Resumption of Direct Flights with Six Nations 'Within Days'

MUHARRAM 18, 1443 AH THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021

16 Pages Max 50º Min 31º 150 Fils Established 1961

ISSUE NO: 18516 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net

Kuwait mulls new work 20 years after Twin Towers Rolling Stones drummer Records tumble on day 4 hours: 9.30am to 5pm 5 fell, US comes full circle 11 Charlie Watts dies aged 80 14 one of Tokyo Paralympics

Resumption of direct flights with six nations ‘within days’ Cabinet discusses several economic projects

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah chairs a Cabinet meeting yesterday. (Right) HH the Premier speaks with officials during a tour of the proposed investment sites along the Jaber Causeway yesterday. —KUNA photos

By B Izzak statement however did not carry any date. vaccinated so far. Later, the Authority denied that the resumption Kuwait hits 70% His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah KUWAIT: A top official at the Kuwait Civil was immediate and insisted they had no certain date Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah launched the vaccina- Aviation Authority said yesterday that a plan to yet. Hashemi however later said the date will be vaccination tion campaign with a Pfizer-BioNTech shot and implement the resumption of direct commercial announced within days. The six nations together had recently announced success of the campaign, flights with India, Egypt and four other nations will have some 70 percent of the 3.3 million expat pop- paving the way for full return of employees to be announced “within a few days”. ulation in Kuwait which means that the resumption milestone workplace in person. Head of Operations at Civil Aviation Mansour Al- could lead to an influx of expats into the country. “We are on the right track to achieve herd Hashemi told Kuwait TV yesterday in a brief state- In preparation for their return, the Civil Aviation KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Health Minister Sheikh Dr immunity,” Ministry of Health spokesman Dr ment that the plan will include operations of all air- had asked the Cabinet to raise the number of daily Bassel Al-Sabah’s announcement that 70 percent Abdullah Al-Sanad said and expressed gratitude to lines to implement a decision by the council of min- arrivals at Kuwait Airport which currently stands at of population have been vaccinated has given rise healthcare workers for their fight against the virus. isters earlier this week. 7,500 passengers. to optimism nationwide that herd immunity was He also commended citizens and residents for reg- The Cabinet has announced that direct commer- In the meantime, the Council of Ministers yester- within reach. The announcement came after istering to get the vaccine jabs. Dr Khaled Al- cial flights will be resumed with India, Egypt, day discussed a number of economic projects that almost two years of strict measures triggered by Saeed, member of COVID-19 vaccine committee, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal but it did had been in the pipeline for several years and asked the coronavirus pandemic, including lockdowns said the inoculation helped achieve herd immunity not fix a definitive date for the resumption which the concerned ministries and authorities to speed and partial curfews. which would eventually ease strain on health sys- comes after months of suspension due to the coron- up execution. Kuwait was fully mobilized to control spread of tem in case of future waves of the pandemic. avirus pandemic. The projects include the establishment of a new the virus and began vaccination campaign eight The vaccination drive, he added, contributed to The Civil Aviation on Tuesday issued a statement international fairs ground project in Subbiya, three months ago with the ultimate aim of reaching herd a significant drop in the number of mortalities and announcing the resumption of the flights giving the economic zones starting with Abdali economic zone immunity. More than 2.6 million people have been Continued on Page 2 impression that the resumption was immediate. The and renewable energy projects.

In 2016 he was believed to “Imperiale chose to live in an Dubai confirms have fled to the Gulf emirate. isolated home with an over- A statement yesterday said looking spot to monitor those Dubai police had arrested who approach him,” the arrest of Italian Imperiale. “It also arrested statement cited Jamal Salem Imperiale’s right-hand man Al Jallaf, director of the drug lord Raffaele Mauriello, who is Criminal Investigation responsible for plotting and Department, as saying. DUBAI: Dubai authorities yesterday con- executing murders and assas- “He intentionally had firmed they have arrested one of Italy’s sinations using unlicensed avoided registering a precise most wanted international drug barons and firearms,” the statement address to mislead authori- his right-hand man, after years on the run. added. Dubai police said Raffaele Imperiale ties.” Police in Naples had Raffaele Imperiale, considered to be one Imperiale had been living said Imperiale was arrested of Italy’s most dangerous fugitives, was a under a false identity in the on August 4 in Dubai in coor- top operative from the Naples organized name of Antonio Rocco, and had used dination with Interpol and Europol. crime world. multiple cars to conceal his movements. Continued on Page 2

ALGIERS: An Algerian man holds yesterday’s newspaper in the capital Algiers yesterday. —AFP Afghans race to flee

in the disputed region of Western life under Taleban Sahara a particular bone of contention Algeria severs KABUL: Afghans yesterday faced an increasingly for Morocco. desperate race to escape life under the Taleban diplomatic ties “Algeria has decided to cut diplo- after President Joe Biden confirmed US-led evacua- matic relations with the Kingdom of tions will end next week. More than 80,000 people Morocco from today,” Lamamra have been evacuated since August 14, but huge with Morocco announced during a press conference. crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee “History has shown... Morocco has the threat of reprisals and repression in Taleban- ALGIERS: Algeria’s Foreign Minister never stopped carrying out hostile ruled Afghanistan. Ramtane Lamamra said Tuesday that actions against Algeria,” he added. Biden said Tuesday the United States would stick his country has severed diplomatic In a statement later Tuesday, to his August 31 deadline to completely withdraw its relations with Morocco due to “hos- Morocco’s foreign ministry said Algiers’ troops despite warnings from European allies that tile actions”, following months of move was “completely unjustified” but not all vulnerable Afghans would be able to leave by resurgent tensions between the North “expected given the logic of escalation then. “The sooner we can finish, the better... each RAMSTEIN, Germany: In this handout image courtesy of the US Air Force, African rivals. The countries have long seen in recent weeks”. Rabat added day of operations brings added risk to our troops. shows evacuees boarding an Atlas Air aircraft for a departure flight from accused one another of backing that the decision to cut ties was based We are currently on the pace to finish by August Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on their way to the United States as part of opposition movements as proxies, on “false, even absurd pretexts”. 31.” Biden said Tuesday. Operations Allies Refuge, Tuesday. — AFP with Algeria’s support for separatists Continued on Page 2 Continued on Page 2 2 Established 1961 Local Thursday, August 26, 2021 Kuwait’s Amir receives Crown Prince, Prime Minister

His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sabah reads a letter from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Sabah meets His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad meets His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Al-Saud, delivered by Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Prince Sultan bin Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. — Amiri Diwan and KUNA photos Hamad Al-Sabah. Saad Al-Saud.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Prince received yesterday a letter from Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Prince Sultan bin Saad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bayan Hamad Al-Sabah. Meanwhile, His Highness Sheikh Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud Al-Saud handed the letter to His Highness the Palace yesterday His Highness the Crown Prince Mishal received His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al- focusing on bilateral relations and the Saudi Crown Prince during a reception. Senior offi- Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. His Khaled at Bayan Palace yesterday as well. green Middle East initiative to be launched on cials at the Crown Prince Diwan attended the Highness the Amir also received His Highness the In the meantime, His Highness the Crown October 25, 2021 from Riyadh. Saudi meeting. — KUNA

means by which they can reach an economic Sheikh Mubarak recovery from the consequences of the COVID- 19 pandemic. The Korean ambassador receives new expressed his keen interest in the Kuwaiti cultural affairs, particularly the productions of Kuwaiti pioneers in literature and poetry led by Korean ambassador veteran Arab poet Dr Suad Al-Sabah, whose lit- KUWAIT: Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al- erary creations have been featured in cultural Mubarak Al-Sabah received at the White Palace and scientific institutions in Korea. yesterday the Ambassador of the Republic of Meanwhile, Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah Korea to Kuwait Chung Byung-ha, who recently wished the Korean ambassador success in his presented his credentials. The meeting was cor- new job, expressing his admiration for the suc- dial, during which many common cultural, social cess of the Korean model, which excelled glob- and economic issues between the two countries ally in several fields, foremost of which is the were discussed. Also during the meeting, the economy and education after 50 years of dev- two sides discussed opportunities for economic astating war. “Such growth and advancement cooperation between the two friendly nations. achieved by the Korean people and the Korean Moreover, many important issues were dis- leadership is a role model,” he said. At the end cussed in the field of enhancing bilateral coop- of the meeting, souvenirs and gifts were KUWAIT: Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah presents a souvenir to Ambassador of the Republic eration between the two countries, and the exchanged. of Korea to Kuwait Chung Byung-ha.

mal life. Amal Abdullah, member of Kuwait Writers Kuwait hits 70% Association, said acceleration of vaccinations encouraged the association to organize a book fair, the first since the outbreak of the pandemic. vaccination... Meanwhile, Kuwait’s Health Ministry announced that public and private hospitals and Continued from Page 1 specialized health centers nationwide can resume elective and non-essential surgeries patients in hospitals. It also encouraged the from Sunday due to the significant drop in coro- ministry to introduce a third shot of the vaccine navirus infections. “Allowing the return of opera- “for critical cases.” Maryam Abdurrahman, direc- tions comes due to the improvement in the epi- tor of nutrition department at Kuwait Cancer demiological situation and the decrease in the Control Center, described the 70-percent vacci- number of COVID-19 patients, praise be to God, nation threshold as “a great breakthrough.” She and the ministry’s keenness to provide the best said the pandemic affected the psychological, medical services,” ministry spokesman Dr social and health behavior of the people and the Abdullah Al-Sanad said in a statement yester- acceleration of vaccination would have positive day. The decision was taken based on the rec- impacts on people with low immunity. Eman ommendations of Undersecretary Dr Mustafa Ahmad, a mother of an autistic boy, said her child Reda following the ministry’s assessment of the could now enjoy his time outdoors and lead a nor- situation, the official said. — KUNA

After first dealing in ecstasy tablets, he set his sights Dubai confirms on the more lucrative cocaine trade, moving tons of drugs into Holland for the European market with the help of South American traffickers. arrest of Italian... At the same time he operated restaurants and investment companies, the paper said. In 2016, Continued from Page 1 Italian police found two Van Gogh paintings that had been stolen from Amsterdam’s Van Gogh muse- Jallaf said police raided Imperiale’s house, and also um 14 years earlier inside a home outside Naples seized large sums of cash, luxury watches and paintings. belonging to Imperiale. The artworks-”View of the Extradition proceedings were under way, he added. Sea at Scheveningen” and “Congregation Leaving Imperiale-part of the Amato-Pagana clan within the Reformed Church at Nuenen”-were snatched in Naples’ Camorra organized crime syndicate-left a daring heist. Italian police said a close cohort of Italy for Amsterdam in the 1990s to manage a cof- Imperiale, Vincenzo Aprea-a well-known Camorra fee shop, and began allying himself with Dutch traf- boss now in prison-had been able to buy the paint- fickers, according to Italian daily La Repubblica. ings on the black market using drug money. — AFP

sands of Afghans every day on hulking military trans- Afghans race ports, but it has become an increasingly difficult and desperate task. Many Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal five-year Taleban regime that was toppled in 2001, to flee life... and violent retribution for working with foreign mili- taries, Western missions and the previous US-backed Continued from Page 1 government. There are particular concerns for women, who were largely banned from education and employ- Germany said yesterday it has received assurance ment and could only leave the house with a male chap- from a Taleban negotiator that Afghans who have the erone during the group’s rule in the 1990s. right documents will still be allowed to leave Yesterday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Afghanistan after the United States’ withdrawal dead- the international community must maintain dialogue line on August 31. with the Taleban if it is to protect any progress made Washington and its allies have been flying out thou- over the past 20 years. — AFP

arguments between neighboring Algeria and Algeria severs Morocco. The OIC “called for dialogue to resolve any possible differences”, a statement from the Jeddah- based organization said. Saudi Arabia called on both diplomatic ties... nations “to prioritize dialogue” to help “achieve security and stability,” a foreign ministry statement read. Continued from Page 1 Lamamra accused Morocco’s leaders of “responsibility for repeated crises” and behavior that has The rupture followed a review of bilateral relations “led to conflict instead of integration” in North announced by Algeria last week as it alleged its Africa. Late last month, Morocco’s King Mohamed neighbor was complicit in deadly forest fires that rav- VI deplored the tensions between the two countries, aged the country’s north. and invited Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Tebboune “to make wisdom prevail” and “to work in Cooperation (OIC), the Arab League and Saudi unison for the development of relations” between Arabia called for “dialogue” yesterday to resolve the two countries. — AFP

4 Established 1961 Thursday, August 26, 2021 Local

Established 1961 The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf No timetable for resuming direct THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 flights with Egypt, India to Kuwait Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief DGCA to announce official date once operation plans are completed ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Directorate General of the Civil The decision to resume direct flights was taken on EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 Aviation (DGCA) has denied setting a date for recommendation by the coronavirus ministerial com- ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 resuming direct commercial flights with Egypt and mittee following a sharp drop in the number of new FAX : 24835620/1 India. In a press statement late Tuesday, Director of cases and the number of patients. The DGCA also CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 the DGCA’s Air Transport Department Abdullah Al- recalled that immunized passengers are those who ACCOUNTS : 24833199 Extn. 125 Rajhi said that the directorate is still preparing have received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, COMMERCIAL : 24835618 operation plans according to the current seat limits. Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca and one dose of P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. He added that no permissions were given to any air- Johnson and Johnson. Those who have received two Email: [email protected] line to operate direct flights with the six countries doses of unapproved vaccines abroad - Sinopharm, Website: www.kuwaittimes.net with which the Cabinet has recently agreed on re- Sinovac, Sputnik V - must receive and additional operating direct flights. Once the operation plans dose of one of the four approved vaccines. Those are completed, the DGCA will announce the official who have been vaccinated in Kuwait can prove vac- date of resuming flights with these countries, he cination through Immune or Kuwait Mobile ID appli- News in brief said. The Cabinet gave green light to the DGCA for cations or Kuwait Mosafer platform, the DGCA said. domestic workers can be recruited through regis- relaunching commercial flights with Bangladesh, Those who have been fully vaccinated outside tration in the Belsalamah platform, the civil aviation Egypt, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Kuwait can prove vaccination by producing a cer- said. In the meantime, the DGCA has reportedly Iraqi PM visit to Kuwait ‘fruitful’ August 18 after the six countries were restricted in tificate with name identical to one in passport, type asked the council of ministers to increase the num- light of COVID-19 restrictions. It underlined that of vaccine and dates, vaccination authority and the ber of arriving passengers above the currently BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al- flights with these countries would be subject to QR code. If the QR code is not available, the vacci- allowed 7,500 because of the expected influx of Kadhemi termed his visit to Kuwait as “success- measures identified by Kuwait’s ministerial coron- nation certificate should be uploaded to the health expats into the country following the resumption of ful,” saying he discussed with Kuwaiti officials avirus emergency committee. ministry website for authentication. Non-immunized direct flights with the six countries. means of bolstering bilateral relations and cooperation. Kadhemi made the statement during a government meeting during which he spoke about the outcomes of the visit, the cabinet Kuwait mulls changing media office said in a statement. The visit focused on several issues relating to developing bilateral ties and cooperation, in addition to public sector working some pending dossiers, the statement quoted Al-Kadhemi as saying. It has been agreed on hours: 9:30am - 5pm addressing these dossiers by varied methods, he stressed. KUWAIT: Kuwait’s government is carrying out a study to change official working hours in the public sector to start at 9:30 am and end at 5:00 pm, a local daily reported yesterday quoting Suspected Wafra shooter in custody official sources. Among the positive aspects that changing the public sector’s working hours would bring is having them become similar hours to the working hours in the private sector. KUWAIT: Kuwait police arrested a man they iden- RAMALLAH: A group photo taken at the ceremony to announce the start of the Manara project. —KUNA tified as the prime suspect in a recent shooting case This would therefore encourage young Kuwaiti jobseekers to reported in Wafra and left one woman dead, the look for jobs in the private sector, the sources speculated. interior ministry announced. Local reports had indi- “Concerned authorities are finalizing an evaluation study to dents. In a direct speech delivered through the Zoom digital cated earlier that the suspect allegedly shot the be presented to the Civil Service Council, then to the Cabinet if Kuwait’s IICO launches platform, Zaid said during a ceremony in which scholarships woman, a relative, from close range inside her car approved,” said the sources who spoke to Al-Qabas Arabic daily were announced in Ramallah, the Organization took the initia- on a road in Wafra. The case remains under investi- on the condition of anonymity. According to the sources, the tive believing in those talented students to help build the future gations, the interior ministry said. study is currently focusing on finding out “the best suitable project to support of their country. The project comes within the IICO’s strategy means” to change working hours in order to achieve more flexi- that enhances education and provide high slandered education- bility, efficiency, and productivity, while taking requirements of Palestinian students al opportunities, in compliance with the fourth goal of the UN Kuwait crude oil jumps to $70.78 pb state departments and the public into consideration.” In addition Sustainable Development Goals, which focuses on the quality of to changing working hours from the current 7:30 am - 2:00 pm RAMALLAH: Kuwait’s International Islamic Charity education. Meanwhile, Director of the Wafa institution for KUWAIT: Kuwait crude oil went up $2.65 during system, the study also proposes a one-hour rest period in the Organization (IICO) launched yesterday the ‘Manara’ project to Development and Capacity building Mohaisen Al-Atawenah Tuesday’s trading sessions to reach $70.78 pb early afternoon, which would allow parents to collect their chil- support needy families and orphans at the Palestinian praised the IICO for its contribution for many basic projects in compared to $68.13 pb the day before, Kuwait dren from school if they want to, for example. The sources fur- Universities in the West Bank. Around 28 students will benefit health, housing, comprehensive care sectors. In a statement to Petroleum Corporation (KPC) said yesterday. ther explained that the study is taking into consideration the from the initiative through the Wafa institution for Development the press on the sidelines of the ceremony, Atawenah said that Brent future contracts also closed with an increase social aspects affecting employees, particularly parents. For and Capacity building in Ramallah. the scholarship covers two semesters for students of various of $2.30 to $71.05 pb, while future contracts of example, the study reiterates a recommendation to create nurs- On the occasion, Head of the Institutions Unit and Major academic disciplines in universities in the West Bank. The selec- West Texas Intermediate gained $1.90 to reach eries in each state department where employees can put their Donors at the IICO Jarrah Ibrahim Al-Zaid said that the organi- tion of beneficiaries was based on specific criteria, the most $67.54 pb. children during working hours. The report does not mention a zation worked on providing all forms of support and assistance important of which is the need of the poor and orphans, and timetable for when the government could approve the study. to the Palestinians, especially talented and distinguished stu- then academic excellence, he added. —KUNA KFH participates in ACK virtual career fair KUWAIT: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) participated in the virtual career fair organized by the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK), as part of the bank’s continuous efforts to highlight the talents of the newly graduat- ed Kuwaiti youth. Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Kuwait Finance House Zeyad Abdullah Al-Omar was honored at the end of the career fair. He stressed the role of KFH KUWAIT: ACK officials honor KFH officials at the end of and its continuous endeavor to localize work in its vari- the career fair. ous departments, and to train and qualify Kuwaiti cadres and capabilities at the level of the private sector through Kuwaiti youth and the advantages it offers, the most distinguished contributions in this field. He said that KFH important of which is the committed banking work that is always keen on adding value to the industry of national provides great experience in many banking and finance economy, which has both the development and rehabili- fields. Additionally, those wishing to apply for work were tation of the human element among its top priorities. introduced to the procedures and requirements, for During the exhibition, KFH reviewed the qualitative direct and quick application, of the jobs available on the training programs that it implements, and received appli- KFH website. cations from those wishing to be hired, as there was a Career fairs are among the most effective means that great and remarkable demand for KFH, which confirms help achieve harmony between education outcomes and the good reputation and distinguished position the bank the needs of the evolving and constantly changing labor occupies among those approaching the labor market, market due to scientific and technological progress. The especially among young graduates. The career fair aims role of KFH and its contributions in this field are charac- to enable companies and employers to identify the out- terized by the high ability to take the initiatives of inte- puts of the university and job seekers to fill various jobs grating and rehabilitating citizens in suitable jobs in the and specializations. labor market. This comes as a national responsibility KFH’s participation in the career fair included intro- towards developing national cadres and qualifying them ducing KFH and its role as well as its efforts in employing to work in the private sector.

