cricket

Page 16

wrestling THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Page 14 Established in 1977 / www.arabtimesonline.com

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 / SHABAAN 9, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17643 16 PAGES 150 FILS COVID infections up among children 1,347 new cases Opinion KUWAIT CITY, March 21, (Agencies): Over the last few Did Erdogan read Al-Rashid’s letter to Nicephorus? days a significant number of children with Covid-19 infections have been admit- By Ahmed Al-Jarallah ted to the Jaber Al-Ahmad Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times Hospital, reports Al-Jarida newspaper quoting reliable WHEN the Justice and Development Party won the elections to rule Tur- key, Muslims viewed the party as a moderate voice in Europe, and be- sources. lieved that it would work to promote the moderate face of Islam after be- The sources said the number of ing distorted by various terror movements that hid behind Islam to carry children admitted to the hospital over out atrocities throughout the world. the past few weeks is two to three Also, everyone at that time had hoped that this party would restore Tur- times the number those admitted in key’s Islamic identity after it was wiped out by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, September, October, November and especially when a secular dictatorship was imposed, which led to the ex- December last year, as the hospital ecution of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes in 1960 when he restored the call to prayer in Arabic and introduced religious lessons in public schools. used to receive only two or three However, this Arab and Islamic moral momentum increased with the cases a day and now the hospital re- constitutional amendments made by the party, and the confirmation of the ceives between 5 and eight cases. Islamic identity of the state. The sources indicated most of the cases With this development, the Arabs began investing in Turkey, such that of children currently in the hospital suf- the Gulf money invested in the Turkish economy reached about $100 bil- fer from chronic diseases, in addition to lion. Turkey turned into a touristic destination for the Saudis, Kuwaitis, some children who need care and a spe- Emiratis, and Arabs in general. cial Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations In the midst of the changes that Anatolia began to witness, the wave of (mics) protocol. the Arab Spring hit, and the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood Group The sources stated the rate of recovery emerged in it strongly. The Justice and Development Party revived the from Covid-19 disease among children is idea of the Ottoman Caliphate, and this was expressed very clearly by higher than adults and pointed out that there its former foreign minister and the official of the party Ahmed Daoud are limited and serious cases of children Ihsanoglu, who said, “Yes, we are the new Ottomans”. who have been admitted to intensive care From that time, the demons of the Muslim Brotherhood Group nur- and need respirators and intensive care. tured and promoted this idea in the minds of Turkish politicians. It was During the past few months, the sourc- later portrayed that the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the es added, there is not a single death re- awaited caliph, and his country is the one that will restore the caliphate ported among children by Jaber Hospital, rule. pointing out that the percentage of their In light of this, the political project of the Ankara regime turned to- discharge from the hospital equals the ad- wards expansion and hegemony. It began interfering in the affairs of Arab mission rate. countries, starting with Syria and Iraq, and later Libya, and before that The sources put the rate of admission Tunisia and Egypt after the Muslim Brotherhood Group took over the to emergency wards for adults or children power as it was arranged by Washington, and Dr. Mohammad Morsi was at about 50 per day. installed as a puppet, while the main engine of the state was the Guidance Office (Maktab al-Irshad). Fatalities It was clear that the “Brotherhood” regime sought to make this great Kuwait on Saturday said its daily tal- country a prisoner of the Ottoman expansionist regime, and employed it ly of coronavirus infections jumped by to serve the ruler’s project with his new order. This prompted the Egyp- 1,347 to take the total to 217,933, while tian people to revolt a year after the group’s rule, and thus Ankara’s reac- five fatalities over the past 24 hours raised tion was to provoke hostility towards Egypt and everyone who supported its death toll from the outbreak to 1,215. it, which in this case included the Gulf states especially Saudi Arabia. The number of people hospitalized Erdogan’s wrong policies with the Arab countries led to a contraction with the virus currently stands at 14,510, of the Turkish economy, as the foreign trade deficit increased by 102.7 with 230 of them in intensive care units, percent. Its debts jumped to about $ 550 billion, and the exchange rate of according to health ministry spokesman the lira against the US dollar deteriorated from 2.5 to 8 lira. Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad. Despite this, the leaders of Ankara failed to correct the mistake for He revealed that some 8,447 swab tests ten years. They instead persevered in hostility and deluded their ability were conducted over the last day out of a through media trumpets that broadcast from Turkey to subjugate the Gulf total of 1,960,138, adding that the posi- states and Egypt, such as claims of the Muslim Brotherhood Group about tive case to test ratio amounted to 15.6 “Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square” and the daily insults and misinformation percent over the past 24 hours, govern- from the screens of 13 television channels broadcasted from Istanbul, and ment data showed. from the 300 newspapers published throughout Turkey. The ministry had earlier reported that The objective of this smearing campaign was an attempt to weaken the some 1,386 more people had been cured rule of President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, who continued with strength and Photo by Mahmoud Jadeed from the virus over the past day, raising support from the majority of Egyptians for eight years, or by raising the Shoppers flock to a mall during the weekend taking advantage of the hours before the imposed curfew. the total of those to have overcome the issue of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi to shake Saudi Arabia. On the disease to 202,208. contrary, that policy has led Turkey to lose its partnerships with these He went on to urge nationals and expa- countries, the most important of which is the suspension of the Egyptian- triates alike that abiding by health precau- Turkish economic integration plan. tions, mainly, following social distancing In this regard, there are many facts that Ankara did not take into ac- rules, is the only way to halt the spread count, especially the phone call made by the Saudi monarch to Erdogan at FM, delegation quarantined of the virus. midnight after Riyadh discovered the truth behind the Khashoggi murder, Virologist, Associate Professor at the which was committed by some officials without the knowledge of the top KUWAIT CITY, March 21, (Agencies): college of medicine, Assistant Director Saudi leadership. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of of “I am negative laboratory” and head It was said that King Salman had told the Turkish president at the time State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad of the viruses lab unit at health ministry that whatever had happened was not with his knowledge or the knowl- Nasser Al-Muhammad and the diplomatic Govt hit on neglect Yaqoub Behbehani center Dr. Haya Al- edge of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and that the criminals delegation that accompanied him to Paki- tawala said the antibodies test is consid- will receive their punishment, “as we did not order to harm a man who we stan are now in quarantine in compliance ered like a baseline for the individual to wished was with his family in Saudi Arabia”. with health regulations, as Pakistani Prime find out whether his body responded to Today, the questions in the minds of the majority of Gulf Arabs are Minister Imran Khan announced that he has the vaccine or not. - What did Turkey benefit from the failed adventures it tried during the been infected with coronavirus, reports Al- of owners of SMEs She said although antibodies are not the past decade? Did this serve its faltering economy, or exacerbate the living Qabas daily quoting a reliable source. only factor that help in immunity, it is the crisis there? The source confirmed Sheikh Dr By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh zens who have been vaccinated to fa- factor that we can measure because the oth- cilitate travel procedures. In light of the new developments, perhaps an intelligent man in Tur- Ahmed Al-Nasser issued instructions Arab Times Staff er factors are difficult to measure because key can grasp the historical lessons and look deeply into the meanings in Al-Shaheen affirmed the MPs will they are at the research level. She said if a that he and the delegation should undergo try their best to enforce a law to sup- the fifth Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid’s letter to Nicephorus of the a precautionary quarantine despite the KUWAIT CITY, March 21: MP Osa- person’s result is negative before vaccina- Roman Empire when the latter insulted the Arab Caliph in his infamous ma Al-Shaheen said the government’s port the owners of SMEs who suf- tion, then becomes positive after vaccina- negative results of their swabs tests when fered from enormous damages due to letter. In response, the Caliph wrote, “In the name of Allah. From Harun they return to the country. insistence to push for approval of the tion it means that his body responded to Al-Rashid, Commander of the Faithful, to Nicephorus, the Roman dog ... bill on allocating KD3 billion to sup- the coronavirus crisis, pointing out all vaccination, then we check if we reached a The source affirmed the minister is they need is around KD400 million to I have read your letter. You won’t hear, but you will see my response.” performing his duties remotely while in port traders implies that it cares only certain number which means the person has Will the leaders of the Justice and Development Party remember that KD500 million. quarantine. about the interests of big businessmen immunity bearing in mind that this number the Ottomans came from Central Asia to escape from the Mongols, and He also stressed the importance of varies from one person to another. Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi, earlier, and neglect the owners of small and providing support to ordinary citizens expanded until they became a large sultanate, but their star faded away medium enterprises (SMEs). when the sultans miscalculated, especially when it came to their relation- received the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister who have no businesses and suffered Instant and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Meanwhile, Chairman of the par- a lot because of the increasing prices. ship with the Arabs, their neighbors and Muslims? liamentary Health Social and La- She said diagnostic tests are instant to Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al-Moham- Meanwhile, constitutional ex- determine whether the person has COV- Email: [email protected] mad Al-Sabah in Islamabad on Friday. bor Affairs Committee MP Saad pert Dr Muhammad Al-Muqatei Al-Khanfour called on the Ministry ID-19 or not, but the antibodies test give Follow me on: The officials discussed the two said there are two options to ad- the result after a time period and this is an of Health to exempt citizens who countries’ close, historical bilateral dress the issue on the parliamentary indication that the person had COVID-19 relations, and means to develop these received two doses of coronavirus membership of former MP Badr Al- recently. multi-faceted ties into a strategic part- vaccine from institutional quarantine Dahoum. Altawala said the vaccine is safe and [email protected] nership, along with several issues of when they arrive to Kuwait. Highlighting the fact that it is im- does not cause any dangerous symptoms, mutual concern. He said this procedure is already possible to execute the verdicts issued and what some people feel is the result of Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian adopted by a number of countries, by the Cassation and Constitutional the body’s response to vaccination, add- Affairs Ali Al-Saeed, Kuwait’s Ambas- pointing out this will encourage more courts as they are contradictory, he ing that the vaccine is part of the virus sador to Pakistan Nassar Al-Mutairi, citizens to get vaccinated. He asked suggested submission of a request to not the virus itself and it is not possible to Newswatch Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for for increasing the number of centers the Court of Cassation to issue a de- cause COVID-19. the Foreign Minister’s Office Ahmed Al- allocated for vaccinating citizens and cision to implement its verdict which She said the role of antibodies becomes Shuraim and a number of senior Foreign these centers should operate 24/7 in qualified Al-Dahoum to stand for the very important under the current circum- Ministry officials also attended the talks. order to achieve the targeted number 2020 parliamentary elections. stances following the virus variants be- KUWAIT CITY: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Pakistan and Kuwait on Thursday of vaccinated individuals as fast as He revealed the other solution is cause they give an idea about the patient’s Affairs Engr Farid Emadi says Kuwait has not yet received any special expressed their desire to promote eco- possible. for the Parliament to choose between current condition. She said that the vac- instructions or any new arrangements regarding the Hajj season from nomic relations with each other during He requested for adopting the ex- the two verdicts since they were is- cination does not allow one to leave the the Saudi authorities except that those who want to perform Hajj must the visit of Kuwaiti Foreign Minister to perience of some countries in the sued by different courts on the same precautionary measures. take the COVID-19 vaccination, reports Al-Rai daily. issuance of ‘health passports’ to citi- case. In a press statement issued on the sidelines of the opening of the Pakistan. She said that test equipment are avail- Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf Mosque in Jahra, Engr Emadi affi rmed that able in Kuwait and are highly advanced those working in arranging the Hajj affairs are also required to be vac- adding that the antibodies test will be cinated. implemented at the health ministry soon. ❑ ❑ ❑ Quartet to hold The Ministry of Health recently de- cided to open corona vaccination centers KUWAIT CITY: As the current academic year 2020/2021 approaches from Saturday to Thursday in a bid to vac- its end, about 2,000 teachers are still stranded in their countries waiting naval exercise cinate the largest number of people who for a decision to either settle their dues or termination of their services. registered on the vaccination platform, In this context, the Al-Jarida daily has learned from its sources that DUBAI, March 21, (AP): The U.S. Navy reports Al-Anba daily quoting sources. 1,400 stranded teachers are those who left the country during the mid- said Sunday it will hold a major naval In addition, the ministry intends to in- year vacation (expatriate and Gulf teachers) who were unable to begin exercise alongside Belgium, France and crease the number of vaccination centers work at the start of the second semester because the entry ports re- Japan in the Mideast amid tensions over mained shut to the outside world with the exceptions of Kuwaitis to in health districts with the aim of expand- prevent the virus spreading in the country. Iran’s nuclear program in the region. ing the vaccination campaign against CO- ❑ ❑ ❑ The Group Arabian Sea Warfare Exer- VID-19. cise will see ships from the four countries Sources stated that the increase ranges TEHRAN: An explosion Sunday killed one person and wounded three conduct drills in the Arabian Sea and the from four to seven health centers in order others in the restive southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Bal- Gulf of Oman. Ships involved include the to vaccinate the biggest number of citi- uchistan, state TV reported, as details about the incident remained French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, zens, expatriates and Bedouns. scarce. as well as the amphibious assault ship Along with the plan to increase the num- The TV report described the explosion that struck a public square USS Makin Island. ber of vaccination centers, the ministry is in the city of Saravan as a “blind terrorist act” that killed a pedes- The Belgian frigate HNLMS Leopold I waiting for the second shipment of Astra- trian. It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the apparent at- and the Japanese destroyer JS Ariake also Zeneca vaccine which is scheduled to ar- tack. (AP) will take part, as well as aircraft from the In this March 19, 2021, handout photo from the US Navy, the deck of the rive at the end of this month to reinforce four nations. amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island is seen in the Arabian Sea. (AP) the vaccination centers, sources added. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 2

Weather Expected weather for the next south easterly wind with speeds Jahra 30 15 Prayer Timings 24 hours: of 06-28 km/h and some scat- Failaka Island - - Fajr ...... 04:32 Asr ...... 15:23 By Day: Rather hot with light tered clouds will appear. Salmiyah 26 19 Sunrise .. 05:51 Maghrib .. 18:00 variable wind and speeds of 06- Station Max Exp Min Rec Ahmadi 26 19 Zohr ...... 11:55 Isha ...... 19:17 22 km/h. Kuwait City 30 18 Nuwaisib 28 14 By Night: Rather cold with light Kuwait Airport 30 12 Wafra 30 15 variable wind to light to moderate Abdaly 29 12 Salmy 27 13

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

Photos by Mahmoud Jadeed People in Kuwait have started preparing themselves as the holy month of Ramadan is fast approaching. Dates, apricot juice and other drinks are the main staples used at ‘Iftar’ time. Markets have stocked up on foodstuff to meet the needs of the citizens and residents. KFH gains 4 fi ls, NAPESCO dips ‘Join forces to protect environment’ Kuwait winds up in green

US envoy visits natural reserve turf after volatile session KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Kuwait stocks By Shawqi Mahmoud crept marginally higher on Sunday follow- ■ UUS$/KDS$/KD 0.30190/000.30190/00 Med services level raised Al-Seyassah Staff ing last week’s upbeat performance. The All Shares Index ticked 2.50 points higher ▲ Euro/KD 0.3618 KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Last Thurs- in volatile session to 5,805.32 pts even as day, the US Ambassador to Kuwait, Alina the overall mood remained mixed. ▲ Yen/KD 0.0028 Dr Manal chosen AOA ambassador The Premier Market inched 1.61 points Romanowski, visited the Abdali Nature Re- up to 6,366.60 pts taking the month’s gains ▼ British £/KD 0.4201 KUWAIT CITY, March 21: One of the els in the United serve, run by the Kuwait Oil Company, and to 209 points while Main Market added was received by Director of the Public Rela- 4.68 pts. The BK Main 50 rose 3.91 points ▲ Indian Rs/KD 0.0042 most skilled orthodontists at the ‘Daz- States of America. to 4868.30 pts. The volume turnover zle Dental Center’ and member of the The AOA is the tions and Media Group at the Kuwait Oil meanwhile saw a small pullback following ■ Philippines Peso/KD 0.0062 faculty at Kuwait University Dr Ma- largest and oldest Company, Muhammad Al-Basri, as part of Thursday’s surge. Over 251 million shares nal Abu El-Melh has been chosen by professional asso- a broader effort by the United States to co- changed hands – down 9 pct from the previ- the American Orthodontic Association ciation in the fi eld ous session. ▼ FTSE -70.97 pts at closing March 19 (AOA) as the Society’s ambassador to operate with countries around the world in The sectors closed mixed. Technology of orthodontics in addressing various environmental and cli- outshone the rest with 2.32 percent gain the State of Kuwait for 2020-2021. ▼ Nikkei She was nominated because of her the world, which mate change issues. whereas Consumer Services shed 1.96 pct, -424.70 pts at closing March 19 competence and ability to manage and was founded in “The United States is cooperating with partners the worst performer of the day. Volume 1900 and boasts of wise, Financial Services topped with 109.7 organize medical courses and confer- Dr Manal around the world in asking ‘How can we all do more ▼ Gold 1734.10 per oz (London) more than 19,000 million shares while Banking sector domi- ences and raising the level of medical on real threats to climate change and I look forward to nated the value with KD 19.9 mln. services especially in the area of or- affi liated dentists specializing in ortho- working with more environmental agencies in Kuwait In the individual shares, sector bell- ▼ NYMEX crude $61.42 per barrel thodontics, to match the advanced lev- dontics. in areas of mutual interest,” Ambassador Romanowski wether National Bank of Kuwait slipped 6 said in a press statement after the visit. fi ls to 867 fi ls snapping last week’s win- ▼ Brent crude $64.51 per barrel Director of the Public Relations and Media Group at Ku- ning spree and the counter saw 4.2 mil- wait Oil Company, Muhammad Al-Basiri, welcomed Am- lion shares change hands whereas Kuwait LIBOR rate 0.19688% Corpse found fl oating in Doha sea bassador Romanowski, and stressed in a statement, “The Finance House scaled 4 fi ls to close at 761 company is making all possible efforts to preserve the envi- fi ls. KIPCO dialed down 2 fi ls and National By Munif Nayef the site and referred the corpse to Foren- ronment in Kuwait, efforts that have been going on for dec- Investment Co eased 1 fi l to 169 fi ls. Maba- next. Aqar Real Estate slid 8.68 pct, the steep- Al-Seyassah Staff sics to identify the victim. ades and have been strengthened recently thanks to many nee Co dropped 10 fi ls to 720 fi ls. est decliner of the day and Manazel topped the No more details are available. partnerships which we have entered into, most notably the Zain dialed up 2 fl s on back of 4.6 mil- volume with over 38 million shares. lion shares whereas Ooredoo gave up 3 fi ls. KUWAIT CITY, March 21: The marine ❑ ❑ ❑ global partnership with the World Bank. Mirroring the day’s tame fi nish, the mar- “The reserve is located 50 kilometers west of Kuwait stc sprinted 7 fi ls to 907 fi ls and logistics rescue teams from the fi re-fi ghting force Violator escapes: An unidentifi ed per- major Agility galloped 15 fi ls to 715 fi ls. ket spread was nearly even. 55 stocks ad- recovered the remains of an unidentifi ed City, and it aims to preserve the original ecosystem of Ku- vance whereas 56 closed lower. Of the 135 son allegedly escaped after abandoning wait and restore life and the biodiversity of the desert,” he Humansoft Holding dived 23 fi ls to KD person seen fl oating in the sea opposite 3.731 whereas Boursa Kuwait Securities counters active on Sunday, 24 closed fl at. his vehicle at a checkpoint on the Riyadh added. 9,140 deals worth KD 42.2 million were Doha. Road when he was stopped for violating was up 7 fi ls at KD 1.140. NAPSECO During her tour, Ambassador Romanowski was intro- slid 24 fi ls to 905 fi ls and Shuiba Industrial transacted during the session. According to a security source, when the partial ban, reports Al-Seyassah daily. duced to the environmental protection efforts in the reserve. In the banking sector, Gulf Bank fell 3 the Operations Room of the Ministry of jumped 20 fi ls. Mezzan Holding was down According to securitymen the vehicle He added, “The Abdaliya Nature Reserve is one of sev- 14 fi ls at 570 fi ls. fi ls to 220 fi ls after pushing 12.9 million Interior received a report personnel from the suspect was driving may have been eral reserves managed by the Kuwait Oil Company to sup- National Industries Group was un- shares whereas International Bank and the Shuwaikh Marine Center rushed to reported stolen. port environmental sustainability, and the US embassy will changed at 193 fi ls whereas Gulf Cable Boubyan Bank held ground at 200 fi ls and continue to support Kuwait in these endeavors by sharing gave up 4 fi ls. Boubyan Petrochemical Co 604 fi ls respectively. Burgan Bank eased 1 American experiences and best practices in environmental darted 7 fi ls to 827 fi ls and Al Qurain Pet- fi ls to 222 fi ls and Warba Bank closed 3 fi ls policy, sustainability, climate change, and more.” rochemical Co dropped 7 fi ls. Jazeera Air- in red. Ahli United Bank BSC dialed up 2 Al-Basiri thanked Ambassador Romanowski for the ways inched 1 fi l higher to 681 fi ls whereas fi ls and Ahli United Bank Kuwiat followed constant support of all initiatives that are benefi cial for the ALAFCO paused at 206 fi ls. Integrated suit. Commercial Bank was fl at at 500 fi ls benefi t of Kuwait and its society, stressing that they share Holding Co and Aznour stood pat at 405 and Al Ahli Bank tripped 1 fi l. together the same goal of combating climate change. fi ls and 257 fi ls respectively. Kuwait Investment Co and Noor Finan- It is reported that earlier this year, Ambassador Ro- The market opened fi rm and pulled high- cial Investment took in 1 fi l each whereas manowski, along with the Director of the Environment er in early trade. The main index scaled the Tamdeen Investment eased 1 fi l to 216 fi ls. Public Authority Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad, visited the day’s highest level of 5,811 points and re- Al Ahleia Insurance Co jumped 25 fi ls to Jahra Nature Reserve. Last September, she also partici- treated as selling weighed on some of the 498 fi ls whereas Kuwait Reinsurance Co pated in the International Clean-Up Day sponsored by the counters. It bottomed at 5,792 points ahead shed 18 fi ls. Nuer Initiative in the Jahra Reserve. of the mid-session and clawed back thereaf- The market was upbeat during the pre- ter in choppy session to close in the posi- vious week. The main index closed higher tive territory. in all fi ve sessions rallying 66 points week- Top gainer of the day, Shuaiba Industrial on-week. It has galloped 150 points from Kuwait launches 1st Mobile soared 13.25 percent to 171 fi ls while Sanam the start of the month and is up 233 points Real Estate sprinted 10.88 percent to stand year-to-date.

KFSD photo ‘Virtual Network Operator’ The vehicle of Al-Enezi goes up in fl ames after hitting the lamppost. Caretaker with child KUWAIT CITY, March 21, (KUNA): Kuwait’s Communica- Co-op head dies in accident tion and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CIT- RA) announced Sunday the launching of the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). Toddler dies in bucket of water By Munaif Nayef overturned on the Al-Atal Road. The license for the fi rst virtual operator, aimed at attracting Police and paramedics rushed to the Al-Seyassah Staff foreign investors, to be run by Virgin Mobile Middle East and By Munaif Nayef referred to Forensics. site and found a Kuwaiti in his forties had Africa (VMMEA) and Kuwait Telecom Company (stc), the The weekend traumatic traffi c accident died and 4 of his children were severely ❑ ❑ ❑ authority said in a statement to KUNA, adding that this step Al-Seyassah Staff resulted in the death of the head of injured. The children were rushed to a Salaries by April 8 : The Ministry of Fi- Al-Naeem Cooperative Society, Sami hospital by air ambulance to the Jahra will boost competition in Kuwait’s market. It will also provide multiple new services in Kuwait with KUWAIT CITY, March 21: A two-year- nance in an exclusive statement to Al-Anba Bustan Al-Enezi, in addition to another Hospital, while the father’s body was old Kuwaiti girl died in a bucket of water Kuwaiti and caused injury to others in taken to the Forensic medicine. competitive prices, as well as provide job opportunities for daily said the Public Institute for Social both citizens and expats, CITRA noted. in her home in Al-Adan, when she was with Security (PIFSS) will deposit the salaries two separate accidents in Abdali and Al- Another accident was a collision with her Ethiopian care taker. Atal roads. a light pole, which resulted in the vehi- The license does not rely on infrastructure but rather on di- of retirees and pensioners in their accounts When the Operations Room of the cle catching fi re. The accident caused rect contract with a licensed telecommunications company in According to a security source, the father by April 8, 2021 before the holy month of Ministry of Interior received a report on the death of Al-Enezi. Kuwait, to buy its services as a whole and resell them to indi- rushed the girl to the Adan clinic but she Ramadan. the incidents police and paramedics The cause of both accidents is not viduals, it said. CITRA was established in 2014 and is tasked was declared dead upon arrival. PIFSS indicated paying salaries ahead rushed to the spot and discovered in known. His remains have been referred with supervising the communications fi eld, protect clients Police are investigating the death, but in of time comes to make it easier for retirees one of the accidents a four-wheel had to Forensics department. rights and organize networks. the meantime the child’s corpse has been during the month of the holy month. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 LOCAL 3 REMEMBER WHEN

Music and songs One of old Kuwait’s famous lute the desert played rababah and sang players and singers is pictured here in their tents. The sailors of Ku- entertaining his fellow mariners at wait also had special songs and the Photograph courtesy one of the ports on the East African rhythm was intricate and beautiful. of The Center for Re- coast. The ship captain would try Some sea captains took a lute player search and Studies on anything to persuade him to join his and singer on board to soothe the ship. spirits of the sailors. Such a player Kuwait and the work Elements of music and folklore held a special place on Kuwait’s of Dr Yacoub Al- existed as part of the culture of old sailing ships and was paid a hand- Kuwait. Ladies sang and danced in some fee for his talent. (From the Hijji in the book Old- wedding ceremonies. Men played book ‘Old Kuwait: Memories in Kuwait: Memories the lute and danced, and bedouins of Photographs’) in Photographs fi rst Courtesy of The Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait published in 1996.

