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FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 / RAJAB 8-9, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17618 16 PAGES 150 FILS Biden immigration bill to up per-country family caps Broad priorities Staring down Saddam ... who still won’t go away WASHINGTON, Feb 18, — Details Page 2 — (AP): President Joe Biden’s administration is joining Dem- ocrats on Capitol Hill to unveil a major immigration overhaul that would offer an eight-year pathway to citizenship to the estimated 11 million people living in the US without legal ‘Constitution ... Constitution’ status. The legislation, to be re- leased in detail Thursday ‘Let MPs play their role’ morning, will reflect the broad Opinion priorities for immigration re- form that Biden laid out on his By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh first day in office, including an Arab Times Staff increase in visas, funding to Are Gog, Magog back process asylum applications and new technology at the KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: A total of 12 MPs signed a statement in response to the southern border. decree issued by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- But while the plan offers to wreck our Earth? Sabah to suspend the National Assembly sessions for 30 days. one of the fastest pathways to The MPs stressed that the heads of the executive and legislative authorities are responsible for worsen- citizenship of any proposed ing the crisis by manipulating the Constitution and challenging the people’s will. measure in recent years, it They enumerated three ways does so without offering any By Ahmed Al-Jarallah this country avoid public work for this to overcome the crisis as follows: enhanced border security, Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times reason. respect the Constitution, allow which past immigration ne- This situation has continued since af- Partial curfew on the cards the MPs to play their role and gotiations have used as a way HAS Kuwaiti democracy exhausted it- ter the liberation of the country from the use their parliamentary tools, and to win Republican votes. self and reached a stage where it suffers Iraqi occupation. Talking about libera- — Details Page 4 — activate the separation of powers Without enhanced security, it from illnesses related to early aging? Or tion, it was a historical opportunity that principle. faces tough odds in a closely is there still any room to remedy and re- could have been properly utilized to re- The MPs emphasized the need build the state on clear and modern foun- divided Congress. form what has been spoiled by the mis- to avoid dragging the judicial The bill would immediately conception about this kind of system that dations, instead of slipping into the cur- authority in political disputes to rent situation. provide green cards to farm elevates nations instead of dragging them protect its dignity and maintain workers, those with temporary into ruin and downfall? The image of our country is distorted its status as a trustful haven for This question is for all officials who abroad, be it through the many reports on all parties. protected status and young seem to have not realized the high price human trafficking (visa trading) or money In conclusion, the MPs people who arrived in the US that the country will pay as a result of the laundering scandals, and blatant bribery, stressed that reform is possible illegally as children. For oth- current crisis, let alone the fact that the which has become a source of bragging only through social reconcilia- ers living in the US as of Jan loss expands with every new dawn. Rais- for the culprits. We have seen this in a tion and combating corruption. 1, 2021, the plan establishes ing the ceiling of aggravation and escala- number of files, some of which are with The lawmakers who signed the a five-year path to tempo- tion would definitely lead to suicide. the courts. statement include Muhammad rary legal status, if they pass Undoubtedly, we all know the actual It is really unfortunate that Kuwait, Al-Mutair, Mubarak Al-Hajraf, which was the pearl of the Gulf, is lag- background checks, pay taxes reason that led Kuwait to choose demo- Musaed Al-Ardi, Soud Bu Sleeb, and fulfill other basic require- cratic system as its source of authority. In ging behind and descending into a very Badr Al-Dahoum, Shuaib Al- ugly depth. There are neighboring coun- ments. Then, after three years, 1961 when the then Iraqi President Abdul Muwaizri, Thamer Al-Suwait, they can pursue citizenship. Qasim attempted to derail Kuwait’s inde- tries that are on their way to leadership, Marzouq Al-Khalifa, Abdulka- pendence with the support of the Soviet and have plans that their institutions are reem Al-Kandari, Khalid Al- Raise working on implementing under the guid- Union, the British advised Kuwait about Otaibi, Fares Al-Otaibi and Al- The plan would raise the the need to establish institutions and ance of enlightened rulers who are aware Saifi Mubarak Al-Saifi. draw up a constitution on the basis of the of the needs of their people. Their doors In a related development, sev- current per-country caps for democratic system in order to facilitate are open to all, and they choose “shura” eral MPs reacted to the Amiri family and employment-based its admission into the United Nations as (consultation) councils from a social and Decree on the suspension of immigrant visas. It would a modern country. scientific elite. parliamentary sessions for one eliminate the penalty barring Indeed, great men drafted a great Under this system, the state’s path is month; while affirming their those immigrants who live in constitution, but if only the generations not hindered by the National Assembly, commitment to the Constitution the US without authorization would better its implementation. Un- where the majority of its representatives and full respect for the decision and who then leave the coun- fortunately, that generation is gone, and are dedicated to squandering public mon- which is part of the powers grant- try from returning for three to after it, the popular representation began ey and controlling state institutions for ed to His Highness the Amir as their own interests, and not the interest of 10 years. It also