growth of an enterprise.” NBK organizes Othman added that visual and interactive presentations are more likely workshop on to capture the attention of an audience, emphasizing the importance of present- pitch decks ing accurate information that can support your busi- KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) organized ness arguments while also an interactive workshop focused on creating pitch having a thorough under- decks for trainees of the “KON” Social standing of your audience Entrepreneurship Program, which comes as part of to align the presentation NBK’s platinum sponsorship of the program, and in Abdullah Al-Othman accordingly. line with the bank’s strategic partnership with the It is worth noting that LOYAC Volunteer Foundation. the “KON” Social Entrepreneurship Program wel- The workshop was presented by Abdullah Al- comes a large and diverse participation of students Othman, Senior Analyst, Investment Banking at NBK between 12 and 16 years (males and females), and Capital. It discussed the fundamental elements of cre- includes training sessions, discussions, online lectures ating a compelling and effective business presentation and virtual workshops, aimed to establish and for entrepreneurs. The workshop focused on ways that strengthen the ability of youth to create pioneering participants could implement storytelling techniques to social businesses in the future. The program hosts effectively explain their business plans and capture the speakers from NBK executives, as well as experts from attention of an audience. participating companies and institutions to further The workshop, which witnessed proactive partici- enrich the participants’ experience. pation from participants, further highlighted best practices for presenting business strategy and financial In the program, students also benefit from training data in a compelling manner that can support the busi- courses delivered by professional supervisors and ness idea. The workshop included an interactive feed- trainers with expertise in social entrepreneurship. They back session, where each group had the opportunity to also engage in a number of discussion sessions and present their pitch decks to Othman and ask specific interactive activities, designed to broaden their expo- questions to improve their presentations. sure to fundamental business concepts and social and On this occasion, Othman stated: “The workshop environmental issues, that aim to unlock their creativity aimed to introduce the concept of a ‘Pitch Deck’ to and heighten their future ambitions. The program will the young participants, and its importance in be concluded with a competition to evaluate the busi- explaining their business plans to external parties to ness ideas of participants, by a panel of judges that encourage potential investment, acquire customers will look to select the best three projects in terms of and attract partnerships that are critical for the quality, excellence and innovation. International THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021 Zombie apocalypse: Fear grips Afghans under Taleban rule US, China trade fresh barbs over disputed Asian seas Page 6 Page 7

SAN DIEGO, US: US President George W Bush addresses the nation aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln 01 May, 2003, as it sails for Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California. — AFP 20 yrs after Twin Towers fell, US comes full circle Days before 9/11 anniversary, Taleban seize back power in Afghanistan WASHINGTON: The sky was a peaceful blue and country’s traditions. “A lot of it hasn’t worked because America looked at the pinnacle of power, the Soviet it wasn’t going to work,” Bolton said. “If you just said, Union defeated and predictions abounding of the to start, OK, we won’t have a strong central govern- inevitable triumph of liberal democracy and free mar- ment, we will have warlords with significant capability kets. When Al-Qaeda hijackers killed nearly 3,000 that can kick Taleban butt when we need to, maybe people on September 11, 2001, the United States that works. But we didn’t try that.” instantly took on a new mission as a furious and fear- ful nation coalesced around president George W Was there another way? Bush’s “war on terrorism” that would obliterate the Biden, whose late son Beau served in Iraq, has rest of the international agenda. himself argued that US troops are not deployed to Twenty years later, the world has transformed. An put girls in school-one achievement often cited in all-consuming focus on terrorism has given way to a Afghanistan after the 2001 defeat of the Taleban. weariness about “forever wars”; days before the But in the aftermath of September 11, another September 11 anniversary, Taleban militants who had conception of American power dominated. Andrew been swiftly defeated after the 2001 attacks seized Bacevich, a historian who in 2019 co-founded the back power in Afghanistan amid a US withdrawal. Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think “We may come full circle,” said Mark Green, a tank that advocates military restraint, said that the former US ambassador and aid chief, fearing a US foreign policy establishment of 20 years ago was resurgence of undergoverned areas from which consumed by “ideological hubris.” The Soviet extremists can operate. Union’s collapse had spawned talk of a long-term In the view of President Joe Biden, and to a large lone superpower and, in the famous words of Francis extent his two predecessors, Bush’s wars have been Fukayama, “the end of history” with liberal democ- costly distractions from a broad competition with a racy victorious. fast-growing China, which they see as far more likely Bacevich said that the United States also saw itself than bands of violent Islamists to challenge US domi- as militarily invincible in the wake of the 1991 Gulf nance in the 21st century. NEW YORK: In this file photo smoke and flames erupt from the twin towers of the World Trade Center after War-the crushing, television-friendly first defeat of Bush, with stalwart backing from Britain, proceed- commercial aircraft were deliberately crashed into the buildings in lower Manhattan, New York on Saddam Hussein after he invaded Kuwait. ed in 2003 to invade Iraq, defying some of the September 11, 2001. —AFP “The hubris and the militarism, I would argue, led Western world’s largest protests in modern times as Bush and those around him to see 9/11 as both an he vowed to eliminate weapons of mass destruction Looking from Iraq, Marsin Alshamary also sees a Different post-war legacy unforgivable insult on the one hand but also as a great that never materialized. But the “war on terror” went generational shift-but very different perceptions of John Bolton, a top foreign policy figure under Bush opportunity that we would now be able to affirm much further, even after Bush’s successor Barack the United States. “9/11 ignited two wars in the region and outspoken advocate of US sovereignty who beyond the shadow of a doubt what the end of the Obama stopped using the loaded term. that would forever change the balance of power in the would later serve as national security advisor to Cold War and the Iraq war of 1991 actually signify,” A sweeping authorization of force approved region and whose reverberations continue to this day Donald Trump, said he understood the public frustra- Bacevich said. “That was a horrendous misjudgment almost unanimously by Congress days after and will continue into the future,” said Alshamary, a tion over the financial costs of war. The United States, for which I think we’re still paying.” September 11 — as Bush vowed “either you are with Baghdad-based scholar at Harvard University’s he said, should never have set out on “nation-build- For Bacevich, the United States could have us or you are with the terrorists”-has been used to Kennedy School. ing” that was doomed to fail. responded to September 11 not with global war but a justify strikes in 19 countries, with a surge of defense The Islamic State group, which has waged a geno- But he challenged the notion that Americans targeted police-like operation to hold accountable spending helping the United States hone drone tech- cidal campaign against non-Sunni Muslim minorities would instinctively reject long-term military com- the perpetrators. Taleban members tried to negotiate nology that makes it the only country with the capac- and attracted European mitments, pointing to broad a surrender in November 2001, a month after the US ity to attack virtually anywhere in the world. recruits who returned acceptance of keeping US assault. But Bush’s defense secretary, Donald Did it work? The United States has avoided home to carry out brutal troops in Europe, Japan Rumsfeld, rejected any such deal, saying the United another major terror attack, Al-Qaeda leader Osama attacks, rose in Iraq and Focus on ‘war on and South Korea to main- States did not want Al-Qaeda or armed Taleban to bin Laden was hunted down in Pakistan, Iraq’s brutal neighboring Syria after tain order since the after- get away. The war would instead continue for 20 dictator Saddam Hussein is no more and Afghanistan, Obama pulled out troops terrorism’ has math of World War II. years until a Taleban victory. at least until now, enjoyed social advances including first sent by Bush. “Twenty years is a drop in in women’s rights. For many in the region, now changed the bucket. But successive How much has changed? But more than 800,000 have died, led by Iraqi Alshamary said, the American presidents-cer- Elie Tenenbaum, a research fellow at the French and Afghan civilians, at a cost of more than $6.4 tril- United States is seen not tainly Obama, Trump and Institute of International Relations, said that Bush lion to the United States, according to a Brown primarily as a champion Biden-don’t agree with falsely believed that international empathy for the University study in late 2019. And on a global scale, of democracy but as the that,” Bolton told AFP. United States after September 11 would endure, even terrorist attacks have not ended but have risen adversary of Iran-a Shiite “And so they have not when Bush by 2002 was vowing to take on an “Axis sharply since September 11. Muslim state that, paradoxically, gained ground after explained why forward defense is a form of insurance of Evil” of Iraq, Iran and North Korea-three nations the United States removed its nemeses Saddam and and that it’s better to defend against the terrorist with no connection to the attacks. “The image of ‘Everything has changed’ the Taleban. threat in Afghanistan than in the streets and skies over America never stopped declining,” he said. Days before September 11, Bush spent Labor Day “9/11 is an important moment in American public America.” The US reputation also suffered from the opening visiting the district of Green, then a young congress- memory but that’s not the case in the Middle East,” On Afghanistan, he said the US push to create a of a prison for terrorism suspects at the US naval man from his Republican Party. After a sluggish start she said. “Don’t forget that the region is young and strong central government-seen by advocates as a base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a location chosen to to his presidency, Bush told Green that his three pri- how it really only knows this type of America.” requisite to build a national army-was alien to the deprive defendants of US constitutional protections orities would be taxes, education and energy. and that initially had overwhelming US public sup- When they next spoke in October, Green remind- port. Only about 40 inmates remain but the prison ed the president of the conversation. Bush, Green remains open, more than a year after a freshly elected recalled, “shook his head slowly and said, ‘all of that Obama vowed to close it within a year. was blown clear out of the water.’” “Operationally and strategically, the war on terror- “All of a sudden, he’s a wartime president, and ism of 2001-2002 had partly achieved its objective. everything has changed,” said Green, now president Al-Qaeda was very seriously weakened and there of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for haven’t been any attacks on the scale of September Scholars. Green acknowledged that Biden was in tune 11,” said Tenenbaum, the co-author of a book on the with ensuing shifts in public opinion. But Green said 20 years of war. But worldwide, he said, there are two that US leaders could have made a better case. to three times as many radical jihadists identified now “In the wake of 9/11, I do think the world more as in 2001 and the number of attacks and victims has broadly was awakened to the dangers of violent risen threefold. extremism. But you look today and, of course, we Even as the “war on terror” appears to wind down have a generation of young people who don’t know and attention moves to China, Bacevich wondered it, for whom this is history,” Green told AFP. “And how much has changed. “It’s really a shift to a new one thing we are not very good at is reminding peo- theater in which the effort to preserve or restore ple why we do what we do,” he said. “America is a American primacy is going to resume and where the beacon of hope, it’s an aspirational concept. It’s not problem is going to be defined once more in military merely territory; it’s a set of ideas and people rally to terms,” he said. those ideas when we express them clearly and we NEW YORK: In this file photo, the rubble of the twin towers of the World Trade Center smolder following a ter- “So in that sense, no, things haven’t really changed stand by others.” rorist attack in lower Manhattan, New York on September 11, 2001. —AFP all that much.” —AFP 6 Established 1961 International Thursday, August 26, 2021 US, China trade fresh barbs over disputed Asian seas Harris begins Vietnam visit to stress US commitment to Asia HANOI: Vice President Kamala Harris an apparent reference to the so-called US’s “enduring relationship with said yesterday the US would find new “Havana syndrome” which has afflicted Vietnam and Southeast Asia”, she told ways to “raise the pressure on Beijing”, US diplomats in several countries President Phuc. accusing China of bullying in hotly dis- including China and Russia. It is not On Wednesday, Harris said a dona- puted Asian waters for the second time clear what causes the syndrome, lead- tion of one million Pfizer vaccines in two days. Harris made the comments ing to unproven allegations that would begin arriving in Vietnam in the as she began a visit to Vietnam to stress Russians or others used high-intensity next 24 hours from the US-which has US commitment to Asia, a trip critics electronic devices to physically harm already sent five million doses to the have slammed as tone-deaf given the US diplomats. The Vietnam leg of the country. She later visited late US sena- parallels with the superpower’s evac- tor John McCain’s memorial during uations from Saigon and Kabul. a downpour in the capital, laying During a meeting with Vietnam flowers at the site where his plane President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Harris ‘Anomalous was shot down by the North said the US would continue to chal- Vietnamese on the third anniversary lenge Beijing’s “bullying and exces- health incident’ of his death. sive maritime claims” in the South China Sea. “We need to find ways to delays VP’s China ‘intimidation’ pressure and raise the pressure, In Singapore, Harris said Beijing frankly, on Beijing to abide by the Hanoi visit “continues to coerce, to intimi- United Nations Convention on the date” and make unreasonable Law of the Sea,” she added. claims to large areas of the South During the Singapore leg of her China Sea. Four Southeast Asian HANOI: US Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during the official launch of regional trip Tuesday, Harris also Asian tour has sparked criticism after states including Vietnam have compet- the CDC Southeast Asia Regional Office in Hanoi yesterday. — AFP accused China of intimidation in the the chaotic evacuation of Kabul ing claims over the waterway through resource-rich waterway. China hit back prompted comparisons with the trauma which trillions of dollars in shipping at the accusations through its state of 1975 Saigon, when US helicopters trade passes annually. events in Afghanistan have cast doubts In Singapore, Harris sought to allay media yesterday, accusing the US of ferried final evacuees from the embassy China has been accused of deploy- on Washington’s claims of reliability. fears that countries that have strong hypocrisy in attempting to “coerce and roof in the last days of the Vietnam War. ing military hardware including anti- Pham Quang Vinh, Vietnam’s former ties with both of the world’s top intimidate” countries in the region in its Harris is steering clear of both ship and surface-to-air missiles there, ambassador to the United States, told economies would have to choose sides. “scheme to contain China”. Saigon-now Ho Chi Minh City-and the and ignored a 2016 international tribu- AFP the country was watching events in Vietnam has sought to forge its own historical parallels, instead emphasizing nal decision that rejected its historical Kabul closely. “The US has recommitted path between the two superpowers and Anomalous health incident’ Washington’s commitment to the region claim over most of the waters. Harris is itself now to this region but if some- on Tuesday Prime Minister Pham Minh Harris’ arrival in Vietnam was as she opened a branch of the US the latest top official from President thing happens in Afghanistan again, for Chinh met the Chinese ambassador, delayed due to what US officials called Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Joe Biden’s team to visit the region to example if terrorism comes back... will stressing Hanoi would not “align with an “anomalous health incident” in Hanoi, Hanoi. The launch was a symbol of the reassure allies of its steadfastness. But the US continue to focus here?” he said. one country against another”. —AFP

News in brief Iran parliament to give Taiwan-Japan security talks verdict on Raisi cabinet picks TAIPEI: Taiwan and Japan’s ruling party will TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament is due to recorded its highest single day death hold security talks for the first time later this complete debate on President toll on Tuesday, with 709 fatalities week, a Taiwanese lawmaker said yesterday, as Ebrahim Raisi’s cabinet yesterday recorded by the health ministry in 24 the two neighbors fret about China’s increasing- before an afternoon vote of confi- hours. The ultraconservative Raisi ly bellicose military threats. The announcement dence allowing the new government won a June 18 election marred by of the talks was condemned by Beijing, which to start work. The legislative vetting record low turnout and an absence of claims self-ruled, democratic Taiwan and process began on Saturday and will significant competitors. opposes countries having official contacts with resume in early afternoon, when the He succeeds moderate president Taipei. Two lawmakers each from Taiwan’s ultraconservative president will deliv- Hassan Rouhani, architect of the polit- Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Japan’s er a speech to lawmakers. In an ical opening that culminated in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will hold a vir- Islamic republic where ultimate power 2015 nuclear agreement between rests with supreme leader Ayatollah Tehran and major powers. But that tual talk on Friday dubbed a “two-plus-two” TEHRAN: Cars drive on a highway as the sun sets in the Iranian capital Tehran Ali Khamenei, Raisi inherits a difficult external opening was torpedoed by security meeting. — AFP Tuesday. — AFP socioeconomic situation. Trump and much of Iran’s conserva- Iran has been strangled financially tive camp. by sanctions reimposed by The president announced on The parties agreed in late June to Ukrainian soldier killed in attack Washington after then US president ‘National interests’ Saturday that his government’s first meet for a new round of talks, but dis- Donald Trump pulled out of a multi- The new president was sworn in by priority will be the battle against cussions have yet to resume. KIEV: The Ukrainian army said yesterday that lateral nuclear deal in 2018. parliament in early August, but the coronavirus, closely followed by the In the aftermath of his election vic- a soldier had been killed and two others wound- The country of 83 million people outgoing administration remains at economy. Western powers, Russia and tory, Raisi declared on June 20 that he ed in the country’s pro-Russia separatist east, as has since been hit by a severe eco- the helm until the new cabinet gets China are all keeping a watchful eye will not permit negotiations just for regular clashes continue in the conflict-torn nomic crisis amplified by the COVID legislative approval. The confidence for any sign of willingness by Iran to “negotiation’s sake”. But he also said: region. It was the fourth Ukrainian soldier killed pandemic. Iran is currently grappling vote in the strictly conservative line- resume discussions that began in “Any negotiations that guarantee over the past week. The Ukrainian army is with a fifth wave of infections-the up-all 19 of them men-will allow Raisi Vienna in April aimed at salvaging the national interests will certainly be locked in a simmering conflict with separatist strongest wave yet. The country to begin leaving his mark. nuclear deal. supported”. —AFP fighters in the country’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions that erupted after Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine’s military said in a as young as five took part in the sur- statement that over the past 24 hours break- Rohingya kids prise 15-minute march in the away fighters had launched three attacks on its Kutupalong camp-the world’s largest troops with small arms. —AFP stage genocide refugee settlement-to demand justice for the thousands of Rohingya reported killed in the crackdown. anniversary Community leader Mohammad Thai police wanted over death Osman said between 3,000 and 4,000 protest children took part, chanting “we want BANGKOK: Thai authorities were yesterday justice” and “we want safe repatriation”. hunting a group of police officers wanted for UKHIA, Bangladesh: Hundreds of Police said only a few dozen children allegedly suffocating a drugs suspect to death children yesterday defied a ban on were involved. Some women also staged with a plastic bag in an incident captured on protests at Rohingya refugee camps in camera. An investigation was ordered after Bangladesh to mark the fourth silent protests in front of their shanty video footage of the incident went viral on anniversary of a Myanmar military homes holding placards that read “we UKHIA, Bangladesh: Rohingya refugees walk along a path at Kutupalong refugee social media. The clip shows a group of men- crackdown which sparked an exodus want justice”, a rights activist said. camp in Ukhia yesterday. — AFP allegedly including the chief of a district police across the border, community leaders Journalists were not allowed into the station in northern Nakhon Sawan province- said. Thousands of armed police and camps for the anniversary. Bangladesh wrapping a plastic bag around the man’s head troops patrolled the camps in the authorities have banned protests and memorative rally in the camps in 2019. Rohingya has been held to account,” while questioning him on August 5. — AFP Cox’s Bazar district but did not act rallies, saying they could spread the In Myanmar, where hundreds of said Myanmar advocacy group against the children. coronavirus. The pandemic has killed at thousands more Rohingya also live in Progressive Voice. Myanmar, where a More than 700,000 Muslim least 30 Rohingya and infected thou- camps, several groups issued state- junta took power this year, is not a Indonesia seizes tanker over oil heist Rohingya, who have long been perse- sands. Daily infection numbers have ments calling for faster efforts to pros- member of the ICC. But last week a cuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, fallen recently and the government has ecute perpetrators of the 2017 military shadow government of ousted eased national restrictions but would action. “Four years on justice for the JAKARTA: Indonesia’s navy said yesterday it fled into Bangladesh after the 2017 Myanmar lawmakers said they Rohingya remains shamefully elusive. has seized a tanker and its crew who were want- clampdown which is the subject of a not allow the Rohingya to stage even accepted its jurisdiction to look into Not a single individual who committed ed on charges of stealing nearly 300,000 bar- genocide investigation by the small events Wednesday. Up to the alleged Rohingya genocide and the heinous crimes against the rels of crude oil from Cambodia’s reserves. The International Criminal Court. Children 200,000 Rohingya took part in a com- other crimes. — AFP Bahamian-flagged MT Strovolos was picked up on July 27 off the coast of Sumatra, they said, they seek to put aside their differ- days after Phnom Penh issued a red notice on Malaysia’s new, ences, at least while the pandemic is Interpol to seize the ship over claims it stole the raging. kingdom’s crude. Indonesia’s navy said it was opposition seek In a joint statement, they said the questioning the crew of 13 Indians, three meeting focused on “the people’s Bangladeshis and a trio from Myanmar at its to ease tensions interests in finding the best common base near Singapore. —AFP ground in handling the COVID-19 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s new pandemic”. They pledged to “safe- prime minister and the opposition guard lives and personal safety from Two injured in acid attack in Tokyo pledged yesterday to find “common the threat of the outbreak and free ground” to tackle a coronavirus out- people from its economic impacts, TOKYO: Two people suffered burns in an acid break and boost the economy, seek- following the loss of jobs and attack at a Tokyo subway station with the per- ing to ease long-running political tur- income”. Malaysia has been under a PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia: This handout photo shows Malaysia’s Prime Minister Ismail petrator still at large, police and local media said bulence. Ismail Sabri Yaakob was nationwide lockdown since June to inaugurated at the weekend following fight the outbreak, forcing the closure Sabri Yaakob (center) sitting at his desk on his first day at the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday. The attack took place at Shirokane in Putrajaya. — AFP Takanawa station in an upscale part of Tokyo on the resignation of his predecessor of many businesses and affecting the Tuesday night, while the Paralympics opening after a tumultuous 17 months in office. livelihoods of millions. ceremony was being held under tight security in The country’s fourth premier in as Anwar also said the opposition vote to confirm he has the support of appointed Ismail Sabri after he won the capital. One of the victims, a 22-year-old many years, he faces the daunting gave assurances that if the premier’s MPs. Ismail Sabri’s predecessor, the support of most lawmakers. But businessman, sustained burns to his face after task of uniting bickering politicians policies help the people, they would Muhyiddin Yassin, quit after losing his his appointment means that scandal- the suspect sprayed liquid at him on an escala- and reining in the country’s worst not “complicate” a no-confidence parliamentary majority, and as public mired party the United Malays tor, a police spokesman said. — AFP COVID-19 wave yet. Yesterday, he vote in parliament expected next anger mounted at the outbreak. National Organization (UMNO) has held discussions with opposition month. The king, who appointed the The monarch chose not to call an reclaimed the premiership without leaders, including Anwar Ibrahim, as premier, has asked him to face the election due to the pandemic, and an election. — AFP Established 1961 7 International Thursday, August 26, 2021 Zombie apocalypse: Fear grips Afghans under Taleban rule Streets fall silent, few women dare to leave homes

