavy issued a decision on Dec 31, apparent, reports Al-Jarida daily. losses on citizens and wasted public 2020 to impose fees ranging Al-Matar said this gravel is clearly money. from KD 1 to KD 10 for visible which has collected on the He lamented the situation still ex- shoulders of the highway roads, par- ists because the asphalt mixtures are seven new services. ticularly on the King Fahd Express- not in compliance with the standards, The decision stipulates that way, which threatens the safety of conditions and specifi cations of road KD 1 will be charged for issu- drivers and is a major cause of traffi c asphalting. ance of status certificate for an employee and for employment certificate, and KD 5 for the issu- ance of a power of attorney cer- tificate for the employer’s file. A fee of KD 10 will be charged for the issuance or renewal of work permits for citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council coun- tries and the issuance or renewal of work permits for the Bedoun residents. Decision KUNA photo According to a decision issued Al-Jarallah with the Tunisian ambassador. in 2016, PAM collects a fee of KD 50 for the first time issuance, transfer or renewal of the work Deputy FM meets Tunisian ambassador permit of expatriates working in Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Al-Hashemi Ajeeli and discussed was attended by Assistant Foreign the private sector. Khaled Al-Jarallah met Monday with bilateral relations, regional and inter- Minister for Deputy Foreign Minis- The decision stated, “The fee new Tunisian Ambassador to Kuwait national developments. The meeting ter’s offi ce Ayham Al-Omar. (KUNA) prescribed in Clauses No. 8 and 10 regarding the final cancella- tion work permit, and the fee for amending and canceling any data, mentioned in Article 1 of Photo by Rizk Taufi q ‘Such errors will not be allowed in future’ the ministerial Resolution No. Launching of the second campaign to raise awareness about head, neck and 109/1994 will be abolished. A thyroid cancer. fee of KD 1 was taken for the data amendment and cancella- Minister rebuffs KUNA’s recurring mistakes tion, and KD 10 for the final 2nd awareness campaign launched cancellation of work permit”. KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11, Minister Al-Mutairi, in a The news agency plays a cru- In this regard, the new fees (KUNA): Minister of Infor- press statement, said KUNA’s cial role in coverage of local imposed on services offered by mation and Minister of State deputy director general and the and international news with ut- PAM are - ‘Thyroid cancer cure rates rise for Youth Affairs Abdulrah- team involved in the incident ter credibility and transparency KD 1 for issuing a power of man Al-Mutairi on Monday would be subject to investiga- as it is a reliable source, how- attorney certificate for the employer’s file, to over 90 pc, if detected early’ expressed rejection of recur- tions to determine circumstanc- ever the errors that have taken KD 10 for the issuance or ring errors by Kuwait News es of the issue and bring slack place affect its eminent status, By Marwa Al-Bahrawi He added the campaign’s activities renewal of work permits for citi- will be organized throughout January, Agency (KUNA) in its news- staff into account for sake of the information minister has zens of GCC countries Al-Seyassah Staff while at the same time pointing to the cast recently. ensuring that such mistakes do added. KD 10 to issue or renew the KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: The Chair- The minister has affi rmed his not recur in the future. Moreover, Minister Al-Mu- work permit of Bedoun residents low incidence of head and neck cancer man of the Board of Directors of the in Kuwait compared to other countries. KD 1 for issuing an employee National Cancer Awareness Campaign, rejection of irresponsible acts Such errors will not be al- tairi has affi rmed that he will He said over the past four years status statement certificate Dr Khaled Al-Saleh, said thyroid can- that harm history of the offi cial lowed in the future, he has em- work for restoring the situation KD 1 to issue a job hierarchy 1,025 dentists have been trained for the news agency. phasized. at the news agency. cer cure rates have risen to more than ranking certificate for an employ- 90% provided the cancer is detected early detection of head, neck and thy- ee roid cancers over the past four years. Free for final cancellation of early. He indicated the total number of cas- He stressed the importance of aware- work permits and data modifica- ness of early detection and the neces- Residencies to be renewed of 46% of teachers stuck tion. es in Kuwait has reached 174, includ- ing 102 Kuwaitis (84 women and 20 sary examinations, which is an impor- men) and 70 expatriates, according to tant prerequisite for reducing head, outside Kuwait; 54 pc of them in various specialties Al-Kandari’s positive the statistics given by the Kuwait Can- neck and thyroid cancers. cer Center. Al-Saleh pointed out the keenness of KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: Re- are needed and cannot be dis- As for the teachers who can attitude appreciated Al-Saleh was speaking, at a press the cancer center to intensify its efforts cently published educational pensed with due to which their be dispensed with in about 22 KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: Presi- statement, on the sidelines of launching and allocate the entire month of Janu- reports reveal that 46 percent residencies must be renewed. subjects, the report indicated dent of the Union of Charity Foun- the second campaign to raise awareness ary to awareness activities about these of teachers whose residencies However, 372 teachers can be that their numbers amount to 51 dations and Societies Dr Abdul about head, neck and thyroid cancer cancers in order to raise awareness have expired and are stuck out- dispensed with, as there are Ku- teachers in Islamic education, 4 Mohsen Al-Kharafi applauded the under the slogan ‘Early detection and among the public in spite of the country positive attitude of the Minister the challenge of Corona.’ affected by the Covid-19 virus. side the country and cannot be waitis and children of Kuwaiti in social studies, 3 in biology, 4 of Social Affairs and the Minis- dispensed with, due to which women who can replace those in history, 28 in physical educa- ter of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs their residency permits must teachers as they are of the same tion, and 31 teachers for music Issa Al-Kandari towards charity ‘New specializations surprising’ be renewed, reports Al-Qabas specializations. Therefore, it education. work and its institutions, and his deep belief in the mission of char- daily. has been suggested not to re- The Assistant Undersecretary ity work and its role, and not to The report revealed that 54 new the residencies of those for Public Education Affairs compromise on its capabilities and Some govt bodies yet to link education percent of them are in vari- teachers. Osama Al-Sultan suggested not benefi ts, reports Aljarida daily. ous specialties and can be dis- The report carried a list of the renewing 34 computer teach- In a press statement, Dr Al- outputs with ‘actual’ manpower needs Kharafi explained that Minister pensed with, stressing that the names of the faculty members ers’ residencies that had expired Al-Kandari was contacted to KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: Some govern- sary procedures to match the education total number of faculty mem- who could not be dispensed outside the country as well as of clarify the facts related to the ment agencies have yet to do their part in outputs with the actual need of the labor bers whose residencies have with, along with their speciali- four teachers in physical educa- Cabinet’s decision concerning the linking the education outputs with the market, especially at a time the State expired due to the difficulty in zations and data. It includes 19 tion, three in psychology, fi ve mechanism for collecting blood actual manpower needs of the local labor needs to fill vacancies in some sectors returning to Kuwait because teachers specialized in biology, in philosophy, 12 in science, money, as the decision included market, although the Council of and professions with national manpow- of COVID-19 pandemic is 35 in physical education, 19 in one in decoration, four in chem- 16 conditions for this mechanism, Ministers has repeatedly stressed the er. the most important of which is the need to take this step in order to benefit Sources warned there will be a disas- 693 teachers in various disci- musical education, four in ge- istry and physics, and 17 teach- restriction in accepting donations from the capabilities of youths to narrow ter if this approach continues, as stu- plines. ology, 16 in art and design, 91 ers in electricity. for blood money and the related the gap in some areas and professions dents might pursue specializations that The report was prepared by in Mathematics, 28 in science He also demanded not to re- compensation to charities, and the which suffer from lack of manpower, public and private sectors do not need at exclusion of justifi cations for col- reports Al-Rai daily quoting sources. all or the need is minimal. Sources cited the Public Education Sector and 17 teachers in the subject new the residency permits of lecting them, as well as the ban on based on the data received from of philosophy. Also, there are 34 female teachers in the Eng- taking a percentage of the blood Sources quoted the Civil Service the petroleum engineering crisis as most money donations. Commission (CSC) as saying that graduates with such specialization did the educational zones and the six teachers in physics, 24 in lish language, 113 male and Kuwait University recently introduced not find jobs, since the companies oper- Administrative Affairs Sector. chemistry, 53 in the English female teachers in the Arabic The aforementioned decision relates exclusively to the dona- and accredited the Marine Science spe- ating in the oil sector do not fall under It was submitted to the Under- language, 7 in the French lan- language, three teachers in the tions that are collected for the cialization. Sources said it is surprising the CSC. secretary of the Ministry of guage, and technical mentors French language, technical payment of blood money and the that new specializations were adopted Sources revealed Kuwait needs only Education for information and for music education and Eng- mentors in Islamic education, compensation associated with even if the Kuwaiti labor market does 50 experts in this field, compared to guidance. lish. This brings the total num- and a librarian, bringing the it. The union considers this step not need them. other specializations. Sources as positive and appreciated, as Sources pointed out the administrators explained such a small number of The report explained that ber of teachers who cannot be total of dispensable teachers it closes the door to any suspi- at Kuwait University are supposed to required manpower does not necessi- there are 321 male and female dispensed with to 234 male and to 252 teachers including 120 cions and unlawful use of blood take into account the governmental rec- tate the opening this specialization at teachers in 12 specialties who 87 female teachers. female teachers. money. ommendations by following the neces- Kuwait University. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 LOCAL 5 Other Voices Home & electric appliances market ‘You are not better than others’ laments losses due to Covid spread By Ahmad alsarraf ties, such as the Audit Bureau and ignored the viewpoint of the Central hen the parliamentarians run a Wstrange race to be part of an in- Tenders Committee, and the possi- Expats reluctant to spend due to suspension of direct fl ights vestigation committee, it means there bility of the involvement of institu- are some sick people out there and tions, offi ces and corrupt companies, however, and for some reason per- By Najeh Bilal manipulation cannot be ruled out. Al-Seyassah Staff We have lived through four lean haps known, all of this was over- years in the shadow of a National looked by the Parliamentary Investi- KUWAIT CITY, Jan Assembly plagued with rampant cor- gation Committee. 11: The recession ruption. This is evidenced by what I had previously praised the Minis- ter of Public Works, and considered caused by Covid-19 the former Minister of Public Works, pandemic has devas- Jenan Bushehri that she would complete what Min- who was sub- ister Bushehri had started, and that tated the electrical and jected to arbi- she would issue orders to expedite household appliances trary treatment the solution to the problem of pot- market in Kuwait and which prompted holed roads in almost every street, the suspension of di- her to resign, as and her beginning was reasonable, rect fl ights from the well as pushing but it seems that the forces of cor- Kuwait International other honest of- ruption that overpowered those who fi cials to step preceded her have exhausted her and Airport to and from down. limited her from her desire for re- many countries that All this sub- form, as these authorities were and have large communi- sequently made alsarraf are still stronger than the Ministry, ties in Kuwait, such it easier to chal- and inevitably stronger than the ex- as India and Egypt lenge many of their reform deci- hausted Public Authority for Roads has only worsened the sions, including returning contracting Transport and some of those work- situation. companies and engineering offi ces ing under the dome of the Abdullah During a random tour to work again despite the question Al-Salem Hall. of the electrical and marks on their performance and de- Therefore, some contracting com- spite the confi rmation of their ineffi - household establishment panies will continue to steal, and the by the Al-Seyassah daily, ciency including the Central Tenders devastation of some new roads has Committee and the Audit Bureau. begun to appear with the last heavy it was evident the market The National Assembly’s report on rain fall, and for three years I have heavily depends on the the 2018 rain crisis and the Mangaf still been hesitant to change my wind- expatriate workers com- Bridge Tunnel is part of the corrup- shield, almost every week there is an- munity who prefer to buy tion situation in the country, which other new small click on it. electrical appliances in required setting up Parliamentary Some believe that the problem of Kuwait and ship them to Investigation Committee, chaired by Kuwait’s roads is similar to the rest their countries. Howev- Abdullah Fahad, which took more of the state’s chronic problems, such er, after the fl ights were Top and above: Electronics shops in Kuwait await customers. than a year to prepare a report, al- as education, health, petroleum, in- suspended these workers though it did not exceed 15 pages, vestment, and income diversifi cation, feel reluctant to buy any- and the rest are photos, documents which are not related to an individual thing. and testimonies. as much as it is related to a govern- Most owners of these es- Four nabbed for leaking documents, case fi les The former deputy and distin- ment approach that has been going on tablishments say they hope guished member, Ahmad Al-Fadhel for more than thirty years in the ab- fl ights to and from not only KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: The Gen- handing over copies of case fi les The ministry indicated that the previously revealed the poor prepa- Kuwait but all countries of eral Department of Public Relations and receiving money from a police Minister of Justice Dr. Nawaf Saud sence of any clear future outlook. the world will resume and ration of the report and how it ne- ❑ ❑ ❑ and Security Media at the Ministry agent who paid the men in marked Al-Yaseen, on Thursday, issued glected, perhaps intentionally, all the this will help activate the of Interior stated as part of efforts police currency. A security source a ministerial decision obliging all objections of the concerned authori- email: [email protected] sales and will help the busi- exerted by the Criminal Security said the entire process has been sectors and departments of the min- ness community to make Sector personnel from the Crimi- documented. istry to implement the Civil Service good the losses they have nal Investigation Department (CID) During interrogation by the Pub- Commission’s decision regarding suffered over the months. have arrested four Arabs for photo- lic Prosecution the men have report- the rules and procedures for Ku- According to one offi - graphing and leaking documents and edly confessed to charges that have waitizing government jobs. cial who works for a trad- case fi les, reports Al-Anba daily. been fi led against them. The ministry added that the de- ing company, the recession Three of these men are court In the meantime, the Ministry of cision of Minister Dr. Al-Yaseen hit the electrical appliances employees and other working for Justice has thanked the Minister of obliges the sectors in the ministry market since the beginning of February 2020 when a lawyer’s offi ce. They are charged Interior Sheikh Thamer Al-Ali and to provide the administrative and Corona virus seeped into with receiving bribe to get copies the Criminal Security Sector of the fi nancial affairs sector with the Kuwait and the numbers of of documents. They were allegedly ministry for their efforts to arrest the names and data of the employees infections have been fl uc- photographing and selling case fi les four men. covered by the replacement policy tuating although this time for money – cases which were being In a press statement, the Ministry within a week based on his belief in around Kuwait is much bet- heard by courts. of Justice confi rmed the success of the necessity of reforms in the Min- ter that the rest of the world After intensive investigations coordination with the Ministry of istry of Justice and replacing expa- – thanks to the Kuwaiti au- and taking all necessary legal meas- Interior to combat all forms of cor- triates with national workforce as it thorities for implementing ures, the 4 men were caught in the ruption and abuse of the law, ex- is one of the sensitive government strict controls. act during a secret operation. They pressing its rejection of such illegal agencies entrusted with the secrets However, the travel ban were allegedly caught red-handed actions. of people and their lawsuits. imposed on some coun- MoI photo tries, especially to countries A multiple photo of the liquor factory which was raided . which have large communi- ties living in Kuwait, has hit the market because many Nepalis held in booze factory raid of them were unable to go home during the summer and The Abdali security authorities have The police then entered their resi- as a result they stayed away arrested a gang of Nepali bootleggers dence to check the IDs of other men from purchasing household after raiding their booze factory which living in the house, and were shocked or electrical appliances and they had established in a prefabricated to see 140 large barrels of raw mate- this situation led to losses room in Subbiya, reports Al-Rai daily. rial and liquor manufacturing equip- incurred by the electrical The arrest came after a police patrol ment. equipment fairs of not less on routine duty in the area saw a group The bootleggers have been arrested than 70%. of suspicious men and after checking and along with the contraband have A salesman, who identi- their IDs, the securitymen discovered been handed over to the General De- fi ed himself only as Adel, they were menial workers and most of partment for Drugs and Alcohol Control and works for a well-known them did not carry IDs. (GDDAC). electrical appliances com- pany, said the company he works for, despite its his- tory in the local market and News in Brief its branches in most areas of Kuwait, had to terminate the services of at least 40 per- cent of its employees due to the unforeseen circum- Reqqa ‘chabra’ opened: After a 30- Kuwaiti martyrs stances. year hiatus, the Director-General of the He added, the company Public Authority for Agriculture and since the pandemic no longer Fish Resources (PAAAFR) Sheikh Mu- 13 remains identifi ed sells goods on installments, hammad Al-Youssef inaugurated the Al- since many expatriates have Reqqa Vegetables Market (chabra) in the By Abdul Nasser Al-Aslami presence of the President of the Kuwaiti now lost their jobs and are Farmers Union, Abdullah Al-Dammak, Al-Seyassah Staff unable to pay their install- reports Al-Jaridah daily. KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: The Act- ments and in light of the Speaking to ing Director General of the Offi ce state’s decision to adjust the the press during of Honoring the Martyrs and their demographics. the inauguration Families Salah Al-Oufan, said with- Agencies add: Al-Youssef em- in the scope of the interest of the phasized on the political leadership in the State of 36,332 citations issued: necessity of having Kuwait under the leadership of HH During the past seven days, sheds for selling lo- the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad personnel from the General cal produce -- fruits and HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Traffi c Department (GTD) and vegetables to Meshaal Al-Ahmad, and under has issued 36,332 traffi c cita- the consumers. the guidance of the Minister of the tions, impounded 32 vehicles He explained Amiri Diwan and Chairman of the and 25 motorcycles, referred PAAAFR after co- Board of Trustees Sheikh Ali Al- 48 persons to the traffi c ordinating efforts Sheikh Youssef Jarrah, the remains of 13 Kuwait court, and arrested 39 minors with all governors martyrs have been identifi ed. for driving without license. choose appropriate locations to establish Al-Oufan said in a press statement The weekly statistics in- vegetable ‘markets’ to serve the Kuwaiti that this was done in cooperation dicated the GTD personnel consumer and help the farmers. with the Criminal Evidences Depart- also seized 11 vehicles want- He also praised the efforts exerted by ment and the POWs and Missing of ed by law and also arrested the Union for putting forward Kuwaiti the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 33 people who were wanted farmers’ demands. AlOufan went on to say, “we have contacted the families of the martyrs by the Sentences Enforce- For his part, Municipal Council mem- ment Department. ber Hamdi Al-Azmi said: “We will pre- to inform them of the measures that sent proposals that serve farmers and the will be taken to complete the hand- In a related context, the local product.” ing over of the remains of the mar- General Traffi c Department, Speaking on the occasion, farmer, tyrs to their families to perform the in coordination with the Nadia Al-Othman, said: “We obtained last rites. Ministry of Commerce and the stalls by public lot, and I support the Al-Oufan added Kuwait, under its Industry has issued 30 cita- proposal to establish outlets to market the political leadership, will not rest until tions against the owners of local product.” it retrieves the last remains of “our garages who specialize in ❑ ❑ ❑ martyrs who sacrifi ced their lives for fi tting ‘exhaust’ that helps in this dear country.” creating annoying sounds. Gas leak tackled: Kuwait Fire Force ❑ ❑ ❑ (KFF) announced on Saturday that their fi re teams controlled a gas leak at a fac- The suspect was arrested in a suburb of Deportation ordered: The tory in Shuwaikh Industrial Area, causing Fahaheel. The suspect and the contraband Director General of the Ah- no injuries. have been handed over to the General De- madi Security Directorate, Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Shuwaikh partment for Drugs Control (GDDC). Major General Saleh Matar, Industrial fi re teams dealt with, and con- ❑ ❑ ❑ has ordered the referral of an trolled, the ammonia leak, the media and Building permits: Director General unidentifi ed Asian to the de- public relations department of the KFF portation center after he was said in a press statement. of Kuwait Municipality Eng Ahmed Al- Manfuhi has completed the conceptualiza- caught bootlegging, reports The teams removed all effects of the Al-Anba daily. incident, the statement added, noting that tion of the second phase of issuing build- ing permits for private and investment According to security all roads and shops surrounding the fac- sources police have seized tory were shut down to deal with the leak. residential structures; in addition to the le- gal and technical procedures in launching from the man bottles of (KUNA) homemade booze ready for ❑ ❑ ❑ a special program which includes the rel- evant regulations, followed by assigning sale. The bottles were neatly Kuwaiti arrested: The Ahmadi police the fi nal issuance of permits to engineer- stacked in the back of the have arrested an unidentifi ed Kuwaiti for ing offi ces and consulting fi rms, reports mini bus. It is not know if the possessing 80 sachets of shabu. A-Rai daily quoting sources. bus belongs to the suspect or the company. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 LOCAL 6