would provide to decline until we reached the point of per the Constitution resources for more judges, prevalence of tribalism, sectarianism, the citizens, let alone the nation. In fact, MP Yousef Al-Fadala em- their sessions are disgusting. support staff and technology and regionalism because there are those phasized the need for HH the to address the backlog in pro- who do not have any culture that qualifies What is happening in Kuwait is not Snow covers the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al- them to be legislated. the democracy that the first generation compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Feb 18. (AP) Khalid to fulfill his obligations, cessing asylum seekers. In fact, the language of speech has be- wanted. Rather, it is the fight of a group particularly the formation of the The bill would expand come bigotry in many aspects. MPs ex- to seize the powers of other authorities, new government; regardless of transnational anti-drug task ploited their authority to employ kins and and this leads to the destruction of the the reasons behind the suspen- forces in Central America and kiths, and spread corruption. Institutions country. sion of the sessions. He said the enhances technology at the turned into farms for some ministers and Ladies and gentlemen, see what the new government formation must border. And it would try to influential people. defective and distorted democracy based reflect the will of the public and reduce the burden at the bor- On the other hand, some dark forces on sectarianism and tribalism has done in meet the demands of the MPs. Iraq, Lebanon, and other countries. You der by setting up refugee pro- have been exploiting democracy to creep MP Muhammad Al-Mutair cessing in Central America, over the legislative authority and domi- should also look at the enlightened dicta- argued the suspension of the torships in some Gulf countries in order to try to prevent some of the nate it but to later reveal its ugly face sessions will not end the crisis, to learn from them. immigrant caravans that have when it began seeking to make Kuwait a unless social reconciliation is The current crisis will continue if overwhelmed border security religious state by amending article No. 2 achieved and the Constitution is of the constitution. nothing is done to stop it and amend the in recent years. crooked standards to conform with the respected. They bullied ministers who were not MP Saleh Ziab Al-Mutairi af- The plan includes $4 billion at the level of responsibility, rendering enlightened rulers “who gave God what spread over four years to try belongs to God and to Caesar what be- firmed his respect for the Amiri them to yield to them. They worked on Decree, while clarifying that to boost economic develop- changing the open cultural approach, im- longs to Caesar”, and thus managed to ment and tackle corruption in lift their countries to the highest levels. In suspending the sessions does posing on the institutions all the desires of not prevent MPs from practicing Latin American countries, to the dwellers of the Taleban’s Tora Bora Kuwait on the other hand, we made de- mocracy a knife with which we peel the their monitoring role and attend- try to address some of the root caves. ing the meetings of committees causes of migration to the US. Parallel to this, freedom of opinion and nation and the citizens. Are the Gog and Magog back to wreck the Earth? to deliberate on bills in the inter- A dozen Democratic law- expression - one of the most important est of citizens. makers, including lead spon- principles for societal development, has Email: [email protected] MPs Musaed Al-Ardi, Thamer sors California Rep Linda turned into freedom of insults and “nosi- Al-Suwait and Khalid Al-Otaibi Sanchez and New Jersey Sen ness”. This has prompted many straight- Follow me on: hinted on the possible dissolution up and competent citizens to decline tak- of the Assembly; indicating they Bob Menendez, are set to un- ing up any ministerial portfolio lest their A Feb 5, 2021 satellite photo, from Planet Labs Inc shows where cano- accept the decree as it is good to veil the full text of the bill. names and even that of their families be pies to cover aircraft used to be at an Emirati military base in Assab, Er- return to the people of Kuwait Comprehensive immigra- smeared. In fact, many of the children of [email protected] itrea. The United Arab Emirates is dismantling parts of a military base who will confirm their choice tion reform has struggled to it runs in the East African nation of Eritrea after it pulled back from the once again. gain traction in Congress for grinding war in nearby Yemen, satellite photos analyzed by The As- Al-Ardi asserted that dodging decades. sociated Press show. (AP) the grilling is not a solution, af- firming he welcomes the idea of Bipartisan Newswatch dissolving the Assembly as this Menendez was part of the A2 long-term puts the decision in the hands bipartisan Gang of Eight sena- UAE skulks of the citizens who are the real tors who negotiated a 2013 source of power. immigration reform bill that KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s Ministry of ease to 169,406, spokesman Dr. Abdullah MP Hamdan Al-Azmi inquired: Al-Sanad told a press conference. ultimately collapsed. Prior to Interior reiterated on Thursday its strict grim Yemen ‘Rater affirms’ “Until when the Assembly will be that, a bill backed by presi- penalisation of businesses and individuals The number of people hospitalised with rejected if it does not satisfy the found in breach of government-imposed the virus currently stands at 11,051, with DUBAI, Feb 18, (AP): The United government. Does the Assembly dent George W. Bush failed COVID-19 measures during the National 153 of them in intensive care units, he Arab Emirates is dismantling parts of Ooredoo rating not reflect the nation’s choice?” in Congress as well, after mul- Day holidays. added, revealing that some 10,622 swab a military base it runs in the East Af- On the other hand, MP Farz Al- tiple attempts at compromise. Businesses violating 8:00 pm-5:00 am tests were conducted over the last day out rican nation of Eritrea after it pulled LONDON, Feb 18: Moody’s Investors While Biden is pushing a of a total of 1,708,081. Daihani submitted a