KABUL: Streets that were once bustling with life have fallen silent. Few women dare to leave their homes. Fighters patrol the neighborhoods. Welcome to the new Kabul, a city ruled by fear of the Taleban. “It’s like a zombie apocalypse,” a 20-year-old women’s rights Taleban spokesman activist tells AFP on condition of anonymity. Around Kabul airport, chaos reigns as thousands of people mass, desperate to flee ahead of the August 1 deadline in spotlight after for the US withdrawal. But everywhere else, the streets are eerily quiet. shadowy fight

KABUL: For years the Taleban’s top spokesman Chaos reigns shunned the public eye, even as he amassed hundreds of thousands of followers online where he around live-tweeted the insurgency. But days after the Kabul airport Taleban captured Kabul following the collapse of the US-backed government, Zabihullah Mujahid presented himself to the public for the first time in a surprise press conference in the Afghan capital. KABUL: This handout photo taken and released by the French Etat-major des Armees shows a French At first glance, there was little that distin- soldier watching people walking to board a A400M Atlas military transport aircraft at Kabul airport to fly guished the Taleban spokesman from its other “People almost don’t go outside and (when they do) to the air base of Al-Dhafra, near Abu Dhabi.— AFP they are in a rush,” the activist says. “People get home as leaders-the middle-aged jihadist sported a black soon as they can.” Under the ousted government, an turban and full black beard framing a stoney increasing number of women were adopting Western of children playing-oblivious perhaps to the depth of the says. “The attitude of the Taleban towards the people is demeanor carved from decades of war. clothing, attending university, and working. Now, even in transformation under way in their homeland-breaks the much softer than what people thought,” he adds, noting “We have expelled the foreigners,” he pro- Kabul, women hardly venture out of their homes. Burqa silence. he danced with friends at a wedding held last week. claimed in his opening remarks. Just days earlier, sales have rocketed. Many Afghans fear a repeat of the Widespread fear, says a Kabul banker, is working to However, some residents fear economic woes, particu- Mujahid announced via social media the assassi- brutal interpretation of Islamic law that the Taleban the Taleban’s advantage as they seek to establish their larly with government services halted. “Many people nation of leading government spokesman Dawa implemented when first in power from 1996-2001. dominance. “They don’t have any army to control people lost their jobs, they are afraid of a bad economic situa- Khan Menapal, boasting that the killing had been The Taleban have vowed a softer, more inclusive but the fear is controlling everyone,” he says on condition tion,” he says. orchestrated “in a special attack” carried out by regime this time around, offering assurances of rights to of anonymity. While the Taleban leadership strives to the Taleban. The spokesman is now sitting in women. However, the activist says she has been unable to project an image of an organized movement capable of No money to rebuild Menapal’s old seat, seeking to allay concern about return to university since the Taleban’s stunning military governing, the reality on the ground is that the militants’ At the market in the northern city of Kunduz, Taleban how the Taleban will rule. “All those on the oppo- victory on August 15. She says the hardliners do not want behavior varies greatly from place to place. militants use loudspeakers to announce their new rules to site side are pardoned from A to Z,” said Mujahid women to attend class until they can segregate classes “Some groups are acting good and nice but some of residents. Devastated by weeks of fighting leading up to as he fielded questions from the remnants of the along gender lines. “I think it’s an idiotic decision,” she them go to restaurants without paying,” the banker says. the Taleban’s win, the city is now starting to see some Afghan press corps. says, because there simply aren’t enough female universi- rebuilding-though progress is slow. “We will not seek revenge.” ty teachers. The bank she works for has also barred her ‘Normal’ in Khost “People started rebuilding their shops but not the For years, there was a debate as to whether from returning, citing fears for her safety. In the southeastern city of Khost, long a conserva- homes because people fled and did not return, or don’t Mujahid was even a single person-his moniker tive city seized by the Taleban shortly before Kabul fell, have the money to rebuild,” a local business owner tells serving as cover for the Taleban’s sprawling infor- Reign of fear the militants appear to have adopted a softer approach. AFP. Some poorer residents are so scared of the impact mation wing. But Mujahid was real and relaxed in On the city walls, advertisement posters featuring “After a few days, the situation returned to normal. The the regime change may have that they have stopped his public debut, delivering assurances in a live female models have either been defaced or torn down. flow of the city has slowed down but many shops and buying fruit and even using soap, he says. “They think broadcast on behalf of a group that once banned Pop music, banned outright under the Taleban’s former small businesses have reopened now,” a local aid work- they should save because in the future there is no way television. When asked if the Taleban expected to regime, can no longer be heard in Kabul. Only the sound er tells AFP. “Boys and girls go to school like before,” he to earn money.” — AFP be forgiven following their brutal campaign of vio- lence that brought death and destruction to Afghan cities, Mujahid did not sidestep. The losses, Taleban show off however devastating, were worth it, he argued. “A huge occupying force was defeated,” he ‘special forces’ in explained. The information war propaganda blitz Notorious for banning TV and radio under their iron-fisted rule in the 1990s, the Taleban have adapted to the ever-changing nature of modern KABUL: The Taleban have been showing off its own media and deftly used it to their advantage. “The “special forces” on social media, soldiers in new uni- Taleban understand that the information war is forms equipped with looted American equipment who modern warfare,” wrote Richard Stengel-a former contrast sharply with the image of the usual Afghan undersecretary of state for the Obama administra- insurgent. Pictures and videos of fighters in the so- tion-in a New York Times editorial. called “Badri 313” unit have been posted online for “They are not trying to build a new platform; propaganda purposes to underline how the Taleban they’re trying to integrate into and dominate the have better equipped and trained men at their disposal existing landscape.” Mujahid is believed to over- than in the past, experts say. CHAMAN: Afghan people walk inside a fenced corridor as they enter Pakistan at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman yesterday following the Taleban’s stunning military takeover of Afghanistan. —AFP see a vast public relations operation that has coor- The soldiers are shown in uniforms, boots, balaclavas dinated countless press releases, interview and body armor similar to those worn by special forces requests and questions from journalists in recent around the world-and unlike the shalwar kameez, turban peace has been established,” Muhammad Nabi said. years. Outside of his social media presence, and sandals of the traditional Taleban fighter. Rather Mujahid and his team also managed an impressive than a battered Russian-designed Kalashnikov rifle As thousands flee “We have our household with women and kids waiting-we want them to cross the border.” Pakistan has network of WhatsApp groups, where they deliv- slung over their shoulder, the men of Badri 313 hold new ered real time updates directly to journalists. US-made rifles such as the M4, sometimes with night- housed over two million Afghan refugees since the first Afghanistan, some wave of war broke out in Afghanistan over 40 years ago, Little is known about the spokesman’s past vision goggles and advanced gunsights. roles in the movement, but his impact on their Badri 313 “likely represents some of the best trained with numbers fluctuating based on the conflict’s intensi- want to go back ty, but the country has said it is not in a position to take string of victories has been monumental even as and equipped fighters within the Taleban more broadly, other spokesmen emerged and took on more pub- although as you would expect there is a degree of sen- in any more. Displaced Afghans have long complained CHAMAN: From trucks stuffed with carpets, bedding, about feeling unwelcome with little access to employ- lic roles from the Taleban’s political office in Doha. sationalising in propaganda coverage of the unit by the clothes and even goats, around 200 Afghan refugees Under Mujahid’s leadership, the Taleban effec- group,” Matt Henman from the Janes defense consultan- ment and citizenship rights. Many have become pawns in look beyond the horizon toward Spin Boldak in their a diplomatic blame-game between the countries, which tively owned the battlefield narrative during the cy told AFP. A Western weapons expert who writes country’s south, waiting to return home from Pakistan. group’s final offensive this summer, providing anonymously on Twitter under the pseudonym of have accused each other of aiding militant groups. Dreading another period of harsh rule after the Taleban’s Islamabad has long been seen as protecting the Taleban detailed sketches of its fighters’ movements as the Calibre Obscura said the unit would be no match for rapid takeover following the US troop withdrawal, thou- Afghan government stayed largely silent. The Western special forces, or those of India or Pakistan. and could be one of the few governments with close ties sands have been desperately trying to flee Afghanistan, to the new regime in Kabul. Taleban’s victory appeared all but inevitable, But “they are more effective than normal Taleban and with chaotic images emerging from the Kabul airport. according to the narrative presented by the certainly more than standard Afghan national army But some families want to repatriate to their home- Better to go back Taleban press office, as government forces surren- troops from a couple of weeks ago,” he told AFP. dered en masse often without a shot fired. During land, saying the Taleban will bring stability to the war- With dust blowing over their belongings and children the last 10 days of the war, Mujahid would torn nation. “We emigrated from Afghanistan during squeezed in between the furniture, dozens of trucks are US weapons announce the fall of every new city to the Taleban bombing and hardships, when Muslims were in trouble, parked in Chaman’s barren fields, as returnees complete Named after the battle of Badr 1,400 years ago, with a tweet, becoming the de-facto minister of now, praise be to Allah, the situation is normal, so we are document checks and wait for their crossing to be when the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) supposedly van- information of the conflict that his group was win- returning to Afghanistan,” Molavi Shaib told AFP while approved. On the back of one truck, a teenage boy holds quished his enemies with only 313 soldiers, the Taleban ning rapidly. Now in power, Mujahid will be faced waiting at the border. Divided by a 10-foot-deep trench a baby, surrounded by a hodgepodge of household unit could number up to several thousand men, experts with a new task-convincing Afghans and the inter- filled with barbed wire, the mountainous boundary sepa- goods including a bucket, a bed and a bicycle. Another say. The amount of equipment at their disposal is national community that the Taleban are able to rating Spin Boldak from Chaman in Pakistan’s southwest boy sits next to him on a yellow cushion while a white unclear, but multiple pictures online show jubilant transition from fighting to governing. sees thousands crossing the trade route every day. goat can be seen milling about between them. Taleban fighters posing with captured armored As scores try to escape Taleban rule, Pakistan has “All issues can be resolved with talks,” Mujahid Humvees, aircraft and weapons abandoned by the The returnees say they will have better lives in told reporters Tuesday. “We give our brothers ramped up security at the border, making the process Afghanistan. “I am returning to Ghazni, now peace has defeated US-equipped Afghan national army. more stringent. “People want to return but they are not reassurances. We have the same country and the Experts say the most sophisticated equipment, espe- been established and we are happy that we are returning same goals.” — AFP allowed to cross, we request the Pakistani government to back to our home. It’s much better to go back and settle cially the helicopters, will be difficult to operate and allow us to cross the border because there’s no war, and near-impossible to maintain. “There is certainly a there,” Wali Ur Rahman told AFP.—AFP degree of propaganda, but we saw during the final offensive since May that the Taleban special forces have the Government of Uganda’s consistent policy of receiv- other communities in need,” the embassy posted on been critical in the taking over of Afghanistan,” said Bill Uganda welcomes ing refugees and persons in distress as well as playing a Twitter. Most refugees in Uganda live in large refugee Roggio, managing editor of the US-based Long War responsible role in matters of international concern,” the settlements in the sparsely populated north of the Journal.—AFP ministry said in a statement. Media reports have sug- country but around 81,000 urban refugees live in the first group of gested Uganda had agreed to take about 2,000 refugees capital Kampala. Aid agencies have repeatedly said but this has not been confirmed. that the international response to support refugees in Afghan refugees Uganda hosts one of the largest refugee populations Uganda, a country of about 44 million people, has been in the world-nearly 1.5 million according to the United Nations, mainly from neighboring South Sudan and the ENTEBBE: A flight carrying Afghan evacuees fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ministry said that Taleban takeover of their country touched down early arrangements were also being made to bring home a yesterday in Uganda where they will be given temporary number of Ugandans who were unable to make this first refuge, government officials said. The foreign ministry flight “due to the challenges of accessing the airport in said a charter flight carrying 51 Afghans-including men, Kabul”. Neighbouring Rwanda said on Tuesday it also women and children-landed in the lakeside city of plans to take in dozens of schoolgirls and staff from Entebbe, where they were whisked to hotels in a convoy Afghanistan’s only boarding school for girls. Since the of buses. Taleban’s August 15 takeover of Kabul, Afghans have More evacuees from Afghanistan are expected to grown increasingly desperate to escape the country, arrive at a later time in Uganda from the war-torn coun- with many terrified of facing life under the hardline KABUL: A video grab taken from Afghan TV RTA shows try, the ministry said. It said it followed a request from Islamist group. The US embassy in Kampala thanked propaganda images of Taleban’s Badri 313 Special the US government to temporarily host “at-risk” Afghan Uganda for its “generosity and hospitality toward these ENTEBBE, Uganda: This video grab shows the convoy Forces patrolling streets in an unidentiﬁed location in nationals and others who are in transit to the United communities”. with ﬁrst group of Afghan evacuees to reach Uganda on Afghanistan. — AFP States and other destinations worldwide. “The Government of Uganda and the Ugandan peo- the road from the airport. — AFP “The decision to host those in need, is informed by ple have a long tradition of welcoming refugees and Established 1961

THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021 House Democrats advance Biden’s almost $5tn in spending plans Biden, tech leaders eye ‘concrete steps’ to boost cybersecurity WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s plans to ures, infrastructure investments left out of the other spend nearly $5 trillion to change the world’s bill, residency status for millions of migrant workers, largest economy advanced in the House of and two years of paid tuition at public universities. Representatives on Tuesday, after Democratic lead- Meanwhile, a White House cybersecurity gather- ers reached an agreement with centrist lawmakers ing including Big Tech executives was set yesterday to end a dispute that threatened the bills. to unveil steps aimed at improving cybersecurity Biden and his Democratic allies controlling the following high-profile attacks which raised ques- chamber are pushing for passage of both a $1.2 tril- tions about the vulnerability of so-called critical lion overhaul to the country’s infrastructure and a infrastructure. bill costing $3.5 trillion over 10 years that would President Joe Biden and key cabinet officials pay for improvements to education, health care and were to host the chief executives of Apple, Google, climate change resiliency. Amazon and Microsoft along with leaders from the While the infrastructure bill has already won finance and utilities sectors, a senior administration passage in the Senate with some votes from Republicans, Democrats have found no opposition support for the second, larger bill, and were planning to approve it with their votes alone — a tough task given their narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress. Climate The dispute erupted when centrist Democrats in the House said the infrastructure bill must be voted measures on first, but on Tuesday, those lawmakers backed a compromise resolution that would see the infrastructure measure put to a vote in about a month. “I am committing to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill by September 27. I do so with a com- WASHINGTON: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C) walks to hold a press conference following the House vote mitment to rally House Democratic support for its official said. The gathering comes after hacks and passage,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a data breaches which have targeted a major US oil at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden’s plans to spend nearly $5 trillion to change the statement. The resolution paves the way for further pipeline, a meatpacking company, and the world’s largest economy advanced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, after Democratic leaders negotiations over the $3.5 trillion measure with the Microsoft Exchange email system as well as ran- reached an agreement with centrist lawmakers to end a dispute threatening the bills. —AFP aim of unveiling it by September 15. somware attacks hitting various sectors. The Democrats can afford to lose no votes in the “You will definitely be seeing a set of concrete The latest attacks, which affected Microsoft Pichai of Google, Andy Jassy of Amazon, Tim Cook Senate, where two of their lawmakers have already announcements,” the official told journalists in a email servers and the widely deployed SolarWinds of Apple and Satya Nadella of Microsoft. Also invit- said they won’t vote for the bill unless its price is background briefing. The recent attacks “has creat- security software, raise questions about protecting ed were the top executives of JPMorgan Chase, reduced. Final votes on the bills are not expected ed a sense of urgency” and the need to refocus 16 “critical infrastructure” sectors including energy, Bank of America and other finance and insurance until next month or later in the fall. attention of government and the private sector, the utilities, defense, food and manufacturing. companies, as well as the heads of water and ener- The infrastructure measure includes $550 billion official added. “We want to focus on the root causes Some analysts have called for tougher sanctions gy companies and educational organizations. in new spending and is aimed at revitalizing and of any malicious (cyber) activity,” the official said. against Russia and other countries accused of har- Government leaders include Commerce expanding the nation’s roads, railways, bridges and This means ensuring more robust systems of com- boring cybercriminals. Others have suggested more Secretary Gina Raimondo, Energy Secretary broadband access. The $3.5 trillion measure is sup- puter software and hardware in both government and scrutiny of cryptocurrency which is used by hack- Jennifer Granholm, Homeland Security Secretary ported by the Democratic leaders and its progres- industry. “We need to transition to a system where ers to collect ransomware. Alejandro Mayorkas and top cybersecurity sive faction, and includes funding for climate meas- security is there by default,” the official said. Expected at the meeting were CEOs Sundar advisers. — AFP

