SHAWWAL 21, 1442 AH WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021

16 Pages Max 49º Min 34º 150 Fils Established 1961

ISSUE NO: 18449 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net

Decade of Syria war has Fire on ship off Sri Lanka Traumatized Palestinians tend Osaka crisis throws light on stars’ 5 killed nearly 500K people 8 extinguished after 13 days 12 to shell-shocked pets in Gaza 15 mental health, media ‘voyeurism’

Amir: Kuwait’s support of just Palestinian cause ‘unwavering’ Speaker: Assembly’s position on Palestine ‘extension’ of official stance

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- tary stance toward the Palestinian cause is an Jaber Al-Sabah said yesterday that Kuwait remains extension of Kuwait’s principled official stand” unwavering in its stance and support of the just regarding the issue. Palestinian cause. HH the Amir’s statement came during Al-Dustour news network quoted Ghanem as his reception at Bayan Palace of HH the Prime Minister affirming this stance during a reception of Shtayyeh. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, who Ghanem has also affirmed that Kuwait maintains its was accompanied by his visiting Palestinian counter- solid support of the steadfastness and struggle of the part Mohammad Shtayyeh and his delegation. Palestinian people and their just cause, noting that HH the Amir reiterated that Kuwait will also be their solidarity and steadfastness “have contributed to steadfast in its support of the Palestinian people until divulging practices of the occupation to the world”. they achieve their dream of an independent state The Palestinian prime minister lauded Kuwait’s with East Jerusalem as its capital, saying that such backing at the official and popular levels toward the lawful aspirations are in line with international reso- Palestinian people’s cause. Talks between the two lutions on this matter and the Arab peace initiative. sides, held at Ghanem’s office, touched on latest He affirmed that the Palestinian cause was, and still developments in the Palestinian territories in the is, the central issue for Kuwait as well as the Arab aftermath of the recent “criminal attacks” carried by and Muslim worlds, wishing the Palestinian govern- the occupation forces. ment and people security, peace and triumph. Shtayyeh also held talks with HH the Prime Minister Shtayyeh expressed deep gratitude and appreci- Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The two ation to the efforts of Kuwait and its leadership and exchanged views on regional issues, noting the mutual people in the support of Palestinians’ aspirations. desire for boosting continuous consultations and KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets Palestinian Prime Minister Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq coordination in support of diplomatic efforts for Mohammad Shtayyeh at Bayan Palace yesterday. — KUNA Al-Ghanem yesterday said the “popular parliamen- achieving peace and stability in the region.— KUNA

Saud, also highlighted bilateral rela-

News in brief Amir invites tions and ways to bolster them, along with a number of issues of UK reports zero COVID deaths Saudi King to mutual concern in the regional and international arenas. LONDON: Britain yesterday reported zero HH Sheikh Mishal earlier held a daily deaths from COVID-19 for the first time visit Kuwait meeting with Prince Mohammed at since last July, despite a recent rise in cases the Yamama Palace in Riyadh. They linked to the Delta variant. Yesterday’s zero dai- RIYADH: HH the Crown Prince discussed long-standing historical ly deaths came after the government reported Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber and fraternal relations between the just one COVID death across the UK on Al-Sabah yesterday delivered a writ- two countries and the two brotherly Monday, a public holiday. — AFP ten letter from HH the Amir Sheikh peoples and ways to strengthen and Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah develop them in various fields and at to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz all levels, issues of common concern Ancelotti named Real Madrid coach Al-Saud. The letter included an offi- and the latest developments in the cial invitation by HH the Amir to the regional and international arenas. MADRID: Carlo Ancelotti will return to Real Saudi King to visit Kuwait. Prince Mohammed later hosted a Madrid as coach for the next three seasons, the The letter, which was received by dinner banquet in honor of HH the RIYADH: HH the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Spanish club said yesterday following last week’s Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal and his Sabah delivers a letter — from HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- resignation of Zinedine Zidane. The 61-year-old Minister and Defense Minister accompanying delegation before Jaber Al-Sabah addressed to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz — to Saudi Crown Italian, who won the Champions League for Real Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al- they departed for Kuwait. — KUNA Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Yamama Palace yesterday. — KUNA Madrid during his first spell at the club between 2013 and 2015, will sign his new deal and be pre- sented to the media today. — AFP cartel has started implementing more generous pro- OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia supporting a much OPEC+ agrees to duction increases as oil prices have recovered and more cautious approach. However, ahead of yester- Human case of bird flu strain the health situation improves in developed day’s meeting even Saudi Energy Minister Prince economies. Abdulaziz bin Salman pointed out that though there BEIJING: China reported the world’s first continue crude At the end of a short meeting yesterday which were “still clouds on the horizon”, “demand has human infection of the H10N3 bird flu strain yes- lasted barely half an hour, the group agreed to con- improved in some of the world’s bigger markets, like terday but said the risk of it spreading widely output increases tinue rises up until July adding up to 1.2 million bar- the USA and China” and praised the global vaccine among people was low. A 41-year-old man was rels per day (bpd), to which will be added a further rollout. For his part Russian Deputy Prime Minister admitted to hospital with fever symptoms in the LONDON: The OPEC group of oil-producing million bpd which had been voluntarily withdrawn Alexander Novak said: “We see that demand has eastern city of Zhenjiang on April 28 and was countries and its allies agreed yesterday to maintain by Saudi Arabia. However, the alliance took no deci- increased, that prices have stabilized,” and spoke of diagnosed with H10N3 a month later. — AFP planned production increases, as pandemic-hit sion on what policy to follow from August onwards, a “normalization” of the global economy. OPEC has demand for crude recovers. The 23-nation OPEC+ and did not discuss the possibility of Iranian oil remained optimistic in its predictions for 2021, alliance implemented sharp output cuts to support returning to the market in the coming months. expecting demand to reach 96.5 million bpd, an Saudi defends azan volume limit prices after the coronavirus pandemic crushed the Among OPEC’s allies, Russia has in recent times increase of six million on 2020 levels. global economy last year. But since early May the pushed for faster rises in output with traditional Continued on Page 2 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Islamic affairs minister on Monday defended an order restricting the volume of mosque loudspeakers to no more than tating a country once seen as a bea- one-third of their maximum volume and limiting Lebanon crisis con of prosperity in the region. “The them mainly to issue the call to prayer rather than economic and financial crisis is likely broadcasting full sermons. Abdullatif Al-Sheikh to rank in the top 10, possibly top 3, said the order was in response to citizens’ com- world’s worst most severe crisis episodes globally plaints that the loud volume was causing distur- since the mid-nineteenth century,” the bance to children as well as the elderly. — AFP since 1850s report said. The latest World Bank Lebanon BEIRUT: Lebanon’s economic col- Economic Monitor report, entitled WHO approves Sinovac jab lapse is likely to rank among the world’s “Lebanon Sinking: To the Top 3”, said worst financial crises since the mid- such brutal economic collapses are GENEVA: The World Health Organization yes- 19th century, the World Bank said in a usually the result of war. The complete terday approved the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine damning report released yesterday. The meltdown of Lebanon’s economy dur- for emergency use - the second Chinese jab to report predicts that Lebanon’s econo- ing the past 18 months is widely blamed receive the WHO’s green light after Sinopharm. my will shrink by close to 10 percent in on corruption and mismanagement by The UN health agency signed off on the Beijing- 2021 and stresses there is “no clear the country’s hereditary political elite. based firm Sinovac’s two-dose vaccine turning point in the horizon”. “Policy responses by Lebanon’s lead- CoronaVac, which is already being deployed in Lebanon defaulted on its debt last ership to these challenges have been BEIRUT: An aerial view shows Beirut port on May 27, 2021, damaged in a massive several countries around the world. — AFP year, the currency lost around 85 per- highly inadequate,” the report says. explosion on Aug 4 last year, which killed more than 200 people and injured cent of its value and poverty is devas- Continued on Page 2 scores of others. — AFP 2 Established 1961 Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Local Kuwaiti, Saudi officials’ reciprocal visits prove pivotal for strengthening ties

This archive photo shows His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah leaving Saudi KUWAIT: The late Saudi king Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud is seen during a visit to Kuwait in 1910 in Arabia after he presided over the Kuwaiti delegation at the 41st Gulf Summit in January 2021. which he held talks with the late Amir Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Kuwait and held his milestone talks with the then Amir than three years from 2017 to 2020, Kuwait exerted port the legitimate Yemeni government against the Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah started yester- Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah. Since then, visits of leaders strenuous diplomatic efforts, which proved successful Iran-backed Houthi militia, and its firm condemnations day an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and officials of the two sisterly countries did not stop. to heal the Gulf rift. Kuwait’s mediation had been of the Houthi attacks on the Saudi territories. Kuwait his first official overseas visit since his assumption to Last January, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- admired and appreciated by the whole world. Saudi has also reiterated backing to the Saudi measures to post in October 2020. The choice of the Saudi Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah visited the Saudi Kingdom Arabia’s reception of Kuwaiti leaders and many of its stop these assaults in line with the international law. Kingdom to be the first country to visit while in to partake in the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council sum- people following the Iraqi occupation of the country Bilateral cooperation have been steadily improv- office, once again mirrors the peculiarity of relations mit. Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz made an official in August 1990. Saudi’s political and military role in ing thanks to a slew of agreements and memoranda between the two neighboring Arabian Gulf allies. visit to Kuwait in December 2016. Saudi Crown Prince the war to liberate the country will always be remem- of understanding for cooperation in a wide array of Through 130 years of relations, leaders of Kuwait Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud also paid two visits to bered by all Kuwaitis. The Saudi stance in this deli- realms including, energy, media, culture, economy, and Saudi Arabia were reciprocating visits to keep in Kuwait in May 2015 and September 2018. cate time reflected the strong bonds linking the two transport, education and religious affairs. Several touch, coordinate stances of all issues and give impe- Since the creation of the GCC in 1981, Kuwait and countries and their peoples. agreements were also inked to facilitate the move- tus to efforts to ameliorate relations and mutual Saudi Arabia have been working hand in hand to Kuwait also has never spared any effort or chance ment of people and cargo between the two countries. cooperation in all domains. strengthen unity among Arabian Gulf nations and to defend and stand by the Saudi Kingdom in all the The Kingdom was the top importer of Kuwaiti prod- In 1910, late Saudi king and founder of the Saudi achieve political, economic, security and develop- circumstances. The latest in this aspect is Kuwait’s ucts in the fourth quarter of 2020, after growing by Kingdom Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud visited ment goals of the pan-Gulf organization. For more active participation in the Saudi-led coalition to sup- 11.3 percent. — KUNA

RIYADH: HH the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday. — KUNA

Defense Minister discusses common topics with envoys

KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Hamad Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah meets Ambassador of the UAE to Kuwait Matar Al- Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah meets Ambassador of Canada to Kuwait Louis-Pierre Emond. Neyadi. — KUNA photos Al-Sabah meets Ambassador of India to Kuwait Sibi George.

KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Defense respectively. This came during the separate meet- friendly states, the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Kuwait for its big efforts and medical aid provided Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah on ings held between the minister and the envoys to Armed Forces said in a statement. The gatherings to help combat the spread of the coronavirus in Monday discussed common topics separately with discuss the most important topics and matters of also focused on the latest developments on both India, according to the statement. This mirrors the ambassadors of the UAE, Canada and India; Matar common concern, and means of boosting coopera- regional and international arenas, it added. The depth of friendly relations and cooperation between Al-Neyadi, Louis-Pierre Emond and Sibi George tion and action between Kuwait, and the sisterly and Indian ambassador expressed appreciation to the two friendly countries, it added. — KUNA

other oil-rich states such as the world’s leading pro- percent in 2020. The solutions the Lebanese OPEC+ agrees to ducer, the United States. Changes are also under- Lebanon crisis authorities have so far opted for to ease the finan- foot among the alliance’s members themselves. After cial crisis have placed much of the burden on small continue crude... facilities in war-torn Libya began producing again world’s worst... depositors. The report warned of “potential triggers from the end of 2020, eventually adding one million to social unrest” in a country with a history of con- Continued from Page 1 flict and instability. “The increasingly dire socioeco- Continued from Page 1 bpd to the market, all eyes will be on Iran. nomic conditions risk systemic national failings with If negotiations in Vienna on the full revival of the Lebanon’s ruling class has failed to act on the regional and potentially global effects,” it said. 2015 nuclear deal are successful, it could lead to Ann-Louise Hittle, vice president Macro Oils, at country’s worst emergency in a generation, which The bankrupt state is unable to settle many of its Wood Mackenzie, said of yesterday’s decision: “The many economic sanctions on the Islamic republic was compounded by the coronavirus pandemic and bills and Lebanon’s own energy minister, Raymond outcome is one we expected”. “Sticking to increas- being lifted, including the US embargo on Iranian oil a devastating explosion at Beirut port last August. Ghajar, has warned that electricity supply was es planned... is what the market needs,” said Hittle, exports. If Iran were able to get back to its level of “The increasingly dire socioeconomic conditions becoming critical and that the country could be adding: “Demand growth is outpacing supply gains exports three years ago - when then US president risk systemic national failings with regional and plunged into total darkness by June’s end. “The even with the agreed month-by-month OPEC+ Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal and potentially global effects,” the World Bank said. sharp deterioration in basic services would have production increases taken into account.” reimposed sanctions - it could mean an extra 1.5 The International Monetary Fund has offered long-term implications: mass migration, loss of This has been reflected in recent movements in million bpd coming to the market. assistance but the country’s political barons have learning, poor health outcomes, lack of adequate crude prices. World oil prices continued their recent “We anticipate that Iran’s production levels will failed to even form a government that could deliver safety nets, among others,” the report said. upward trend on news of the OPEC+ decision, with be a contentious topic at future meetings,” said the reforms on which foreign aid is conditioned. “Permanent damage to human capital would be “Subject to extraordinarily high uncertainty, real the European Brent and US WTI benchmark contracts Samuel Burman from Capital Economics. Iranian Oil very hard to recover,” said the World Bank Lebanon GDP is projected to contract by a further 9.5 per- Economic Monitor, whose previous report was enti- rising by around two percent at 1600 GMT yesterday, Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh on Monday told cent in 2021,” said the World Bank, dashing any his ministry’s Shana news agency that the country’s tled “The Deliberate Depression”. “Perhaps this with WTI reaching levels unseen since Oct 2018. hopes of a quick recovery. dimension of the Lebanese crisis makes the “priority” would be to nearly triple its current out- Aside from demand, the other factor OPEC and According to the monetary institution, the econ- Lebanon episode unique compared to other global its allies must take into account are the actions of put level. — AFP omy contracted by 6.7 percent in 2019 and 20.3 crises,” it said. — AFP Established 1961 3 Local Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Kuwait’s Prime Minister holds official talks with Palestinian counterpart Kuwait, Palestine foreign ministers discuss plans to improve ties