proposal to closing hours and individuals found in a back from the grinding war in nearby Service (“Moody’s”) today affirmed increase by GBP500 the allowance comprehensive bill, he sug- crowd could face imprisonment, fi nes or He went on to urge nationals and expa- the A2 long-term issuer rating of Oore- triates alike that abiding by health precau- Yemen, satellite photos analyzed by for Kuwaitis studying in the Unit- gested earlier this week he both combined, warned the ministry’s me- The Associated Press show. doo Q.P.S.C. (Ooredoo), as well as the dia director Brig Tawheed Al-Kandari in tions, mainly, following social distancing ed Kingdom – from GBP1,900 to may be open to a more piece- The UAE built a port and expand- A2 backed senior unsecured ratings on GBP2,400 per month. meal approach. During a CNN a press statement. rules, is the only way to halt the spread of Ooredoo International Finance Limited, The sale of fi reworks by street vendors the virus. (KUNA) ed an airstrip in Assab beginning in He also suggested granting town hall Tuesday night, ❑ ❑ ❑ September 2015, using the facility and the (P)A2 backed senior unsecured clinic allowance to Pharmacology also constitutes a crime, the offi cial added. Medium-Term Note Program rating Biden said that while a path- Relevant bodies tasked with the matter as a base to ferry heavy weaponry students, prioritize the vaccina- way to citizenship would be will be backed by security teams, who are TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rou- and Sudanese troops into Yemen as under Ooredoo Tamweel Limited. The tion of citizens studying in coun- hani said on Wednesday that his coun- outlook on all the ratings is stable. essential in any immigration ready to swiftly carry out their duties to it fought alongside a Saudi-led coali- tries with high number of corona- bill, “there’s things I would prevent the spread of the virus in the inter- try will return to full commitment to the tion against Iranian-backed Houthi The affirmation of the ratings re- virus cases, treat the students that est of the safety and security of the public, nuclear deal when the US sanctions are rebels there. flects Ooredoo’s resilient performance the Civil Service Commission deal by itself.” That could he said. lifted. But the country once praised as in 2020 despite the impact of the CO- (CSC) sends abroad on scholar- leave the door open to stand- The offi cial called on anyone who spots The only way to maintain the nuclear VID outbreak. In 2020, revenue and alone bills focused on provid- deal is the US rejoining it and lifting of “Little Sparta” by former US Defense ship as equal to those sent by the these activities to immediately report the Secretary Jim Mattis appears to have EBITDA declined by 4% and 6% Ministry of Higher Education, ing a pathway to citizenship incident to authorities on the Emergency its sanctions, the Iranian leader said in tel- respectively compared to 2019. This ephone call with German Chancellor An- found the limits of its military expan- launch direct Kuwait-Manchester for various populations. Services 112 hotline for legal measures sion in Yemen’s stalemate conflict, ex- was mainly due to a revenue reduc- flights to ease the burdens of those Still, publicly the White to be taken out against the offenders. gela Merkel today, according to a presi- dential statement. perts say. After it withdrew troops from tion in the prepaid segment as well studying in North England, and House is emphasizing that (KUNA) the conflict, the satellite photos show it as a significant decrease in revenues ❑ ❑ ❑ Rouhani laid it bare that it is unaccepta- lay down a clear mechanism for its goal is a comprehensive ble for Iran to continue commitment to the began shipping off equipment and tear- from roaming services. The weakness the accreditation of universities. plan. KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait said 979 people deal while sanctions are imposed on it and ing down even newly built structures. in Ooredoo’s operations in oil export- MP Fares Al-Otaibi proposed “The president feels that all tested positive for coronavirus with eight other parties do not show similar abidance. “The Emiratis are paring back their ing countries – such as Qatar, Kuwait, granting cash incentive to em- of these requirements that are related deaths reported on Thursday tak- He highlighted European parties’ fail- strategic ambitions and are pulling Oman and Algeria, has been partially ployees as compensation for the ing the total cases up to 181,484 as deaths ure to do their part of the deal after the US out of places where they had presenc- offset by an in improving performance days off they did not take while in the bill – these components rose to 1,027 respectively, according to unilateral withdrawal in 2018. es,” said Ryan Bohl, an analyst at the in other markets such as Indonesia. in service – maximum 180 days of the bill – are what makes it the health ministry. For her part, Merkel stressed the neces- Texas-based private intelligence firm Moody’s expects the negative trend to salary. He explained his proposal comprehensive,” White House The ministry also reported that 986 more sity of preserving the nuclear agreement Stratfor. “Having that hard-power de- reverse in 2021, driven by a continued aims to treat civilian employees press secretary Jen Psaki said people have been cured of the virus, raising and resolving differences through dia- ployment exposed them to more risk increase in revenue in Indonesia as like their military colleagues in this week. “They all need to be the total of those to have overcome the dis- logue. (KUNA) than the Emiratis are now willing to well as a slight increase in revenue in line with the stipulation on justice addressed. That’s why he pro- tolerate.” Qatar, as the economy recovers. and equality in the Constitution. posed them together.” ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 2

REMEMBER WHEN

A proud moment for Kim Moylette bringing Margaret Thatcher to Kuwait, on the VIP B 727 aircraft, to receive the Mubarak medal from the late Amir HRH Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah. The Iron Lady was the fi rst world leader to speak out and urge sanctions on Iraq. At left: Kim with a crew member after a scud attack in Dharan.