South Sudan is emerging from five IMF extends years of civil bloodshed that left 380,000 dead and shattered its econo- $334m in aid my, which is almost entirely dependent on oil. When it split from Sudan to the China reopens north in 2011 following a decades-long to South Sudan war of secession, it took over three- quarters of the oil reserves. world’s third JUBA: The IMF has loaned $334 million But years of civil conflict after inde- (284 million euros) to South Sudan, the pendence, including for control of key busiest port after country’s central bank governor said oil fields, deprived the country of vital Tuesday, as its ailing economy teeters income and the chance to diversify its partial virus halt from a currency crisis and soaring infla- economy. The coronavirus pandemic tion. It is the third time in a year the drove oil prices sharply downward, BEIJING: China reopened a key termi- Washington DC-based lender has gutting state coffers for a fragile new nal at the world’s third-busiest cargo port extended financial aid to the troubled unity government that took office in yesterday, after a shutdown to control the country, which ran out of foreign early 2020 at the end of a tortured coronavirus caused major backlogs else- exchange reserves last year when oil peace process. WASHINGTON: File photo shows a general view of the World Bank Group (WBG) building prices fell sharply. (L) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) building (R) in Washington, DC on where and worsened export already The government has not been able to extended delays caused by the pandemic. The price slump, brought on by the pay civil servants on time, while the September 25, 2020. —AFP coronavirus pandemic, deprived the The halt at the eastern Ningbo- price of basic goods remains stubbornly Zhoushan port started two weeks ago, fragile government in Juba of much- Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday. 1969, the lending organization said. IMF high. In April, the IMF approved $174 when a worker at its Meishan terminal needed revenue and sent its currency The move would save the country head Kristalina Georgieva described the million in emergency support to South tested positive for the disease. The termi- into freefall. Earlier this year, one US Sudan. The previous November, it money by reducing the cost of main- decision as “a shot in the arm for the nal handles a fifth of the container volume dollar was fetching 700 South extended a $52 million loan. taining the national debt, giving a boost global economy at a time of unprece- at Ningbo-Zhoushan and the hold-up Sudanese Pounds on the black market- Devastating flooding has deepened to the public finances, Lopez Obrador dented crisis” due to the coronavirus. forced ships to other Chinese ports, the weakest exchange rate since inde- the economic pain and worsened a told reporters. Lopez Obrador is a strong advocate which were left facing their worst levels pendence a decade ago. humanitarian crisis in the world’s newest Earlier this month, the IMF board of of a low debt policy and was reluctant to Central Bank Governor Dier Tong country, which is enduring its worst governors approved a $650 billion ramp up public spending significantly to of congestion in seven years, reported Ngor said the IMF loan would “substan- hunger levels since independence a increase in cash reserves for member cushion the economic blow from the Chinese media outlet Caixin this week. tially boost” foreign reserves and allow decade ago. Corruption and misman- nations as they struggle to recover from pandemic. The Mexican central bank said The closure added stress to an already room to try and recover in the midst of agement are also often blamed for the economic hit from COVID-19. Monday that it had received the equiva- stretched global shipping network, with the pandemic. “The increase in reserves South Sudan’s economic troubles. Emerging and developing nations lent of about $12.1 billion from the IMF. In soaring demand for goods from Western will help build external resilience and sus- Meanwhile, Mexico will use the would receive around $275 billion the second quarter of 2021, the federal consumers in the pandemic piling pres- tain the current reforms in the foreign roughly $12 billion that it was allocated through the new allocation of Special government’s net debt stood at 37.4 per- sure on Chinese exporters who face strict exchange market,” Ngor said in a state- by the International Monetary Fund to Drawing Rights (SDRs), a type of interna- cent of gross domestic product, accord- domestic virus controls. ment seen by AFP. pay down its debt, President Andres tional reserve asset created by the IMF in ing to the finance ministry. — AFP The Ningbo-Zhoushan port handled almost 1.2 billion tons of goods in 2020. But Ningbo authorities said late Tuesday merchants,” Tom Ward, a senior vice that restrictions will be lifted. “All units in Walmart opens president for Walmart’s US location, the zone must comprehensively do a said in a press release. good job in epidemic prevention and delivery services The Bentonville, Arkansas-based control, as well as resumption of work company said it already has delivery and production,” said a notice repub- agreements with several companies, lished by state broadcaster CCTV. for all businesses but did not elaborate. Ward said he Businesses should also prioritise the envisioned the service being used for loading and unloading of stranded NEW YORK: US shopping giant everything from “delivering goods trucks, the notice added. Chinese port Walmart on Tuesday announced it was from a local bakery to auto supplies workers are routinely tested for opening a delivery service for busi- from a national retailer.” COVID-19, and the affected worker had nesses, including other retailers, in its The service will be white label, been fully vaccinated. latest push to reposition itself and meaning a customer placing an order It remains unclear how the member fend off Amazon’s rise. The chain will not realize it is being delivered by of staff contracted the virus. The port announced it will make its logistics Walmart, according to the company. disruption followed the closure of the and transportation infrastructure, in The new business “is an important Yantian port in southern trade hub which it has invested heavily in recent part of the company’s overall strategy, WASHINGTON: File photo a Walmart logo is seen outside a store in Washington, DC, on Shenzhen in May after an outbreak years, available to other stores which includes diversifying its revenue involving port workers. through a service called Walmart streams and profit pools.” August 18, 2020. US shopping giant Walmart yesterday announced it was opening a delivery service for businesses, including other retailers. —AFP China has been battling a resurgence GoLocal. Over the past two years, the retail of COVID-19 in recent weeks caused by “We’ve worked hard to develop a behemoth has opened up its Walmart the highly infectious Delta variant, but reliable last-mile delivery program for Marketplace online shopping platform network. The new venture will add to began offering faster shipping servic- strict lockdowns and mass testing has es including same-day delivery, which our customers. Now, we’re pleased to to other companies, and launched Walmart’s rivalry with Amazon, which helped push new case numbers back is rapidly becoming the norm in the be able to use these capabilities to Walmart Connect, a service that pro- already provides delivery for partner down. — AFP serve another set of customers-local vides brands with visibility across its retailers. In April 2020, Walmart retail world today. — AFP Established 1961 9 Thursday, August 26, 2021 Business Most Asian markets rise but gains tempered by profit-taking Wall Street enjoys another strong day, with S&P 500 at record high

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed yes- Wellington, Taipei, Manila, Mumbai, Bangkok, terday, with news that Joe Biden’s multi-trillion- and Jakarta all rose but Tokyo was flat. Hong dollar spending plans were edging closer pro- Kong dipped after rising around three percent viding another colossal boost, but the optimism in the previous two days. was offset by profit-taking after a strong start London, Frankfurt, and Paris were all up in to the week. early trade. Buying was helped by news that The US Food and Drug Administration’s Democrats in the House of Representatives had decision Monday to give full approval to settled internal differences to push forward Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine has given a huge lift Biden’s massive spending bill. to sentiment and eased worries about the fast- spreading Delta variant in the world’s top Biden bill edges closer economy. While there remains a long way to go before That came as some countries including the it hits his desk to be signed, the agreement gets United States see infection spikes easing, while the president closer to realising his near $5-tril- China appears to have lion goal for updating overcome a weeks-long US infrastructure and outbreak. Still, others providing much-needed such as Australia, Japan, improvements to educa- and New Zealand tion, health care, and cli- remain in a tough battle Spending mate change resiliency. with the disease, forcing “The House of them into containment plans Representatives is taking measures. a significant step toward The FDA move “is making historic invest- paving the way for ment that is going to organisations to man- transform America, cut date vaccines for work- taxes for working fami- SEOUL: Currency dealers monitor exchange rates in a trading room at KEB Hana Bank in Seoul. —AFP ers and thus lift vaccination rates higher”, said lies, and position the American economy for National Australia Bank’s Tapas Strickland. long-term — long-term growth,” Biden said. “China’s Delta outbreak also appears to be Focus is now on a speech by Federal Reserve market is likely to withstand ongoing concerns variant and China’s outbreak, with some sug- under control with two consecutive days of no boss Jerome Powell to central bankers and about the virus and policy,” said Lauren gesting it could break $75 and possibly $80 a new domestic cases (only one suspected case), economists for the Jackson Hole symposium, Goodwin, economist and portfolio strategist at barrel. while the PBoC vowed to boost credit support with hopes for an idea about its plans for mone- New York Life Investments. “The oil market is still very tight and with for smaller businesses and the real economy.” tary policy with an eye on the Delta mutation’s “That said, risks for the market are becoming Chinese demand picking up, crude prices only Wall Street enjoyed another strong day, with possible impact on growth. more balanced as we move throughout the mar- have one way to go after an overdone selloff,” the S&P 500 at a record and the Nasdaq top- However, observers are generally of the view ket cycle.” said OANDA’s Edward Moya. ping 15,000 for the first time. Asia picked up that the disease will only slow the global recov- Oil prices edged lower after jumping more “Crude prices should benefit from declining the baton but with smaller gains than those ery rather than knock it off course. than eight percent in the previous two days on inventories and as the world’s two largest enjoyed on Monday and Tuesday. “As long as the economic and corporate hopes for a demand rebound, having suffered economies start to see a return of normal crude Shanghai, Seoul, Sydney, Singapore, earnings environments continue to improve, the hefty selling in recent weeks owing to the Delta demand.” —AFP BB relaunches Just Eat delivers World Bank ‘deeply birthday gifts 1,500 UK jobs in concerned,’ pauses for all customers offshore switch aid to Afghanistan KUWAIT: As part of its ongoing commitment LONDON: Anglo-Dutch food delivery platform WASHINGTON: The World Bank has suspended aid towards satisfying its customers, Burgan Bank Just Eat Takeaway will create 1,500 jobs in to Afghanistan, saying it is “deeply concerned” by announced the relaunching of the special customers’ the situation there, especially regarding women’s birthday tickets from the region’s leading name in cin- Britain, switching from offshore operations in rights, after the Taleban seized power, a bank ema innovation, Grand Cinemas, allowing them to cel- Bulgaria and India, it said yesterday. “We’re spokesperson told AFP. “We have paused disburse- ebrate their birthday in a unique and special way. delighted to announce that our Just Eat UK team ments in our operations in Afghanistan and we are Driven to accommodate its customers with the is creating more than 1,500 new customer serv- closely monitoring and assessing the situation,” the latest fulfilling lifestyle benefits, Burgan Bank will be ice jobs in Sunderland over the next 12 months,” official said. gifting customers on their birthday with 2 free the parent group tweeted. “We are deeply concerned about the situation in Grand Cinemas standard tickets. On their special Just Eat Takeaway — created in 2020 after Afghanistan and the impact on the country’s devel- day, customers will receive an email indicating that Dutch online service Takeaway.com gobbled up opment prospects, especially for women.” The sus- they are eligible to receive the tickets. To benefit Just Eat — will invest more than £100 million pension follows the Taleban’s swift takeover of from the offer, they will have to visit Burgan Bank’s BRENCHLEY, Kent: File photo shows the food order and ($137 million, 117 million euros) in the Afghanistan, as US forces prepared to complete a Head Office, third floor, located in plot 22 Abdulla Al delivery service Just Eat app on a smart phone. —AFP withdrawal with a deadline of August 31. Ahmad Street, Sharq, from 9 am to 2 pm from Sunderland region over the next five years. Washington last week announced it would deny Sunday to Thursday. Customers have to come within Customer services has been run mostly from the Taleban access to the country’s gold and cash 2 weeks of receiving the email and show their Civil Bulgaria and India, but the group has seen rising listing in London, expanded last year with the reserves, most of which are held overseas. The ID to claim the gift. customer satisfaction as a result of the 300 peo- purchase of US group Grubhub. International Monetary Fund (IMF) also suspended Burgan Bank first tied up with Grand Cinemas in ple already hired in Sunderland. Separately, it emerged yesterday that Just Eat operations with the country, including an existing 2015, with the aim to provide its cardholders with The new Just Eat staff will adopt a hybrid Takeaway will be removed from the British capi- $370 million loan program, as well as $340 million exclusive discounts when booking their movie tickets working pattern, working partly from home and tal’s FTSE 100 after the London Stock Exchange Kabul was due to receive from Monday’s release of at Grand Cinemas. Through this partnership, the partly from the new office. Just Eat Takeaway, Group’s FTSE Russell division ruled its nationali- Special Drawing Rights (SDR), the lender’s basket of Bank’s cardholders are eligible for special prices on headquartered in Amsterdam but with its main currencies. —AFP tickets in both standard and VIP class, all year round. ty was Dutch and not British. —AFP Ooredoo extends registration period for ProPing gaming

KUWAIT: The online video-games have More and above, with the technologi- gained huge popularity among the public cal development, online video-games in general and video-game enthusiasts in have become one of the most enjoyable specific, Ooredoo Telecom, the first to and popular entertaining activities among introduce innovative digital services in youth, specifically with the continuation Kuwait, announced that the registration of the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with period for the annual ProPing online the needs of this category of users -the gaming tournament has been extended, youth, Ooredoo has been keen to be the due to the high demand of gamers want- first telecom company in the State of ing to register. Kuwait to provide services specifically This year’s tournament comes as a designed to enable gaming experts and continuation of the successful partnership enthusiasts to enjoy an exceptional gam- between Ooredoo and Blink extended for ing experience with fast, reliable and sta- the third year in a row. The tournament ble internet through ProPing internet will take place virtually and players will plans that are utterly designed to main- compete from their homes online, hence, tain low ping rates across Optical fibers the last day of registration for gaming for FASTtelco subscribers and 5G net- enthusiasts wishing to participate in “Call work for Ooredoo subscribers. of Duty: Modern Warfare” or “Fortnite” is ProPing is a service that is provided August 30, 2021. for gamers using Ooredoo’s 5G service. It The selected teams will compete in a has low ping rates making your gaming purely digital environment on a weekly experience faster and better. This is done basis during the tournament period, by decreasing the number of servers which will extend from September 2 to between the gamer and the Middle East September 16, 2021. Winners will then be gaming server. In gaming, the quicker the announced on September 18, 2021, and a information goes from gamer to server set of valuable gifts from Ooredoo and back to gamer, the less lag you will expe- Blink will be awarded to the winners. rience during online gaming. In its constant commitment to drasti- Ooredoo 5G ProPing, which is spe- cally adapt and promote digital transfor- cially designed for online gaming on the mation, provide the latest and best for its fifth generation network, starts from KD customers, and in conjunction with the 30 only. Customers can also subscribe to launch of the tournament, Ooredoo a ProPing 5G internet plan with a Kuwait announced the features of Huawei 5G CPE Pro 2 router or Nokia ProPing, previously provided by Fast mile 5G Gateway CPE for KD 33 FASTtelco via optical fibers. The compa- per month. ny has worked to develop and provide In terms of the best gaming devices, the ProPing service over the fifth genera- FASTtelco, in cooperation with Blink, tion network, where the service became offers distinctive packages of computers available allowing users a direct line of dedicated to professional gaming with communication with the largest global ProPing services on the fiber-optic net- gaming systems and sites. work, starting from KD 24 only. 10 Established 1961 Thursday, August 26, 2021 Business

KAMCO GCC Banking Sector Report Gulf states banks’ loan growth accelerates as economy recovers Kuwait amends bankruptcy law in order to support SMEs