Photos during the Indonesian Cultural Day on Jan 10 organized by IWG in cooperation with the Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait. International Women’s Group hosts Indonesian Cultural Day event

The International Women’s Group event with a warm welcome and ous aspects of Indonesia’s mag- the Ambassador and the IWG Through a stunning presentation expressed her thanks to the (IWG) in cooperation with the New Year wishes to all participants, nificent natural beauty with its President, who presented H.E. Tri of classical and folk dance and Indonesian embassy for the orga- Indonesian Embassy in Kuwait noting that the IWG was honored to stunning landscapes and beach- Tharyat with a commemorative music, beautifully performed by nization of this event and the per- organized the Indonesian Cultural host the Indonesian Cultural Day in es, its rich culture, and unique shield. groups from Bali Island, the formers were honored with certifi- Day on Sunday, January 10, 2021 the presence of H.E the artistic heritage. In closing the A special film was then shown of Indonesian embassy succeeded in cates of appreciation for their par- which was live streamed virtually to Ambassador of Indonesia. Ambassador thanked Mrs. Mustafa the diverse natural beauty of the bringing the beauty, atmosphere, ticipation. In closing, Mrs. Mustafa members and guests. H.E. Tri Tharyat, the and the IWG for their help and hills, mountains, coasts and sandy customs and traditions of Indonesia also noted her gratitude to the The President of the IWG, Mrs. Ambassador of Indonesia to the support in the organization of this beaches of Indonesia providing a to Kuwait, IWG Board members for their sup- Ambreen Mustafa, wife of the State of Kuwait,delivered an special event. picturesque backdrop for a colorful, Mrs. Ambreen Mustafa, on port and hard work in making the Pakistan Ambassador, opened the enlightening speech covering vari- A celebration cake was cut by and unique culture. behalf of the IWG Board, event a resounding success. No paper, electronic exams for first semester of current academic year 4 proposals presented by educationists

By Abdulrahman Al-Shammari Mutie Al-Ajmi, the Director-General demand that the percentage of the first Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies of the Ahmadi Educational District, semester should be 100% complete in Mansour Al-Daihani, the Acting accordance with the plan of the dis- KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: Director of Information Systems tance education system currently Department, Dhaidan Al-Ajami, and a approved by the evaluation system, The Ministry of Education number of observers and inspectors taking into account the attendance, announced there will be no from public schools. absence and participation. paper or electronic exams Meanwhile, the educational sources The sources stated all the proposals for the first semester of the said the meeting did not result in any were not approved at the meeting, and tangible results in ending the debate Maqsid was satisfied with indicating current academic year over the issue of grades for secondary that these opinions will be discussed at ‘2020-2021’. school students, while the primary the level of assistant undersecretaries Acting Undersecretary of the Faisal Al-Maqsid, Acting stage was decided to be 100 percent and presented to the minister for Ministry of Education Faisal Undersecretary of the Ministry of according to the previous plan for the approval or the final decision. Al-Maqsid said in a press statement Education distance education system. In other news, the number of stu- after his meeting with the ministry However, the sources said both dents admitted to the Public Authority Flyer of the event process, wishing success for all. sides differed on how to calculate the for Applied Education and Training officials that studies for all levels in He mentioned several proposals percentage of grades for the first (PAAET) has been increasing over the all educational districts will be com- were dealt with regarding the method semester according to the “distance last years, while the number of gradu- ‘The Guest Show’ presents Dr Hana pleted according to the dates speci- of evaluating students, “all of which education” system, as the first propos- ates decreased in academic year fied in the ministerial decree for the are under consideration,” he said dur- al included that the percentage should 2019/2020, reports Al-Qabas daily. This week, ‘The Guest Show’ on wants to further specialize in psy- ‘online’ distance education system ing the meeting. be 50 percent for the first semester and According to the statistics released by Radio Kuwait presents Dr Hana chiatry as she believes mental dis- in force at the moment in all schools. The meeting was attended by the 50 percent for the second semester, the Admission and Registration Deanship Jafar, a young Kuwaiti doctor. A orders to be the most common Al-Maqsid reiterated the Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Public while the other opinion believes it at PAAET, the number of graduates in woman of many parts, Hana is a cause of disability in the world. keenness for the safety, health and Education, Osama Al-Sultan, Assistant should be 60 and 40 percent. 2019/2020 reached 3,816 while the num- doctor, fitness coach and an entre- During the pandemic, she carried future of students, and taking deci- Undersecretary for Special Education, While yet another opinion believes ber of accepted students totaled 12,110 preneur. out research on the effect of She is also the Chairperson of COVID-19 on mental health in sions that are in the interest of the Dr Abdul Mohsen Al-Huwailah, the that the percentage in the first semester which indicate more pressure on the Heroes for Hearts, a non-profit Kuwait. Hear Dr Hana Jafar on students and the entire educational President of the Teachers Association, should be 70% and 30%, while others facilities and resources of the authority. organization that trains and 93.3 FM and 963 AM speak about empowers local communities in how she manages so many differ- Pioneer of literature CPR/AED/First Aid skills. Hana ent hats and keeps them all steady. NCCAL mourns late GUST professor’s research published in researcher, historian leading international academic journal KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11, (KUNA): Secretary-General of the National KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: Prof Council for Culture, Arts and Omar Moufakkir, Associate Professor, at the Business Literature (NCCAL) Kamel Administration Department in Al-Abduljalil mourned Monday Gulf University for Science and member of the Kuwaiti Writers Technology, has had his paper, Association, writer, researcher and titled “Experience of Arab/ historian Khaled Al-Ansari, one of Muslim Women Visiting the distinguished pioneers of Relatives in the West and the Kuwait’s literature and history. Management of Stigma by Al-Abduljalil said in a statement Association” published in that Al-Ansari has had clear finger- Tourism Management a leading prints in Kuwait literature as he is international journal for all those one of the few researchers in docu- concerned with the management, including planning, of travel and menting history and dialects. tourism”, a A8/Q1-ranked aca- Omar Moufakkir, Associate He also contributed to document- demic journal with an impact fac- Professor, at the Business ing the history of Failaka Island, its tor of 7.432. Administration Department in inhabitants and its civil life, as he In the social sciences, stigma is GUST. also contributed to enriching many a well-established concept that origin are considered members of magazines and Kuwaiti newspapers recently found resonance in tourist a high status group, may find with rich articles that helped in studies. Additionally, psycholo- themselves projected by the out- development of the Kuwaiti and gists have used stigma theory to group in the country visited onto Gulf cultural movement, he added. analyze the predicament of disad- the status of the devalued immi- Al-Ansari was commissioned by vantaged groups in society such as grant and the Muslim. Being con- the Kuwait Foundation for the the unemployed,ethnic groups, and scious about stigma by associa- Advancement of Sciences to review immigrants. As such, Moufakkir’s tion, they become obliged to paper introduces stigma manage- employ stigma management strat- and evaluate a book on Failaka and ment in tourism studies and was also assigned to prepare a his- describes a set of stigma manage- egies in order to preserve the sym- torical map of Failaka Island by the ment strategies deployed by veiled bolic function of their tourist Kuwaiti Research and Studies and non-veiled Arab/Muslim identity, and their own self- Center. women visiting relatives in Europe esteem. Being stigmatized by Al-Abduljalil extended his sin- and North America where immi- association, tourists from devel- cere condolences and sympathy to gration is perceived to be a prob- oping countries who are visiting a lem by the indigenous populations. developed country for leisure may the family of the deceased and the experience a different type of cul- cultural community that lost a dis- These tourists straddle two stigmas at their destination –immigrant ture shock. Their culture shock is tinguished writer and a pioneering contemporary and primarily and researcher. stigma and religious stigma, and their associated stereotypes. ostensibly linked to stigma by Stigmatized tourists react differ- association to two prejudiced and ently and try to overcome stigma discredited groups: immigrants in different ways, thereby opening and Muslims. These costs can up new avenues for research on spoil the identity of the tourist, cross-cultural studies in contempo- which in turn may result in a bad rary tourism. tourism experience.” Prof Omar Moufakkir, Prof Moufakkir earned his Associate Professor, at the Ph.D from Michigan State Business Administration University, in the United States of Department at GUST said, “The America in Resource irony in contemporary tourism is Development, Degree in Park Khaled Al-Ansari member of the that tourists from the developing Management, Recreation and Kuwaiti Writers Association, world, who in their country of Tourism Resource Management. researcher and historian. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 LOCAL/MIDEAST 7

Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia say talks on disputed dam deadlocked Egypt, Germany, France, Jordan meet to revive Mideast talks CAIRO, Jan 11, (AP): Egypt on tration of President Donald Trump and to Biden’s election and the establishment Maas tweeted before leaving for Cairo istration, and urged Israel to return to tion of the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Monday hosted the foreign ministers complained about what they say were of ties with Israel by four Arab countries on Sunday that the ministers would talks based on a two-state solution for Dam. of Germany, France and Jordan to pro-Israeli steps from Washington. - the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Su- discuss “which concrete steps” that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sunday’s meeting, held over vid- discuss ways to revive peace talks Trump has sidelined the Palestin- dan and Morocco. could help “build trust” between Israel Also: eoconference, failed to find common between Israel and the Palestinians, ian Authority, recognized Jerusalem France’s Foreign Ministry said the and the Palestinians. ground to more forward, “because of a week before President-elect Joe as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. meeting would discuss ways to have In September, Palestinian President CAIRO: Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia differences over how to resume the Biden takes office. Embassy there from Tel Aviv, slashed Israelis and Palestinians embark on Mahmoud Abbas called for an inter- failed to achieve a breakthrough in talks and procedural aspects related to In Cairo, the Foreign Ministry said financial assistance for the Palestinians talks, building on “the positive re- national conference early in 2021 to the African Union-led talks to revolve the negotiating process,” Egyptian for- the aim of the meeting was to urge the and reversed course on the illegitimacy gional context” related to the recent launch a “genuine peace process,” their years-long dispute over the con- eign ministry said in a statement. Palestinians and Israelis to negotiate of Israeli settlements on land claimed normalization deals. based on the U.N. resolutions and past troversial dam that Ethiopia is building Cairo and Addis Ababa rejected the a “just and comprehensive political by the Palestinians. “It is a question of contributing, agreements with Israel. The Palestin- on the Blue Nile, the three countries Sudanese proposal, Egypt’s foreign settlement” on the basis of achieving a Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el- at the same time, to a resumption of ians no longer see the U.S. as an hon- announced on Sunday. ministry said. Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as Sissi said last month that Cairo has been dialogue between Israelis and Palestin- est broker. Foreign and irrigation ministers of Ethiopia’s foreign ministry also said its capital on territory Israel captured working toward a two-state solution to ians, with a view to resolving the con- Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad the three nations met online for the Sudan on Sunday rejected a proposal in the 1967 Mideast war. the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “taking flict in the framework of international al-Malki said last month that the Pal- second time in a week in efforts to find by South African to meet separately The Palestinians suffered numerous into account the regional and internation- law,” the statement said. estinian Authority was ready to coop- an agreed approach to resume their with AU experts, insisting on expand- setbacks under the outgoing adminis- al changes.” He was apparently referring Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko erate with the incoming Biden admin- talks focused on the filling and opera- ing the role of the experts first. PAM to assess labor needs based on area registered at Municipality New automated system includes 140 different services

By Faris Al-Abdan Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: The Public Authority for Manpower has launched the automated system which includes 140 dif- ferent services giving the opportunity for the con- cerned personnel easy ac- cess to services through the online portal. The Director of Public Rela- tions Department, and the official spokesperson for the Authority, Aseel Al-Mazyed, said PAM with the launch of the authority’s new automated systems, Tuesday (Jan DAI flyer 12, 2021), the area registered with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs TEF 2021 new committee will be used to automatically esti- mate the companies’ labor needs. Tamilnadu Engineers Forum, retary, Engr Segu Yusuf - Treasurer, In a statement to Al-Seyassah daily, Kuwait (TEF) is a leading Engi- Engr Suresh - Joint Treasurer, Engr she said the new automated system neers Association in Kuwait, the Kapil - Joint Secretary (I.T.) along with will include 140 different services in a one & only ISO 9001:2015 ; ISO organizing committee members con- month’s time from the date of launch, so that the concerned person or institu- 26000:2010 certified non-profitable sisting of Engr Ariharan, Engr Balaji, Winners of Kuwait’s 2021 competition on robotics and industrial applications for students. organization, registered with the In- Engr Chandrakumar, Engr Kalaiar- tion will be provided service through dian Embassy, Kuwait. asan, Engr Karthikeyan, Engr Make- the electronic portal - the ‘easiest’ ser- TEF has been highly prominent sh, Engr Mansoor, Engr Rajesh, Engr vice, or through labor departments in Abdulwahab Al-Kandari wins first place within the Engineering and Business Somaskandan, Engr Sri Ganesh, the same manner. Communities in Kuwait since its in- Engr Sriram, Engr Suresh and Engr She added that an electronic forms ception in the year 2000 by conduct- Vimalanathan. portal has been developed that fa- MILSET-Asia names robotics competition winners ing various Knowledge dissemination The new team TEF-2021 assumed cilitates registration electronically for activities, technical seminars, confer- the charges during the valedictory those who wish to avail of the service, KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11, (KUNA): tion and head of Asia regional offi ce, skills creativity. ence, exposition, Engineering Excel- function of TEF 2020, held on Dec provided that only the QR CODE is The regional offi ce of the International Adnan Al-Meer, said during the inau- The regional director of MILSET lence awards, Women and Children 31, 2020 in the virtual format. All the presented to the service employee, Organization for Science and Technol- guration that the training programs and Asia offi ce, Dawood Al-Ahmad, said Empowerment, technical & career TEF2021 office bearers were ap- who will in turn process the request to ogy (MILSET) announced Monday projects for Kuwaiti youth is designed that the competition is organized for growth training, membership accredi- pointed after the election process winners of Kuwait’s 2021 competition to provide comprehensive training on students who win the annual school tation support and cultural & commu- and the election process was han- approve or reject it in accordance with the decisions and laws regulating the on robotics and industrial applications modern science and technologies to competition for robots and depends on nity development activities. dled by the election officers Engr Bala for students. enhance their capabilities. the design and programming of a line- TEF’s 2021 execution responsibili- Elamaran & Engr Ramraj. authority and noted that the author- ties were undertaken by a young and During the Introductory speech ity’s employees do not have access to The offi ce said Abdulwahab Al- The representative of Youth minis- tracking robot individually. vibrant team, headed by Dr. Jeyaku- Dr. Jeyakumar expressed his inter- screens at all. Kandari won the fi rst place, Moham- try, Mohammad Al-Mutairi said that This competition shows the partici- mar who is reelected as the President est and passion to elevate TEF into a She explained the new systems are mad Al-Enezi won the second place, the competition began in September pants effi ciency on programming the for the 3rd time and Engr Kishoreku- globally recognized Tamil Engineer- easy to use and rely on the web without and Yousef Al-Tamimi won the third until last December, and the second robot on a path with different angles mar as the General Secretary sup- ing association and Engr Kishore Ku- the need to download any additional place. season will start in February until next and to adjust the speed of the robot to ported by Engr Mannavan - Vice mar briefed about the various activi- software on the devices, and civil card The deputy head of the organiza- May in order to increase the youth reach the goal in a short time. president, Engr Dhayalan - Joint Sec- ties planned for the year 2021. readers and QR CODE readers have been provided to all employees to fa- cilitate and simplify the work as much as possible. For the authority to enable the visitor to determine the requirements of the ser- vice before submitting it, “we would like to alert the employers that all file num- bers have been changed, and the new file number can be inquired through the electronic forms portal, which was to be launched tomorrow”. She emphasized that the most im- portant thing that distinguishes the new system from the old one is the possibility of completing all transac- tions without bothering to personally visit the authority’s departments. She announced that the ‘easiest’ service is currently free of charge for business owners On the other hand, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry imposed fees on a number of services, most notably five dinars fee for issuing a signature approval certificate for an employer Tamilnadu Engineers Forum – 2021 New Committee file and 10 dinars for issuing and re- newing a work permit for “Gulf citi- zens and Bedoun”. ‘Very critical zone’ News in Brief Group photo from the event. Lebanon mulls tighter nationwide Thanima Kuwait, Blood Donors Kerala organize blood donation camp s part of Thanima Kuwait’s New the gathering, and Treasurer Vinod Abraham, Shamon, Suresh, Shobin, lockdown amid coronavirus surge RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s daily confirmed coronavirus cases AYear celebrations, a blood dona- Thomas expressed gratitude on behalf Litty Jacob, Beena Paul, Mary John, BEIRUT, Jan 11, (AP): Lebanon’s Doctors and experts say the extent tion camp was organized with Blood of Thanima. Shaiju Pallippuram man- Jiby Paul, Justina Joseph, Liny Jayan, caretaker prime minister said Mon- of the spread has yet to be felt, pre- climbed by 140 as related deaths rose by four, the health ministry Donors Kerala – Kuwait Chapter’s aged the blood donation drive events. Sreekumar, Jolly, Anila, Mahalakshmi day the country has entered a “very dicting numbers will skyrocket in the said on Monday. participation. Nearly 170 donors Trophies were distributed at the cer- and Janci led the camp. critical zone” in the battle against the coming days, overwhelming health The death toll now stands donated blood at the camp named emony to the Tanima Building Deco- Those interested in participating coronavirus as his government mulls facilities in the country of nearly 6 at 6,295 as confirmed cases hit ‘BEC- PuthuvalsaraThanima’ held at ration competition winners held as in blood donation activities such as tightening the nationwide lockdown million. Daily infection rates have 363,949, according to ministry the Central Blood Transfusion Center part of the Christmas and New Year blood donation camps and awareness announced last week. hovered above 3,000, hitting an all- data, which showed the number of near Adan Hospital. The camp was celebrations. classes in collaboration with the Cen- Following a new post-holiday time high of over 5,000 last week. recoveries as having risen by 158 conducted in full compliance with the Tanima BDK hardcore members tral Blood Bank and need of free blood surge in infections, the Lebanese Lawmakers and offi cials have to 355,706. (KUNA) Covid 19 standards. Ashraf Cherut, Rana Varghese, Bap- donor services can contact BDK Ku- government imposed a nationwide called on the government to con- ❑ ❑ ❑ The camp was organized at the Cen- tist, Venugopal, Thomas John Adoor, wait helpline numbers 6999 7588/5151 lockdown and a nighttime curfew. sider a 24-hour lockdown without tral Blood Bank’s special request to Jeans, Katanam Thomas, Jason, Binoy 0076. But many were critical of the mea- exemptions. There have been calls MANAMA: Bahrain’s daily report address the blood shortage faced by sures, calling them lax for exempting for the Beirut airport to be shut. confirmed coronavirus cases rose by 241 and deaths by one, health the Kuwait Blood Bank in the context many sectors, such as factories, plant Some 80,000 Lebanese expats had authorities said on Monday. of Covid-19. nurseries and exchange bureaus. returned to the country during the Some 249 new recoveries were On-Cost Chief Operating Offi cer Lebanon’s handling of the virus holidays, but doctors say the trans- also reported for a total of 92,362 T A Ramesh and BEC Commerce & surge amid a deepening economic mission remains mainly among thus far, as compared to 2,840 cur- Marketing Manager Ramdas Nair crisis has been under scrutiny, non-expats. rently active cases, according to a jointly inaugurated the camp. Thanima with many saying hesitant policies On Monday, panic buyers health ministry statement pub- Convener Babuji Bathery delivered have failed to contain it. swarmed supermarkets after re- lished on twitter. (KUNA) the introductory speech at the function Despite a rise in infections, the ports the government planned to ❑ ❑ ❑ presided over by ‘Puthuvalsara Than- government relaxed restrictions also order them shut in the tight- ima’ Convenor Alex Varghese. BDK ahead of Christmas and New Year’s ened lockdown. Long lines formed MUSCAT: Omani health authori- Patron Manoj Mavelikkara, Asray- celebrations, hoping to boost a crum- outside chain supermarkets, spark- ties confirmed on Monday 172 athanima Convener Jacob Varghese, bling local economy. Bars and night- ing fear the crowds could further new positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) while BDK Advisory Committee Mem- clubs, which had been ordered shut spread the virus. no deaths were registered in the ber Rajan Thottathil, Johnny Kunnil for months, were allowed to open. Ahead of a ministerial meeting past 24 hours. (Chief Jury), Daisy Teacher (Penth- Penalties against big holiday to consider new measures, Care- According to Oman’s News anima), Convenors Freddy Francis and gatherings and parties were not taker Prime Minister Hassan Diab Agency, this brings the country’s Ruhail V P greeted the audience. T A evenly and strictly imposed. On blamed careless behavior for the total infection cases to 130,780 Ramesh, Manoj Mavelikkara and Ra- Sunday, a soccer match was al- spread, saying many Lebanese still while the total death toll settled at jan Thottathil handed over the plaque lowed to take place in the northern consider the virus a hoax and are 1,508, in addition to 123,024 re- of appreciation for the camp’s suc- Tripoli province with an audience. not taking it seriously. coveries from the virus. (KUNA) cessful organization to Tanima offi ce bearers. Raghubal BDK welcomed Certificates of appreciation being handed out. China’s Geely, Baidu announce electric car venture