© N.M.M. diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION Of statements and bubbles ... What’s at stake for citizens in future? “If the situation reached this point” is a headline of a report published by the the approval of the value added tax on goods, and the increase in the prices of this way of drinking provoke forbidden instincts and desires? Al-Qabas on Tuesday 3/9/2021 that says: ‘Rise in oil prices secures salaries’. subsidized materials, such as electricity, water and gasoline and the suspension “The Ministry of Commerce invoked decisions and regulations that I doubt This and an exciting paragraph in its content and significance, and at the begin- of food subsidies, and other measures.” apply to the practice of the owner of the cafe, but the inks of the ministry that ning we say: What is our credibility with the citizen in investments and depos- rushed to close down the shop also invoked customs and traditions! its and we are an oil producing country with a reputation for giving aid to Also: “Let these customs and traditions go to hell as long as they remain silent and hide foreign countries through the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development and as “Suddenly, the responsible authorities have discovered that there are insuf- under the carpets of thieves, bribes, favoritism, and tailoring laws on the scale of ‘breast- a donor country to others in every international economic crisis,” columnist Dr ficient public toilets in the streets, markets, beaches and parks, it has been feeding’ a grown up, who have dried the state udder for long decades. It has emerged Saud Al-Asfour wrote for Al-Qabas daily. discovered that the existing ones were in a deplorable state and were closed to today to flex its muscles on a simple cafe owner. Once again, the turn comes to the “Since when did the inability to pay salaries become associated with the prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The news indicated that there are Ministry of Interior to prevent a woman swimming in the sea in ‘swimsuit’ or ‘shorts’. increase in oil prices, while its prices had previously several agencies, several departments, and several documentary cycles that the “There is a rule that does not change in the countries of oppression. It is that the declined to as low as nine dollars? Is the state treasury new project must pass through for modernization or for the construction of new authority is always haggling in a form of hypocrisy with the conservative currents empty, so that this rise becomes a solution to this imme- toilets,” columnist Dr Naji Al-Zaid wrote for Al-Jarida daily. in order to give it a lost constitutional and legal legitimacy, which seeks to compen- diate dilemma? “Of course, all of this is beautiful and acceptable and covers a tangible defi- sate for its lack of this legitimacy at the expense of freedoms and human rights. “I think that one may say that there are assets invest- ciency, but what intrigued me was the presence of the following paragraph “Our land is teeming with hypocrisy, and now ‘bankruptcy’. Congratulations ed, and there is no cash, and we say: When was the state ‘The municipality will not stop there. Rather, it will request the establishment to you for the huge civilization of malls, luxury cars, the tallest architecture and looking to monetize these assets to run the wheel of its of smart toilets in all governorates, which will be under the supervision of the the faintest minds. Prior to today’s physical bankruptcy, we were content with projects, so as to be even unable to pay the salaries of Municipality, and a special tender will be floated to build them’, etc., etc. etc. drinking from the bankruptcy of human civilization.” state employees? “I do not know what is meant by ‘smart toilets’. Will they be so smart to the ❑ ❑ ❑ “If what is said is correct, the indications and concerns point of automatically sucking the discharge of the human body, and then are many, including corruption has reached a level that washing and sterilizing the entire body and draining it smartly and after that “The State’s prestige depends on the stability of public order and its integ- cannot be tolerated, and is threatening people with their would wash the toilet and sterilize it completely? rity as a political entity, in which lives are secured, symptoms are prevented livelihoods and that many employees may escape from Dr Saud Al-Asfour “In Europe there are chambers made of iron and aluminum. The doors open and funds are protected. When prestige declines, chaos fear and panic will the government sector to the private sector that has a automatically by inserting a coin, and the user can lock the chamber from prevail. God Almighty rewarded us in this regard. Whoever lived the Saddami precedent in expelling many sector employees after it failed to pay their salaries. inside, and after completion, the toilet automatically push flush button and 1990 invasion from the inside knows the value of these words!” columnist Dr “If it is true, what is the fate of the infrastructure projects, the first of which produces ultraviolet rays for sterilization. Abdulhadi Al-Saleh wrote for Al-Anba daily. is the asphalting of the damaged roads, the state’s housing projects, and others? “If that is what is intended by Kuwait (smart toilets) please reconsider their “We were afraid of the collapse of the health institution due to the corona pan- “If this is the case, do we have the need after today of expatriates in any establishment because it did not succeed as an idea there, and its problems are demic, then we were surprised by the fear of the collapse of our political institutions! government facility as long as we do not have the financial solvency to pay the more than useful and there they do not describe them as smart toilets because “Today, democracy is being slaughtered in the name of reform, killing free- salaries of state employees, both Kuwaitis and expatriates? intelligence and stupidity are not related to human waste.” doms in the name of law while political passion plagues justice! People have “We are now afraid that we have fallen in the ranks of the non oil-producing ❑ ❑ ❑ forgotten the welfare country. Now, they just want to defuse the government countries, we started chanting from time to time that we are not able to provide and the National Assembly. safety for government employees, and this in turn may lead to the emigration “If a number of religious scholars of distress can issue a fatwa to permit breast- “Both authorities bear the responsibility to preserve this prestige: the gov- of Kuwaitis to the Gulf countries that have never uttered the same as we have feeding for adult colleagues, then why do they go against young and bored people ernment is seriously purifying the country from corruption and the country can done in our official media and institutions. who were seen drinking coffee and juice from a baby bottle? Why kill this mar- no longer tolerate politeness to get out of the old tunnel in dealing with freedom “I sincerely hope that these statements are not true and that they are only keting strategy?”, columnist Hassan Al-Essa wrote for Aljarida daily. of opinion to the vastness of disciplined space!” bubbles launched by the media to draw attention to the fact that the state will “Are there any provisions in the law that specify the way to drink ‘halal’ issue a series of economic measures that affect the citizen’s pocket, including beverages in a coffee shop in terms of whether it is from a cup or a bottle? Does — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli

Other Voices 26pc rise in Nazaha budget Words from the heart and reason Anti-corruption role lauded By Ahmad alsarraf deep-rooted tribalism, deep sectarianism, and wide KUWAIT CITY, March 21: fragmentation, this is the reality in which we live today. The Budgets and Final hese are words coming from the heart through We are not a Scandinavian country but a society deeply Accounts Committee dis- ‘Govt bodies work to fight pandemic’ reason, they come in difficult circumstances and cussed the draft budget of the T underdeveloped politically and socially and completely KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Representative ters at the disposal of the Civil Defense they are the result of long life experiences which unqualified even to dream of being like it. Public Authority for Comba- were mostly rich and enjoyable, during happy and ting Corruption (Nazaha) for of the Ministry of Social Affairs in the Civil Department to be used for any purpose it From this point of view, it is necessary to repeat fiscal (2021/2022) and also Defense Committee and Director of the deems appropriate during the partial curfew funny times with beautiful and bright colors, and the fact that any alternative political system that others very black and all my dreams would not have viewed the statements of the Juvenile Welfare Department Dr Jassem hours. He stressed that this is the first step some people demand or wish to be a substitute for final account for two fiscal Al-Kandari said the ministry has handed and more halls will be allocated for the civil come true had I not been in this country with respect ours will often not be better than the current one, and and dignity and this dignity would not have been years ending (2018/2019) and over six halls to the General Administration defense if necessary. this is due to a defect in the basic structure of society (2019/2020) issued by the of Civil Defense in the Ministry of Interior, On vaccinating the inmates in the Juvenile achieved without a political reports Al-Anba daily. Department, Al-Kandari explained the regime that made an effort not that our system distinguished from others. Audit Bureau and the Financial It is certain that what will come will be either simi- Supervisory Authority, reports In a statement to the daily, Al-Kandari inmates are below 18 years old and are not to protect me and this entity affirmed that he ensured cooperation currently included in the categories for vac- as best it could do. lar to the current situation, or often something much Al-Seyassah daily. worse than itis, and this is what has been proven by all The head of the commit- between all government agencies in light of cination. He said the department is keen on Like many others, for the exceptional health conditions. He dis- taking preventive measures; especially more than half a century, I the political changes that have taken place in the tee, MP Badr Al-Mulla, said region over the past century, which resulted in the fall in a press statement the closed the ministry decided to put one hall maintaining personal hygiene, social dis- have been keen to avoid in each of the community development cen- tancing and periodical sterilization. entering into deep friend- of backward dictatorial regimes and other similar authority’s expenditures in solutions that have their place, and the second was in the new year’s budget is 10 ships or commercial deal- million dinars, an increase of ings with members of the the general majority is worse than the first. Our system is not angelic, but it is also not without 26% of what it actually spent Al-Sabah family for well- during the last two fiscal known reasons, with three flaws. When I see and contemplate – like any alsarraf observer – the faces, backgrounds, trends, and ideas years and the committee dis- beautiful exceptions except- cussed the possibility of ed by time, in which knowl- of the majority of those who represent the movement reducing those estimates in edge exceeded decades. Also, my idea was and still or the popular opposition which demands the dis- line with the current situation is positive about the majority of those I know or missal of this president or step down of someone of the continuation of the have heard of. else, I remember the Kuwaiti wisdom: ‘Control your pandemic and the limited I am neither pro-government nor a government crazy’ with all respect for those involved! spending on some items, loyalist. The government does not need me nor do I My opinion may not mean anything, but I am including those related to need the government. Therefore, I say my opinion is confident that it coincides with the opinion of the official tasks, training, and completely impartial, and I think that only a few do civil and non-sectarian majority, which does not holding exhibitions and con- not agree with me that the ruling system in any coun- want the regime but one thing, which is for the law ferences, similar to what hap- try cannot be ideal, and therefore it is prone, as a to be applied to everyone, without any exceptions. pened during the approval of political system that controls the fate of millions, to The application of the law means no mediation in the previous budget for the commit fatal mistakes, waste enormous fortunes, the appointments; its application means that mem- fiscal (2020/2021. manipulate the nationality of the country. bers of the ruling family and ministers do not enjoy He explained the commit- We also find that even the governments of special provisions; its application means the provi- tee discussed the role and advanced democracies have never been immune to sion of distinctive education for all; its application endeavors of the Nazaha in making decisions that have caused them to engage in means stopping financial waste and holding the combating corruption, ward- futile wars in which hundreds of thousands of their thieves accountable, whoever they are; its applica- ing off its dangers and effects, citizens perished and doubled the number of dis- pursuing its perpetrators and tion means preserving the dignity of the citizen and protecting state agencies abled people and trillions of dollars lost. resident; application of the law means there is only from various aspects of cor- Compare them to our situation and our system one Amir, His Highness; its application means loy- ruption, and the committee which is better than others taking into account that alty is to the homeland only and not to any tribe or expressed its readiness to we are a Third World country, and therefore it is sectarian reference. adopt any legislative amend- unfair to say that our situation would be better if the By applying the law on everyone, with one ruler, ments that would advance the regime changed. or something very close to that, Kuwait will return to rank of the Kuwait globally The backward society cannot easily, especially with- its golden era. and in the Arab world in the in one or two generations, change to another better ❑ ❑ ❑ Corruption Perceptions system especially if the society is characterized by Index, which is measured by e-mail: [email protected] the Transparency Interna- tional. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 LOCAL 4 Vital to provide unconditional cash grants to sectors of society: report

Move aims at reviving weak private sector

The article said the comprehensive basic income initiatives, which are Al-Jarida photo KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Kuwait, which relies heavily Traffic on the Sixth Ring Road where the maintenance works is being on public sector wages and energy subsidies, must make intended to provide governments with regular and unconditional cash carried out. radical changes like the provision of unconditional cash grants to segments of society, have reverberated frequently in recent grants to sectors of society if it intends to revive its weak years in countries such as Kenya, Brazil, Iran and Finland; while interest GTD cautions motorists using ‘6th Ring Road’ private sector, reports Al-Rai daily quoting an article pub- in these plans is now increasing in the Arab Gulf region. Directorate-General of Public the completion of maintenance lished by The Banker Magazine recently. The article pointed out that at fi rst glance, the idea of unconditional cash Relations and Security Media work to avoid traffic jams, re- grants may seem strange in the con- Department of the Interior Min- ports Al-Jarida daily. text of oil-rich countries such as Ku- istry has called on motorists us- For its part, the General Traf- wait; but the promotion of compre- ing the Sixth Ring Road (Jassem fic Department announced that hensive income initiatives has started Al-Kharafi Road) to respect the trucks are forbidden from taking speed limits and traffic warn- the Sixth Ring Road from the King to increase as a tool for improving the ing signs, and take alternative Abdulaziz Road to King Faisal unequal and ineffective distribution of routes as much as possible until Road in both directions. the revenues of oil states among Gulf citizens, with the positive consequenc- es of that for the macro economy, the private sector and the environment. A professor of international devel- opment at Georgetown University and former chief economist at the World Bank Shanta Devarajan commented on this, stating that the Kuwaiti oil revenues are distributed to Kuwaitis in two ways, which are completely ineffective. Hinder Devarajan revealed “the fi rst meth- od is through high-paying jobs in the public sector, which are very huge and not productive jobs that hinder the growth of the private sector; while the second is through fuel subsidy, which Photo by Rizk Taufiq is ineffective as it creates incentives Lt. Gen. Al-Mukrad receiving Dr. Amira Al-Hassan and Qusay Al-Duaij. for excessive fuel and electricity con- sumption.” DGFD chief discusses joint co-op with UN Settlements Program The article added that public sec- tor wages and energy and utility The Chief of the the Directorate- gram and exchanged views, infor- The meeting was attended by subsidies represent about 70 per- cent of annual government spend- General of Fire Department mation and experiences between the head of the Operations Center, Online interactive session with Gopika Varma being held. (DGFD) Lieutenant-General Khaled the two parties to enhance the work Lieutenant Colonel Dr Meshari Al- ing in Kuwait, while the exorbitant Al-Mukrad, received in his office Dr that contributes to the continuity of Fares and the office officer of the salaries paid to government sector Amira Al-Hassan and Qusay Al- work in the most difficult circum- Chief of the General Fire Force, employees are a strong disincentive Ms Varma lights ceremonial lamp Duaij of the UN Settlements Pro- stances, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Major Muhammad Al-Ajmi. factor for Kuwaitis to work in the private sector, which is dominated ‘Majority of infected Kuwaitis are young adults, adolescents’ by expatriates from the South and NAFO, Kuwait inaugurates East Asia to a large extent. While the number of Kuwaitis Number of corona cases continues to increase working in the public sector increased its online Kalolsavam 2021 by 4.5 percent annually from 2014 to KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Na- KUWAIT CITY, March 21: The since March 7 - the fi rst day of partial waitis infected with corona are young 2019, the number of workers in the number of people infected with curfew - reached 14,245 in addition adults and adolescents, pointing out private sector declined by 0.3 percent tional Forum (NAFO) Kuwait, a coronavirus continues to increase to 74 deaths and 51 intensive care these segments are the ones who un- annually during the same period. leading non-profi t, socio-cultural although more than 10 days have unit (ICU) cases. derestimate the disease. Although Kuwait’s large oil wealth organization in the country, re- passed since the government decided Sources revealed that the infections Authorities continue to monitor and its relatively small population cently held the inauguration cer- to impose partial curfew in a bid to among Kuwaitis have increased sig- banquets, weddings and gatherings in indicate that fi nancial reform is less emony for its Online Kalolsavam curb the spread of the virus, reports nifi cantly - about 67 percent of the total offi ces. urgent than Saudi Arabia, Oman and 2021. Al-Qabas daily. number of cases; while non-Kuwaitis Meanwhile, the offi cials confi rmed Bahrain; its changing global oil con- The ceremony commenced with According to health offi cials; the constitute the remaining 33 percent. that 445,000 citizens have been vac- sumption patterns have made fi nancial the prayer by Nivedita Anil Kumar. number of new corona cases recorded Sources said majority of the Ku- cinated against corona. reform more urgent. The inauguration of the online cul- Even if the International Monetary tural competition schematized by Fund (IMF) and other international the association was presided over development agencies have called by NAFO President C.P. Rajiv for cutting subsidies and public sec- Menon. Renowned Mohiniyattam tor salaries for decades, there has dancer Gopika Varma, a member been minimal progress due to ongoing of the Travancore Royal family in confrontations between the govern- the Indian state of Kerala, inaugu- ment and concerns about the impact rated the function by lighting the of these reforms on Kuwaiti citizens. traditional ceremonial lamp from Gopika Varma Given the enormous size of the wage her residence in Kowdiar Palace in gap between Kuwaitis and expatriates, Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of program and then handed the reducing these differences is risky. Kerala State. floor to Bhavana Menon, the During its consultations with Ku- The main attraction was the compere for the evening. Ad- wait in March 2020, the IMF urged online interactive session with visory Board member Rajeev the government to phase out subsidies Ms. Varma in which she shared G. Pillai delivered the felicita- in favor of targeted compensation her inspirational thoughts tion address and wished all par- schemes. and gave advice to upcom- ticipants the best of luck in the Meanwhile, Associate Professor of ing young dancers of NAFO competitions. Cultural program Comparative Politics at the London about Mohiniyattam, lifestyle convenor Unnikrishna Kurup School of Economics Steffen Hertog in Royal Palace of Travancore presented the highlights of said: “The idea of merely transform- and shared a few beautiful per- NAFO Kalotsavam 2021, and ing Kuwait into a free market econ- sonal moments with NAFO summarized the guidelines for omy cannot be politically or morally members. all competitions. He noted that defensible in which citizens do not Another highlight of the inau- the competitions would be con- have any special support while they gural ceremony was congratu- ducted in five categories with are pushed to compete with low-cost latory messages from Padmab- around 100 participants taking labor from the South of the Globe and hushan singer K. S. Chitra and part in the various competitions other places.” silver-screen actress Anjali Nair, that will be held from 18 to 21 “Instead, a balance must be struck who congratulated NAFO for the March. that enables citizens to become more efforts taken in holding an online NAFO Kids Nila Ajay, Nan- competitive in the labor market while Kalolsavam amidst the ongoing dakishore Girish entertained receiving an income that enables them COVID-19 crisis and the related the online spectators with their to enjoy a kind of middle-class life,” health and safety restrictions. melodious songs, which were he added. They conveyed their best wishes scripted by the NAFO Ladies Excluded to all participants in the kalolsa- Wing officials. Around 100 “The Gulf region has so far been vam. NAFO families participated in excluded from discussions of uni- NAFO General Secretary Vi- the online inauguration, and versal basic income, although in jayakumar Menon welcomed the program concluded with the many ways it is an ideal environ- the guests to the online inau- formal vote of thanks by Joint ment to experiment with such poli- guration of the Kalolsavam Treasurer Rajeev Nair. cies,” he asserted. “On one hand, they have enough ‘The least that homeland can offer’ money to implement universal basic income in a reasonably generous way, but on the other hand, the fi nancial trends are so dangerous that they re- PAAAFR supports naming public ally need to do something about fi nan- cial sustainability,” he explained. parks after martyrs, says official Hertog’s modeling suggests that re- moving subsidies on domestic energy KUWAIT CITY, March 21: The the mission and goals of the consumption can generate a monthly Director General of the Public Martyr’s Office to commemo- cash grant of $200 for every Kuwaiti Authority for Agricultural Affairs rate the heroism of Kuwaiti adult employed in the public sector, and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) martyrs, and to support their $700 for those outside the public sec- Sheikh Mohammed Al-Yousef immortalization by renaming tor and $230 for every child. affi rmed that the authority has no public parks after the martyrs He believes that separating govern- objection to renaming Kuwait’s of the regions. ment employment from wealth sharing public parks by the names of the He said, “We sought the full would give citizens stronger incentives martyrs of the regions, and sup- support of Sheikh Mohammed to search for skills related to the private port any activity that serves the Al-Yousef for this patriotic act sector, noting that ensuring basic income martyrs of Kuwait in honor of that commemorates the martyrs gives citizens autonomy in bearing the their heroism, reports Aljarida of Kuwait, and to deliver a mes- risks of entrepreneurship and making the daily. sage to all groups of Kuwaiti most of their talents. During his meeting with society about the heroism and He thinks the idea of ‘universal ba- the acting Director General of sacrifices made by their mar- sic income’ should be explained very the Martyr’s Office Salah Al- tyrs”. carefully, so that the benefi t of income Awfan, and the Comptroller Al-Awfan affi rmed that by is spread to all Kuwaiti families. “This of the Martyr’s Office Khalifa naming the gardens after the must be explained clearly, however, Al-Madhkur, Sheikh Moham- martyrs of the region, there will comprehensive basic income is an med Al-Yousef said, “This is be models bearing pictures and alternative to subsidizing energy and the least that the homeland can names, and the way they were employment in the public sector. It offer the martyrs”. martyred through a special bar- must be established constitutionally, Al-Awfan praised the role code for each martyr, so that the so that there is no temptation to en- played by PAAAFR under the people of the area can get to know gage in the new patronage policies directives of Sheikh Moham- the heroism and the reasons for beyond that,” he concluded. med Al-Yousef by facilitating their martyrdom. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 LOCAL 5

‘Allowing the matter to linger further could jeopardize any potential for progress’ India must help revive the Palestinian-Israeli peace process: Kuwait FM KUWAIT CITY, March 21: During despair in the region and among the Commission (JMC) was formed at the Dr Al-Sabah lauded India for stand- the visit of Sheikh (Dr.) Ahmed Nasser Palestinians. We are with the peace level of Foreign Ministers to strength- ing by Kuwait in its “darkest moments Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s process and the potential of reviving en further the relationship between and in our direst time”, including the Foreign Minister and Minister of State the peace process is very important to both countries. The JMC will act as an provision of medical assistance during for Cabinet Affairs to India at the invi- bring back hope for all those affected,” umbrella for all bilateral institutional the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic tation of India’s External Affairs Dr Nasser added. engagements such as Foreign Office last year. He singled out the “white Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar both sides Dr Al-Sabah described the Abraham Consultations and Joint Working army of Indian nationals” – or nurses reviewed all aspects of India-Kuwait Accords signed by Israel and Gulf Groups. Apart from the existing Joint and doctors – who were combating bilateral relationship and discussed Cooperation Council (GCC) members Working Groups on hydrocarbons, Covid-19 alongside Kuwaitis. regional developments. They also such as Bahrain and the United Arab manpower and mobility, and health- “Even when there was a total lock- explored ways and means to impart Emirates (UAE) as sovereign deci- care, new JWGs on trade and invest- down in India, the Indian leadership further dynamism in the traditional sions by countries regarding the con- ments, defence and security etc are sent medical assistance to Kuwait and and friendly ties between the two duct of foreign relations. envisaged to be established. deployed a medical rapid response countries, according the Hindustan “Having said that, we think that the Both ministers also reviewed the lat- team to Kuwait last April to help in Times of India. peace process is very important, we est regional and international develop- testing and treating infected people. Both ministers also reviewed the lat- think that now it is the opportune time ments, and agreed to coordinate closely The 15-member team was sent at the est regional and international develop- to revive the peace process between on issues of mutual interest in multilat- request of the Kuwait government and ments, and agreed to coordinate closely the Palestinians and the Israelis. We eral forums. The two sides will also and this was very much appreciated,” on issues of mutual interest in multilat- think that if we leave the peace process jointly celebrate the 60th anniversary of he said. eral forums. The two sides will also India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar with Sheikh Dr Ahmed to linger even further it might jeopar- establishment of diplomatic relations In the meantime, India is eyeing jointly celebrate the 60th anniversary of Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister and Minister of dize any potential for it to see the light between them during 2021-22. further strengthening and deepening establishment of diplomatic relations State for Cabinet Affairs and accompanying delegation. of day,” he added. Dr. Nasser took the opportunity to ties in sectors such as energy, trade, between them during 2021-22. The talks between Dr Nasser and his thank the Government of India for healthcare, defence and security, sci- Dr. Nasser also handed over a letter Palestinian-Israeli peace process, and Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah has said. Indian counterpart mainly focused on supplying Kuwait with 200,000 doses ence and technology, IT, cybersecuri- from Kuwait’s Prime Minister HH added, Kuwait looks to India and the “And it (the Palestinian issue) needs institutionalizing the wide-ranging of ‘Made in India’ Covishield vaccines ty, culture, education and tourism Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad world community to help revive the the understanding and the support of cooperation between Kuwait and India in February 2021. Dr Jaishankar while at the same time calling for Al-Sabah addressed to Prime Minister peace process between Palestinians the whole international community, and creating a framework to help both expressed India’s continued support to Affairs Minister invited more invest- Narendra Modi. and Israelis as allowing the matter to including India. We think that this sides move forward in an objective the State of Kuwait in its fight against ments from Kuwait into India in During an interaction with a small linger further could jeopardize any issue has taken a long time and has manner in areas such as food security, Covid-19 pandemic. Both sides diverse sectors including energy, group of reporters, Dr Nasser said potential for progress, Kuwaiti Foreign produced a lot of bloodshed, violence energy, trade and investment. emphasized the need to enhance coop- infrastructure, food security, health- India should help revive the Minister Ahmed Nasser and tragedy, but most importantly, During the visit a Joint Ministerial eration in the area of health security. care and education. Cabinet’s committee urged to expedite industrial sector help ‘Accelerate pace of issuing entry visas, work permits’