One long nightmare for non-belongers Staring down Saddam … who still won’t go away COURAGE AND COMBO PENS

By Chaitali B. Roy Special to the Arab Times Nowall Al Sayegh

Fatima Kika Ghasia

Waleed Thakur

Erma Graborno Ratna Maitra

n Aug 2, 1990, Kim Moylette, a young British flight attendant not addressed at all,” says Jehaan Al Awadhi, who was 12 at the time. ablaze or sank the boats at the commercial fishing marina. Towards Owith Kuwait Airways, woke up around 7 AM. She was on a flight “Even now, I cannot stand the sound of Iraqi music, or I feel disquiet the end of the first week, the violence took a more ominous form, to London and was worried she had overslept. While preparing for when I see the Iraqi flag somewhere in Kuwait.” when Iraqi soldiers began firing on the demonstrators. Waleed Thakur, work, Kim noticed the answering machine blinking. “A familiar but Nowall Al Sayegh woke up on the day of the invasion to the sound Operations Manager of Yarmouk Cultural Centre, recalls lying on the frantic, Elaine called me from her office in the city to say Iraqi helicop- of popping noises. “I was unaware at the time of what was happening, floor every time a shot rang out. ters were flying over her building, and there were explosions and gun- but I could hear my mother speaking to my uncle in broken Arabic,” “Initially we thought it might get over soon, but with time matters fire. The next message was from another friend, Fiona, telling me to says the Associate Professor of Physical Therapy at Kuwait Univer- started to deteriorate. Our insecurity grew with news of theft, rape and grab my passport, fill the car with gas and head for the Saudi border.” sity, whose mother is an American. “I could barely understand what looting by the soldiers. Parked cars vanished without a clue. We were By now, Kim could hear explosions and gunfire. There was smoke she was saying,” continued Nowall. always on alert, fearing the unexpected. There are many whose loved billowing from the Amir’s palace. A while later, she saw an Iraqi he- “My mother repeatedly told my uncle about gunfire. The popping ones went missing on the first day of the invasion, and till date, there is licopter getting shot down as it passed over Hawally. That was the sounds were gunshots and machine guns firing at Bayan Palace.” no news of them.” The Iraqi soldiers either looted or coerced. Nowall first day of the invasion when more than 100,000 Iraqi troops swept Nowall underwent many stressors and fears during the occupation, but Al Sayegh recalls the traumatic incident when her father refused to sell into Kuwait. In seven months of occupation, Kuwait was vandalised, her greatest fear was for her mother. “We heard what was happening at his car to an Iraqi soldier. looted, and pillaged to satisfy one man’s ego, pride, and greed. The the American Embassy and that Iraqi soldiers were going from house “My father was forced to kneel on the ground with a machine gun Iraqis detained an estimated 15000 Kuwaitis during the occupation – to house looking for foreigners they could use as human shields. Our put to his head to force him to sell his Suburban car to an Iraqi soldier. some for a short time, others for years. Most were tortured physically small network of expatriates tried to stay in touch with each other, What possessed my father to reject the soldier’s offer is beyond me! or psychologically. warning and informing everyone when the soldiers were coming and When he brought some religious verses to the soldier and told him he Sakeena Mairza was 13 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Life was never where they were at.” would never take money from the invaders, the soldier backed down the same for the teenager. Apart from watching her country being de- Nowall’s family devised a plan to hide her mother. They hid all fam- and let him go.” stroyed, Sakeena faced the loss of her mother, who passed away in ily photos and any indication of her origins. “We planned to say she Erma Graborno, a young Filipino nurse, married to a Kuwaiti was November of that year from lack of treatment. Since then, Sakeena has was mute and unable to communicate except for sign language if they enjoying a break in Kheiran when the invasion happened. Palace nurse lived her life under the shadow of the invasion. The passage of time were to find her. We always had a headscarf and abaya ready in case for the Amiri Diwan and the Diwan Crown Prince, her weekly day off and years of counselling has not done much to assuage the terror and they entered our house.” The rest of the time, Nowall and her family may have saved her life. “We were enjoying a walk on the beach while despair she felt at that time. hunkered down to save themselves. my mother in law sat listening to her small transistor radio. That was The invasion of Kuwait was what Kind Fahd rightly described “It was a time of horror for us all. We taped our windows to prevent when she heard the news that Iraq had invaded Kuwait.” as Iraq’s most horrible aggression.’ Saddam Hussein mobilised the them from shattering when the tanks blasted away at Bayan Palace. Erma and her family came back home and lived quietly. “It was world’s fourth-largest military into an overwhelming invading force We filled buckets, pots and anything we could find with water in case tough,” she recalls. “Days, weeks and months passed, we lived in fear. that crushed the weak and disorganised opposition and established the watersupply was disrupted.” Soon after, Nowall left Kuwait with The Iraqis entered mosques and killed the men praying, and then they control over Kuwait. What unfolded in the months that followed was her mother, leaving behind her father and sister. “I became an adult started going from house to house. I have five girls. My husband told death, destruction, brutality and helplessness for both Kuwaitis and that year, and took charge of my mother and two younger siblings.” me that if the Iraqis come to our house, he will kill us all and then kill expatriates who called this country home. Kim Moylette stayed back for a month before leaving with the or- himself rather than see my daughters and me being raped and mur- Ratna Maitra, pastor and philanthropist, can still recall the night- ganised evacuation of British women and children. Kim recalls the dered.” Erma’s husband, a policeman, joined the resistance, and the mare. According to Ratna, who had just given birth, the invasion shat- courage of her Kuwaiti friend, who drove her to safety. “I have to group sometimes met in their house. To ensure their safety, Erma’s tered her life. “We were one of the first to witness the atrocities and thank my brave Kuwaiti friend who took care of me during the inva- husband kept shifting his family from one relative to another. The carnage of the Iraqi invasion,” says Ratna who lived in Dasman. “We sion and drove me and a car full of British women