Chinese automaker Geely says it will form the multibillion-dollar costs of developing Privately held Geely, best known The plug-in hy- an electric car venture with tech giant electric vehicles for China under govern- abroad as the owner of Sweden’s Volvo brid Bingyue ePro Baidu, adding to a fl urry of corporate tie- ment pressure to meet sales quotas. Cars, is one of China’s biggest independ- from Geely is dis- ups in the industry to share soaring tech- China is the world’s biggest market for ent automakers. Its brands include Geely, played at the Auto nology development costs. Geely Holding the technology, accounting for about half Lynk & Co., Geometry and Polestar, all of China 2020 show Group, which also has separate electric of global sales. The ruling Communist which sell electric vehicles. Geely is the in Beijing on Sept car brands, said Monday the venture with Party spent billions of dollars on subsidies biggest shareholder in Malaysia’s Proton 27, 2020. (AP) Baidu.com Inc. would focus on intelligent in an attempt to take an early lead in the and Britain’s Lotus. and connected vehicles. It gave no details industry. It is shifting the burden to manu- Baidu operates China’s most popular of investment or when products might be facturers by requiring them to earn credits internet search engine. It is regarded as released. Global and Chinese automak- from selling electric vehicles or face pen- one of the world’s leading developers of ers have launched partnerships to share alties that have yet to be announced. automated driving technology. (AP)

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Move seeks to strengthen controls by creating a registry managed by Treasury New law cracks down on shell companies to combat corruption MIAMI, Jan 11, (AP): For years as a a payment of a $90 fee and a one-page federal prosecutor in New York, Dan- letter listing the entity’s the name, P.O. iel R. Alonso led teams that had to Box and a registered agent who is fre- search through a maze of anonymously quently a law fi rm dedicated to churn- owned corporate entities to expose ing out companies in bulk. The true criminal activity. owners are rarely listed, their identities “It required all kinds of shoe-leather hidden under a web of subsidiaries. But investigating to identify who was re- once created, the entities can be used to ally behind these shell companies,” purchase legitimate assets, such as real recalled Alonso. “You’d have to sub- estate, using ill-gotten funds furtively poena bank records and lawyers, as transferred into a U.S. bank account. well as human sources, and even then One such Delaware-based company, you frequently hit a dead end.” Essential Consultants LLC, was used Now, thanks to a watershed overhaul by Trump’s former personal attorney, of U.S. money laundering laws, locat- Michael Cohen, to conceal hush money ing the proceeds from foreign bribery, payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. drug traffi cking and fi nancing for ter- Others registered in the state have been rorists could be as easy as a few key- tied to corrupt military offi cers in Ven- strokes. ezuela, drug traffi cking guerrillas from The new legislation quietly passed Colombia and former Zimbabwean by Congress last month after a decade- dictator Robert Mugabe. long fi ght is the most sweeping bank- ing reform of its kind since passage of Review the Patriot Act, in the aftermath of the “Congress was late to acknowl- Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. edge that secrecy is alive and well For the fi rst time, shell companies in the United States,” said David P. will be required to provide the names Weber, a former U.S. Treasury inves- of their owners or face stiff penalties tigator who was one of two experts and jail sentences. The information to review the Panama Papers before will be stored in a confi dential database publication. He now is a forensic ac- accessible to federal law enforcement counting professor at Salisbury Uni- and shared with banks who are often versity in Maryland. “Kleptocrats unwitting accomplices to international and corrupt foreign officials did not corruption. need secret bank accounts in Switzer- “It’s not an overstatement that this land. They were right here.” law is a game changer in some seri- Less touted, the law also dramati- ous ways,” said Alonso, who is now cally expands awards for whistleblow- in private practice advising clients on ers. Specifi cally, individuals who come foreign corruption and anti-money forward with evidence of fi nancial In this fi le photo, Zeida Hernandez, of Tampa, Florida, left, makes Factory Throwout cigars using an antique hand-operated cigar machine at the J.C. New- laundering issues. malfeasance are entitled to receive up man Cigar Co, Tampa’s last cigar factory, in Florida. American factories grew in December at the fastest pace in more than two years as manufacturing The Corporate Transparency Act to 30% of money seized by the Treas- continued to weather the pandemic better than the battered services sector. (AP) was tucked into a defense spending ury or Justice Departments when their bill fi rst vetoed by President Donald information leads to successful law en- Trump and then overridden by Con- forcement actions. Previously, awards gress on New Year’s Day. were capped at $150,000. It was introduced by Rep. Carolyn “This could end up being the secret Maloney, a New York Democrat, in sauce,” said Michael Nadler, a recently 2010 and early on faced opposition retired federal prosecutor in Miami from banks and business groups wor- who has brought charges against doz- Job losses fall unequally ried about red tape as well as states ens of corrupt Venezuelan offi cials. such as Delaware and Wyoming, “It has the potential to weaponize low- which reap important revenues from ranking company offi cers who have ac- the registration every year in the U.S. cess to sensitive client information and of nearly 2 million corporations and see criminal behavior.” limited liability companies. The Justice Department will also have expanded powers to demand for- Leaking ‘across’ the US economy eign bank account records when they But a string of international fi- suspect criminal activity. And the law nancial scandals involving soccer’s also extends oversight to the trade in governing body FIFA and the 1MDB high-value antiquities. Expensive art- Most analysts expect solid recovery to kick in this summer development bank from Malaysia, as work -- a frequent vehicle to hide the well as the leaking of the so-called proceeds of corruption -- may also be Panama Papers, eventually softened brought within the reach of anti-money WASHINGTON, Jan 11, fueled by affl uent people able to work lysts expect a solid recovery to kick tunate fi nancially, the contrast some- criticism by revealing the prominent laundering laws pending a study the from home who are looking for more in this summer. The incoming Biden times depresses him. role played by secretive shell compa- government must produce within a (AP): Ten months into space. That trend has, in turn, bolstered administration, along with a now fully “She’s working all the time, while I nies in hiding the proceeds from il- year. America’s viral outbreak, higher-paying jobs in banking, insur- Democratic-led House and Senate, will can’t work, and it’s a terrible feeling as licit activity. While it may take some time for the low-income workers are ance and real estate. also likely push additional rescue aid a husband and a spouse,” said Pierce, The U.S. fi nancial system -- the law’s impact to be felt, experts believe “Such differences in ... employment and spending measures that could ac- 40. world’s largest and most stable -- has it will drive away from the U.S. some still bearing the brunt of loss between the highest- and lowest- celerate growth. In the meantime, there have been long been a magnet for dirty money. of the dirty money from abroad that has job losses – an unusual wage workers are almost certainly un- Economists note that the $2 trillion odd gigs for him here and there. The But the tools to prevent abuse by bad driven up real estate prices in major and harsh feature of the precedented among US recessions over aid package the government enacted in weirdest was a stand-up routine he did actors haven’t kept pace with technolo- cities like New York, Miami and Los the past 100-plus years,” Brad Hersh- March, which included generous un- via Zoom for a company’s holiday par- gy and a proliferation of instant, online Angeles. pandemic recession that bein, an economist at the Upjohn In- employment benefi ts and aid to small ty. He asked the employees to unmute transactions across borders. But nobody expects crime and cor- fl attened the economy last stitute for Employment Research, and companies, did more to prevent layoffs so he could hear them laughing, only to The new law seeks to strengthen ruption to stop. One weakness of the spring. Harry Holzer, an economist at George- from spreading than many analysts had be hit by a cacophony of dogs barking, controls by creating a registry managed law, says former Treasury investiga- town University, concluded in a new expected. kids yelling and TVs blaring. by the Treasury Department that will tor Weber, is that it will push crimes In December, the nation shed research paper. But a big unknown overhangs the He spent the rest of the gig watching contain the names of the true owners of further into the darkness, away from jobs for the fi rst time since April. On the surface, the December jobs 2021 economy: Will the economic re- his audience’s silently moving lips to both domestically-created shell compa- the U.S. to less reputable jurisdictions Once again, the layoffs were heav- report the government issued Friday covery come fast enough, and be robust see if they might be laughing. nies as well as foreign ones conducting where secrecy remains. ily concentrated in the industries was dismal: The economy lost 140,000 enough, to absorb many of the Ameri- “I have days where I think it will business in the U.S. “In many ways,” he said, “this is like that have suffered most because jobs. It was the sixth straight month in cans who lost jobs in the hospitality come back, and days where I think, Creating a shell company in states a multi-million dollar game of whack- they involve the kind of face-to- which hiring has slumped from the pre- industries into more resilient sectors of ‘Well, I guess I’ll never work again,’ like Delaware requires little more than a-mole.” face contact that is now nearly vious month. Unemployment remained the job market? ” Pierce said. impossible: Restaurants, bars and stuck at a still-high 6.7%. For now, the resurgent pandemic Hershbein and Holzer’s research But the negative number stemmed has made consumers reluctant to found that job losses have been deeper hotels, theaters, sports arenas and entirely from a brutal loss – nearly shop, travel, dine out and congregate among Black and Hispanic work- concert halls. 500,000 jobs – in a category that in- in crowds and led states and cities to ers than among whites and also more With the virus transforming con- cludes restaurants, bars, hotels, casinos reimpose stricter limits on restaurants pronounced for those in lower-paying sumer spending habits, economists be- and entertainment. and bars. jobs. Employment among the lowest- lieve some portion of these service jobs State and local governments also cut The trend has upended the lives of paid one quarter of Americans has sunk won’t return even after the economy workers. So did hair salons and other people like Brad Pierce of West War- nearly 12% since February of this year, has regained its footing. That trend personal services. There were layoffs, wick, Rhode Island. Pierce had gradu- Hershbein found. Among the highest- will likely further widen the economic too, in education. ally built a career as a stand-up co- paid quarter, it’s declined must less - inequalities that have left millions of Nearly every other industry added median, only to see it derailed by the 3.5%. families unable to buy food or pay rent. jobs. Construction gained 51,000, fi - pandemic and restrictions on the bars The proportion of white Americans Typically in a recession, layoffs nancial services 12,000. Transportation he performed in. with jobs has fallen 6% since the pan- strike a broad array of industries – both and warehousing companies, benefi - Now, he wonders if that life will demic; among Black and Hispanic those that employ higher– and middle- ciaries of a surge in e-commerce and ever return. Even when the bars where Americans, it’s down 10%, Hershbein income workers and those with lower- delivery services amid the pandemic, Pierce worked had reopened, they said. This means that as some portion paid staff – as anxious consumers slash gained nearly 47,000. couldn’t offer live entertainment be- of the pandemic job losses become per- spending. Economists had worried that Job losses have “defi nitely been very cause of coronavirus restrictions. Some manent, nonwhite workers will be hurt the same trend would emerge this time. heavily concentrated in certain – much of these venues, he fears, won’t sur- the most. Instead, much of the rest of the econ- more so than prior recessions,” Hersh- vive. Michelle Holder, an economist at omy is healing, if slowly and fi tfully. bein said in an interview. Pierce receives about $500 a week John Jay College, noted that the two Factories, while not fully recovered, Once the coronavirus vaccines be- in unemployment aid, and his wife still biggest sources of job losses among are cranking out goods and have added come distributed more widely, and works as a health care technician - bus- Black women have been cashiers at This fi le photo shows the US Treasury Department building at dusk in jobs every month since May. Home the latest government aid package is ier than ever because she administers stores and restaurants, including fast- Washington. (AP) sales have soared 26% from a year ago, pumped into the economy, most ana- COVID-19 tests. Though he feels for- food, and in child care. Wall St distances itself from Trump, GOP after riots CHARLOTTE, Jan 11, (AP): A growing num- decision was first reported by the Wall Street three months of the year. ber of Wall Street banks and businesses have Journal. In a memo to employees Friday, Citi’s head cut ties with President Donald Trump’s cam- American Express and JPMorgan Chase of global government affairs Candi Wolff said paign and financial arms, as well as the broad- have said they would no longer donate to can- “we want you to be assured that we will not er Republican Party, following last week’s didates who supported last week’s insurrec- support candidates who do not respect the rule riots and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. tion or did not vote to confirm President-elect of law.” Several technology companies have The financial technology company Stripe Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College. clamped down on President Trump, the GOP has stopped processing payments for the “Last week’s attempts by some congressio- and other forums that were considered ave- Trump campaign, according to a person famil- nal members to subvert the presidential elec- nues for violent extremism and insurrection. iar with the matter who requested anonymity tion results and disrupt the peaceful transition Twitter suspended Trump from its platform, because the decision hasn’t been made public. of power do not align with our (values),” said as did Facebook, last week. The social media The move would cut off Trump’s fundrais- American Express’ CEO Steve Squeri, in an company Parler was banned from Apple’s In this fi le photo, the logo for Citigroup appears above a trading post on the ing arm from what has been a steady stream of email to employees. App Store as well as Google’s Play Store, and fl oor of the New York Stock Exchange. Businesses are rethinking political small-dollar donations that are often solicited Citigroup confirmed Sunday that it is paus- Amazon cut off Parler from its Amazon Web contributions in the wake of the deadly Capitol siege by President Donald through emails and text messages. Stripe’s ing all federal political donations for the first Services platform. Trump’s supporters on Jan 6. (AP) ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 BUSINESS 9

Residential affordability intensifi es with Covid-19 pandemic GCC RE value transacted slips 4% YTD to $72.1bn at end Oct This report analyzes real estate fundamentals in the GCC in light of the impact of Covid-19 in 2020. We analyze demand-supply driv- ers and examine trends in transac- tions, prices and rents that drive the outlook for real estate in the region in 2021. ❑ ❑ ❑