KUWAIT: Listed banks in the GCC continued to post respectively. robust growth in lending activity during Q2- 2021 According to Qatar Central Bank, the aggregate q-o- resulting in record high loan books. Aggregate gross q lending growth stood at 2.5% in Q2-2021, a decline loans at the end of the quarter reached $1.68 trillion, up from 4.1% q-o-q growth seen during Q1-2021. However, 4.6% q-o-q and 7.1% y-o-y, after a broad-based lending to all the domestic sectors reported growth dur- growth seen in all the markets. Net loans also showed a ing the quarter with total domestic lending up 4.1% that similar growth of 4.8% q-o-q to reach $1.6 trillion, once was partially offset by a decline of 17.7% in credit out- again backed by growth in all the markets. Faster eco- side Qatar. Credit to industry sector showed the nomic activity was evident in the PMI figures for UAE strongest q-o-q growth of 24.1%, whereas lending to and Saudi Arabia that remained elevated during May- Consumption and services increased b 8.9% and 4.1% 2021 and June- 2021, well above the growth mark of 50. q-o-q, respectively. In Kuwait, aggregate lending Customer deposits also showed growth in almost all increased by 1.5% during Q2-2021 mainly supported by the markets during the quarter. Aggregate customer installment loans and consumer loans that were up 2.9% deposits increased by 4.6% to reach $2 trillion, a new and 3.8%, respectively. On the other hand, loan to con- record high for the GCC banking sector, as compared to struction sector once again declined by 3.4% during operating expenses stood at $8.5bn during Q2-2021 as 3.27% during Q2-2021 and it was the only market in the $1.9 trillion at the end of Q1-2021. Saudi Arabian banks Q2-2021 after showing a growth of 1.6% during Q1- compared to $8.2bn in Q1-2021. UAE, Qatar and Omani GCC to report NIM of over 3.0% in the GCC. reported the biggest sequential growth in customer 2021. Gross credit extended by banks in the UAE wit- banks reported a sequential decline in operating costs, deposits while Qatari banks’ customer deposits remained nessed a marginal growth of 0.9% during Q2-2021 after whereas Saudi Arabia followed by Bahrain and Kuwait Loan-to-deposit ratio marginally almost flat with a marginal decline of 0.1%. The aggre- showing declines of 1.4% during the previous two quar- reported higher costs during the quarter. At the country up q-o-q, above the 80% mark gate loan-to-deposit ratio for the sector improved slight- ters. Total gross credit stood at AED 1.77 trillion at the level, costs remain the highest in th e case of Bahraini Aggregate net loan growth during Q2-2021 stood at ly q-o-q by 20 bps to 80.4%, the highest in the last five end of Q2-2021, based on preliminary number, slightly banks at 60.3% followed by Omani banks at 47.2%. On 4.8% q-o-q for the GCC banking sector to reach $1.60 quarters, but still below pre-COVID-19 levels. higher than pre-pandemic gross credit of AED 1.76 the other hand, Qatari banks reported the lowest ratio of trillion led by a broad-based growth seen across the six Total banking sector assets in the GCC continued to Trillion at the end of 2019. 30.1% that further improved from 31.1% in Q1-2021. The countries in the GCC. The y-o-y growth vs Q2-2020 show growth reaching a new record high of $2.64 tril- relatively better performance of Qatari banks also was a strong 7.1%, in-line with the growth in gross loans lion, registering a growth of 4.7% q-o-q and 6.7% y-o- LLP increased q-o-q mainly led by KSA reflected its relatively high loan-to-deposit ratio at that reached $1.68 trillion at the end of Q2-2021. Saudi y during Q2- 2021. Growth was seen in most markets in Loan loss provisions (LLP) showed mixed trends 90.0% at the end of Q2-2021. Arabian banks once again reported the biggest q-o-q the GCC barring Qatari banks that reported a marginal during Q2-2021 but the aggregate for the GCC banks increase in net loans during Q2-2021 with a growth of q-o-q decline of 0.5%. UAE banks continued to account increased by 12.3% q-o-q to $4.1bn as compared to ROE reaches 4-quarter high led 13.1% followed by Bahraini and Kuwaiti banks that for the biggest share of regional banking balance sheet $3.6bn during Q1-2021. The increase was mainly led by by broad-based recovery clocked growth rates of 3.4% and 2.8%, respectively. with total assets of $840bn, accounting for a third of the Saudi Arabia with LLPs almost doubled to $1.2bn during Aggregate return on equity (ROE) for the GCC bank- The trend in customer deposits was also broadly total banking sector assets in the region, followed by Q2-2021 from $0.6bn in Q1-2021. The increase wit- ing sector continued to show improvement during Q2- positive in the GCC with five out of six countries Saudi Arabian banks at $771bn or 26.7% of the aggre- nessed in Saudi Arabia was mainly led by an increase in 2021 reaching a 4-quarter high level of 9.1% as com- recording a q-o-q growth during Q2-2021. The aggregate. provisions reported by Saudi National Bank (SNB) post pared to 8.1% at the end of Q1-2021. However, the ratio gate customer deposits for the sector grew by 4.6% q- On the policy front, the economic resumption post its merger with Samba Financial Group. Qatar and remained relatively low as compared to pre-pandemic o-q and 6.1% y-o-y to reach USD 2.0 Trillion in Q2- the COVID-19 restrictions saw several targeted govern- Bahrain also reported marginal absolute increase in pro- levels of over 10%. In terms of y-o-y performance, the 2021. Banks in Qatar reported the biggest y-o-y ment support programs announced in the region with an visions during the quarter, whereas UAE, Kuwaiti and ratio declined by 90 bps mainly due to the decline in increase in customer deposits at 8.8% to reach S379bn, aim to support vulnerable sectors as well as to provide Omani banks reported a q-o-q decline in provisions aggregate 12-month profitability. Total shareholder although the q-o-q growth remained stable at previous benefits including employment support, start-up eco booked during Q2-2021. equity reached $339.6bn, after increasing by 8.9% from quarter’s levels. Saudi Arabian banks were next with a system and sector specific assistance programs. the previous quarter. At the country level, Qatari banks y-o-y growth of 7.8% followed by Omani and Bahraini Recently, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait extended the Net profits remain elevated but flat q-o-q continued to boast the highest average ROE of 12.0% at banks with growth rates of 6.7% and 6.2%, respectively. loan/installment deferral program aimed at small busi- GCC banking sector net profits remained stable dur- the end of Q2- 2021 as compared to 11.6% at the end of The aggregate loan-to-deposit ratio for the GCC nesses until the end of September-2021, while Kuwait ing Q2-2021 after witnessing recovery during Q1-2021 Q1-2021. Saudi Arabian banks were next with an aver- banking sector remained above the 80% mark at the also amended its bankruptcy law in order to support to reach pre-COVID levels. Profits reached $8.3bn dur- age ROE of 11.0%, a significant improvement from 9.1% end of Q2-2021 to reach 80.4% after increasing by 20 SMEs. A new channel of banking also emerged with the ing the quarter, up 82.8% y-o-y and 0.3% sequentially. reported in Q1-2021. The rest of the market reported bps as compared to Q1-2021. At the country level, grant of two digital banking licenses in Saudi Arabia. The y-o-y growth in profits was seen across the region ROE in single digits with UAE banking sector at 7.3% Kuwaiti banks reported the biggest increase in loan-to- Businesses are also keen on financing new projects with after record low profits reported last year. In terms of followed by Oman and Kuwait at 6.4% and 6.1%, deposit ratio that reached 75.2% after seeing a q-o-q the ongoing low interest rates and the expectation that q-o-q growth, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were the only respectively. growth of 110 bps. Qatari banks also reported an the rates would remain low till the end of 2022. exchanges that reported q-o-q decline in profits while increase of 100 bps to regain a loan-to-deposit ratio of the aggregates for the rest of the exchanges reported Topline improves led by increase 90%. Omani banks, on the other hand, reported the Highlights - GCC banking sector growth. The decline in Saudi Arabia mainly reflected the in net-interest income biggest decline of 220 bps but still boasted the highest This report analyzes financials reported by 60 listed merger of NCB and Samba which resulted in consolidat- Total bank revenue for GCC banks increased by loan-to-deposit ratio in the GCC at 91.5% at the end of banks in the GCC for the quarter ended Q2-2021. Data ed financials starting from Q2-2021 with a gap in finan- 3.5% q-o-q during Q2-2021 after seeing a decline dur- Q2-2021. for individual banks have been aggregated to the coun- cials for Samba for Q1-2021. ing the previous quarter. The increase in Q2-2021 was try level. Some of the key observations from the most UAE-based banks reported the biggest increase in mainly led by higher net interest income that was par- Provision cover improves against stage 3 bad loans recent financial quarter for the GCC banking sector profits during the quarter, registering a growth of 11.8% tially offset by a decline in non-interest income. Non- The aggregate provision cover (excluding Saudi includes the following: after 9 out of 16 listed banks in the UAE reported an interest income declined by 2.3% q-o-q during Q2-2021 Arabian banks) that GCC banks made against stage 3 increase in net profits. FAB reported the biggest to reach $6.5bn vs. $6.7bn during Q1- 2021. The decline bad loans stood at 66.4% at the end of Q2-2021. The Consumer and mortgage loans drive absolute growth in profits that reached $783.7m in Q2- was mainly led by decline in non-interest income report- provision cover has increased consistently since last lending growth in Q2-2021 2021 as compared to $674.0m in Q1-2021. ADCB and ed by banks in UAE and Qatar that was partially offset year when it stood at 64.7% (excluding Saudi Arabian Data on credit facility by sector for the GCC coun- Dubai Islamic Bank followed in terms of absolute profit by higher non-interest income reported by banks in Banks) and in Q1-2021 at 65.4%. Qatari banks boasted tries showed mixed trends, although unlike last quarter growth registering increases of 25.1% and 19.3% q-o-q, Bahrain and Kuwait. On the other hand, aggregate net the highest cover against stage 3 bad loans in the GCC when UAE showed decline, Q2-2021 data was broadly respectively. On the other hand, Bank of Sharjah contin- interest income showed a healthy increase of 6.3% q-o- during the quarter at 91.4%, slightly lower than Q1- positive across the region. The trends in Saudi Arabia ued to report loss during the quarter that reached q during Q2-2021 to reach $15.3bn. The q-o-q growth 2021 cover of 91.9%. Bahraini banks were next at 69.1% and Qatar continued to remain strong, while it remained $93.9m in Q2-2021. Kuwaiti banks reported the second- came as a result of a broad-based increase in net inter- followed by Omani and Kuwaiti banks at 61.8% and marginally positive in the UAE. Total credit facilities dis- biggest q-o-q increase in net profits at 7.8% to reach est income across the six exchanges in the GCC. 60.3%. UAE banks reported the lowest stage 3 provi- bursed by Saudi Arabian banks stood at SAR 1.95 $0.7bn in Q2-2021 after 6 out of 10 banks reported sion cover of 58.8%. Trillion at the end of June-2021, an increase of 4.0% q- growth in profits. CBK and Burgan Bank reported the NIMs remain stable at multi-quarter low levels The average share of bad loans (stage 3 loans) on o-q and a strong 16.8% y-o-y. Lending to government biggest q-o-q growth in net profits during Q2-2021. The increase in net interest income during Q2-2021 GCC banks’ loan books remained stable q-o-q at 4.2%. & quasi government sectors once again showed the resulted in stable net interest margins (NIM) for the GCC Non-performing loans for UAE banks continued to strongest sequential growth at 23.2% followed by 13.4% Cost efficiency underwent significant banking sector as the ratio remained at one of the lowest remain the highest in the GCC at 6.1% of aggregate growth for the agriculture & fishing sector. On the other improvement in Q2 levels over the last few quarters. Aggregate NIM for the gross loans at the end of Q2-2021, in line with Q1-2021 hand, credit to the manufacturing & processing, trans- The cost-to-income ratio for the sector witnessed a GCC banking sector stood at 2.8% in Q2-2021, in line share. On the other hand, Qatari banks reported the port & communication and services sectors witnessed a significant drop during TTM-Q2-2021 after most banks with Q1-2021 levels. The consistent growth in earning lowest bad loans on their books at 2.5% at the end of q-o-q decline. The miscellaneous sector, that includes in the region reported a decline in the key ratio. assets over the last quarter was in line with an equivalent Q2-2021, a slight increase from 2.4% in Q1-2021. Stage consumer loans and real estate mortgages, remained the Aggregate ratio at the GCC level declined to 40.2% at growth in net interest income during Q2-2021. NIM 2 provision cover at the GCC level (excluding Saudi biggest in terms of lending (at 50% or SAR 975.6 Bn) the end of Q2-2021 vs. 43.0% at the end of Q1-2021. remained stable across the board in the GCC during Q2- Arabian banks) stood at 10.6% in Q2-2021, a slight and showed one of the strongest q-o-q growths during Aggregates for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman 2021 as compared to Q1-2021, with minimal changes in increase from 10.3% in Q1-2021 with UAE showing the Q2-2021 at 6.0% after recording slightly higher growth showed a q-o-q decline in this ratio, whereas Kuwait each of the markets during the quarter. NIM continued to biggest cover of 15.4% while Omani banks reported the rates of 7.2% and 6.5% during Q1-2021 and Q4-2020, and UAE banks reported a marginal increase. Total remain the highest in the case of Saudi Arabian banks at smallest cover at this stage at 5.9%.

introduced to Burgan’s products and services in that contribute to the Bank’s success. The training BB celebrates successful addition to the corporate culture foundations and was effectively and successfully delivered thanks to values. The training material will enable the new the joint efforts of Burgan trainers and the Banking graduation of 28 employees to smoothly engage in the banking world Services Department team, who diligently support and to adequately support the customers to main- all the initiatives organized by the Human Resources direct sales employees tain successful banking operations, customers satis- Group and the Learning & Talent Development faction and high-quality service standards. Department”, Mrs. Ahmad added. KUWAIT: Burgan Bank recently celebrated the gradu- At the end of the program, Mrs Fatma Ahmad, Commenting the program, Mrs Siham Al ation of 28 direct sales employees, following their suc- the Learning & Talent Development Assistant Kharayef, Learning & Talent Development cessful completion of the two-week induction training Manager said “At Burgan Bank, we are in relentless Specialist said “Burgan’s induction program meets program designed to familiarize them with the bank’s pursuit of developing our employees’ knowledge modern training needs for direct sales employees to culture, operations as well as the banking industry’s and skills to keep pace with the emerging market help them successfully complete their day-to-day essential knowledge, skills and best practices. trends and the changing banking industry needs. operations. Combining theoretical and practical The program, prepared and delivered by the Throughout the training sessions, we were keen to approaches, the orientation courses aim at intro- Learning & Talent Development Department, aims deploy advanced training techniques and effective ducing the new joiners to the Bank’s products, serv- at providing the new Burganers with the necessary learning methods to equip the direct sales employ- ices and operations as well as enhancing their tech- attracts and retains superior employees. Burgan is knowledge and practical experience prior to engag- ees with the required expertise and practical skills nical skills and overall understanding of customer committed to strengthening the foundations of its ing in their duties in the bank. The training’s exten- to succeed in their role at the Bank.” service. The program was concluded by an assess- organizational culture by encouraging continuous sive courses introduce the participants to various “The program was designed by skilled trainers to ment to evaluate the trainees learning outcomes.” education and skills development in order to foster banking fundamentals including selling skills and refine the new joiners’ skills and basic banking As an employer of choice, Burgan Bank offers a the Bank’s core values of trust, commitment and excellence in customer service. The trainees were knowledge so they can achieve the desired results work culture and workplace environment that excellence and support sustainability and growth. Established 1961 11

Thursday, August 26, 2021 Lifestyle Features

ew footage from upcoming James Bond, Matrix and Batman sequels Ntook center stage at the movie theater industry’s CinemaCon summit in Las Vegas Tuesday, as Hollywood executives struck a defiant tone about the future of the big screen. A nine-minute clip from “No Time To Die”-billed as Daniel Craig’s In this file photo taken on July 28, 2019 The Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts per- In this file photo taken on April 1, 2003 The Rolling Stones: (From left) Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, final 007 outing, and the series’ 25th forms on stage during their “No Filter” tour at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, greet photographers at a press conference in Bangalore. installment-showed Bond apparently awakening from an explosion in a pictur- esque Italian village, before launching into a series of car and motorbike chases. Meanwhile, Warner Bros unveiled more footage from its formidable slate of new movies, including a trailer for the next Matrix sequel-now officially titled “The Matrix: Resurrections”-in which Keanu Reeves’ Neo appears confused by harlie Watts, the drummer of the “Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer,” that Watts underwent a procedure in dreams of his past life. legendary British rock’n’roll band he wrote on Facebook. “The most stylish London after “doctors spotted a problem The annual CinemaCon trade show the Rolling Stones, died on of men, and such brilliant company. My during a routine check-up”. sees Hollywood studios bring glitzy stars C and never-before-seen footage to a Las Tuesday at the age of 80, his publicist deepest condolences to Shirley, Watts himself released a statement said. “It is with immense sadness that we Seraphina and Charlotte (Watts’ widow, saying: “For once my timing has been a Vegas casino to woo theater bosses. announce the death of our beloved daughter and granddaughter). And of little off.” Born on June 2, 1941 in London, Although A-listers have largely stayed Charlie Watts. He passed away peaceful- course, the Rolling Stones.” Reflecting the Charles Robert Watts discovered jazz away from this week’s event amid Delta ly in a London hospital earlier today sur- depth of Watts’ influence, Tom Morello, around the age of 10, with the likes of variant concerns, executives from studios rounded by his family,” publicist Bernard from alternative rockers Rage Against the Jelly Roll Morton and Charlie Parker. and theater chains have tried to draw a Doherty said in a statement. “Charlie was Machine wrote on Twitter: “Rock n roll Exploring drumming as a boy, he convert- line under a difficult year with an upbeat a cherished husband, father and grandfa- would not be rock n roll without the ed an old banjo that had a skin covering message. “I’ll cut to the chase-James ther and also, as a member of the Rolling rhythm, the style, the VIBE of this incredi- into a snare drum, according to the official Bond’s coming out in October,” MGM film Stones, one of the greatest drummers of ble musician.” Rolling Stones website. He had no formal chief Michael De Luca reassured movie his generation. “We kindly request that training and learned by watching great theater bosses to loud cheers, after the the privacy of his family, band members Recent health issues jazz drummers in London clubs. film had been delayed multiple times by In this file photo taken on February 16, 2016 and close friends is respected at this diffi- Watts announced earlier this month After studying art, he found a job as a Covid-19 and the studio itself was sold to Charlie Watts of the British group Rolling cult time.” that he would miss the resumption of the graphic designer and played with a vari- streaming giant Amazon. The 007 install- Stones performs in concert at Centenario stadi- Watts was known as the quiet man of Rolling Stones’ tour of the United States ety of jazz bands in the evenings before ment is of huge importance to movie the- um in Montevideo. the riotous band, which helped define the next month after undergoing a medical joining the Rolling Stones in 1963. He aters this year as Hollywood hopes to Swinging Sixties and then the hippie era Beatles guitarist and singer Paul procedure. “Charlie has had a procedure was named the 12th greatest drummer of entice viewers back to cinemas despite with timeless hits such as “Jumpin’ Jack McCartney said he was “so sad to hear which was completely successful, but I all time by Rolling Stone magazine in the pandemic. Flash” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. about Charlie Watts. gather his doctors this week concluded 2016. Watts was treated in the 1980s for “No Time To Die” picks up after 2015’s His level head off the stage was mirrored “He was a lovely guy, I knew he was ill, that he now needs proper rest and recu- alcohol and heroin abuse but said he had “Spectre,” with the loyalty of love interest by his metronomic time-keeping on stage, but I didn’t know he was this ill,” he said in peration,” a spokesman said at the time. successfully come off them, and was Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) now counterbalancing the energy and charis- a video message posted online. “Charlie Stones frontman Mick Jagger said at the treated for throat cancer in 2004. — AFP seemingly called into question. ma of singer Mick Jagger and guitarists was a rock and a fantastic drummer. Love time that the band “really look forward to Bond producers have insisted that Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Icons you Charlie, beautiful man.” Fellow British welcoming Charlie back as soon as he is future 007 films will still appear in the- from the music industry paid tribute. star Elton John called it a “very sad day”. fully recovered”. The Sun tabloid reported aters, despite the $8.45 billion takeover deal intended to boost Amazon’s streaming presence, as competition intensifies in the on-demand market. The MGM presentation also featured footage from upcoming Ridley Scott drama “House of Gucci” starring a glittering ensemble including Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, as well as a new musical of “Cyrano” led by Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”).