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al- Hamad Al-Sabah meets Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem meets Palestinian Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah Shtayyeh. — KUNA photos Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. meets his Palestinian counterpart Riad Al-Maliki.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh toward realizing the aspired peace and stability. forces, Al-Dustour news network said in a press Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah held official After the talks, His Highness the prime minister statement. Ghanem praised the resistance of the talks with the visiting Palestinian Prime Minister hosted the guests at a luncheon. Palestinian people in face of the brutal Zionist Foreign Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh at Bayan Palace yesterday. Senior Kuwaiti officials attended the meeting occupiers, affirming the Kuwaiti’s parliament The discussions were held in a cordial atmosphere including Deputy Prime Minister and Defense strong position in support of the Palestine cause. receives phone call depicting depth of the historic bilateral relations Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Palestinian Ambassador to Kuwait Rami Tahboub and the solid brotherly bonds between the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the assembly’s secretary general Adel Al- and Palestinian peoples. The two sides exchanged and Minister of State for Integrity (Nazaha) Loughani attended the meeting. from USAID Chief views on regional issues, noting the mutual desire Enhancement Abdullah Al-Roumi, Foreign Separately, Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad KUWAIT: Minister of Foreign Affairs and for boosting continuous consultations and coordi- Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Al-Sabah held talks with his Palestinian counter- Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr nation in support of diplomatic efforts for achiev- Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad part Riad Al-Maliki, focusing on efforts to push Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah ing peace and stability in the region. Al-Sabah, Chairperson of the Prime Minister bilateral relations to new highs. Kuwait’s support received on Monday a phone call from the In a statement after the session, His Highness Diwan and Head of the accompanying Honorary for the Palestinians in the face of an “onslaught of Director of the US Agency for International the Prime Minister affirmed the State of Kuwait’s Mission Abdulaziz Al-Dekheel and Assistant Zionist attacks” will remain unflinching, Sheikh Dr Development Samantha Power. During the call, principled and unwavering commitment toward the Foreign Minister for the Arab World Affairs Ahmad told the Palestinian top diplomat amid the the two discussed ways for enhancing joint bilat- Palestinian cause, backing for the legitimate rights Ambassador Fahad Al-Awadhi. It was also talks. These “acts of destruction” on the part of eral cooperation in various development sectors of the brotherly Palestinian people for establishing attended by the delegation accompanying the the Zionists violate international humanitarian between the State of Kuwait and United States the independent state with East Jerusalem as its Palestinian prime minister. laws and conventions, the Kuwaiti minister of America, and following up on the develop- capital, according to the international legitimacy emphasized, saying that a two-state solution that ment cooperation strategy between the two resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. He Palestinian resistance guarantees an independent Palestinian state with countries within the framework of the memoran- stressed on necessity of intensifying Arab and National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al- East Jerusalem as its capital is the only way for- dum of understanding signed between Kuwait international efforts to resume the Middle East Ghanem had met Shtayyeh in his office earlier yes- ward. The Palestinian minister said he was appre- Fund for Arab Economic Development and the peace process, ensure non-recurrence of breaches terday. The two officials discussed during the ciative of Kuwait’s support, which has been large- US Agency in November 2020. They also dis- by the occupation Zionist authorities, halting vio- meeting the latest developments in the Palestinian ly instrumental in keeping regional peace and cussed prospects for enhancing technical coop- lence against the brotherly Palestinian people territories after the recent attacks by the Zionist security intact. — KUNA eration and joint work between the two sides in the areas of financing sustainable economic and ticipate in the summit on his behalf. They were bers of the parliament and renewed confidence in social development to various developing coun- Cabinet examines also informed about the visit to Saudi Arabia by the interior minister. Moreover, the government tries and bilateral coordination to respond to His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al- expressed anew condemnation of the attacks tar- crises and natural disasters. — KUNA Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, which started yester- geting Saudi Arabia by the Houthi militia-latest of invitation to int’l day. They took note that His Highness the Crown which was the attack on the city of Khamis Prince delegation would include Oil Minister, Mshait and deployment of booby-trapped boats vaccines’ summit Minister of Higher Education, Minister of Foreign in the Red Sea threatening navigation and global Affairs, Interior Minister, Advisor at the Crown trade as well as energy supplies. Continuation of KUWAIT: The Cabinet held its weekly session at Prince Diwan Dhari Abdullah Al-Othman and sen- such terrorist attacks constitute a threat to secu- Seif Palace on Monday under chairmanship of His ior officials. rity and stability of the kingdom and blatant chal- Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al- Then, Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel lenge to international laws and conventions, the Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Following the ses- Humoud Al-Sabah addressed the executives ministers stressed, reaffirming that the State of sion, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for about the latest status of the pandemic around Kuwait would continue to stand alongside the Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al- the world as well as at the local level, shedding kingdom and support any measure to safeguard USAID Director Samantha Power (left) and Kuwait’s Mohammad Al-Sabah stated that the ministers light on casualties and his department’s vaccina- its security and stability Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Al-Sabah kicked off the session, examining a common mes- tion efforts. The Cabinet renewed appreciation Moreover, the Cabinet condemned the fatal sage from Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide for the teams partaking in the fight against the attack on a bus boarding teachers in the Afghan Suga, Jose Barroso, Chairperson of the Global virus, namely personnel of the health sector and capital Kabul on Saturday. Such criminal attacks Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) the ministry of interior. The ministers examined contradict various humanitarian tenets, humane and Dr Seth Berkley, GAVI’S Chief Executive minutes of the latest meeting of the supreme values and heavenly laws, the Cabinet statement In my view Officer (CEO). The joint message invites His cyber security committee, approved a recommen- stressed. The ministers re-affirmed the State of Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- dation to establish “the national cyber security Kuwait unwavering stance against terrorism and World No Tobacco Day Jaber Al-Sabah to the virtual GAVI Global center,” and tasked the foreign minister to coor- all forms of violence regardless of motives and Vaccine Summit due on June 2, 2021 — themed dinate with the relevant departments to prepare causes. Furthermore, the Kuwaiti Cabinet con- “One World Protected.” It will be co-hosted by the required draft decree in this respect. demned shooting spree incidents that happened Japan and GAVI. The forthcoming summit, among The ministers turned to an interpellation in several cities and towns in the United States of various objectives, is designed to address the motion from the MPs Thamer Al-Dhafiri, Khaled America where a number of people were killed By Abdellatif Sharaa issue of inequality in distribution of vaccines Al-Otaibi and Abdulkarim Al-Kandari. The and many were wounded. The Cabinet expressed against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to motion is addressed to the interior minister. It will deep condolences to the friendly US, namely nations of the globe. be included in the agenda of the next parliamen- president and people as well as families of the [email protected] The ministers were informed that His Highness tary session. The ministers have re-affirmed that victims, affirming rejection of such criminal acts the inquiry is a constitutional right for all mem- that target the innocent. —KUNA the Amir designated the foreign minister to par- am sure my good friends out there are now aware that I am highly passionate when it Icomes to the issue of smoking. I have to say that I lost my father at a relatively young age of 67 KIB attracts young Kuwaiti due to complications from smoking. He was a Ambassador releases statement heavy smoker for almost 25 years. talents at virtual career fairs World No Tobacco Day was celebrated two on Italy’s national day days ago and many organizations campaigning KUWAIT: Kuwait International becoming more digital in every- against this heinous habit held virtual seminars and KUWAIT: Italian Ambassador to by COVID-19 and its consequences. Bank (KIB) recently took part in thing that it does. “Taking part in panel discussions on how to combat this highly Kuwait Carlo Baldocci released the I also refer to families here in the virtual career fairs that were these fairs allowed our human addictive practice. Even the tobacco industry with following statement on the occasion Kuwait. held at the American University of resources team to actively and its major manufacturers are starting to admit that of the National Day of the Italian “In this difficult situation, relations the Middle East (AUM) and the directly engage with a slew of regular tobacco smoking is harmful, as they are Republic: between Italy and Kuwait have con- Australian College of Kuwait potential young talents and trying to go ahead of the anti-smoking campaigns “On the occasion of the National tinued in the name of friendship and (ACK); interactive events that were recruits, walking them through the by introducing new devices after the vaping trend Day of the Italian Republic, I would close collaboration in all sectors, held via a dedicated digital plat- application, interview, evaluation became very popular. This is very scary, because I have started to see like to extend sincere inevitably in large part form that was accessible via the and hiring process. In addition to younger and younger individuals of both genders expressions of my respect remotely, but not only university websites or their social live interviews on-site, our team media accounts. was on hand to answer all picking up “vapes”, and many of those I met told to the highest Kuwaiti when this was possible. me they were not smokers before! OMG! Is it not authorities, HH the Amir “The strategic relation- Speaking about the inquiries and questions bank’s participation in about the work culture at science that tells us that nicotine is the addictive Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad ship between the two substance that hooks one to a cigarette? Experts these events, Feras Al- KIB and the various Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH Countries has developed in who already did some research said that it is possi- the Crown Prince Sheikh all the ways in which it is Darmi, Deputy General career opportunities the ble some of those vaping may pick up a cigarette! Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber articulated: those of an Manager at the Human bank has to offer. Our Now other companies are coming up with Al-Sabah, as well as to the alliance government-to- Resources Department, human capital strategies devices using different technologies that do away friendly Kuwaiti people. government, business-to- said “Our participation at the moment are keenly with combustion and are employing heat to bring “I also send my heart- business and last but not in the fairs is reaffirma- focused on finding the nicotine out of real tobacco and not an aerosol. Ha! felt greetings to all my Carlo Baldocci least, people-to-people. tion of our efforts to right talents with the It is Mr Nicotine again! Addiction is in the air! compatriots who are pres- “It is on these three continue attracting and advanced skillsets and My personal belief is that no matter how you retaining talented young technological savvy need- ent here in Kuwait or are waiting to strands that we will continue to Feras Al-Darmi look at it or go around it, there’s nothing good in it. return to it. A special thought goes to build the future of our varied rela- Kuwaitis, as we continue ed to be able to deliver on The harm is there whether we reduce the amount of the men and women of the Italian tionship. The foundations are to seek to nationalize a next-level customer chemicals that accompany the puff or even reduce military contingent present here in extremely solid and allow us to our workforce and drive the experience,” added Darmi. them to just nicotine - still the harm is there. mission: today it is a significant and really look with extreme optimism younger generation towards Darmi concluded his statement Please, if you are blessed for being a nonsmoker, extraordinarily important part of the at the positive evolution of our careers in the Islamic banking sec- by noting that KIB currently has a keep it up. Stay away from smokers when a ciga- collaboration between our country bilateral collaboration. tor. Our goal as an organization is clear strategy in place to national- rette is lit in their hands. Ask anyone who vapes near you to stop or move away from them, and do not and Kuwait. “Hoping to be able to return soon, to get the best talents on our team ize its workforce and invest in the become a passive smoker. Lung cancer, cancer of “We went through sixteen and even beyond the digital - the so- and then continue to foster and development of young Kuwaiti tal- develop these talents with ongoing ents. He noted that the bank is the nose and its cavities, mouth cancer, esophagus more extremely difficult months, due called new normal of this phase - to cancer, stomach cancer, throat cancer and pharynx to the pandemic in Italy, Kuwait and resume the full course of our activi- training and personal and profes- always looking to up its national sional development programs.” workforce quota, which rose to cancer are a few of the diseases you risk getting around the world. My thoughts go ties, I would like to wish everyone, when you “enjoy” a cancer stick. Darmi noted that the idea for 73.14 percent in 2020 - in line with first to the families who suffered once again remotely for this year, a May Almighty Allah relieve you from this lesion mourning and were most severely hit Happy 2nd of June!” these two events comes very much the regulations and directives of and keep you healthy! in line with KIB’s push towards the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). 4 Established 1961 Local Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Established 1961 The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf ‘Recombination’ creates more dangerous THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 COVID-19 strains: Kuwaiti institute Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN ‘Superinfection viruses’ can spread faster, worsen symptoms EDITORIAL : 24833199-24833358-24833432 KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti research center der, medical history, etc. “However, ADVERTISING : 24835616/7 warned that different strains of the the team at Dasman Diabetes FAX : 24835620/1 CIRCULATION : 24833199 Extn. 163 COVID-19 virus could combine their Institute, founded by Kuwait ACCOUNTS : 24833199 Extn. 125 genomes in one patients thus creating Foundation for the Advancement of COMMERCIAL : 24835618 multiple mutations that can result in Sciences, led by their Chief Scientific P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. more dangerous viral strains that can Officer Prof Fahd Al-Mulla had a dif- Email: [email protected] Website: www.kuwaittimes.net spread faster and worsen COVID-19 ferent theory,” the Institute said. symptoms. Following their recent “They believed that the secret was in research’s findings, the fact in the virus and this Dasman Diabetes is why they started to News in brief Institute has urged policy look at the beginning of makers around the world the pandemic spread Drugs found in fish shipment to speed up the vaccina- back in early 2020. They tion process in order to analyzed the viral KUWAIT: The limit that risk. sequences from Kuwait Interior Ministry said “COVID-19 does not and other sequences an Arab national was need to be introduced uploaded by many arrested after bring- anymore,” the institute research groups from dif- ing 16 kg of shabu said in a statement to the ferent parts of the world. into the country via press. “It has been part of Prof Fahd Al-Mulla Researchers at the air cargo. Tips were our lives for more than a Institute identified novel received about the year. Everybody knows processes that allow dif- suspect smuggling drugs in a fish shipment, so a by now that SARS-CoV-2 coron- ferent corona clades to recombine warrant was obtained and he was arrested at avirus causes COVID-19. All families together and generate superinfection Sharq fish market with the drugs. Separately, are familiar with the elevated number viruses.” Kuwait Fire Force said firemen put out a blaze in of infections worldwide and every Genomics and Bioinformatics KUWAIT: The Dasman Diabetes Institute. three makeshift cabins at Sabah Al-Salem single person heard of someone they Department members were able to University City in Shadadiya and prevented it knew that gave their life to this rav- prove that different strains or variants that can spread faster and worsen these observations, the team knew from spreading. No injuries were reported. aging disease. What we are still strug- of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus are co- COVID-19 symptoms, it warned. that it was only a matter of time gling to understand is the spectrum of infecting and combining their “Recombination events are detect- before more strains start emerging disease severity among infected genomes in one patient, the Institute ed only in the samples from patients from different countries. And unfortu- Kuwait Mosafer ‘simplified’ patients ranging from asymptomatic explained. “This means that instead of in Europe and North America, but not nately, they were right, new recom- infection to intensive care unit admis- one mutation in the virus, you have in the rest of the continents,” the bined strains emerged later in South KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil sion and death.” multiple mutations combined,” it said. Institute pointed out. “This work was Africa, Brazil and now wrecking Aviation said that they have begun “simplifying” Speculations focused on the differ- This “recombination” process can done on the sequences that were through India. This study has been some of the required information to register in the ences in ethnicities, blood type, gen- result in more dangerous viral strains available in April 2020 but making accepted in PLOS ONE journal.” Kuwait Mosafer platform after receiving some complaints from travelers. It reiterated that travel- ers must register 24 hours before their flights. Nursery staff ‘Abide by health requirements’

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior called on vaccination the public to comply with the decisions made by the Cabinet, abide by health requirements and avoid gatherings at the public places. This aims to maintain underway the societal health in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the ministry’s security media and public KUWAIT: The health ministry began vaccinat- relations department said in a press statement .The ing nursery employees against COVID-19 yes- ministry pointed to the latest statistics issued by the terday, in cooperation with the social affairs min- Ministry of Health that show a noticeable rise in istry. Around 2,500 were expected to be vacci- coronavirus infections, it added, noting that “the rise poses a danger to the safety of all”. nated by the end of the day. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat International WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021 Ugandan transport minister hurt in assassination bid Indian doctors protest against ‘yoga beats COVID’ guru Page 7 Page 6 Trudeau pledges ‘action’ after graves found

Official records showed only 50 students died at the school OTTAWA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday expressed Canada’s grief while pledging “concrete action” in support of indigenous commu- nities after remains of 215 indigenous children were discovered at an old boarding school. “As a dad, I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have my kids taken away from me,” Trudeau told a news conference. “And as prime minister, I am appalled by the shameful policy that stole indige- nous children from their communities.” “Think of their communities that never saw them again. Think of their hopes, their dreams, their potential, of all they would have accomplished, all they would have become,” he said. “All of that was taken away.” Trudeau, who has made reconciliation with Canada’s nearly 1.7 million indigenous people a priority of his government since coming to power in 2015, said he would speak with his ministers to shore up “next and further things we need to do to support (residential school) survivors and the community.” Excavating school burial sites across Canada, as many have urged, he also said, “is an important part of discovering the truth.” “Canada will be there to support indigenous People bring stuffed animals and children’s shoes to a vigil in Victoria, British Columbia, on May 31, 2021, in memory of the 215 children’s bodies found on a residential communities as we discover the extent of this trau- school site in Kamloops, British Columbia. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 31, 2021 expressed Canada’s grief while pledging “concrete action” in support of indige- ma and trying to give opportunities for families and nous communities after remains of 215 indigenous children were discovered at an old boarding school. communities to heal.” The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc tribe said last Children shoes tiny tributes genocide against our people,” he added. A truth and reconciliation commission has identi- week it had used ground-penetrating radar to con- As the nation mourned, flags atop government The British Columbia coroner is helping the fied the names of, or information about, at least firm the remains of the students who attended a buildings were lowered to half-mast over the week- Tk’emlups te Secwepemc tribe establish the causes 4,100 children who died from abuse or neglect school near Kamloops, British Columbia. end. Row upon row of children’s shoes were left in and timings of the student deaths in Kamloops. while attending a residential school. It estimates the The Kamloops Indian Residential School was the front of parliament in Ottawa and on steps outside On Monday, opposition parties asked for-and actual toll is much higher. largest of 139 boarding schools set up in the late government offices and churches in several cities, Trudeau agreed to-an emergency debate in parlia- The commission concluded in a 2015 report that 19th century to assimilate Canada’s indigenous peo- forming makeshift memorials. ment on the “heart-breaking” discovery. more than a century of abuses at the schools ples, with up to 500 students registered and About 100 people, several in ceremonial attire, Some 150,000 Indian, Inuit and Metis young- amounted to “cultural genocide.” attending at any one time. also marched Sunday in the Mohawk community of sters in total were forcibly enrolled in these schools, Seven years earlier, Ottawa had formally apolo- It was operated by the Catholic church on behalf Kahnawake, near Montreal. where students were physically and sexually abused gized as part of a Can$1.9 billion (US$1.5 billion) of the Canadian government from 1890 to 1969, National chief of the Assembly of First Nations by headmasters and teachers who stripped them of settlement with former students. before Ottawa took over its administration and Perry Bellegarde was quoted by the Globe and Mail their culture and language. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation closed it a decade later. as saying former students and families “deserve to Today those experiences are blamed for a high at the University of Manitoba, meanwhile, set up an Official records showed only 50 deaths at the know the truth.” incidence of poverty, alcoholism and domestic vio- online registry with the names of the thousands of school, where a principal once pleaded for more “A thorough investigation into all former residen- lence, as well as high suicide rates, in indigenous children who never came home from the boarding funds to properly feed students. tial school sites could lead to more truths of the communities. schools, along with old class photos. — AFP

still holding along the main front line in Idlib region Decade of Syria in the northwest, violence levels are at their lowest since the start of the conflict. war killed Prison deaths The new figures published by the Observatory nearly 500,000 bring the total civilian death toll to 159,774, with attacks by Syrian government forces and allied mili- BEIRUT: A decade of war in Syria has left nearly tia accounting for the majority of deaths. The half a million people dead, a war monitor said yes- Observatory also documented a total of at least terday, in a new toll that includes 100,000 recently 57,567 deaths in government prisons and detention confirmed deaths. The Britain-based Syrian centres since 2011, up from the 16,000 confirmed Observatory for Human Rights said the conflict has deaths it reported in March. claimed 494,438 lives since it erupted in 2011 with It also reported 168,326 deaths among Syrian the brutal repression of anti-government protests. soldiers and allied militia, with troops accounting The previous tally, issued by the Observatory for more than half of the tally. The conflict has in March this year, stood at more than 388,000 killed 68,393 jihadists, most members of the Islamic dead. The war monitor has since confirmed an State group or of organisations linked to Al-Qaeda, additional 105,015 deaths following months of as well as 79,844 other rebels. documentation efforts supported by its network A deal brokered by Turkey and Russia in March of sources on the ground. 2020 froze a government offensive on the rebel- “The overwhelming majority of these deaths controlled Idlib enclave which many feared would occurred between the end of 2012 and November have caused human suffering on a scale yet unseen 2015,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told in the conflict. AFP, referring to the latest additions. Of the recent- The attention on both sides has since turned to ly confirmed fatalities, more than 42,000 are civil- battling the Covid-19 pandemic and 2020 saw the ians, most of them killed under torture in Syrian lowest number of conflict-related deaths since the regime prisons, according to the monitor. start of the war with 10,000, according to the Abdel Rahman said that a lull in the fighting Observatory. allowed his organisation to investigate reports of Today the Damascus government controls more deaths that had not been included in the overall tally than two thirds of the country after a string of for lack of documentation. Russia-backed victories since 2015. President “It provided us with a window to document tens Bashar Al-Assad, in power since 2000, was re- of thousands of cases for which we lacked evi- elected in May for a fourth seven-year term. The dence,” he said. With government forces having war has forced more than half the country’s pre- reconquered large swathes of Syria and a ceasefire war population to flee their homes. — AFP

director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World leaders issue World Bank president David Malpas, and WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. They called on the Group of Seven wealthy joint call for democracies to agree on a “stepped-up coordinat- ed strategy, backed by new financing, to vaccinate vaccine equality the world” at their next meeting in the United Kingdom later this month. WASHINGTON: World leaders must make a The officials recommended the G7 agrees to “new commitment” to a more equal distribution of fund a $50 billion plan already put forward by the coronavirus vaccines to bring the pandemic under IMF to accelerate the end of the pandemic. control, the heads of four major global organiza- The WHO had already decried vaccine inequali- tions said yesterday. ty as “grotesque” in March and its chief Tedros last Their joint rallying cry comes as concerns rise month asked vaccine-wealthy nations to refrain that vaccine inequality between wealthy and poor from giving shots to children and adolescents and nations is further complicating and prolonging a instead donate those doses to other nations. pandemic that has killed more than 3.5 million people UN-backed program Covax is meant to share globally. Writing in the Washington Post yesterday, vaccines with the poorest nations. But wealthy the heads of the World Health Organization, World countries effectively elbowed out Covax in the early Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade stages of procurement, striking their own deals with Organization blamed the gap in vaccination pro- drug manufacturers and taking the overwhelming grams for the emergence of virus variants that have share of the more than 1.8 billion doses of vaccine fueled fresh outbreaks in the developing world. that have already been injected worldwide. “It has become abundantly clear that there will The G7 member countries, which met in central be no broad-based recovery from the COVID-19 London under tight coronavirus restrictions last pandemic without an end to the health crisis. month, committed to financially support Covax. But Access to vaccination is key to both,” they said. there was no immediate announcement on fresh “Ending the pandemic is possible-and requires funding to improve access to vaccines, despite global action now.” The joint op-ed was penned by repeated calls for the group to do more to help IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva, WHO poorer countries. — AFP 6 Established 1961 International Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Defying warnings, inhabitants return to DR Congo’s volcano city Scientists fear a possibly catastrophic eruption