KUWAIT CITY, March rent period, given the cur- workers who are necessary to nical workers and their inability to 21: High-level sources from rent conditions that facto- operate machinery and equipment return to Kuwait. Also, some factories in these factories. are not able to fulfill their obligations the industrial sector have ries are exposed to due to The sources explained that the slow- with government contracts and proj- called on the General their inability to recruit the down and delay in issuing entry visas ects, which have been in motion since required technical work- to industrial experts and technical the beginning of the COVID-19 pan- Secretariat of Cabinet’s workers needed by the factories have demic. COVID-19 emergency ers, reports Al-Anba daily. been causing great harm to the indus- Despite the attempts of the Public ministerial committee, In exclusive statements to the trial sector and in turn to the economy Authority for Manpower (PAM) to daily, the sources stressed that the of Kuwait. Therefore, it has become find solutions to this issue by opening which is responsible for slow pace of the committee’s work necessary to accelerate the pace of the door for transferring workers from approving the recruitment has caused major administrative issuing the entry visas and work per- one sector to another, these attempts of specialized technical and operational challenges for all mits more than before in order to avoid failed. This is because the market in local factories in the country, indi- the damages and problems that local Kuwait lacks a basis for specialized The Guest Show poster workers and issuing their factories are exposed to. technical workers. The workers who entry visas, about the need cating that this threatens the future The production lines in a number of were allowed to transfer were mostly and continuity of many of these factories have become threatened with involved in marginal employment that to accelerate the pace of factories, especially in light of the complete shutdown after the departure does not have a fundamental role in ‘Man on a mission’ their work during the cur- difficulty in recruiting technical of a large number of specialized tech- the local industrial sector. ‘The Guest Show’ welcomes Coalition intercepts drones south of Saudi HE Ambassador Sibi George Kuwait condemns Houthis’ criminal attack on Saudi oil refinery ext Thursday, The Guest Ambassador of India to KUWAIT CITY, March 21, (KUNA): NShow on Radio Kuwait wel- Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry on Friday comes its first male guest - HE the Holy See. deplored in the strongest terms the Sibi George, Ambassador of Ambassador Sibi George is a Houthi militias’ criminal assault with India. Ambassador Sibi George man on a mission. He took charge booby-trapped drones on oil refinery is a career diplomat who received at a tough time when the pandemic in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. the S K Singh Award for was raging, and thousands of In a statement, the Ministry said Excellence In Indian Foreign Indians were leaving Kuwait. He repeating and escalating those “terror- Service while serving as Deputy has been on an overdrive since ist” acts as well as the targeting of Chief of Mission in Riyadh. The with his active outreach both with civilians, and civil and vital areas are the community and the locals. On not only a threat to the security of the Middle East is close to the The Guest Show, he chats with Ambassador’s heart. One reason sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Chaitali B. Roy about his journey the region’s stability, but also a direct for this is his several postings in as a diplomat, the challenges of his threat to energy supplies and the glob- the region. He began his diplo- early days in Kuwait, the reforms al economy. matic career in Cairo, and served and initiatives he is undertaking to In addition, these acts are a direct in Qatar, Pakistan, Iran and streamline services and the critical challenge to international and humani- Saudi Arabia. His postings also collaboration between Kuwait and tarian laws that require a broader inter- include Washington DC. Before India in their fight against national condemnation and must be Kuwait, HE Sibi George was Coronavirus. halted, it added. The statement stressed that the State of Kuwait is fully standing with, and supporting of, Saudi Arabia in all mea- Kuwait insurance division issues sures taken to maintain its security, stability and sovereignty. The Cairo-based Arab League and regulations for organizing sector the Arab Parliament on Friday con- KUWAIT CITY, March 21, (KUNA): demned Houthi militias’ drone attack The Kuwaiti insurance regulation divi- on Saudi Aramco’s oil refinery in sion has issued Decision (1/2021) for Riyadh. organizing the sector. In a statement, the League stressed The unit head, Mohammad Al-Otaibi, that this assault clearly refers to the said in a statement, on Saturday, that agenda of Houthis and their supporters issuance of the regulations ushered a that is not only a threat to Saudi Arabia, but also to energy supplies, KUNA photo new phase with respect of supervision Heads of delegations at the 147 session of the GCC Ministerial Council held last week. and organization, indicating that the which are a main source of the global economy stability. rules could be revised in the future. attempts to disrupt global energy sup- threaten the Arab national security and ing status of the abandoned oil tanker He boasted that the regulations were Attacks plies by targeting Saudi infrastructure. seek to undermine stability in the Arab Safer in the Red Sea, urging the UN worked out although the division was The statement stressed the necessity “This behavior shows an utter lack states. to try again reach it and spare the established not a long time ago. for the international community to put of concern for safety of the civilian On the Syrian question, the council region a looming environmental The division operates in light of the further pressure on Houthis and their population, either working or living affirmed the GCC stances and unwav- catastrophe. vision of His Highness the Amir Mohammad Al-Otaibi supporters so as to halt those attacks, nearby the site,” she added. ering resolutions regarding the Syrian On Iraq, the GCC officials expressed Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber which seek to fuel situation and She stressed, “These attacks threat- crisis according to Geneva Principles support for efforts aimed at restoring Al-Sabah, calling for tangible achieve- impede serious attempts towards a en peace efforts at a critical moment (1), Security Council Resolution 2254, security and stability to the brotherly ments that meet citizens’ aspirations. peaceful solution. when the international community is expressing support for the fifth con- nation lauding efforts by the government Meanwhile, the unit deputy presi- Meanwhile, the Arab Parliament showing an increasingly united front vention for supporting future of Syria and the international coalition to deter dent, Abdullah Al-Senan, said the strongly deplored the “terrorist” and resolving the conflict in Yemen. and the region, due in Brussels on terrorist groups and armed militias. executive bylaws would be published assault, which is considered a “danger- “We call on all parties to seriously March 29-20. The council condemned recurring in the official Gazette (edition 1527) - ous escalation and a systematic matter commit to a ceasefire and engage in terrorist operations aimed at jeopardiz- incorporating 340 articles. as well as continued terrorist acts of negotiations under UN auspices, in Missions ing Iraq’s security and stability and The laws regulate issuance of per- the Houthi militias.” conjunction with US Special Envoy On Yemen, the ministers voiced snagging efforts for holding elections. mits, registration of companies, com- In a statement, the Parliament called Tim Lenderking,” she remarked. backing for missions by the UN and On Libya, the council applauded the mitments regarding required solvency, on world’s countries and organizations Earlier, Saudi energy ministry US envoys to halt the fighting and recent conciliation agreement that led investment policies, arbitration and to stand against those “terrorist” acts announced that an oil refinery in pave way for talks on the basis of the to the formation of a new government. penalties. that target security and energy sup- Riyadh has been attacked with drones, national dialogue conference and the (end) Al-Senan has added that the execu- plies. causing fire, which was controlled. Security Council Resolution 2216. Also: tive bylaw is posted on the division The Parliament affirmed its full The fire caused neither casualties The GCC council affirmed support official website: iru.gov.ku/ solidarity with Saudi Arabia in all nor impacts on oil supplies, the minis- for the Yemeni Government that began JEDDAH: The Arab coalition said bylaw//:https. Abdullah Al-Senan steps it takes to protect its institutions try noted. its tasks in the interim capital Aden on Saturday that it has intercepted and from any aggression and threats target- In other news, the GCC ministers December 30. destroyed an explosive drone launched ing its security and stability, it added. in their statement last week, noted the It sternly condemned attacks by the by the Houthi militia towards the city Earlier today, Saudi energy ministry GCC unwavering stances with respect Iran-backed Houthi militias on civil- of Khamis Mushait, south of Saudi News in Brief declared that an oil refinery in Riyadh of the relations with the Islamic ians and civilian targets and the refu- Arabia. has been attacked with drones, causing Republic of Iran, stressing on the gee camps in Maarib with ballistic The Houthi militia continues to fire, which was controlled. necessity that future negotiations with missiles and drones. Moreover, it launch drones and ballistic missiles The fire caused neither casualties Tehran must be in a single package, decried using refugees in Maarib as which is a violation of international Congratulatory messages: His Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah nor impacts on oil supplies, the minis- incorporating “Iran’s conducts that human shields. humanitarian law to target residential Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf also sent similar cables on the try noted. undermine security and stability in The council lauded the GCC finan- communities and threaten the lives of Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent occasion. Elsewhere, the US “strongly” con- the region, the world, its sponsorship cial contributions that accounted to 40 hundreds of civilians, the coalition a congratulatory cable Sunday to His Highness the Amir Sheikh demned on Friday the drone attacks of terrorism, its missile program percent of the pledges during Yemen’s spokesman Colonel Turki Al-Maliki President of Namibia Hage Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber against Saudi Aramco facilities in namely the Ballistic and Cruise mis- donors conference that was held on said in a statement. Geingob on his country’s National Al-Sabah also congratulated Riyadh, saying it remains “deeply con- siles, the drones, the nuclear program, March 1 to fund the UN relief scheme He added that the coalition forces Day. Tunisia on its Independence Day, cerned by the frequency of attacks on the safety of navigation in the Gulf,” for the war-haggard country in 2021, will take all necessary measures to His Highness the Deputy Amir in a letter addressed to its President Saudi Arabia.” noting the necessity that the GCC also hailing the humanitarian efforts protect civilians and their properties and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Kais Saied on Saturday. State Department principal deputy states must partake in such negotia- by King Salman Relief Program for These counter measures will target Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah His Highness the Amir wished spokesperson Jalina Porter told report- tions. Yemen’s reconstruction. terrorist militias, neutralize and and His Highness the Prime the president well, and his country, ers “we have seen that the Houthis The ministerial council denounced The GCC ministers condemned destroy their capabilities in accordance Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled progress and prosperity. (KUNA) claimed responsibility for these Iran’s continuing support for terrorist Houthis’ bids to hamper the mission with international humanitarian law, attacks,” condemning the Houthi’s militias and sectarian militias that of the UN team tasked with examin- he added. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 MIDEAST 6

Annulling Turkey’s ratifi cation of Istanbul Convention a blow to women’s rights advocates Turkey withdraws from landmark European treaty protecting women ISTANBUL, March 21, (AP): Turkey Some offi cials from Erdogan’s Is- has been completely repealed,” Dilan ing violence against women. “As women, we now think that the The justice minister wrote on Twitter withdrew from a landmark European lam-oriented party had advocated for a Akyuz, 30, who joined other women “We continue to protect our people’s withdrawal is a direct attack on wom- that while parliament approves treaties treaty protecting women from violence review of the agreement, arguing it is demonstrating in Istanbul. “We are honor, the family and our social fabric en’s rights and a direct attack on the which the executive branch puts into ef- that it was the fi rst country to sign 10 inconsistent with Turkey’s conserva- very angry today. We can no longer with determination,” Justice Minister rights of modern young women, in par- fect, the executive also has the authority years ago and which bears the name of tive values by encouraging divorce and bear even one death of a woman. We Abdulhamit Gul tweeted. ticular,” Ebru Batur, 21-year-old dem- to withdraw from them. Women law- its largest city. undermining the traditional family unit. do not have any tolerance for this.” Erdogan has repeatedly stressed the onstrator, said. “This of course makes makers from Turkey’s main opposition President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Critics also claim the treaty promotes Rights groups say violence against “holiness” of the family and called us feel insecure and like our rights are party said they would not recognize the overnight decree annulling Turkey’s homosexuality through the use of catego- and the killing of women is on the on women to have three children. His appropriated.” decree and called it another “coup” on ratifi cation of the Istanbul Convention ries like gender, sexual orientation and rise in Turkey, an assertion the inte- communications director, Fahrettin Al- parliament and an usurpation of the rights is a blow to women’s rights advocates, gender identity. They see that as a threat rior minister called a “complete lie” on tun, said the government’s motto was Violence of 42 million women. who say the agreement is crucial to to Turkish families. Hate speech has been Saturday. A total of 77 women have ‘Powerful Families, Powerful Society.” Turkey was the fi rst country to sign Germany’s Foreign Ministry joined combating domestic violence. Hun- on the rise in Turkey, and the country’s been killed since the start of the year, Many women suffer physical or the Council of Europe’s “Convention the criticism, saying “withdrawal from dreds of women gathered at demon- interior minister described LGBT people according to the We Will Stop Femi- sexual violence at the hands of their on preventing and combating violence the Istanbul Convention is a wrong sig- strations across Turkey on Saturday to as “perverts” in a tweet. Erdogan has re- cide Platform. Some 409 women were husbands or partners, but up-to-date against women and domestic violence” nal for Europe, but especially for the protest the move. jected their existence altogether. killed in 2020, with dozens found dead offi cial statistics are unavailable. The at a committee of ministers meeting in women of Turkey.” The Council of Europe’s Secretary under suspicious circumstances, ac- Istanbul Convention requires states Istanbul in 2011. The law came into “Only a few weeks ago, President General, Marija Pejinović Burić, Allies cording to the group. to collect data. More than a thousand force in 2014, and Turkey’s Consti- Erdogan introduced an action plan for called the decision “devastating.” Women’s groups and their allies Numerous women’s rights groups women and allies gathered in Istanbul, tution says international agreements human rights which also includes the “This move is a huge setback to who have been protesting to keep the slammed the decision, saying laws wearing masks and holding banners. have the force of law. Some lawyers fi ght against domestic violence and these efforts and all the more deplor- convention intact immediately called protecting women are inadequately There was a heavy police presence in claimed Saturday that the treaty is still violence against women,” the German able because it compromises the pro- for demonstrations across the country enforced. Advocacy group Women’s the area, and the demonstration ended active, arguing the president cannot ministry said in a statement. “Quitting tection of women in Turkey, across under the slogan “Withdraw the deci- Coalition Turkey said the withdrawal without serious skirmishes. withdraw from it without the approval an important convention of the Coun- Europe and beyond,” she said. The Is- sion, implement the treaty.” They said from a human rights agreement was a They shouted pro-LGBT slogans and of parliament, which unanimously rati- cil of Europe questions how serious tanbul Convention states that men and their years-long struggle would not be fi rst in Turkey. “It is clear that this deci- called for Erdogan’s resignation. They fi ed the Istanbul Convention in 2012. Turkey is when it comes to the goals women have equal rights and obliges erased in one night. sion will further encourage the murder- cheered as a woman speaking through a But Erdogan gained sweeping pow- mentioned in that action plan.” “It is state authorities to take steps to prevent “We were struggling every day so ers of women, harassers, rapists,” their megaphone said, “You cannot close up ers with his re-election in 2018, setting clear that neither cultural, nor religious gender-based violence against women, the Istanbul Convention would be im- statement said. millions of women in their homes. You in motion Turkey changing from a par- or other national traditions can serve as protect victims and prosecute perpetra- plemented and women would live. We Turkey’s justice minister said the cannot erase them from the streets and liamentary system of government to an a disguise in order to ignore violence tors. now hear that the Istanbul Convention government was committed to combat- the squares.” executive presidency. against women,” Germany said. 8 children killed, 33 wounded this month in Yemen: UNICEF Yemen rebels admit tear-gas behind fi re

CAIRO, March 21, (AP): A surge of fi ghting in war- torn Yemen has been par- ticularly brutal for chil- A protester participates in a march against the political leadership they dren this month, with at blame for the economic, fi nancial crisis and 4 Aug. Beirut blast, in Bei- rut, Lebanon, Saturday, March 20, 2021. Arabic reads, ‘Revolution is a least eight killed and 33 woman’. (AP) wounded, the U.N. chil- dren’s agency said on Sat- urday. Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF’s News in Brief representative to Yemen, said the casualties happened in sev- eral areas including the provinc- es of Taiz and Hodeida, where JERUSALEM: Thousands of Is- BAGHDAD: Iraqi Ministry of fighting between forces of the raelis demonstrated outside the of- Health declared on Saturday re- internationally recognized gov- fi cial residence of Prime Minister cording 32 new deaths with the ernment and Houthi rebels has Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in intensified. He said the toll could night, calling for the longtime addition to 4,674 newly registered prime minister’s ouster in a fi nal infection cases over past hours. be higher. show of force ahead of this week’s The local health department put “We condemn these attacks in the parliamentary elections. the death toll at 13,969 and the strongest possible terms. Too often The weekly protests against Ne- caseload of infections at 789,390. children and families are paying such tanyahu have taken place for nine It also put total number of recov- a heavy price as confl ict rages around months. But they have lost strength eries at 710,599. (KUNA) them,” he said, adding that some at- ❑ ❑ ❑ tacks had targeted a school and a in recent months in part due to cold hospital in Taiz. He did not indicated winter weather and after early TUNIS: Tunisia’s Ministry of which side was responsible. elections were declared in Decem- Health said Saturday that 20 pa- ber. Saturday’s night’s gathering tients succumbed to COVID-19 Attacks in central Jerusalem was the larg- and 629 others tested positive for Duamelle said children were also est protest in months. the disease in the past 24 hours. wounded in attacks in other provinces, The grassroots protest move- Total infections and deaths since including the central province of Mar- ment believes Netanyahu cannot the outbreak of the pandemic rose ib, which the Houthis have been trying serve as prime minister while he to 245,405 and 8,526 respectively, to retake from government forces. is on trial for multiple corruption the ministry said in a statement. The Houthi offensive on Marib charges. Many also object to his Overall recoveries climbed to could displace at least 385,000 people. handling of the coronavirus crisis. 212,056, it added. (KUNA) Four displacement camps in the prov- Netanyahu is counting on his ❑ ❑ ❑ ince have been abandoned since the highly successful vaccination cam- start of the offensive earlier in Febru- paign to propel him to victory. RABAT: Morocco’s Health Min- ary, according to the U.N. migration Some three-quarters of the coun- istry, on Saturday, reported eight agency. try’s adult population has been new COVID-19 deaths, and 444 Yemen has been convulsed by civil vaccinated in under three months, new infections in the past 24 hours. war since 2014 when the Houthis took and the economy has reopened in In its COVID-19 daily report, control of the capital Sanaa and much recent weeks. But over 6,000 Is- the ministry said total fatalities of country’s north, forcing the govern- raelis have died from COVID-19, in the country have now reached ment of President Abed Rabbo Man- the economy has been hard hit by 8,763, along with 491,463 infec- sour Hadi to fl ee to the south, then to repeated lockdowns, and unem- tions since the beginning of the Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition, ployment remains in double digits. pandemic, in addition to 484 re- backed at the time by the U.S., entered Many of the protesters have lost coveries to a tally of 478,870. the war months later to try to restore their jobs or seen their businesses (KUNA) Hadi to power. suffer due to repeated lockdowns. ❑ ❑ ❑ Now mired in stalemate, the war has (AP) ANKARA: Turkey’s ministry of killed about 130,000 people - includ- ❑ ❑ ❑ health said on Saturday that 95 ing more than 12,000 civilians - and ISTANBUL: Turkish police have patients died from COVID-19 and spawned the world’s worst humanitar- 21,061 people tested positive for Above: In this March 3, 2021 fi le photo, a health worker holds a vial of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine during ian crisis in a country that was already detained a prominent pro-Kurdish party politician who was staging a the infection in 24 hours. the vaccination of health personnel, at a clinic in Basra, Iraq. Top: In this March 10, 2021 fi le photo, a health worker the Arab world’s most impoverished The ministry added in a state- prepares a Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center, in Peshawar, Pakistan. Egypt on Saturday, nation. days-long protest in parliament. March 20, received a second shipment of coronavirus vaccine donated by China, offi cials said, as the country tries Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, ment that it is the highest infection Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels rate in three months. to speed up its vaccination campaign. (AP) on Saturday broke their silence on from the Peoples’ Democratic Party, or HDP, refused to leave The death toll rose to 29,959 and the cause of a fi re that tore through a overall infections shy of three mil- detention center for migrants earlier parliament after he was stripped ‘Gift from China’ of his status and immunity as lion, it noted. this month, killing at least 45 people, As many as 18,815 people were mostly Ethiopian migrants. lawmaker on Wednesday. The party said around 100 police of- cured from the disease, taking total Crowded ficers entered parliament to de- recoveries to 2.8 million it noted. Egypt receives 2nd shipment of vaccine tain him Sunday. Video of his The number of medical tests The rebels acknowledged that conducted in the same period hit CAIRO, March 21, (AP): Egypt on Sat- them from the COVID-19 pandemic, million shots of coronavirus vaccine to guards fi red three tear gas-canisters detention showed police officers dragging him away. 190,129, bringing the tally since urday received a second shipment of part of Beijing’s vaccine diplomacy inoculate 30-35 million people. into a crowded hangar in the capital, the outbreak of the pandemic to coronavirus vaccine donated by China, campaign that has been a surprising The Egyptian government has re- Sanaa, trying to end a protest by the The party, which is in the throes of a government crackdown, said more than 36.1 million. (KUNA) offi cials said, as the Arab country tries success. served 100 million vaccine doses, migrants. ❑ ❑ ❑ to speed up its vaccination campaign. He said the Egyptian Drug Authority including 40 million doses from CO- A statement by the rebel-run Interior Gergerlioglu was detained as he The 300,000-dose shipment of the would test the shipment before using VAX, an international initiative to Minister said at least 11 men from the was performing his ablutions for BEIRUT: Lebanon Saturday de- vaccine manufactured by China’s it to vaccinate health care workers and distribute vaccines to middle- and low- security forces were detained over the morning prayers. clared 51 deaths from COVID-19 state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sin- elderly people as part of a vaccination income countries, according to Health incident, along with a number of sen- “The police insisted on detain- and 2,253 more infections over the opharm arrived at Cairo’s international campaign the government launched in Minister Hala Zayed. ior offi cials who would be tried before ing him, and took him away in his past 24 hours. airport early Saturday, according to the January. Egypt, the Arab world’s most popu- court. pajamas and slippers,” the HDP Overall deaths rose to 5,715 Health Ministry. Egypt had previously received lous country with over 100 million The migrant community in Sanaa said in a statement. (AP) and total infections to 436,575, the Ministry spokesman Khaled Mega- 350,000 doses of the Sinopharm vac- people, has reported more than 194,127 has called for an international probe ❑ ❑ ❑ Lebanese Ministry of Health said hed said in a statement that the ship- cine as well as a shipment of 50,000 confi rmed cases of coronavirus, includ- into the tragedy, a demand backed by in its daily report. international rights groups. RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Health Total recoveries surged to ment was a gift from China meant to doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The ing 11,512 deaths. Ministry announced on Saturday bolster cooperation between the two country has approved the emergency The actual number of COVID-19 Some 900 migrants, most of them 343,078 since the outbreak of the nations in the fi ght against the virus. use of the two vaccines. cases, like elsewhere in the world, is from Ethiopia, had been detained at that six people passed away due to pandemic, while medical swabs Egypt is among dozens of nations President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said thought to be far higher, in part due to the facility - including more than 350 COVID-19 and reported 382 new in the last 24 hours hit 20,816, it depending on China to help rescue last month his country needs at least 70 limited testing. inside the hangar. The site was run by infections, while 271 patients re- added. the Passports and Naturalization Au- covered. The ministry stressed the contin- thority. The COVID-19 caseload uation of the vaccination campaign Dozens denouncing Lebanon’s political class At least 45 people were killed in reached 384,653, 6,602 deaths and at several medical centers nation- the March 7, the rebels said, including 374,135 recoveries, added the min- wide. (KUNA) one who died of his wounds on Friday. istry (KUNA) ❑ ❑ ❑ More than 200 others were wounded. ❑ ❑ ❑ Women mark Mothers’ Day in Beirut with march to damaged port ADEN: Yemen on Saturday report- The migrants had been protesting ABU DHABI: The United Arab BEIRUT, March 21, (AP): Dozens of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive Day on Sunday, a feast that is celebrat- and went on hunger strike against al- ed 61 COVID-19 infections in the women, including mothers who lost fertilizer component, exploded on ed nationally with people visiting their Emirates said Saturday corona- country. Four virus-related deaths leged abuses and ill-treatment at the virus cases increased by 2,013 to their children in the massive Beirut ex- Aug. 4 at Beirut’s port, killing 211, mothers and giving them gifts. detention facility, according to survi- were also reported for the day, as plosion last year marched to the still- wounding more than 6,000 and dam- The explosion, one of the largest 438,638. well as one recovery. vors and local rights campaigners. Five more deaths were regis- damaged scene of the blast on Satur- aging entire neighborhoods in the capi- non-nuclear blasts in history, and the The rebels Saturday claimed that the According to national data, total day to mark Mothers’ Day. tal. The material had been stored at the spread of coronavirus have worsened tered as the toll came up to 1,433, cases confi rmed in the governo- migrants were protesting to pressure The country’s health ministry said Some of the women, many of whom port for six years. Lebanon’s economic crisis. Since the the International Organization for Mi- rates led by the legitimate govern- were wearing black, carried banners “The scream of every mother is crisis began in October 2019, thou- gration to transfer them. in a statement. ment came to 3,287, the national denouncing Lebanon’s political class, leave,” read one of the banners carried sands of young men and women have Despite its six-year-old civil war, Meanwhile, some 2,240 people committee facing the coronavirus which they accuse of corruption and by the protesters, referring to the coun- left the country seeking jobs. Yemen remains a transit point for tens were cured from the virus, rais- pandemic said in a statement. negligence that led to the explosion, as try’s ruling political elites. The government resigned six days of thousands of African migrants des- ing total recoveries to 420,736. The number of recoveries is well as the country’s worst economic “We raised them inch by inch and after the blast, but bickering political perate to fi nd jobs as housekeepers, (KUNA) at 1,530 and deaths are at 737, it ❑ ❑ ❑ crisis in its modern history. you blew them up. Leave!” read an- factions have yet to form a new Cabi- servants and construction workers in added. (KUNA) Nearly 3,000 tons of poorly stored other banner. Lebanon marks Mothers’ net. Saudi Arabia. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 7