Report prepared by KAMCO Invest eal estate sale transactions in the RGCC from Jan 2020-Oct 2020 declined from a year ago, as total value transacted receded by 4% y- o-y to $72.1bn, from $75.5bn in the same period in 2019, according to our estimates. Saudi contributed to over 52% of the value transacted, as job creation etc. Commercial new investors looking to take advan- to the increased government support while UAE added 21.6% to the re- offi ce spaces will need to be trans- tage of the lower prices. for SMEs and fl exibility required by gion’s aggregate fi gure. However, formed to absorb the newer fl exible main-stream corporates. and hybrid offi ce models, in order Newer models to drive future Another alternative source of of- the average value per transaction in offi ce space demand the GCC increased by 7.6% y-o-y to to generate incremental demand. fi ce space demand is from repur- around $166,105 over Jan 2020-Oct Offi ce spaces could also be repur- Incremental offi ce space demand posed offi ce spaces that can be used 2020 from around $154,365 in the posed as data centers, as Covid-19 in the GCC was historically driven as data centers, as Covid-19 has same period in 2019. The number has expedited the move to digital by job creation fueled by nonoil expedited the move to digital infra- of transactions YTD until Oct-2020 infrastructure for industries that economic growth, with the average structure for industries that are ma- fell by around 11% y-o-y to 434,158. are major users of technology and offi ce space occupied per employ- jor users of technology and fi nancial The lower y-o-y transaction volumes fi nancial services. The contrast be- ee ranging from 15 sq.m-16 sq.m. services. The data center market in and value transacted was largely due tween demand for industrial and While fundamental drivers have GCC is expected to grow at a CAGR to the impact of Covid-19 on real es- retail spaces is set to continue, and not changed signifi cantly, the im- of over 3% during the period 2019- tate demand and its various sub-seg- represent the strongest and weakest plementation of cost reduction and 2025 as per BuddeComm. The UAE ments. Moreover, the signs of a bot- segments of the market respectively downsizing has led to offi ce space and Saudi Arabia currently are the toming out of transactions witnessed over the near term. optimization by corporates which major contributors to the data center in 2019 will now be more prolonged has reduced the growth of incremen- market as per BuddeComm, while Residential affordability inten- tal offi ce space demand below esti- Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman are in into 2021 in our view, until normal- sifi es with Covid-19 ized demand conditions arrive in a mates of upcoming supply. This has the nascent growth stage of develop- post-Covid environment. Covid-19 has caused additional led to drops in offi ce rents along with ment. landlords being forced to provide in- In Dubai, the contribution of off- headwinds for end-user demand in Industrial vs. Retail antithesis GCC’s residential real estate seg- centives related to payment terms. plan transactions from Jan 2020- continues Oct 2020 fell in terms of its contri- ment, driving rents and prices lower Existing tenants continued to on a y-o-y basis in 2020, despite In our earlier GCC Real Estate bution to both volumes and value seek more attractive lease transacted. The lower contribution limited supply addition and several Update – Déjà vu or Different this by off-plan sales y-o-y in our view government initiatives for home terms and migrate their offi ce time?, we highlighted industrial is ascribed to investors being more ownership being rolled out. Rents spaces. warehouses to be the strongest seg- cautious to look at primary market in all residential markets were under With the onset of Covid-19, rents ment in the GCC real estate, with opportunities for real estate invest- pressure in 2020, as tenants contin- continued to fall across major offi ce structural and cyclical trends fa- ments, anticipating lower future ued to downsize, migrate to more markets in the region, with more voring demand for spaces tailored prices. We believe a rebound in affordable residences, or looked for fragmentation apparent within each towards unique storage needs. The off-plan transactions and higher vis- more incentives in their existing market. Although the weakness in newer sources of demand growth ibility for overall future transactions tenancy contracts. In terms of resi- rents was apparent market wide, came from e-commerce and 3PL lo- would be needed for confi rming the dential prices, sales prices in Riyadh select Grade-A spaces witnessed gistics, pharma, vertical farming and beginning of the next real estate cy- grew 2% y-o-y at the end Q3-2020, achieved higher rents, as their rents newer F&B models such as cloud cle. Separately, in country specifi c as per JLL, driven by the positive on prior contracts were below-mar- kitchens. developments, Qatar issued a new sentiment and momentum witnessed ket. Further, structural changes have However, strong demand has law which added to the number of in the mortgage market from the occurred to the offi ce space demand resulted in higher supply coming locations where non-Qataris can buy Saudi government amending the landscape, which has led to in- into the market, which have made real estate along with a two tiered 15% VAT on property transactions. creased demand for fl exible offi ces, rents more competitive across stor- residency program that incentivized Separately, Qatar issued a new law growth in remote working, working age types, and in some cases led to home ownership. This contributed which will add to the number of lo- from home (WFH) and hybrid offi ce marginal rental declines as landlords to the higher number of transactions cations where non-Qataris can buy models. look to gain market share. Neverthe- (+28%) and value transacted (+18%) real estate. A two-tiered residency Moreover, corporates prefer to less, prime GCC industrial yields y-o-y in our view over the fi rst ten program that rewards large investors stay asset light and engage in sale still remain strong at 7%-8% making months of the 2020. with government-provided services and lease back transactions. Demand them the preferred segment for GCC We do expect supply in the GCC was also introduced to incentivize for the fl exible offi ce space market real estate exposure. Moreover, de- posing trends witnessed in industrial and Qatar (+15.9%) were top per- real estate market across various home ownership. which was dominated by start-ups mand emanating from e-commerce, and retail are largely on account of formers, while real estate indices in sub-segments to tighten cyclically in The decline in rents was higher and SMEs is now reportedly wit- 3PL, pharma, and FMCG especially retailers resorting to the aforemen- Kuwait and Dubai underperformed. 2021 in terms of lower number of up- than the fall in prices during 2020, nessing signifi cant contribution from from large hypermarkets will con- tioned omni-channel strategies. Post Regional equity indices linked to coming project announcements from as some sellers preferred to defer the main-stream corporates, who prefer tinue for automated build-to-suit, Covid19, we continue to expect real estate did witness sharp index developers, given the low demand sales of residential apartments and to lease as against own offi ce spac- temperature-controlled and chilled entertainment and F&B tenants to moves, but in most cases, the perfor- environment prevalent currently, villas in order to achieve higher pric- es, with the aim of reducing capital centers. drive incremental demand for mall mance was driven by stock-specifi c which should aid in arresting the es in the future. As a result, yields costs. Another hybrid model which Retail rents in the GCC have cor- spaces within the region, as against large cap names that single-hand- ongoing steep declines of prices and compressed by end-2020 due to the is increasingly seen from operators rected by double-digit or high sin- demand emanating from retail ten- edly impacted the sectoral index. rents. However, the Covid-19 crisis higher decline of rents, and lower of fl exible offi ce spaces combines gle-digit percentages in 2020, as re- ants. This trend should continue in The YTD performance of the RE has accelerated several emerging sales transactions, both in the re- standardized long-term contracts tailers demanded for a restructuring our view, given the limited number index in Abu Dhabi was buoyed by trends for GCC’s real estate market, sale and the off-plan market. Based and co-working spaces. The hybrid of tenancy deals, bargained for ad- of entertainment alternatives avail- a 40.1% rally in the share price of and introduced new structural driv- on our analysis of Property Monitor model diversifi es revenues sourc- ditional rent-free periods, and sought able to residents in the GCC. Aldar. Developers in the region are ers for the sector’s demand outlook. data, all classes of apartment locali- es for landlords, and keeps offi ce the introduction of turnover rents. RE equities performance to reconsidering certain key projects in Newer catalysts would be re- ties from high-end to affordable wit- spaces viable for both longer- and The ongoing theme of changing the light of the current weak demand quired to cater to changing con- nessed a yield compression of close shorter-term sources of demand. consumer spending habits combined remain stock specifi c environment and making supply- sumer habits and clientele within to 40 bps from Mar-2020 to Nov- Dubai remains the largest market with lower brick-and-mortar foot- Real estate equities recovered side adjustments, which should help each sub-segment of the real estate 2020. for fl ex-offi ce spaces in the GCC falls and sales conversions continued by the end of Nov-2020 along with in providing cyclical stability for the market, mainly in the areas of digi- Looking ahead, the residential and the MENA region, as supply has during the year. Moreover, retail- broader markets from the lows of sector. We therefore expect perfor- tal communication and ecommerce. market is expected to remain under more than tripled from 50,000 sq m ers are driving expansion plans via Mar-2020, as global equities wit- mance to continue to remain stock In terms of property sub-segments, pressure until segment fundamen- in 2014, to almost 160,000 sq m by omni-channel strategies as consum- nessed a massive sell-off driven by specifi c for RE linked securities, as the residential segment looks to be tals such as number of households, mid-2020, contributing to close to ers prefer to engage with the brand the impact of Covid-19. The Refi ni- the market focuses on project IRRs the closest to a late-cycle recovery employment rates improve. Moreo- 2% of the total offi ce stock, as per through many routes. Apart from tiv GCC Real Estate Total Return and cashfl ow visibility, Over the me- in rents and prices aided by govern- ver, we expect developers to con- JLL. Offi ce space operators in other the physical store, website and apps, Index declined by 31.6% from Jan- dium-term, a re-rating of the sector ment support. The segment also has tinue offering a range of incentives markets in the GCC could follow strategies employed by retailers in- 2020 to 23 Mar-2020, but more than would depend on the demand out- fewer number of structural issues such as fee waivers, discounts and the trend and allocate a higher por- clude marketplace presence, selling recovered YTD, ending marginally look, which would need to improve to cope with, barring fundamentals rent-to-own agreements, combined tion of their offi ce space lettings for on social media and partnering with up by the end of Nov-2020. Real es- from aforementioned structural ad- directly impacting the segment such with home fi nance options to attract fl ex and hybrid offi ce spaces, owing last-mile delivery services. The op- tate equities in Abu Dhabi (+38.1%) justments. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 BUSINESS 10 Stocks slip as Wall Street takes a breather

NBK rallies 8 fi ls, KIPCO fl at Kuwait market heads north, volume turnover ‘rebounds’

By John Mathews percent to stand next. Warba Arab Times Staff Insurance Co skidded 6.5 pct, the steepest decliner of the day KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11: Ku- and Kuwait Real Estate topped wait stocks headed north on the volume with 16.3 million Monday’s extending last ses- shares. sion’s upswing. The All Shares Mirroring the day’s gains, Index, after shaky start, ral- the market spread was skewed lied 46.32 points to 5,619.28 towards the winners. 73 stocks points driven mostly by blue advanced whereas 36 closed chips even as the overall mood lower. Of the 133 counters turned markedly positive. active on Monday, 24 closed The Premier Market jumped fl at.12,374 deals worth KD 64.64 points to 6,132.39 pts 48.3 million were transacted while Main Market was up 8.53 during the session. pts at 4,609.57 points. The National Industries Group BK 50 Main rose 8.5 pts. The rose 4 fi ls to 181 fi ls on back volume turnover meanwhile of over 2 million shares while swelled past the 200 million Mezzan Holding was down 10 mark again. Over 261 million fi ls at 600 fi ls. Boubyan Petro- shares changed hands – a 32 chemical Co gained 4 fi ls and pct surge from the last session. Al Qurain Petrochemical Co The sectors closed mostly scaled 11 fi ls to settle at 358 in red turf. Technology out- fi ls. Integrated Holding was shone the rest with 3.55 pct unchanged at 358 fi ls whereas gain whereas Consumer Goods Aznour dialed up 1 fi l. shed 1.29 percent, the worst Jazeera Airways eased 1 fi l In this fi le photo provided by the New York Stock Exchange, Michael Capolino (left), works on the trading fl oor, in New York. Stocks eased Monday as performer of the day. Volume to 728 fi ls whereas ALAFCO trading cooled on Wall Street and in markets around the world following their strong record-setting runs. (AP) wise, Financial Services topped paced 4 fi ls. Hayat Telecom- with 84.88 million share while munications added 3.2 fi ls Political uncertainty in US continues to hang over markets Banking sector dominated in while Oula Fuel and Soor Fuel value with KD 21.8 million. were both fl at at 122 fi ls. Al Rai Among the prime movers, Media Group took in 2.6 fi ls NEW YORK, Jan 11, (AP): ing pandemic continues to slam the ing their expectations for economic were countered by fears over spread- sector bellwether National whereas Kuwait Resorts Co Stocks were slipping Mon- economy. U.S. employers cut more growth and infl ation, and the yield ing damage from the pandemic. Bank of Kuwait rallied 8 fi ls and Mashaer Holding stalled day as trading cools on jobs last month than they added, for on the 10-year Treasury climbed to Traders continued to be cheered to 864 fi ls on back of 6.5 mil- at 63.2 fi ls and 58 fi ls respec- example, the fi rst month of job loss- 1.13% from 1.09% late Friday. It by prospects that the incoming ad- lion shares and Kuwait Finance Wall Street and in markets es since last spring. New, potentially was at just 0.89% at the end of 2020 tively. ministration of President-elect Joe House followed suit to end Kuwait Cement Co inched 1 around the world following more contagious strains of the coro- after setting a record low during the Biden will pump more aid into the navirus are helping the pandemic year. at 693 fi ls taking the month’s fi l higher to 232 fi ls whereas their strong record-setting U.S. economy, a move that will help gains to 22 fi ls. Boubyan Bank to tighten its grip on the economy Higher long-term yields can put Asia and other export-driven na- Kuwait Portland Cement was runs. around the world. pressure on stock prices and make was up 4 fi ls at 574 fi ls while unchanged at 789 fi ls. Metal tions. Mabanee Co scaled 12 fi ls after The S&P 500 was 0.5% lower In the background, political un- them look even more expensive. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.2% and Recycling Co trimmed 0.8 in late morning trading and on certainty also continues to hang over That’s because when bonds are pay- to 3,157.72. Australia’s S&P/ASX pushing 1.6 million shares. fi l and Hilal Cement slipped pace to take a breather from a markets. Democrats are pushing for ing investors more in interest to own 200 lost 0.9% to 6,697.20. Hong Zain rose 5 fi ls to 625 fi ls 4.5 fi ls to 86.5 fi ls. Al Manar four-day winning streak that car- the removal of President Donald them, they can pull buyers away Kong’s Hang Seng edged up 0.2% to on back of 5.5 million shares Financing and Inovest added 2 ried it to more all-time highs. The Trump, who has less than two weeks from stocks. In general, higher inter- 27,943.86, while the Shanghai Com- whereas Ooredoo eased 1 fi l to fi ls each a while QIC closed 3 Dow Jones Industrial Average left in his term, after his words est rates make investors less willing posite fell 0.9% to 3,539.88. 646 fi ls. stc stood pat at 850 fi ls fi ls higher at 74.7 fi ls. Kuwait was down 89 points, or 0.3%, at helped incite a group of loyalists to to pay higher prices for stocks rela- Japanese markets were closed for while Agility sprinted 21 fi ls and Gulf Links Transport Co 31,008, as of 11:22 a.m. Eastern storm the Capitol last week. tive to their earnings. a national holiday. Adding to con- to 714 fi ls. Humansoft Holding ticked 0.1 fi l into red. time, and the Nasdaq composite Shares of Twitter sank 6.2% for Strategists at Morgan Stanley cerns over surging numbers of coro- soared 85 fi ls to KD 3.700 re- Kuwait Foundry Co fell 5 was 0.9% lower. the largest loss in the S&P 500 after have been saying for months that navirus infections, another new vari- couping Sunday’s losses and fi ls to 269 fi ls and Gulf Cable Analysts said a pullback was no it banned Trump from his account bond yields may be set for a big rise, ant of the virus was reported over the Boursa Kuwait Securities gave clipped 2 fi ls. ACICO Indus- surprise following the big rally re- and his 89 million followers. Twit- and they said in a report on Monday weekend among several people who up 5 fi ls to end at KD 1.129. tries rose 3.7 fi ls to 94 fi ls cently for everything from stocks to ter cited “the risk of further incite- that stocks may have hit their peak had arrived from Brazil. KIPCO was unchanged at whereas NAPESCO tripped bond yields to commodities amid a ment of violence,” but the move has for how much investors are willing “A resurgence of COVID infec- 159 fi ls while Kuwait Invest- drawn a lot of anger from conserva- to pay for each $1 of corporate earn- 1 fi l. Automated Systems Co wave of optimism. With Democrats tions, with evidence of a more in- ment Co took in 1 fi l. National dialed up 2.4 fi ls and Educa- set to take control of Washington, in- tives who may abandon the service ings. That would put more pressure and ask for more regulatory scrutiny on companies to grow their earnings fectious, new strains taking hold Investment Co scaled 4 fi ls tional Holding sprinted 15 fi ls vestors expect Congress to try soon in Asia, beyond the West, suggests on back of 3.5 million shares to deliver more stimulus to the econ- of the company. Facebook fell 2.7% for their stock prices to rise further to 324 fi ls. Combined Group after it suspended Trump’s accounts. or even to hold steady. that recovery and vaccine hopes and Kuwait Financial Centre Contracting Co took in 1 fi l omy through larger cash payments also ride the back of the Tiger,” said for Americans and other programs. Other areas of the market were Analysts expect strong profi t (Markaz) inched 0.1 fi l higher whereas Burgan Well Drilling Venkateswaran Lavanya of Mizuho That’s building on top of enthusi- also losing momentum, but not by as growth to return for companies later to 81.9 fi ls. KMEFIC and Os- Co clipped 1 fi l. asm already built about a powerful much as social media stocks and Big this year as the economy recovers. Bank in Singapore, referring to the oul paused at 125 fi ls and 80 fi ls In the banking sector, Gulf economic recovery coming later this Tech. Stocks of smaller companies But in upcoming weeks, when CEOs peril of the situation. respectively whereas KAMCO Bank eased 1 fi l to 219 fi ls year as COVID-19 vaccines roll out. slipped, for example, with the Rus- are scheduled to tell shareholders Japanese Prime Minister Yoshi- dialed up 0.5 fi l. whereas Kuwait International The big rally means stocks and sell 2000 index down 0.4%. But it how much profi t they made during hide Suga has taken care to spare The market opened fi rm and Bank gained 3 fi ls. Burgan other investments are even more remains 5.6% higher for 2021 so far, the last three months of 2020, Wall the world’s third largest economy edged higher in early trade. The Bank took in 1 fi l while Ahli expensive, leaving critics to say more than quadruple the gain of the Street expects to see a sharp drop. as much as possible from risks of main index slipped into red to United Bank and Warba Bank they’ve gone too high. One of the big stocks in the S&P 500. Investors Analysts forecast S&P 500 compa- sinking further, even as coronavirus plumb the day’s lowest level of dialed up 2 fi ls each. Commer- main ways professional investors have been rotating out of the win- nies to report a decline of nearly 9% cases have surged recently. 5,574 pts half way into the ses- cial Bank gave up 5 fi ls and Al gauge a stock’s value is by meas- ners of the stay-at-home pandemic in earnings per share from a year ear- Suga’s declaration of a state of sion as sentiment weakened. It Ahli Bank dialed down 2 fi ls. uring its price against how much economy and looking for potential lier, according to FactSet. If they’re emergency for the Tokyo area, headed north thereafter amid which kicked in Friday, focuses The market has been mixed profi t it made in the prior 12 months. winners of a recovering economy. right, it would be the third-worst buying spurt mostly in heavy- so far during the week shed- Stocks in the S&P 500 are trading One area of the market that con- drop since the summer of 2009. on asking restaurants to close at 8 p.m. Critics fear that’s not enough, weights to close with robust ding 18 points in last two ses- at roughly 29 times their earnings. tinues to climb is in the bond market. In European stock markets, Ger- gains. sions. It has gained 63 points That’s a much more expensive price Treasury yields have been shooting many’s DAX lost 0.9%, and France’s and Suga’s support ratings are sink- tag than their average over the last higher, in part on expectations that CAC 40 fell 0.9%. The FTSE 100 in ing. Cries for his ouster are likely to Top gainer of the day, Tijara from start of the month after decade of a little below 18, accord- the U.S. government is set to bor- London dropped 1.1%. grow if the upward curb in infections rallied 11 pct to 55.4 fi ls while tumbling 736 points during ing to FactSet. row a lot more money for stimulus Asian shares were mixed Monday doesn’t fl atten in a month, as he has Warba Capital climbed 7.16 whole of 2020. At the same time, the worsen- programs. That has investors rais- as hopes for more U.S. economic aid promised. UK’s bootmaker Dr. Martens to sell 25 pct shares to public LONDON, Jan 11, (AP): The maker of Dr. Martens boots, the chunky-soled footwear once championed by rebellious young people but now favored by celebrities like Rihanna, plans to sell shares to the public as the existing owners seek to profi t from growth of the iconic brand. Dr. Martens Ltd. said Monday that current investors plan to sell at least 25% of their stake in an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange. Permira Funds, a London-based private equity inves- tor, bought Dr. Martens for 300 million pounds (cur- rently worth $400 million) in 2014. Private equity fi rms seek to buy undervalued companies then restructure their operations and cut costs before selling at a profi t. Dr. Martens Chief Executive Kenny Wilson said the IPO underscored the brand’s “global growth potential” after revenue increased by 39% over the past two fi nan- cial years to an annual 672.2 million pounds ($900 mil- lion). The company is expanding online sales to comple- ment revenue from 130 shops in 60 countries. “Our iconic brand appeals to a diverse range of con- sumers around the world who wear our footwear to ex- press their individual style,’’ Wilson said in a statement to the stock exchange. “We have invested massively to ensure that we deliver the best digital and store experi- ences to connect with our wearers.”