‘Emotional’ Batman Warner Bros’ presentation Tuesday came after the studio angered many Hollywood filmmakers and movie theaters this year by releasing all of their titles simultaneously on the HBO Max stream-

In this ﬁle photo taken on July 27, 2019 Ronnie Woods, Charlie Watts, and Keith Richards In this ﬁle photo taken on July 22, 1965 in London shows the Rolling Stones, (from left to perform onstage as The Rolling Stones bring their ‘NO FILTER’ Tour at NRG Stadium in right) drummer Charlie Watts, guitarist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, singer Mick Houston, Texas. Jagger and bass guitarist Bill Wyman.

the head and a security officer saw us,” Roux-dit-Buisson told AFP. The two men Brazil detains two were detained on Monday and released after posting 10,000 reais ($1,900) in bail. French travelers The two will now have to appear before a judge. Tourism police in Rio de Janeiro declined to comment, saying they were for perching atop looking into the incident. Hailing from he Rolling Stones were formed in rock groups still active, preferring Paris, the two men have staged similar a grim two-bed flat in London in lucrative tours-they made $117 mil- feats at iconic architectural sites in Dubai, T1962 by three blues fans, and lion in 2018, according to Forbes-to iconic statue New York, and Paris and documented went on to become the world’s biggest working in the studio. “Me, retire? their adventures on social media. rock band. Here is a snapshot of the What am I gonna do? Mow the Police have confiscated all the photos group in five figures. lawn?” said drummer Watts to The razilian authorities have detained and videos the men made while on top of Times newspaper in 2017. two French men for watching the the Rio statue, but the travelers say they 102: Where it all began In this ﬁle photo British actor Daniel Craig Bsun rise over Rio de Janeiro from have no regrets. “The view was nice. A filthy West London flat of unmade 23 albums poses for photographers at a photocall for the top of the iconic Christ the Redeemer Few people get a chance to see that,” beds, dirty dishes and cigarette butts, The group has released 23 studio the new James Bond ﬁlm ‘Spectre’ in statue while the monument was closed, Roux-dit-Buisson said. “We were able to with Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters albums in Britain with two more for the Berlin. — AFP one of the travelers told AFP. Clement get inside the skin of Christ.” The Christ records scattered on the floor among United States since their first epony- Dumais, 28, and Paul Roux-dit-Buisson, the Redeemer statue, which will mark its old socks: it is here at 102 Edith Grove mous record in 1964. Their sales are 27, entered the site of the 38-meter (125- 90th anniversary in October, was recent- where the Rolling Stones band was estimated at more than 200 million ing platform. The studio’s executives were foot) monument Sunday night and stayed ly renovated with the help of professional born. Now part of the chic neighbor- worldwide. They peaked over 1968- absent in Las Vegas this year, delivering there after the statue was closed for the climbers, who worked above the void in hood of Chelsea, the group’s first 1972 with four classic albums: an hour-long presentation by video. But day. The two men snuck inside before harnesses. In 1991 and in 2010, the stat- shared apartment was re-created for “Beggars Banquet” (1968), “Let it the package squeezed in plenty of new dawn, climbed a long spiral staircase and ue was vandalized with graffiti. Along an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Bleed” (1969), “Sticky Fingers” (1971) material, including an extended scene came out through a hatch on one of the with the Sugarloaf Mountain, the iconic London in 2016. Keith Richards and the double “Exile on Main Street” from upcoming sci-fi epic “Dune,” in which arms to enjoy the view of the city and statue, located at the top of Corcovado summed it up as “a pigsty” and Mick (1972). Their last original album was a harrowing rescue operation to extract a Guanabara Bay. The statue’s out- Hill, is the most visited site in the tourist Jagger “a pretty stinky, disgusting “A Bigger Bang” in 2005; their most team of spice miners from one of the stretched arms span 28 meters. capital of Brazil, with nearly two million place.” recent, “Blue and Lonesome”, in 2016, desert planet’s deadly giant worms goes The adventure ended when one of the visits a year. — AFP features covers of blues tracks. badly wrong. security guards at the site noticed the At least 13 members The film from Denis Villeneuve, out in men. “We were standing on the arms and Frontman Mick Jagger has long Logo for £50 October, is the latest attempt to adapt been the face of the Stones, but the One of the most recognizable in the Frank Herbert’s sprawling novel for the band has seen at least 13 fully fledged music industry, the Rolling Stones’ logo big screen, and stars Timothee Chalamet, members come and go over the of ruby red lips and sticking-out tongue Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac and years-with many more musicians join- was acquired at a snip from a design Javier Bardem. A featurette presented ing in on tour. It was formed by student in London ahead of the band’s next year’s “The Batman” starring Robert Jagger, Richards and Brian Jones, European tour in 1970. “Mick showed Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves, who were soon joined by bass gui- me an image of the Goddess Kali, who promised it would be “the most emo- tarist Bill Wyman and in-demand jazz which became the starting point to our tional Batman movie” yet, in which the drummer Charlie Watts. The erratic discussion regarding the design of the hero is just setting out on his crime-fight- and drugs-using Jones was ousted logo,” John Pasche recalled in 2007 in ing career. from the band in 1969, and not long online magazine The Rock and Roll An opening scene from “The Many after drowned in his swimming pool Report. “I wanted something anti- Saints of Newark,” a feature-length pre- aged 27. He was replaced by Mick authority, but I suppose the mouth idea quel to “The Sopranos,” whetted appetites Taylor and then in 1974 Ronnie Wood came from when I met Jagger for the for fans of the acclaimed US mob televi- took over on guitar. After Watts’ pass- first time,” Pasche said to The sion series. The sequence featured ing, today’s Stones are Jagger, Guardian in 2008. “The first thing you Christopher Moltisanti narrating from Richards and Wood. were aware of was the size of his lips beyond the grave the story of Tony and his mouth.” Pasche got £50 for his Soprano’s childhood years. Other upcom- Going for 59 years troubles, and two years later another ing films fleetingly shown included Clint The Rolling Stones first appeared £200 in recognition of the logo’s suc- Eastwood’s neo-Western “Cry Macho,” on stage in 1962 and cut their teeth cess. In 2008 London’s Victoria and and Will Smith’s portrayal of the father of in the smoke-filled bars of West Albert Museum bought the original art- tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams London, where rock music was start- work from him-for £50,000. — AFP in “King Richard”. After this year’s contro- File photo taken with a drone shows of the Christ The Redeemer statue during the ing to replace jazz. Fifty-nine years versy, Warner has recently entered deals reopening day of touristic attractions, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, amid the COVID-19 novel later the Stones are one of the oldest to restore a “window” in which movies will coronavirus pandemic. — AFP be exclusive to theaters in 2022. 12 Established 1961 Thursday, August 26, 2021 Lifestyle Gossip

adonna is ‘so grateful’ to have shares videos of her daughters singing, excited. “[For the older kids], there can’t explain what drew her to the chil- M her twin daughters Estere and rapping and dancing on the social media might have been [a feeling of], ‘Oh, we dren she welcomed into her family from Stella in her life. The ‘Beautiful platform, and shared more clips to mark have to share you with more people’-not various orphanages in the African Stranger’ singer - who adopted the girls their birthday. The ‘Vogue’ hitmaker first jealousy, but an adjustment. “Eventually nation. She said: “It’s inexplicable. It’s in 2017 - has paid a touching tribute to met the girls at an orphanage in Malawi everyone was supportive. Lola said, like saying, ‘Why do you fall in love with the youngsters on the twins’ ninth birth- in 2015, and went on to take on their ‘Mom, if that’s what you want and it’s the people you fall in love with?’ You day. Alongside a series of photographs care two years later. And while her other going to make you happy, let’s go.’ “ And look into the eyes of somebody, you feel of Estere and Stella over the years, two adopted kids, David and Mercy, both it didn’t take long for Estere and Stella to their soul, you feel touched by them - Madonna wrote on Instagram: “2 15, were “excited” about the idea of hav- settle into their new home. Madonna that’s it.” Beautiful Souls...... who bring nothing ing more siblings, it took a while for her said: “It’s like they were always here. It but Joy to everyone they meet. So eldest children Lourdes, 24, and 21- didn’t take long for them to get acclimat- Grateful to have you both in my life.” The year-old Rocco to come around. She ed.” Mercy and David were also adopted 63-year-old Queen of Pop regularly said at the time: “Mercy and David were from Malawi and the ‘Hung Up’ singer Afﬂeck ‘seriously’ considering

ohn Cena would love to see achieved worldwide fame through his own J Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson wrestling exploits - is currently promoting marrying Lopez return to the WWE. The 44-year- his new movie, ‘Vacation Friends’. And old star has followed in Dwayne’s foot- the wrestler-turned-actor has revealed that en Affleck is “seriously talking” steps by making a successful transition he loved shooting the buddy comedy film - B about marrying Jennifer Lopez. from the wrestling business into the movie which also stars the likes of Meredith The ‘Justice League’ star has industry, but he’d still love to see Dwayne Hagner, Lil Rel Howery and Yvonne Orji - been romancing Jennifer, 52, since May make a return to the ring one day. He said: in Puerto Rico before the coronavirus pan- this year, after they rekindled their “He is the most electrifying man in sports demic hit in 2020. He told ‘Entertainment romance following two years together entertainment. So as a fan, do I want to Tonight’: “I like to have my fun. Meredith between 2002 and 2004. And while the see one of the greatest performers of all also likes to have her fun. Like Rel, I think couple’s engagement during their last rela- nine - whom he has with his ex-wife “Jennifer, Ben, their children and Ben’s time step back in the WWE ring? Yeah. all of us. And I think that’s what made our tionship didn’t work out, Ben is hoping to Jennifer Garner, while Lopez has 13-year- mother visited the Magic Castle in “But in no way am I gonna call him and if time in Puerto Rico so special. “So we make it second time lucky, as he’s report- old twins Emme and Max with former Hollywood as invited guests of one of the I’m gonna talk to him about something, it’s filmed all the party stuff in Puerto Rico, edly planning to ask Jennifer to marry him. spouse Marc Anthony. An insider said: magician members. They came to enjoy not gonna try to be to get him back in the and we filmed up to the last day of right An insider told Us Weekly magazine: “It’s been fun for them to do activities as a the Magic Castle’s largest magic show in WWE ring. He needs to come to that con- before the world locked itself down, like “[Ben and Jennifer are] seriously talking blended family and the kids are enjoying the Palace of Mystery with their featured clusion by himself. Because then, his per- the last day, but we didn’t know it was about getting married. They are both mad- getting to know each other better. Jen and performers Jonathan Neal and Steve formance will be, The Rock, he’ll be the going to happen. We had heard about ly in love and don’t want to let one another Ben are both hands-on parents and their Owens and then a special private show best he can be. “So I do hope he comes something, and Puerto Rico was really go this time.” Ben, 49, reportedly consid- kids are their number one priority, so it’s with magician David Minkin. Everyone back, as a fan, and I hope it’s wonderful, secluded and not affected yet, so we were ers the ‘Hustlers’ star to be the “one that important for them to do things as a unit seemed to enjoy themselves, especially and if he chooses not to, he’s earned the having a blast.” got away” and he is “determined to make that make their families happy.” Ben, the children. The whole group seemed right to choose not to.” John - who sure that doesn’t happen this time”. Jennifer, and their children were spotted in like a happy family who were having a Meanwhile, Ben and Jennifer were recent- Los Angeles several times over the week- good time.” ly reported to be enjoying life as a “blend- end, including trips to the Pantages ed family”. Ben is father to three kids - Theatre to see ‘Hamilton’ and to The Violet, 15, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, Magic Castle. The source added: Kanye West looking to legally change

ade Thirlwall has vowed to be J “the cool auntie” to her Little Mix his name bandmates’ children. The 28- tots’ tiny toes and feet on the social anye West is reportedly looking to year-old singer has said she’s “unbeliev- media platform, Leigh-Anne wrote: “We K legally change his name to Ye. ably proud” of Leigh-Anne Pinnock and asked for a miracle, we were given two ... The 44-year-old rapper was born Perrie Edwards after they both welcomed Our Cubbies are here 16/08/21” And in Kanye Omari West, but according to new children into the world this month, and Perrie’s post, she gushed: “Welcome to legal documents filed in California this has promised to be the best auntie to the the world baby 21/08/21.” Back in June, week, the star is looking to have his new arrivals. She wrote on her Instagram Leigh-Anne admitted being pregnant had moniker legally changed to just ‘Ye’. story: “My heart is honestly bursting for been the “hardest thing” she’s ever done, According to the documents, which were my sisters. Unbelievably proud of these due to the side-effects. Writing on obtained by The Blast, Kanye said his women for handling their pregnancies like Instagram, the ‘Touch’ hitmaker shared: decision to change his name is for “per- the Queens they truly are and bringing a “Time to give my body some credit ... this sonal” reasons, but he did not give any fur- elena Gomez feels “beyond he 25-year-old rap star - who has little little mix into the world. Love you is the hardest thing I have EVER done, I ther information on his reasoning. In S proud” of her Disney Channel T shot to international fame over @leighannepinnock @perrieedwards. have struggled these past few weeks. California, a judge has to sign off on past. The 29-year-old star shot to recent years - admits she doesn’t Can’t wait to be the cool Auntie Jade lol “Swollen hands and feet, bruised ribs and someone trying to legally change their fame as a child on the channel and has really enjoy going out very much. Asked if (laugh out loud) (sic)” Leigh-Anne, 29, then chuck in a whole heap of hormones name, and in most cases, the change has insisted she remains grateful for the people approach her when she’s out, and her fiance Andre Gray welcomed to the mix ... but then I think about what’s to be published in several newspapers. opportunities she was given earlier in her Doja said: “People do, but it’s not that twins into the world on August 16 and actually going on inside this belly and I’m The potential name change comes as his career. Speaking about her new role on often. And also, I’m a huge hermit. I don’t made the news public on Monday, just a mind blown ... creating life... I am so estranged wife, Kim Kardashian West, will Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’, she want to leave my house.” Doja enjoyed few days after Perrie had confirmed the proud of how far I’ve come and so grate- also be looking to change her name when told the Radio Times: “I was looking for significant success with her second arrival of her child with Alex Oxlade- ful for this blessing (sic)” their divorce is finalized, as she’ll likely another show to do. And by the way, I’m album, ‘Hot Pink’, which was released in Chamberlain on Saturday. Posting an want to go back to being just Kim beyond proud of the work that I did with 2019. But because of the COVID-19 pan- adorable black and white snap of the two Kardashian. And it was recently claimed Disney as well. It kind of shaped who I am demic and her own reluctance to go out, the former couple - who split in February she struggles to gauge the true impact of this year when Kim filed for divorce follow- her success. She told Interview maga- ing seven years of marriage -have a zine: “I haven’t been out in the world yet “friendly relationship” but are not “getting and seen people screaming and going back together”. An insider said: “Kim and crazy. I’ve had fans at shows that were Kanye have a friendly relationship. It’s going crazy, and one who chased me, but always been important to Kim to have a I still feel normal. “Also, COVID didn’t let good relationship with Kanye. They are me understand what ‘Hot Pink’ did for my not getting back together though. She fans, because I had to cancel the tour. accepted his lunch invitation earlier this None of that was able to happen, so I still week because they are at the point now don’t really know.” Doja wasn’t surround- when they can hang out. There are no ed by people who truly believed in her tal- hard feelings. “Kim still appreciates ents in the early stages of her career. But Kanye’s business advice and guidance. the chart-topping star - who released her communities and the circles in which we She is happy that they can hang out. For a debut album, ‘ Amala’, in 2018 - is now long time, Kanye was very upset and dis- in a way.” Selena made the comments operate.” Elsewhere in the interview, determined to enjoy herself in the music appointed that Kim filed for divorce. She after previously raising eyebrows with a Emma detailed their first kiss, as they industry, in spite of the pitfalls she faces. Corrin wants understood why and gave him space.” remark she made ?about the network ear- admitted it wasn’t the romantic experience Asked what advice she would like to give The 40-year-old reality star and the lier this month. The brunette beauty clari- they had hoped for. They explained: “It to young artists, she replied: “You have to ‘Heartless’ rapper - who have North, eight, fied that she was joking when she com- was under a tree in a park by my house have people around you who love you, Saint, five, Chicago, three and Psalm, two, pared ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ - in everything to and there were a group of guys playing and sometimes it’s not always like that for together - are now “are able to make ami- which she played the central character, rugby really nearby and they were grunting me. “I didn’t always have people around cable decisions” that benefit their children. Alex Russo - to ‘Only Murders in the and making weird noises. “And I remem- me who loved me, but I was still making The source added: “It’s admirable. They Building’. She said earlier in August: “I ber I laughed throughout the kiss ... yep, music. But they didn’t believe in me. “Just have come a long way. The kids are signed my life away to Disney at a very be ‘authentic’ broke up with me a week later guys, I was keep doing what you want to do and thrilled when they see Kanye. Kim wants young age and I didn’t know that’s what I heartbroken, heartbroken!” The ‘Crown’ enjoy it.” them to have an amazing relationship with was doing. “The level of the sophistica- star also spoke about the “first love” of mma Corrin wants to be “authen- their life, as they looked back on the very their dad, just like she did with her dad.” tion of the material is the reason why I E tic” with life in the public eye. The wanted to do this, but I don’t know? I was first time they locked lips with the mystery 25-year-old actress recently individual. They added to the magazine: just a kid and I didn’t know what I was revealed they identify as non-binary and doing. I was just running around the set.” “You know you have that person who’s the changed their pronouns to she/they, first love of your love of life kind of person, Now, though, Selena is relishing her meaning they are comfortable with both return to TV, admitting she’s enjoying the I remember when we kissed for the first she/her and they/them pronouns. And time. “It was at at the end of my driveway chance to play “someone [her] own age”. Emma has now spoken about their deci- The actress - who stars in the comedy and at night where he dropped me off from sion to come out, as they said they want to our date. And I ran up the driveway series alongside Steve Martin and Martin remain as true to themselves as possible Short - shared: “I’m just, like, a sponge screaming. I felt like I was in a film and while navigating life in the spotlight. They there should have been a backing track of and I soak up all the wisdom I can. It’s just told W magazine: “It’s hard when you have really nice to be back on TV and it’s nice me running in slow motion.” a platform, but I want to make everything — Bang Showbiz to be cast as someone my own age, feel very authentic. I think we’ve become which never happens.” much more aware of our positions in our Established 1961 13

Thursday, August 26, 2021 Lifestyle Gossip

he 50-year-old rap star is widely lane is because I was rapping over the feelings. “When I was coming up we didn’t an “introvert”. She explained: “I’m such an T seen as a pioneer within the music tracks. But at first, I don’t think people have social media, so we could turn off the introvert. “My friends were making a joke industry, but Missy has admitted to understood the music.” Despite this, Missy artistry when we finished our interviews the other day. They were like, ‘Missy will feeling like something of an outsider in the concedes that new artists now experience and went home. Now you have to be in play the Super Bowl, and then she’ll come business. Missy - who first appeared on more pressures than she did at the start of artist mode at all times, because you gotta back home and we want to have a party the music scene as part of the R&B group her career. The chart-topping star watch what you post. If somebody seems for her, and she’s like, ‘I’m mopping my Sista - shared: “Sometimes you gotta take acknowledged that young artists are fac- crazy to you, you can’t lash out at them. floors. I gotta take my dogs out.’ And it’s a chance. I never felt like I fit in, period. “I ing more scrutiny than ever. She told “The bigger you get, the more you have to like, ‘You just did the Super Bowl!’ I just don’t think there was a lane for the music Interview magazine: “People don’t realize be aware.” Missy also revealed that, con- love being inside.” that we did. The only reason they found a that artists are sensitive or that they have trary to popular perception, she’s actually