Philippines

Last hostage rescued Filipino troops kill rebel commander

MANILA, Philippines, March 21, (AP): Philippine troops killed an Abu Sayyaf rebel commander blamed for years of ransom kidnappings and on Sunday rescued the last of his four Indonesian captives, the military said. Marines wounded Amajan Sahidjuan in a gunbattle Sat- urday night and he later died from loss of blood on Kalupag Island in the southernmost province of Tawi Tawi. Two other militants managed to fl ee and dragged along the last of four Indonesian hostages but troops fi nally rescued him on Sunday, regional military commander Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr. said. On Thursday night, three Indonesian men were rescued by police who also captured one of their Abu Sayyaf captors along the shores of South Ubian town in Tawi Tawi. The military said the Abu Sayyaf militants led by Sahidjuan were fl eeing assaults in nearby Sulu province when their speedboat was lashed by huge waves and overturned off Tawi Tawi. A military offi cer said the militants were attempting to cross the sea bor- der to Tambisan Island in neighboring Malaysia’s Sabah state to release the captives in exchange for a ransom of at least fi ve million pesos ($104,000), but the Philippine military got wind of the Duterte plan and launched covert assaults. The offi cer, who has a keen knowl- edge of anti-Abu Sayyaf operations, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to speak publicly. Mary Yoo holds a sign as she attends a rally to support Stop Asian Hate at the Logan Square Monument in Chicago, March 20. A diverse crowd gathered to demand Vinluan said the rescue of the Indonesian men, the last justice for the victims of Atlanta, Georgia spa shootings for an end to racism, xenophobia and misogyny. (AP) known hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf, would allow govern- ment forces to fi nish off the ransom-seeking rebels. “It will just be relentless in a massive and focused military operation because, now, we would not worry about kidnap vic- America tims getting hit,” Vinluan told reporters by telephone. Vinluan said there were about 80 Abu Sayyaf gunmen left in Sulu and outlying island provinces. One of their remaining el- derly leaders, Radulan Sahiron, has fallen ill and was wounded People demand justice for spa shootings victims in a recent offensive in Sulu, he said. Kidnappings Sahidjuan, who uses the nom de guerre Apuh Mike, has Rallies across US against hate crime been blamed for carrying out ransom kidnappings since the early 1990s. He was reportedly among Abu Sayyaf militants who attacked the southern largely Christian town of Ipil in ATLANTA, March 21, (AP): A di- 1995, where they killed more than 50 people after robbing verse crowd gathered Saturday near banks and stores and burning the town center in one of their the Georgia state Capitol to demand Spa shootings could be fi rst big most audacious raids. justice for the victims of recent shoot- The Abu Sayyaf is a small but violent group that has been ings at massage businesses and to separately blacklisted by the Philippines and the United States denounce racism, xenophobia and mi- test of Georgia hate crimes law as a terrorist organization for bombings, ransom kidnappings sogyny. Hundreds of people of all ages and and beheadings. Some of its factions have aligned themselves ATLANTA, March 21, (AP): The present evidence for a hate crime with the Islamic State group. A car is blocked by a fl ooded river at varied racial and ethnic backgrounds murder case against a white man sentencing enhancement. Defense The militants have been considerably weakened by years of Old Pitt Town, north west of Sydney, gathered in Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, charged with shooting and killing attorneys can present their own military offensives, surrenders and battle setbacks but remain Australia, Sunday, March 21. Aus- and in similar rallies across the coun- six women of Asian descent and evidence, and the jury deliberates a national security threat. They set off a security alarm in the tralia’s most populous state of New try, waving signs and chanting slogans. two other people at Atlanta-area again. If jurors fi nd it’s a hate crime, region in recent years after they started venturing away from South Wales on Sunday issued more In Atlanta, they cheered US Sens. massage businesses this week there is a mandatory enhancement their jungle encampments in Sulu, a poverty wracked Mus- evacuation orders following the worst Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and could become the fi rst big test for of at least two years in prison and lim province in the largely Roman Catholic nation, and staged fl ooding in decades. (AP) Georgia state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the Georgia’s new hate crimes law. a fi ne of up to $5,000 for a felony. kidnappings in Malaysian coastal towns and targeted crews of fi rst Vietnamese American to serve in Robert Aaron Long, 21, told po- The federal government and cargo ships. the Georgia House. lice that the attacks Tuesday at some other states go further with In another development, the Philippine government ex- “I just wanted to drop by to say to two spas in Atlanta and another laws that criminalize bias-moti- pressed concern after spotting more than 200 Chinese fi shing In Briefs my Asian sisters and brothers, we see massage business near suburban vated violence without requiring a vessels it believed were crewed by militias at a reef claimed by you, and, more importantly, we are Woodstock were not racially moti- conviction on an underlying crime. both countries in the South China Sea, but it did not immedi- going to stand with you,” Warnock vated and claimed to have a sex The U.S. Department of Justice Letlow wins House seat: Republican said to loud cheers as passing drivers addiction. Authorities said he ap- could choose to bring federal hate ately lodge a protest. parently lashed out at what he saw crime charges independently of the A government body overseeing the disputed region said late Julia Letlow easily won a Saturday special honked car horns in support. election for the northeast Louisiana-based Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old as sources of temptation but were state prosecutions. Federal investi- Saturday that about 220 Chinese vessels were seen moored at still investigating his motive. gators have not yet uncovered evi- Whitsun Reef on March 7. It released pictures of the vessels US House seat that her husband, Luke, white man, is accused of killing four couldn’t fi ll because of his death from com- Because most of the victims dence to prove Long targeted the lying side by side in one of the most hotly contested areas of people inside two Atlanta spas and plications related to COVID-19. four others at a massage business were women of Asian descent, victims because of their race, two the strategic waterway. With the victory, Julia Letlow becomes there’s skepticism of that explana- law enforcement offi cials told The The reef, which Manila calls Julian Felipe, is a boomerang- about 30 miles (50 kilometers) away the third woman ever elected to the US in suburban Cherokee County. Six of tion and public clamoring for hate Associated Press. The offi cials shaped and shallow coral region about 175 nautical miles (324 House from Louisiana, the fi rst Republican the eight people killed Tuesday were crime charges, especially among had direct knowledge of the inves- kilometers) west of Bataraza town in the western Philippine woman elected to Congress from the state women of Asian descent. Another per- the Asian American community, tigation but were not authorized to province of Palawan. It’s well within the country’s exclusive and the only woman among its current con- son was shot but survived. which has faced rising numbers of speak publicly and spoke on condi- economic zone, over which the Philippines “enjoys the exclu- gressional delegation. Motive attacks since the coronavirus pan- tion of anonymity. sive right to exploit or conserve any resources,” the agency She trounced 11 other contenders to cap- demic took hold. In Georgia, the minimum sen- Investigators have said Long con- But, like many states, the Geor- tence for murder is life in prison, with said in a statement. ture the 5th District seat in the primary. fessed to the slayings but said they The large numbers of Chinese boats are “a concern due to Farther south, the race to fi ll a second gia law enacted last summer does or without the possibility of parole vacant congressional seat for Louisiana was weren’t racially motivated. He claimed not provide for a standalone hate after 30 years. Prosecutors also can the possible overfi shing and destruction of the marine environ- to have a sex addiction, which caused ment, as well as risks to safety of navigation,” it said, although headed to an April 24 runoff, but the seat crime, instead allowing an addi- seek the death penalty if the killing was certain to stay in Democratic hands. him to lash out at what he saw as tional penalty when a person is meets certain requirements. it added that the vessels were not fi shing when sighted. sources of temptation, according to au- When asked if the Philippines would fi le a protest, Foreign Two Democratic state senators from New convicted of another crime. Long has been charged with Orleans – Troy Carter and Karen Carter Pe- thorities. Police have said they’re still “It’s not something you get ar- eight counts of murder, and it will Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. tweeted, “only if the generals tell working to establish a motive, includ- me.” terson – secured spots in the runoff after rested for. It’s a sentence en- be up to Cherokee County District leading the fi eld among 15 candidates. The ing looking into whether the attacks hancer,” said Pete Skandalakis, a Attorney Shannon Wallace and Chinese Embassy offi cials did not immediately issue any New Orleans-based 2nd District seat is open can be classifi ed as hate crimes. comment. China, the Philippines and four other governments former prosecutor and executive Fulton County District Attorney because Democrat Cedric Richmond took Georgia lawmakers last year passed director of the Prosecuting Attor- Fani Willis to decide whether to have been locked in a tense territorial standoff over the re- a job as a special adviser to President Joe a hate crimes law allowing additional neys’ Council of Georgia. pursue the hate crime enhance- source-rich and busy waterway for decades. Biden. (AP) penalties for certain offenses when The law says an additional penal- ment. Critics have repeatedly called out President Rodrigo ❑ ❑ ❑ motivated by a victim’s race, color, ty can be applied for certain crimes Wallace said in a statement that Duterte, who has nurtured friendly ties with Beijing since religion, national origin, sex, sexual if they are motivated by a victim’s she can’t answer specifi c ques- taking office in 2016, for not standing up to China’s ag- Scottish leader under fi re: Scottish race, color, religion, national origin, tions about the case but that she Nicola Sturgeon orientation, gender or disability. A gressive behavior and deciding not to immediately seek leader has dismissed sug- is “acutely aware of the feelings gestions that she misled lawmakers, saying hate crime is not a standalone crime sex, sexual orientation, gender, or Chinese compliance with an international arbitration ruling under Georgia law, but can be used to mental or physical disability. Even of terror being experienced in the that invalidated Beijing’s historic claims to virtually the en- opposition members of a legislative panel had made up their minds before they heard add time to a sentence of someone con- before the law passed amid the Asian-American community.” A tire sea. China has refused to recognize the 2016 ruling and victed of another crime. national reckoning over racial in- representative for Willis did not re- continues to defy it. her evidence. Sturgeon told Sky News that she stands “No matter how you want to spin it, justice, the pandemic had largely spond to requests for comment. Blocked by the eight hours of testimony she gave the facts remain the same. This was an paused court cases, so Skandala- Given that someone convicted to a committee of Scotland’s parliament attack on the Asian community,” said kis said he doesn’t believe the rule of multiple murders is unlikely to be The arbitration body also ruled that China had breached its investigating the government’s handling of Nguyen, an advocate for women and has been used yet. released from prison, an argument duty to respect the traditional fi shing rights of Filipinos when sexual harassment allegations against her communities of color. She noted the A hate crime charge can be in- could be made that it’s not worth Chinese forces blocked them from Scarborough Shoal off the predecessor. shooter targeted businesses operated cluded in an indictment or added the effort, time and expense to pur- northwestern Philippines in 2012. The Philippines, however, Britain’s Press Association reported, by women of Asian descent. at some point before trial. If a jury sue a hate crime designation that could also not deny Chinese fi shermen access to Scarborough, without citing a source, that the committee convicts the defendant of the un- carries a relatively small additional “Let’s join hands with our ally com- derlying crime, prosecutors can penalty. according to the ruling. The decision did not specify any other voted 5-4 in favor of fi nding that Sturgeon munity and demand justice for not traditional fi shing areas within the Philippines’ exclusive zone gave an inaccurate account to parliament. only these victims but for all victims where fi shermen from China and other countries could be al- The panel’s report is expected to be pub- of white supremacy,” she said. violence that persists in 2021 against and I see people of all shades and ages lowed to fi sh. lished next week. A couple hundred people gathered Asians, minorities and women. and backgrounds.” “When Xi says ‘I will fi sh,’ who can prevent him?” Duterte The case centers around the Scottish gov- Otis Wilson, a 38-year-old photog- Similar rallies were held from coast ernment’s handling of sexual harassment al- in a separate Atlanta park and marched said two years ago as he defended his nonconfrontational ap- through the streets to join the larger rapher who’s Black, said people need to coast. In San Francisco, hundreds proach, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping. legations against Alex Salmond, who served as fi rst minister of Scotland before Sturgeon rally, chanting “Stop Asian hate” and to pay attention to the discrimination gathered in Portsmouth Square, in the “If I send my marines to drive away the Chinese fi shermen, I “We are what America looks like.” those of Asian descent face. “We went middle of Chinatown, to grieve the guarantee you not one of them will come home alive,” Duterte took offi ce in 2014. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ Frankie Laguna, 23, who grew up through this last year with the Black victims and to call for an end to rac- said then, adding that diplomatic talks with Beijing allowed in Atlanta and now lives in Tennessee, community, and we’re not the only ist and sexist violence against Asian the return of Filipinos to disputed fi shing grounds where Chi- PM vows no virus rebound: Japan’s was an organizer of that group. She ones who go through this,” he said. Americans. The participants waved nese forces had previously shooed them away. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged told the crowd she was the fi rst person Camden Hunt, a 28-year-old Black signs reading “stop Asian hate.” Duterte has sought infrastructure funds, trade and invest- Sunday to do his utmost to prevent a re- in her family born in the US after her woman, said she fi rst got involved in In Pittsburgh, hundreds also ral- ments from China, which has also donated and pledged to surgence of the coronavirus ahead of the mother arrived from Taiwan. activism in her native Baltimore. She lied, and videos posted to social media deliver more COVID-19 vaccines as the Philippines faces an Olympic torch relay and his upcoming visit “I’m sick of being belittled and hy- attended protests over the death of showed former Grey’s Anatomy ac- alarming spike in coronavirus infections. to Washington. persexualized and hated for who I am, Freddie Gray, a Black man who suf- tress and Golden Globe Award winner Suga was addressing his ruling Liberal Also: for something I can’t change,” she said fered a broken neck in police custody Sandra Oh speaking to the crowd. Democratic Party’s annual convention, just as the group marched. in Baltimore in 2015. She moved to “I will challenge everyone here … MANILA: The Philippine government has decided to temporar- hours ahead of the planned lifting of a virus state of emergency in the the Tokyo region. Bernard Dong, a 24-year-old stu- Atlanta four years ago and got in- If you see one of our sisters and broth- ily ban the entry of foreigners and limit the entry of returning dent from China at Georgia Tech, said volved in community organizing, last ers in need, will you help us?” she said, Filipinos at Manila’s international airport to 1,500 daily as it Suga said after the state of emergency is lifted is “an extremely important time” for he came out to the protest for the rights summer pulling together an event to later yelling into a megaphone: “I am struggles to contain an alarming surge in coronavirus infec- not just for Asians but for all minori- support Black women victimized by proud to be Asian! I belong here!” tions. virus prevention. “We must not put our guards down ... to ties. “Many times Asian people are too police violence. In Chicago, about 300 people gath- A government body dealing with the pandemic said the prevent the infections from rebounding,” he silent, but times change,” he said. Hunt joined Saturday’s rally to ered and in New York City, hundreds monthlong travel restrictions would start Saturday and aim to said. Dong said he was “angry and dis- “show Black and Asian solidarity, ” marched from Times Square to China- prevent the spread into the country of coronavirus strains from Suga on Thursday announced that the gusted” about the shootings, and the adding “I think it’s amazing. I look out town, news outlets reported. other countries which are believed to be more contagious. monthslong emergency measures for Tokyo, Among those to be allowed limited entry are homebound Fili- Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama would end at pino workers. midnight Sunday, a move underscoring his Philippine Airlines said it would announce some fl ight can- government’s eagerness to minimize burdens cellations to comply with the temporary restriction. on businesses and keep the economy going, pic offi cials decided Saturday to bar specta- dangerous, anti-coup demonstrators in Manila and other cities in the capital region reimposed despite concerns raised by experts about the tors from abroad. (AP) Mandalay acted early to minimize the risk 7-hour night curfews for two weeks starting Monday and potential for an upsurge. ❑ ❑ ❑ of confrontation with security forces. locked down dozens of villages amid the surge in infections The lifting of the measure comes just The independent Assistance Associa- which some offi cials attributed to public complacency and days before the Olympic torch relay starts Doctors’ dawn march: A peaceful tion for Political Prisoners had verifi ed 247 critics blamed on the failure of the government’s response to from Fukushima, northeast of Tokyo and march at dawn on Sunday by medical pro- deaths nationwide linked to the post-coup fessionals in Myanmar’s second biggest city the pandemic. the site of the 2011 nuclear crisis, as a sym- crackdown. The actual total, including cas- bol of reconstruction. kicked off another day of protests around es where verifi cation has been diffi cult, is The Philippines has reported more than 631,300 confi rmed the country against last month’s coup. Secu- COVID-19 cases, with 12,848 deaths, the second-highest to- Suga renewed his pledge to achieve the probably much higher, it said. Olympics in July as “a proof of the victory rity forces shot dead at least one person at a It also has confi rmed that 2,345 people tals in Southeast Asia after Indonesia. against the coronavirus,” after its one-year rally elsewhere. have been arrested or charged, with 1,994 postponement due to the pandemic. Olym- With public protests getting ever more Sturgeon Suga still detained or sought for arrest. (AP) DP World sees 2020 profits drop 29% amid virus

Dubai-based port opera- lysts’ low expectations for World reported revenues of ing to automation and digital tor DP World announced global trade over the diffi cult $7.68 billion and profi ts of investment. In recent months, In this fi le photo, Sultan its profi ts slid 29% in 2020 period. The maritime fi rm, $1.19 billion in 2019. The the company has done brisk Ahmed bin Sulayem, DP from the previous year to one of the world’s largest, has port operator’s delisting from business. DP World struck a World’s chairman and $846 million, as the corona- faced various challenges with the stock exchange came as $4.5 billion deal with one of CEO, walks off stage after virus pandemic froze sup- the virus surging, regional ten- its parent company, Dubai Canada’s biggest pension- a news conference in ply chains and upended the sions rising and trade wars Dubai, United Arab Emir- World, sought to repay more fund managers to expand its ates. (AP) world’s trade fl ows. continuing. than $5 billion to banks. footprint in Europe and Asia The port operator, which In its annual report, DP Despite dismal predictions Pacifi c last fall. It won sev- delisted from the stock ex- World said its revenue in of slumping global trade last eral lucrative concessions this change and returned to full 2020 climbed 11% to $8.53 spring, DP World said the year to build vast ports and state-ownership last June, million, a rise it attributed to container terminal industry logistics hubs in Indonesia, stressed that it defi ed ana- a year of acquisitions. DP has shown resilience, pivot- Senegal and Angola. (AP)

Market Movements 19-03-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts INDIA - Sensex +641.72 49,858.24 AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries -44.02 6,959.59 PAKISTAN - KSE 100 +177.22 44,901.31 JAPAN - Nikkei -424.70 29,792.05 GERMANY - DAX -154.52 14,621.00 FRANCE - CAC 40 -64.83 5,997.96 EUROPE - Euro Stoxx 50 -30.52 3,837.02 S. KOREA - KRX 100 -68.27 6,554.12 PHILIPPINES - PSEi -194.75 6,436.10 Business

OPEC basket down to $66.76 pb OPEC projects higher global Saudi Aramco sees 2020 demand for its crude in 2021 VIENNA, March 21, (KUNA): OPEC ex- al performance by key economies in second pected global demand for its crude in 2021 half of 2020. to stand at 27.3 million barrels per day As a result, the global economy now profi t drop to $49 billion (bpd), up by 4.9 million bpd than in 2020. shows a decline of 3.7 percent year-on-year. It said in a monthly report world oil de- For 2021, additional stimulus measures mand in 2020 contracted by 9.6 million bpd in the US and an accelerating recovery in to 90.4 million bpd. Asian economies are expected to raise the Oil giant promises to pay quarterly dividends of $18.75bn It said world oil demand was expected at global economic growth forecast to 5.1 per- 5.9 million bpd in 2020 to stand at 96.3 mil- cent.. DUBAI, United Arab lion bpd. However, it added, this forecast remains Emirates, March 21, (AP): Crude Oil Price Movements Spot crude surrounded by uncertainties including but prices surged by more than 13 percent in not limited to Covid-19 variants, the effec- Saudi Arabia’s state- February to their highest monthly average tiveness of vaccines, sovereign debt levels backed oil giant Aramco since January 2020, it said. in many regions, infl ationary pressures, and announced Sunday that Oil prices were supported by ongoing im- central bank responses. its profi ts nearly halved in provements in oil market fundamentals and The price of OPEC basket of 13 crudes a futures market that remained bullish in went down by 13 cents to USD 66.76 per 2020 to $49 billion, a big anticipation of a recovery in demand amid barrel (pb) on Wednesday, compared to drop that came as the cor- restrained global oil supplies. Oil prices USD 66.89 the day before, according to onavirus pandemic roiled extended gains after severe winter weather OPEC Secretariat calculations on Thursday. triggered a supply disruption in the US. The General Secretariat estimated the global energy markets. OPEC expected further one million bpd demand for OPEC raw materials will Saudi Arabian Oil Co. released crude oil supply from non-OPEC countries reach 27.3 million this year, which is its annual fi nancial results a year in 2021 to reach 63.8 million bpd, namely about 4.9 million barrels per day com- after the pandemic sent the price from Canada, the US, Norway, Brazil and pared to 2020. of oil crashing to all-time lows as Russia. OPEC ministers at their latest meeting people stopped moving around It said OPEC’s crude production dropped agreed to continue to adhere to the current the world to stem the spread of by 650,000 bpd in February month-on- reduced production quotas until next April, the virus. In recent weeks, how- month to stand at 24.85 million bpd. appreciating the continuous positive contri- ever, the price has edged up As to World Economy, OPEC said con- butions of member producers to support the traction in the global economy in 2020 was rebalancing of the global oil market in line as movement restrictions ease, reduced after the better-than-expected actu- with the decisions. commerce increases and more people get vaccinated against COVID-19. Still, analysts cau- tion that a peak in demand may still be far off. Despite the 44% drop in net in- come, Aramco said it would stick to its promise of paying quarterly dividends of $18.75 billion - $75 In this fi le photo, engineers walk in front of an oil March 21, 2021, that its 2020 profi ts fell sharply billion a year - due to commitments separator at a Saudi Aramco processing facility in 2020 to $49 billion, a big drop that came as the the company made to shareholders in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s state- coronavirus pandemic roiled global energy mar- in the run-up to its initial public of- backed oil giant Aramco announced Sunday, kets. (AP) fering. Nearly all of the dividend panies. Saudi Arabia seems determined to money goes to the Saudi govern- restrictions and fast-spreading virus ment, which owns more than 98% “In one of the most challenging curb output and support crude mar- variants. of the company. Aramco’s policy to years in recent history, Aramco kets even as demand rises, with na- Before December of 2019, when pay dividends signifi cantly higher demonstrated its unique value prop- tions lifting lockdowns and acceler- Aramco fl oated 1.5% of its shares than its 2020 free cash fl ow of $49 osition through its considerable fi - ating vaccination campaigns. on the stock exchange, the fi rm was billion stands in sharp contrast to nancial and operational agility,” Nasser struck an optimistic note owned directly by the Al Saud ruling other oil giants that have cut pay- President and CEO Amin H. Nasser about the year ahead, saying that family and didn’t need to announce outs. Seeking a cash infusion to pay said in a statement. “As a result, our Aramco is “seeing a pick-up in results. Initially, Aramco listed at 32 the billions of dollars in the face of fi nancial position remained robust.” demand in Asia and also positive riyals ($8.53) a share, becoming the declining revenue, Aramco recently The company produced the signs elsewhere.” world’s most valuable listed compa- has issued international bonds. equivalent of 9.2 million barrels “We remain confi dent that we ny, with a market valuation of $1.7 The public fi gures, obligatory per day of crude oil over the course will emerge on the other side of this trillion. Since then, however, Ara- ever since the mostly state-owned of the year, its annual results said. pandemic in a position of strength,” mco lost its stock exchange crown company listed a sliver of its worth Capital expenditure was down in he added. to Apple as its value declined. On on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock ex- 2020 to $27 billion compared to Earlier this month, the kingdom Sunday it traded around 35 riyals change in 2019, offers valuable in- $32.8 billion the year before. Ara- said it would extend its voluntary ($9.30) a share. sight into the health of the region’s mco expects to spend $35 billion production cut of 1 million barrels As oil prices fell and the virus largest economy. Despite Saudi this year, some $5-10 billion lower a day at least through April. Most coursed across the world, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sal- than previous estimates. OPEC oil cartel and allied countries economy has shown signs of strain. man’s efforts to diversify the econ- In recent months, oil prices have likewise left their production cuts in It shrank more than 4% last year, omy away from oil, the kingdom made a major comeback from April place - in stark contrast to March of according to the government sta- remains heavily dependent on oil 2020, when the price of internation- last year when a price war between tistics agency. Despite spending exports to fuel government spend- al benchmark Brent crude dipped Saudi Arabia and Russia prompted cuts and efforts to ramp up non-oil ing. below $20 a barrel. For the fi rst the two oil giants to unleash an revenue - including by tripling the Saudi Aramco profi t of $49 bil- time in a year, the price of Brent onslaught of crude on the market value-added tax to 15% - the gov- lion in 2020 is down from $88.2 surpassed $60 a barrel last month as demand dipped. Saudi offi cials ernment defi cit widened. Last year, billion in 2019 and $111.1 billion and traded over $64 a barrel Sun- have urged caution, arguing that Saudi Arabia needed an oil price of in 2018. Still, Aramco remains one day. global economic recovery may still more than $76 a barrel to balance of the world’s most valuable com- The price increase has come as be undermined by new coronavirus its budget. Board proposes cash dividend of 18 fi ls per share Mezzan reports fi nancial results for 2020

KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Mez- Wazzan said: “The group performed logistics in the kingdom. Looking creased by 5.9%. zan Holding KSC, one of the larg- well and we are pleased with the forward, we maintain our focus on ■ Services: FY Revenue de- est manufacturers and distributors results achieved, taking into con- becoming a major regional player creased by 0.8%. of food, beverage, FMCG and phar- sideration the unusual challenging with leading positions in each of ■ Non-Food Business Line: maceutical products in the Gulf, operating conditions. This indicates the business lines we operate in the Revenue reached KD80.9 mil- today announced the company’s the strength and fl exibility of our coming years. lion, an increase of 30.4% com- fi nancial results for FY 2020. business model and the diversifi ca- FY 2020 Financial Perfor- pared with the same period in 2019. The company recorded KD tion in our business lines during the mance Review: The Non-Food Business Line ac- 246.4 million in revenue, driven past few years, in addition to the ■ Food Business Line: counted for 32.8% of Group Reve- by its fast-moving consumer goods exceptional dedication and commit- Total Revenue for the Food nue. The Business Lines comprises and healthcare, as well as food ment of Mezzan employees in such Business Line reached KD 165.5 the following divisions: FMCG and manufacturing and distribution. diffi cult times”. million, an increase of 3.2% com- Pharmaceuticals business division The increase in Mezzan’s revenue Mezzan Holding CEO Garett pared with the same period in 2019. (generating 31.0% of Group Rev- was also accompanied by enhance- Walsh said: “Mezzan’s perfor- The Food Business Line accounted enue) and Industrials (contributing ments in Gross Profi t, Operating mance in 2020 once again proved for 67.2% of Group Revenue. The 1.8%). Profi t, and Earnings Before Inter- its robust business model. We Business Line comprises the fol- ■ FMCG and Pharmaceuticals: est, Tax, and Depreciation and have seen a signifi cant increase in lowing three divisions: Manufac- FY Revenue increased by 34.1% Amortization (EBITDA). Mez- profi tability resulting and revenue turing and Distribution (generating fueled by KSPICO acquisition and zan’s 2020 Net Profi t to Parent growth in Kuwait’s food, FMCG 46.6% of Group Revenue), Cater- Medtronics JV Company Shareholders grew by and healthcare sectors. We are ing (generating 13.6% of Group ■ Industrials: FY Industrials 94% compared to 2019, as a result also pleased to witness the growth Revenue) and Services (generating Revenues decreased by 11.5%. of higher margins, increased scale of revenue in our KSA business in 7.0% of Group Revenue). Regional Business Highlights in of operations, as well as lower bor- 2020, despite the challenging mar- ■ Manufacturing and Distribu- FY 2020: rowing costs. ket conditions caused by the pan- tion: FY Revenue increased by ■ In Kuwait: FY Revenue grew The Board of Directors recom- demic, and we expect to capture 6.8%. by 16.7% due to strong perfor- mended a cash dividend of 18 more growth as we improve our ■ Catering: FY Revenue de- mance in FMCG and healthcare fi ls per share and the distribu- segment spurred by acquisitions. tion of treasury shares at a rate of ■ In UAE: FY Revenue in- 2% shares (2 shares for every 100 creased by 2.1% due to the increase shares held by investors). in production and sales of potato FY 2020 Financial Highlights: chips and snacks lines. - Revenue: KD 246.4 million, up ■ In Qatar: FY Revenue de- 10.8% creased by 12.1% due to the decline - Operating Profi t: KD 17.1 mil- of catering business line. lion, up 35.3% ■ In KSA: FY Revenue in- - EBITDA: KD25.4 million, up creased by 7.0% as Mezzan contin- 36.9% ues to expand its distribution reach - Net Profi t to Parent Company and improve logistical operations. Shareholders: KD10.9 million, up ■ In Afghanistan: FY Revenue 94% decreased by 16.7%. Mezzan Holding Executive Vice ■ In Jordan: FY Revenue in- Chairman Mohammad Jassim Al creased by 14.4%. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 BUSINESS 9