In this fi le photo, a pair of Dr Martens 1,460 workboots, as interpreted by designers Michael & Hushi, are part of an exhibition of Dr Martens boots in New York. The maker of Doc Martens boots, said on Jan 11, that cur- rent investors plan to sell at least 25% of their stake in an initial public offering on the London Stock Ex- change. (AP) ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 SCIENCE 11

COVID-19

Paris prioritizing shots Focus on elderly, red tape ‘slowed’ rollout PARIS, Jan 11, (AP): The few hours it took to give the fi rst coronavirus vaccine shots to 14 residents of the John XXIII nursing home - named after a pope and not far from the birthplace in eastern France of vaccine pioneer Louis Pasteur - took weeks of preparation. The home’s director, Samuel Robbe, fi rst had to chew his way through a dense 61-page vaccination protocol, one of several hefty guides from the French government of President Emmanuel Macron that exhaustively detail how to proceed, down to the number of times (10) that each fl ask of vaccine should be turned upside down to mix its contents. “Delicately,” the booklet stipulates. “Do not shake.” As France tries to fi gure out why its vaccination cam- paign launched so slowly, the answer lies partly in for- ests of red tape and the decision to prioritize vulnerable older people in nursing homes. They are perhaps the toughest group to start with, because of the need for informed consent and diffi culties explaining the complex science of fast-tracked vaccines. Claude Fouet, still full of vim and good humor at age 89 but with mem- ory problems, was among the fi rst in his Paris care home to agree to a Macron vaccination. But in conversation, it quickly becomes apparent that his understanding of the pandemic is spotty. Eve Guillaume, the home’s director, had to remind Fouet that in April he survived his own brush with the virus that has killed more than 66,000 people in France. In this Jan. 5, 2021, fi le photo, Cardiologist Dr. Malcolm Taylor receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination at Phillips Medical Services in Jackson, Miss. With “I was in hospital,” Fouet slowly recalled, “with a dead frustration rising over the slow rollout of the vaccine, state leaders and other politicians are turning up the pressure, improvising and seeking to bend the rules to get person next to me.” shots in arms more quickly. (AP) Guillaume says that getting consent from her 64 resi- dents - or their guardians and families when they are not fi t enough to agree themselves - is proving to be the most labor-intensive part of her preparations to start inocula- COVID-19 tions later this month. Some families have said no, and some want to wait a few months to see how vaccinations unfold before deciding. US health offi cials worry delays could cost lives Decision “You can’t count on medicalized care homes to go quickly,” she says. “It means, each time, starting a conver- sation with families, talking with guardians, taking colle- Vaccine rollout confi rms warnings gial steps to reach the right decision. And that takes time.” At the John XXIII home, between the fortifi ed town of PROVIDENCE, R.I., Jan 11, (AP): in his fi rst 100 days. He has not shared give all their workers shots on the same Public health offi cials sounded the details and was expected to discuss the day because of possible side effects and Besancon and Pasteur’s birthplace in Dole, Robbe has had alarm for months, complaining that they effort this week. His offi ce announced a staffi ng issues, so they must be spaced out. a similar experience. did not have enough support or money plan to release most doses right away, Rhode Island health offi cials said it After the European Union green-lighted use of the Bi- to get COVID-19 vaccines quickly into rather than holding second doses in re- can take up to seven days to get doses oNTech-Pfi zer vaccine in December, Robbe says it took arms. Now the slower-than-expected serve, the more conservative approach out to people once they are received. two weeks to put together all the pieces to this week vac- start to the largest vaccination effort in taken by the Trump administration. Offi cials in several states, including cinate 14 residents, just a fraction of his total of more than US history is proving them right. The Trump administration defi ned Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kentucky 100. As they work to ramp up the shots, its primary role as developing corona- and New Jersey, said the lack of supply Getting consent was the biggest hurdle for a doctor state and local public health depart- virus vaccines and delivering them to is one of the biggest obstacles to getting and a psychologist who went from room to room to dis- A health worker wearing a mask takes ments across the US cite a variety of states, which would then take over and more people vaccinated. stock of oxygen cylinders inside a obstacles, most notably a lack of lead- ensure that vaccine doses traveled “the Some communities have seen large cuss vaccinations, he says. The families of residents were ership from the federal government. numbers of medical workers put off given a week over the December holidays to approve or cage at a makeshift emergency unit at last mile” into arms. Each state had to Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pre- Many offi cials worry that they are los- develop its own plan, including issu- getting the shot, even though they are refuse, a decision that had to be unanimous from immedi- toria, South Africa, Monday, Jan. 11, ing precious time at the height of the ing guidelines for who gets vaccinated fi rst in line. Columbus, Ohio, has had ate family members. which is battling an ever-increasing pandemic, and the delays could cost fi rst. Several health experts complained lower-than-expected demand among When one woman’s daughter said yes but her son said number of Covid-19 patients. (AP) lives. about that approach, saying it led to top priority groups, including emergen- no, a shot wasn’t given because “they can turn against us States lament a lack of clarity on how confusion and a patchwork response. cy medical workers. and say, ‘I never agreed to that,’” Robbe explained. “No many doses they will receive and when. “Let’s just say that I was disappoint- A public education campaign could consensus, we don’t vaccinate.” They say more resources should have ed how they handled testing, and the have helped address the hesitancy Only by cutting corners and perfunctorily getting resi- been devoted to education campaigns vaccine deployment has reminded me among health care workers that has dents to agree could the process go quicker, he says. to ease concerns among people leery of of how disappointed I was when they slowed the rollout of the fi rst shots, “My friends are saying, ‘What is this circus? The Ger- getting the shots. And although the fed- handled testing,” said Dr. Mysheika said James Garrow, a spokesman for eral government recently approved $8.7 Roberts, health commissioner in Co- the Philadelphia health department. In- mans have already vaccinated 80,000 people and we’ve billion for the vaccine effort, it will take lumbus, Ohio. stead, offi cials for months talked about vaccinated no one,’” he says. “But we don’t share the time to reach places that could have Several public health offi cials and the speed at which they were develop- same histories. When you propose a vaccine to Germans, used the money months ago to prepare experts say they believe some of the ing the vaccines - which did not help they all want to get inoculated. In France, there is a lot to deliver shots more effi ciently. early glitches are smoothing out. Mar- alleviate concerns that it might not be of reticence about the history of vaccinations. People are Such complaints have become a cus Plescia, chief medical offi cer for safe. “There just hasn’t been good mes- more skeptical. They need to understand. They need ex- common refrain in a nation where the Association of State and Territo- saging about the safety and the purpose- public health offi cials have been left rial Health Offi cials, said the slow start fulness of the safety protocols,” Garrow plications and to be reassured.” Doyle Pavelsky France prioritized nursing homes because they have largely on their own to solve complex should not be surprising given the im- said. seen nearly one-third of its deaths. But its fi rst vaccination problems. mense scale of the task. The federal government has done “The recurring theme is the lack of little to provide information resources on Dec. 27, of a 78-year-old woman in a long-term care a national strategy and the attempt to Underfunded that local offi cials can tailor to their facility, quickly proved to have been only the symbolic Environment pass the buck down the line, lower and “It was not going to be seamless,” he own communities, to address concerns launch of a rollout that the government never intended to lower, until the poor people at the re- said. of people such as pregnant women or get properly underway before this week. ceiving end have nobody else that they Still, Plescia said the federal govern- Black men living in rural areas, said Only on Monday, as scheduled, did authorities launch US rivers changing color: America’s ment could have done more ahead of rivers are changing color — and people can send the buck to,” said Gianfranco Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious an online platform where health workers must log all vac- Pezzino, who was the public health of- the rollout - such as releasing billions disease expert at the University of Min- are behind many of the shifts, a new study fi cer in Shawnee County, Kansas, until of dollars earlier to help with staffi ng, nesota, who is a member of Biden’s cinations and show that those inoculated got an obligatory said. consultation with a doctor, adding to the red tape. retiring last month. technology and other operational needs. COVID-19 advisory board. One-third of the tens of thousands of Operation Warp Speed, the federal An ongoing investigation by The As- “You don’t need 50 different states In some countries that are moving faster than France, mile-long (two kilometer-long) river seg- the bureaucracy is leaner. In Britain, where nearly 1.5 mil- vaccine program, had promised to dis- sociated Press and Kaiser Health News trying to do this kind of work. What you ments in the United States have notice- tribute enough doses to immunize 20 detailed how state and local health de- want to have is a smorgasbord of infor- lion have been inoculated and plans are to offer jabs to ably shifted color in satellite images since million people in the US in December. partments have been underfunded for mation sources that address different all nursing home residents by the end of January, those 1984. That includes 11,629 miles (18,715 It missed that target, and as of Friday, decades. Public health offi cials have populations that any one state can use,” capable of consenting need only sign a one-page form that kilometers) that became greener, or went about 6.6 million people had received warned since the spring that they lacked Osterholm said. “That’s what we don’t gives basic information about the benefi ts and possible toward the violet end of the color spec- their fi rst shot, according to a tracker the staff, money and tools they needed have right now.” side effects. trum, according to a study in this week’s from the Centers for Disease Control to deploy a vaccine. The money was not Some states are getting creative. Ore- No doctor interviews are needed in Spain. It started vac- journal Geographical Research Letters. and Prevention. About 22 million doses approved until the end of December. gon held a mass vaccination event at the cinating the same day as France but administered 82,000 Some river segments became more red. have been delivered to states. Vaccine distribution involves a state fairgrounds with the help of the doses in the fi rst nine days, whereas France managed just Only about 5% of US river mileage is The American Hospital Association long, complex chain of events. Every National Guard. The governor said it a couple of thousand. considered blue — a color often equated has estimated that 1.8 million people dose must be tracked. Providers need aimed to vaccinate 250 people per hour. with pristine waters by the general public. need to be vaccinated daily from Jan. 1 to know how much staffi ng they will New Jersey planned to open six vaccine Mandates About two-thirds of American rivers are to May 31 to reach widespread immu- need. Eligible people must be notifi ed “megasites” where offi cials hope more Germany, like France, also mandates a meeting with a yellow, which signals they have lots of soil nity by the summer. The current pace to schedule their shots, given the vac- than 2,000 people per day can eventu- in them. But 28% of the rivers are green, is more than 1 million people per day cine’s handling requirements and the ally get their shots. doctor and is prioritizing shots for care home residents, which often indicates they are choked with below that. need to observe people for 15 minutes But without a federal plan, such ef- but it is getting to them quicker, using mobile teams. At algae. And researchers found 2% of US riv- President-elect Joe Biden on Friday after the shot - all while social distanc- forts can amount to “throwing spaghetti its current rate of nearly 30,000 vaccinations per day, ers over the years shifted from dominantly called the rollout a “travesty,” noting ing is observed. at a wall to see what sticks,” said Chris- Germany would need at least six years to inoculate its yellow to distinctly green. the lack of a national plan to get doses It’s diffi cult to plan too far ahead be- sie Juliano of the Big Cities Health Co- 69 million adults. But while the German government is “If things are becoming more green, into arms and reiterating his commit- cause the number of doses the state re- alition, which represents metropolitan facing criticism for the perceived slow rollout, France that’s a problem,” said study lead author ment to administer 100 million shots ceives can fl uctuate. Hospitals cannot health departments. made an even more leisurely start, at least in numerical John Gardner, a University of Pittsburgh terms, but has pledged to reach 1 million people by the geology and environmental sciences pro- end of January. fessor. Although some green tint to riv- dead sticks in a gray landscape, its homes Fisherman Rogelito Cacao regularly cow, our horse, our boat and engines are Other countries have racked up bigger numbers by of- ers can be normal, Gardener said, it often and school ash-covered and damaged by visits his home on the volcanic island all covered by the volcano, these is what fering shots to broader cross-sections of people who are means large algae blooms that cause oxy- continuing earthquakes and the explosive south of the Philippine capital. I miss.” gen loss and can produce toxins. volcanic eruption that occurred one year “I miss our belongings but it is now Luisa Silva used to live at the foot of easier to reach and can get themselves to appointments. the Taal volcano and said life will never The large majority of the more than 400,000 doses admin- The chief causes of color changes are ago. covered in ash, our livestock like our farm fertilizer run-off, dams, efforts to the same. “Right now life is very hard, we istered in Italy have gone to health-care workers. are not used to this. This is where we have Lucile Grillon, who manages three nursing homes in fi ght soil erosion and man-made climate change, which increases water tempera- experienced things that we have never ex- eastern France, says the many hours invested to prepare ture and rain-related run-off, the study au- perienced before, we don’t know where vaccinations for 50 residents and staff who got jabs on thors said. “We change our rivers a lot. A to start,” she said. Friday was time well spent. She worked through the holi- lot of that has to do with human activity,” Silva wants to return to the island if days to get ready. said study co-author Tamlin Pavelsky, a the government allows it. She said they “We can’t wait until we have the doses in our fridge to professor of global hydrology at the Uni- can grow vegetables and raise livestock realize that we’re not ready to vaccinate and then have to versity of North Carolina. For example, at their homes on the island, saving them throw doses away and say, ‘Rats! I didn’t think of that,’” Pavelsky said, the green at times in the from needing to buy food. Their animals she adds. “The doses are too precious.” Ohio River indicates a bad algae problem also once carried tourists to see the pic- “It takes us two months to prepare for fl u shots. Here, from farm runoff while rivers that are get- turesque crater. we have been asked to set records, to vaccinate against ting less yellow demonstrate the success A popular tourist destination set in the of regulations to prevent soil erosion. middle of a lake, Taal erupted on Jan 12, COVID in under 15 days,” she says. “I don’t see how we 2020. could have gone any quicker.” The study looked at more than 230,000 NASA satellite images over 35 years, fo- More than 5,000 people, many of them Meanwhile, France recorded a total of 2,783,256 COV- working as tour guides, fl ed the small is- ID-19 cases as of Sunday, with the most recent 15,944 cusing on rivers and reservoirs. The study “is super cool and a bit land as the ground shook and the volcano new cases recorded in the past 24-hours. mind-blowing (yet intuitive),” Martin belched dark-gray ash and steam into the A statement by the Health Ministry confi rmed these Doyle, head of water programs at Duke sky. numbers as well as revealing the death toll, which amounts University, wrote in an email. “It shows Hundreds of horses, cows and other to 67,750, including the 151 deaths recorded recently. how most every aspect of our planet is animals were left behind. France announced on Friday its approval of the use being affected by humans, now including The eruption delivered an early crisis of the COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna, and to be included the basic color of our water. That’s pretty in what would become a tough year in in its vaccine program, meanwhile the authorities are profound if you think about it.” (AP) Medical items are pictured at a Covid-19 mass testing center in Roubaix, north- one of the world’s most disaster-prone ❑ ❑ ❑ ern France, Jan.11. Authorities in northern France are launching a week-long nations. A couple of months after the vol- being criticized for not pushing for its approval in a mass testing program to assess the rate of Covid-19 infections and assess the faster manner. cano sent more than 376,000 people fl ee- Ash of homes left on volcano isle: spread of the Kent variant, a highly contagious coronavirus strain that fi rst ap- ing to safety, the COVID-19 pandemic hit The island is a ghost town, its trees just peared in southern England in November. (AP) the country. (AP) Film TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 FFeatureseatures had beenfound.(AP) wrote onFacebookafterthejacket event tofi experience iscertainlyapositive during thelast24hours.This and compassionthatwasshown experienced. the diffi hope,” shesaid. has been,thisgivenussome she said. cleaned andreturnedittohim, jacket sinceAmickhaditdry- her yard,coveredwithleaves. father andhadfoundthecoatin from awomanwholivednearher everything inmypowertofi sociated Press.“Iwasgoingtodo to him,”AmicktoldTheAs- of himaftersomanyyears. the letterjackethadbecomeapart reported. Hetoldthenewspaper Maine, theBangorDailyNews 1949-52 attheUniversityof and cross-countryeventsfrom was sharedmorethan1,000times. found,” shewroteinthepostthat if thiswellloved(sic)jacketwas 2016 andaskedforhelpfi Master’s swimmingcompetitionin Facebook wearingthejacketata ick postedaphotoofOsbornon had fallenoffwhilehewasdriving. placed thejacketonhiscarandit routes ontheassumptionthathe’d relatives retracedOsborn’susual News reported.Amickandother treasured jacket,theBangorDaily erly Amickthathecouldn’tfi since 1964,toldhisdaughterBev- Winston-Salem, NorthCarolina, the 92-year-oldlostitinOctober. runner, hestillworeit.Thatis,until the UniversityofMaineasatrack earned avarsityletterjacketfrom than 60yearsafter wet andsmelly,near thebottom. through tonsoftrash andfoundit, out gotitbackafter acrewwaded wallet wasaccidentallythrown Indiana manwhosecash-fi Nolte television, “NormalPeople”wasEdgar-Jones’fi Cooper andYahyaAbdulMateenII. this year,joiningalistthatincludesFinneas,AnyaTaylor-Joy,Sarah been namedoneofTheAssociatedPress’BreakthroughPerformers friends orfamilieslovedones,”shesays. with audiences,“whenwewereallindoorsnotbeingabletoseeour and arelationshipbetweentwopeople,”theshowreallystruckchord the circumstance,”shesays. maybe inawaythatIdon’tknowifitwouldhavehadnotbeenfor they hada“captiveaudience”withlotofsparetime.“Itcaughtfi Jones andnewcomerPaulMescalasMarianneConnell. 2020, mesmerizingaudienceswiththehauntingloveaffairofEdgar- came oneofthebiggestandmosttalkedabouttelevisionshows tor’s stardomhitanewtrajectory. W Edgar-Jones People’ helpsconnectasMariannein‘Normal LOGANSPORT, Ind: WINSTON-SALEM, NC: This imagereleasedbyPBSshowsRachelShentonandNicholasRalph,(right),inascenefrom‘AllCreaturesGreatSmallon “I appreciateallthekindness It wasespeciallypoignantgiven “As challengingasthisyear Osborn hasbeensportingthe Amick saidshegotanemail “I justknowhowmuchitmeant Osborn ranlong-distancetrack “This manwouldbeecstatic When theyfailedtofi Osborn, whohaslivedin Logansport resident Despite abackgroundinBritain’sNationalYouthTheatreandUK For havingmadeasignifi But moreimportantly,“beingsomuchaboutahumanconnection Launched duringagloballockdown,theactorjokesinaninterview Based onSallyRooney’sbestsellingnovel,“NormalPeople”be- saidhiswallet endedupin cult yeareveryonehas the dulcetIrishtonesofMariannein“NormalPeople,”ac- hen 22-year-oldDaisyEdgar-JonesditchedherBritishaccentfor ❑ nish out2020,”she Mal Osborn Mal Osborn A northern Robert nd it,Am- nding it. More More lled By LouiseDixon nd the nd it.” cant markon2020,Edgar-Joneshas the situation. Johnny Quinones a citycodeenforcement offi been inthediscardedpants. wallet wasmissingandthatithad hauled away,Nolterealizedhis in whitepaint.Afterhistrashwas oufl to throwoutapairofgreencam- the trashwhenheaskedafriend At hiswife’surging, hecalled age pantsthatwerecovered its castincludesnewcomerNicholasRalphas the showcase’s50thseason.Setinlate1930s, piece” fromGBHBostonandmarksthestartof local listingsfortime)aspartofPBS’“Master- 90 episodesthatairedfromthelate1970sto1990. published inAmericaandoftheoriginalseries Small,” thetitleofHerriot’sfi all livingin.” cated andmessydisturbingworldthatwe’re — andprovidesanescapefromthe“verycompli- ever one’s“politicalpersuasion,”Callendersaid values ofcooperationandcollaboration—what- both theUKandUnitedStates. “schism” betweencityandcountrydwellersin der said,eventshighlightingwhathetermeda election sortofhappenedbacktoback,”Callen- the Brexitvotein2016EnglandandTrump ical works. ences forhis1970sand’80ssemi-autobiograph- kept atitforfi in northernEngland’sYorkshirearea1940, ‘Alf’ Wight,whobeganworkingasanovicevet depicted byauthorJamesHerriot. wise —providedmorereasontorevivetheworld and, ofcourse,lotsanimals,farmandother- and thebeautifullyfi together withvividcharacters,engagingstories politically divisiveera. ians inaclose-knitruralcommunityastonicfor der sawtheseriocomicadventuresofveterinar- back asarebootbecauseproducerColinCallen- Great andSmall,”abelovedTVseriesofyore,is LOS ANGELES,Jan11,(AP):“AllCreatures ‘All Creatures’ aimstobetimely tonic The seven-partseriesdebutedSunday(check Enter thenewtakeon“AllCreaturesGreatand Viewers mightembraceashowthatreinforced “I fi Herriot wasthepennameforJamesAlfred Then thepandemicarrived,andaseriesknitted Variety rst thoughtaboutrevisitingthebooksafter rst bigpresscampaign , andexplained ve decades,and drewonhisexperi- cer, lmed Britishcountryside— re tures asaveterinarianin1930’sYorkshirepremieredonSunday.(AP) PBS showoffers viewersescapefrom disturbing world Television reaching outtosaytheywerewatching. constantly buzzingandshewassurprisedtoseesomehigh-profi looks likethepersonfromit,’”shesays. weeks oriftheywerelike,‘Oh,I’vebeenwatchingashowandshe rst bestselling book This ledto“arealpinchyourselfkindofmoment”whenshediscov- Success wasfeltmoreimmediatelyathomewhereherphone “If thatwasbecausetheyjusthadn’tseenanotherpersoninthree Breakthrough entertainerof2020 sonQuinones Osborn actor, wholeftthehousefordailywalks. do justshutyourlaptopandit’slikesilenceinthefrontroom.” it’s ‘Yougo.No,yougo’,whichcantakeages,”sheexplains. meetings butEdgar-Jonessaystheyreallysupportedeachother. my ownhairandmakeuptryingtolookhalfdecentthetime.” in yourownbedroom,”shesays. bit strange.” and thefactitwasvirtualmadeexperience“quitedisarminga Even gettingrecognizedduringapandemicwasconfusingforthe Then after,shewasleftwonderingifhadimagineditall.“You “He’d answeronequestionthenI’dthenext….otherwise, Co-star Mescalmaynothavebeenintheroomduringvirtualpress And thentherewasthestressesofworkingsolo.“Itryingtodo “That’s averykindofintimatewaytomeetsomebodywhenyou’re lage, andhecomesfromthebigcity.” about thepoliticsandpeopleofthislittlevil- for Jamesaswell.Hegetsthrowninthedeepend the actorsaid.“It’salsoacompletecultureshock farmers andSiegfried,hisolder,eccentricboss,” sion andpatienceinworkingwithpeople—the to hispracticeofveterinary,andalsocompas- his compassionfortheanimalsanddedication and hiswork. the roleandcameawayimpressedbyauthor advice.” really lovely,andsohelpfulopenwithany ple likeSamuelWest,DameDianaRigg,they’re spired bythat.Andthenwhenyoumeetthesepeo- that way,”hesaid.“Youjustcan’thelpbutgetin- surrounded bythebestandIwantedtotrainin “What hitmeimmediatelywashisintelligence, Ralph turnedtoHerriot’sbooksinapproaching “I wenttodramaschoolbecauseIwantedbe Scotland, it’sapinch-mestarttohisscreencareer. was quicklyrenewedforasecondseason. a hit,withcriticslaudingitasworthyremake; lockdown. Theseriesairedfi duction completedduringlastspring’sCOVID-19 announced. died inSeptember2020atage82,hasyettobe cision abouthowtohandlethelossofRigg,who Pekingese playedbytheexpressiveDerek.Ade- owner offrequentpatientTrickiWoo,heroverfed ances asMrs.Pumphrey,thewealthyanddevoted ter Fell”)ashousekeeperMrs.Hall. Herriot’s mentor,andAnnaMadeley(“Deadwa- West (“DarkestHour,”“NottingHill”),whoplays Herriot andoft-seenactorsincludingSamuel Success For Ralph,astage-trainedactorwhogrewupin Filming wrappedinFebruary2019,withpro- Diana Riggmadeoneofherfi tons (8metric tons)ofgarbage They madetheirway through9 driver hadcollected Nolte’strash. the pantsafterdetermining which Republic Servicestosearchfor with acrewfromtrash-hauler Pharos-Tribune. Quinones toldthe(Logansport) there wouldbenowaytofi Quinones nonethelessworked “I originallytoldthecallerthat Drama rst inBritainandwas nal screenappear- le fans nd it,” Masterpiece.’ Theseven-partseriesbasedonJamesHerriot’sadven- and goingouthavingfun.”(AP) “propel usintotheRoaringTwentiesandmakereallyappreciatelife says. “Ijustfeelso,solucky.” a hugefanofDeliaOwens’novel.“It’ssuchbeautifulbook,”she she jokes:“WhydoIkeepdoingthistomyself?”Butadmitsshe’s “Where theCrawdadsSing,”inJanuary. story, andis“reallyexcitedtogetbackatit”whenshebeginsfi Worlds” inCardiff,Wales,amodern-dayreimaginingofH.G.Wells’ zon. Shehasjustcompletedshootingthesecondseriesof“War she says. together inafewyearsandbelike,‘Well,westartedtogether’” ally excitingtoseewhatthisshowwilldoforbothofusandcome cal, whohasbeenpraisedforhiscaptivatingperformance.“It’sre- she hadseenit.” And oneofthemisKimKardashian.Sothatwasquitefunny ing thegamewhereyouhavePost-itnoteswithnamesonthem. dashian cameointheshow. ered KourtneyKardashianwasonesuchfan.ThereevenaKar- And whenitcomesto2021theactorhopes2020experiencewill Taking onthepressureofyetanotherbestsellingandbelovednovel, As forEdgar-Jones,therearealreadyexcitingthingsonthehori- Edgar-Jones sayssheis“immenselyproud”ofherco-star,Mes- “There’s asceneactuallyinthefinalepisodewherewe’replay- moned Nolte, turningthewallet for allowingthesearch thensum- nones thankedRepublic Services still inoneofitspockets. Qui- pile, withthecash-fi pants atthebottomoftrash unbagged, ontopofNolte’strash. friend hadrolledupandplaced, ing forthepants,whichNolte’s dumped ontoaconcreteslab,look- They eventuallydiscoveredthe that rejectsracism. traditions andvalues;effortstocreateasociety followed bythevalueandchallengesofwork; with howwepursuetheAmericanDreamand long episodesaredividedthematically,starting common anduniqueexperiences.”Thehour- what PBScalls“achorusofvoicessharingboth ted onlinebypeoplenationwide,theseriesoffers other. Drawingon11,000-plusstoriessubmit- help fosterwaysofbetterunderstandingeach er whatitmeanstobeanAmericantodayand listings fortime),hasanambitiousgoal:Discov- part docuseriesdebutingTuesday(checklocal LOS ANGELES: to gobackto,”hesaid. place that“we,theaudiencewantedtobeorwant scape oftheYorkshireDalescomestolifeasa able fortaping,therichlygreenandopenland- and realagencyinthestorythistime.” like Mrs.Hallhavebeengivenrealbackstories trayed inthebooks,Callendersaid.“Socharacters female charactersmorefully”thantheyarepor- the helpoftechnology,betterscenery. the story.” shire, wasreallycenterstageinthewaywetold character isfromScotlandandgoingtoYork- out-of-water story,thefactthatJamesHerriot humor wasveryimportant,”hesaid.“Thefi bered whenIfi porary audience. from theoriginalandboostitsappealtoacontem- vealed tohimwaysmakethenewseriesdiffer And withdigitalcamerasanddronesnowavail- “What wewantedtodowasbringlifethe There’s alsomoreattentiontowomenand,with “The booksweremuchfunnierthanIremem- For Callender,goingbacktoHerriot’sworkre- lled wallet “PBS AmericanPortrait,”afour- rst readthemmanyyearsago,so Also: money,” Nolte said.(AP) guy thatheis,wouldn’t takethe refused it.Johnny, beingthenice Johnny forfi wallet wentmissing. made atriptothebankbeforehis other wallet,”saidNolte,whohad was abitwet,butIcanbuyan- over tohim. “I tookouta$100billtogive “It smelledalittlebadandit nding mywallet.He sh- lming ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Music