GOMA: Streets in the eastern DR Congo city of Gisenyi, just across the border to the east. Goma returned to life yesterday, five days after According to the UN’s refugee agency, the residents fled following warnings that the nearby UNHCR, 350,000 evacuees are in need of emer- Nyiragongo volcano could erupt again. gency help. Many have found refuge in schools, Even as emergency officials insisted it was still churches and host families. Access to potable not safe to return, streets in the city centre were water is the major problem. The UN’s World Food clogged with traffic, the flow of pedestrians Programme (WFP) is distributing food in Sake and seemed close to normal and some shops had Rutshuru, as well as in Minova, in the neighbouring reopened. province of South Kivu. In front of the city’s main hospital, traffic navi- gated around large cracks that had emerged after ‘Danger is full-time’ the volcano first erupted last month, an AFP jour- People have begun trickling back to Goma, the nalist saw. North Kivu capital, in the absence of large Nyiragongo suddenly erupted on May 22, tremors, even though the volcano’s monitors insist spewing out two rivers of lava before stopping the it is not safe to return. following day. But powerful aftershocks ensued, According to an official with the Congolese causing several buildings to collapse and trigger- Directorate for Migration (DGM), 705 displaced ing panic among the population. people returned from Rwanda on Friday, 729 on Scientists fear a possibly catastrophic eruption Saturday and 111 on Monday morning. under the floor of nearby Lake Kivu. In their worst One of those who had left was Francoise projection, a “limnic eruption” would heat carbon Habimana, who fled to the Rwandan capital of dioxide dissolved in the depths of the lake, sending Kigali with her children, where they stayed with a the gas to the surface. host family. Forming a vast, invisible cloud, the gas could Yesterday, she was among dozens of families settle at ground level on the lakeshore city, queueing at the border crossing to return home. asphyxiating its inhabitants, according to this Another was Beatrice Wakandwa. “It was a bit KINSHASA: First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, (C) holds a candle while attending a vigil in Kinshasa, in solidarity with the people of Goma affected by the eruption of the scenario. hard to be on my own in Rwanda, even though the Nyiragongo volcano located in the Virunga National Park, on May 22, 2021. —AFP In response, the North Kivu provincial authori- people were hospitable,” she said. ties last Thursday ordered the evacuation of most “I don’t have a choice. Whatever happens, I of the city’s districts. Around 400,000 people, out prefer to be back in Goma with my family.” “Today, the scientific data have recorded 71 recommend that people stay vigilant, listen to the of a population of 600,000, were uprooted. However, a crisis management cell set up by the earth tremors, the majority of which have not been news and strictly observe the measures set down Around 120,000 arrived in the town of Sake, North Kivu authorities said Tuesday that alert sta- felt by the population,” the emergency body said. by the provincial authorities.” about 25 kilometres (15 miles) away to the west, tus “is still red,” meaning that people were advised Despite a “comparatively small fall in seismicity, Rwanda said late Monday that there was no while thousands more fled to the Rwandan town of not to return home. the danger is full-time,” it added. “We therefore “imminent risk” of a limnic eruption. —AFP

tect government buildings and shops, many of Colombian soldiers which had already been looted. As they pass, drivers honk their horns in support given mixed reception of the troops. Zimbabwe president “Unfortunately the army didn’t arrive in time. in protest center Cali They totally vandalized the Torre Empresarial entrenches power building, and many businesses that lost every- CALI: Inhabitants of Colombia’s third largest city thing,” said Angela Sguerra, a 42-year-old doctor HARARE: In office since the military-led ouster of reacted with fear and suspicion to the sight of sol- from the exclusive Ciudad Jardin neighborhood. Robert Mugabe three-and-a-half years ago, diers patrolling the streets of Cali, but others have But she added that the soldiers “make us feel more Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa is con- been cheering them. Cali has been the epicenter of protected.” solidating his grip on power with moves reminiscent civil unrest since protests sprang up around the of his predecessor’s style, analysts say. country on April 28, initially against a tax hike that ‘Get out!’ Tweaks to the constitution and criminalising anti- would have mostly affected the middle classes, amid The mood is different in the working class Siloe FACATATIVA: Demonstrators take cover behind a mat- government speech mark a change from Mugabe’s economic pain caused by the pandemic. neighborhood, which has been through some tress during clashes with riot police which erupted street-fighting and abductions, but observers see the According to the NGO Indepaz, at least 44 of 71 bloody days since the protests began. “So far we’ve during a protest against the government of Colombian same motives at work-making political opposition all deaths recorded during the month-old protests had no problems,” Juliana Bonilla, 28, told AFP. President Ivan Duque, in Facatativa, Colombia. —AFP but impossible. were in Cali, where the mayor’s office said there Siloe is one of several parts of the city where The president-who arrived in office promising a have been 550 people injured. protesters are nervously waiting for the arrival of “new and unfolding democracy” and a departure Last Friday, before night fell, Cali’s 2.2 million the soldiers. of troops, neither they nor police have approached from Mugabe’s authoritarian rule-is in fact develop- inhabitants-accustomed to the trauma of violent “There have been clashes and friction with police the road blocks set up around the city by some pro- ing “an imperial executive whose power is not ade- drug cartels operating in their city-faced a new so we’re more cautious than ever,” said Bonilla. testers. One such demonstrator stands guard on top quately checked and balanced,” said Kucaca Phulu, nightmare scenario. Civilians wearing bullet-proof Siloe also shows the signs of violence, including a of a communal bin, surveying with binoculars who legal affairs chief of the opposition Movement for vests and carrying weapons fired at protesters as torched shop from which firefighters pulled the was entering or leaving the neighborhood. Democratic Change (MDC). the police watched. charred remains of a man. Nearby a man comes out of a tent and fires a gun Mnangagwa claimed the presidency in November That day Colombia was marking one month of Elizabeth Serna, 40, says the government “milita- in the air. 2017 after a military coup put paid to Mugabe’s 37- protests, and 13 people in the city were killed. rized” the city without listening to young people left Julian Rojas, 23, with his face painted in the col- year rule. According to authorities, eight of those had destitute by the coronavirus pandemic and weary of ors of Colombia’s flag, ties himself to an electricity He was confirmed in elections eight months later been shot. the lockdowns. pole and says he’s beginning a hunger strike to sup- the results of which were hotly contested by the President Ivan Duque announced that same day They are the ones who have taken to the streets port demonstrators. opposition, and will be up for re-election in 2023. he would deploy the military in Cali to help police, to demand solidarity from the government, as well “We haven’t had a military presence” in the Weeks ago, a constitutional amendment granted who were widely criticized internationally for the as job and educational opportunities. streets, he says, but adds that he’s seen helicopters the president power to handpick judges and extend repression of demonstrators. Duque visited the city on Saturday and while and planes circling over the barricades. the tenure of senior members of the judiciary, even During a tour of the city, an AFP team found rub- he was applauded in some parts, others shouted: Businesswoman Lilibeth Tejada, 41, says she’s past their retirement age. ble, piles of rubbish, destroyed road signs, broken “Get out!” happy the military has arrived. She wants them to The constitutional change “is manifestly con- windows and even a bullet casing. One youngster yelled in his face: “You’re killing reestablish order so she won’t have to “defend my spicuous in its intention to consolidate and solidify Since then, soldiers have been deployed to pro- us. We don’t forgive you.” Despite the deployment business when they come to loot it.” —AFP the president’s position ahead of 2023 elections,” the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum said in a statement. and others that the code’s previous wording was out- hibits adultery. Under the new heading of “Offenses Mnangagwa almost immediately extended by five Pope updates canon dated and intransparent. The purpose of the revision, against human life, dignity and liberty,” the code speci- years the tenure of 70-year-old Chief Justice Luke the most comprehensive since 1983, is “restoration of fies that a priest is to be stripped of his office and pun- Malaba-seen as the president’s ally after he threw out law to address justice, the reform of the offender, and the repair of ished “with other just penalties” if he commits offences opposition claims of election-rigging in 2018. scandal” wrote Francis in introducing the changes. against the sixth commandment with a minor. Similarly, Earlier this month, Zimbabwe’s High Court ruled Since becoming pope in 2013, the Argentine pontiff a priest who grooms or induces a minor “to expose that Malaba’s extension was illegal after a challenge paedophilia by priests has striven to tackle the decades-long sexual abuse himself or herself pornographically or to take part in by a lawyers’ association, but the government vowed scandals involving Catholic priests around the globe, pornographic exhibitions” will be similarly punished. VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis updated the Catholic although many activists against paedophilia insist One aim of the revision, wrote Francis, was to to appeal. Church’s criminal code yesterday by adding details on Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi threatened to much more needs to be done. reduce the number of penalties left to the discretion of punishing sexual abuse crimes of minors by priests, He convened an unprecedented summit on clerical judges, especially in the most serious cases. “The new “poke the enemy in the eye”, claiming the courts had measures long sought by activists against paedophilia. been captured by foreign forces. sex abuse in 2019 while lifting secrecy rules that hin- text introduces various modifications to the law in Revision of the penal sanctions within the Code of dered investigations of abusing priests, among other force and sanctions some new criminal offences, which Even with the High Court ruling, the change to the Canon Law followed a years-long process involving basic law marks “the single deadliest blow to consti- measures. The new code falls short of explicitly spelling respond to the increasingly widespread need in the input from canonist and criminal law experts and came out sexual offences against minors yet refers to various communities to see justice and order reestab- tutionalism”, said Dzikamai Bere, director of the after repeated complaints by victims of sexual abuse Zimbabwe Human Rights Association. offences against the sixth commandment, which pro- lished that the crime has shattered,” he wrote. —AFP

‘Authoritarian impulses’ “This could be a case of assassina- Critics see little difference between Mnangagwa- Ugandan transport tion by criminal elements but the inves- Mugabe’s former deputy-and his ex-boss, accusing tigations will establish the motive and him of seeking to create a one-party state under the minister hurt in those behind” the attack. Witnesses to ruling Zanu-PF. the attack told local television stations “Beating up people is no longer sustainable,” that four masked men riding two independent analyst Alexander Rusero told AFP. assassination bid motorbikes fired scores of bullets at “Whereas in the past Zanu-PF used violence and KAMPALA: Uganda’s transport minister, Wamala’s vehicle. abductions to intimidate and cow its opponents in who used to lead the armed forces, was Images from the scene showed order to maintain its hold on power, this time they shot yesterday in an attack which left his Wamala’s car-an official army vehicle have decided to use subtle ways.” daughter and bodyguard dead, a gov- easily identified by its distinctive military The government now hopes to pass a so-called ernment spokesman said. green number plates-riddled with about Patriotic Bill, which prohibits any Zimbabwean from The minister, General Edward a dozen bullet holes in the rear and driv- “wilfully communicating messages intended to harm Katumba Wamala, who was chief of the er side of the vehicle. the image and reputation of the country on interna- defense forces between 2013 and 2017, Yesterday’s shooting is the latest in a tional platforms”. came under fire while driving in series of attempted killings of high-pro- Seen as seeking to muzzle Mnangagwa’s oppo- Kampala, said government spokesman file targets by motorcycle-riding assas- nents, it will allow the government to pry into private Chris Baryomunsi. sins in Uganda’s capital. In June 2018 communications between citizens and foreign gov- “There was an attempt on his Ibrahim Abiriga, a leading politician from ernment officials if passed into law. (Wamala’s) life this morning ... His the ruling National Resistance Combined with the constitutional amendment, the KAMPALA: The wife of Uganda’s transport minister General Katumba Wamala (C) daughter and bodyguard were shot and Movement party, led by President bill shows “it’s all about consolidation of power and a arrives at the crime scene where the minister was shot in his car in Kampala, they died at the scene,” Baryomunsi told Yoweri Museveni, was gunned down game plan in favour of Mnangagwa,” Rusero said. Uganda, yesterday. —AFP AFP yesterday. alongside his bodyguard in similar cir- “We are on a roller-coaster of rule by law as “General Katumba has been rushed cumstances. opposed to the rule of law... the path has been cleared to hospital with bullet wounds and he is In March 2017 witnesses described who was killed near the site of Wamala’s attack in Kampala in 2010, was shot and come 2023 (elections) it’s as good as a done receiving treatment, the crime scene has four masked assailants riding two motor- murder. dead by men on motorbikes as she deal,” he added. —AFP been taken over by the investigators,” he cycles firing a hail of bullets at Uganda In March 2015, Joan Kagezi, a prose- returned home. No one has been con- added. police spokesman, Andrew Kawessi, cutor in charge of investigating a jihadist victed of any of those killings. —AFP Established 1961 7 International Wednesday, June 2, 2021 School’s out for Myanmar students defying junta threats Those killed in the junta’s crackdown were of primary school age

YANGON: Schools in Myanmar opened yesterday for But at one high school in central Sagaing region, a the first time since the military seized power, but teach- slogan daubed in red paint across the front of the ers and students are set to defy the junta’s calls for full building urges staff members to stay away. “We do not classrooms in a show of resistance. want the military slavery teachers,” showed pictures Four months of national turmoil have followed the carried by local media. “We do not want the teachers February ouster of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who are traitors.” University students were key drivers with more than 800 people killed by security forces and of political activism under nearly five decades of earlier a nationwide strike crippling the economy. military rulers, who violently suppressed any signs of Public school teachers-dressed in the green and public dissent. Many students back then were killed, white uniforms mandated by the education ministry- jailed or expelled, and universities were shuttered for were prominent in the early mass protests, joining rail- several years. way workers, doctors and civil servants on the streets. The junta has insisted schools open after a year’s ‘Not one of my friends is going’ absence due to COVID-19, but many educators had Some university classes are already back in session, already decided they could not return to a job they love. but boycotts have seen widespread absences on both “I’m not afraid of their arrest and torture,” Shwe sides of the teaching lectern. “Not one of my friends is Nadi, a teacher from the commercial capital Yangon going,” said an English major at a university in told AFP. Her name has been changed for her safety. Mawlamyine, a city that saw brutal crackdowns by “I’m afraid of becoming a teacher who teaches the security forces against protesters. students propaganda.” The 28-year-old was fired for Her class of 100 is now empty, despite students supporting the civil disobedience movement-one of being summoned by the few remaining professors on the thousands of teachers and academics the junta SITTWE: A school official checks temperature of students in Sittwe, capital of western Rakhine State yesterday, campus. Protesters have discouraged parents and has sacked. 2021. Schools in Myanmar opened yesterday for the first time since the military seized power, but teachers and teachers from sending children to schools that still have “Of course, I feel bad losing my job because I loved students are set to defy the junta’s calls for full classrooms in a show of resistance.—AFP teachers willing to work, saying it amounted to backing being a teacher. Although it is not well paid, we have our the military regime. “Do not be sad when you cannot pride for being teachers as others respect us,” she said. enrol your child at school when some parents have no Nu May-not her real name-in southern Mon state the junta’s crackdown were of primary school age, and promising that parents will be “satisfied” with the children to enrol,” read a banner in Bago region, south will also stay away, she told AFP. The primary school charity group Save the Children said the dead include return of classes. Students at a school near the capital of the capital. teacher lost months of her salary after joining the 15 children under the age of 16. Naypyidaw opened a setpiece ceremony to mark the Teacher Shwe Nadi said she will remain committed nationwide boycott, but said “my soul is pure” because new term by performing a “National Enrolment Week” to the civil disobedience movement, despite fears of she participated in the strike. “When I see how they ‘We don’t want traitors’ song in front of the regime’s education minister, being detained or worse. “I won’t run because I have have killed a lot of people, I feel I don’t want to be their Junta-run media has in recent days carried pictures according to the Global New Light of Myanmar state not committed any crimes,” she said. “If they want to teacher any more,” she added. Some of those killed in of functionaries watching school registrations and newspaper. arrest me, I am prepared.” — AFP

Falcone’s sister, Maria, told the paper she was dis- News in brief Italians aghast as tressed by the news but “it’s the law, a law moreover notorious mafia wanted by my brother and that should be respected.” Malaysia imposes China rejects allegations Dissolved in acid Brusca-who went by the nickname ‘the Pig’ and lockdown as Asia BEIJING: China yesterday denied an Australian killer released who was arrested in 1996 — was one of the most loyal academic’s claims that he had been tortured in operators of the head of Cosa Nostra, Salvatore battles virus surge custody during his two-year detention on espi- ROME: Italians were outraged yesterday at the “Toto” Riina, and as a collaborator admitted to carry- onage charges. The trial of Chinese-born release from prison of a ruthless mafia boss who ing out hundreds of murders, Italian news media Australian Yang Jun began behind closed doors assassinated Italy’s most famous prosecutor and dis- reported. One of the most grisly was the killing of 12- KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia imposed a Thursday, but the court decided to delay a ver- solved a boy’s body in acid, among other crimes. year-old Giuseppe Di Matteo, the son of a mafia turn- tough nationwide lockdown yesterday to bat- dict and a sentence. The 56-year-old, who also Giovanni Brusca, 64, was released Monday from coat, who was kidnapped in 1993 in retaliation for his tle a worsening coronavirus outbreak, as goes by his pen name Yang Hengjun, has told Rome’s Rebibbia prison after serving a 25-year sen- father collaborating with authorities. countries across Southeast Asia struggled supporters he was tortured while at a secret tence, during which he became a state’s witness. After being held in a house for over two years in with a resurgence in cases driven by infec- detention site and fears forced confessions may He will now serve four years of probation. “Brusca squalid conditions, the boy was strangled and his body tious variants. Much of the region escaped be used against him. “The first six months... was freed-the cruelest boss,” wrote La Repubblica daily. thrown into acid in what police have called “one of the the pandemic’s firstwave last year relatively a really bad period. They tortured me,” Yang Brusca was a key figure within the Cosa Nostra, the most heinous crimes in the history of the Cosa unscathed by rapidly closing borders and said in a message seen by AFP. But China denied Sicilian mafia group. He detonated the bomb that killed Nostra”. introducing curbs. the claim, saying his trial was handled in accor- Giovanni Falcone, Italy’s legendary prosecuting magis- Protest about Brusca’s release also came from both But countries from Thailand to Vietnam dance with Chinese laws and that Yang’s legal trate who dedicated his career to overthrowing the sides of Italy’s political divide. The leader of the cen- are being hammered by fresh surges, with rights were protected.—AFP mafia, in 1992. tre-left Democratic Party, Enrico Letta, called it a efforts to quell outbreaks hampered by slow Falcone’s wife and three bodyguards were also “punch in the stomach that leaves one speechless,” vaccine rollouts and populations weary of killed in the attack after their car drove over a section while far-right leader Matteo Salvini called Brusca a restrictions. Malaysia is among the worst hit. of highway outside Palermo packed with 400 kilos “wild beast” who “cannot get out of prison.” Of almost 2,800 deaths from COVID-19 Capital confusion (882 pounds) of explosives, detonated by Brusca near- Meanwhile, Claudio Fava, the president of Sicily’s recorded in the country of 32 million since by. The wife of one of the bodyguards killed, Tina anti-mafia commission, doubted the value of Brusca’s the start of the pandemic, over 40 percent SEOUL: A climate change summit hosted by Montinaro, told Repubblica she was “indignant” at information provided to authorities about the 1992 were in May alone. South Korea has drawn ridicule for kicking off Brusca’s release. “The state is against us-after 29 years attack on Falcone. More than 570,000 infections have been with a promotional video suggesting it was tak- we still don’t know the truth about the massacre and “Certainly Brusca could have said much more than reported, with a string of new daily records ing place in the North Korean capital, Giovanni Brusca, the man who destroyed my family, is he did, he could have contributed much more to get to last week. As well as variants, the outbreak Pyongyang. The opening ceremony for the P4G, free,” Montinaro said. the truth of that period,” said Fava. “Certainly now he has been fanned by gatherings in the Muslim- or Partnering for Green Growth, summit at the won’t do it anymore.” — AFP majority country during the holy month of weekend featured speeches from world leaders Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, often in including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, defiance of coronavirus rules. French President Emmanuel Macron and Under what authorities have termed a Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. First, though, came “total lockdown” in force from yesterday, the lavishly produced video. At one point it cen- only essential businesses-such as supermar- tered on the Taedong river in North Korea’s kets and medical clinics-can operate, people capital, pulling back to reveal the giant May Day can only go outside for necessities, and most Stadium-the world’s largest with a 150,000-seat schools are closed. Travel between most official capacity-zooming out rapidly to take in parts of the country had already been the rest of the city, the Korean peninsula, Asia banned for months. and the world. “Leaders from around the world While there had been growing calls for gather here today,” read a caption.—AFP tougher action, the two-week lockdown will deal a fresh blow to many businesses that have struggled to stay afloat over the past year. “The impact of the coronavirus on small businesses like mine is devastating,” said Philippine journalist’s Lilian Chua, whose hair salon outside the cap- ital Kuala Lumpur will have to close. libel case dismissed “The government imposes a lockdown but the virus is in the air-they need to speed up vaccinations,” the 42-year-old told AFP. MANILA: Veteran Philippine journalist Maria Ressa Fewer than six percent of Malaysia’s popu- has had a cyber libel charge against her dismissed, lation have so far received at least one vac- lawyers involved in the case said yesterday, in a rare cine dose. legal win for the key critic of the country’s President Rodrigo Duterte. Slow vaccine rollouts Ressa, the chief executive of news website Rappler, SILIGURI: A doctor (C) checks on a COVID-19 patient at an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Nightingale Hospital, Vietnam was praised for keeping infec- was earlier convicted in another cyber libel case last on the outskirts of Siliguri yesterday. — AFP tions low last year, but its cases have more year, but remains free on bail pending an appeal in a than doubled in the past month, prompting case that could see her handed six years in jail. officials to suspend foreign arrivals at some “I’m glad to hear good news. I look forward to see- Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one of Delhi’s biggest gov- airports and implement social distancing in ing the rest of the cases against me and Rappler Indian doctors ernment hospitals, called Ramdev’s comments “dis- Ho Chi Minh City. State media also reported dropped in the future,” Ressa, a former CNN corre- graceful”. Ramdev, a keen supporter of Prime Minister that authorities are appealing to private spondent and 2018 Time magazine Person of the Year, protest against ‘yoga Narendra Modi, retracted his comments after an companies to procure jabs for their own said in a statement. The earlier libel case stemmed appeal by India’s health minister and the guru said he workers. from a complaint made by Manila businessman had been merely reading out other people’s WhatsApp The health minister has reportedly had Wilfredo Keng in 2017 over a Rappler story five years beats COVID’ guru messages. meetings with South Korea’s Samsung and earlier about his alleged ties to a judge on the nation’s But he then caused further outcry by saying that he LG, as well as various embassies and cham- top court. A formal complaint by Keng over a 2019 did not need a coronavirus vaccine because he was bers of commerce, to discuss vaccine supply. Ressa tweet sharing a screenshot of a 2002 story pub- NEW DELHI: Thousands of doctors across India protected by yoga and traditional medicine, or Overcrowded prisons have been at the centre lished by another Manila newspaper about him led to wore black armbands yesterday calling for the arrest Ayurveda. Ramdev’s company Patanjali Ayurved is of an escalating outbreak in Thailand, which is the second cyber libel charge. Lawyers for both camps of a hugely popular guru who has claimed yoga can worth several hundred million dollars, selling every- recording more than 4,000 infections a day. told AFP Tuesday a Manila court dismissed the second prevent COVID-19 and that conventional medicine has thing from toothpaste to jeans at its ubiquitous stores. Affluent Singapore-which had barely seen cyber libel charge after Keng said he was no longer killed thousands of coronavirus patients. Earlier this year it launched a herbal remedy called any local transmission for months-tightened interested in pursuing the case and in taking the wit- Baba Ramdev, the creator of a successful traditional Coronil that Ramdev, who also has a TV channel, had curbs in May following an uptick in cases, with ness stand. medicine empire, said last month the pandemic showed said would cure coronavirus. The launch event was authorities citing concerns about variants. And “The private complainant has decided not to prose- modern pharmaceuticals to be “stupid and failed sci- attended by the health minister. the Philippines imposed a fresh lockdown in cute the civil aspect of the instant case, and is categor- ence” and claimed hundreds of thousands “have died The company — India’s 13th most trusted brand and around Manila in March as hospitals ically waiving, and renouncing any claim for damages because they had allopathy (conventional) medicines”. according to rankings published last year — has pre- struggled to cope, although the restrictions that may have arisen from the Twitter post,” Keng said Yesterday’s “Black Day” of protests, photos on viously claimed it had cancer remedies, while Ramdev have been eased as infections fall. Infection in a letter to the court last week. “There was no com- social media showed doctors with banners demanding has also said he can “cure” homosexuality and AIDS. rates have been relatively stable recently in promise (with Ressa’s camp)”, Keng lawyer Ryan Jan the arrest of “Quack Ramdev” while others wore PPE Coronavirus has left at least 330,000 people dead Indonesia, however, which was hit hard last Cruz told AFP, confirming his client had dropped his suits with #ArrestRamdev written on the back. in India, including more than 1,200 doctors, according year at the start of the pandemic. — AFP complaint after winning the first case.—AFP The doctors’ association at the All India Institute of to the Indian Medical Association. — AFP Established 1961