L.L. Bean sees sales boom amid pandemic’s push to outdoors

With Americans hunkering down and han- gear as more people ventured outdoors to ly-owned company’s board on Friday kering to get outdoors during the pan- ensure social distancing and other pan- awarded a cash bonus of 10% of workers’ demic, L.L. Bean recorded its best annual demic-related protocols. salary and an additional 401(k) contribu- Will Foster, a worker sales growth in nearly a decade, the com- “What my great-grandfather knew more tion equal to 8% of salary, said CEO Steve at the L.L. Bean flag- pany said Friday. than a hundred years ago was that spend- Smith. ship retail store, The Freeport-based retailer started its ing time outside is really important, and All told, the company gave back $72 mil- adjusts display cloth- fiscal year with store closings and worries that took on more importance this year,” lion to workers, he said. ing on a mannequin about survival but the company weathered said Shawn Gorman, chairman and great- Smith praised the workers who endured on March 18, 2021, in the turbulent times with revenue growth of grandson of the company’s founder, Leon the crazy year. Freeport, Maine. (AP) 5%, the best showing since 2011. Leonwood Bean. “They were resilient, resourceful, inno- L.L. Bean was positioned to meet con- The company’s 4,600 full- and part-time vative. We took care of them from a safety sumer demand for both comfy items for workers reaped some of the benefit from perspective, and they took care of our people working from home and outdoor the net revenue of $1.59 billion. The fami- customers,” he said. (AP)

This milestone aids in stimulating healthy competition in local market: Al-Ozainah stc Kuwait and Virgin Mobile receive MVNO license from CITRA KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Kuwait Telecommunications Company – stc, a world-class digital leader providing innova- tive services and platforms to customers, enabling the digital transformation in Kuwait, and Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa (VMMEA) received the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority’s (CITRA) approval for the first-of-its-kind mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) license to launch Virgin Mobile Kuwait (Connect Arabia WLL). The announcement of the first mobile virtual network operator in Kuwait was made during a press conference attended by the Photos from the event Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for experience within this market, and included stc as a strategic Kuwaiti economy, we are proud meet and exceed their expecta- ing customers with innovative Communications and Information transforming the user and on- partner to provide a range of to partner with a prominent glob- tions. digital propositions, transform- Technology, Dr. Rana Al-Fares, demand experience for pre-paid new-to-market fully digital con- al brand to engage in a new mar- Alharbi added, “I would also like ing the traditional mobile expe- Chairman and CEO of CITRA, mobile users through a range of sumer services in the Kuwaiti ket layer within the local telecom to thank and extend my sincere rience. We have no doubt that engineer Salim Muthib digital solutions. telecom sector. sector. stc’s well-built network gratitude to CITRA, as this would Virgin Mobile will introduce a Al-Ozainah, as well as represen- Engineer Salim Muthib The license awarded by CITRA infrastructure will provide Virgin not be possible without their guid- new era for mobile connectivity tatives from the authority, CEO Al-Ozainah, Chairman and to Virgin Mobile Kuwait to pro- Mobile Kuwait with high quality ance and support. CITRA’s role in with customer-led services, of stc Kuwait, engineer Maziad CEO of CITRA, said, vide MVNO services is pursuant advanced service to meet the backing the telecom sector has enabling a seamless customer Alharbi, CEO of Virgin Mobile “Stemming from CITRA’s goal to the agreement for the provi- diverse needs of its customers, enabled local providers to operate experience.” Kuwait, Benoit Janin, and vari- of promoting positive competi- sion and resale of the services specially focusing on the youth.” in line with international standards. Virgin Mobile Middle East and ous members of the local press. tion, we are glad to license the necessary to allow the reselling Alharbi expressed that through They have continuously supported Africa has established a leading Virgin Mobile Kuwait will first MNVO to Virgin Mobile of services to end-users and oper- this partnership, Virgin Mobile the various initiatives initiated by position across the Middle East operate using stc’s network, with Kuwait. We are also glad to see ate as a business. Virgin Mobile Kuwait aims to provide users local telecom providers to expand and Africa region. Currently stc acting as a Host Facilities the entry of a reputable interna- Kuwait aims to launch its innova- with accessible and customized their offerings and capitalize on operating in Saudi Arabia, Oman Based Provider “FBP” with tional investor such as Virgin tive app-based platform with services. The online pre-paid lucrative opportunities that have and providing advisory services Virgin Mobile Kuwait, offering International in bringing their proven technology derived from plan services will allow digital proved beneficial for the providers to Emirates Integrated prepaid plans to users, making it digital expertise to the Kuwaiti VMMEA’s digital operator plat- subscribers to take full control of and the community.” Telecommunications Company the first virtual telecom service market. form, mainly targeting the local their monthly bills and add ons. Erik Dudman Nielsen, (EITC) in the UAE, Virgin provider in Kuwait. This move will surely con- youth population. He also mentioned that this ini- Founder & Chief Executive Mobile Middle East & Africa has By combining VMMEA’s role tribute greatly to the telecom Commenting on this signifi- tiative falls in line with stc’s Officer of Virgin Mobile been catering to a continuously as the region’s leading MVNO sector in raising the quality of cant milestone in the local tele- commitment to enable digital Middle East & Africa, said, growing number of mobile users and digital innovator, and the service and overall customer com market, engineer Maziad transformation in Kuwait, pro- “We are very excited about offering world-class products and strong infrastructure of stc’s net- experience.” Alharbi, CEO of stc, said, “In viding customers and the people launching Virgin Mobile in services since 2007, serving more work, the two companies aim to The previously established line with our commitment to of Kuwait with pioneering tele- Kuwait. This forms part of our than 3 million customers across provide an unparalleled customer consortium was led by VMMEA assist in the development of the com and digital solutions that ongoing commitment to provid- the region. Aerial surveys will be performed using autonomous UAV Zain Drone assigned by Public Authority of Industry to acquire precise industrial data KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Zain Group, a leading mobile Public Authority of Industry has an important mission to telecom innovator in seven markets across the Middle East supervise economic activity in industrial areas in Kuwait. and Africa, announces that its subsidiary Zain Drone has We believe our services and technology are amongst the been awarded a contract to perform a precise data acquisi- most precise and sophisticated available anywhere in the tion assignment for Kuwait’s Public Authority of Industry. region, allowing our industrial and commercial clients to The project will entail conducting an aerial topographical undertake tasks with greater efficiency and lower cost than survey using Zain Drone state-of-the-art technology. when utilizing traditional methods.” Aerial surveys will be performed using autonomous Zain Drone became operational in Kuwait in October unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) capable of capturing cor- 2018 to focus on the delivery of drone-powered solutions. rected georeferenced imagery that will be handed over to the This development built on Zain Group’s leading position in Public Authority of Industry for further data processing. Zain Drone recently signed a contract with Openware for digital innovation across the markets in which it operates. Zain Drone’s UAV services to be utilized to monitor indus- Since that time, Zain Drone has managed to offer a diver- trial areas in Kuwait on behalf of the Public Authority of sified fleet of world-class drones and applications, provide Industry and detect and report on any changes to business bespoke solutions and educate the market on the magnitude activity. The Authority’s aim is to develop, promote and of benefits the usage of drones can drive, particularly with supervise industrial activity in Kuwait as well as the devel- respect to asset digitization, operational efficiency, inspec- opment of the industrial base as it works to achieve national tion, maintenance, data accuracy and cost cutting while economic goals. using advanced analytics to help governments and private Zain Drone CEO, AbdulAziz Jawad commented, “The businesses. Burgan Bank names Yawmi draw winners KUWAIT CITY, March 21: Burgan to open a Yawmi account and/or draw or on any of the bank’s products Bank announced today the names of increase their deposit to maximize and services, customers are urged to the daily draw winners of its Yawmi their chances of becoming a winner. visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch, account draw, each taking home a The higher the level of the deposit, the or simply call the bank’s Call Center at cash-prize of KD 5,000. higher the likelihood to win. 1804080. Customers can also log on to The lucky winners are: For more information on opening a Burgan Bank’s www.burgan.com for 1. Yaseen Abdullah Sakeen Yawmi account, the new quarterly further information. 2. Mohammad Ahmad Barakat And Naglaa Elshahat Elmogheir 3. Kutubbhai Soyabbhai Mandliwala 4. Hasina Mohammad Omar 5. Abdulhamid Nabil Malhas In addition to the daily draw, Burgan Bank also offers a Quarterly Draw with more chances to win higher rewards, offering the chance to one lucky customer to win KD 125,000 every three months. The Yawmi Account offers Daily and Quarterly Draws, wherein the Quarterly Draw requires customers to maintain a mini- mum amount of KD 500 in their account for two months prior to the draw date. Additionally, every KD 10 in the account will entitle customers to one chance of winning. If the account balance is KD 500 and above, the account holder will be qualified for both the quarterly and daily draws. Burgan Bank encourages everyone Senate confirms Guzman to lead small biz agency WASHINGTON, March 21, (AP): heads California’s Office of the Small and technical assistance. Guzman said The Senate overwhelmingly approved Business Advocate. In that role, she she would work to ensure money gets President Joe Biden’s pick to oversee oversaw efforts to help that state’s into the hands of the small businesses the Small Business Administration, an small businesses survive the pandem- hurt the most by the pandemic and the agency that has seen its portfolio ic. economic crisis through no fault of expand in response to the coronavirus “I am confident that I can hit the their own. pandemic. ground running,” Guzman told sena- “I have every confidence that under The vote to confirm Isabel Guzman tors in her confirmation hearing. Ms. Guzman’s leadership, the SBA was 81-17. She is the 18th member of The Small Business Administration will help small business owners hold Biden’s Cabinet to win Senate confir- oversees loan programs to help busi- onto their dreams until our economy mation. nesses recover from natural disasters, comes roaring back,” said Senator Guzman is a former Obama admin- enhances access to capital through Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, istration SBA official who currently loan guarantees and provides training D-N.Y. Texas company behind huge electricity bills seeks bankruptcy

The company that drew atten- The company blamed its sit- ment. said Tuesday that the waiver Ivet Cantu, 45, points to tion after sending huge elec- uation on the Electric Reliability ERCOT said it would review would cover about 24,000 for- her electricity bill from tricity bills to customers after Council of Texas, which oper- the bankruptcy fi ling but had no mer customers who owe $29.1 Griddy Energy on an last month’s blackout-causing ates the power grid in most of further comment. million in unpaid bills, and that app showing $3,114.27, winter storm in Texas has fi led the state. Griddy said ERCOT Griddy’s bankruptcy plan negotiations were continuing during recent severe cold for bankruptcy protection. kept wholesale prices at the proposes to waive claims over relief for customers who weather outside her home Griddy Energy sold power to state’s legal cap - $9,000 per against customers for charg- paid their bills. in Dallas, Feb 19, 2021. consumers at wholesale prices megawatt hour - for too long. es they incurred from Feb. Griddy said in a fi ling Mon- (AP) plus a $9.99 monthly fee. Its “The actions of ERCOT 15 through Feb. 19, while the day in the federal bankruptcy rates skyrocketed during the destroyed our business and $9,000 per megawatt hour court in Houston that it has February deep freeze, when caused fi nancial harm to our price for wholesale power was assets worth up to $10 million state grid operators raised customers,” Griddy CEO Mi- in effect. and liabilities of up to $50 mil- wholesale prices. chael Fallquist said in a state- The Texas attorney general lion. (AP) Business PPluslus ‘Any debt forgiveness wouldn’t benefi t borrowers if it led to an unaffordable tax bill’ COVID tax break could open door to student loan forgiveness

all called on Biden to cancel up to $50,000 in federal student loans via executive order. The president has said that he backs $10,000 in blanket forgiveness for federal student loan borrowers through congressional action. During a CNN town hall on Feb. 16, he said that he doesn’t support $50,000 of forgiveness. Biden and his team have ques- tioned whether he has the authority to call on the Department of Education to forgive debt through executive action. Advocates argue a president does have this power under the Higher Education Act. However, the Department of Education issued a legal memo in January stating that its secretary lacks authority to issue forgiveness. The 42.9 million federal student loan borrowers who collectively owe $1.57 trillion to the federal government stand to benefi t from blanket forgiveness. Having $10,000 forgiven would wipe out debt entirely for 15 million student loan borrowers , according to a NerdWallet analysis of federal student loan data. Neither forgiveness proposal would presumably benefi t borrowers with private student loans or those with commercially held Federal Fam- ily Education Loan debt, who were left out of previous relief packages. However, the tax relief for forgiven debt could benefi t private student loan borrowers whose debts are set- tled via bankruptcy. Meanwhile, federal student loan borrowers remain in an interest-free payment pause that began March 13, 2020, and extends through the end of September. Existing forgiveness plans and taxes Although there are existing debt In this fi le photo, students walk in front of Fraser Hall on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Student loan forgiveness might be on the way after all, according to experts who cancellation programs, the success see the tax break included in the $1.9 trillion stimulus package as a bellwether. The tax break would ensure any debt forgiven from Dec. 31, 2020, to Jan. 1, 2026, won’t be counted as income rates and tax implications have – effectively nixing the argument that cancellation would prompt a tax burden on borrowers. (AP) varied. Public Service Loan Forgive- ness offers tax-free debt cancellation By Anna Helhoski The tax measure was adapted from administration is putting through; bracket - and had $10,000 forgiven, for borrowers who are approved NerdWallet the Student Loan Tax Relief Act there is still the potential for forgive- which pushed you into the next (only 2.2% of applicants have been spearheaded by Sens. Bob Menendez, ness,” Gulish says. bracket. Since it’s a progressive tax so far , according to federal data). he tax break on college debt D-N.J., and Elizabeth Warren, D- However, there still isn’t legisla- system, you would end up paying Loan amounts forgiven under Bor- Tcancellations in the COVID-19 Mass. On March 6, Warren tweeted tion or executive order that answers 22% on your income, but 24% on rower Defense to Repayment - used relief package signed last week by , “This clears the way for President the big questions of “if,” “how that amount that spilled over into the if you’ve been defrauded by your President Joe Biden has removed Biden to #CancelStudentDebt with- much,” or “when” forgiveness could higher tax bracket ($2,400 in this school - aren’t taxed. And disability a potential roadblock to forgiving out burdening student borrowers with happen. example). forgiveness also isn’t considered tax- I see this as one student loan debt: taxes . thousands of dollars in unexpected What your bill could look like There are additional sacrifi ces able income. ‘ The provision won’t count any taxes.” without a tax break on the lower end of the income Forgiveness is normally taxed for step closer to elimi- debt forgiven from Dec. 31, 2020, to Experts say the tax relief measure Imagine there was no tax relief in- spectrum, says Erica Blom , a senior those enrolled in an income-driven Jan. 1, 2026, as income. Under one could do just that. cluded in the stimulus package. Opti- research associate at the Urban In- repayment plan, which sets payments nating what would of the existing forgiveness programs “Given the context and all the mistically, let’s also look into a crys- stitute, a nonprofi t research organi- at a portion of your income and (income-driven repayment), the discussions about loan forgiveness, I tal ball and say you have $10,000 of zation. Sliding into a different tax forgives debt after 20 or 25 years. So be not just a big amount forgiven is reported to the think it’s likely that this is a nod from student loan debt forgiven sometime bracket could result in loss of credits, far, only 32 borrowers have received IRS as income and taxed according Congress to open up this door,” says this year. Your earnings are $68,000 such as the earned income tax credit forgiveness through these repay- potential downside, to the borrower’s current tax bracket. Megan Coval, vice president of pol- (the approximate median in the U.S.), or a child tax credit. ment programs, according to March Any debt forgiveness wouldn’t icy and federal relations at National which means you fall within the 22% “That could have been as bad or 2021 data obtained by the National but a big public rela- benefi t borrowers if it led to an unaf- Association of Student Financial Aid tax bracket. Next year when you pay worse than asking someone to cough Consumer Law Center. fordable tax bill, says Douglas Web- Administrators. taxes on 2021 income, the forgiven up an additional $1,000 in taxes,” But most borrowers currently en- ber , associate professor of econom- Artem Gulish , senior policy strate- debt would be taxed at 22% and you Blom says. rolled in an income-driven repayment tions problem ics at Temple University. gist at Georgetown University Center would owe $2,200 on it. Where student loan forgiveness plan won’t be eligible to benefi t from ’ “I see this as one step closer to on Education and the Workforce, says Without a tax break, forgiveness stands forgiveness until 2035 at the earliest - eliminating what would be not just a the relief package was just a start for could also have pushed you into a Democratic lawmakers, a group well after the Jan. 1, 2026, expiration big potential downside, but a big pub- student loan borrowers. higher tax bracket. Say you earned of 17 state attorneys general and date on the tax-free provision in the lic relations problem,” Webber says. “This is the fi rst thing the Biden $85,525 - the high end of the 22% tax consumer rights advocates have new relief package. (AP) ‘Think of it more as a public education campaign’ Biden to highlight aid to small businesses

WASHINGTON, March 21, (AP): owners in Denver. The road show in people’s everyday lives. We’re just After opening his presidency by play- began Monday with Harris visiting a getting started.” ing down expectations for combating COVID-19 vaccination site and a cu- Biden said that within the next 10 the pandemic, President Joe Biden linary academy in Las Vegas and fi rst days, his administration will clear two and his top messengers are touring the lady Jill Biden touring a New Jersey important benchmarks: distributing country to raise hopes over his $1.9 elementary school. 100 million stimulus payments and trillion relief package. “We want to avoid a situation administering 100 million vaccine The president - as well as his vice where people are unaware of what doses since he took offi ce. It will have president and his wife - is promis- they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the taken about 60 days to administer those We want to avoid a ing that the spending will bring culinary academy. “It’s not selling it - doses, a pace much faster than the 100 transformational change by halving it literally is letting people know their days that Biden initially promised. ‘situation where peo- child poverty, fueling record levels of rights. Think of it more as a public To commemorate those milestones, hiring and pumping money to parents, education campaign.” Biden and his top representatives are ple are unaware of schools and state and local govern- The White House is wasting no embarking on their most ambitious ments. It’s a sharp turn from the start time promoting the relief plan, which travel schedule of his young presi- of the Biden administration, when Biden signed into law last week, dency, visiting a series of potential what they’re entitled vaccination goals were relatively looking to build momentum for the election battleground states this week. modest and Americans were warned rest of his agenda and anxious to The sales pitch was leaving Repub- to. It’s not selling it the country might not return to normal In this fi le photo, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris avoid the mistakes of 2009 in boost- licans cold. until Christmas. walk along the White House colonnade as they arrive to speak in the Rose ing that year’s recovery effort. Even Senate GOP leader Mitch Mc- – it literally is let- Biden on Tuesday joins top mes- Garden in Washington. (AP) veterans of President Barack Obama’s Connell dismissed the target of doses sengers already crisscrossing the grant program to support restaurants on helping small businesses with 20 administration acknowledge they did that Biden set when he took offi ce as country to highlight the benefi ts of the not do enough then to showcase their ting people know and drinking establishments. There or fewer employees. “not some audacious goal” but just plan, specifi cally focusing on aid for are also $15 billion in fl exible grants massive economic stimulus package. the pace that he inherited. And he their rights small businesses. Smith Flooring, which during peak The president, speaking Monday mocked Biden’s talk of Americans He was set to visit a small business that can be allocated. times has 22 employees but currently in Washington, declared that “hope working toward merely being able to ’ in suburban Philadelphia, his fi rst trip To drive home the point, Biden will is employing 12 workers, is using is here in real and tangible ways.” gather in small groups by July Fourth outside Washington for the “Help is visit Smith Flooring Inc. in Chester, the loan to help retain workers and He said the new government spend- as “bizarre.” Here” tour. Vice President Kamala Pennsylvania, a Black-owned busi- upgrade technology. Borrowers are ing will bankroll efforts that could The Biden plan cleared Congress Harris and husband Doug Emhoff were ness that supplies and installs fl ooring, eligible for forgiveness if they meet allow the nation to emerge from the without any backing from Repub- reinforcing the small business theme that saw revenue fall about 20% certain requirements, including devot- pandemic’s twin crises, health and licans, despite polling that found Tuesday with stops in Colorado. during the pandemic. The business re- ing at least 60% of the proceeds to economic. broad public support. Republicans Biden’s administration estimates cently qualifi ed for a federal Paycheck payroll expenses. “Shots in arms and money in pock- argued that the bill was too expen- that 400,000 small businesses have Protection Program loan during a two- Harris, meanwhile, is set to hold ets,” Biden said at the White House. sive, especially with vaccinations closed because of the pandemic and week window that ended earlier this a virtual chat with the operators of “That’s important. The American making progress against the virus, millions more are barely surviving. month in which the Biden administra- a Fort Lupton, Colorado, vaccine Rescue Plan is already doing what it and included too many provisions not His aid package includes a $28 billion tion focused the program exclusively clinic and meet with small-business was designed to do: make a difference directly linked to the pandemic. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 SCIENCE 11