Memoir reveals passion Hillman from Byrds to Burritos & more By John Rogers

om Petty once described him as one of rock mu- Tsic’s most well-kept secrets, and Chris Hillman is fine with that. Fifty-one years after he picked up his fi rst guitar, Hillman says music was never about becoming rich and famous, something he mocked in the whimsi- cal 1967 hit “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star” that he co-wrote with fellow bandmate Roger McGuinn for the Byrds. It was never about getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, either, although Hillman, McGuinn and their fellow Byrds are there, too. That’s thanks in large part to the group having laid the groundwork for the musical subgenres folk-rock and coun- try-rock in the late 1960s with songs like Hillman’s “Between Time,” that put a driving, rock-based melody to a coun- try heartbreak ballad, and the band’s interpretation of songs like Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tam- Hillman bourine Man” that famously featured McGuinn’s jangling, 12-string electric guitar. None of it was deliberate, but organic, Hillman says now, explaining how he went through a half-century of performance simply pursuing the music that he loved, from bluegrass to folk to country to rock. “I just had such a passion for the music,” he said by phone recently from his sun-dappled hillside home overlooking the Pacifi c Ocean in Ventura, California. “I never thought I would get paid,” added Hillman, a friendly, modest man of 76. “I was just having so This image provided by The CW shows Javicia Leslie in a scene from ‘Batwoman.’ (AP) much fun.” That passion is revealed in his just-published mem- oir “Time Between: My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Broth- er, and Beyond.” It recounts how a carefree surfer kid Television from a small California beach town had his idyllic 1950s life redirected at age 15 when his mother, hav- ing given in to his repeated pleas, bought him a $10 guitar during a shopping trip to Tijuana, Mexico, with the promise that if he actually learned to play the thing Actress aims to empower others she’d eventually help him get a better one. Not that he didn’t face and overcome plenty of dark moments over the succeeding half-century, beginning with the fi rst and probably darkest, his beloved fa- Leslie takes on Batwoman role ther’s suicide when Hillman was just 16. Generation LOS ANGELES, Jan 11, (AP): Like I had to wake up and drive back to the point where I don’t have to When Javicia Leslie moved to Los home. talk about a lot of things. She already In the following years he’d see numerous friends Angeles, she frequently rode down AP: So this is something you gets it. She already knows. So when fall victim to what he calls the hedonistic lifestyle that the popular Sunset Boulevard to manifested? we had a conversation, she was like lured so many musicians of his generation. view the row of erected TV and Leslie: I feel like everything I’m “I am your mother. There’s nothing Most prominent of them was likely Gram Parsons, who played with Hillman in both the Byrds and the fi lm billboards for inspiration. As an living right now, I’ve spoken into you can tell me that I didn’t already Flying Burrito Brothers and died in a California desert aspiring actor, she often parked un- existence. From the very beginning know.” My mom, that’s my best hotel room of a drug overdose at age 26. derneath her favorite ones to study to the detail. Even with Batwoman, friend. She’s very supportive. A few years before, Parsons and Hillman had writ- before an audition. I did an interview in May and I was AP: How did your character Ryan ten the song “Sin City,” a searing indictment of the For years, Leslie made this her asked what role I wanted to do next, endure being homeless? Los Angeles music scene’s dark side of money, drugs Actress Javicia Leslie poses for a por- routine in hopes of one day seeing her and I said, “I want to play a super- Leslie: That may seem like the and fame in those years with the words, “On the 31st trait, Jan 4, in Glendale, Calif. Leslie image on full display in Hollywood. hero.” ... The following month, I bottom to some people, but that was fl oor, a gold-plated door, won’t keep out the Lord’s will star as the caped crusader on Her dreams ultimately became real- got the audition. I didn’t even know the top of what she’s been through. burning rain.” CW’s ‘Batwoman,’ which premieres ity when the 33-year-old actor - who they were looking to cast a new Bat- To even have her own van and take Hillman, who credits his Christian faith with steer- its second season on Jan. 17. (AP) starred on CBS’s “... Friended Me” woman. So, I truly believe in mani- care of herself, that meant something ing him past much of that tumult, doesn’t go into great and Carl Weber’s “The Family Busi- festation. to her. She comes from foster care detail about those moments in the book other than to ness” on BET+ - recently saw a bill- AP: What does being DC’s fi rst and abusive foster homes and people observe that Parsons and others made bad choices. board of herself donning the black- Black female lead superhero mean not caring for her. The one person “I didn’t want to write about somebody with a drug and-red Batwoman suit. to you? that cared about her was murdered in habit or fi nding them passed out or dying,” he says, Leslie will star as the caped cru- Leslie: You know, I always just front of her. I think what may seem adding he warned his publisher not to expect that. sader on CW’s “Batwoman,” which remind myself that my purpose isn’t like nothing to someone else is a lot “I’m not going to hand you a rock and roll salacious premieres its second season on Jan. for me. My purpose is to empower to her. She holds onto it. She cher- book because I didn’t really live my life like that,” he 17. She succeeds Ruby Rose, be- other people. God brought me here ishes it. says he told them. coming the franchise’s fi rst Black for a reason. He put me in this posi- AP: How did your character’s cir- One could make the case that enough others already actress to portray the superhero, and tion for a reason. With that, it’s noth- cumstances mold them? have, which is one of the things he says inspired him to begin his own book. will be featured as an avowed LG- ing to fear because I know this will Leslie: I think that if there is “A lot of people would write things who were not BTQ central character. empower someone to see a Black anything that roots the darkness in even around or alive at that point in time,” he says. Sharma Kohli In “Batwoman,” Leslie plays the female superhero. You don’t get to her, it’s probably a little bit of re- “One book out, the guy never even talked to me.” role of Ryan Wilder, who spent see it often. It’s so epic. I grew up venge. The vengeance she has for Initially he thought his would be something to set years as a drug runner while dodg- on Batman and Catwoman and the the ones that killed her mother. That the record straight for his children and grandchildren. Variety ing Gotham police. Her character Joker and Penguin. Now, to see is enough. How can you truly fi ght But as he progressed he began to see it as a story of has lethal hand-combat skills but is blackness in that, I think it’s very in- for what’s good if you can’t forgive? redemption that might have broader appeal. viewed as a kindhearted person who clusive. Very empowering. How can you truly be on the right It tells how his mother held the family together after NEW DELHI: Bollywood actress lives in a van with a plant. AP: What’s the importance of this side if vengeance is what empowers his father’s death, moving them from the bucolic San Anushka Sharma has given birth to a In a recent interview, Leslie spoke character to be a lesbian? you? Diego-area beach town of Rancho Santa Fe to Los An- baby girl, her husband and captain of the to The Associated Press about car- Leslie: It’s important to have rep- AP: What do you want people to geles and, soon after, how she had enough faith in her country’s national cricket team, Virat rying the mantle as the new Bat- resentation in general. Fans of DC take away from your career so far? still-teenage son to allow his return back so he could Kohli, said Monday, declaring that the woman, the importance of the char- represent everyone, whether it’s Leslie: There’s so many times join the Scottsboro Squirrel Barkers, San Diego’s hot- couple was beyond blessed to start “this acter being a lesbian and having a about race, whether it’s LGBTQ. I where I could have said “This is test bluegrass band at the time. new chapter of our lives.” conversation with her mother about think what I love so much about my hard” and walked away. But you “We thank you all for your love, Different her sexual orientation. Answers have show is that every character is really must keep going. One of the things prayers and good wishes,” Kohli wrote been edited for length and clarity. a great representation of everything. I live by is that if you follow your on Twitter. Over the years he would play in eight different AP: What compelled you to study AP: Before telling your mom passion, you’ll find your purpose. bands alongside a veritable Who’s Who of LA mu- The as-yet-unnamed baby — the cou- ple’s fi rst child — arrived nearly three for your roles under billboards? about landing the Batwoman role, I think God puts passions in us for sicians of the time, including David Crosby, Stephen Leslie: I needed that visual to re- you informed her about your sexual a reason. ... You must find your Stills and Richie Furay. years after Sharma and Kohli married in “Roger asked me six months ago, ‘How many a low-key ceremony in Italy in Decem- mind myself of what the end goal orientation as a bisexual. How was purpose in anything you want and bands were you in?’ he says of McGuinn. “I said eight. ber 2017 after being in a relationship for was and what I really wanted. It just that convo? speak it into existence. Then you He said, ‘That’s unbelievable.’ several years. motivated me. It was fun. Some- Leslie: I never had a fear of talk- need to have the work ethic to sup- Kohli, 32, is one of the world’s top times, I’d study until I fell asleep. ing to my mom about anything. It’s port it. “I guess I kept all the insane people sane. That was batsmen. He was with the national team my job in the band,” he says, laughing heartily before in an ongoing tour to Australia but re- quickly adding, “No, just kidding.” turned to India in December after taking Staying close to home with his wife, Connie, these paternity leave and missing the second, kitsch is how Chewy is looking to stand several years, according to the Petco from them,” she says. “They’re a big days because of the pandemic, he recently performed third and fourth matches. He has been by out among the competition, which has Foundation. company. I was shocked that they did a concert from his offi ce with his old Desert Rose the side of his wife since then. only gotten stiffer as more people shop Chewy’s strategy seems to be working on something so personal.” Band mates Herb Pederson and John Jorgenson, at Sharma, 32, is one of the most suc- online and add pandemic pets to their Schwartz, whose blue-eyed cat likes to rub up The portraits have become a hit on which he also offered signed books for sale. cessful and highest-paid actresses in families. Pet ownership is expected to against the painting from his cat tree. social media, where people share images Bollywood. She was last seen on the big grow 4% in 2020, the fi rst increase in “I just want to buy everything of them or beg for their pets to be turned Also: screen in the 2018 fi lm “Zero,” and has into works of art. NEW YORK: Sinead O’Connor hasn’t released any also been working on content for major Eric Sheridan, a sales specialist from albums in the past few years, but she has been getting streaming platforms including Netfl ix. Lee, Florida, asked for a portrait through some writing done. The couple is extremely popular on the Twitter account of Gozer, his Boston Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Books & Media an- social media and millions follow them terrier with more than 3,000 followers. across different platforms. A Chewy representative messaged back: nounced last month that the Grammy-winning singer- “My paws are crossed that we’ll be able songwriter’s memoir, “Rememberings,” will come Shortly after the announcement, fans took to Twitter to celebrate the news. to send you one.” It arrived a month and out June 1. Houghton Miffl in is calling the book a a half later. “Christmas came early,” “revelatory” account of O’Connor’s life, from her Bollywood celebrities and Indian cricket- ers congratulated the couple on social Sheridan tweeted from Gozer’s account. childhood in Dublin through such triumphs as her cov- media. Not everyone is delighted by getting a er of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and through Cricket and Bollywood are two of mystery portrait — the company acknowl- her many controversies and her struggles with mental India’s great national institutions. (AP) edges that some confused customers send illness. Last month, she announced she was entering ❑ ❑ ❑ them back. But many who get a pet portrait a year-long treatment program for trauma and addic- document it for social media, giving Chewy tion. NEW YORK: Danielle Schwartz didn’t free advertising — a trend the company no- “This is my story, as I remember it. I had great fun ask for an oil painting of her cat. But she ticed when it fi rst started shipping them out. writing it over the past few years,” O’Connor said in loves the portrait of Stinky that hangs in “Customers were going bananas,” says a statement. her upstate New York home, a surprise co-founder Ryan Cohen, who helped O’Connor, who turns 54 this week, is also known gift from an unlikely place: an online pet come up with the idea in 2013 before for the albums “The Lion and the Cobra” and “I Do store. leaving the company. Not Want What I Haven’t Got.” Her most recent full- It’s one of the more than 1,000 free Chewy was founded in 2011, mar- length recording, “I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss,” paintings that Chewy sends to select rying the fast delivery of Amazon with customers each week — even during the the friendliness of a local pet store. It came out in 2014, but she is working on new material pandemic — tapping into people’s obses- also aimed to grab a piece of the fortune and has said she hopes to have an album out in 2022. sion with their fur children and, it hopes, Americans spend on their pets, which This fall, she released a cover of the late Mahalia winning customers for life. Actress Daisy Edgar Jones poses for portraits in a north London park, London, was expected to total $99 billion in 2020, Jackson’s “Trouble of the World.” (AP) In the cutthroat world of online shop- Nov 24, 2020. Jones has been named one of The Associated Press’ Break according to the American Pet Products ping, that personal touch and a bit of through Entertainers of 2020. (AP) — Details on Page 12 Association. (AP) ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 SPORTS 14 English ends drought with playoff Soccer Roundup Neymar resumes training with PSG win in Tournament of Champions HH the Crown Prince patronizes Crown Prince Football Cup final Thomas apologizes for homophobic slur at Kapalua KUWAIT CITY, Jan 11, (KUNA): break of the virus in the Fulham His Highness the Crown Prince squad. KAPALUA, Hawaii, Jan Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Because Fulham is now playing Al-Jaber Al-Sabah patronizes the against Tottenham in midweek, its 11, (AP): Harris English final match of His Highness the match against Chelsea scheduled was that player who always Crown Prince Football Cup for Friday has now been pushed between Kuwait SC and Qadsia back to Saturday. wanted the ball for the last SC. ❑ ❑ ❑ shot. His trouble the last Minister of Information and couple of years was getting Minister of State for Youth Celtic will be without 14 play- Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi will rep- ers for its Scottish Premiership off the bench and into the resent His Highness the Crown match against Hibernian on game. Prince in the match that would be Monday after defender Christopher held at Jaber Al-Ahmad Jullien tested positive for the coro- English completed his turn- navirus upon the squad’s return around from a seven-year drought International Stadium at 7:00 pm on Tuesday. from a training camp in Dubai. with a victory that he felt was long ❑ ❑ ❑ Thirteen of Jullien’s teammates overdue, making a 6-foot birdie have been deemed as close con- putt on the first playoff hole Paris Saint-Germain striker tacts and must also isolate, the against Joaquin Niemann to win Neymar returned to training defending champions said. the Sentry Tournament of Monday following a one-month Celtic manager Neil Lennon absence because of an ankle inju- and his assistant, John Kennedy, Champions. ry. will also be absent because they Neymar came into contact with Jullien. GOLF has been side- Second-place Celtic pledged to lined since he fulfill its game against Hibs despite was taken off the spate of absentees, with the He had the ball. And he was clutch. on a stretcher team 22 points behind fierce rival He ran off four birdies in a five- in stoppage Rangers in the standings. Celtic hole stretch on the back nine to catch time on Dec. has four games in hand. Niemann. Needing a birdie on the 13 when PSG Scottish First Minister Nicola 18th at Kapalua, English hit a 3-iron lost at home Sturgeon has questioned the pur- so pure from a downhill lie that it to Lyon 1-0 in pose of Celtic’s trip to Dubai and rolled out to 10 feet for an eagle putt the French whether social-distancing mea- that he narrowly missed, settling for a league. Neymar sures were followed after photos 4-under 69 to force extra holes. Harris English holds the champions trophy after the final round of the Tournament of Champions golf event, on PSG posted were published from the training In the playoff, he lagged a long putt Jan 10, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP) a picture of Neymar on Twitter on base. from off the front of the green to 6 Monday with the caption: “Look The Scottish government feet for the winner on the 18th that cost him. And on the been happy at the start of the day to apologized, and did so again after a who’s back.” announced on Jan. 3 that travelers same hole in the playoff, with a be in a playoff. But he couldn’t help 66 left him one shot out of the play- Neymar’s return is good news from Dubai arriving from early on “When I was a kid, I loved having for PSG, which has been dealing Jan. 4 must quarantine. Celtic’s the ball when the clock’s running out 30-yard advantage off the tee, he but think of the 18th. “I just look off. tugged his shot just enough that it back and I see those two par 5s. I with a string of injuries recently squad arrived back four days in basketball,” English said. “I love - I He missed an 8-foot birdie chance tumbled down the shaggy slope left of made par.” on the 16th, and then three-putted and trails league leader Lyon by later. love - the situations, and I crave get- the 18th. A full swing with a lob They finished at 25-under 267. It from long range on the 17th for one point after 19 games. ❑ ❑ ❑ ting back into that. I hadn’t had it in a wedge only got it up the hill to the was the second straight year the tour- bogey. A birdie on the final hole Neymar has yet to play for PSG long time. ... You’ve got to have con- under coach Mauricio Pochettino New year, new contract for fringe, and his birdie attempt from 15 nament was decided by a playoff. wasn’t enough. 53-year-old striker Kazuyoshi fidence in yourself.” feet was short. English once was among the rising Dustin Johnson, in his first start and it’s unclear whether he will be Niemann did his part with a 9-under fit in time to face Marseille in Miura, one of the world’s oldest “I had a perfect line the second American starts, winning a since winning the Masters on Nov. professional soccer players. 64, matching the low score of the shot, I just mishit it a little bit,” Nationwide Tour event while still an 15, made an early run until he lost a Wednesday’s Champions Trophy. tournament, impressive considering ❑ ❑ ❑ Miura, who turns 54 on Feb. 26, Niemann said. “I got a little lucky that amateur and picking up two victories tee shot in the native grass on No. 12 will enter his 36th season after the blustery wind finally showed up it carried the hazard and then it was in 2013. But then he got into a funk, and made double bogey. He shot 69 Tottenham’s Premier League signing an extension with J-League on the Plantation Course for the final not an easy lie.” and he fell so far that he lost his full and tied for 11th, ending his streak of game against Aston Villa on club Yokohama FC on Monday, day. Niemann started the final round card in 2019 and was No. 369 in the seven consecutive top 10s dating to Wednesday has been postponed, the league said. But he missed a 6-foot birdie putt five shots behind and would have world. He played so well from there the first week in August. with Jose Mourinho’s team instead Nicknamed “King Kazu,” Miura that he reached the Tour Ryan Palmer, who shared the facing Fulham on the same day. played in only four league games Championship, and it paid off in a big 54-hole lead with English, had an Villa requested for its game last year and did not score but way. early lead with an eagle on the fifth against Tottenham to be resched- extended his record as the oldest In a normal year, English wouldn’t hole. His hopes came undone when uled, the league said Monday, after player in the J-League. He joined be at Kapalua for the winners-only his tee shot on the par-3 11th turned a coronavirus outbreak at its train- Yokohama in 2005. start to the year. Because of the left with the wind into the shin-high ing ground last week that led to 14 “Return of the King,” the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down grass. It took him two to get out and positive cases - 10 among players. J-League said in its announcement the PGA Tour for three months, the he made double bogey. Palmer rallied The Tottenham-Fulham game, on Twitter. field was expanded to include anyone with four birdies on his last five holes originally scheduled for Dec. 30, The league’s 2021 season is who reached the Tour Championship. but shot 71 to finish two back. was postponed following an out- scheduled to begin on Feb. 27. Niemann also didn’t win last year. But the fact he made it to the Tour Championship speaks to his turn- around. He did everything but win Kenin out of Abu Dhabi Open in quarterfinal loss to Sakkari last season, and then he took care of ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, matches. seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who made it that in the first tournament of the Jan 11, (AP): Australian Open cham- The Greek player hit nine aces 13 tour wins in a row by beating Elena year. English now goes to No. 17 in pion Sofia Kenin was eliminated from against none for Kenin and 23 winners Rybakina 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 for a place in the world, a career-best. the season-opening Abu Dhabi Open the semifinals. Sabalenka finished last “It’s awesome to get some valida- in the quarterfinals on Monday after a season with titles at the Ostrava and tion,” English said. three-set loss to Maria Sakkari. TENNIS Linz indoor tournaments and has start- Justin Thomas stayed in the mix Kenin won the opening set but ed 2021 with four wins in Abu Dhabi. Joaquin Niemann hits from the first tee during the final round of the one day after he was heard uttering a faded as ninth-seeded Sakkari won Sabalenka has won three of the four Tournament of Champions golf event, on Jan 10, at Kapalua Plantation homophobic slur under his breath 2-6, 6-2, 6-0. It was only Kenin’s third to the American’s eight. matches she has played against Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. (AP) after missing a short putt. Thomas loss in 14 career tour quarterfinal Sakkari’s next opponent is fourth- Sakkari, all of them on hard courts. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 SPORTS 15