to the meeting point months merged into another like a long nightmare. heard bomb blasts. The Iraqis shovelled dead bodies of Kuwaiti sol- at the risk of getting arrested. At that time harbouring foreigners, espe- For expatriates like Fatima Kika Ghasia the invasion was a reality diers killed near the palace into pickups. The sight of fresh blood, the cially Britons and Americans, was punishable by hanging. The Iraqis check. Born and brought up in Kuwait, Fatima found it challenging to terror and the uncertainty scarred me for a long time.” stopped us, and he had to be smart with his answers, or they would evacuate with her family and go back to India. “My strongest memory Within a few days of the invasion, Iraqi Republican guards broke have taken him away.” Kim recalls how her friend refused to leave of the occupation was the reality check we had,” she says. “The fact into their apartment and forced the young family to leave at gunpoint Kuwait with her. “He said if all the Kuwaitis left who would come and that we were in such a vulnerable situation. The fact that it was a big- with only the clothes on their back. Although they managed to escape, save it. He is my knight in shining armour who I came back to marry ger struggle to settle in our own country, which treated us, and even the trauma led to a total physical breakdown in Ratna. The suffoca- and live happily ever after with.” called us refugees. It showed us that we didn’t belong in Kuwait, nor tion and panic attacks continued when she returned to Kuwait after a In the first few days of the invasion, the soldiers looted stores, and in India.” Fatima recalls her father’s refusal to believe that Kuwait few years. The need to heal pushed her towards spirituality, and in the homes, set fire to hotels, businesses and national landmarks, and went had been invaded. “My father loved Kuwait as his own country. He years that followed Ratna Maitra became a church leader and involved on a wanton spree of destruction. They gutted three buildings of the was so adamant it was a rumour, that he actually went out himself to herself in community work. “I believe our psychological scars were Kuwait National Museum, destroyed the planetarium’s dome, and set Continued on Page 3

editor’s choice ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 3

Weather Expected weather for the erate north westerly wind with Abdaly 18 14 Prayer Timings next 24 hours: speeds of 06-26 km/h and a Jahra 20 15 Fajr ...... 05:05 Asr ...... 15:14 By Day: Rather cold with chance for light fog forming Salmiyah 22 16 light variable wind to light to Sunrise .. 06:24 Maghrib ...17:39 over some areas. Ahmadi 21 17 Zohr ...... 12:02 Isha ...... 18:57 moderate north westerly wind with speeds of 08-28 km/h. Station Max Exp Min Rec Nuwaisib 23 16 By Night: Cold with light Kuwait City 22 15 Wafra 19 15 variable wind to light to mod- Kuwait Airport 21 15 Salmy 18 12

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

National Bank of Kuwait dips 10 fils, Jazeera Airways gains Kuwait bourse wraps up week on tepid note, volume shrinks By John Mathews Arab Times Staff ■ UUS$/KDS$/KD 0.30235/450.30235/45 KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: Kuwait stocks ▲ Euro/KD 0.3657 headed south on Thursday to wind up the week on a tepid note. The All Shares Index ■ Yen/KD 0.0028 dipped 35.87 pts to 5,691.34 points erasing the week’s gains as profit booking weighed ▲ British £/KD 0.4229 on most of the blue chips. The Premier Market slid 43.58 points to ■ Indian Rs/KD 0.0041 6,213 pts taking the month’s losses to 94 points while Main Market shed 19 points. The BK Main 50 was down 10.80 pts at ■ Philippines Peso/KD 0.0062 4,845.35 points. The volume turnover meanwhile sank to a one-month low. Over ▼ FTSE -93.75 pts at closing Feb 18 248 million shares changed hands – a 17 pct drop from the day before. The sectors closed mostly in red. ▼ Nikkei -56.10 pts at closing Feb 18 Technology outperformed the rest with 6.32 pct gain whereas Insurance shed 2.39 pct, the biggest loser of the day. Volume ▼ Gold 1788.85 per oz (London) wise, Financial Services topped with 115.3 million shares while Banking Sector was ▲ NYMEX crude $61.61 per barrel ahead in value with KD 16.7 million. Among the prominent losers, sector bell- ▲ Brent crude $64.76 per barrel wether National Bank of Kuwait slid 10 fils to 832 fils after pushing 7.3 million shares LIBOR rate 0.18138% while Boubyan Bank skidded 8 fils to 546 fils. Mabanee Co was down 6 fils at 690 fils while investment conglomerate KIPCO Bayan Investment fell 2.5 fils to 45 fils gave up 3 fils before settling at 171 fils and whereas Osoul Investment dialed up 2.7 the counter saw over 1 million shares fils. KFIC eased 0.1 fil to 43.3 fils and change hands. KAMCO Investment erased 3.4 fils where- Skidded as Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) inched 1.1 fils into red. Al Madar Finance Zain fell 3 fils to 622 fils after moving and Investment whittled down 2.4 fils and 3.6 million shares whereas Ooredoo added Al Deera Holding gave up 3.1 fils. 3 fils to close at 660 fils. stc scaled 8 fils Noor Financial Investment dropped 8 whereas logistic major Agility skidded 14 fils to 189 fils while Tamdeen Investment fils to 727 fils. Humansoft Holding climbed shed 11 fils. Gulf Insurance Group skidded 10 fils to KD 3.930 and Boursa Kuwait 23 fils to 617 fils whereas Kuwait Insurance Securities was up 7 fils at KD 1.161. Co scaled 10 fils. Kuwait Reinsurance KUNA photo The market opened firm and pulled The Minister of Defense visits the Mubarak Al-Abdullah College for Command and Joint Staff and the Military Education Authority. dipped 25 fils and Warba Insurance paced lower in early trade. The main index pivot- 7 fils. National Real Estate dialed down 1.4 ed and clawed back into green zone half ‘Home for leadership and commanders’ way into the session before retreating again fils while Salhia Real Estate took in 2 fils. as sentiment turned negative. It continued National Industries Group was flat at 195 fils after pushing 2.5 million shares where- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of determining the extent of readiness and safety and stability of the country. to fall in the second half and closed with moderate losses. as Gulf Cable added 3 fils. Boubyan Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah preparations in carrying out various tasks He also praised the advanced and pro- Petrochemical Co gave up 5 fils and Al conducted an inspection tour of Mubarak and duties assigned to the college and the gressive level of the college, which today has Top gainer of the day, FutureKid sprint- ed 9.44 pct to 80 fils while Gulf Franchising Qurain Petrochemical Co clipped 2 fils. Al-Abdullah Command, Joint Staff College authority. become a “home for leadership and com- Integrated Holding slipped 8 fils to 420 fils and the Military Education Authority among During the tour, the Minister of Defense manders and a place for rehabilitation and Holding Co paced 9.18 percent to stand other bodies. conveyed to the members of the Kuwait Army leadership” and a destination for officers who next. Arzan Investment shed 10.28 per- and Aznour tripped 1 fil. In a press statement, the Moral Guidance the greetings and appreciation of the top lead- are looking to develop their scientific capa- cent, the steepest decliner of the day and Kuwait Cement Co fell 3 fils to 221 fils and Public Relations Department of Kuwait ership of the country for their continuous bilities and practical skills and enhance their counter also topped the volume with 41.2 whereas Kuwait Portland Cement took in 2 Army explained that the tour was aimed at efforts and hard work to preserve the security, level of military culture and experience. million. fils before ending at 882 fils. HEISC paced Mirroring the day’s drop, the market 5 fils whereas Metal and Recycling Co shed spread was skewed towards the losers. 