Coronavirus

Hospitalizations rising AZ jabs resume in EU after clot scare WARSAW, Poland, March 21, (AP): Countries across Eu- rope resumed vaccinations with the AstraZeneca shot on Fri- day, as leaders sought to reassure their populations it is safe following brief suspensions that cast doubt on a vaccine that is critical to ending the coronavirus pandemic. The British and French prime ministers rolled up their sleeves, as did a handful of other senior politicians across the continent where inoculation drives have repeatedly stumbled and several countries are now re-imposing lockdowns as in- fections rise in many places. Britain is a notable exception: The outbreak there has re- ceded, and the country has been widely praised for its vac- cination campaign, though this week it announced that it, too, would be hit by supply shortages. The UK also never stopped using AstraZeneca. European Union countries, by contrast, have struggled to quickly roll out vaccines, and the pause of the vac- cine by many this week only added to those troubles. The suspensions came after reports of blood clots in some recipients of the vaccine, even though international health agencies urged governments to press ahead with the shot, saying the benefi ts outweighed the risks. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency said that the vaccine doesn’t Johnson increase the overall incidence of blood clots, though it could not rule out a link to a small number In this March 18, 2021, file photo, students listen to a presentation in Health class at Windsor Locks High School in Windsor Locks, Conn. The Centers for Disease of rare clots. Control and Prevention relaxed its social distancing guidelines for schools Friday, March 19, saying students can now sit 3 feet apart in classrooms. The new guide- The move paved the way for a slew of European countries lines also remove recommendations for plastic shields or other barriers between desks. (AP) including Italy, France and Germany to begin using the vac- cine again. “It’s clear that the revocation of the suspension is for us a great relief because we have to strongly accelerate the vac- Coronavirus cination campaign,” said Dr. Giovanni Rezza, the head of prevention at the Italian Health Ministry. Rezza told reporters in Rome that Italy only reluctantly halted the campaign out of an abundance of caution, but Students can safely sit just 3 feet apart needed to ramp it back up quickly to make up for lost time now. He said Italy needed to more than double the 200,000 vac- cinations per day the country had reached before the suspen- sion to reach its goal of inoculating 80% of the population CDC changes school guidance by September. NEW YORK, March 21, (AP): Stu- Teachers and other adults should The guidance change comes at a Concern dents can safely sit just 3 feet apart continue to stay 6 feet from one an- time when new, more contagious vari- Health experts have expressed concern that even though in the classroom as long as they wear other and from students, the CDC said. ants of the coronavirus are increasing- the suspensions were brief, they could still damage confi - masks but should be kept the usual 6 CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walen- ly spreading. That means a continued dence in the vaccine at a time when many people are already feet away from one another at sport- sky said the revised recommendations emphasis on mask wearing and other hesitant to take a shot that was developed so quickly. While ing events, assemblies, lunch or cho- are an “evidence-based roadmap to such measures, Massetti said. many EU countries have struggled with such reluctance, rus practice, the Centers for Disease help schools reopen safely, and remain Also: it’s even more of a worry in developing nations that may Control and Prevention said Friday in open, for in-person instruction.” not have any other choice of vaccine. AstraZeneca, which relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines. “Safe in-person instruction gives WASHINGTON: With the US clos- The revised recommendations rep- our kids access to critical social and ing in on President Joe Biden’s goal is cheaper and easier to store than many rival products, is of injecting 100 million coronavirus the linchpin in vaccination drives in many poorer countries. resent a turn away from the 6-foot mental health services that prepare standard that has sharply limited how them for the future, in addition to the vaccinations weeks ahead of his target Amid these concerns, British Prime Minister Boris John- date, the White House has announced son got an AstraZeneca jab at St. Thomas’ Hospital in south many students some schools can ac- education they need to succeed,” she An employee at the vaccination centre commodate. Some places have had to said in a statement. on Thursday that the nation is now London, where he was treated in intensive care last April for at Messe Dresden holds a vial of As- in position to help supply neighbors COVID-19. remove desks, stagger scheduling and Last year, the CDC advised that one traZeneca’s active ingredient against take other steps to keep children apart. way for schools to operate safely was Canada and Mexico with millions of “I literally did not feel a thing and so it was very good, Corona in his hand in Dresden, Ger- Three feet “gives school districts lifesaving shots. very quick and I cannot recommend it too highly,” Johnson, by keeping children 6 feet apart, the many, March 20. The state of Saxony greater fl exibility to have more stu- same standard applied to workplaces The Biden administration revealed 56, said on leaving the hospital after his jab. “Everybody, has resumed vaccinations with the dents in for a prolonged period of the outlines of a plan to “loan” a lim- AstraZeneca vaccine. (AP) and other settings. when you get your notifi cation for a jab please go and get it. time,” said Kevin Quinn, director of In contrast, the World Health Or- ited number of vaccines to Canada and It is the best thing for you, the best thing for your family and maintenance and facilities at Munde- ganization suggested 1 meter - a little Mexico as the president announced for everybody else.” lein High School in suburban Chicago. over 3 feet - was suffi cient in schools. the US is on the cusp of meeting his Others who got the shot Friday included French Prime In recent months, schools in some The American Academy of Pediatrics 100-day injection goal “way ahead of Minister Jean Castex, Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor and states have been disregarding the CDC says desks should be 3 feet apart and schedule.” Prime Minister Janez Jansa, and a German state governor. guidelines, using 3 feet as their standard. “ideally” 6 feet. “I’m proud to announce that tomor- Italian Premier Mario Draghi said he would get the Astra- Studies of what happened in some of The CDC guidance was problem- row, 58 days into our administration, Zeneca shot when it’s time for his age group, and said his them helped sway the agency, said Greta atic for many schools that traditionally we will have met our goal,” Biden grown son had received it in London. Massetti, who leads the CDC’s commu- had 25, 30 or more children per class- said. He promised to unveil a new “Therefore, there is absolutely no doubt” about its safety, nity interventions task force. room in closely grouped desks. Some vaccination target next week, as the Draghi, 73, told a news conference. While there is evidence of improved schools adopted complicated schedul- US is on pace to have enough of the Castex, 55, said he stepped up because he wanted to show mental health and other benefi ts from ing that might, for example, have half a three currently authorized vaccines to full confi dence in the shot, even though he is not yet eligible in-person schooling, “we don’t re- class come to school on some days and cover the entire adult population just under France’s rules. The former director of the Pasteur In- ally have the evidence that 6 feet is the other half on other days. 10 weeks from now. Eggertsson Einarsson Ahead of Biden’s remarks, the stitute, Patrick Berche, told BFMTV the move was “a very required in order to maintain low Spread beautiful gesture.” spread,” she said. White House said it was fi nalizing France restarted the vaccine with some restrictions that Also, younger children are less like- The Ridley School District in sub- plans to send a combined 4 million seemed aimed at reducing the risk of potential side effects Discovery ly to get seriously ill from the corona- urban Philadelphia took steps like that doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 even further. virus and don’t seem to spread it as to follow the 6-foot guideline after the vaccine to Mexico and Canada in its Other countries that are resuming their use of AstraZen- much as adults do, and “that allows us CDC emphasized it last summer. But fi rst export of shots. Press secretary eca shots include Bulgaria, a nation of 7 million where only Volcano eruption easing: The erup- that confi dence that that 3 feet of phys- neighboring communities went with Jen Psaki said the details of the “loan” tion of a long-dormant volcano that sent ical distance is safe,” Massetti said. 3 feet, “and we’re not seeing the data were still being worked out, but 2.5 355,000 people have been vaccinated with a fi rst dose so far really refl ect a different spread rate,” million doses would go to Mexico and - the lowest number in the European Union. streams of lava fl owing across a small val- The new guidance: ley in southwestern Iceland is easing and ■ Removes recommendations for said Lee Ann Wentzel, the district’s 1.5 million would be sent to Canada. But not everyone was as quick to return to the vaccine. shouldn’t interfere with air travel, the Ice- plastic shields or other barriers be- superintendent. “Our fi rst priority remains vaccinat- Sweden, Norway and Denmark, which was the fi rst country landic Meteorological Offi ce said Saturday. tween desks. “We don’t have a lot of The district had already decided to ing the US population,” Psaki said. But to pause using AstraZeneca, said they would wait another The fi ssure eruption began at around 8:45 evidence of their effectiveness” in pre- shift to 3-foot distancing starting next she added that “ensuring our neighbors week before deciding whether to resume. And Finland de- pm Friday in the Geldinga Valley, about venting transmission, Massetti said. month and invite all students to attend can contain the virus is a mission criti- cided to pause the vaccine for the fi rst time Friday, saying 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the ■ Advises at least 3 feet of space be- fi ve days a week. But Wentzel said she cal step, is mission critical to ending it would suspend use for a week while it investigated two capital, Reykjavik, the Met Offi ce said. The tween desks in elementary schools, was glad to hear of the change in CDC the pandemic.” suspected cases of blood clots. eruption is “minor” and there were no signs even in towns and cities where com- guidance because that will make it eas- The AstraZeneca vaccine has not Though there are concerns that the pause may have sown of ash or dust that could disrupt aviation, the munity spread is high, so long as stu- ier to explain and defend the district’s yet been authorized for use in the US long-lasting doubts, some were relieved that the vaccine was agency said. Dagur B. Eggertsson is the dents and teachers wear masks and decision. but has been by the World Health Or- available again Friday. Mayor of the City of Reykjavik. take other precautions. A recent study in Massachusetts ganization. Tens of millions of doses Marvin Brandl, 28, an emergency paramedic, was among “The more we see, the smaller this eruption ■ gets,” geophysicist Pall Einarsson told The Says spacing can also be 3 feet in looked at infections of students and have been stockpiled in the US, wait- a group of health care workers who got a shot in the German Associated Press on Saturday after monitoring middle and high schools, so long as staff members in schools that used the ing for emergency use authorization, city of Cologne. He voiced trust in all the vaccines that have the volcano throughout the night. there is not a high level of spread in the 3-foot standard and those that used the and that has sparked an international been approved by the EU. This southwestern corner of Iceland is the community. If there is, spacing should 6-foot one. It found no signifi cant dif- outcry that lifesaving vaccine is being Satisfied most heavily populated part of the country. be at least 6 feet. ference in infection rates. withheld when it could be used else- The Department of Emergency Manage- The CDC said 6 feet should still be Massetti said other research has also where. The White House said just 7 “Last night when I found out that vaccination was pos- ment said it doesn’t anticipate evacuations, maintained in common areas, such as been infl uential, including two studies million of the AstraZeneca doses are sible again, I made the appointment right away and then I unless levels of volcanic gases rise signifi - school lobbies, and when masks can’t the CDC released Friday. ready for shipment. was satisfi ed and grateful that I was able to get vaccinated,” cantly. be worn, such as when eating. One was a study in Utah that found The initial run of doses manufactured Brandl said. Kefl avik Airport, Iceland’s international Also, students should be kept 6 feet low coronavirus transmission rates in the US are owned by the federal gov- Authorities in Berlin said two large vaccination centers air traffi c hub, said fl ights have remained on apart in situations where there are a lot of among students who did a good job ernment under the terms of agreements were reopening Friday and that people whose appointments schedule since the eruption began. people talking, cheering or singing, all of wearing masks and whose desks were reached with drugmakers, and the Biden were canceled this week will be able to get the vaccine over “There is no indication of production of which can expel droplets containing the only 3 feet apart. The other study, done administration has faced calls from allies the weekend without making a new one. ash and tephra, and there is no imminent coronavirus. That includes chorus prac- in Missouri, pointed to a similar con- across the globe to release the AstraZen- After several stumbles in the vaccine rollout, EU govern- hazard for aviation,” the Met Offi ce said on tice, assemblies and sports events. clusion, Massetti said. eca shots for immediate use. ments are keen to get shots rolling again, especially since in- its website. fections and hospitalizations are rising dramatically in many In 2010, an eruption of the Eyjafjalla- jokull volcano in Iceland sent clouds of ash 8, 2019, after leaving the Port of Brunswick huge pieces, each weighing up to 4,100 hull like a dull sawblade. countries, with many offi cials saying they are either entering and dust into the atmosphere, interrupting or already are in a “third wave.” with 4,200 cars in its cargo decks. The crew tons (3,720 metric tonnes), and load them Cutting has progressed slowly at the air travel between Europe and North Amer- was rescued safely. into barges. Cuts are made using a towering wreck site 80 miles (128 kilometers) south Infections rates in Germany are “now clearly exponen- ica because of concerns the material could The multiagency command in charge of crane with winches and pulleys attached to a of Savannah since demolition began on Nov tial,” Lars Schaade, the deputy head of the Robert Koch In- damage jet engines. More than 100,000 removing the ship opted to cut it into eight length of anchor chain that rips through the 6. Before the latest section was loaded onto stitute, said. Offi cials have warned that country could face a fl ights were grounded, stranding millions of a barge, only the two ends of the ship had return to stricter lockdown measures by Easter. passengers. been removed. In France, the government backed off ordering a tough The Geldinga Valley eruption is the fi rst But cutting away the third section took lockdown for Paris and several other regions, instead an- on the Reykjanes Peninsula in almost 800 only a week, and workers are trying to make nouncing a patchwork of new restrictions despite an increas- years. the remaining cuts more effi cient by remov- ingly alarming situation at hospitals with a rise in the number The area began rumbling with increased ing strips of steel plating from the ship’s hull of COVID-19 patients. seismic activity 15 months ago, and the along paths prepared for the chains to cut. In Poland, more people are on respirators than at any tremors increased dramatically last month. About 100 battered cars have been plucked Over the past three weeks, the area has from inside the ship using a big mechani- time since the start of the pandemic and children make been rattled by about 50,000 small earth- up a greater percentage of those hospitalized. Officials cal claw, but most of the vehicles are being quakes, dozens of them magnitude 4 or lifted out as part of the severed segments. blame the surge on a more transmissible mutation first stronger, the Met Offi ce said. identified in Britain that is spreading like wildfire in The barge holding the newly cut segment Iceland, located above a volcanic hotspot will anchor at a local dock where workers the country, and they say the worst is yet to come. The in the North Atlantic, averages one eruption will secure the load for transport to a scrap- central European nation is preparing to enter a new na- every four to fi ve years. The last one was at yard in Louisiana, said Coast Guard Petty tionwide lockdown on Saturday - albeit one that is less Holuhraun in 2014, when a fi ssure eruption Offi cer 2nd Class Michael Himes, a spokes- spread lava the size of Manhattan over the restrictive than the one imposed a year ago. man for the multiagency command. interior highland region. (AP) Hungary, meanwhile, extended lockdown restrictions for Meanwhile, crews will prepare to re- ❑ ❑ ❑ another week as a powerful surge breaks records each day turn to a problematic section containing - despite the fact that the country has the second-highest vac- Chunk of shipwreck removed: Salvage the ship’s engine room, Himes said. They cination rate in the EU after Malta. crews cutting a wrecked cargo ship into gi- previously spent an entire month work- In Bosnia, which is not in the EU, soaring infections ant chunks along the Georgia coast lifted ing to cut away that section, where heavier prompted a lockdown taking effect in the capital on Friday. away the third big section to be severed steel strained the cutting apparatus enough The Balkan nation of 3.3 million has yet to start mass vac- from the vessel since demolition began four to force repairs and maintenance. Salvors cination of its citizens and has kept relaxed measures and ski months ago. A health worker injects a doctor with a dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vac- paused that cut halfway through to shift to cine at Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 8. Vietnam has resorts open throughout the winter season. The South Korean freighter Golden Ray the other end of the ship. has remained partially submerged off St started the vaccination campaign with a hope to inoculate half of the population Himes said cutting on the engine room Simons Island since the ship capsized Sept of 96 million against COVID-19 by the end of the year. (AP) segment will likely resume next week. (AP) Television MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 FFeatureseatures work, tweets haveovershadowedher anti-Asian andhomophobic age 8to12-overfi shows mostpopularwith“tweens”-thecatch-allnameforyoungsters closely attheissue.Uhlsdevisedastudyofvaluesprominentin demic attheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles,shelookedmore were scarcelyinthepicture. ularity andhappiness.Effortwasn’tpartoftheequation,families age,” Uhlssaid,suggestingthatcelebrityaboveallwasthekeytopop- her 9-year-olddaughterandotheryoungsters. “iCarly” and“Victorious,”uneasyaboutthemessagetheysentto self immersedadecadeagoinTVseriesincluding“HannahMontana,” LOS ANGELES,March21,(AP):Asaparent,YaldaUhlsfoundher- Tween TVviewersgetnewmessageaboutvalueoffame:study NEW YORK: American andPacifi saying itstandswith theAsian paused adspending there, Ulta Beauty,announced ithad skincare andcosmeticsretailer major advertisers,thepopular week, oneofTeenVogue’s editor inchiefMarch24.Last mond wasduetotakeoveras her successfulinthisrole.” Nast was“dedicatedtomaking the hiringprocessbutthatConde had disclosedthetweetsduring for MSNBC.Duncannotedshe and wasanon-aircontributor nalist inWashingtonforAxios had workedasapoliticaljour- digital-only TeenVogue.She pointed earlierthismonthbythe equitable andinclusive. Vogue’s worktobecomemore as notto“overshadow”Teen as the“bestpathforward”so McCammond’s departurecomes Stan Duncan Nast’s “chiefpeopleoffi high anti-Asianviolence.” comes atatimeof“historically that McCammond’sappointment now-deleted tweets.Theynoted ers andothersalarmedbythe management insupportofread- week sayingtheyhadwritten members postingastatementlast more than20TeenVoguestaff replace herweremounting,with was announced. resurfaced aftertheappointment and collegestudentin2011 from whenshewasateenager Peoples Wagner,butthetweets editor inchieftoreplaceLindsay was tappedastheincoming and asaprofessional.” years tocomeasbothaperson commitment togrowinginthe since, andhaveredoubledmy work andgrowthintheyears on socialmedia.“Ilookatmy nalist saidinastatementposted responsibility forthat,”thejour- what Ididandhavetakenfull at TeenVogue. Nast havedecidedtopartways that sheandpublisherConde communities. Itdidnotdisclose four tosixhoursdailydependingonfamilyincomelevel,according TV thananyothermedia,includinggaming,andaveragedbetween ing notfarbehindatNo.5. ment andself-acceptanceintheNo.12spotscommunityfeel- the top-ratedtweenshowsin2007,felltosixth2017,withachieve- UCLA. leased research,asequeltoherpreviousworkwithcolleaguesat So whatchanged?McCam- McCammond, 27,wasap- In aninternalemail,Conde Calls forthemagazineto McCammond, whoisBlack, “I shouldnothavetweeted When UhlsmadetheshiftfromHollywoodstudioexecutivetoaca- “They wereallaboutthesepeoplegettingfamousataveryyoung The studyfocusedontweensinpartbecausetheyconsumemore Being famous,whichrankedNo.1onalistof16valuesmeasuredin Fame, itturnsout,mayindeedbefl Alexi McCammond Sayingherpast toldUSstaffthat c Islander ve decadesstartingin1967. cer” said Jenna Ortega,(fromleft),JenniferGarner,JulianLerner,EverlyCarganillaandEdgarRamirezappearinascenefrom‘YesDay. HONOLULU: local televisionstation. quotas wasmade publicbya offi gized afteramemothatasked Chief its TeenVogueadbudget.(AP) KHON-TV reportedlast cers tofulfi eeting, accordingtonewlyre- discovery formyfamilywas1974’s“Swallowsand ending scaleofsuperherofilms.(Onepandemic films, agenrethathasincreasinglyapedtheworld- There’s somethingtobesaidforlower-stakesfamily a levelofcomfortthatisn’tallyesorentirelyno. who wantstoattendaconcertwithouthermom. tie (JennaOrtega,animpressivelypoisedyoungactor), dependence. That’sespeciallytruefor14-year-oldKa- ter parentingimpulsesandthekids’owndesireforin- theme-park visit.ThedaytestsbothAllison’shelicop- a carwashtripwiththewindowsdownandsurprise wall-to-wall fun,withbed-jumping,ice-creamfeasts, stay within20milesofhome.Thisleadstoaday stipulations. Youcan’tbreaklawsandyou’vegotto “Yes Day”asaremedy,Allisongoesalong,withfew lin andMussolini. of acoup.OnemakesvideocomparinghertoSta- dren’s schoolprojectssuggestadictatorshipinneed husband Carlos(EdgarRamirez)-thatherthreechil- is Allison-thebadcopnexttohermoreeasy-going (Garner) inthefilm’sopeningscenes.Butsostern buts FridayonNetflix. children. Andshe’saproducerofthefilm,whichde- social mediaaboutholdingtheholidaywithherthree nifer Garner.Theactresshaspreviouslyspokenon lieving parentsoftheburdenconstantdisapproval. at decision-makingfreedombutformomentarilyre- the ideahadrealappealnotjustforgivingkidsashot in thepositivetotheirchildren’sdemands.Forsome, ents -regularlysuchfontsof“No!”havetoanswer 2009 picturebook,whichsuggestedadaywhenpar- 24-hour holidayoflawlessness. L In ‘Yes Day,’ kidsgettheirwayfor24hrs Susan Ballard It’s alllightlypredictableasthefamilyworksout When aguidancecounselor(NatFaxon)suggests “No ispartofthejob,”narratesAllisonTorres One parent,inparticular,tookto“YesDay”:Jen- The conceptcomesfromAmyKrouseRosenthal’s Miguel Arteta’s“YesDay”imaginesanannual ike aninnocuouskidversionof“ThePurge,” Variety ❑ HonoluluPolice ll weeklyticket hasapolo- By JakeCoyle Children moresusceptibletomediainfl ‘Minari’ actornonchalantaboutnewfameoutsideS.Korea Film lence andtraditionwerestressedinhitseriesincluding“TheAndy a statement. tant inourculture,”thereport’sleadauthor,AgnesVarghese,said about fameandwinning,thesevaluesmaybecomeevenmoreimpor- camn Duncan McCammond In earlieryears,thestudyfoundthatcommunityfeeling,benevo- “If tweenswatch,admireandidentifywithpeoplewhomostlycare to 2019fi values” asseenin2007. “America’s GotTalent”continuedtorefl phasis onfame,butcompetitionseries“AmericanNinjaWarrior”and “The Thundermans”seemedtobe“drivingashift”awayfromanem- covered onlyscripted. leased in2011,wasdoneonthebrinkofrealityTVboomand were watchingarealityseriesorscriptedone.Thepreviousstudy,re- TV characters’values. termine theleadingtweenshows,thensurveyedstudyparticipantson value systems,”thestudysaid.ResearchersusedNielsenratingstode- media infl The newresearchfoundthatthecomedies“GirlMeetsWorld”and Viewers perceiveddifferentmessagesdependingonwhetherthey Youngsters nearingadolescencealsoareespeciallysusceptibleto gures. uence asthey“dreamabouttheirfuturebyshaping a filmcareerspanningoverfivedecades.Butshe’s be myself.” actor said.“MynameisYuh-jungYoun.SoIliketo her ownintroduction. said she’sflatteredbythecomparison.Butshehad Streep ofSouthKorea”inarecentinterview,she asked howshefeltaboutbeingcalledthe“Meryl Running time:86minutes.Twostarsoutoffour. rude andsuggestivematerial,brieflanguage. Motion PictureAssociationofAmericaforsome but “Yes”to“YesDay.” and willprobablytakemetotaskforsayinganything prieve forthem.Mykids,naturally,lovedtheidea so muchforkids,“YesDay”maybeawelcomere- and needypoliceofficer. every scenehe’sinbetter.Hereheplaysahapless Arturo Castro,the“BroadCity”actorwhomakes ments comecurtesyofFaxonandtheveryfunny be improvedwiththatcasting?)Thefilm’sbestmo- played theparents.(Thoughwhatmoviewouldn’t a lotbetterif,say,WillFerrellandMayaRudolph SEOUL, SouthKorea: Youn needsnointroductioninSouthKorea,with “I amjustaKoreanactressinKorea,”73-year-old “Yes Day,”aNetflixrelease,isratedPGbythe Of course,afterapandemicyearthathasruledout Not tobenegativeon“YesDay,”butitwould are both very fine actors, neither of them is funny. are bothveryfineactors,neitherofthemisfunny. those ofuswatching.AndwhileGarnerandRamirez loudly scoredmontagesof“fun”thatdon’ttransferto concepts. But“YesDay”slidestoooftenintocontrived, crafting comic,humanisticmoviesoutofcommercial Girl,” “CedarRapids”)hasanunderratedabilityat pable ofmakingtheirowntentsandadventures.) playing onalake.Ontheirown,they’replentyca- Amazons,” acharmingBritishfilmaboutkidsjust Identify “Yes Day” isn’t nearly so sweet. Arteta (“The Good “Yes Day”isn’tnearlysosweet.Arteta(“TheGood lowed underthecurrent contract. SHOPO, saidthepolicy isnotal- citations andtwoDUIstops. moving citations,fi of PoliceOffi State ofHawaiiOrganization fi Friday thatthememosetforof- cers aweeklyminimumoffi “When the unionfoundout The policeoffi ect thetrendof“self-focused Pandemic cers, known as cers, knownas When Also: cers union, the cers union,the ve parking Youn Yuh-jung uence ve to theoffi nal videotooffi Lutu to bestarting,”said basically itwasnotsupposed chief andsherespondedsaying immediately sentalettertothe it wasbeingimplemented,we “First off, I want to apologize “First off,Iwantto apologize Ballard apologized inaninter- was 1987, and“SabrinatheTeenageWitch”in1997. Griffi deal withNetfl launched theDisneyJuniorchannelandrecentlysignedaproduction weigh theirplaceintheworld.KanterworkedwithSesameWorkshop, to considerhowaprojectwillaffectimpressionableviewersasthey she said. was thebacklashagainstinfl researchers toexpectfame’sallurehaverecededfromtweenshows said Uhls,thecenter’sfounderanddirector.Anotherfactorthatled still happeningbecausebythensocialmediawasn’tsuchanewthing,” psychology department. the studyfromCenterforScholars&Storytellers,partofUCLA’s decade ofthe2000stomakefame-focusedtweenshows,”according media platformsincludingFacebookandYouTube. in 2007,withresearchersattributingtheshifttoembraceofsocial Then fame,whichhadlingeredatthebottomoflist,jumpedtofi hopeful orpositive”ineachprogram,Kantersaid. , whoheadstheunion. Community rankedfi Nancy Kanter,aveteranofchildren’sprogramming,saidit’svital In revisitingthesubjectfor2017,“wewereseeingifthattrendwas Their popularity“mayhaveinfl “I feltlikeIhadtobeshowingkidssomethinggood, cers and Iwanttoapolo- th Show”from1967;“HappyDays,”1977;“GrowingPains,” anti-Asian racism.(AP) struggles includingdealingwithidentitycrisesand for herto“fullyunderstand”andidentifywiththeir ’80s, when“Minari”isset.Butshesaidit’sdifficult by AsianAmericanimmigrantsinthe1970sand split fromChoandreturnedtoacting. forming, beforereturningtoSouthKorea,whereshe English,” shesaid,laughing. months totrylearnEnglish.Itdidn’tworkout. film andstayedwithadirectorinFloridaforeight ham’s church. together sohecouldperformatpastorBillyGra- Young-nam, whoconvincedhertomovetheUS peak ofhercareer,shemarriedpopularsingerCho with her1971debut“FireWoman.”Whileatthe know... Forme,anawardmeansgettingnextwork.” be somethingIcan’tandwon’timagine,sodon’t thought aboutscoringanaward,sayingit“would tress category.She’ssaidshehasn’tgivenmuch Youn islikelytobeincludedinthesupportingac- Academy Awards. and scoopingupsixnominationsattheBritishFilm ning bestforeignlanguagefilmattheGoldenGlobes contender during the UnitedStates. ( yet comicalrelationshipwithhergrandsonDavid join herdaughterandstep-sondevelopsatender Arkansas tor based onthechildhoodofKorean-Americandirec- try through“Minari,”asemi-autobiographicalfilm just beingdiscoveredbyaudiencesoutsidethecoun- Alan Kim cers. She saidthe Youn livedintheUSfornearlyadecade,notper- “The projectdisappearedbecauseIcouldn’tspeak Youn saidshewasofferedaroleinChristian Born in1947,sheshottofameSouthKorea When OscarnomineesareannouncedMonday, The filmwowedatSundanceandhasbeenatop Youn playsSoonja,whomovesfromKoreato Lee IsaacChung ix. Malcolm tostartasmallfarm. ), theonlymemberinfamilyborn rst inthreeofthoseyears,fallingoncetoNo.2. ’ (AP) US Hollywood wasconsidereda“dreamland” aboutafamilymovingtorural offi “train andassistlow performing plaining whatthey woulddoto reports tothepolice chiefex- geants andlieutenantstosubmit authorization frommetodothat.” out withoutmyapprovalorany said. “Thatinformationwassent gize toSHOPOaswell,”Ballard uence ofsocialmediaonyoungsters, uenced contentcreatorsfromthefi The memoalsoaskedser- cers.” (AP) ’s awardsseason,win- rst rst ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Books