International Academy materials going forward.” While he has denied any intentional Cynthia Nixon wrongdoing, Cuomo announced his resignation two weeks ago and officially quit as the Governor of New York this week. He said: “I would never want to be unhelpful takes swipe in any way. “And I think that given the cir- cumstances, the best way I can help now avin Rossdale is reportedly dating at Andrew is if I step aside and let government get G a 26-year-old model called Gwen. back to governing.” Following Cynthia’s The 55-year-old musician - who defeat to Cuomo in September 2018, the was previously married to pop star Gwen star admitted two months later she didn’t Stefani - has been dating influencer Gwen Cuomo think she would win the election because it Singer since April. A source told The Sun was too “big a mountain to climb”. She Academy of Television Arts and Sciences newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Gavin and said: “No [I didn’t think I would win]. I Gwen both find each other hot and they’re ynthia Nixon has taken a swipe at rescinded Cuomo’s Emmy following hoped I would win. “I tried to win. I’m having fun together. “It’s still early days C Andrew Cuomo. The ‘Sex and the claims against him. Earlier this month, he proud of how much money [Cuomo] had because they have only known each other City’ actress - who ran against the resigned as governor after a report over- to spend. It’s a big, big, big mountain to a few months but it is all going well. “She politician for Democratic nomination in seen by New York Attorney General Letitia climb. “I think Andrew Cuomo doesn’t like is drop-dead gorgeous and has loads of 2018 - made a dig at the former Governor James claimed he engaged in “unwanted other Democrats. [Cuomo] doesn’t like to men chasing her but she was really drawn of New York after he was stripped of his groping, kisses, hugging, and making pay for things. It’s why he won’t fund to Gavin, as he was to her.”They have special Emmy award, which he won last inappropriate comments” with former and schools or rescue the subway. “Just being been spending time together in Los year for his COVID-19 briefings. She current New York state employees. able to get out there and say, ‘We could do Angeles and seeing how it goes. Neither wrote on Twitter: “The difference between Following the report, the International so much better in New York state, and of them is in any rush to make it serious.” me and Andrew Cuomo? Neither of us is Academy said in a statement: “In light of here’s how,’ and actually having that mes- Gavin is the dad of fashion model Daisy governor, but I still have my Emmy(s) (sic)” the New York Attorney General’s report, sage really fly because of how much cov- Lowe, who at 32 is six years older than his Cynthia has two won Emmys, one for ‘Sex and Andrew Cuomo’s subsequent resigna- erage we got, I think that was a victory.’ new girlfriend. The music star - who also and the City’ in 2004, and she also tri- tion as governor, it is rescinding his special has Kingston, 15, Zuma, 13, and Apollo, umphed in 2008 following a guest role in 2020 International Emmy Award. “His seven, with his ex-wife - previously sug- ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’. Her name and any reference to his receiving long-term girlfriend - that went to s*** and I gested that he’s “not very good” at rela- comments come after the International the award will be eliminated from don’t have a girlfriend now, even though tionships. Speaking after splitting from everyone seems to think I do. “You get model Sophia Thomalla, he said: “I keep burned by that stuff. “I don’t know, it may getting screwed up and screwed over in all be too difficult to combine being a single these relationships. I’m not very good at dad with the attention required for a beau- them, I guess.” Gavin - who was married tiful girl. So I don’t know. I’m trying to find to Gwen between 2002 and 2016 - doubt- my feet on that one. It’s unresolved.” ed whether he could balance being a dad with maintaining a happy relationship. He said last year: “I had a divorce, I had a

oel Madden has wished his “little J sister” Sofia Richie a happy birthday. The Good Charlotte rocker and his wife, Nicole Richie - daughter of music legend Lionel Richie - are known to keep their personal life private, but on Tuesday, the ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & aya Rudolph is reuniting with Andy comedy, Maya previously admitted she Famous’ hitmaker shared a sweet picture M Samberg to host a new baking has a very serious attitude towards music. of the model when she was younger with series. The 49-year-old actress The actress thinks people would be sur- him and his former ‘Simple Life’ star wife and Andy - Maya’s former castmate on prised to learn about her intense passion to mark her 23rd birthday. He captioned ‘Saturday Night Live’ - are poised to host for music. Asked what turns her serious, the snap: “Happy Birthday to my little sis- Peacock’s ‘Baking It’ competition series. Maya previously said: “Music. Ever since I ter. @sofiarichie love you forever Sof.” The six-episode series will be executive was a kid, if I fell in love with a musician, om Cruise gave a free helicopter The carousel also included pictures with produced by Amy Poehler, who also I’d daydream that I was them up on stage T ride to a family in Warwickshire his and Nicole’s kids Harlow, 13, and enjoyed success on the long-running com- singing. “If I’m ever watching someone after landing in their garden. The Sparrow, 11, and his father-in-law. His sis- edy show. NBC has revealed that the playing live, to this day I have to see their 59-year-old actor - who is currently in ter-in-law replied: “I love you beyond!” And series will see eight teams of two join shoes. I get very obsessive about it. It England shooting the latest ‘Mission: ‘All Night Long’ hitmaker Lionel, 72, com- Maya and Andy, 43, in their winter cabin to makes them a real person for me some- Impossible’ film - was forced to land his mented: “Love this.” Nicole, 39, also post- celebrate holiday food traditions. The com- how.” Maya would love to play music in helicopter in Alison Webb’s garden ed her own tribute on her Instagram page, edy duo will provide their own take on the front of a crowd, but confessed to being because the nearby airport was shut. including a black and white photograph of exploits of the contestants, according to “scared” by the idea. She said: “I think I’ve Alison was told that her field was needed her holding newborn Sofia in the hospital EW.com. ‘Baking It’ - which is a sister always been too scared to play music and for an unnamed “VIP who was running stood next to Lionel. She wrote: “Been lov- series to the arts and crafts competition be that vulnerable in front of people, so late” and she was happy to help. She ing you since day 1. Happy Birthday show ‘Making It’ - will feature a judging much so that I’ve always put the idea of shared: “I thought it would be kind of cool @sofiarichie.” And over on her Instagram panel that is made up of four grandmoth- seriously doing it on the backburner. But for the kids to see the helicopter land in Stories, where she shared more snaps, ers. However, NBC has not yet confirmed the dream is always there.” the garden. He basically arrived and got Nicole joked: “Don’t forget i taught you a premiere date for the first episode. out and it was like ‘Wow’.” The Hollywood Meanwhile, despite finding fame through star subsequently posed for photographs and gave a free helicopter ride to Alison’s ple just meet and click, and the timing is kids. She told the BBC: “He went straight right. Renee is creative ... and often goes onah Hill needed to “hit pause” over to the children for a chat, then came Anstead and for guys who think out of the box. She’s J and change direction after his smart, thoughtful and always looking to quick rise to fame. The 37-year- expand horizons and nurture those around old actor - who became a household Zellweger her. “Both of them are private and dislike name around the world after starring public scrutiny, so they have that in com- alongside Michael Cera in 2007’s mon. He’s a creative guy with lots of inter- ‘Superbad’ - admitted he found himself ests, and she likes to write and produce, “running toward success” instead of focus- go Instagram so they have things to talk about when ing on other areas of his life. He told GQ together.” Meanwhile, the ‘Judy’ star is Style magazine: “I was really advanced said to be “getting along well” with Ant’s professionally but really behind personally. ofﬁcial son. The ‘Down with Love’ star reportedly “All my 20s, I wasn’t really looking inward. struck up a close bond with Ant’s 23- I was just running toward success. Or try- month-old son Hudson, whom he has with ing to find success. And when I was 30, I everything you know. Like how to grt nt Anstead hailed Renee A his ex-wife Christina Haack. An insider was like, I’ve always wanted to be a direc- escorted out of parties. “And how to get Zellweger as “incredibly magical” said: “She’s getting along well with tor, but if I don’t get off this train now and day drunk in grocery stores. (sic)” as he made their romance Hudson. Renee is very kind and caring ... write ‘Mid90s’, I’m not going to do it. “And I Meanwhile, Sofia’s boyfriend Elliot Instagram official. The 42-year-old TV star She’s never had a child so is enjoying hit pause. I took three or four years to Grainge recently got the seal of approval posted a selfie with the ‘Bridget Jones’ playing with him and watching Ant as a reshape things. I was like, I could just do over and elbow bumped us and said thank of her famous dad. The blonde beauty actress, 52, and his colleague Cristy Lee father.” The former ‘For the Love of Cars’ this for 10 more years and I’m not going to you very much. “Then he said if the kids went Instagram official with her new beau on Instagram on Monday to promote his host is also father to daughter Amelie, 17, evolve as a person.” Jonah admitted a big would like they could go up in the helicop- - who is a music executive and is the son new Discovery Plus show, ‘Celebrity IOU: and son Archie, 14, with ex-wife Louise part of him struggling to adjust to his new ter.” Alison admitted the whole incident of Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Joyride’ The car guru, who had his arm Anstead, and the source insisted Renee life was because it came “overnight” when was “surreal” and she’s still struggling to Grainge - in April, and sources claimed the around the movie star, captioned the post: “would never step on Christina or Louise’s he was in his early 20s. He added: “It was believe what happened. She said: “It ‘Hello’ hitmaker couldn’t be happier with “It’s finally here ... The first episode of toes as a mother”. — Bang Showbiz very overnight for me. Michael Cera and I turned out to be an incredible day. It was his daughter’s choice of partner. They #CelebrityIOUjoyride is available on @dis- talk about it all the time. We just had this surreal, I still now can’t believe it hap- said: “Sofia and Elliot have known each coveryplus Monday the 23rd!! “And it’s the really rare experience: One day life was pened.” Tom has been in the UK for other for years but just recently became incredibly magical Renee Zellweger.” The one way, and then one day life was a dif- months and earlier in the summer; he cel- romantic. They weren’t close growing up gushing post comes after Ant admitted he ferent way. “I was a kid. I had probably ebrated his 59th birthday by watching but Lionel has been friends with Elliot’s and the Oscar-winner have “become quite too much power for a young person, and England at Euro 2020. The movie star father and has worked with him for years. close” since they met on the set of the pro- too much autonomy, and not enough life marked his big day with a party at his “Lionel completely adores [Elliot]. He gramme. He said: “Look ... everybody skills.” However, the star admitted now he home in Biggin Hill, southeast England, thinks they are a perfect match and it was knows that Renee and I have become realizes why people “go to college”, where Tom and his friends sat down to very natural progression for Sofia and quite close, because we kept it secret for a whereas he previously saw it as “idling”. “I watch the Three Lions defeat Ukraine. A Elliot to get together. They are all family while, and unfortunately some pictures dropped out of college, and I used to not source said at the time: “He’s American friends and Sofia and Elliot [started] hang- were taken and put out there.” Renee and get why people would go to college. but he has spent so much time here and ing out more recently this year. She thinks Ant attended their first public event as a Because if you’re ambitious, why would has English heritage.” Tom has only he’s hilarious and loves that he is a chill couple two weeks ago when they stopped you spend four years just idling? “And recently moved to this new home, which guy.” The insider also claimed that while by the Radford Motors gala at the Lyon Air then I didn’t realize until I turned 30 that feels like it’s practically in the countryside. the relationship is “very new”, Sofia is Museum in Santa Ana, California. And pri- what those four years gave all my friends He sees it as his rural bolt-hole, away from “very interested” in getting “serious” with or to that, the couple were reported to was this wobbling period of how to be a the hustle and bustle of London where he 27-year-old Elliot. have bonded over shared interests. An insider said in June: “Sometimes two peo- person.” had been before.” 14 Established 1961 Sports Thursday, August 26, 2021 Britain’s Storey shines, records tumble on day one of Tokyo Paralympics Australia suffers shock defeat in wheelchair rugby

TOKYO: British cyclist Sarah Storey added to to go as quickly this morning, but I’m so glad I her glorious golden history as wheelchair rugby did,” said Storey. powerhouses Australia suffered a shock defeat Brazilian Daniel Dias, who is competing at his on day one of the delayed Tokyo 2020 last Paralympics, has the chance to become the Paralympics yesterday. most decorated male Paralympic swimmer of all Paige Greco, an Australian cyclist, had the honor time if he wins three more golds to eclipse Kenny. of winning the first gold of the Games, 354 days But could only take bronze in his opening event, the later than originally envisaged because of the S5 men’s 200m freestyle, which was won by Italy’s COVID-19 pandemic and a day after a high-energy Francesco Bocciardo in a new Paralympic record but poignant opening ceremony. time. Despite a year-long postponement, and with Dias, who has now won 25 Paralympic medals, coronavirus fears hanging over the event, world will have several more chances to add to his 14 and Paralympic records tumbled in the swimming golds starting today in the 100m freestyle. pool and on the cycling Defending gold medalists track on a pulsating first Australia suffered a set- day of competition that back in their bid to saw 24 gold medals become the first team to awarded. top the wheelchair rugby Greco was in record- Cyclist wins podium at three consecu- breaking form as she tive Games, edged out 54- beat China’s Wang Games’ first 53 by Denmark. Xiaomei in the gold “I’m pretty devastated, medal race in C1-C3 class gold medal to be honest — I had nev- 3,000 meter individual er lost a game at the pursuit at the Izu Paralympics ever,” said Velodrome. She smashed Australia’s Chris Bond. “I CHIBA: China’s Li Hao (left) competes with Ukraine’s Artem Manko during the men’s sabre individual catego- her own world record by don’t know what to feel. ry A gold medal wheelchair fencing bout at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Makuhari Messe Hall in nearly eight seconds in the heats and lowered it All we can do is turn around and win the next two Chiba yesterday. —AFP by another second and a half to 3min 50.815sec in and make the semi-final.” the final. “I still can’t believe it. I keep looking down and seeing (the gold medal). It’s not really ‘Many doubted’ Olympics opening ceremony. Notably missing were number of infections linked to the Paralympics to sunk in yet,” said Greco. The Games had been declared open on Tuesday Afghanistan’s team, who had been trapped in the 176, most of them Japan-based staff or contractors. Storey moved a step closer to becoming night by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, with country after the Taleban takeover. Japan has recorded around 15,500 deaths from Britain’s greatest Paralympian, shattering her own International Paralympic Committee chief Andrew The IPC confirmed Wednesday that the team, the virus with 40 percent of the population fully world record in the heats before powering to victo- Parsons paying tribute to the grit of the athletes who comprising two athletes, had left Afghanistan, but vaccinated. Olympic and Paralympic organizers have ry in the C5 3,000 meters individual pursuit final made it to Tokyo. “Many doubted this day would declined to say where they had gone. The opening insisted there is no evidence of infection spreading for her 15th Paralympic gold. happen, many thought it impossible, but thanks to ceremony took place before a largely empty stadi- from Games participants to the Japanese public. The 43-year-old took the title for a fourth the efforts of many, the most transformative sports um with almost all spectators barred from venues Tokyo and 13 areas are is already under a virus consecutive Games when she caught compatriot event on Earth is about to begin,” he said. because of coronavirus rules. state of emergency and Japan’s government yester- Crystal Lane-Wright inside eight laps of the 12. The opening ceremony was themed around the Organizers yesterday reported 16 new COVID- day decided to extend it to eight more regions. The Storey is just one medal behind the British story of a one-winged plane taking to the skies, 19 cases linked to the Paralympics, including two step comes with summer school holidays ending record held by Mike Kenny, who won 16 swim- and featured high-octane musical and acrobatic athletes in the Paralympic Village, whose identities and top infection experts suggesting delaying the ming golds from 1976 to 1988. “I never expected sequences in a departure from the more somber have not been disclosed. The new cases bring the start of classes to reduce contagion risks. —AFP