44 13 fils. Kuwait Foundry Co slipped 4 fils to stocks advanced whereas 79 closed lower. 291 fils and ACICO Industries trimmed 0.9 Of the 138 counters active on Thursday, 15 fil. closed flat. 10,839 deals worth KD 41.87 Trading 14 days quarantine, two PCRs million were transacted during the session. In the Banking Sector, Kuwait Finance Jazeera Airways sprinted 22 fils to 658 House eased 1 fil to 720 fils after moving fils while ALAFCO took in 1 fil. United 6.5 million shares and Kuwait International Projects Co was down 11 fils at 209 fils and Airlines cautioned Bank followed suit to close at 201 fils. Burgan Company For Well Drilling closed Burgan Bank stood pat at 223 fils while 7 fils in red after trading 13.6 million Gulf bank dialed down 2 fils with a volume shares. Combined Group Contracting Co KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The Directorate of 6.5 million. and Oula Fuel dialed down 2 fils each mp profile getting to know you General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued Warba Bank added 2 fils whereas Ahli whereas Soor Fuel eased 1 fil to 121 fils. Circular No. 10/2021, instructing all airline United Bank BSC ticked 1 fil lower to 234 Automated Systems Co rose 5.5 fils to fils after pushing 9.5 million shares. Al 92.5 fils and NAPESCO gained 5 fils. companies operating at Kuwait Ahli Bank tripped 1 fil whereas Ahli United KCPC clipped 2 fils and NCCI gave up Voting Record International Airport to strictly comply Bank Kuwait was unchanged at 302 fils. 4.9 fils to close at 47 fils. OSOS Holding with the regulations regarding arriving National Investment Co slipped 8 fils to inched 0.2 fil lower to 92 fils and Inovest Al-Azmi has no voting record as 166 fils whereas Kuwait Investment Co BSC trimmed 2.4 fils. KPPC tripped 0.5 fil. this is his first time to win a parlia- passengers that will take effect on Sunday. dialed down 1 fil. International Financial The market was mixed during the week. mentary seat. According to the circular, the airlines should not Advisors gave up 5 fils with a volume of The main index closed higher in three of Homoud Mebrek Al-Azmi allow any passenger on flights bound for Kuwait with- 7.4 million and The Securities House the five sessions erasing 4 points week-on- Sunni/Islamist out registering on the platform https://Kuwaitmosafer. trimmed 0.7 fil. Aayan Leasing paused at week. It has shed 90 points so far during the Fifth Constituency Election Day. gov.kw 108 fils after trading 7.6 million shares. month and is up 145 points year-to-date. He emerged victorious in the The circular stressed the need for all arriving passengers HOMOUD MEBREK AL-AZMI 2020 elections with 5,347 votes to undergo two PCR tests and they should shoulder the cost was born in 1956. He is and ranked sixth in the for these tests. They can pay for the PCR test fees on Long-term jail for ammo thieves a doctor who worked at Fifth Constituency. Kuwaitmosafer platform through the airlines or ground the Ministry of Health Statement handling service companies at Kuwait International Airport. where he occupied a Banned Death for Indian drug peddler number of positions, Al-Azmi previously such as manager of commented on the In addition, all passengers from the banned countries By Jaber Al-Hamoud trade for years. Sabahiya and Fahaheel coronavirus crisis stat- must undergo institutional quarantine for 14 days in any of Al-Seyassah Staff In another case, the Criminal Court con- health centers. ing that “one day, the hotels allotted for this purpose and they must shoulder victed eight citizens who are accused of He contested the parlia- coronavirus will be the quarantine cost. Booking hotels for quarantine and KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The Criminal stealing weapons and ammunition from the part of history. Noting other related procedures must be done through Court presided over by Judge Abdullah National Guard for the purpose of traffick- mentary elections in 2013 Al-Othman sentenced to death by hanging a but he lost as he got 1,133 will remain but memo- Kuwaitmosafer and Belsalamah platforms. ing in them. ries about the solidari- For passengers coming from other countries, they will be Indian drug dealer who was described as It sentenced a Sergeant officer of the votes which put him in Al-Azmi notorious. National Guard to 15-year imprisonment, 15th place in his constitu- ty of the people and required to undergo institutional quarantine for seven days at any of the allocated local hotels and they should also According to the case file, the defendant and sentenced another defendant to 13 ency. He also ran for the 2016 the government in overcoming would wrap drugs in nylon bags, place years in prison, for their involvement in elections but he backed out before this crisis.” shoulder the cost. Booking hotels for quarantine and other relevant procedures should be carried out through them in different places, and then send the stealing weapons and ammunition arsenal. Kuwaitmosafer platform. They will undergo PCR test on “location” of the site to the customers via The other defendants were sentenced to the sixth day and complete the seven additional days of WhatsApp. The payment was made via a two-three years of jail term and fined KD Staring down … On Jan 16, 1991, there was a quarantine at home. bank link so that he remained in a state of 5,000. change in destination. Kim flew to The decision to allow the entry of domestic workers concealment. The court had charged the eight defen- Continued from Page 2 Riyadh with the crew. “Usually the remains in effect and all the relevant procedures must be The detectives focused on some evidence dants, including a citizen, in the first trial military planes had priority, but that done through Belsalamah platform. in the accused’s mobile phone, as it was session, with two counts of seizing public