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021 Business China tutoring groups fined millions Government scrutiny grows of private education businesses

BEIJING: Fifteen tutoring firms have been to create a division overseeing private educa- hammered with millions of dollars of fines over tion platforms, the report added. alleged fraud, Chinese state media said yester- Yesterday, China’s market watchdog said an day, as the government’s chastening of the investigation into the 15 institutions - which tech sector seeps into the private education include online apps - alleged they had engaged businesses. in “false advertising”, with many also found to The groups, including major brands like have conducted “price fraud”. For example, Zuoyebang, which counts Alibaba as an Bond Education is accused of inflating a pack- investor, and Tencent-backed Yuanfudao, were age of trial classes to 420 yuan and offering it hit with fines amounting to 36.5 million yuan at an apparent discount of 12 yuan, state ($5.7 million). broadcaster CCTV reported. After issuing fines and warnings to tech Among other wrongdoings were “fabricating companies spanning e-commerce, gaming, teacher qualifications, exaggerating the effects video streaming and food deliveries, Beijing of training... and fabricating user reviews”, has in recent days turned its attention towards according to the State Administration for tutoring start-ups, many of them online. The Market Regulation. The services aimed to penalties follow a warning by President Xi induce parents to fork over money, said Jinping in March of problems in the education regulators. sector, including excessive pressure on young This follows similar practices by Zuoyebang students. and Yuanfudao that authorities flagged in May, A number of potential initial public offerings including a false claim by Zuoyebang of a col- for companies running learning apps have laboration with the United Nations. Intense since ground to a halt, reported Bloomberg competition starting from a young age has News on Monday, naming both Zuoyebang and amped up the pressure on China’s parents to Yuanfudao among those that were holding off pay extra to get their children ahead in the HANDAN, China: Elementary school students draw a picture on International Children’s Day in Handan in preparations. The education ministry also plans congested education system. —AFP northern Hebei province yesterday. —AFP

vent further flooding, but some areas of the ship Sri Lanka ship were still too hot to carry out a complete exami- nation of the vessel. South Africa However, navy divers were carrying out fire extinguished examinations under the water line to ensure that there were no cracks in the hull to undermine the jobless rate after 13 days integrity of the ship, which is also carrying 278 tons of bunker oil and 50 tons of gasoil. Sri hits new high COLOMBO: A fire aboard a cargo ship off Sri Lanka’s navy was joined by India’s coastguard Lanka carrying hundreds of tons of chemicals, and tugs brought in by SMIT to battle the flames PRETORIA: South Africa’s unemployment rate plastics and cosmetics was finally extinguished which destroyed most of the nearly 1,500 con- climbed to its highest level on record in the yesterday after a 13-day international operation, tainers the vessel was carrying. first quarter, official data showed yesterday, as the navy said. In Sri Lanka’s worst marine eco- The three-month-old ship had 25 tons of the country reels from the coronavirus pan- logical disaster, huge volumes of microplastic nitric acid and other chemicals as well as 28 Smoke billows from the Singapore-registered container demic. The jobless rate rose to 32.6 percent in granules from the ship’s containers have inun- containers of plastic raw material, much of which ship MV X-Press Pearl in the sea off Colombo Harbor in this the first three months of the year, compared to dated beaches, forcing a fishing ban and a major fell into the sea. Marine Environment Protection May 30, 2021 photo. —AFP 32.5 percent in the previous quarter. clean-up involving thousands of troops. Authority chief Dharshani Lahandapura said It is the highest figure on record since the Experts from Dutch salvage company SMIT they were still assessing the ecological damage, questioned at length, he said. “We are seeking start of South Africa’s quarterly labor force boarded the MV X-Press Pearl and reported advice from the attorney general on the next survey in 2008, said statistician-general but believed it was the “worst ever in my life- massive flooding of the engine rooms. The steps,” Rohana said, adding that the 25-member Risenga Maluleke. The number of jobless peo- time”. Singapore-registered vessel caught fire on May The MEPA chief said the crew apparently crew who were evacuated from the vessel on ple rose by 8,000 to 7.2 million from the May 25 were still in quarantine. fourth quarter of 2020. The job losses were 20 when it was about to enter the Colombo port. knew of a nitric acid leak on May 11, long before largely registered in the construction and Navy spokesman Captain Indika de Silva said the vessel entered Sri Lankan water en route to The ship was heading to Colombo from agricultural sectors. the stern of the 186-metre (610-feet) long con- Malaysia and Singapore. Sri Lanka began a Gujarat, India. It had previously visited Qatar The expanded definition of unemployment - tainer carrier had gone down by about a metre criminal investigation Monday into the fire and and Dubai from where the containers of nitric people who are employable but have given up because of the flooding. the marine pollution. acid had been loaded. Sri Lankan authorities looking for work - rose by 0.6 percentage “It is not unusual for the vessel to trim by aft Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said the cap- suspect the acid leak triggered the fire. A Sri points to 43.2 percent. Young people have (tilt to the rear) when water sprayed on deck tain and chief engineer, both Russian nationals, Lankan court yesterday ordered the passports been particularly badly hit, with the unem- settles in the engine room,” Silva told AFP. He had been questioned for 14 hours since Monday. to be impounded of the three senior crewmen ployment rate among those aged 15 to 34 said the spraying of water was stopped to pre- The third officer, an Indian national, was also pending further investigations. —AFP years old exceeding 46 percent. South Africa’s economy, which contracted by seven percent in 2020, is still reeling from the knock-on pointing to strong price gains, and Canadians staying effects of rolling restrictions to stem the Canada economy in the country with reduced winter travel abroad spread of COVID-19. helping to give a boost to “mediocre consumer The stifled economic activity bled hundreds spending”. According to Statistics Canada, the econ- of thousands of jobs. The African continent’s grew 5.6% in Q1 omy got a boost from a sharp increase in prices for most industrialised economy was already in construction materials and energy used in Canada recession when the coronavirus hit last March. OTTAWA: Canada’s economy grew at an annualized and exported, as well as increased wages - notably in It is Africa’s hardest hit by COVID-19, with rate of 5.6 percent in the first three months of 2021, construction and information and cultural industries. over 1.6 million infections, including more than the government statistical agency said yesterday. Housing investments continued to rise for a third 56,000 fatalities. The unemployment rate in Its strength was in part due to low mortgage rates consecutive quarter, leading the recovery, but adding South Africa has remained above 20 percent fueling strong demand for housing, continued gov- tens of billions of dollars in Canadians’ residential for at least two decades. —AFP ernment COVID aid to households and businesses, mortgage debts. Outlays for new vehicles, comput- and an improved jobs market, Statistics Canada said ers, games, toys and hobbies, as well as sports and in a release. camping equipment rose, but declined for clothing FORT MCMURRAY, Canada: In this file photo, houses under The figure, however, was about a percentage and footwear. construction are seen at a property development in this oil point lower than analysts had forecast, following a As consumers spent more time at home during the sands-rich boomtown in Alberta on Oct 24, 2009. —AFP Nestle eyes revised 9.3 percent uptick in GDP in the previous pandemic, spending on food and alcoholic beverages quarter. “Canada’s economy managed to shrug off a also increased. Shenfeld noted that Canadians new strategy case of COVID in the winter, only to succumb to a amassed significant savings during the pandemic, up “Investors will already be looking past Q2, with harsher wave of the same disease in the spring,” 13 percent in the first quarter, but “that money won’t hopes that vaccinations will pave the way for much ZURICH: Global food giant Nestle said Monday it was CIBC Economics analyst Avery Shenfeld said in a be spent just yet,” he said, as public health restric- stronger growth again in the second half of the year,” developing a new nutrition strategy after the Financial research note. tions were still in place in much of the country head- Shenfeld said, after lockdowns were a drag on April Times reported on an internal document showing that most Still, growth was “healthy” in the quarter, he said, ing into the second quarter. growth. —AFP of its food and drinks were unhealthy. An internal presenta- tion circulated among top executives earlier this year had revealed that more than 60 percent of Nestle’s mainstream WTO require the consensus backing of all 164 mem- added. Pakistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Egypt, food and drinks portfolio did not meet “recognized defini- Doubts raised ber states. India and South Africa came forward with Indonesia and Kenya were among the countries tion of health”, the British business daily reported. the original idea in October. They have submitted a that expressed the need to start negotiations, said The presentation, seen by the FT, revealed that only 37 revised proposal, which currently has the express the official. percent of Nestle’s food and beverages by revenues (not about COVID support of 63 WTO members. Meanwhile the EU said the immediate goal should including products like pet food, baby food and specialized The new text which they and other backers have be ramping up production alongside measures such medical nutrition) achieved a rating of over 3.5 under patent waiver circulated says the waiver should apply not only to as lifting export restrictions for vaccine ingredients. Australia’s five-star health rating system. Nestle, owner of vaccines, but to treatments, diagnostics, medical Switzerland, also home to major pharmaceutical everything from chocolate to coffee and baby food brands, GENEVA: The EU, Britain and Japan continued to devices and protective equipment, along with the firms, said WTO members should explore ways to has for several years been reorganizing its activities to focus voice doubts at the WTO on Monday about a pro- material and components needed to produce them. use the flexibilities within TRIPS rather than waiving more on health and wellness as consumers increasingly posed intellectual property waiver on COVID-19 It also says the waiver should last for “at least three them altogether, the trade official said. The TRIPS snub frozen pizzas and sugary drinks. products such as vaccines, a Geneva trade official years” from the date it takes effect, following which Council will hold a formal meeting on June 8-9. The Swiss company has among other things been mak- said. Proposals to initiate text-based discussions on the WTO’s General Council should determine More than 1.9 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines ing a major push in vegetarian and vegan products. “We an IP waiver, rather than more general talks, gained whether it should be prolonged. have been injected in at least 213 territories around have made significant improvements to our products,” the traction at an informal meeting of the World Trade the world, according to an AFP count. Just 0.3 per- Nestle presentation said, according to the FT. But, it added, Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects Differences on IP importance cent have been administered in the 29 lowest-income “our portfolio still underperforms against external defini- of IP Rights (TRIPS) council, the official said. The trade official said differences continued on countries, home to nine percent of the world’s popu- tions of health in a landscape where regulatory pressure The United States, China, Ukraine and New the question of whether, and to what extent, IP pro- lation. Proponents argue the temporary removal of and consumer demands are skyrocketing.” Zealand have thrown their weight behind the bid to tection was holding up the goal of beating the pan- IP rights will boost production in developing coun- A Nestle spokeswoman told AFP the company was cur- waive certain TRIPS provisions relating to the med- demic, and about the use and potential improvement tries and address the dramatic inequity in access. rently “working on a company-wide project to update its ical prevention, containment or treatment tools of existing flexibilities within the TRIPS terms. That notion has long met with fierce opposition pioneering nutrition and health strategy”. “We are looking needed to battle COVID-19, said the official. Questions were also raised on the duration and ter- from pharmaceutical giants and their host countries, at our entire portfolio across the different phases of peo- However, some members “continued to express mination of the proposed waiver, the official said. which insisted patents were not the main roadblocks ple’s lives to ensure our products are helping meet their doubts about the convenience of starting negotia- The United States said it was open to text- to scaling up production and warned the move could nutritional needs and supporting a balanced diet,” she said. tions and asked for more time” to analyze the pro- based talks on any proposal that could address the hamper innovation. The positions appeared to shift The initial focus, she added, would be on “assessing the part posal, the official said. immediate need for increased vaccine production earlier this month, when Washington came out in (of) our food and beverage portfolio that can be measured They included the European Union, Australia, and distribution, the official said. China said that as support of a global patent waiver for vaccines, with against external nutrition profiling systems,” like the Brazil, Britain, Japan, Norway, Singapore, South the initial proposal had been laid down in October, other long-time opponents voicing openness to dis- Australian system. —AFP Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan. Agreements at the it was time to move to the next stage, the official cuss the matter. —AFP 9 Business Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Australia’s Cormann takes over as head of OECD Appointment dismays environmental campaigners PARIS: Former Australian finance minister sion reductions efforts,” he said. ‘Fair and equitable’ Mathias Cormann became head of the influential Cormann called on participants in the tax talks to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Global tax remember that governments needed to raise rev- Development (OECD) yesterday, kicking off the The 50-year-old conservative took over as sec- enue, and multinationals had to pay their share in a job with a pledge to keep the global body focused retary general from longstanding chief Angel “fair and equitable” way. The head of the OECD is on the fight against climate change. Cormann, Gurria, a vocal defender of action to confront the often invited to major international meetings along- whose nomination in March was celebrated as a global climate crisis during his 15 years at the helm. side the heads of other multilateral institutions such diplomatic triumph in Australia, served as finance The OECD counts 38 states as members and acts as as the United Nations or the World Bank. minister for seven years until late 2020 in a sort of global think-tank on economic and policy In March, Australian Prime Minister Scott rightwing governments. questions, producing reports and recommendations Morrison called Cormann’s nomination “the most But his campaign for the position faced fierce that are influential in national capitals. senior appointment of an Australian candidate to an resistance from top environmental groups who crit- It also serves as a forum to discuss policy and international body for decades”. He grew up in the icized his record in successive climate-sceptic has recently spearheaded talks on a new global plan small town of Raeren in eastern Belgium and speaks Australian cabinets, notably under former prime to tax multinational tech groups that has become a in strong German-accented English, which has seen PARIS: Former Australian Finance Minister Mathias minister Tony Abbott. Cormann told reporters at his tense issue between European countries and the him likened to “Terminator” star Arnold Cormann speaks during a handover ceremony during first news conference in the role that “we need to United States. “We need a tax deal as soon as pos- Schwarzenegger in his adopted homeland. which he took on the role of Secretary-General of the continue of course to promote global leadership to sible,” Cormann told Le Figaro newspaper in France While campaigning for the OECD position, he Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development tackle climate change and achieve global net zero last month. emphasized his multilingual background - he speaks (OECD) at the OECD headquarters yesterday. — AFP emissions by 2050”. When asked yesterday about the chances of a four languages - as well as his experience in Asia He singled out the OECD’s International Program deal by year-end, he acknowledged that “some which was decisive in landing him the job. “You can They pointed out that he helped campaign against a for Action on Climate, a new tool to evaluate mem- work still needs to be done” but that “we are in a count on me to give it my absolute best as we work carbon pricing system designed to curb emissions bers’ efforts to reduce emissions, as a key part of much better position than we were towards the end towards a better future, together,” Cormann said at in Australia’s carbon-intensive economy, and was a the organization’s contributions. Cormann promised of last year”. Spearheaded by US President Joe a handover ceremony at the Paris headquarters of senior member of the government that repealed the that the program would share its key findings in Biden, the proposal for a 15-percent minimum tax the organisation, according to a statement. scheme in 2014. Greenpeace expressed “deep dis- time for the UN’s COP 26 climate conference in rate is to be discussed and approved by finance More than two dozen environmental groups said may and anger” at the time of his appointment while Glasgow, Scotland, in November. “We have got to ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy nations Cormann shouldn’t have been considered for the the head of E3G campaign group Nick Mabey said explore every opportunity to maximize our emis- at a meeting on London on Friday. role, citing former statements on climate change. it sent a “dangerous signal”. — AFP