No. 2 Louisville women rout Clemson Nixon lifts No. 8 Texas A&M Leonard gets 10,000th point, over No. 13 Arkansas 74-73 FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas, Jan 11, sister Krystal Leger-Walker. (AP): Jordan Nixon hit a running shot The sisters combined for eight of the carries Clippers to beat Bulls with under a second left to lift No. 8 Cougars’ 11 points in overtime. Wash- Texas A&M over No. 13 Arkansas 74- ington State (7-1, 5-1 Pac-12) beat a 73. Top 10 team for the fi rst time since the Nixon’s shot from outside the lane 2016-2017 season. helped the Aggies (12-0, 3-0 South- Arizona (8-2, 6-2 Pac-12) led by eastern Conference) keep their per- double digits for most of the game but fect season intact. It was also Texas saw its edge evaporate in the fourth A&M’s only lead in the fourth quarter. quarter. Aari McDonald had 23 points Arkansas’ Chelsea Dungee put up a and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats. shot from the left corner at the buzzer, UCLA 92, Utah 67 but the shot was blocked. In Los Angeles, Natalie Chou Aaliyah Wilson, who transferred scored a career-high 28 points and from Arkansas to Texas A&M, led the UCLA rolled over Utah. Aggies with 27 points. Her defensive Charisma Osborne added 22 points play in the backcourt was huge in the and eight assists while Michaela Ony- fi nal seconds as she poked the ball enwere had 17 points, nine rebounds away from Dungee and forced a turn- and eight assists. UCLA had assists on over with 23 seconds left with Arkan- 24 of their 35 baskets. sas leading 73-72. Nixon dribbled the The Bruins (7-2, 5-2 Pac-12) were clock down until her fi nal shot. Dungee led the way for Arkansas playing their fi rst game in a week. (10-4, 1-3) with 21 points. They had Friday’s game against Colo- rado postponed because they did not Louisville 70, Clemson 45 meet the Pac-12 Conference’s mini- In Louisville, Ky., Kianna Smith mum of seven healthy scholarship scored 17 points and Louisville, after players. UCLA has dressed only eight waiting out a late delay caused by CO- players this season due to players opt- VID-19 protocols, beat Clemson. ing out and three of its freshmen un- The game was supposed to begin able to play due to international travel at noon. But less than 90 minutes be- restrictions. fore the scheduled tip-off, Louisville Kemery Martín led Utah (3-7, 2-7) (10-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 18 points. announced the start had been pushed back two hours. Oregon 100, California 41 A subsequent ACC statement attrib- In Berkeley, California, Kylee Wat- uted the delay “as a result of a player son scored a career-high 12 points on undergoing further testing.” 6-for-8 shooting and Oregon obliter- Louisville coach Jeff Walz said one ated California. of his players reported virus symp- toms. She was tested and came back BASKETBALL negative in the morning. Later, Walz was told that players who hadn’t previously had the virus Oregon entered with a four-game needed to be tested, and that led to the winning streak over Cal with a delay. He worked with Clemson (8-4, 39-point average margin of victory. 3-4) coach Amanda Butler and Tigers Taylor Chavez, Te-Hina Paopao and offi cials to move the start of the game Nyara Sabally each scored 13 points to Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (left), scores past Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (center), and guard Garrett Temple (17) during the back two hours. lead the Ducks (9-2, 7-2 Pac-12), who second half of an NBA basketball game on Jan 10, in Los Angeles. (AP) had a half-dozen players score in dou- South Carolina 75, Kentucky 10 ble fi gures and a total of 11 score. In Lexington, Ky., Destanni Hen- Lakers roll to 120-102 win over Rockets derson scored 22 points and Aliyah Maryland 83, Purdue 46 Boston added 20, including 10 in the In College Park, Md., Ashley Owu- third quarter to put South Carolina su had 19 points and nine assists, Dia- LOS ANGELES, Jan 11, Julius Randle had 29 points, 10 re- ahead to stay as the Gamecocks rallied mond Miller added 16 points and eight bounds and fi ve assists for the Knicks, past Kentucky. assists and Maryland coasted over (AP): Kawhi Leonard which the team said made him the only The Gamecocks (8-1, 3-0 South- Purdue. scored a season-high 35 player other than Hall of Famer Oscar eastern Conference) trailed 41-32 at The Terrapins shot 52% through points, going over 10,000 Robertson to have at least 200 points, halftime and 54-46 late in the third be- three quarters while holding the Boil- 115 rebounds and 70 assists in his fore closing the quarter with an 11-2 ermakers to 34% for the game, forcing in his career, and the Los team’s fi rst 10 games of a season. 17 turnovers and building a 51-35 re- run, including fi ve by Boston, for their Angeles Clippers rallied to Jazz 96, Pistons 86 fi rst lead since the opening minutes. bounding advantage. Katie Benzan and Chloe Bibby beat the Chicago Bulls 130- In Detroit, Donovan Mitchell scored Boston and Henderson then added 13 of his 28 points in a decisive fi rst four points each during an 12-2 spurt scored 11 points apiece and Faith Ma- 127. to open the fourth that helped with- sonius grabbed 10 rebounds for Mary- Leonard reached the milestone quarter, and Utah held on for a victory stand Kentucky’s late rally. land (9-1, 5-0 Big Ten Conference). over Detroit. on one of his five 3-pointers in The Pistons were coming off an Rhyne Howard had 32 points and Mississippi St 60, Ole Miss 56 the third quarter, when he scored Patterson and Dre’Una Edwards 12 overtime win over Phoenix on Fri- In Starkville, Miss., Jessika Carter 21 points. His points and 3-point- day night in which they rallied from each for the Wildcats (9-3, 2-2 SEC), scored 19 points and Myah Taylor ers made were the most in a single who lost their second consecutive a 23-point defi cit, but they couldn’t scored the last four as Mississippi quarter in his career. Leonard’s last climb out of another big hole. Utah game in a four-game stretch against State fended off an upset bid from in- top 15 opponents. 3-pointer in the quarter gave the scored the game’s fi rst nine points and state rival Ole Miss. never trailed. The Jazz went on a 17-0 Coming into the 100th meeting in Clippers their first lead since they Washington State 71, Arizona 69 scored the game’s first basket. In run later in the fi rst, pushing their lead In Pullman, Washington, Charlisse the series, the Rebels hadn’t won a to 20 before the quarter was over. Leger-Walker made a layup at the game in Starkville since 2007, nor de- all, he had seven 3-pointers, tying feated the Bulldogs in the last 14 tries. his career high. Jerami Grant scored 28 points for buzzer in overtime and Washington Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) throws a pass across the the Pistons, who cut the defi cit to six State rallied past Arizona. Michigan 70, Illinois 50 court between Houston Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins (15) and guard late in the third quarter. They had the Leger-Walker also made a layup In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Naz Hill- Sterling Brown (0) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game on BASKETBALL Jan 10, at Toyota Center in Houston. (AP) ball down fi ve late in the fourth, but with two seconds left in regulation to mon scored 24 points and grabbed 13 Rudy Gobert blocked a shot by Mason tie it at 60, converting after a pass from rebounds and Michigan continued its night in Houston. Stephen Curry. Plumlee, and Mike Conley made two school-best star with a win over Illinois. Paul George had 28 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for the Clip- Pascal Siakam missed a jumper as free throws to make it 93-86 with 1:00 Akienreh Johnson added 17 points Thunder 129, Nets 116 remaining. pers, who avoided their fi rst three- In New York, Shai Gilgeous-Alex- the buzzer sounded but fi nished with 25 points and Amy Dilk 11, plus both game losing streak of the season. points, and Fred VanVleet scored 21 for Conley fi nished with 22 points. grabbed nine rebounds, for the Wol- ander scored 31 points to lead Okla- Lou Williams added 21 points off the homa City over Brooklyn. Toronto in a rematch of the 2019 NBA Timberwolves 96, Spurs 88 verines (9-0, 4-0 Big Ten Conference), bench. Finals won in six games by the Raptors. whose previous best start was 7-0 three Gilgeous-Alexander was one of six In Minneapolis, D’Angelo Russell Zach LaVine led six Bulls in double players to fi nish in double-fi gure scor- Andrew Wiggins had 17 points had 27 points, fi ve rebounds and fi ve different times, the last in 2015-16. and matched his career high with fi gures with a season-high 45 points - ing for the Thunder, who won their assists as Minnesota snapped a seven- Indiana 74, Wisconsin 49 four off his career high - and he made a four blocked shots as Golden State game losing streak with a win over the In Bloomington, Indiana Ali Patberg season-best 10 3-pointers. third straight and beat Brooklyn for the nearly squandered away a game it fi fth consecutive time. San Antonio Spurs. scored 21 points, Mackenzie Holmes Lakers 120, Rockets 102 led by 17. Russell scored eight of his points in added 14 and Indiana beat Wisconsin. Hamidou Diallo fi nished with 25 Curry shot 2 of 16 and missed nine In Houston, Anthony Davis had 27 points, Al Horford had 22, George Hill the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer Patberg drained 5 of 7 3-pointers points, LeBron James added 18 and of his 10 3s for 11 points after scor- to tie the score with 7:02 left and two and dished fi ve assists as the Hoosiers added 14, and Lugentz Dort and Isaiah ing 143 over his previous four games, Los Angeles won for the sixth time in Roby had 13 each. free throws to ice it with 31.5 seconds (7-3, 5-1 Big Ten) had 16 assists on 27 seven games with a victory over Hous- including a career-high 62 one week remaining. Russell and Malik Beasley, fi eld goals. Holmes grabbed a game- Kevin Durant scored 36 points for earlier against Portland. ton. Brooklyn after sitting three games after who added 24 points, helped the Wolves high nine rebounds. Grace Berger It was a testy game that included Nuggets 114, Knicks 89 get their fi rst win since Dec. 26. added 12 points and six assists. being exposed to COVID-19. Caris Le- fi ve technical fouls, two fl agrant fouls Vert added 21 points, Jarrett Allen had In New York, Nikola Jokic had 22 Minnesota was playing without star Nebraska 68, Michigan St 64 and the fi rst-half ejections of Markieff 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Timothe points, 10 rebounds and fi ve assists big man Karl-Anthony Towns, who In East Lansing, Michigan, Kate Cain Morris and DeMarcus Cousins. Luwawu-Cabarrot scored 12 as the Nets in another short night, and Denver returned to action Saturday after miss- blocked a 3-point shot with fi ve seconds Davis, who sat out on Friday with dropped their second straight. reached .500 for the fi rst time this sea- ing six games with a partial dislocation remaining and Whitney Brown followed a groin strain, helped the Lakers fin- son with a victory over New York. of his left wrist. Sunday’s absence was with the clinching free throw, and Ne- ish with 62 points in the paint in a Warriors 106, Raptors 105 The Nuggets opened 1-4 after reach- part of the plan to ease Towns back in Purdue guard Jenelle Grant (22) braska upset Michigan State. game in which they led by as many In San Francisco, Damion Lee ing the Western Conference fi nals last and not a result of any reaggravation and Maryland forward Alaysia The Spartans, who went cold in the as 27. converted the tying and go-ahead season but have now answered with of his injury. Styles (5) go after a loose ball dur- fourth quarter, pulled within 67-64 on Christian Wood scored 23 points free throws with 3.3 seconds left four wins in fi ve games. ing the second half of an NCAA col- a putback by Kendall Bostic. A quick and James Harden had 20 in the fi rst of and Golden State withstood a rough Gary Harris added 14 points for the lege basketball game, on Jan 10, in foul sent Bella Cravens to the line two straight games against the Lakers fourth quarter to hold off Toronto Nuggets, who got only nine from star NBA Results/Standings College Park, Md. (AP) where she missed two free throws. with the second one coming Tuesday despite uncharacteristic struggles by guard Jamal Murray.