confirm. He believed it, only when he The directorate then urged the airlines to strictly abide by found that there were 50 sales he had made funds and possession of weapons and saw tanks on the Gulf road, with Iraqi day we were given priority. There was a hurried feel to everything, and the abovementioned regulations; pointing out they will be in this innovative way. He was then arrest- ammunition without the license for the pur- flags.” ed and brought to trial, and it was discov- pose of trafficking. However, the defen- we could sense something had held liable in case of any violation, such as shouldering all For seven months Kuwait suffered the related expenses and that the corresponding penalties ered that he had been practicing the drug dants had denied all the charges. the ignominy of occupation. changed. We took off and were bare- will be imposed on them. Meanwhile, Kuwait’s resistance ly out of Saudi airspace when the Meanwhile, some citizens’ failure to report to their movement gained momentum, and captain called me in to listen to the respective vaccination centers to receive COVID-19 jabs BBC — The liberation of Kuwait had based on prior appointment has opened the day for non- the world got ready to right the Kuwaitis to receive the jabs, especially the elderly and those wrong. Kim Moylette recalls being started. All the crew and 4-5 service- men squeezed into the cockpit to lis- suffering from chronic diseases, reports Al-Qabas daily. called to duty once she got back to the According to health officials, the COVID-19 vaccination UK. “Kuwait Airways called and ten to the news. We laughed, jumped centers continue to operate without hindrance, amid the asked me to join them in Cairo, where with joy and then cried with fear and high percentage of vaccinated people. Specific segments are they were starting operations. After a apprehension,” recalls Kim, who in targeted in the current period, such as the elderly, people month we were asked if we would later years went on to create one of with chronic diseases, front-line workers, and people with volunteer to go on a British military Kuwait’s most popular blogs and special needs. operation flying troops out of the UK. social media platform titled Ladies The vaccinators in the 15 health centers and the Kuwait Who Do Lunch in Kuwait. Erma Vaccination Center have a specific list of names of those All the British girls, some Kuwaitis who will receive the vaccine before the start of their official and a few other nationalities didn’t Grabano still remembers the continu- work. hesitate.” ous nonstop bombing on the night of Kim recalls undergoing a special Feb 25. Prior briefing at the Brize Norton RAF “The ceiling of the house kept on In the event that it is not possible for any person with a Base. “What a briefing that was! We shaking throughout the night,” she specific appointment and prior reservation to attend, then were issued with nuclear, biological, says. On the morning of Feb 26, Erma the next person on the waiting list is contacted, especially got up to shouts of “Allahu Akbar!” the elderly and people with chronic diseases, irrespective of chemical warfare suits and combo whether they are citizens or residents. pens. The combo pen was a huge She looked out to see people on the When anyone registers on the online platform for syringe full of anti-nerve gas antidote streets holding Kuwaiti flags. “The COVID-19 vaccinations, he/she needs to clarify their health (belladonna) that was only to be Iraqis had left! I was overwhelmed conditions and whether they suffer from any diseases. This administered in case of nerve gas with relief and happiness.” Erma had determines the priority in being called for vaccination. poisoning. Fortunately, we never had not seen her husband for two weeks, They affirmed that there are people who registered and to use them.” Kim joined two crews and on that day when he showed up, were contacted on the same day, as they suffer from chron- his car was full of armour collected ic diseases or are elderly. that alternated on the B-747 that flew The officials concluded by confirming that the health British troops daily into Jubail, Saudi from the departing Iraqi troops. By centers designated for COVID-19 vaccination contacted Arabia (the closest airbase to Kuwait) the end of that day, Erma went back some elderly residents and those with chronic diseases, and until it got too dangerous. Later they home with her five daughters. At last, vaccinated them, after those who had prior appointments started flying into Dharan. the nightmare was over. failed to report on time. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 LOCAL 4 National workers to get double support for three months: PAM

Move to calculate attendance of long time absent employees

By Faris Al-Abadan PM to begin consultations after holidays Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies Photo by Mohammad Morsi ‘New govt expected to be formed mid-March’ KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: Ambassador Salah Al-Maliki and the Bahrain Embassy staff during the cel- The Acting Deputy ebration. By Salem Al-Wawan This comes after the earlier consul- ments that will occur in the coming Director General for Al-Seyassah Staff tations to form a new government days and weeks. were disrupted by a wave of non- Commenting on the suspension of the National Manpower Bahrain Embassy marks NAC day KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18 : In light of acceptance, and by the constant parlia- parliament for a month, the source said it Affairs at the Public The Embassy of Bahrain in Kuwait Kingdom, reports Al-Seyassah daily. the difference in opinion in the parlia- mentary threats against the consulted is not the end of the endeavors to bring Authority for Manpower ment regarding one-month suspension members of the society who have an end to the political strife between the celebrated recently the twentieth Due to the prevailing health condi- of the parliament, even though it is potential to hold a ministerial docket. executive and legislative authorities, (PAM) Eman Al-Ansari anniversary of the approval of the tions, the ceremony was restricted expected to lead to some tranquility in The sources stated that Sheikh indicating that there are looming trends affirmed the disburse- National Action Charter (NAC) in the to members of the embassy only. the coming period, informed sources Sabah Al-Khaled had expressed his towards “other measures.” ment of double support revealed that His Highness the Prime desire to excuse himself from the Also, they clarified that the persis- Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, assignment, but he was asked to con- tence of the MPs for the approval of for national workers for No decision yet : Al-Muzrim who is in charge of forming the new tinue leading the government and the “general amnesty” request based