Europe, Mexico, New Zealand and US subsidiary Britain. The company’s Australian facilities were said to have been par- of meatpacking alyzed by the attack, with up to 10,000 meat workers being sent New OECD chief: giant JBS hit home without pay, according to a union representative. Powerbroker facing “It’s affecting JBS processing facil- by cyberattack ities around (Australia),” AMIEU climate questions Queensland branch secretary Matt WASHINGTON: The American sub- Journeaux told AFP. “They have stood SYDNEY: The new head of the OECD is an sidiary of the world’s largest meat down workers across JBS operations.” Australian former minister born in Belgium processing companies said Monday it Journeaux said there was no word yet known as a formidable backstage operator but had been hacked, paralyzing some of from the company on when opera- also shadowed by a controversial record on cli- its operations and impacting thou- tions will resume. mate change. Australia’s longest-serving sands of workers in Australia. The JBS Foods is one of Australia’s finance minister, 50-year-old Mathias Cormann intrusion was detected Sunday, forc- largest meat and food processing was appointed head of the Organization for ing one of the leading producers of companies and plays a key role in Economic Cooperation and Development in beef and pork in the United States to DINMORE, Australia: The northern Australian offices of JBS Foods is seen during the country’s agriculture sector, March and took over yesterday. suspend affected systems, and call in sunset west of Brisbane yesterday after the US subsidiary of the world’s largest making $2.4 billion in livestock pur- He is the first person from the Asia-Pacific its IT staff and third-party experts to meat processing companies said it had been hacked. — AFP chases each year. In a statement to region to take the helm of the Paris-based, 38- deal with the breach. AFP, Australian Agriculture Minister nation organization, and takes the role after one “JBS USA determined that it was May sparked panic buying in some report confirmed incidences to the David Littleproud said he was of the worst global recessions on record due to the target of an organized cybersecu- eastern states, and ended when the agency’s Cybersecurity and “aware of reports” of the attack but the coronavirus pandemic. But it is his climate company paid $4.4 million in ransom Infrastructure Security Agency. rity attack, affecting some of the declined to comment “until further record that grabbed headlines ahead of his to the hackers. The demonstrated Pipeline owners will also be required servers supporting its North details are available.” appointment, with environmentalists slamming online vulnerabilities of US pipelines to review their procedures and identi- American and Australian IT systems,” JBS USA said it was “not aware of Cormann as the wrong choice for a job which led the federal government last week fy cybersecurity gaps and ways to fix the unit said in a statement. The hack any evidence at this time that any will require putting the fight against global to impose cybersecurity require- them, with the results reported to the comes less than a month after a major customer, supplier or employee data warming at the forefront of economic planning. ments on petroleum pipelines for the department within 30 days. “The cyberattack shut down the Colonial has been compromised or misused,” More than two dozen environmental groups first time. cybersecurity landscape is constantly Pipeline network, which transports but the attack may cause delays for said Cormann shouldn’t have been considered The new rules, imposed by the evolving and we must adapt to about 45 percent of fuel consumed on customers and suppliers. It said its for the role, citing former statements they said Department of Homeland Security, address new and emerging threats,” the east coast of the United States. backup servers were not affected. opposed climate change. But Cormann has require pipeline operators to desig- Homeland Security Secretary Brazil-based JBS is a sprawling defended his climate record, saying that “action nate a cybersecurity coordinator who Alejandro Mayorkas said in a state- meat supplier with operations in the Cybersecurity vulnerabilities on climate change to be effective, requires an must be available at all times, and ment Thursday. — AFP United States, Australia, Canada, Colonial’s multi-day shutdown in ambitious, globally coordinated approach”. According to the OECD, his priorities percent and 1.8 percent, respectively. include promoting “global leadership on ambi- Italy’s first Istat also said that employment in tious and effective action on climate change to April rose by 0.1 percent from achieve global net-zero emissions by 2050”. As quarter growth March, with 22.34 million people well as seeking to strengthen the global econo- reported to be in work. my post-pandemic, Cormann also inherits from However, the labor market is still his Mexican predecessor Angel Gurria the revised upwards depressed compared to pre-pandem- mammoth task of finalizing multilateral ic levels - in February 2020, employ- approach to digital taxation in a dispute that ROME: Italy’s economy grew by ment figures were higher by 800,000. divided the US and Europe. more than previously estimated in Italy is emerging from its worst reces- the first quarter, official data showed sion since World War II. Last year, Canberra powerbroker yesterday, amid growing optimism GDP plunged by 8.9 percent, one of A powerbroker in the ruling center-right about the country’s recovery. Gross the most severe slumps in Europe. Liberal party and a qualified pilot, Cormann domestic product (GDP) was up by However, things have recently started quit parliament late last year to seek the top 0.1 percent compared with the pre- to look up, with falling COVID death job. He emerged as a surprise frontrunner, and vious quarter, national statistics tolls, progress with vaccinations and beat out fellow top contender, Sweden’s Cecilia office Istat said in a statement. The gradual reopenings of the economy. Malmstrom, a former EU trade commissioner. Rome-based agency corrected its Yesterday marked the first day in Another eight candidates were whittled out of previous estimate, issued in late months in which cafes and restaurants ROME: Tourists visit the Foro Traiano yesterday. — AFP contention. April, of a quarter-on-quarter con- were allowed to serve customers The OECD works to boost economic traction of 0.4 per cent. indoors and sport stadiums reopened visit in the northern Emilia Romagna pinning much of its longer-term growth and world trade, and its 38 member Year-on-year, however, GDP was to the public. “Italy is strong, alive and region. recovery hopes on a 222.1-billion- nations account for 60 percent of global eco- still down by 0.8 percent. is yearning to restart. The pandemic “But thanks to sacrifices made by euro ($271-billion) investment plan nomic output. Cormann said climate change Agriculture and industry contributed months have been very tough, for Italians and the strong acceleration of mostly funded by European Union was among the group’s key challenges when he to the economic recovery in the first workers and businesses,” Prime the vaccination campaign, we are fac- loans and grants, covering the 2021- announced his candidacy last year, along with quarter, with quarterly growth of 3.9 Minister Mario Draghi said during a ing a new phase,” he added. Italy is 2026 period. — AFP education, skills and “narrowing differences on taxation policy”. He helped campaign against a carbon pricing system designed to curb emis- Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, with sions in Australia’s carbon-intensive economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin saying large and was a senior member of the government tech companies have become so influ- W African fishmeal exports that repealed the scheme in 2014. Cormann lawmakers pass ential they are “competing” with sov- focused his pitch for the role on the perspective ereign states. The country holds par- ‘undermine food security’ he would bring to the OECD after having bill to make web liamentary elections in September. “shared my life in equal measure between Restrictive measures have raised DAKAR: Rising exports of fishmeal oil had grown tenfold between Europe and the Asia-Pacific”. concerns among Kremlin critics, who and fish oil from West Africa to 2010 and 2019 - from about giants go local fear the clampdown is aimed at Europe and Asia are depriving mil- 13,000 tons to over 170,000 tons. Jet diplomacy silencing opposition voices. In lions of Africans of food, Greenpeace Most fish oil and meal is exported Born and raised in the eastern German- MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers yes- January, Russian authorities accused said yesterday. In a report, the envi- to Europe and Asia. speaking part of Belgian, Cormann speaks terday backed a bill that would force foreign social media platforms of ronmental group said that over half a The report cited “severe conse- German, French and Flemish as well as English. foreign internet companies to set up interfering in the country’s domestic million tons of fish used to produce quences for local populations”, He studied law in Belgium before migrating to local offices or face harsh penalties, affairs by not deleting calls to protest fishmeal and fish oil in the poor explaining that the industry under- Australia in the 1990s and working his way up including an outright ban. The bill was in support of jailed opposition leader region could feed some 33 million mined food security across the ranks of the Liberal party. Despite spending passed on the first of its three required Alexei Navalny. people instead. Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, more than a decade in parliament - and serving readings, parliament’s lower house said The state telecommunications Fishmeal is made in factories Mali and Burkina Faso. The main as finance minister for a record seven years - in a statement. The legislation concerns watchdog in March slowed down the dotted along the West African species used in the industry are small he is not well-known to the Australian public. online companies whose daily users in speed at which Twitter operates - a coast, and is predominantly sold as fish such as sardinella and bonga, But he was an influential party operator, and Russia tops 500,000. Failure to com- process known as throttling. It accused feed for fish farms in the developed which Greenpeace said constitute a was instrumental in the elevation of Prime Minister ply will result in penalties, including a the microblogging site of failing to world. Fish oil serves a similar pur- vital source of animal protein for Scott Morrison by helping oust the country’s pre- ban on advertising their services, a ban remove content related to child pose. Much of West Africa’s fishing many in the region. The group rec- vious leader. Morrison told the National Press on collecting payments, or partial or pornography, drug use and calls for grounds are already overexploited ommended that governments phase Club in early February he nominated Cormann in full blockage in the country. minors to commit suicide. Twitter said and illegal fishing is a persistent out fish oil and meal production from part because “cooperation between like-minded Russia has in recent months at the time it was “deeply concerned by problem. Greenpeace said West fish fit for human consumption, liberal democracies... has never been more impor- stepped up efforts to impose more increased attempts to block and throt- Africa’s trade in fishmeal and fish among other measures. — AFP tant than it is today”. — AFP control on online platforms, including tle online public conversation”. —AFP 10 Established 1961 Business Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Markaz: PTT Exploration leads top GCC M&A transactions for Q1 2021

KUWAIT: PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Construction Company, creating one of the largest EPC con- and targeted regional companies to a lesser extent. as attractive contenders following several consecutive Limited (PPT Exploration) leads the top GCC M&A transac- tractors in the MENA region that is specialized in integrated Throughout Q1 2021, GCC acquirers closed a total of 24 quarters of no foreign activity. Neither of the remaining tions during Q1 2021 as per a report recently issued by the oil & gas and marine services. The transaction closed for an transactions within their local markets, compared to 27 trans- GCC countries recorded any closed foreign buyer deals Investment Banking Department at Kuwait Financial Centre estimated value of $688.8 million. actions in Q4 2020. In addition, GCC acquirers closed 16 throughout the quarter, which has been a persisting trend “Markaz”. The report highlights the $2.6 billion transaction transactions cross-border, relative to ten cross-border trans- for Omani and Qatari targets throughout the past two con- that was announced by the Thai company through which it GCC M&A Growth actions in Q4 2020. It is worth noting that UAE buyers secutive quarters. intends to acquire a 20 percent stake in Block 61, a central According to Markaz’s report, the GCC market sealed a accounted for precisely half of the cross-border transactions gas processing facility based in Oman, from BP plc. Upon total of 36 transactions throughout Q1 2021, consistent rela- that closed, followed by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, at approx- Sectorial View closing, BP plc will retain a 40 percent stake in Block 61 while tive to Q4 2020 levels yet a 50 percent growth relative to Q1 imately 19 percent each, concluded by Kuwaiti buyers at 12 Moreover, the transactions that closed throughout the Oman Oil Company and Petroliam Nasional Berhad 2020. With the exception of Omani and UAE targets, the percent. most recent quarter targeted companies that operate across (Petronas) will hold 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively. remaining GCC targets recorded zero to negative growth in various sectors, highlighting another trend that has remained Masraf Al Rayan (Al Rayan) took on the second largest the number of closed transactions relative to the previous Foreign Buyers strong throughout the past few quarters. The sectors that transaction as it defined a merger agreement with Al Khaliji quarter. The GCC market received a slightly greater level of inter- witnessed the greatest level of activity throughout Q1 2021 Commercial Bank (KCB), which states that it will acquire 100 est from foreign buyers in Q1 2021 when compared to the were the Industrials, Consumer Staples and Real Estate sec- percent of the latter bank. In exchange, Al Rayan will issue Acquirers and Targets previous quarter. Throughout Q1 2021, foreign buyers closed tors. Collectively, these three sectors accounted for over 41 1.8 billion shares to KCB’s shareholders. The merger is The majority of closed transactions during Q1 2021 and six transactions whereas in Q4 2020, only four transactions percent of the transactions that closed during the quarter. expected to close for an estimated $2.2 billion. The following Q4 2020 were carried out by GCC acquirers. Of the total were completed. Although this implies a growth quarter over transaction oversaw Sublime Commercial Investment acquire number of closed transactions during Q1 2021, GCC acquir- quarter, this still remains far behind the level of foreign activi- Deals in the Pipeline a 12 percent stake, or 960.0 million shares, in Aldar ers accounted for 75 percent while foreign acquirers ty that GCC markets have attracted in the past. A primary By the end of the quarter, there was a total of 27 Properties for a total consideration of $952.8 million at $1.00 accounted for 17 percent. The remaining 8 percent repre- reason behind the weaker level of foreign activity is the lin- announced transactions in the pipeline, compared to 26 per share. sents transactions for which the buyer information was not gering uncertainty regarding the outlook of most of the GCC transactions in Q4 2020. The majority of these transactions Moreover, the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund has entered into a available. GCC acquirers also dominated the market during markets. This concern coupled with the spread of existing involved Saudi and UAE targets, who accounted for 48 per- strategic partnership through which it has acquired a 31 per- the previous quarter as they accounted for 81 percent of the and new strains of the COVID-19 virus and its effect on eco- cent and 30 percent of the total number of announced deals, cent stake in Abu Dhabi Energy Real Estate Company total number of closed transactions while foreign acquirers nomic activity have generated a force of reluctance amongst respectively. Bahraini and Qatari targets each accounted for (ADEREC) from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company accounted for 11 percent. Once again, the remaining 8 per- foreign investors. approximately 7 percent of these transactions whereas the (ADNOC) for $900.0 million. Moreover, ADNOC will retain cent represents transactions for which the buyer information With that being said, foreign buyers demonstrated a remaining transactions were attributed to Kuwaiti and Omani a 69 percent stake in ADEREC upon closing. Lastly, National was not available. particular interest in Kuwaiti, Saudi and UAE companies. targets. Bahraini, Qatari and UAE targets witnessed a slight Marine Dredging Company announced that it has success- Furthermore, GCC acquirers primarily invested in compa- The UAE continues to be one of the most attractive mar- growth in activity relative to Q4 2020, whereas the remaining fully completed its merger with the National Petroleum nies within their local markets and in international markets, kets relative to its peers while Kuwaiti companies emerged markets recorded zero to negative growth.

in the awarding of a seat on the global board of benefit from global Omar Alghanim directors. “As a Founding member and Chairman of insights and lessons, and FBCG, Omar has helped drive our expansion vice versa”. throughout the GCC, so that today our board With a membership first GCC member includes some of the most respected family business spanning all six GCC owners in the region. His experience in leading an states, FBCG businesses of FBN board inter-generational business and improving gover- play an important role in nance will be an asset on the global board”. the GCC. Research by the KUWAIT: The Family Business Council Gulf (FBCG) Alghanim said that over his three-year term on International Monetary announces the appointment of its Chairman, Omar the board he intends to build closer ties between Fund shows that family- Alghanim, as a new board director at the Family the Gulf members and FBN’s global community, owned businesses con- M Sherif Al-Rafie Abdul Hamid Mihrez Business Network International (FBN). The create a financially sustainable model for the global tribute 60 percent of the appointment marks the first time a GCC representa- chapter, and engage members in new ways to region’s gross domestic Omar Alghanim tive has been elected to the international board of strengthen their governance during a moment of product and employ more Kamco Invest completes FBN, the global affiliate of FBCG. FBN is the largest great change. than 80 per cent of the workforce. worldwide network of family businesses with a “I’m honored to join the FBN’s global board. Alghanim joins business and philanthropic lead- exit of 24% stake in membership of more than 4,000 families and Economies around the world are building back from ers on the FBN board. They include Alex Scott from 16,000 individuals across 50-plus countries. the COVID pandemic with greater emphasis on a Applerigg in the UK, Alessandra Nishimuro of Al Mazaya Holding on H Abdul Aziz Al-Ghurair, Chairman Emeritus of sustainable model for future generations. Family Brazil’s Jato Group, Philipp Grodner of Simone the FBCG, said Alghanim’s active role in building the businesses will have a huge bearing on this transi- Perele in France and Joaquin Uriach, from Spain’s behalf of its client family business community in the Gulf was decisive tion, and I will work to ensure that our members Grupo Uriach. KUWAIT: Kamco Invest, a regional non-banking finan- cial powerhouse with one of the largest AUMs in the region, announced that Special Situations Asset NBK inks MoU with Trolley to provide digital payment solutions Management, in collaboration with Investment Banking, successfully completed the exit of a major stake in Al KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait sign the MoU with Trolley, which comes Mazaya Holding Company on behalf of a client. The (NBK), the leading provider of digital as part of our endeavors to create part- transaction was worth approximately KD 10.5 million, banking services in Kuwait and the nerships with the leading brands in order representing a 24 percent stake of the company’s capital. region, and Trolley, the leading provider of to meet the needs of our customers and Abdul Hamid Mihrez, Executive Director of Special consumer goods through 65 branches all enrich their banking experience.” Situations Asset Management, said, “We are pleased over Kuwait, signed a memorandum of NBK excelled in providing an with the outcome of managing this investment that was understanding to cooperate in providing advanced series of pioneering digital pay- initiated back in 2013. Our objective was to enhance its digital payment solutions to customers, ment solutions prior to the current excep- value and successfully complete the exit in line with the with a view to offer them an exquisite tional circumstances, including Fitbit Pay objectives and strategic plan agreed upon with the shopping experience. and Garmin Pay services launched early client. The investment achieved optimum results that The MoU was signed in a ceremony last year, as well as Samsung Pay, which exceeded the client’s expectations and targeted held at NBK Head Office on Sunday, May NBK was the first bank to offer it in returns.” Mihrez mentioned that the Special Situations 30, 2021 in the presence of Mohammed Kuwait, mentioned Al-Othman. Trolley said: “As part of the efforts is continuing within Kuwait and soon in Asset Management at Kamco Invest provides unique Al-Othman, General Manager of “We are committed to provide the best towards achieving leadership in cus- the Arab Gulf states.” and tailored asset management solutions to manage and Consumer Banking Group at National and most advanced technological solu- tomer service and customer satisfaction, NBK Customers are growing more wind-down assets considered non-strategic or some- Bank of Kuwait, Faisal Boodai, Chairman tions to ensure easier and more conven- times difficult to exit from. Trolley seeks to establish effective dependent on the bank’s digital channels and Managing Director of Trolley, Fawaz ient payment methods for our customers, strategic partnerships with leading and advanced payment solutions to make Changes in market fundamentals play a pivotal role Boodai, the Deputy CEO of Trolley, which helps to meet their various needs,” in reshaping balance sheets for companies. Companies brands providing related services that their payments, as 2020 witnessed a 200 Hisham Al-Nusif, Deputy General he added. tend to revisit their business models and extend enhance the company’s position in the percent increase in contactless payment efforts to revamp operations to suit market conditions, Manager of Consumer Banking Group at With regard to payment solutions pro- local market.” transactions, compared to last year, which in most cases lead to restructuring their balance National Bank of Kuwait, vided by the National Bank of Kuwait, Al- Boodai added and said, “The agree- whereas total online card payments rose sheet and sometimes exit from some of their invest- The MoU was signed from NBK’s side Othman emphasized that NBK strives to ment signed today between the largest by 94 percent year-on-year. ments. On the other hand, debt to asset swap solutions by Mohammed Al-Othman, General provide the latest digital banking services bank in Kuwait in terms of market share NBK continues its efforts to provide are on the rise as lenders continue to offer alternative Manager of Consumer Banking Group, and advanced payment solutions to cus- and the fastest growing chain of stores customers with an exquisite shopping settlement options to defaulting clients. However, and from Trolley’s side, by Faisal Boodai, tomers, reflecting the superior capabilities will contribute to enhancing efforts in experience through cooperation with these solutions only provide temporary relief consid- the Chairman and managing director. and tremendous digital infrastructure that increasing customer satisfaction and leading retailer, while caring to provide ering regulatory requirements to unwind ‘acquired’ Signing the MoU comes as part of the the bank succeeded to build over the reaching their daily needs.” And he the most advanced payment solutions and assets in the short term. strategic partnership and close relation- years, as part of its digital transformation emphasized “Trolley is keen to maintain exceptional rewards, as seen in the recent Also commenting on the transaction, Mohamed Sherif ship between NBK and Trolley, and the strategy. He also mentioned that NBK is excellence in customer service quality and saving and cashback rewards provided by El-Rafie, Executive Director of Equity Capital Markets at efforts of both institutions to provide the the first bank in terms of the percentage to provide the most advanced and innova- the bank to its customers throughout the Kamco Invest, said, “Our effective collaboration with most advanced payment solutions that of points of sale that operate with con- tive products and services.” month of Ramadan. Special Situations Asset Management enabled us to help achieve the highest level of customer tactless payment technology, whose role Regarding the expansion plan in the It is worth mentioning that NBK was explore several exit strategies to ensure optimal returns satisfaction and meeting their needs. is to facilitate and accelerate payment and local market, Boodai added, “ Trolley out- named “Best Consumer Digital Bank- for the client. The combined efforts of both teams result- Commenting on signing the MoU, collection processes for individuals and performed the local competitors and thus Middle East” for 2020 by the reputable ed in adopting the most suitable exit strategy and in suc- Mohammed Al-Othman, General Manager merchants. became the largest food retail chain in international magazine Global Finance, in cessfully completing the sale in an effective and timely of Consumer Banking Group at National On his part, Faisal Boodai, the manner, while achieving the added value for the client.” Kuwait with more than 65 branches.” He the annual survey of the World’s Best Bank of Kuwait, said: “We are pleased to Chairman and managing director of added, “Trolley’s strategic expansion plan Digital Banks.