Murder, but gentler ‘Cozy’ mysteries are pandemic-era balm By Tamara Lush book,’ author Neil Gaiman may or may ‘A not have said, “is a dream you hold in your hand.” And right now, in an era of pandemic and polarization, Americans have — and need — a lot of dreams. We dream of unfettered travel, of a world free of face masks and hand sanitizer, of days that are excit- ing and new and not the grinding tedium of spending hour after hour staring, horrified, at the TV news. We dream of going back to school. Of eating a meal with family. Of hugs. And some of us — well, some of us dream of murder. Small-town murder. Gentle murder. Quiet murder. For those who find their dreams in books, there’s a group of readers who are hun- grily consuming a particular style of narrative to escape from the past year’s reality: “cozy” mysteries. In an unfathomably com- plex year, a gently told tale of murder and mayhem whit- tles the sharp edges of real- Christie ity to a manageable, smooth surface. “Murder is definitely dark, but in a cozy the reader is with the protagonist every step of the way as each clue is revealed,” says Michelle Vega, ex- A young boy wearing a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19 attends a preview of the Imagine Van Gogh immersive exhibition in Vancouver, British Columbia, ecutive editor of Berkley, who works with several March 18. The 25,000 square foot exhibition featuring projections of more than 200 of Van Gogh’s paintings runs from March 19 to June 11 at the Vancouver Con- cozy authors. “You can enjoy the perfect cup of tea vention Centre. Due to COVID-19 the exhibition has limited capacity and timed entry. (AP) and pretend you’re sitting in that comfy bookshop with the protagonist, smiling along with the banter as she and friends figure out whodunit. It is escap- ist perfection.” Books In television form, the cozy can be seen in popu- lar shows such as “Murder, She Wrote,” “Midsomer Murders” and “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.” Cozies claim roots in early 20th-century British mys- ‘Hospital by the Hill’ aimed at frontliners’ children teries by such writers as Agatha Christie and Dor- othy L. Sayers. But with the advent of the e-book, authors are setting their gentle crime scenes in RV campgrounds in the American South, tourist towns in the Pacific northwest and in neighborhoods in Brook- Harry gives advice to grieving kids lyn, to name a few. The genre’s parameters are few: no swearing, no LONDON, March 21, (AP): Britain’s sex, and little to no gore. Just what the pandemic-era Prince Harry has written the forward doctor ordered. for a new book aimed at the children of frontline workers who died in the Stephen King’s latest Later is Realities COVID-19 pandemic, sharing the pain “The cozy mystery is a familiar way to encounter he suffered as a boy after the death of the two seemingly unreconcilable realities of death his mother, Princess Diana. much more than crime story and country peace at the same time,” says Sarah Alli- Harry wrote that losing his mother at son, an associate professor of English at Loyola New age 12 left “a huge hole inside of me,” By Bob Merrill of this slim novel. Encouraged by Orleans who is working on a book about “escape according to excerpts of the book printed his mother’s NYPD girlfriend, Liz, in the Times of London. Diana died in a ater,’ by Stephen King (Hard Jamie gets tied up in the pursuit of reading.” Paris car accident in August 1997. “The restoration of order at the end of the novel ‘LCase Crime) a serial bomber in New York. It’s “Hospital by the Hill,’’ by Chris Stephen King gets a lot of credit not giving too much away to say might be less significant than the way this genre Connaughton, is the story of a young makes beautiful scenery and grisly details feel like for creating the monsters under he helps crack the case, but to say This cover image released by Hard person whose mother worked at a hos- kids’ beds (here’s looking at you, what happens after that would spoil they go together naturally,” she said in an email. Case Crime shows ‘Later’ a novel by pital and died during the pandemic. It all the fun. Such mysteries, she says, promise a messy murder Pennywise), but not enough for Stephen King. Readers may know is being given to children who have this simple fact: The guy gets kids. There’s classic King here for fans. and a tidy resolution, “a welcome contrast to the way him best for ‘Carrie,’ ‘The Shining’ and experienced similar losses. Their fears, certainly, but also their Imagine the carnage on any given other bestsellers commonly identified we’ve all been suspended between life as it was be- “While I wish I was able to hug you voices, the way they see the world day in the Big Apple and then imag- fore COVID and life as it will be after.” as ‘horror,’ but King has long had an ine being a young man seeing the affinity for other kinds of narratives, right now, I hope this story is able to differently than adults. Kelly Vaiman, a longtime cozy fan, has tried to provide you comfort in knowing that To a long list that includes Danny mangled dead walking around in the avoid thinking about real life this past year. First from science fiction and prison drama afterlife, with holes in their heads “as to the Boston Red Sox. (AP) you’re not alone,” Harry wrote in the Torrance from “The Shining” and Gor- she was wary of going places due to the pandemic, forward. “When I was a young boy die Lachance from “The Body,” we can big as a dessert plate and surround- then her elderly mother’s health declined while in a I lost my mum. At the time, I didn’t now add Jamie Conklin, the star of ed by irregular fangs of bone.” Pennsylvania nursing home. Vaiman couldn’t travel want to believe it or accept it, and it King’s most recent novel, “Later.” But even amid the gore and es- to say goodbye, and her mother died. left a huge hole inside of me. I know Published under the Hard Case calating tension, King finds mo- “After her passing, during the mourning period, I how you feel, and I want to assure you Crime imprint, which also distribut- ments to make Jamie relatable. As just couldn’t handle the grief,” Vaiman says. “So I’d ed “The Colorado Kid” (2005) and Liz and his mom argue at the scene that over time that hole will be fi lled of a crime, we pop inside Jamie’s pick up a cozy mystery to take my mind off every- with so much love and support.” “Joyland” (2013) - “Later” is nar- thing.” rated by 22-year-old Jamie, looking head before he screams at them. Harry has on several occasions re- back on his formative years. He be- “One of the worst things about be- She estimates that she reads 120 books a year. fl ected on the enduring pain he experi- gins his story at age 6, when he first ing a kid, maybe the very worst, is They’re not all all cozies, but those are what she turns enced from his mother’s sudden death. figured out he could see and talk to how grownups ignore you when to when she needs a comforting read. He has made mental health awareness the dead. they get going” on their own issues, Valerie Burns writes gentle murder mysteries un- a key part of his charitable work. It’s that gift which propels the plot writes King. (AP) der the pen name of V.M. Burns, and her “Mystery “We all cope with loss in a different Bookshop” series is now six stories long. Since the Smith Corbett way, but when a parent goes to heaven, pandemic began in early 2020, she’s noticed more I was told their spirit, their love and “So why aren’t we taking climate NEW YORK: NBA All-Star Chris readers are taking the time to email her about her the memories of them do not,” Harry change seriously? The missing piece of Paul has an off-court project in the work, seeking that human connection that’s sorely wrote. “They are always with you, and the puzzle is communication,” Hayhoe works: His fi rst book. missing. Variety you can hold on to them forever. I fi nd said in a statement. “Because it’s so Paul’s “Sixty-One: Life Lessons Burns, who lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is an this to be true.” scary and so contentious, we don’t talk from Papa, On and Off the Court” will avid cozy reader as well as a writer of them. She ac- Also: about it. And if we don’t talk about it, come out in September, St. Martin’s knowledges the unusual nature of cozies - that they LEXINGTON, Ky: Longtime Kentucky why would we care? In this book, I want Press announced Wednesday. revolve around a murder yet are also soothing to journalist and political TV host Al Smith NEW YORK: The new chief scientist to give people the tools to have construc- Co-written with journalist and read. But, she adds, trying to solve a mystery gives has died. He was 94. at the Nature Conservancy, Katharine tive conversations about why these is- ESPN broadcaster Michael Wilbon, a feeling of accomplishment when so much of life Smith was the host of KET’s “Com- Hayhoe, has written a book about cli- sues are relevant to all of us, and how we the memoir by the Phoenix Suns’ point seems stalled. ment on Kentucky” when the show mate change. can work together for change.” guard is a tribute to his late grandfather began in 1974 and remained host until One Signal Publishers has an- The Nature Conservancy is an interna- and mentor, Nathaniel Jones, who Violence 2007. Smith died at his Florida home nounced last week that Hayhoe’s tional environmental organization founded died while Paul was in high school. “It’s basically a puzzle, but there’s that safety on Friday after declining health in recent “Saving Us” will be released Sept. in 1951. Hayhoe, a climate scientist who The book’s title refers to a high school net in knowing there’s not going to be a whole lot weeks, The Courier Journal reported. 21. Hayhoe will combine research teaches public policy and public law at game, played after his grandfather of blood and guts and violence,” she says, laughing. Current “Comment” host Bill Bryant and personal stories as she attempts Texas Tech University, hosts the PBS died, when Paul scored 61 points — “It’s contradictory. A murder mystery with no vio- announced Smith’s passing on the show to unite readers, including those who digital series “Global Weirding” and was one for each year his grandfather lived. Friday night. deny the overwhelming evidence of named a “Champion of the Earth” by the lence. But I can pick up a cozy, and can figure out “This is certainly a loss for Kentucky “‘Sixty-One’ is a celebration of my Papa clues and try to figure out whodunit but I don’t have climate change, and motivate them to- United Nations in 2019. Chilly who helped shape who I am today journalism,” Bryant said. “He was a col- ward action. ❑ ❑ ❑ to live in all of the horror associated with true crime league and mentor for all of us.” and what I value,” Paul said in a statement. or a noir.” Kentucky US Sen. Mitch McConnell Esi Sogah, a senior editor at Kensington Books, said Smith set “the gold standard of com- says she’s seen an uptick in cozy mystery sales in munity journalism in the Bluegrass.” to ring up nearly $5 billion in sales Research. stores had taken to livestreaming to sell the past year. She believes that the genre’s settings “On radio, on television and in print, last year and reach $25 billion in 2023, The pandemic is helping to feed the all sorts of items. (AP) — often picturesque small towns, quirky villages, or he covered everyone from Kentucky’s according to retail data fi rm Coresight craze. Business owners with closed ❑ ❑ ❑ unique neighborhoods — allow homebound readers most famous to those who wouldn’t be to travel in their minds. known outside their small town,” said DOYLESTOWN, Pa: A top aide to a dis- “Sitting in cafes, going book clubs. Browsing in a McConnell, the US Senate minority trict attorney in suburban Philadelphia leader. “In short, Al told our story.” has been demoted because he was caught bookstore in fictional world,” she says. “All the stuff moonlighting for DoorDash during work you can’t do right now.” Smith served as co-chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission un- hours. Unlike big blockbuster stories that revolve around Bucks County District Attorney Matt one near-superhuman character (who is usually a der Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ron- ald Reagan from 1979 to 1982. (AP) Weintraub announced the punishment man), cozy series cultivate an amateur sleuth (usu- ❑ ❑ ❑ against prosecutor Gregg Shore, who ally a woman) and a cast of quirky secondary char- was demoted from the offi ce’s fi rst as- acters. Readers become attached to the entire ensem- NEW YORK: Upscale department store sistant district attorney to being a deputy ble, says author Bree Baker, and consider them old chain Nordstrom is getting into lives- district attorney. friends. That’s why readers love series that stretch to tream selling, the latest US retailer to Weintraub said Shore had been work- multiple books. jump on the trend that has been already ing for DoorDash, delivering food during “I think we all need a place to belong, at the core popular in China. work hours, from October to February. of everything. We need to have our people,” Baker The move, announced is part of the The Bucks County Courier Times said says. Seattle company’s overall strategy to Shore’s salary as fi rst assistant was shift more of its business online. $125,000. And at a time when we can’t see our own people in “I primarily worked the job at nights real life, fictional stand-ins will have to do. Solving a Livestream selling is taking off in the US, ushering in a new way for Ameri- and weekends, however, I made the murder in one’s mind, dreaming of the day when we cans to shop online. Instead of searching incredibly poor decision to deliver during can languidly enjoy a coffee and conversation with for what they want, they pick up their the workday at times,” Shore told the friends, knowing that what’s right will prevail in phones, sit back, and click to buy if they paper. the end - those are the reasons people turn to cozies. like what they see. Weintraub cited the importance of re- And, not coincidentally, they overlap with the ways “Livestream Shopping enables us to demption and second chances as reasons people are coping at this moment in history. stay closer to the customer with interac- to keep Shore on the offi ce payroll. “We have enough horror in our day to day lives,” tive and engaging experiences that allow Shore has also worked for the state Burns says. “Right now, that’s all I want to do is es- for discovery, personalization and service In this Jan 16, 2020 file photo, Britain’s Prince Harry arrives in the gardens of attorney general’s offi ce, as a Lehigh cape. Escape into a world where justice prevails.” at scale,” Fanya Chandler, senior vice Buckingham Palace in London. Britain’s Prince Harry has written the forward for County prosecutor and was a deputy sec- (AP) president at Nordstrom, wrote in a blog a new book aimed at the children of frontline workers who died in the COVID-19 retary in the Pennsylvania Department of post. pandemic, sharing the pain he suffered as a boy after the death of his mother, Labor and Industry during the adminis- This mode of shopping was expected Princess Diana. (AP) tration of Gov Tom Corbett. (AP) ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 SPORTS 14

Midnight Bourbon settles for 2nd place, Mandaloun fi nishes 3rd Hot Rod Charlie wins Louisiana Derby by 2 lengths NEW ORLEANS, March 21, (AP): Stakes at Santa Anita. mostly empty clubhouse and grand- competing at 1 1/4 miles at Churchill Hot Rod Charlie led wire to wire to “How could it possibly not feel stand at Fair Ground Race Course be- Downs on May 1 after he didn’t tire win the $1 million Louisiana Derby as good as anybody could ever feel. cause of crowd restrictions related to when challenged by Midnight Bour- by two lengths over Midnight Bourbon We’ve got a horse in the Kentucky the coronavirus pandemic. bon down the stretch. and earn 100 points toward qualifi ca- Derby,” said Greg Helm of Roadrun- Trained by Leandro Mora and with “It was very impressive,” Rosario tion for the Kentucky Derby. ner Racing, who is part owner of Hot jockey Joel Rosario aboard, Hot Rod said. “It looked like the horse came on It was the fi rst graded stakes victory Rod Charlie. “We’ve been struggling Charlie went off at 7-1 and ran 1 3/16 the outside, he was able to fi ght back after some narrow misses for the Cali- with him to be fi rst every time and he miles in 1:55.06. He paid $7.80, $4.40 and just not let the horse go by.” fornia-based horse, who’d fi nished sec- comes in right when we need him.” and $3.60. Rosario also noted that Hot Rod ond in last years TVG Breeder’s Cup Ju- The major prep race for Triple Rosario said the race demonstrat- Charlie doesn’t need to get out in front venile and third in the Robert B. Lewis Crown hopefuls was run in front of a ed Hot Rod Charlie’s prospects for early to stay in the race. “He can do anything,” Rosario said. “Last time we ran him, he came from a little bit off the pace. I think he can run anywhere.” The Steve Asmussen-trained Mid- night Bourbon, with Joe Talamo aboard, earned 40 points and paid $7.20 and $4.40. “We got a perfect trip and turning for home I had a lot of horse and I Kuwait’s rally driver Meshari Al-Thifeeri and his Qatari navigator Nasser Al- thought we had it,” Talamo said. “We Kawari pose with their trophies after fi nishing second of the (T4) category just got out-fi nished. Hats off to the of the 2021 Jordan Baja rally. winner, he ran huge and fought back on me.” Kuwait’s Al-Thifeeri fi nishes HORSE RACING

Long-shot O Besos, who went off 2nd in ’21 Jordan Baja rally at 28-1, fi nished third and paid $7.80 and earned 20 points toward Kentucky KUWAIT CITY, March 21, (KUNA): eral rating to third position in the Derby qualifi cation. Kuwait’s rally driver Meshari Al- T4 and second in overall world cup “He answered that distance ques- Thifeeri and his Qatari navigator competition. tion today. He galloped out in front,” Nasser Al-Kawari came in second He expressed hope for being of the (T4) category as part of the crowned champion in this year’s trainer Greg Foley said, adding that 2021 Jordan Baja rally competition. entering O Besos in the Kentucky The completion is the fourth edition in this category. Derby seems like a realistic considera- round of the 2021 FIM Bajas World This progress is a motivation for tion now. “We sure have to think about Cup. further success in the champion- it. The biggest thing was would he go Speaking to KUNA, Al-Thifeeri ship, which includes the best com- that far.” said today’s result jumped his gen- petitors in the world, he noted. Morning line favorite Mandaloun, who went off at 6-5 and already has qualifi ed for the Kentucky Derby, in “He was fl at and we’re disap- see. It’s frustrating but it’s part of it. In this image provided by Hodges Photography, Hot Rod Charlie (right), with Joel Rosario aboard, leads the fi eld part because of his victory in the Risen pointed. There’s no other way to say I can’t ask him to train any better and into the stretch on his way to winning the 108th running of the $1,000,000 Grade II Louisiana Derby horse race at Star Stakes, was third in the fi nal turn it,” trainer Brad Cox said. “I have no I don’t think I would have done any- the Fair Grounds Race Course, on March 20, in New Orleans. (AP) but faded to fi nish sixth. excuse right now, we’ll just have to thing different. We’ll just regroup.” Penn State fi nishes 2nd Allgaier holds off Truex to win Lee becomes 3-time champ on bad knee, Iowa wins team title ST. LOUIS, March 21, (AP): Iowa won of Stanford won 6-2 over No. 3 Jake NASCAR Xfi nity race in Atlanta its fi rst NCAA wrestling team title since Wentzel of Pittsburgh in what could 2010, and Hawkeyes star Spencer Lee have been the Cardinal program’s fi nal took his third individual title competing match. on a badly injured knee. Stanford announced in July that Burton takes 3rd Mo’unga, Crusaders Already one of Iowa’s greats, Lee wrestling and 10 other sports would further burnished his image in the be dropped to save money. Wrestling HAMPTON, Ga., March ‘thrash’ Blues 43-27 state’s wrestling lore when he revealed alumni organized a fundraiser in an at- after his 7-0 victory over Arizona tempt to endow the program, and as of 21, (AP): Justin Allgaier AUCKLAND, March 21, (AP): All State’s Brandon Courtney that he tore Saturday they had raised $12.5 million. snatched the lead after Blacks fl yhalf Richie Mo’unga scored the anterior cruciate ligament in one of The Enterprise Center crowd, lim- Martin Truex Jr. made a a try among 28 points Sunday as de- his knees eight days earlier. ited because of the pandemic, chanted fending champions the Crusaders beat The 125-punder outscored his oppo- “Keep Stanford Wrestling” as Griffi th mistake on pit road, and the Auckland-based Blues 43-27 in a nents 59-8 in St. Louis to become the exited the mat, and he wore a hoodie then held off his furious match between unbeaten teams in Su- seventh Iowa wrestler, and fi rst since bearing the same message. charge at the end to win per Rugby Aotearoa. 1998, to win three national titles. His Other fi nals: Mo’unga added to his try with fi ve match against Courtney was the only 133: No. 2 Roman Bravo-Young of the NASCAR Xfi nity Se- penalties and four conversions as the one this season in which he didn’t earn Penn State scored a quick takedown ries race at Atlanta Motor Christchurch-based Crusaders repelled bonus points. in overtime for a 4-2 win over No. 1 Speedway. a strong challenge from the Blues to For Iowa, Lee’s performance was Daton Fix of Oklahoma State. Fix, who move clear atop the table in the New the highlight of an evening session that last month came off a one-year suspen- Allgaier’s celebration was saw its other two fi nalists lose. marred by a scuffl e on pit road Zealand domestic competition. sion for testing positive for a banned The Crusaders led 17-8 after a tight Iowa went into the fi nals already substance, also lost an overtime match between Noah Gragson and Dan- fi rst half and stretched that lead in the having secured its 24th team champi- in the 2019 fi nal. iel Hemric, whose cars had gotten NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier poses with a trophy after he wins a NASCAR face of a strong Blues’ challenge in the onship following strong performances 141: No. 2 Nick Lee of Penn State into each other on pit road during Xfi nity Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 20, in Hampton, Ga. (AP) second spell. in the medal round. The Hawkeyes the race. Mo’unga’s boot was instrumental ended up with 129 points. WRESTLING Hemric came over to confront Allgaier said. “They made some great in his career,” Gragson said. “I’ll just in keeping the Crusaders ahead after Since winning its fi rst team title in Gragson while he was doing an inter- adjustments on pit road.” move on, keep on fi ghting. Man, what halftime. 1975, Iowa had not gone so long with- view. Gragson took several swings, Truex started from the 18th posi- a day.” , as the Blues challenged their lead out winning another. avenged his loss to No. 1 Jaydin Eier- but appeared to miss before crew tion in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Hemric blamed Gragson for the pit- with tries to Kurt Ecklund and Hoskins Penn State, which had won four man of Iowa in the Big Ten fi nals two members and offi cials stepped in to but needed only seven laps to claim road incident. Sotutu. straight team titles and eight of the last weeks ago, scoring a takedown 19 sec- separate the drivers. Neither was hurt. the lead in his his fi rst Xfi nity Series “There’s a hole in the nose of my As a match between unbeaten teams nine, came in second with 113.5 points. onds into overtime for a 4-2 win. race since the fi nal event of the 2010 car and he got popped in the eye,” and involving the best players in New All four of the Nittany Lions’ fi nalists 149: No. 2 Austin O’Connor won season at Homestead. said Hemric, who fi nished ninth. Zealand, Sunday’s match became a won. North Carolina’s fi rst title since 1995 CAR RACING Truex had 13 victories in the NAS- “From where I stand, we’re in good “state of the union” assessment of the One of the most emotional moments when he held off a takedown attempt CAR feeder series, the most recent shape.” current state of All Blacks rugby. of the tournament came when eighth- by Ohio State’s top-seeded Sammy Truex, racing in the second-tier coming on April 29, 2006, at Tal- Josh Berry’s day ended with a spec- seeded 165-pounder Shane Griffi th Sasso at the edge of the mat as time series for the fi rst time since 2010, ladega. tacular spin. He lost it coming out of ran out. Buckeyes coach Tom Ryan dominated the fi rst two stages and “I had a lot of fun,” said Truex, who turn four and plowed into the grass at challenged, contending Sasso, down seemed headed for an easy victory won series championships in 2004 the head of pit road, his splitter digging 3-2, should have been awarded the two until he got caught speeding on pit and ‘05 to propel his move to the Cup into the ground to send turf fl ying. points. Video review upheld the offi - road. series. “Obviously, we were really Berry was able to climb from his cial’s ruling of no takedown. The 2017 Cup champion had to strong in the fi rst two stages. Then car, which sustained heavy damage. 157: No. 3 David Carr of Iowa State I screwed up and sped on pit road. I A big wreck on the fi nal lap of the won 4-0 over fourth-seeded Jesse Del- drop to the back of the fi eld as a pen- lavecchia, the fi rst fi nalist in Rider pro- alty, but he quickly snaked his way probably gave away any chance for fi rst stage collected Gragson and sev- eral top cars. gram history. Carr’s fi rst national title through the fi eld. Truex got within a the win.” came 40 years after his father, Nate, half-second of the lead in the closing Gragson, who bounced back from Brandon Jones got a good run along won the fi rst of his three for the Cy- laps, but Allgaier pulled away for a an early wreck to take a fourth-place the wall coming off turn two, power- clones. 1.449-second victory in his JR Mot- fi nish, was caught off guard by Hem- ing past Brett Moffi tt running in the 174: Third-seeded Carter Starocci orsports Chevrolet. ric’s confrontation. middle of a three-wide pack. of Penn State won 3-1 in overtime The victory was a big relief for “I don’t know why he’s mad,” As Jones surged by, Moffi tt tried against No. 1 Michael Kemerer of Allgaier, who struggled mightily Gragson said. “I was behind him to tuck in behind him but appeared to Iowa. Starocci had lost 7-2 to the pre- through the fi rst four races before fi n- coming into pit road and he’s in our clip Jones’ back bunker, sending him viously unbeaten Kemerer in the Big ishing eighth last week at Phoenix. pit box, so I had to come around him. into a spin that also damaged the cars Ten fi nal. He used that momentum to take the I’m not really sure why he was there.” of Gragson, A.J. Allmendinger and 184: No. 1 Aaron Brooks fi nished a checkered fl ag for the 15th Xfi nity Gragson took a verbal shot at Hem- series leader Austin Cindric. perfect season with a 3-2 win over No. victory of his career ahead of Truex. ric, who has yet to win in any of NAS- Like Gragson, Allmendinger also 2 Trent Hidlay of North Carolina State. Harrison Burton was third. CAR’s top three series. fought back from the early trouble to Iowa’s Spencer Lee, (right), takes on Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney A stalling call cost Hidlay a point in “We didn’t start off the day like we “I would feel bad if I was in his take a strong fi fth-place fi nish. Cin- during their 125-pound match in the fi nals of the NCAA wrestling champi- the third period, and Brooks staved off wanted to, but the guys persevered,” shoes, too, based on what he’s done dric settled for 13th. onships on March 20, in St Louis. (AP) Hidlay’s late takedown attempt. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 SPORTS 15

Howard back in NCAAs, takes top-seeded Michigan to 2nd round Abilene Christian stuns Texas, caps upset-heavy fi rst round

INDIANAPOLIS, March 21, (AP): Abilene Christian and its frantic, havoc-causing defense bounced coach Shaka Smart team seeded 13th or lower to reach the round of 32 in this NCAA Tournament. and Texas out of the NCAA Tournament in the fi rst round yet again, as the 14th-seeded Wildcats stunned the third-seeded BYU 73, UCLA 62 Longhorns 53-52. In Indianapolis, Johnny Juzang poured in 27 points in his second big game of the NCAA Tournament, Jules Bernard pro- Joe Pleasant, a 58.8% foul shooter on the season, made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left, and the Wildcats took down vided a big second-half lift, and No 11 seed UCLA beat sixth-seeded BYU. their in-state rivals in the fi rst meeting between the schools. Bernard fi nished with 16 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 13 for the Bruins (19-9), who survived a First Four scare from Pulling off one fi nal upset in a fi rst round fi lled with two years’ worth of excitement, Abilene Christian became the fourth Michigan State and will now play for a spot in the Sweet 16. It was the fi rst win for UCLA in regulation since handling Utah on Feb. NHL Results/Standings 25. Michigan 82, Texas Southern 66 In West Lafayette, Ind., Juwan WASHINGTON, March 21, (AP): Re- Howard won his fi rst NCAA Tourna- sults and standings from the NHL ment game since taking over as Michi- games on Saturday. gan’s coach, guiding Mike Smith and Pittsburgh 3 New Jersey 1 the top-seeded Wolverines past Texas Florida 2 Nashville 0 Southern. Colorado 6 Minnesota 0 Smith scored 18 points and Hunter Tampa Bay 4 Chicago 1 Dickinson added 16 as Michigan NY Islanders 6 Philadelphia 1 rolled into the second round without Dallas 3 Detroit 0 NY Rangers 3 Washington 1 Isaiah Livers, who is out with a foot Toronto 2 Calgary 0 injury. Eli Brooks and Brandon Johns Columbus 3 Carolina SO 2 Jr. had 11 points apiece. Montreal 5 Vancouver SO 4 Michael Weathers had 24 points for Edmonton 4 Winnipeg 2 the Tigers (17-9). Arizona 5 Anaheim 1 St Louis 5 San Jose 2 LSU 76, St. Bonaventure 61 In Bloomington, Ind., Freshman East Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Cameron Thomas scored 27 points in Washington 31 20 7 4 44 106 92 another impressive performance and NY Islanders 32 20 8 4 44 96 72 his LSU teammates provided the re- Pittsburgh 31 19 11 1 39 99 86 bounding muscle, leading the eighth- Boston 28 16 8 4 36 77 66 seeded Tigers past ninth-seeded St. Philadelphia 29 15 11 3 33 93 105 Bonaventure. NY Rangers 30 13 13 4 30 89 79 LSU (19-9) can reach its second New Jersey 28 10 14 4 24 69 89 straight Sweet 16 if it beats Michigan. Buffalo 29 6 19 4 16 61 101 Darius Days and Aundre Hyatt each Central Division had 13 points and Trendon Watford GP W L OT Pts GF GA had 11. Days and Watford also had 11 Tampa Bay 30 22 6 2 46 110 70 Florida 30 20 6 4 44 102 83 rebounds each while Hyatt grabbed 10. Carolina 30 20 7 3 43 101 78 The Tigers have won fi ve of six. Columbus 32 13 12 7 33 86 103 Colorado 96, Georgetown 73 Chicago 32 14 13 5 33 95 106 Dallas 27 10 10 7 27 77 71 In Indianapolis, Colorado used an Nashville 31 13 17 1 27 73 100 early 3-point barrage to parlay its Detroit 32 10 18 4 24 71 104 highest seeding ever into a win over West Division Georgetown and coach Patrick Ewing. GP W L OT Pts GF GA Led by freshman Jabari Walker’s Vegas 28 21 6 1 43 94 63 5-for-5 shooting clinic from 3-point Colorado 29 19 8 2 40 97 65 range, the fi fth-seeded Buffs (23-8) Minnesota 29 18 10 1 37 87 75 made 16 3-pointers and shot 64% from St Louis 31 16 10 5 37 96 99 Texas’ Jericho Sims (20) blocks the path of Abilene Christian’s Mahki Morris during the fi rst half of a college basketball game in the fi rst round of the NCAA long range. Arizona 31 13 13 5 31 77 92 tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on March 20. (AP) Georgetown won four games in four Los Angeles 29 12 11 6 30 85 83 days earlier this month to take the Big San Jose 29 11 14 4 26 83 103 Anaheim 32 9 17 6 24 71 110 East Tournament title and make a sur- prise trip to the NCAA Tournament. North Division But the Hoyas fi nished 13-13 on the GP W L OT Pts GF GA Toronto 32 20 10 2 42 107 83 season. Qudus Wahab led Georgetown Edmonton 34 21 13 0 42 116 97 Vasilevskiy wins 11th straight with 20 points. Winnipeg 31 18 11 2 38 100 91 Florida St 64, UNC Greensboro 54 Montreal 31 14 8 9 37 100 87 In Indianapolis, RaiQuan Gray scored Vancouver 35 16 16 3 35 99 111 Calgary 32 15 14 3 33 87 97 17 points and Florida State began what Ottawa 33 10 20 3 23 87 130 it hopes will be another deep run under Note: Two points for a win one point for coach Leonard Hamilton, holding off overtime loss. The top four teams in each 13th-seeded UNC Greensboro. division will qualify for playoffs under this as Lightning beat Blackhawks Balsa Koprivica had 13 points and season’s temporary realignment. nine rebounds and Anthony Polite add- Zibanejad scores late, Rangers end Capitals’ win streak at 7 BASKETBALL