Kraigg Brathwaite. Pakistan beat West Former skipper Jason Holder eventually topscored with 47 but it was his demise to Nauman Ali, the left- arm spinner’s third wicket, which eased a rising sense Serena Williams suffers Indies by 109 runs of panic in the Pakistan camp. Then Afridi, new ball in hand and with eight wickets down, trapped Kemar further setback with Roach leg-before. to level series Afridi then induced a mistimed drive from Joshua da Silva for Faheem Ashraf to take the catch US Open withdrawal KINGSTON: Shaheen Shah Afridi completed a ten- at mid-on and dismiss the West Indies for 219 and wicket match haul to bowl Pakistan to a series-level- seal yet another come-from-behind effort for PARIS: Serena Williams hopes of a record-equaling ing 109-run victory over the West Indies in the final Pakistan in the Caribbean. As in 2005 and 2011, 24th Grand Slam title took another hit yesterday when session of the second and final Test at Sabina Park Pakistan, this time led by Babar Azam, lost the first she announced on her Instagram page that she was on Tuesday. Test but rebounded to take the second and share pulling out of next week’s US Open because of a ham- Frustrated by the loss of an entire day’s play and the honours with the hosts. string injury. another session to rain and a sodden outfield over the KINGSTON: Mohammad Rizwan (left) and Babar Azam “This was a very important win for us, especially “After careful consideration and following the advice weekend, Shaheen kept Pakistan’s hopes alive with a of Pakistan after winning on the 5th and final day of given the way we lost that first Test,” said Babar, of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to devastating first innings effort of six for 51 on day the 2nd Test between West Indies and Pakistan at reflecting on the heart-breaking one-wicket defeat at withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal four - his best Test innings performance - and Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday. —AFP the same venue nine days earlier. “My partnership completely from a torn hamstring,” wrote the 39-year- returned on the final day to strike critical blows. with Fawad Alam and his brilliant century was of old American. Then, when it seemed the weather would ruin their course valuable, but I have to give massive credit to year-old would be both Man of the Match and Man “New York is one of the most exciting cities in the desperate push for victory, he came back for a final the bowling of Shaheen because he make things a lot of the Series. world and one of my favorite places to play - I’ll miss spell with the second new ball to take the last two seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from easier for us.” “It was a great effort, a team effort. This is what wickets and give his team a tremendous triumph with the team needed and I am just happy that I was able afar. Thank you for your continued support and love. I’ll one hour to spare. ‘Great team effort’ to deliver,” said the left-arm pacer. “It was really see you soon.” Starting the day at 49 for one and facing the Shaheen’s second-innings figures of four for 43 tough out there, extremely hot and even though we Williams, who has not played since a tearful first unlikely target of 329, the West Indies were again let gave him a match haul of ten for 94 and with a were picking up wickets along the way we really had round exit at Wimbledon when she hobbled off court down by their top-order batting, sliding to 113 for six series-leading tally of 18 wickets in the two matches to work very hard and credit must go to the entire during the first set against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, is a in mid-afternoon despite a battling 39 from captain six-time winner in New York. She missed last week’s at an average of 11.28, it was inevitable that the 21- bowling unit.” —AFP event in Cincinnati in a bid to get fit for Flushing Meadows and said she hoped “to be back on the court very soon” but her hamstring ultimately failed to recover in time, much to her disappointment. Pedaling for peace: Cyclists hit the road in war-torn Yemen “We took medical advice and the medical advice was clear-if you play, you take a big risk,” her coach SANAA: Dozens of Yemeni cyclists hit the road yester- Patrick Mouratoglou told the website Tennis Majors. day with a shared goal-to spread peace in a country “Then we had to discuss a little as a team. Serena embroiled in conflict for more than seven years. In the always feels like she’s giving up if she doesn’t play. It’s capital Sanaa, the cyclists prepared for their 320-kilo- inside her. We had to reason her a little, but anyway, the meter (200-mile) journey to the northern province of medical advice had a big part. In that sense it was a Saada, one of the areas devastated by the ongoing war team decision.” between the government and the Huthi rebels. Mohammed al-Jidadi checked his pedals before he ‘Race against the clock’ set off with approximately 40 others on the busy The withdrawal marks the latest setback for a player streets of Sanaa. Another cyclist nearby pumped air who has dominated women’s tennis since collecting her into his tires, while a third young man in full cycling first major at the US Open in 1999 as a teenager and is gear playfully carried his bike pretending to play the viewed by many as the greatest female player of all guitar. They plan to ride north through Amran province time. The problem for Williams, who turns 40 in to reach Saada. “We are going to Saada to spread the September, is that the target of equaling Margaret message of peace,” Jidadi told AFP. Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles Yemen, the poorest country in the Arabian looks more remote than ever. Peninsula, is devastated by conflict, coronavirus and a Back in 2017, when she won the Australian Open to move to within one of the controversial Court’s tally, she humanitarian crisis that the United Nations has called looked odds-on to achieve that and more. Even after the world’s worst. Millions of people have been dis- taking time out that year to have her baby daughter placed by the grinding war, and more than 80 percent Olympia, she was expected to return as dominant as of Yemen’s 30 million people depend on aid. before with few likely rivals on the horizon. But despite everything, the cyclists said they hoped However, since then it has been a tale of regression their ride would have a positive impact. “We don’t want by degrees from reaching four finals-two at Wimbledon cycling limited to one province, and we want to relay (2018, 2019) and two at the US Open (2018,20 19) — the message to all provinces that cycling is meant to and falling short every time. reach all nations,” cyclist Mohammed al-Harazi told Last year, albeit one in which Wimbledon did not AFP. The message of peace is more important than SANAA: Cyclists pose for a group photo ahead of a ride from the center of the Yemeni capital Sanaa yes- take place due to the coronavirus pandemic, her forever, the cyclists said. —AFP terday bound for the northern Saada province about 320 kilometers (200 miles) away. —AFP tunes dipped even lower as for the first time since 2006 she failed to reach a Grand Slam final, something she will repeat in 2021. in Zurich and led a few months later to the departure “It’s great to see significant funding being put at the Mouratoglou insisted it was just a question of time US hands FIFA of Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s president since 1998. disposal of the FIFA Foundation, which can positively before Williams, who has slipped to 22 in the rankings, “This money was seized from the bank accounts of impact so many people across the football world, returns to the courts. “If the US Open happened in $201m confiscated former officials who were involved in, and then prose- especially through youth and community programs.” three weeks instead of next week, it would have been cuted for, years of corruption schemes in football,” said The cases prosecuted in the US centered on bribes possible,” he said. “You have a new deal in tennis, it’s FIFA in a statement on its website. It said it had set up and “racketeering” organized by football officials in that champions can play longer, over 35, thanks to their from corrupt officials a ‘World Football Remission Fund’ under the supervi- South and Central America in exchange for the award- unprecedented professionalism. Nevertheless, it’s still a sion of the FIFA foundation to use the money “to help ing of TV broadcasting rights for competitions, includ- race against the clock.” The same could be said for PARIS: The US Department of Justice has agreed to finance football-related projects with positive commu- ing the Copa America. They resulted in the sentencing three other former US Open champions who have hand FIFA $201 million (171m euros) confiscated from nity impact across the globe”. of Paraguayan Juan Angel Napout, a former president of pulled out of the men’s draw. Four-time winner Rafael corrupt football administrators, the governing body of Gianni Infantino, who replaced Blatter at the head South American football’s governing body CON- Nadal, 35, withdrew because of an injury to his left foot world football announced on Tuesday. Most of the of FIFA welcome the deal. “I am delighted to see that MEBOL, to nine years in prison and Brazilian Jose Maria that has troubled him since his defeat in the semi-finals cash comes from US legal actions in the wake of the money which was illegally siphoned out of football is Marin, former head of the Brazilian Football Federation, at the French Open in June. —AFP “FIFAgate” scandal, which erupted in May 2015 with now coming back to be used for its proper purposes, to four years in prison. A significant slice of cash will be the dramatic arrest of seven world football executives as it should have been in the first place,” Infantino said. funneled into South American football. —AFP Established 1961 15 Sports Thursday, August 26, 2021 Premier League clubs won’t release players for red-list internationals Players would’ve missed games due to UK quarantine regulations LONDON: The Premier League on Richarlison and Chelsea’s Thiago Silva ‘Extensive discussions’ Tuesday announced its clubs will not were also among the Brazil players In La Liga, there are currently 25 play- release players for international matches affected. Argentina is on the red-list so ers from 13 clubs affected, but that a num- played in red-list countries next month. Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and ber could grow when the squads for Later in the evening, the Spanish Liga Giovani Lo Celso, as well as Aston Villa’s Ecuador and Venezuela are announced. said they would support clubs if they Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano “La Liga wants to communicate that it will decide not to release players to red-list Buendia, will be unable to travel. support in all areas the decision of the countries. “Premier League clubs have today Spanish clubs not to release their players Amid frustration that players who reluctantly but unanimously decided not belonging to the national teams for the travelled to red-list countries would CONMEBOL call-up, and will take have to follow UK coronavirus quar- appropriate legal action against this antine regulations ruling them out of decision that affects the integrity of several of their club’s matches, the our competition by not allowing the league has revealed a blanket ban for availability of the players,” the govern- the September fixtures. Nearly 60 ing body said. The Egyptian Football Association The row could rumble on however, had said on Monday Liverpool would players affected with Paraguay’s football federation not release Mohamed Salah for the vowing to take their case to FIFA if upcoming World Cup qualifiers Newcastle refuse to release key for- against Angola and Gabon due to the ward Miguel Almiron. “We have LIVERPOOL: In this file photo taken on April 14, 2021, Liverpool’s Egyptian midfield- quarantine rules. It was also reported already contacted the English federa- er Mohamed Salah reacts during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second that Liverpool would refuse to release tion by writing to request the release leg football match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at Anfield in Liverpool, north Fabinho, Roberto Firmino and Alisson of Almiron. If we are not successful we west England. — AFP Becker for Brazil’s three upcoming World to release players for international will go straight to FIFA’s Player Status Cup qualifiers. matches played in red-list countries next Committee, activating the mechanisms Both Egypt and Brazil are on the UK month,” the Premier League said in a provided in the regulations,” Luis recent decision of world governing body Government did not feel it could make Government’s red list, with “mandatory statement on their website. “The clubs’ Kannonikof, the Paraguayan federation’s FIFA to extend the September and allowances for footballers as it seeks to isolation for 10 days” for travellers decision, which is strongly supported by general secretary, told AFP. October international windows in South protect public health. Last season, FIFA returning from those countries. With the Premier League, will apply to nearly Paraguay are due to face Ecuador, America by two days to catch up on post- granted clubs dispensation not to release tension mounting over the club versus 60 players from 19 Premier League Colombia and Venezuela between poned fixtures. For British clubs, a poten- players where quarantine was an issue. country issue, the Premier League took clubs who are due to travel to 26 red- September 2 and September 9. “The tial solution would have been for the UK “Extensive discussions have taken matters into their own hands. list countries in the September interna- exception that allows clubs to refuse to Government to grant quarantine exemp- place with both The FA and the Like the Liverpool trio, Manchester tional window. This follows FIFA’s cur- release players is no longer in effect, tions for players. Government to find a solution, but due to City stars Ederson and Gabriel Jesus rent position not to extend its tempo- therefore the release is mandatory for all Discussions were held between football ongoing public health concerns relating to will now not be allowed to play for rary release exception for players clubs. It must be respected,” added authorities and the Department for Digital, incoming travellers from red-list countries, Brazil. Leeds’ Raphinha, Fred of required to quarantine on their return Kannonikof. Culture, Media and Sport but a relaxation no exemption has been granted,” the Manchester United, Everton striker from international duty.” The problem was exacerbated by the of rules was not considered. The Premier League statement said. — AFP

Vieira’s wait for first Argentina, Brazil plan win goes on as Palace return of fans for suffer League Cup exit World Cup qualifier LONDON: Patrick Vieira’s winless start as Crystal BUENOS AIRES: Argentina and Brazil announced Palace manager extended to three games as the on Tuesday plans to use World Cup qualifiers next Eagles suffered a 1-0 loss at Watford in the League month as test events for the return of football fans Cup second round on Tuesday. Vieira replaced the to stadiums following COVID-19 enforced bans. popular Roy Hodgson as Palace boss in the close- Argentina’s Tourism and Sports Minister Matias season, but the former Arsenal and France star has Lammens said that a pilot scheme would take place endured a miserable beginning with the south on September 9 for the visit of Bolivia to Buenos London club. Aires at the 70,000 “Monumental stadium with 30 Palace lost 3-0 at Chelsea in their Premier percent capacity, as a first step to the return of League opener before being held to a dour 0-0 spectators at all large-scale spectacles.” draw by promoted Brentford on Saturday. Hoping Meanwhile, Sao Paulo’s sports secretariat said in for the first win and first goal of his reign, Vieira a statement it would allow 12,000 fans in the selected a strong team for their trip to Vicarage 48,000-capacity Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo Road in the League Cup. LONDON: Crystal Palace’s French manager Patrick Vieira reacts at the final whistle during the English for the crunch clash with arch-rivals Argentina on But despite the presence of Ivory Coast forward Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Brentford at Selhurst Park in south London on September 5. However, news from the English Wilfried Zaha, Palace once again drew a blank as an August 21, 2021. — AFP Premier League earlier in the day could put a span- 86th minute goal from Ashley Fletcher condemned ner in both plans. Vieira to his second defeat. With a penalty shoot- Andros Townsend fired Everton into the third Smith, with Anwar El Ghazi netting twice and The Premier League announced its clubs would out just four minutes away, Cucho Hernandez’s round as they overcame the red card shown to Frederic Guilbert also scoring. not release players for international matches in cross reached Fletcher to tap in at the far post. Moise Kean to beat Huddersfield 2-1 at the John Brentford, who reached the semi-finals last year, countries on Britain’s list of most at-risk places with It won’t get any easier for Vieira, who was Smith’s Stadium. Alex Iwobi’s goal for Everton was survived a scare as they beat fourth-tier Forest regards the coronavirus pandemic. In Spain, La sacked by French club Nice in 2020. Vieira’s team cancelled out by Tom Lees before Kean was giving Green 3-1. Jack Aitchison gave Forest Green a Liga said on Tuesday evening that it would support travel to Premier League leaders West Ham on his marching orders. shock lead, but second-half goals from Yoane clubs that refuse to release players. Saturday before facing Tottenham and Liverpool in Kean was dismissed after an off-the-ball inci- Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Forss put With Ecuador and Venezuela still to announce their first two games after the international break. dent with Sorba Thomas, but Townsend’s first Brentford in the third round. their squads, 25 players from 13 Spanish clubs have “We have to change our mentality when we are in Everton goal made sure there was no upset by the Norwich, beaten in their first two Premier League already been called up for the South American the opposition half. We have to be more aggressive Championship side. “The sending off of Moise games, hammered Championship side Bournemouth qualifiers. The English and Spanish moves do not and determined to take those chances because today Kean, it’s still in many ways a mistake. We cannot 6-0 at Carrow Road. Brighton boss Graham Potter yet affect star players such as Paris Saint-Germain we didn’t do it,” Vieira said. “There is a lot of frustra- lose our temper but he’s a young player,” Everton made 11 changes but his team still advanced with a duo Lionel Messi and Neymar, but it remains to be tion on our side because I think we created enough to manager Rafael Benitez said. “Hopefully he can 2-0 win at second tier Cardiff. Jakub Moder and seen if other European leagues replicate the moves. win. I am disappointed because up front we have to learn from that. But the reaction of the team was Andi Zeqiri both scored their first goals for the Fans were last allowed in stadiums in Argentina improve ourselves. If we want to win football matches, very good.” Seagulls. Jack Harrison fired a late double and and Sao Paulo in March 2020. More than 110,000 we have to score goals and this is not the case.” Cameron Archer scored a hat-trick on his first Kalvin Phillips was also on target as Leeds beat Argentines have died of COVID-19, which has start for Aston Villa as Dean Smith’s much-changed Crewe 3-0 at Elland Road. Wolves eased through infected more than 5.1 million in the country of 45 Everton survive side thrashed Barrow 6-0. Archer, a 19-year-old with a 4-0 demolition of Championship strugglers million people. It is one of the worst affected coun- Elsewhere in Tuesday’s League Cup action, youth academy graduate, was one of 10 changes by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. — AFP tries in Latin America. — AFP Established 1961 Sport

THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021

Europe’s elite await Champions League draw

Chelsea, City, Inter in first pot; Real, Barca, PSG in second

PARIS: Holders Chelsea and their rivals among of the Europa League and the new third-tier Europe’s elite will discover their opponents in this Europa Conference League will take place on season’s UEFA Champions League when the draw Friday, also in Istanbul. for the group stage is made in Istanbul tonight. The Turkish metropolis has missed out on hosting the Prize money final of the competition in each of the last two sea- Those two competitions are far less lucrative, but sons, with restrictions relating to the pandemic see- while European football in general has been badly ing the game moved at the last minute to Portugal in hit by the economic impact of COVID-19, whoever successive years. goes on to lift the Champions League will pocket a Chelsea therefore beat Manchester City in Porto in huge sum in prize money. UEFA, which registered a May and those two powerhouses of English football loss of some 531 million euros ($623.4m) in the — who have flexed their financial muscle in the mar- 2019/20 campaign from the pandemic, has put ket over the summer — will together a total pot of just be among the favorites to over two billion euros for go all the way this season. this season. “Nobody wants to rest. I The winners will pocket want the next one, the next prize money of up to 85 title,” Chelsea coach Istanbul hosts million euros, and that is Thomas Tuchel said after draw tonight before the extras are taken winning the trophy. into account: Clubs get Chelsea and Pep more money based on their Guardiola’s City are both in UEFA coefficient, up to a the first pot of seeds for maximum of 36 million the draw, in a ceremony euros in the case of top- which will also see UEFA award the prize for the ranked Bayern Munich. best player of last season from a three-man shortlist In addition to that, another 300 million euros is of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Kevin De Bruyne, distributed based on the weight of each country’s who all appeared in May’s final. television market. It is a system which rewards the Also in the first pot of seeds are Atletico Madrid, already rich and powerful and which has helped Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon, Lille make it practically impossible for clubs outside the and last season’s Europa League winners, Villarreal. biggest nations to win the trophy. As ever there are plenty of big names in the second The last team to lift the European Cup that did pot, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, not play in England, Germany, Spain or Italy was Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, who Porto in 2004. Perhaps that will change this year, will attract even more attention after adding Lionel although don’t expect Zenit Saint Petersburg to be Messi to their star-studded squad. crowned champions in their own stadium next May. Other famous names featuring in the draw are Instead PSG are surely the best placed to chal- Ajax, Benfica and AC Milan, who are appearing lenge Chelsea or City, with the Qatar-owned club in Europe’s elite club competition for the first — beaten finalists in 2020 — having added Messi time since 2013/14 after coming second in Serie with the express aim of getting their hands on the A last season. Champions League for the first time. “I have said The Champions League group stage will kick many times my dream is to win another Champions off on September 14 and 15, with the final being League and I think I’m in the ideal place to have SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE, France: Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi and held — all going to plan — in Saint Petersburg on that chance and to do it,” Messi said after arriving Brazilian forward Neymar (left) take part in a training session at the Camp des Loges Paris Saint- May 28 next year. The draw for the group stage in the French capital. — AFP Germain football club’s training ground in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on August 19, 2021. — AFP

posted on Twitter. “I will be staying at Tottenham Kane ends speculation this summer and will be 100 percent focused on helping the team achieve success.” According to reports, Tottenham turned down a by confirming he’ll City bid of £125 million for their star striker. Levy will be hoping his gamble in turning that fee down remain at Tottenham will be rewarded by Kane firing Tottenham back into the Champions League next season. LONDON: Harry Kane ended speculation over a Under former manager Mauricio Pochettino, potential move to Manchester City by announcing Spurs reached the Champions League in four con- yesterday he will remain at Tottenham this season. secutive seasons between 2016/17 and 2019/20, The 28-year-old is the second top goalscorer in including reaching the final for the first time in the Tottenham’s history with 221, but is yet to win a club’s history in 2018. The decision to sack major trophy at club or international level. Pochettino in November 2019 and replace the Kane had made clear his desire to leave his boy- Argentine with Jose Mourinho has backfired on hood club in the quest to end his wait for silverware. Levy as Tottenham have finished sixth and seventh However, he still has three years left on a six-year in the Premier League in the past two seasons. deal signed in 2018, allowing Spurs chairman Daniel Mourinho was also unable to end Tottenham’s Levy to demand a fee well in excess of the £100 trophy drought that stretches back to 2008. A pro- million ($137 million) English record City paid Aston longed search for Mourinho’s successor upped the Villa for Jack Grealish earlier this month. pressure on Levy not to lose Kane this summer. LONDON: In this file photo taken on May 19, 2021, Tottenham Hotspur’s English striker Harry Kane reacts Kane missed his side’s 1-0 victory over City on the Nearly three months after the former Chelsea man- during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at opening weekend of the Premier League season after ager was sacked, Nuno Espirito Santo was appoint- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. — AFP returning late to pre-season training. However, he was ed as coach on June 30. However, Spurs have made warmly welcomed back by the Tottenham support as light of a disruptive few months by taking maximum has been working so this is what we value. His atti- the legendary Jimmy Greaves as Tottenham’s all- he made his first appearance of the season as a sub- points from their opening two league games. tude in training has been excellent. It’s finished, time top scorer. City were targeting Kane as a long- stitute in a 1-0 win at Wolves last weekend. “Great news. Fantastic news,” said Nuno, who Harry is going to be with us. He is an option for term successor to Sergio Aguero at the Etihad. And “It was incredible to see the reception from the hinted Kane could return to the starting line-up for tomorrow. It is great news for everybody.” Aguero’s record of scoring the most Premier Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the mes- tonight’s Europa Conference League playoff against Personal glory could also keep Kane in north League goals for one club of 184 could go this sea- sages of support I’ve had in the last few weeks,” he Pacos de Ferreira. “I think since Harry joined us he London for the long haul. He is just 45 goals behind son with Kane having netted 166 for Spurs. — AFP PSG reject Real Juve board approve 400 offer for Mbappe million euros capital increase as ‘not enough’ MILAN: Juventus announced yesterday that its the pandemic, which has led to government restric- board of directors had approved a capital increase tions which have all but wiped out match day rev- PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain turned down Real of 400 million euros ($469 million) to steady the enues. Madrid’s bid to pry away Kylian Mbappe yesterday, club’s finances against the impact of the coronavirus with sporting director Leonardo saying the offer of pandemic. In a statement, Juve said that the increase Chievo go bust around 160 million euros ($188 million) was “not is expected to be completed “by the end of 2021”. On Tuesday, Chievo Verona, who spent 17 sea- enough” for a player they wanted “to keep”. “The capital increase is part of the measures to sons in Serie A, were wound up after failing to find “Our position has always been to keep Kylian, to address the significant economic and financial an investor to resolve their financial problems, the renew his contract” which expires next June, said impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and will enable local authorities announced. Chievo were in Serie B the Brazilian to some media including AFP. He went us to strengthen the company’s equity and to bal- last season but failed to satisfy the Italian second on to describe the Spanish club’s approach to the ance our funding resources,” Juve said. The pan- division’s financial solvency criteria and were rele- France World Cup winner as “disrespectful, incor- demic has hit club finances all over Europe, but gated to Serie D. rect and illegal”. according to finance company Deloitte revenues in They needed to put their affairs in order to enter Leoonardo went on to say that if the 22-year-old Serie A for the 2019/20 season were down 18 per- that competition before it kicked off its season. The Mbappe “wants to leave, we will not retain him, but cent, the biggest drop of the continent’s top five deadline for Serie D registration was Tuesday and he will leave or stay on our terms”. leagues — England, Spain, Italy, Germany and the club desperately sought a buyer to bail it out but “If a player wants to leave, he will leave. The France. failed. “The deadline for registering for the champi- club, the project, remain above everyone,” added In February Juventus, who are owned by the onship, which is about to begin, passed at midday,” the Brazilian leader, addressing some media includ- Kylian Mbappe powerful Agnelli family, said they had made losses of announced the Verona town hall. ing AFP. But “we have done everything” to convince 113 million euros in the second half of 2020, more The club’s former captain Sergio Pellissier, who him to stay. PSG paid 180 million euros to Monaco Mbappe “has no reason to do anything else” but than double the loss recorded in the same period of played almost 500 games for them, tried to put for the forward in 2017 and are keen for him to sign stay. Mbappe has scored once and provided two the previous year. Revenues dropped by 20 percent together a rescue plan, but signaled his failure on a new deal. assists in three appearances so far this term with in that period with Juve blaming the reduction on Instagram on Saturday. — AFP After the arrival of Lionel Messi in Paris earlier Messi expected to make his PSG debut at Reims on this month club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said Sunday. — AFP