Cone, No. 19 Hokies shut down Fighting Irish 77-63 WASHINGTON, Jan 11, (AP): Results and standings from NBA games on Sunday. Utah 96 Detroit 86 LA Clippers 130 Chicago 127 Denver 114 New York 89 Morsell scores 19 as Maryland upsets No. 12 Illinois Oklahoma City 129 Brooklyn 116 LA Lakers 120 Houston 102 Minnesota 96 San Antonio 88 CHAMPAIGN, Ill, Jan 11, (AP): Darryl Morsell Key made 12 of 14 from the free throw line. reer-high 22 points as Fresno State got past San Colgate 89, Boston U 45 Golden State 106 Toronto 105 scored 19 points, Donta Scott added 16 and Mary- Cobie Barnes had 13 points for Indiana State (4- Jose State 80-65. In Boston, Jordan Burns posted 17 points, six Eastern Conference Atlantic Division land upset No. 12 Illinois 66-63. 6, 1-4 Missouri Valley Conference), which snapped Stroud made 5 of 6 3-pointers. rebounds and six assists as Colgate romped past W L Pct GB The game was fast-paced and close through- its four-game losing streak. Cooper Neese added 12 Jordan Campbell had 16 points and nine re- Boston University 89-45. Philadelphia 7 3 .700 - out. Hakim Hart hit a 3-pointer with 4:08 left to points. Tobias Howard, Jr. had 10 points. Jack Ferguson had 14 points for Colgate (3-1, Boston 7 3 .700 - bounds for Fresno State (5-3, 3-3 Mountain West New York 5 5 .500 2 give the Terrapins a 62-61 lead, which Maryland Fresno St. 80, San Jose St. 65 Conference). Orlando Robinson added 11 points, 3-1 Patriot League). Sam Thomson added seven Brooklyn 5 6 .455 2-1/2 didn’t relinquish. In Fresno, California, Deon Stroud had a ca- seven rebounds and six assists. rebounds. Toronto 2 7 .222 4-1/2 Ayo Dosunmu scored 23 points for Illinois Lafayette 87, Bucknell 76 Southeast Division (9-4, 5-2 Big Ten) and Kofi Cockburn added 21 W L Pct GB In Easton, Pa., E.J. Stephens had a career-high 31 Orlando 6 4 .600 - points and 10 rebounds. Dosunmu missed a long points as Lafayette topped Bucknell 87-76. Stephens Charlotte 5 5 .500 1 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it. Miami 4 4 .500 1 converted all 10 of his free throw attempts. Atlanta 4 5 .444 1-1/2 Virginia Tech 77, Notre Dame 64 Tyrone Perry had 17 points for Lafayette (3- Washington 2 8 .200 4 In Blacksburg, Va, Jalen Cone scored 18 points 1, 3-1 Patriot League). Justin Jaworski added 15 Central Division off the bench to lift No. 19 Virginia Tech to a 77- points and six rebounds. Neal Quinn had 10 re- W L Pct GB Indiana 6 3 .667 - 63 victory against Notre Dame. bounds, five assists and three blocks. Milwaukee 6 4 .600 -1/2 Cone connected on 5 of 11 from the floor, in- Longwood 78, Campbell 69 Cleveland 5 5 .500 1-1/2 cluding four 3-pointers, as the Hokies (9-2, 3-1 Chicago 4 7 .364 3 In Farmville, Va., DeShaun Wade scored a Detroit 2 8 .200 4-1/2 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from career-high 22 points and led a second-half rally Western Conference Wednesday’s loss at Louisville. Virginia Tech as Longwood topped Campbell 78-69. Southwest Division has won five of six games and five consecutive Wade made 8 of 10 shots, including 5 of 7 on W L Pct GB home games. Dallas 5 4 .556 - 3-pointers as the Lancers, trailing 36-28 at the break, San Antonio 5 5 .500 -1/2 LMU 68, San Francisco 60 outscored Campbell 50-33 in the second half. New Orleans 4 5 .444 1 Houston 3 5 .375 1-1/2 In Los Angeles, Eli Scott had 20 points and 10 Juan Munoz had 16 points and six assists for Memphis 3 6 .333 2 rebounds as Loyola Marymount beat San Fran- Longwood (3-11, 2-6 Big South Conference). Northwest Division cisco 68-60. Justin Hill added 14 points. Leslie Nkereuwem W L Pct GB Keli Leaupepe had 19 points for Loyola Mary- had 11 points. Utah 6 4 .600 - Portland 5 4 .556 -1/2 mount (6-3, 1-0 West Coast Conference), which Indiana 84, Nebraska 76 Oklahoma City 5 4 .556 -1/2 won its fourth consecutive game. Dameane In Lincoln, Nebraska, Rob Phinisee scored 18 Denver 5 5 .500 1 Douglas added 10 points. Ivan Alipiev had three Minnesota 3 7 .300 3 points and Aljami Durham scored 17 and Indiana Pacific Division blocks. beat Nebraska 84-76. W L Pct GB Indiana State 76, Loyola 71 Trayce Jackson-Davis scored nine of his 15 LA Lakers 8 3 .727 - Phoenix 7 3 .700 -1/2 In Terre Haute, Indiana, Tyreke Key had a points from the foul line and grabbed 11 rebounds LA Clippers 7 4 .636 1 season-high 31 points plus 10 rebounds as Indi- and Race Thompson scored 11 for Indiana (8-5, Golden State 6 4 .600 1-1/2 ana State narrowly defeated Loyola of Chicago Maryland’s guard Hakim Hart (13) drives the ball as Illinois guard Adam Miller (44) defends in 3-3 Big Ten Conference) which now has won Sacramento 4 6 .400 3-1/2 76-71. the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Jan 10, in Champaign, Ill. (AP) three of its last four games. ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 16

Australia’s Marnus La- buschagne reaches to catch the ball during play on the fi nal day of the third cricket Test between India and Aus- tralia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia, Jan 11. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com I’m really proud as captain: Rahane Defi ant India force draw in tense 3rd Test against Australia SYDNEY, Jan 11, (AP): A battered and bruised India lineup defy Test cricket’s leading bowling attack. survived the full fi fth day to force a draw in the third cricket Rahane said India’s approach was more about being resil- Test against Australia and leave the series hinging on the ient than focusing on runs, considering Pant had been side- fi nal Test in Brisbane. lined for the entire fourth day with an elbow injury, Ravindra India resumed Monday at 98-2, needing a further 309 to Jadeja had a fractured thumb. win at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and fi nished 73 runs short “Our talk this morning was about showing character – on 334-5 despite having only eight fi t batters. fi ght to the end and not to think about results, so really happy The India lineup was pushing for victory while an injured the way we fought,” he said. “Special mention to Vihari and Rishabh Pant (97) and Cheteshwar Pujara (77) combined in Ashwin. In the end the way they batted, showing that char- a 148-run stand that put all the pressure back on Australia. acter, was really good to see.” When Nathan Lyon removed Pant in the 80th over – the He also had praise for how Pant, who was promoted to last over with the old ball – and Josh bat at No. 5 despite his sore elbow, took on the Australian Hazlewood bowled Pujara eight overs bowlers. He was dropped on 3 and 56 but was unperturbed, later to make the total 272-5, the hosts blazing 12 boundaries and three sixes in 118-ball knock. had the edge going into the last ses- sion. But Hanuma Vihari, hampered by CRICKET a hamstring strain he picked up early while running through for a single, “Credit to him. We made that strategy, but in the end it’s and Ravichandran Ashwin stone- all about the player showing that character,” Rahane said. walled together for 258 deliveries in “The way he batted, attacking innings, backed himself re- a 62-run stand after India switched ally well.” plans and pushed for a draw rather Going into the last hour of play, India had fi ve wickets in than risk chasing an unlikely win. Pujara hand and Australia’s bowling attack was frustrated and rag- Ashwin, who was given out but successfully overturned ged. No more wickets fell. the caught-behind decision, was hit on the body by a short Jadeja was next on the list to bat, waiting in his protective ball and survived a dropped catch but fi nished unbeaten on kit in the pavilion, but wasn’t needed. 39 from 128 balls. Vihari faced 161 balls for his unbeaten In the last innings, four catches were uncharacteristically 23, getting a late reprieve when he edged Mitchell Starc and put down. If it felt like a marathon for the Indian batsmen, Australia captain Tim Paine put down a catch behind the it almost was. stumps. The 131 overs was the longest India had batted in the “This was as good as winning a Test match,” said Ajinkya fourth innings of an away Test match since 1979. Rahane, who is leading India in Virat Kohli’s absence. “When Australia had the upper hand in the match after winning you come abroad and play like this, it was really special. the toss, posting 338 and taking a fi rst-innings lead by bowl- “I’m really proud as captain.” ing India out for 244. The hosts extended the lead to 406 be- If the fourth day at the Sydney Cricket Ground was over- fore declaring at 312-6 in their second innings, giving India shadowed by allegations of racist abuse from the crowd, the four sessions to either pursue a near record fourth-innings India’s Rishabh Pant hits the ball to the boundary during play on the fi nal day of the third cricket Test between India fi fth was memorable for the courageous Indian innings to chase or settle for the draw. and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia on Jan 11. (AP) Ravens oust Titans; Saints handle Bears Browns end postseason drought

NASHVILLE, Tenn, Jan 11, (AP): Lamar Jackson Nasser cuts 3 min fi nally has his fi rst post- season victory - and on the off Stephane lead road, no less. JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 11, Combine that with Baltimore (AP): Nasser Al-Attiyah’s cau- smothering 2,000-yard rusher Der- tion on Sunday paid off on Mon- rick Henry, and the Ravens look day when he gained on Dakar playoff tough. Rally leader Stephane Peterhan- Jackson ran for 136 yards and a 48- sel by three minutes. yard touchdown while throwing for Al-Attiyah cracked the whip on 179 more as the Ravens rallied from the eighth stage from Sakaka to 10 points down and beat the Tennessee Neom in northern Saudi Arabia, Titans 20-13 Sunday in their AFC wild- a day after a marathon stage. The card game. Qatari won it, his fi fth stage win of Baltimore also held Tennessee to its this Dakar. Defending champion fewest points all season. Carlos Sainz was second, and Pe- The Titans (11-6) had the ball and a terhansel third after losing his way chance to tie when Marcus Peters inter- cepted Ryan Tannehill’s pass intended twice at the end of the 375-kilom- for Kalif Raymond with 1:50 left. After eter (233-mile) special. the turnover, the Ravens came onto the “It’s really complicated to do fi eld and started waving good-bye to a full Dakar without a mistake,” the Titans - drawing a taunting penalty Peterhansel said. “For the mo- they didn’t mind at all. ment, it’s just a small one. I hope that it will be the only one until the end.” FOOTBALL Al-Attiyah has won a stage for 14 consecutive Dakars and Tannehill thought Raymond was bumped by Peters. RALLYING The Ravens (12-5) snapped a string of 21 straight games lost by the fran- reached 40 in his career, third in chise in either the regular season or the race history only to Peterhan- playoffs when trailing by 10 or more. They will play either top-seeded Kan- sel (47) and Ari Vatanen (50). sas City or Buffalo in a divisional game Drama fell upon local hope Ra- set up by how Baltimore stopped Henry zeed Al-Rajhi, the Sunday stage for the fi rst time in three games. winner who lost an hour to a The All-Pro ran all over the Ravens mechanical problem, and former with 328 yards rushing combined in the world rally champion Sebastien past two meetings. With both Calais New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) carries against Chicago Bears cornerback Kindle Vildor (22) in the fi rst half of an NFL wild-card Loeb, who dropped out after two Campbell and Brandon Williams back playoff football game in New Orleans, Jan 10. (AP) punctures in the fi rst 80 kilom- on the Baltimore D-line, Henry had his eters. He had no more spares. worst performance this season with 18 Overall, Peterhansel’s lead carries for 40 yards. Henry credited the over Al-Attiyah was cut to 4 min- Ravens with being the better team. 80% say Tokyo Oly should be called off or won’t happen utes, 50 seconds. Sainz was 39 Baltimore also slowed a Tennessee TOKYO, Jan 11, (AP): More than Japan has controlled the virus replied “no” with only 13% answer- minutes back in third and none of offense that tied for fourth averaging the other racers were within 1 1/2 30.7 points a game and had more offen- 80% of people in Japan who were relatively well but the surge has ing “yes.” The “no” responses in- sive yards per game during the season surveyed in two polls in the last heightened skepticism about the creased 18 percentage points from a hours of the lead. than any team but Kansas City. The few days say the Tokyo Olympics need for the Olympics and the dan- similar survey in December. In the motorbike race, Jose Ravens fi nished with a 401-209 yards should be canceled or postponed, or ger of potentially bringing 15,000 In Kyodo’s poll, 80.1% of re- Ignacio Cornejo of Chile won edge in total offense. say they believe the Olympics will Olympic and Paralympic athletes spondents in a telephone survey said the stage Toby Price of Australia The Titans lost their fi rst home play- not take place. into the country. the Olympics should be canceled or by a minute, and that’s how they off game in 12 years and now have had The polls were conducted by the The Olympics could also attract rescheduled. The same question in stood overall, too. three of their past eight postseasons Japanese news agency Kyodo and tens of thousands of coaches, judg- December found 63% calling for Sam Sunderland, fourth on the ended on their own fi eld by Baltimore. TBS - the Tokyo Broadcasting Sys- es, officials, VIPs, sponsors, media cancellation or postponement. stage, was third overall, six min- Tennessee sacked Jackson fi ve times tem. Kyodo said the survey covered utes behind. The top three had a and got an interception. But the Titans The results are bad news for To- 715 randomly selected households good break on the rest, including couldn’t slow Jackson enough after kyo organizers and the International OLYMPICS with eligible voters. Neither poll Kevin Benavides, Joan Barreda, halftime. Jackson turned in the sixth Olympic Committee as they contin- listed a margin of error. and defending champion Ricky 100-yard rushing game by a quarter- ue to say the postponed Olympics and broadcasters. It is not clear if Japan is officially spending $15.4 Brabec, 18 minutes back. back in the postseason, and joined Col- will open on July 23. fans from abroad will be allowed, or billion to hold the Olympics, al- in Kaepernick with two. Tokyo is battling a surge of CO- if local fans will attend events. though several government audits NFC wild-card game. The Titans took a 10-0 lead with VID-19 cases that prompted the na- Japan has attributed about 3,800 show the number is about $25 bil- Alvin Kamara rushed for 99 yards Tannehill tossing a 10-yard TD pass tional government last week to call deaths to COVID-19 in a country of lion. All but $6.7 billion is public to Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar and added a 3-yard touchdown run in Jackson (8) scores a touchdown on a state of emergency. In declaring 126 million. money. Stephen Gostkowski kicked a fi eld goal the emergency, Prime Minister Yo- The TBS poll asked if the Olym- The Switzerland-based IOC earns the fourth quarter after sitting out the set up by Malcolm Butler’s intercep- a 48-yard run against the Tennessee regular-season fi nale and not practicing tion, his fi rst in the postseason since Titans in the first half of an NFL wild- shihide Suga said he was confident pics can be held. In the telephone 91% of its income from selling the Olympics would be held. survey with 1,261 responding, 81% broadcast rights and sponsorships. this past week because of COVID-19 picking off Russell Wilson in Super card playoff football game, Jan 10, in protocols. Bowl 49 to preserve New England’s Nashville, Tenn. (AP) The victory for the Saints (13-4) and win over the Seahawks. son then tied it by breaking loose for a Denzel Ward back in Cleveland after all within 12. Kareem Hunt added 48 yards win on the road since Dec. 28, 1969. Brees, who turns 42 on Friday, sets up a Baltimore’s defense, the second-stin- 48-yard TD run, diving for the pylon tested positive for COVID-19, Cleve- and two touchdowns on the ground They did it despite practicing just divisional-round meeting next weekend giest scoring unit in the NFL, took over. -the second-longest TD run by a quar- land (12-5) raced to the biggest fi rst half while Cleveland’s defense forced fi ve once over the last two weeks and hav- in the Superdome with Tampa Bay and The Ravens held Tennessee to minus-7 terback in the Super Bowl era behind by a road team in NFL playoff history, turnovers to hand the Steelers (12-5) a ing lost 17 straight at Heinz Field. 43-year-old QB Tom Brady. yards in the second quarter, the third Kaepernick’s 56-yarder for the 49ers then held on. staggering loss. Saints 21, Bears 9 The Bears (8-9) put forth a scrappy fewest in any quarter of a playoff game against the Packers on Jan. 12, 2013. Baker Mayfi eld threw for 263 yards The victory was the Browns’ fi rst In New Orleans, Drew Brees com- performance defensively that prevented since the 2000 season. Browns 48, Steelers 37 and three touchdowns, including a postseason triumph of any kind since pleted 28 of 39 passes for 265 yards, the Saints from building more than a The 2019 NFL MVP set up a 33- In Pittsburgh, playing with fi rst-year screen pass that Nick Chubb turned into beating New England on New Year’s connecting with Michael Thomas and one-touchdown lead until Murray’s yard fi eld goal by Justin Tucker with a head coach Kevin Stefanski, Pro Bowl a 40-yard score that halted Pittsburgh’s Day 1995 - three months before May- Latavius Murray for touchdowns, and 6-yard catch-and-run score made it 28-yard pass to Marquise Brown. Jack- guard Joel Bitonio and top cornerback momentum after the Steelers pulled fi eld was born - and their fi rst playoff New Orleans defeated Chicago in an 14-3 late in the third quarter.

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