TAMPA, Florida, March ed 12 points for the Seminoles. 21, (AP): Andrei Vasilevskiy Maryland 63, UConn 54 stopped 30 shots for his fran- In West Lafayette, Ind., Eric Ayala Karatsev wins Dubai Championships scored 23 points and 10th-seeded Mar- chise-record tying 11th con- yland clamped down on defense down secutive victory, Victor Hed- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, sian champion this season. Daniil matches this year. He beat top- the stretch to beat No. 7 seed UConn. man had three assists and the March 21, (AP): Wild card Aslan Medvedev and Andrey Rublev seeded Rublev 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in The 10th-seeded Terrapins held Tampa Bay Lightning beat Karatsev defeated South African are the others. their semifi nal on Saturday, when UConn to 32% shooting to overcome qualifi er Lloyd Harris 6-3, 6-2 in he claimed his fourth consecutive the Huskies’ strong physical game. the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. the fi nal of the Dubai Champion- TENNIS win over a seeded player at the Maryland was outrebounded 40-29 Steven Stamkos had a goal and an ships for his fi rst title. but its defense carried the Terps to a assist, and Yanni Gourde, Anthony The 27-year-old Karatsev hard-court tournament. second-round matchup against second- Cirelli and Brayden Point also saved the two break points he The 42nd-ranked Karatsev has Harris was also going for his seeded Alabama. fi rst title after becoming the fi rst scored for Tampa Bay. Alex Killorn faced to win in 1 hour, 15 min- only been beaten by Novak Djok- Alabama 68, Iona 55 utes, becoming the third Rus- ovic and Dominic Thiem in 14 qualifi er to reach the fi nal. had two assists, and the Lightning In Indianapolis, Herb Jones scored Tampa Bay Lightning defense- improved to 12-2-0 at home. 20 points and second-seeded Alabama man Erik Cernak (81) and Chicago Alex DeBrincat scored for the pried open a tight game to beat coach Blackhawks left wing Alex DeBrin- Canucks captain Bo Horvat had a Blackhawks, who have lost four goal and an assist, and Jake Virtanen, Rick Pitino’s underdogs from Iona. cat (12) battle for control of the straight and six of seven. Malcolm Jones had a steal and layup that puck during the fi rst period of an Brock Boeser and Tyler Motte also Subban fi nished with 25 saves. scored. Hotby made 36 saves. highlighted an 11-0 run and gave Ala- NHL hockey game on March 20, in Since the start of the 2010-11 sea- Tampa, Florida. (AP) bama (25-6) breathing room at 54-46 son, Chicago has one regulation victo- Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 2, SO after the teams seesawed with the lead ry against Tampa Bay in 24 meetings. In Raleigh, N.C., Oliver Bjork- through much of the second half. Rangers 3, Capitals 1 strand scored in the fourth round of the Cowboys end skid shootout to give Columbus a win over Gonzaga 98, Norfolk St 55 In Washington, Mika Zibanejad Carolina. In Indianapolis, Corey Kispert scored the go-ahead goal with 2:32 Bjorkstrand and Seth Jones scored scored 15 of his 23 points by halftime left, Keith Kinkaid made 28 saves third-period goals for the Blue Jackets, and No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga rolled Tarleton State and New York snapped Washington’s whose only lead in the game came on in its opener, beating Norfolk State. NHL-best winning streak at seven. the last attempt in the shootout. Elvis Anton Watson had 17 points on New York has won three of four Merzlikins stopped 35 shots for Co- 7-for-7 shooting for the Bulldogs (27- tops Mustangs against East Division-leading Wash- lumbus. 0), who shook off a slow few opening ington this season. The Rangers led STEPHENVILLE, Texas, March 21, Andrei Svechnikov and Warren minutes and easily handled the 16th- for much of the game Friday night be- (AP): Steven Duncan passed for 183 Foegele scored in regulation for the seeded Mid-Eastern Athletic Confer- fore losing on two late goals by Alex yards, three touchdowns and no inter- Hurricanes, who dropped their third ence champions. Ovechkin. ceptions and Tarleton State beat long- straight game following an eight-game Oklahoma 72, Missouri 68 time rival Midwestern State 33-21. New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) works for the puck against winning streak. Goalie James Reimer In Indianapolis, Austin Reaves The Texans (4-2) played against Mid- ICE HOCKEY Washington Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon (4) during the third pe- made 29 saves. scored 23 points, Brady Manek added western State in the Division II Lone riod of an NHL hockey game, on March 20, in Washington. (AP) Maple Leafs 2, Flames 0 19 and Oklahoma slipped by ninth- Star Conference in every season since seeded Missouri. 2004 and are currently in their fi rst year It looked like a similar recipe Friday Dubois scored for Winnipeg. Connor O’Reilly won the offensive-zone In Toronto, Jack Campbell made 31 after Pavel Buchnevich gave the Rang- Hellebuyck made 33 saves in the loss. draw and then got the puck back in saves for his second shutout of the sea- The eighth-seeded Sooners (16-10) of their four-year transition to Division I are on to the second round for fourth in the Western Athletic Conference. ers a lead late in the fi rst period with Avalanche 6, Wild 0 the circle, where he beat Devan Dub- son and Toronto beat Calgary. his 11th goal of the season off a per- nyk 4:22 into the third to make it 3-2. Jason Spezza and Zach Hyman time in the last six tournaments. Khalil Banks ran 21 times for 135 In Denver, Philipp Grubauer made yards and a touchdown and Ryheem fect pass from defenseman Adam Fox. Kyrou added his second goal of the scored to help Toronto snap a three- Creighton 63, UCSB 62 John Carlson tied it on a rebound with 31 saves, Gabriel Landeskog had a game late in the period and David Per- game losing streak and win for just the In Indianapolis, Christian Bishop Skinner added 19 carries for 102 yards goal and two assists, and Colorado and a touchdown. Tariq Bitson had six 14:05 left, and the Capitals threatened ron scored an empty-netter to give the second time in eight games. made both ends of a one-and-one with on an ensuring power play. Avalanche beat Minnesota. Blues a sweep of the back-to-back set David Rittich stopped 31 shots for 16 seconds left to give fi fth-seeded catches for 83 yards and two touch- Cale Makar had a goal and an assist, downs for Tarleton State. But Kinkaid kept the Rangers in the after arriving in San Jose on a fi ve- Calgary. The Flames beat the Maple Creighton the lead, and the Bluejays game, and Zibanejad won it almost Nathan MacKinnon had three assists and game losing streak. Leafs 4-3 on Friday night. hung on to beat 12th-seeded UC Santa Justin Jones ran for 68 yards and Mikko Rantanen scored his third goal a touchdown and K’Vonte Jackson singlehandedly. He hounded Capitals Vince Dunn also scored, and Perron Stars 3, Red Wings 0 Barbara. defenseman Brenden Dillon in the of- in two games. Tyler Jost, Devon Toews and O’Reilly each had three assists. Creighton’s turbulent season, which and Valeri Nichushkin also scored. In Detroit, Tanner Kero broke a included a one-game suspension for fensive zone, stole the puck and roofed Ville Husso made 29 saves. scoreless tie late in the second period, FOOTBALL a shot past Ilya Samsonov. Grubauer completed his fi fth shut- Dylan Gambrell and Tomas Hertl coach Greg McDermott after he made out of the season and the 16th of his Anton Khudobin stopped all 21 shots a racially insensitive remark in the Panthers 2, Predators 0 scored for the Sharks, who have lost he faced and Dallas pulled away to rushed for 54 yards and a score for the career. The 29-year-old tied his career three straight following a season-high locker room, continues Monday in the In Sunrise, Florida, Chris Driedger high with his 18th win. beat Detroit. West Region when the Bluejays (21-8) Mustangs. stopped 21 shots, Aleksander Barkov three-game winning streak. Dubnyk Andrej Sekera gave the Stars a Wild goaltender Kappo Kahkonen made 16 saves. face 13th-seeded Ohio. McNeese St 21, Northwestern St 7 and Anthony Duclair scored, and Flor- had his personal nine-game winning two-goal cushion midway through the In Natchitoches, La., Cody Orgeron ida dominated Nashville. streak snapped. He stopped 36 shots. Penguins 3, Devils 1 third period. A little later in the game, Nashville’s Juuse Saros stopped 47 In Newark, N.J., Bryan Rust and Khudobin denied Robby Fabbri on a completed 17 of 22 passes for a sea- Islanders 6, Flyers 1 son-high 306 yards, two touchdowns of 48 shots, but the Predators couldn’t Jake Guentzel each had a goal and an breakaway and fi nished with his third and no interceptions to help McNeese solve Driedger, making his fi rst start In Uniondale, N.Y., Casey Cizikas assist, helping Pittsburgh end a two- shutout this season. The Stars sealed State end a three-game slide with a since March 7. scored twice in New York’s four-goal game skid. the win with 6:17 left, when Ty Del- 21-7 win over Northwestern State. Barkov backhanded in a rebound fi rst period, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Zach Aston-Reese also scored, Ca- landrea scored to make it 3-0. Coach Frank Wilson earned his fi rst 9:15 into the second period for his 13th Jordan Eberle, Anthony Beauvillier sey DeSmith made 24 saves and Sid- Detroit’s Thomas Greiss had 30 Southland Conference with the Cow- goal, and Duclair added an empty- and Josh Bailey also scored to help the ney Crosby had two assists for Pitts- saves, fi lling in for injured goaltender boys (2-3, 1-3). Javon Antonio had six netter with 15 seconds left. Nashville Islanders end a two-game skid that fol- burgh, which won for the seventh time Jonathan Bernier. lowed a nine-game winning streak. catches for 103 yards for Northwestern beat the Panthers 2-1 on Thursday, but in nine games. Coyotes 5, Ducks 1 State. Florida improved to 9-0-1 following a Oliver Wahlstrom and Thomas Kyle Palmieri scored for New Jer- Hickey each had two assists and Ilya In Anaheim, California, Derick UC Davis 73, Cal Poly 24 loss this season. sey and Scott Wedgewood made 26 Brassard completed a hat trick early Oilers 4, Jets 2 Sorokin stopped 23 shots for his sev- saves in his second consecutive start In Davis, Calif., Hunter Rodrigues enth straight win. in the second period and Arizona beat In Edmonton, Alberta, Leon Drai- for the Devils, who had won their pre- Anaheim to end a fi ve-game losing was 19 of 23 for 265 yards and three Joel Farabee scored for Philadel- vious two games. touchdowns and UC Davis set school saitl’s third-period goal proved to be streak. phia, which has lost seven of its last 11. Canadiens 5, Canucks 4, SO records for total yards (768) and points the winner as Edmonton rallied from Carter Hart, who came in with a 3.70 Jakob Chychrun had a goal and an in a 73-24 victory over Cal Poly. two goals down and beat Winnipeg. goals-against average and .880 save In Montreal, Tomas Tatar scored assist, Clayton Keller scored for the UC Davis’ previous record for total Connor McDavid had a goal and an percentage, fi nished with 22 saves. the shootout winner, fooling Braden second straight game. Antti Raanta yards was 697 against Mesa State, and assist, and Darnell Nurse and Devin Holtby with deft stick-handling in the made 27 saves, allowing only Adam the scoring record was 65 versus San Shore also scored. Mike Smith made Blues 5, Sharks 2 sixth round of the tiebreaker. Henrique’s late goal. Francisco State in 1985. 29 saves. The Oilers have won three In San Jose, California, Ryan Tatar also had a goal and an assist Ryan Miller was pulled after allowing Creighton’s Christian Bishop dunks Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. rushed for 105 consecutive games and are tied with O’Reilly snapped a third-period tie 12 in regulation. Nick Suzuki, Joel Ed- three goals on 14 shots in the fi rst period the ball against UC Santa Barbara yards and a touchdown for UC Davis the Toronto Maple Leafs atop the seconds after San Jose was penalized mundson and Brendan Gallagher also for the Ducks. Anthony Stolarz made 12 during the fi rst half of a college bas- (2-1). McCallan Castles, Lance Babb North Division. Edmonton was com- for a faceoff violation, Jordan Kyrou scored, and Shea Weber and Phillip saves in relief. Anaheim has lost fi ve of ketball game in the fi rst round of II, Blake Thorpe and Ulonzo Gilliam ing off a 2-1 win on Thursday night. scored twice and St. Louis Blues beat Danault each had two assists. Carey six, with the victory coming in overtime the NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Jr each had a receiving touchdown. Andrew Copp and Pierre-Luc the Sharks. Price stopped 14 shots. Thursday night against Arizona. Stadium in Indianapolis on 20. (AP) ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 16

Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois jumps to catch the ball during a Span- ish La Liga soccer match be- tween Celta and Real Madrid at the Balaidos Stadium in Vigo, Spain, March 20. Real won 3-1. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com

Indian players celebrate with the winners trophy after their win in the fi fth Twenty20 cricket match between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, March 20. Indian won the series 3-2. (AP)X ‘India outplayed us in the big moments of the game’ Kohli stars as India overcome England to win T20 series AHMEDABAD, India, March 21, (AP): India thumped Eng- guys feel confi dent when one of us are in. I’d like that to in T20Is when he reached 65 in his 24th appearance. Paki- Ben Stokes broke the Kohli-Sharma stand when he had land by 36 runs in the fi fth and fi nal Twenty20 international continue.” stan’s all-format captain Babar Azam held the previous re- the latter clean bowled, but Suryakumar Yadav scored a 17- to win the series 3-2. India recorded back-to-back victories while defending cord when he reached the milestone in 26 T20Is. ball 32 and Hardik Pandya, who was promoted in the batting Captain Virat Kohli’s unfl appable 80 not out off 52 balls - totals with wet balls because of dew at the Narendra Modi “India outplayed us in the big moments of the game and order, smashed a quickfi re 39 not out off 17 balls. his third unbeaten half century in the series - led India to an Stadium which hosted all fi ve games. The last three matches deserved to win,” said England captain Eoin Morgan, who Kohli hit seven fours and two sixes, fi nding useful support imposing 224-2 after England won the toss and opted to fi eld. was out for just one run as England slipped to 142-5 in the from the other end to plunder runs against the England seam Opening batsman Rohit Sharma also made an aggressive 16th over after losing four wickets for just 12 runs. “As a attack. 64 off 34 balls which laid the foundation of India’s fourth general principle we bat deep, we try to take advantage of it Yadav yet again looked good before he was out in a sensa- highest-ever total in a T20 international. CRICKET but couldn’t do so in big moments.” Top-ranked T20 batsman Dawid Malan (68) and Jos But- Earlier, Kohli and Sharma featured in a 94-run rollicking tional dismissal. Jordan raced to pluck a blinder in the deep tler (52) kept England in the hunt with an explosive 130- were without spectators because of a local rise in coronavirus opening stand in nine overs after the India captain promoted and calmly relayed the ball back to an amused Jason Roy in run partnership but India came back strongly to restrict the cases. himself as an opener and fi nally dropped out-of-form Lokesh time before he crossed the boundary line. visitors to 188-8 with Bhuvneshwar Kumar claiming 2-15 Buttler holed out to mid off in Kumar’s return spell and Rahul for the fi rst time in the series. But Pandya and Kohli ensured England had a stiff target in four overs. Shardul Thakur (3-45) took the wheels off England’s chase Sharma dominated the opening stand by hitting fi ve sixes by adding 81 runs off the last 40 balls as England delivered “It was a complete game for us and (we) outplayed the by claiming the wickets of Jonny Bairstow (7) and a clean- and four boundaries as Chris Jordan (0-57), Mark Wood (0- too many short balls. opposition even with so much dew coming in,” Kohli said. bowled Malan in the 15th over. 53) and Jofra Archer (0-43) all going for plenty of runs with- The three-match ODI series in Pune between India and “I’d like to partner Rohit (Sharma) at the top and the other Malan became the fastest batsman to complete 1,000 runs out a wicket. England starts Tuesday. Brighton ease relegation fears LeBron injures ankle in Man City into FA Cup semis, keep quadruple dream alive LONDON, March 21, (AP): With an unprecedented quadruple still a possibility for Manchester City, the LA Lakers loss to Hawks pressure on Pep Guardiola is inten- sifying heading into the final two months of the season. 76ers dominate Kings So, as his superstar players head off around the world on interna- tional duty, the City manager is LOS ANGELES, March ready to switch off. 21, (AP): LeBron James NBA Results/Standings “This week,” Guardiola said, “I left in the second quarter promise I will not think about foot- with a high right ankle ball. I will not watch games.” Few would begrudge him the sprain that the Lakers said WASHINGTON, March 21, (AP): NBA results and standings on Saturday. break, with an intense 34-match, will sideline him indefi nite- Atlanta 99 LA Lakers 94 four-month stretch -- featuring Philadelphia 129 Sacramento 105 ly, and Los Angeles went on Memphis 111 Golden State 103 games every three or four days -- to fall 99-94 to the Atlanta Milwaukee 120 San Antonio 113 concluding with a 2-0 win over LA Clippers 125 Charlotte 98 Everton in the FA Cup quarterfinals Everton’s Ben Godfrey (left), and Hawks on Saturday. Eastern Conference Two hours after the game, the Atlantic Division on Saturday. Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus W L Pct GB The goals came late - through challenge for the ball during the Lakers announced that James is out Philadelphia 29 13 .690 - Ilkay Gundogan in the 84th minute English FA Cup sixth round soccer indefi nitely. The defending NBA Brooklyn 28 14 .667 1 match between Everton and Man- New York 21 21 .500 8 and Kevin De Bruyne in the 90th - chester City at Goodison Park in champions already are without Boston 20 21 .488 8-1/2 but there was a certain inevitability All-NBA big man Anthony Davis, Toronto 17 24 .41511-1/2 Liverpool, England, March 20 (AP) Southeast Division about them inside an empty who has missed 14 consecutive W L Pct GB Goodison Park. return to the club fit and healthy games with a right calf injury and Miami 22 20 .524 - Indeed, Guardiola’s players are after the upcoming international likely won’t play again until April. Atlanta 22 20 .524 - Memphis Grizzlies guard Grayson Allen (3) shoots against Golden State Charlotte 20 21 .488 1-1/2 sweeping all before them this sea- break. “Nothing angers and saddens me Washington 15 25 .375 6 son, having also reached the final of Southampton are the other team Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson (95) in the fi rst half of an NBA Orlando 14 27 .341 7-1/2 more than not being available to and basketball game, March 20, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP) for my teammates!” James tweeted Central Division the English League Cup, the quar- through to the FA Cup semifinals W L Pct GB terfinals of the Champions League after beating second-tier later Saturday. “I’m hurt inside and out Milwaukee 27 14 .659 - right now. The road back from recov- Indiana 18 22 .450 8-1/2 and forged a 14-point lead in the Bournemouth 3-0 earlier. ery begins now. Back soon like I never Chicago 18 22 .450 8-1/2 Premier League. Southampton made it to the last Cleveland 15 26 .366 12 four for the second time in four left.” Detroit 12 29 .293 15 James was hurt when he rolled his Western Conference SOCCER seasons, with Nathan Redmond ankle under Solomon Hill, who was Southwest Division scoring twice and setting up another called for a foul as he reached awk- W L Pct GB San Antonio 22 17 .564 - goal against Bournemouth. wardly for a steal. The 36-year-old su- Dallas 21 19 .525 1-1/2 Extra time loomed when Redmond slipped in Moussa perstar screamed and fell to the court Memphis 19 20 .487 3 Gundogan stooped to head the ball Djenepo for the opener in the 37th clutching at his ankle, yet he got up New Orleans 17 24 .415 6 Houston 11 29 .27511-1/2 into an empty net after a shot from then scored a superb solo goal in Northwest Division marauding City defender Aymeric first-half stoppage time, dribbling W L Pct GB Laporte was tipped onto the bar by into the area and skirting a chal- BASKETBALL Utah 30 11 .732 - Denver 25 16 .610 5 goalkeeper João Virgínia. lenge before firing a shot into the Portland 25 16 .610 5 It was the Germany midfielder’s top corner. Oklahoma City 17 24 .415 13 and briefl y stayed in the game. Minnesota 10 32 .23820-1/2 12th goal in all competitions in Redmond added the third in the After the injury, James hit a corner Pacifi c Division 2021, more than any other player in 59th with a precise, angled shot into 3-pointer that extended his NBA-re- Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring his sides fi rst goal W L Pct GB the Premier League. the bottom corner after an effort during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich Phoenix 27 13 .675 - cord streak of games with at least 10 and VfB Stuttgart in Munich, Germany, March 20. Record-chasing Robert LA Lakers 28 14 .667 - De Bruyne, who started the match from outside the area by Stuart points to 1,036, but he called a timeout LA Clippers 27 16 .628 1-1/2 on the bench, ensured City’s prog- Armstrong came back off the post. Lewandowski scored a fi rst-half hat trick as 10-man Bayern Munich beat Golden State 22 21 .512 6-1/2 and left the court shortly afterward. Stuttgart 4-0 to keep their four-point lead at the top of the league. (AP) Sacramento 17 25 .405 11 ress to the last four with a goal in Southampton also reached the James knocked over a chair in frustra- the 90th minute, running onto a semifinals in 2018, losing to tion as he went to the locker room. pass by Rodri and switching the ball Chelsea. 76ers 129, Kings 105 Danny Green added 18 for Philadel- 31 points for the Spurs. Hornets, who lost their third straight. to his left foot before scoring with a In the only Premier League match In Philadelphia, Tobias Harris phia. Harris also had 11 rebounds and Clippers 125, Hornets 98 Miles Bridges scored a season-high composed finish. of the day, Brighton beat Newcastle scored 23 of his 29 points in the fi rst eight assists. 21 points for the Hornets. LaMelo City also won the FA Cup in 3-0 to move six points clear of the Buddy Hield scored 25 points for In Los angeles, Paul George had 21 Ball scored 13 points for Charlotte in half and fell just short of a triple-dou- points and 10 assists, Kawhi Leonard 2019 as part of a domestic treble bottom three and leave their oppo- ble to lead short-handed Philadelphia Sacramento. the rookie sensation’s second straight under Guardiola. The team are try- nents locked in a relegation fight. added 17 points and the Los Angeles game in his native Los Angeles area. past Sacramento. Bucks 120, Spurs 113 Clippers emerged from two inconsist- ing to go one better this season, Leandro Trossard and Danny The Eastern Conference-leading Grizzlies 111, Warriors 103 though the Champions League has Welbeck scored similar goals - 76ers played without starters Joel Em- In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetok- ent weeks with a big victory over Char- ounmpo had 26 points and a season- lotte. In Memphis, Tenn, Jonas Valan- so far proved elusive for City right-footed curlers from the edge biid, Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. despite the club’s heavy spending of the area, after coming in from the Embiid has missed four straight games high 15 assists, leading Milwaukee Terance Mann scored 16 points and ciunas and Dillon Brooks scored 19 with a bruised left knee and is expected past San Antonio for its sixth straight Lou Williams had 15 for the Clippers, points each, Valanciunas added 15 under its Abu Dhabi ownership right - and Neal Maupay added the to be re-evaluated late this week. Sim- victory. who went 23 for 23 from the free throw rebounds and Memphis beat Golden over the past decade. third goal for Brighton, which mons experienced knee soreness at the Khris Middleton added 23 points, line during just their third win in eight State to split the two-game set. Guardiola refuses to entertain any found a cutting edge the team have morning shootaround and was a sur- and Jrue Holiday had 21. Antetok- games. Los Angeles bounced back Brandon Clarke added 16 points, questions about the possible qua- lacked in recent weeks. prise late scratch. Curry injured his left ounmpo grabbed eight rebounds, bare- from blowout losses to New Orleans and Ja Morant had 14 points and eight druple, which has never been Newcastle are two points and a ankle Wednesday. ly missing a triple-double. and Dallas in the previous six days with assists, including six points in Mem- achieved in English soccer. All he place above third-to-last Fulham, Shake Milton had 28 points, and Lonnie Walker scored a career-high an overwhelming effort against the phis’ closing 10-3 run. wants now is for his players to having played one game less.

THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Published by: Arab Times Publishing House

Editor-in-Chief Editorial Office: Telephone: 24813566 & 24849144 Advertising: Tel: 55633481 Annual Subscriptions: Airport Road, Shuwaikh Fax: 24818267 Fax: 24911307 Individuals KD 45/- Companies and Offi cial Tel: 24849144 AHMED AL JARALLAH Departments KD 75 Airmail charges extra for Fax: 24839487 P.O. Box 2270, 13023 Safat, Kuwait E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] overseas