11. ABDULLAH ALI AHMED ALAWADHE CFC holds general Gulf Bank announces 12. JAMAL MOHAMMED 13. YOUSEF ALI HASANALJARKI assembly, to distribute winners of ‘Win 14. ADNAN KHAZAL ALFARAS 15. ALI HUSAIN ABDULLAH Each of the lucky winners will receive 100 percent of cash dividends of 10% your spends back’ their card spends with a cap of KD 1,000 as their cash- back prize. Gulf Bank credit cards provide customers KUWAIT: Commercial KUWAIT: Gulf Bank has announced the winners of its with a variety of travel offers and benefits which include Facilities Company held the cashback campaign, which gives credit & prepaid card- discounts on hotel bookings, flights, and car rentals. meeting of its Ordinary holders the chance to win 100 percent of their spends as Additionally, Gulf Bank credit card customers can also General Assembly for the cashback when they use their Gulf Bank prepaid or take advantage of complimentary airport lounge access financial year ended on Dec during the period of lockdown and the delay of credit cards locally and internationally. at over 600 airports across the world. 31, 2020 on Thursday, April 8, installments of customers for a period of three During the course of the campaign, which ran from Moreover, Gulf Bank credit cardholders can also 2021 with attendance per- months. March 1 until April 30, 2021, cardholders received one access the Gulf Points program, the fastest rewarding centage of 87.5 percent. The And the company has made every effort to reduce entry into the draw for every KD 10 spent locally with a program in Kuwait that gives cardholders valuable meeting was chaired by the effects of this disruption and delay by undertak- Gulf Bank prepaid or credit card, and three entries into points to use for free airline travel, hotel accommodation, Abdullah Saud Al-Humaidhi, ing marketing campaigns and collection campaigns the draw for every KD 10 spent internationally using a and exclusive seasonal travel packages. To further ease Vice Chairman & CEO. Abdullah Saud that motivate customers to pay, so that installments prepaid or credit card. the travel planning process, Gulf Bank credit card cus- At the beginning of the Al-Humaidhi do not accumulate on them, and they had a positive Gulf Bank announced the names of the winners on tomers can also receive free travel insurance for them- meeting, Al-Humaidhi wel- effect in reducing the loss. Sunday, May 23, 2021 as part of a draw held in the pres- comed the attendees and thanked them for their atten- The General Assembly has also decided to distrib- ence of a representative from the Ministry of Commerce selves and their families, which can be used for the dance despite the difficult circumstances that we are ute cash dividends at the rate of 10 percent (i.e. 10 fils and Industry. The winners are: Schengen Visa application. experiencing and the whole world is going through, as per share) to shareholders registered on the due date 1. BADER HABEEB KHAIRALLAH As customer experience and satisfaction are the pri- the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic had a negative corresponding May 2, 2021. These dividends will be 2. SARAH NASER ALMULLA mary focus of the Bank’s products, a number of benefits impact on all aspects of life, and the world has not wit- deducted from the retained earnings, which amounted 3. SAMIR ALOUN have been added to Gulf Bank’s Prepaid Card to enhance nessed what it is witnessing now of the repercussions to KD 7,485,000. 4. ABDULLAH AWAD ALMOTAIRI customer experience. These benefits include fraud pro- on all activities. The board of directors looks forward to the year 5. ABDULREHEIM MAHMOUD JAMALI tection with Gulf Bank 3D secure, online shopping, and The General Assembly has approved the financial 2021 with a positive attitude, as it has approved the 6. ABDULLAH KHALED ALMESHARI instant discounts of up to 20 percent at over 300 statements for the year 2020, as the company’s losses plan of the year with a growth in the volume of busi- 7. JAWAD KHALIL SHAHEEN renowned restaurants and coffee shops, and discounts of amounted to KD 640,000, and this is the first time in ness and reduction of allocations, which will achieve 8. FAYEZ J ALDHAFEERI up to 25 percent at over 150 retail outlets in Kuwait the history of the company that it has a loss as a positive results that will return the company to its 9. MOHAMMAD SUWAILIM ALRASHIDI across travel, entertainment, health, beauty, and lifestyle result of the disruption of the company’s business normal position. 10. FATEMAH ABDULNABI JAMAL segments. Established 1961 11 Lifestyle Features Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Researchers preparing seed samples at the wild plant seeds research This picture shows a researcher checking seed stored in a long-term storage A researcher checking trial plantations at the wild plant seeds research divi- division. room at the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum Seed Vault Centre in the sion. southeastern mountainous county of Bonghwa.

idden in a South Korean mountain tunnel designed to withstand a Hnuclear blast, the seeds of nearly 5,000 wild plant species are stored for safe- keeping against climate change, natural disaster and war. Plant extinction is pro- gressing at an alarming rate, researchers warn, driven by increasing human popula- tion, pollution and deforestation, even before many species are catalogued. The Baekdudaegan National Arboretum Seed Vault Centre preserves nearly 100,000 seeds from 4,751 different wild plant species to ensure they are not lost to “apocalyptic events”, says its head Lee Sang-yong. It is one of only two such facili- ties in the world, he told AFP: unlike more This picture shows a researcher preparing seed samples at the wild plant seeds research divi- Officials preparing to enter a storage room in a tunnel at the Baekdudaegan National commonplace seed banks, where samples sion of the Baekdudaegan National Arboretum in the southeastern mountainous county of Arboretum Seed Vault Centre in the southeastern mountainous county of Bonghwa. are stored and regularly withdrawn for vari- Bonghwa. ous purposes, deposits in seed vaults are agricultural and related plants, storing more tion”, according to a recent UN report. It meant to be permanent, with use intended The facility was built in the “safest spot” ‘Race against time’ in South Korea, Lee said, designed to The world’s biggest and best-known than one million seed samples from nearly warned that farming was likely to be less only as a last resort to prevent extinction. every country on the planet. But resilient against climate change, pests and The vault is designated as a security instal- withstand a 6.9-magnitude earthquake seed vault is buried deep inside a former and even an atomic strike. “It’s geographi- coal mine on Svalbard, a remote Arctic researchers say preserving the seeds of pathogens as a result, adding: “The bios- lation by South Korea’s National wild plants-the original source of the crops phere, upon which humanity as a whole Intelligence Service, surrounded by wire cally very safe,” Lee said. “And we paved Norwegian archipelago around 1,300 kilo- a 46 metre-deep underground tunnel to meters (about 800 miles) from the North we eat today-should not be overlooked. depends... is declining faster than at any fences and dozens of cameras, with restric- Many crop relatives in the wild that time in human history.” Wild plants hold tions on filming in place and police ensure it’s safe from war and nuclear Pole. Dubbed the “Noah’s Ark” of food threats.” crops, the Global Seed Vault focuses on could provide genetic diversity to help long- promise as future medicines, fuels and patrolling on a regular basis. term food security “lack effective protec- food, said the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Inside, a lift leads about eight floors in a report last year, but around two-fifths of down to a cavernous concrete tunnel, them are threatened with extinction, largely where two heavy steel doors guard the due to habitat destruction and climate storage room and its hand-cranked shelv- change. ing racks, kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius It was a “race against time” to identify to preserve the seeds and 40 percent them before they disappeared, it added. humidity to keep them viable. The vault’s Research on wild plant seeds is “lacking samples are largely of flora from the tremendously”, said Na Chae-sun, a senior Korean peninsula, but with a capacity of researcher at the Baekdudaegan National two million seeds, the South makes its Arboretum. She and her team collect sam- space available to other countries, with ples and carry out a meticulous and exten- Kazakhstan and Tajikistan among those to sive process including X-ray tests and trial have taken up the offer. Depositors retain plantations before seeds are catalogued ownership of their samples and control over and stored in the seed vault. “One might withdrawals. ask why is that wild flower on the kerbside But Lee pointed out: “The seed vault important?” she said. “Our job is to identify stores seeds to prevent their extinction, so these one by one and letting people know the best scenario would be that the seeds how important they are,” she went on. “The never have to be taken out.” Despite its crops that we eat today may have come doomsday-defying role, it was built by a This picture shows the exterior of the Seed Vault Centre at the Baekdudaegan from that nameless flower on the kerb- country that in 1950 was invaded by the National Arboretum in the southeastern mountainous county of Bonghwa, as the side.”— AFP neighboring North, and Pyongyang has center head Lee Sang-yong (second left) interviews with AFP. — AFP photos since developed a nuclear and missile arsenal.

stay, authorities released videos of him appearing in good health but those close Dissident Cuban to Otero Alcantara said they had been unable to communicate with him. artist to ‘continue Amnesty International described him as a “prisoner of conscience” while the US demanded his immediate release. the struggle’ after After his arrest last month, he was freed but rearrested several times for trying to leave his home, which had been sur- ome 183 million people tuned in to which includes the semi-finals-50.6 mil- Maneskin and so many of this year’s hospital release rounded by police. During his hunger watch this year’s Eurovision Song lion unique viewers across 234 countries songs demonstrates that, even in its strike, his internet service was cut off and SContest, organizers said Monday, watched the official YouTube channel, a 65th year, the Eurovision Song Contest’s police prevented people, including two with young online fans driving up viewing figure up 28 percent on 2019. The 18-34 impact is bigger than ever.” issident Cuban artist Luis Manuel priests, from visiting Otero Alcantara. The figures for the pop extravaganza. Across age bracket made up 71 percent of Otero Alcantara vowed Monday to MSI claimed he’d been taken to hospital 36 countries, the May 22 grand final in those who viewed Eurovision’s live Drugs furore D“continue the struggle” after spend- by force and that official medical reports Rotterdam saw an average of 40.5 per- online content. This year’s final was swiftly engulfed ing almost a month in hospital following a on his condition were “confusing and cent of television viewers tuning into the Italian rockers Maneskin won the con- in a social media storm over speculation hunger strike. Otero Alcantara, 33, was contradictory.” world’s biggest live music event-up four test with their song “Zitti e Buoni”, fight- that Maneskin’s flamboyant singer released earlier in the day from the percent from the last contest in 2019, the ing off stiff competition from France and Damiano David snorted cocaine at the General Calixto Garcia university hospi- European Broadcasting Union said. Switzerland to finish with 524 points. final. Footage of the lederhosen-clad tal, which announced “his complete The Geneva-based EBU puts togeth- “We’re thrilled to see that audiences wel- vocalist leaning over a table in the hospi- recovery.” Associates had claimed he er the kitsch annual competition, which comed back the Eurovision Song tality area of the competition went viral. was forcibly taken to hospital after start- was cancelled last year due to the coro- Contest in such huge numbers and very David insisted he had not taken drugs, ing a hunger strike that lasted eight days. navirus pandemic. It said viewing figures proud to have brought millions together and cleared his name by voluntarily tak- “After a month in the hands of the beast, among 15-24-year-olds were up seven at a time when so many are still apart,” ing a drugs test. In victorious Italy, 4.3 we’ll see how things go in the streets to percent on 2019, at 52.8 percent. said executive supervisor Martin million watched the grand final-the high- continue the struggle,” Otero Alcantara Meanwhile during the Eurovision week- Osterdahl. “The huge success of est number since the country returned to said in a video published by opposition Eurovision in 2011 after 13 years out. media Cubanet. Host nation the Netherlands saw their He said state security forces had tak- biggest audience since records began in en his mobile telephone and left him “lit- 2003, with 5.4 million tuning in — up 21 erally a month without communication percent on 2019. A whopping 78.5 per- and with little access to my family,” In this grab from an AFPTV video Cuban cent of Dutch TV viewers were watching. adding that he would soon “recount artist and dissident Luis Manuel Otero However, Eurovision-loving Iceland everything that happened to me.” Otero Alcantara gestures in front of one of his once again had the largest viewing Alcantara is the leader of the San Isidro paintings in Havana. — AFP share of any market, at an extraordinary protest movement (MSI) of artists and 99.9 percent. Germany delivered the intellectuals pressing for free speech and biggest audience for the 11th consecu- other rights in the communist nation. The In a sign of solidarity, last week around tive year, with 7.8 million viewers. In Cuban government accuses Otero 20 Cuban artists asked that their works in Britain, 7.4 million tuned in — the high- Alcantara of being financed by the United Havana’s Fine Arts Museum be hidden est number since 2014 — despite the States, which has had sanctions in place from public view. The museum rejected UK finishing in last place with against Cuba for decades. the request, saying it wasn’t in “the public Eurovision’s dreaded “nul points”. He went on hunger strike last month to interest.” Painter Tomas Sanchez, 73, Founded in 1950, the EBU is the world’s protest against authorities seizing several wrote on Facebook: “Cuban art is going biggest public service media alliance. It of his works when he was arrested during through dark times ... the criminalization has 115 member organizations in 56 a demonstration. He was admitted to of difference is not-and never will be-a countries, plus 31 associates in Asia, hospital on May 2. His release was path towards coexistence.” — AFP Africa and the Americas.— AFP announced by the Havana public health authority. Otero Alcantara “reiterated his gratitude to the personnel that looked Italy’s Maneskin pose for pictures on stage with the trophy after winning the final of the 65th after him at every opportunity,” said the edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, at the Ahoy convention center in Rotterdam. hospital. In the early days of his hospital 12 Established 1961 Lifestyle Features Wednesday, June 2, 2021

smashed goldfish bowl, pan- icked birds in a cage, scores of animals needing treatment. The Aloss or injury of treasured pets has added to the grief and trauma of Gaza residents after last month’s deadly conflict. Neriman, a nine-year-old Palestinian girl, clutched a glass jar holding her goldfish Hoor, delighted it had survived after her other one, Hooriya, died in a Zionist air strike in Gaza City. In the latest war, Zionist strikes on Gaza killed 254 Palestinians, including 66 children, as well as some fighters, authorities there say. Fire by Palestinian militants claimed 12 lives in Zionist entity, including one child, a teenager and a Zionist soldier. Pets also suffered, as well as the chil- dren who owned them. “I was so sad that Hooriya died and I cried when I buried her in the field,” said Neriman, of her first fish, whose name meant “Mermaid” in Arabic. “But I was so happy that Hoor had survived,” she added of her second fish. At an animal clinic in Gaza City, Amani Abu Shaaban held a fluffy cat to her chest as they waited to see a vet. “My cat has been very scared since the war. She refuses to eat, and her hair is falling out,” she said. “Even the sound of a mobile phone ringing freaks her out.” Nearby, vet Mutasem Qaddoura examined two cats, one after the other. One needed an operation for a broken This picture shows a general view of the Sulala dog shelter in Gaza City, which has received leg, the other was dehydrated and mal- several wounded animals due to the 11-day conflict between Zionist entity and the Islamist nourished. Dozens of pets owners have Hamas movement currently in control of the Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave. — AFP photos flocked to his clinic since Gaza’s May 21 ceasefire though supplies to treat them are scarce. “The state of veterinary medicine is disastrous in Gaza,” In the panic she left behind her fish, as ing under the rubble, and I found the fish were howling with fear and hunger and it needs a paw amputated,” he said. Other Qaddoura said. “We use X-ray well as two parakeets, Alloosh and bowl broken,” she said. Hooriya had made me sad, so I risked trying to get as animals were even less lucky. Aer point- machines intended for humans and plat- Malloosh, given to her by her father for died, but they saved Hoor, a scene close as possible to give them food,” he ed to an area beyond the shelter’s inum screws meant to fix children’s her sixth birthday. But soon after, she shown in a video which has since gone said. The shelter’s founder, Saeed El- fence. “Over there, we buried the don- bones to treat the animals.” started worrying. “I just had to go home viral on social media. Aer, said he returned after the ceasefire key and the horse after we found they with my father to get them,” she said. to find many of his canine wards scared had died from shrapnel wounds,” he Pets left behind When they returned, she found a spe- Desperate dogs and famished. said. — AFP Neriman and her family had been cial outfit she had laid out on her bed for South of Gaza city, 30-year-old Adel Dozens had panicked and escaped forced to flee their home on May 13, the Eid holidays covered in rubble, the Al-Wadia said he had tried to feed some during the 11-day war, and several were after a Zionist officer warned neighbors bed collapsed and the windows blown of the dogs at the coastal strip’s main wounded, he said. “At least three dogs of an imminent strike on a nearby bank. in. “I heard Alloosh and Malloosh chirp- dog shelter during the bombing. “They need an operation, including one who

A worker tends to a dog at the Sulala dog shelter in Gaza City which has received several Palestinian dog owner Mahmud Abu Edda holds his canine compan- Palestinian veterinarian Mutasem Qaddoura examines a cat at a wounded animals. ion as he arrives at a veterinary clinic in Gaza City. clinic in Gaza City.

Metamorphosis”, who as he suffered century’s key literary figures. Following Most of the recovered material had from tuberculosis asked his writings be Brod’s death in 1968, a multi-country already been published by Brod-but two Kafka letters, destroyed. legal soap opera-some might even call it surprises were in store for archivists in Common French But after the author died in 1924, Brod “Kafkaesque”-entangled rights holders Jerusalem. “We discovered unpublished decided to keep the papers and in 1939 and academics for years. After years of drawings, neither signed nor dated, but bird species drawings fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia for court proceedings and searches, the fifth that Brod had kept,” said Litt, who Tel Aviv with them in tow. The Prague- and final cache was located in a vault at showed drawings of characters on small born Brod, also Jewish, published many the Zurich headquarters of UBS, pieces of paper, including drawings of face ‘unrelenting’ made publicly of the works, playing a pivotal role in Switzerland’s largest bank, and released Kafka’s mother and a self-portrait.”The establishing Kafka as one of the 20th after a Swiss court ruling. big surprise we received when we opened these documents was his blue decline available online notebook, in which Kafka wrote in Hebrew, signing ‘K’, his usual signature,” rom city centers to rural fields, Litt said. In one of the entries in his note- human activity has decimated pop- n unpublished collection of letters, book, dated to 1920, he asks a teacher Fulations of France’s most common manuscripts and drawings by in Hebrew not to get angry for mistakes bird species, scientists warned on Franz Kafka are now available A in his homework-”because I am already Monday, citing data collected over 30 online, which recovered the documents angry for both of us.” But for Litt, there’s years by volunteer ornithologists. after years of legal wrangling. Some 120 only one regret: the “treasure” from Between 1989 and 2019 over 2,000 drawings and more than 200 letters to Switzerland included German leaflets French bird lovers participated in moni- his friend Max Brod are among the written by Kafka, but none of them toring the nation’s 123 most common archives now available for public viewing, unpublished. — AFP bird species through the Tracking the project’s curator Stefan Litte told Common Birds Over Time (STOC) pro- AFP. The documents exist thanks to gram. The effort is sponsored by the Brod’s decision to break a pact with his French National Museum of Natural friend Kafka, the acclaimed Czech Dr. Stefan Litt shows on a computer the online site for the works by Jewish German-speak- History, whose president Bruno David Jewish author of “The Trial” and “The ing novelist and story writer Franz Kafka.—AFP photos called the findings “unrelenting”. Over a third of common French bird species are in decline, including the European goldfinch, the European turtle dove, the common house martin and 40 others, the museum reported. The sharpest drops in populations were on farmlands, where numbers dropped 30 percent in 30 years, followed by urban areas, which saw declines of about 28 percent. Forest birds have fared some- what better, with their numbers falling by 10 percent over the last three decades. Conservation biologist Benoit Fontaine, a researcher at the National Museum, in a press conference Monday described the loss of birds in agricultural territories as a “massacre”. In 2018 Fontaine published a study detailing the decline. “Our countryside is in the An original drawing by Jewish German-speaking nov- Original manuscripts written in German by Jewish German-speaking An original drawing by Jewish German-speaking nov- process of becoming a veritable desert,” elist and story writer Franz Kafka is displayed. novelist and story writer Franz Kafka are displayed in Jerusalem. elist and story writer Franz Kafka is displayed. he said at the time.—AFP Established 1961 13 Sports Wednesday, June 2, 2021 UEFA betting on Euro 2020 success despite challenge of pandemic

PARIS: The pan-European format has been derided, the able to assure UEFA that fans could attend. Seville allowing nations to name expanded squads of 26 players. tournament postponed by a year due to the coronavirus replaced Bilbao while Dublin’s games went to London Fatigue after a long season may also impact on the quali- pandemic, host cities have been dropped and matches and Saint-Petersburg. ty of football, but competition for the title will be fierce. moved, but Euro 2020 finally gets underway next week The remaining venues — Amsterdam, Baku, when Italy face Turkey in Rome on Friday, June 11. Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Glasgow, London, The contenders Following the unprecedented decision to postpone Munich, Rome, Saint-Petersburg and Seville — have all France have Karim Benzema back after a long inter- the competition in March last year at the start of the confirmed fans will be allowed to fill between 25 and 100 national exile and they look a fearsome proposition as pandemic, the health crisis is not over and COVID-19 percent of capacity, with the exception of Munich, which they target a tournament double. “There are obviously will continue to cast a shadow over this European said it aims to host at least 14,500 fans at the Allianz big expectations after the success we have had and that Championship. However, five years after Portugal over- Arena. is the aim of this squad, of this generation,” coach Didier came an injury to Cristiano Ronaldo to defeat France UEFA has insisted on having spectators despite Deschamps told AFP recently. and win Euro 2016 in Paris, and three years after the ongoing challenges for governments, the different health An England side who have the carrot of knowing French won the World Cup in Russia, anticipation in situation from one country to the next and the threat of both semi-finals and the final will be played at home are Europe is now building towards another major tourna- more contagious variants. That is why Munich’s mayor a genuine threat, and then there are the usual contenders ment summer. Dieter Reiter said in April there had been “no promises, like Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium, as well as a revi- There is no shortage of candidates among the 24 of any kind, to guarantee spectators”. talized Netherlands. There is also the holders. “For a long nations, not least France as they look to repeat their feat Despite it all, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has time now we have gone into tournaments not just to of two decades ago, when they followed winning the been bullish, insisting Euro 2020 will be safe. “It will be compete but to win,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos 1998 World Cup with victory at Euro 2000. That this the perfect opportunity to show the world that Europe is told A Bola. They won’t be going into many more tourna- Euro is taking place in 11 cities across 11 different coun- adapting. Europe is alive and celebrating life. Europe is ments with Ronaldo, who is 36 now. Portugal’s group, tries is down to a Frenchman — it was the idea of Michel back,” he said recently. ROME: In this file photo taken on April 20, 2021 the trophy of also containing France and Germany as well as Hungary, Platini during his time as president of UEFA. However, no travel exemptions are necessarily being the UEFA Euro 2020 football competition is pictured on will focus much attention in the first round, along with made for ticket-holders, meaning those entering coun- Sant’Angelo bridge in Rome. — AFP England’s clash with Scotland at Wembley. Scotland are Venue changes, crowd limits tries from abroad could have to quarantine on arrival. just delighted to be at a major tournament for the first There were initially 13 host cities before Brussels was They may simply not be allowed in at all. Fans who are Scottish government’s coronavirus quarantine rules time in 23 years. England, meanwhile, are yet again going sidelined and before the pandemic intervened. In April able to get in will be assigned time slots to arrive at sta- meant their entire squad risked having to isolate if one into a summer dreaming of a first title since winning the Dublin and Bilbao were dropped too. Neither the Irish diums. Croatia and the Czech Republic have abandoned player tested positive. 1966 World Cup at Wembley, where this year’s final will government nor authorities in the Basque Country were plans to base themselves in Scotland because the Concerns over possible virus clusters led to UEFA take place on Sunday, July 11. — AFP Roberto Mancini, Kahn to replace artisan of Italy’s Rummenigge as renaissance Bayern chairman

MILAN: From the dark days of Italy’s 2018 World BERLIN: After 30 years in charge of Bayern Munich, Cup qualifying fiasco to the eve of the European Karl-Heinz Rummenigge will step down as chairman at championships, Roberto Mancini has transformed the the end of the month and be replaced by former fortunes of fallen footballing giants Italy. A flawless Germany captain Oliver Kahn, the Bundesliga giants Euro 2020 qualifying campaign has positioned the confirmed yesterday. Rummenigge had been due to four-time World Cup winners as among the favorites see out his contract which expires at the end of 2021, in a tournament which they kick off at home on June but is leaving six months early to meet the end of the 11 against Turkey in Rome. financial year on June 30. Rummenigge’s departure Former Inter Milan and Manchester City boss CAGLIARI: Italy’s coach Roberto Mancini gestures as he represents the start of a new era at Bayern with Julian LEUVEN: In this file photograph taken on March 24, 2021, Mancini was appointed in May 2018 after an ageing gives instructions from the touch line during a friendly foot- Nagelsmann, 33, also replacing Hansi Flick as head Wales’s forward Harry Wilson (left) celebrates with Wales’ and lacklustre Italy missed out a World Cup finals for ball match between Italy and San Marino at the Sardegna coach going into next season. forward Gareth Bale (center) and Wales’ defender Connor the first time since 1958, failing to score in a play-off Arena in Cagliari on May 28, 2021, in preparation for the “It is strategically the most sensible and logical Roberts after scoring a goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar against Sweden. Since then Italy have lost just twice UEFA Euro 2020 European Football Championship. — AFP point in time,” said Rummenigge, 65, with Kahn, 51, to 2022 qualification football match between Belgium and under Mancini, reaching the final phase of the be Bayern’s chairman when the new season starts in Wales at the Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven. — AFP Nations League and winning all three of their 2022 August. “We are reaching the end of the financial year, World Cup qualifying games. ‘Young, modern game’ and at the same time a new phase with a new coaching “I feel very proud, because it was not a good situ- For ‘Azzurri’ legend Luigi Riva, a member of Italy’s team is beginning.” “It is a farewell with satisfaction Giggs’ absence puts ation when I arrived,” said Mancini, with Italy now only European championship winning team 53 years and pride. That was important to me,” he added. sitting seventh in the FIFA rankings after having pre- ago, Mancini remains the star of the current national Rummenigge joined the club’s management in 1991 as pressure on Bale to viously slipped to an all-time low of 21st. “I tried to team. “I am convinced that the real secret of this team vice-president and then became chairman in 2002, make the players believe in themselves, when every- is Roberto,” Italy’s all-time leading goalscorer with 35 overseeing an incredible period of success. one else said Italy didn’t have good quality players.” goals in 42 appearances told Gazzetta Dello Sport. deliver for Wales Decline had followed Italy’s 2006 World Cup vic- “Mancini has given the team a young, modern game, tory, with group stage exits at the 2010 and 2014 edi- stamped his mark. It is his national team.” tions. They fared better at the European Riva, 76, added: “(Mancini) has based his manage- LONDON: Wales will go into Euro 2020 without their Championship, a tournament they have won just once ment primarily on familiarity. He is a coach who fol- beleaguered boss Ryan Giggs, putting the spotlight on in 1968, reaching the final in 2012 and the quarter- lows the players, supports them, stimulates them by Gareth Bale’s bid to silence critics who say he has lost finals in 2016. talking to them. And then he has experience, he has his appetite for success. Giggs’ absence following his Mancini’s side are on a run of 26 unbeaten match- so many things to say, the players feel it.” arrest on charges of assaulting two women last year will es since September 2018. An all-time record 11 con- In Mancini, Italy have a coach with a solid track cast a shadow over Wales during the Euro. secutive victories was ended with a draw against record as a title-winner with 13 trophies in club foot- The former Manchester United star faces a trial in Bosnia last September. “My idea was originally to ball, both as a player and as a manager. He led 2022 after being accused of butting his ex-girlfriend target success in the 2022 World Cup, but now we Manchester City to their first English league title in Oliver Kahn Kate Greville and controlling her throughout their rela- can challenge for Euro 2020,” declared Mancini, who 44 years in 2012, and won three Serie A titles with tionship. Giggs is also charged with the common assault in May extended his contract until 2026. “We want to Inter Milan. He also won Italian Cups with Inter, With Rummenigge on board, Bayern won the of Greville’s sister Emma in the same incident. continue a work that has borne fruit.” Fiorentina and Lazio. Bundesliga 19 times and lifted the Champions League The 47-year-old had taken charge of Wales in 2018 Mancini brought in a new crop of promising play- Since leaving England in 2013, Mancini managed trophy in 2001, 2013 and 2020. Bayern president and made a positive impression as he led them to the ers while keeping faith with some of the old stalwarts Galatasaray, who he lead to a Turkish Cup, and Inter Herbert Hainer praised Rummenigge for his work European Championship, just their second major tourna- such as Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Jorginho before joining Zenit Saint Petersburg in June 2017, alongside former club supremo Uli Hoeness which ment appearance since the 1958 World Cup. But Giggs, and Marco Verratti. Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo leaving the Russian club the following year to pursue “shaped FC Bayern into one of the top names interna- who denies the charges, has been on leave since was called up in September 2018, before he had even his “dream job” of coaching Italy. tional football - both in sporting and economic terms.” November last year, with caretaker boss Robert Page made his Serie A debut, with Moise Kean, Federico A former Bologna, Lazio and Sampdoria forward, Since Rummenigge became chairman, Bayern stepping into the breach. Chiesa, and Inter Milan midfield pair Nicolo Barella Mancini never became a regular with Italy over a 10- Munich’s annual turnover has increased from 176 ($215 Page has won four of his six games since replacing and Stefano Sensi also joining the national setup. year international career, during which he won 36 million) to 679 million euros, according to club figures. Giggs, with Wales’ only loss in that time coming against Although missing a star forward of the calibre of caps and scored four goals. The love-hate relation- A former striker who made 95 appearances for West the world’s top-ranked side, Belgium. If Wales are to Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Antoine Griezmann or ship ended following a dispute with coach Arrigo Germany, Rummenigge played for Bayern from 1974 to thrive in Giggs’ absence, the onus is on Bale to prove his Kylian Mbappe, Italy’s strike options include young Sacchi in the run-up to the 1994 World Cup, which 1984. He was part of the team which won the European erratic loan spell with Tottenham Hotspur this season Juve pair Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi, Lazio’s brought the curtain down on Mancini’s national Cup twice and was voted the Ballon d’Or winner in was not further evidence that his love for the game is Ciro Immobile and Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne. career. — AFP both 1980 and 1981.—AFP dwindling. Although he scored 16 goals, Bale was unable to make a consistent impact on his return to Tottenham despite the hope that escaping his miserable time at Real Canadiens stun Maple Madrid would reinvigorate the Wales captain. Hampered by fitness issues and a frosty relationship with Jose Mourinho before his sacking, Bale hardly disproved the Leafs in Stanley Cup theory he no longer has the drive required to dominate at the highest level. Having celebrated Wales’ Euro quali- playoffs game seven fication by waving a flag that read ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order’, Bale has an opportunity to show that swipe at Real was more than hollow patriotism. LOS ANGELES: Carey Price stopped 30 shots as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 Bale burden in game seven of the Stanley Cup playoffs first round Despite the exit of his Real nemesis, coach Zinedine on Monday, storming back to engineer one of the Zidane, Bale is reportedly considering negotiating a pay- biggest comebacks in recent NHL history. off to avoid returning to Madrid. It was also suggested Corey Perry’s power play goal off a deflection in the the four-time Champions League winner could quit foot- second period proved to be the winner as the ball altogether and try his hand at professional golf, a Canadiens won largely thanks to Price’s brilliant net- claim rejected by his agent, Jonathan Barnett. minding. “This is the best team game that we’ve played Bale fuelled speculation over a potential bombshell this season,” Price said. “I thought we had a pretty announcement when he was asked about his future fol- good chance all series, and obviously when we won lowing his brace in Tottenham’s final Premier League game five to get our second win we started gathering game of the season at Leicester City. “I know what I’m momentum, and we just kept at it and tried to keep doing, but it’ll just cause chaos if I say anything. It will that momentum going tonight.” have to happen after the Euro,” Bale said. “I’m not think- Price made a clutch save off Toronto’s Zach Hyman ing about anything else other than Wales.” with 2:46 left in the third to preserve the two-goal MONTREAL: Tyler Toffoli #73 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his goal after scoring on Jack Campbell #36 of the Toronto After their fairytale run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, lead. Just one minute later, Tyler Toffoli scored into an Maple Leafs during the third period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on Wales will need Bale at his best to get anywhere near empty Toronto net to make it 3-0 and seal the win for Monday in Montreal, Canada. — AFP repeating that success. “We’d love to replicate what we the Habs, who set up game seven with successive did at Euro 2016 but we are realistic. It’s a different team, overtime wins in games five and six. The Canadiens of how hard our team battled and for it to end on the Six rivals since 1979. This marked just the second a different tournament,” Bale said. Page’s side kick off advance to the second round to face the Winnipeg worst goal of my career, it happened in a game seven. game seven between Montreal and Toronto, with the against Switzerland in Baku on June 12, with games Jets. There were no fans for game seven at Toronto’s It’s not acceptable. The team counts on me to be bet- only other taking place in 1964. All the pressure was against Turkey and Italy rounding off their group sched- Scotiabank Arena because of pandemic restrictions ter, and I know I can be a lot better than that.” on the Maple Leafs, who finished first in the North ule. The bulk of Page’s squad ply their trade in England’s still in effect in Canada. The Leafs finally got on the scoreboard when Division compared to the Habs, who placed fourth. second tier, with 19-year-old midfielder Rubin Colwill a Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring for visiting William Nylander scored with 1:36 left in the third, This latest playoff collapse is going to lead to plenty surprise inclusion after only making his Cardiff City Montreal early in the second period, firing a shot but it was too little, too late for Toronto. The Leafs of soul searching in Toronto, who have not won a debut in February. “He blew us all away with how he was through the legs of Maple Leaf netminder Jack were the heavy favorites coming into the series, Stanley Cup since 1967, the longest drought of any and how he conducted himself. He’s a top professional Campbell. “It’s just tough,” Campbell said. “I just think which was the first between the two storied Original NHL team. — AFP already,” Page said of Colwill. —AFP 14 Sports Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Copa America taken from Argentina due to COVID, moved to Brazil ASUNCION: South America’s largest football tourna- ment, the Copa America, was shifted Monday from Argentina, battling a coronavirus surge, to even hard- News in brief er-hit Brazil, bracing for a third pandemic wave. With two weeks to kick-off, South America’s football feder- Messi negotiations ‘going well’ ation tweeted Monday that “The CONMEBOL Copa America 2021 will be played in Brazil!” and the June 13-July 10 date maintained. The move was met with BARCELONA: Barcelona president Joan consternation in many quarters. Laporta repeated yesterday that negotiations Brazil is one of the countries in the world worst with Lionel Messi “are going well”, less than a affected by the coronavirus outbreak, with the sec- month before the Argentine star’s club con- ond-highest death toll of over 460,000 so far among tract expires. “We are in talks with Leo’s rep- its 212 million people, and more than 16.5 million cases. resentatives,” Laporta said. “I said it the other But Brazil’s vice president Hamilton Mourao said host- day, it’s going well and we hope they continue ing the tournament in his country posed “less risk” to make progress. We want to agree a new than in Argentina, which is enduring its worst moment contract with Leo. It’s going well, but it’s not in the epidemic. done.” Messi’s contract with Barcelona expires “The advantage is the size of our country and the on June 30. Laporta said signing Messi to a number of stadiums. They can distribute” the matches new contract did not depend on the outcome throughout Brazil, he said, thus limiting contagion risk. of an audit the club is carrying out to find out The tournament will be played without fans. CON- the exact state of its finances. — AFP MEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez said “the government of Brazil has demonstrated agility and a capacity for decision-making in a crucial moment for South American football. Garcia returns to Barca Argentines didn’t want it CARTAGENA: In this file photo taken on December 3, 2019, the Copa America trophy and the official ball are “Brazil is experiencing a moment of stability, has BARCELONA: Manchester City’s Spain cen- seen during the draw of the Copa America 2020 football tournament, at the Convention Centre in Cartagena, proven infrastructure and accumulated and recent ter-back Eric Garcia will join Barcelona on a Colombia. — AFP experience to host a competition of this magnitude,” five-year deal next month, the Catalan club he said. Brazil hosted the 2014 Football World Cup and said yesterday. Garcia, 20, who has been the last Copa America, in 2019. involved preparing additional stadiums and reducing celled. “An event of this magnitude mobilizes countless included in his country’s squad for the upcom- Argentina was to have co-hosted the 2021 South the size of each team’s delegation. But a poll last week people even if the matches are without an audience. ing Euro 2020, will leave the Premier League American football spectacle, already postponed from found that 70 percent of Argentinians believed the And mobility increases the transmission of the virus. champions when his deal ends on July 1. “The last year due to the pandemic, with Colombia. But it country should withdraw, and CONMEBOL agreed. This will be a very significant component in... the player will sign a contract until the end of the was left on its own after CONMEBOL disqualified its “CONMEBOL informs that in view of the current cir- resurgence of the pandemic,” he told AFP. 2025/26 season and his buyout clause is set at partner nation over deadly social unrest that has now cumstances it has decided to suspend the organization Brazil’s Fiocruz research institute has warned of a 400 million euros ($489.5 million),” the La entered its fifth week and claimed dozens of lives in of the Copa America in Argentina,” the governing new surge in the pandemic in the country already hard Liga side said in a statement. Garcia came Colombia. On Sunday, CONMEBOL also scrapped body tweeted. hit by a more infectious new strain. Opposition con- Argentina’s hosting duties as the country battles a gressman Marcelo Freixo was among the first to through the academy at Camp Nou before record epidemic surge that has seen a daily death toll Epidemic ‘alert’ denounce the latest move. joining City’s youth set-up in 2017. — AFP of about 500 on average, and between 21,000 and Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez said “Argentina refused the Copa America because of 40,000 new cases per day. Monday the country was “on epidemiological alert.” the worsening pandemic. There, the average of deaths The country of 45 million people has recorded His chief of staff, Santiago Cafiero, added that “with so in the last seven days was 470 people... Here, it’s 1,844. more than 77,000 deaths in the pandemic to date and many cases we could not carry out an organization of FOUR TIMES MORE. This is a picture of a murderous Greenwood withdraws nearly 3.8 million infections. On May 22, Argentina these characteristics. Argentina had a commitment that government.” Uruguay’s team, through captain Diego entered a nine-day lockdown in the hopes of flattening we tried at all times to meet, but the epidemiological Godin, said it would need “guarantees and peace of LONDON: Manchester United forward the infection curve ahead of the massive sports event. reality prevented it.” mind” to participate in the Copa in Brazil. CON- Mason Greenwood has pulled out of The country had presented a “strict protocol” to In Brazil, infectious diseases expert Jose David MEBOL is expected to announce venues and dates for England’s Euro 2020 squad due to injury, the CONMEBOL for hosting the tournament, which Urbaez said the tournament should have been can- the matches soon. — AFP club announced yesterday. The 19-year-old was named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional if the matches are held in empty stadiums. And moving Another opposition lawmaker, Congressman Julio 33-man pool, which is due to be cut to 26 Criticism, jokes as people increases the spread of the virus. It’s going to Delgado, vowed to go to the Supreme Court to block later ahead of the tournament. Greenwood, contribute to a new flare-up,” said infectious disease the tournament. At least three governors in states who made his international debut last specialist Jose David Urbaez, of Brasilia’s pandemic tipped as likely hosts of matches have already said September, will not be selected after United Copa America moved response committee. “The tournament should have they would refuse because of the health situation. But said playing in the competition would not be been canceled, full stop,” he told AFP. Vice President Hamilton Mourao argued there would “beneficial” for an ongoing injury problem. to Brazil over COVID be less risk holding the tournament in Brazil than He scored 12 goals in 52 appearances for ‘Championship of death’ Argentina. United this season, and played 100 minutes The news quickly turned political in a Brazil deeply of the Europa League final defeat by BRASILIA: When COVID-19 overwhelmed Argentina divided over far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s Mascot: ‘Little COVID’ Villarreal last week. — AFP too badly to host the South American football champi- unorthodox pandemic response. Bolsonaro has fought Football-mad Brazil has mostly been holding match- onships, officials decided to move the tournament to lockdowns, snubbed face masks and refused offers of es without fans, though several hundred were allowed pandemic-battered Brazil of all places, drawing criti- vaccines, instead touting ineffective medications such in for the Copa Libertadores final in Rio de Janeiro in cism from epidemiologists and a flurry of jokes. as chloroquine against COVID-19. January. The Copa America was due to be held in Already forced to delay the Copa America by a When the South American Football Confederation, empty stadiums if Argentina and Colombia had hosted. year, organizers are struggling to pull off the world’s Conmebol, thanked him for “opening his country’s But speculation swirled that Conmebol would try to Vidal in hospital oldest running international football competition in a doors” to the tournament, critics pounced. It will be hold at least the final with fans present in Brazil. region still reeling from COVID-19 and-in the case of the “championship of death,” said Senator Renan The COVID-19 curve in Brazil has declined recent- SANTIAGO: Inter Milan’s Chilean midfielder original co-hosts Colombia-violent unrest. Calheiros, rapporteur of a Senate commission investi- ly, from a weekly average of more than 3,000 deaths a Arturo Vidal is receiving hospital treatment With its huge economy and wealth of stadiums gating accusations of criminal negligence in the gov- day in April to about 1,800 last week. But the country after testing positive for coronavirus, his from the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Brazil ernment’s pandemic management. remains one of those hit hardest. Experts say state and national team said Monday. The diagnosis looked in some ways like a good last-minute fix after “Offers of vaccines sat gathering mold in officials’ local officials lifted restrictions too soon, with just 11 means the 34-year-old will miss Thursday’s officials pulled the plug Sunday on would-be hosts drawers, but the tournament got a speedy OK. percent of Brazil’s 212 million people fully vaccinated. World Cup qualifier between Chile and Argentina two weeks from kickoff on June 13. Ridiculous,” he wrote on Twitter. The deputy chair of They warn rising infections and hospital occupancy Argentina. Vidal was initially hospitalized with But there is one glaring problem with Monday’s the investigative commission, opposition Senator rates indicate a new surge is coming. Hosting the Copa severe tonsillitis, but tested positive for coro- announcement that Brazil would step in: COVID-19 is Randolfe Rodrigues, said the head of the Brazilian America now is “reckless,” said epidemiologist Pedro navirus on Monday, the team said. The former devastating the country, where the death toll stands at Football Confederation (CBF), Rogerio Caboclo, Hallal of the Federal University of Pelotas. “Many other Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus star, more than 460,000, second only to the United States. should be called to testify on “what safety measures countries... have the pandemic much more under con- who was vaccinated against the virus on And experts warn a third wave is coming. have been planned to guarantee Brazilians’ safety” trol. It’s hard to understand where this decision came Friday, will now miss the Qatar 2022 World “An event of that size moves countless people, even during the tournament. from,” he said.—AFP Cup qualifier with Argentina and another qualifier against Bolivia next week in Aguero hoping for Santiago. — AFP

Messi partnership Xhaka highlights Swiss squad after signing for Barca LAUSANNE: Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri headed up the final 26-man Euro 2020 squad announced by BARCELONA: Sergio Aguero said Monday that he Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic on was hoping to have the “pleasure” of playing along- Monday. But there was no place in the squad side Lionel Messi after signing a two-year deal with for Brighton striker Andi Zeqiri, the goalkeeper Barcelona. Aguero will become a Barca player once his contract with Manchester City expires at the end Gregor Kobel who joined Dortmund on of June, bringing an end to a decade at the Premier Monday and Nice midfielder Dan Ndoye, the League champions, and his new team have slapped a trio that had been included in an extended first 100-million-euro ($122 million) buy-out clause on the squad. Switzerland kick off their tournament 32-year-old. against Wales in Baku on June 12 before taking However he is still not sure that Messi will be his on Italy four days later and rounding off pool teammate next season as the club captain is yet to play against Turkey on June 20. - AFP sign an extension to his current contract which expires next month. “Let’s hope we play together ... what happens with Leo is down to decisions that he will make with the club,” Aguero told reporters at the BARCELONA: Argentine forward Sergio Aguero (right) poses with FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta dur- Qualifiers moved to Sharjah Camp Nou after he was unveiled on the famous pitch. ing his official presentation as new player of FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on “Obviously it will be a pleasure if we play together. If Monday. — AFP KUALA LUMPUR: Several World Cup foot- he continues here, which I think he will, we will try to ball qualifying matches scheduled to be played do our best for the club as he always has done.” “The signing of Aguero is for Aguero. We want to 275 appearances. “Leaving aside last season, I had in China will be moved to Sharjah, United Arab Barca will hope Aguero’s arrival in Catalonia helps build a competitive team and obviously we also want nine very good years at City,” said Aguero. “A knee Emirates, after coronavirus infections in the to convince his friend and fellow Argentine Messi to Leo to stay, we have already told him this,” Laporta issue kept me out for a few months, I recovered, I Syria and Maldives teams, officials said yester- stay, as the club faces up to declining performances said. Aguero’s signing for Barca comes two days got COVID ... but in the last four months I’ve felt day. Seven Asian qualifying Group A fixtures on the pitch and a worrying financial situation. Ronald after he missed out on winning the Champions very good physically.” His move to Barcelona had involving China, Syria, Maldives, the Koeman’s side finished third in La Liga this past sea- League with City, Pep Guardiola’s side losing this been long in the offing, with Guardiola saying a son and have debts of 1.2 billion euros ($1.46 billion). Philippines and Guam are affected, playing season’s final to Chelsea at the end of a season dis- week ago that he was close to a deal with the further havoc with the already heavily disrupt- They were knocked out of the Champions League rupted by injury. Catalan giants. at the last-16 stage by Paris Saint-Germain, and could ed Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The His final appearance for City was as a substitute He will participate in this year’s Copa America, Chinese Football Association originally said on yet face sanctions from UEFA for refusing to back out for Raheem Sterling late in the final in Porto as the which on Monday was moved from Colombia and his Monday the fixtures would be moved to of the short-lived European Super League project. newly-crowned Premier League champions tried in home country Argentina to Brazil. “If they have made Last week club president Joan Laporta said that talks vain to win Europe’s top prize for the first time. He that decision it is because things are not going well in Dubai, but the Asian Football Confederation for Messi’s new contract were “going well”, and on leaves City as their all-time record goalscorer with Argentina, there have been a lot of infections over the (AFC) clarified yesterday they would take Monday insisted that Aguero’s signing was part of a 260 goals, and with the most goals scored for a sin- last few days and many deaths. I think it was a good place in neighboring Sharjah. — AFP broader Barca rebuild. gle club in Premier League history — 184 goals in decision,” said Aguero. — AFP Established 1961 15 Sports Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Osaka crisis throws light on stars’ mental health and media ‘voyeurism’

PARIS: Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from Williams. She was just 20, stood awkwardly court- the French Open, after revealing her battle with side, covering her face with her visor. depression and anxiety, has thrown the tournament into turmoil and cast a harsh light on the mental ‘Hard time coping’ health of the sport’s superstars. “The truth is I have suffered bouts of depression The 23-year-old world number two, and four- since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really time major winner, said she will now take a break hard time coping with that.” She added: “In Paris, I from the sport, putting her participation at was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I Wimbledon and even her home Olympics at risk. thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip Osaka was fined $15,000 and threatened with dis- the press conferences.” qualification from Roland Garros after she refused Williams, a veteran of press conferences in a to honor mandatory media commitments. career which is now in its fourth decade, believes all She claims they are detrimental to her mental players should have access to counseling. “I think health and likened the traditional post-match news that’s so important to have a sounding board, conference to “kicking people when they’re down”. whether it’s someone at the WTA or whether it’s “There’s a sense of voyeurism around how it present- someone in your life,” said the American star. ly works,” wrote Peter Terry, a professor of psychol- Terry believes Osaka is right to avoid the spot- ogy at the University of Southern Queensland in light when she is suffering from depression. Key is a Australia on theconversation.com, yesterday. family support group and, if needed, professional “Perhaps some want to see athletes crumble and help. “The media don’t meet those criteria. So trying break down into tears, having put them on a to deal with serious mental health issues in the glare pedestal. Osaka is a young, introverted, anxious of publicity is next to impossible,” he wrote. “There person. We should by now understand that sports are considerable forces pushing her toward even stars are not super human, that they have the same greater levels of anxiety. Could you imagine the lev- doubts and mental health issues as everyone else.” el of expectations on her at the Tokyo Olympics?” Terry worked with the WTA for over a decade If Osaka wanted advice on her next step, she PARIS: Japan’s Naomi Osaka celebrates after winning against Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig during their and sat on a commission which drew up guidelines could talk to fellow professional Rebecca Marino. women’s singles first round tennis match on Day 1 of The Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis tournament to help players avoid burn-out and deal with pres- The Canadian, a former top 40 player, quit the sport in Paris on Sunday. —AFP sure when in their mid-teens. One of the outcomes in 2013, citing crippling depression and online was ruling how many tournaments a player could abuse. “Some people wrote to me that I had to die, enter before a certain age. others insulted me in a vulgar way,” said Marino ments, I was constantly looking for them on social now be crucial for Osaka. “My message is, ‘Just Osaka said her mental health struggles began in who left tennis for four years to pursue other inter- networks and on the internet.” start the communication, just start talking to some- 2018 when she won the first of her four majors at ests. “I was too sensitive to everything that was said When Marino returned to Grand Slam tennis in one about what’s going on in your life; reach out, the US Open in a controversial final against Serena and written about me. Instead of avoiding com- Australia this year, she offered advice which could get help’.” —AFP Serena ‘feels for’ Osaka, has also experienced ‘very difficult’ press conferences Sympathy for Osaka PARIS: Serena Williams said she “feels for” Naomi set points in a first-set tie-break as she started her Osaka and has also experienced “very difficult” latest bid for a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam in Japan over French press conferences in her career after her rival’s singles title. Williams, who has lost four major finals shock withdrawal from the French Open on since her last Slam success at the 2017 Australian Open withdrawal Monday. Japanese star Osaka pulled out of the Open, will take on Begu’s compatriot Mihaela TOKYO: Japanese fans and public figures rallied in tournament after being threatened with disqualifi- Buzarnescu in the second round. “It wasn’t easy in support of tennis star Naomi Osaka yesterday, cation for declining to speak to the media, saying that first set. offering sympathy after she withdrew from the she suffers from “bouts of depression”. I was up and I felt like I had some opportunities. French Open and opened up about her battles with Williams, who famously lost to Osaka in the con- She’s a really good player, she’s had some really depression. troversial 2018 US Open final, said she sympathises good wins so I was really happy I was able to get The four-time Grand Slam winner’s career is fol- with Osaka. “The only thing I feel is that I feel for that first set and the match,” said the three-time lowed closely in Japan and the controversy in Paris, Naomi. I feel like I wish I could give her a hug Roland Garros champion. which followed her refusal to attend press confer- because I know what it’s like,” said the 39-year-old, The first official night match under the lights on ences, led news bulletins yesterday. Reaction in after her first-round 7-6 (8/6), 6-2 win over Irina- Court Philippe Chatrier was played behind closed Japan was largely sympathetic, with one Twitter Camelia Begu in the first ever night match at doors due to a 9pm curfew imposed by the French PARIS: Serena Williams of the US reacts at the end of user urging Osaka to “take a good, long break”. “I Roland Garros. government due to COVID-19. Williams, who had the women’s singles first round tennis match against hope she gets to eat what she wants, watch what “We have different personalities, and people are suffered early defeats in both Roma and Parma ear- Romania’s Irina Begu at the court Philippe Chatrier on she wants and listen to what she wants. I hope she different. Not everyone is the same. I’m thick. Other lier this month, improved as the match progressed. Day 2 of The Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis wraps herself up in a fluffy blanket and takes it easy people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone Begu fought back from 5-2 down in the opening tournament in Paris on Monday. —AFP until she feels content.” handles things differently. You just have to let her set, but failed to serve it out when leading 6-5 and Osaka revealed that she has “suffered long handle it the way she wants to... I’ve been where then saw two set points come and go when leading grip on the tie by breaking 74th-ranked Begu in the bouts of depression” after pulling out of the I’ve been very difficult to walk in (to press confer- the breaker 6-4. Williams needed only one oppor- first game of the second set. She moved through French Open on Monday, and will “take some time ences) in those moments. But, you know, it made tunity, driving a forehand volley into the corner to the gears on her own serve from there and broke away from the court”. me stronger.” take control. again in the seventh game before wrapping up vic- Her withdrawal follows the fall-out from her Williams, seeded seventh this year, saved two The former world number one strengthened her tory after an hour and 42 minutes. —AFP decision to boycott press conferences at the tournament, which she said were like “kicking people when they are down”. Andres Iniesta (football) depression in the aftermath of losing her undefeated record Osaka is expected to represent Japan at the Other sports Barcelona’s former midfield maestro opened up about his to Holly Holm in 2015, even considering suicide. Rousey, now July-August Tokyo Olympics, and will be one of struggle with depression in a TV documentary last year. 34, retired from the sport after suffering a second straight the host country’s highest-profile athletes at the Iniesta, who won two European Championship titles and the UFC loss the following year. “I did a whole lot of crying, iso- Games if she takes part. But Japanese fans urged stars to suffer 2010 World Cup with Spain, said he was badly affected by the lating myself,” she told The Guardian in 2018. The American, her to take care of herself first and foremost. death of his friend Dani Jarque in 2009. The 26-year-old a 2008 Olympic judo bronze medalist, has also enjoyed suc- “I will be happy as a fan if she can restore her with depression Espanyol defender died of a heart attack. “That was like a cess as an actor. energy after this and make a comeback,” a 45- body blow, something powerful that knocked me down again year-old who gave his name as Hoshino told AFP and I was pretty low, clearly because I wasn’t very well,” said Marcus Trescothick (cricket) PARIS: Four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka in Tokyo. “I dare say she might withdraw from Iniesta, who suffered from depression shortly after The former England opening batsman has been open withdrew from the French Open, saying she has suffered from Barcelona’s 2009 Champions League success. “The days pass about his mental health issues since pulling out of the 2006- the Tokyo Olympics,” wrote one Twitter user. “bouts of depression” for almost three years, raising ques- and you realize you’re not improving, you don’t feel good, 07 Ashes tour. Since then, his former international teammates “It’s disappointing, but I hope she takes her time tions about how mental health issues are dealt with in profes- you’re not yourself. Everything clouds over and goes dark.” Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff have been among a and gets well.” sional sport. Here, AFP Sport looks at six other sportspeople large number of cricketers to speak about how they strug- Others welcomed Osaka’s openness about her who also struggled with depression: Robert Enke (football) gled with depression during their careers. mental health, a subject rarely discussed by pub- Hanover goalkeeper Robert Enke took his own life on “Thankfully mental well-being is increasingly taken more lic figures in Japan. Former tennis player Ai Michael Phelps (swimming) November 10, 2009, aged only 32, after suffering with seriously and along with that comes a decreasing stigma for Sugiyama told a morning show she hoped The record-breaking 23-time Olympic champion has depression. He was expected to be Germany’s number one sufferers,” Trescothick said when launching a new campaign to Osaka’s actions could “make a splash and create often opened up about his battles with depression, saying he goalkeeper at the 2010 World Cup. The Robert Enke help players tackle depression and addictive behavior in 2012. an opportunity to talk about athlete’s mental struggled after each Games in which he competed. “I was Foundation was set up in his memory to help educate the able to do some pretty incredible things in the swimming health”, the Sports Hochi reported. public about depression in children. “I won’t get over his Christophe Dominici (rugby union) pool and I struggled outside as well,” Phelps said in 2018. “There’s a big difference between people’s death, I just learn to live with it,” his wife Teresa said on the The France wing, who scored one of rugby’s most famous “There was part of my life I didn’t want to be alive.” personalities, and I think we need to consider third anniversary of his death. A study by world footballers’ tries against New Zealand at the 1999 World Cup, suffered from Phelps said he stayed in one room after the 2012 London things on a case-by-case basis,” said Sugiyama, union FIFPro in 2015 said that depression and anxiety affect depression. In his 2007 autobiography, he admitted a personal Olympics for days. “If you are in a spot where you need help, who reached a career-high number eight world over a third of professional players. loss had triggered depression and that he had been abused as a to reach out and ask for help,” said Phelps on athletes poten- ranking. “I think the system where you absolutely child. Dominici was found dead, aged just 48, in November last tially struggling with the delay of the Tokyo Olympics last have to turn up and you’re fined if you don’t is a Ronda Rousey (MMA) year, with police saying he was seen by a witness jumping from year due to COVID-19. “It was something that was very diffi- little outdated.” —AFP Mixed martial arts star Rousey said she was hit by the roof of a disused building in Paris. —AFP cult for me to do.” Established 1961 Sport

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021 Wizards stave off elimination vs 76ers, Jazz hold off Grizzlies

LOS ANGELES: Russell Westbrook Bertans scored 12 of his 15 points in and Bradley Beal proved to be too the first quarter. “We got stops when much to handle Monday as the we needed to,” said Westbrook. Washington Wizards stayed alive in “They made some big shots but we the NBA playoffs by beating the rebounded well when we needed to.” Philadelphia 76ers 122-114 in game Tobias Harris recorded 21 points four at Washington. and 13 rebounds for the 76ers, who Westbrook finished with 19 points, were bidding for their first sweep of 21 rebounds and 14 assists, while Beal a best-of-seven series since elimi- delivered a game-high 27 points for nating Milwaukee in 1985. “Each guy the Wizards, who avoided being thought they had to win the game for swept in four straight in the best-of- us,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. seven Eastern Conference series. “You’ve still got to play right. Beal scored the 1,000th postsea- Tonight we didn’t play right, on son point of his career early in the either end.” game, while Westbrook recorded the Hachimura helped the Wizards 12th career triple-double in the play- rediscover their scoring touch on offs, to move into third place on the Monday, especially from three-point all-time list. “I have never been down range. After making just two of 22 3-0 so I be damned if I get out of threes in game two, and eight of 35 here without a win,” said Beal. on Saturday, the Wizards hit nine-of- The Sixers lost four-time all-star 24 on Monday. Joel Embiid with an injury in the first quarter. Embiid hurt his knee after Embiid hurt falling on a drive to the basket, leav- Philadelphia led by three, 31-28, at ing him with just eight points on the the end of the first and by just one, night after scoring 36 in a game 61-60, at the half. The Wizards three victory. dynamic duo helped them grab the Philadelphia still holds a 3-1 lead lead in the third and then it was a with game five on Wednesday at matter of holding off the Sixers down home. It is an uphill battle for the the stretch. Hachimura drained a eighth-seeded Wizards. While it has clutch 24-foot three pointer with 45 happened in the NHL and Major seconds left to make it 118-112 and WASHINGTON: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards gives his shoes to a fan after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers during League Baseball, no NBA team has put the game out of reach. Game Four of the Eastern Conference first round series at Capital One Arena on Monday in Washington, DC. — AFP ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a Elsewhere, Donovan Mitchell had playoff series. 30 points and Rudy Gobert scored Rui Hachimura, of Japan, finished 13 of his 17 in the third quarter as Conference series. finished with 23 points and 12 assists, for Memphis. The top-seeded Jazz with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz beat the Memphis Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points, Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson each can close out the first round, best-of- Robin Lopez came off the bench to Grizzlies 120-113 to take a strangle- Bojan Bogdanovic added 13 and Mike added 21, and Jonas Valanciunas fin- seven series Wednesday in game five score 16 for the Wizards. Davis hold 3-1 lead in their Western Conley had 11 in the win. Ja Morant ished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Salt Lake City. — AFP