three months starting government, will resume his consulta- move forward with his consultations, on their desire and contrary to what from March. tions after the national holidays, and especially in light of the current cir- had been agreed on by others who had In a press statement, Al-Ansari the new government is expected to cumstances that the country is going returned to the country may push these Partial curfew on the cards come to light by mid-March. through, and pending the develop- options to the table. revealed the coordination among the concerned authorities and the relevant bodies to take the neces- from Feb 23 ...7 pm to 7 am sary measures for the disburse- At the same time, the sources hinted ment. By Khaled Al-Hajri Al-Seyassah Staff that it is possible to activate the permits She indicated that it includes that were issued earlier. employers under chapter five reg- KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18 : Head of the Also, they indicated the possibility istered with the Public Institution Government Communication Center of closing the Nuwaiseeb border cross- for Social Security and the owners and the official spokesperson of the ing from the start of the curfew period, of small and medium enterprises government of the State of Kuwait and to leave only Salmi border entry registered with the National Fund, Tariq Al-Muzrim indicated the possi- open, given the lack of sufficient medi- for whom a decision was issued to bility of raising the ceiling of measures cal personnel to carry out necessary close down their activities. taken to combat the COVID-19 pan- medical test procedures and quarantine demic, affirming that no decision has processes in both ports at the same Support yet been issued regarding partial or time. Al-Ansari explained that PAM total curfew. At the same time, he Meanwhile, the official spokesper- will soon announce the procedures hinted that all options to confront the son of the Ministry of Health Dr. and documents necessary for the repercussions of the spread of the Abdullah Al-Sanad affirmed an disbursement of this additional sup- COVID-19 virus are on the table of the increase in the average occupancy rate health authorities. of the COVID-19 wards. port. The Cabinet’s approval of the In a press statement, Al-Muzrim He revealed that it reached 16.3 per- support comes as a continuation of called on everyone to adhere to the cent yesterday, and that the average the package of economic incentives Photo by Rizk Taufiq health requirements, stressing the need occupancy rate of the intensive care Daman officials with Sri Lankan Ambassador Jawhar and Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the Embassy B. Perera. approved by the state to ensure the to stay away from rumors and rely only units reached 20.9 percent. stability of national employment on information from the official sourc- Furthermore, the Ministry of Health conditions in the private sector and es. yesterday announced that 979 new Sri Lankan ambassador visits ‘Daman’ reduce the burdens on employers In this regard, reliable sources hinted cases and eight deaths were recorded, affected by this pandemic and in about an intention to impose partial bringing the total number of COVID- The Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the most important major projects vices which greatly contributes to commercial activities. curfew throughout the country from 19-related deaths to 1,027. Kuwait Othman Jawhar recently in the ‘New Kuwait 2035’ develop- the health and safety of all con- She highlighted the importance Tuesday, February 23 for a period of 21 In addition, the Ministry of Interior visited the Health Insurance ment plan, which provides its ser- cerned individuals in the country by of preserving the conditions of the days from 7:00pm to 7:00am. affirmed that it would strictly apply Hospitals Company (HISC) vices through a system; an inte- implementing the necessary steps owners of these activities and help- They said, “The Ministry of Interior law No. 8/1969 on those who violate “Daman”, accompanied by the grated health care network consist- for awareness, prevention and has addressed various institutions and the decisions of the Council of Ambassador Plenipotentiary of the ing of primary health care centers treatment. ing them overcome the effects of the crisis in light of the current agencies whose nature of work require Ministers and the health authorities to Embassy, B. Perera, reports and hospitals that can receive The statement pointed out them to be present during the hours of close all commercial activities from Al-Seyassah daily. about two million expatriates work- Ambassador Jawhar thanked exceptional circumstances. the curfew, asking them to provide the 8:00 pm to 5:00 am, and to prevent A press release issued by the ing in the private sector and their Daman Company for employing a Meanwhile, the Civil Service names of those wishing to be issued gatherings and celebrations of national company said the ambassador dur- families. group of Sri Lankan qualified work- Commission (CSC) has responded with permits, in order for it to take the holidays in a bid to limit the spread of ing the tour visited the primary The statement indicated ers in the health sector, and to the letter sent by the Ministry of necessary measures in this regard” COVID-19 virus. health care center, saw a presenta- Ambassador Jawhar expressed his stressed that Sri Lanka is looking Social Affairs regarding a mecha- tion about the role of Daman in the gratitude to Kuwait for its efforts to forward to playing a greater role in health care sector, as it is one of provide integrated health care ser- the health care sector. nism for evaluating employees who are absent from work for long Union chief meets Lankan envoy periods due to their health condi- tions that prevent them from attending work, in light of the cur- Foreign Affairs finishes study on MoU rent health situation and the con- tinuation of the pandemic, reports for hiring of Ethiopian domestic labor Aljarida daily. KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: Head of the labor force. According to informed sources, Union of Domestic Labor Recruitment In addition, the head and members the Finance and Administration Bureaus Khaled Al-Dakhnan revealed of the Union of Domestic Labor Sector had addressed CSC to find that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Recruitment Bureaus recently met out how to calculate the attendance has finished studying and reviewing with the Sri Lankan Ambassador to for these employees, in order to the memorandum of understanding Kuwait Othman Muhammad Jawhar, ensure that none of them were sub- for the recruitment of Ethiopian and the labor attaché to discuss the jected to injustice. domestic workers, reports Aljarida latest developments in the process of Bonuses daily. resuming the recruitment of domestic In a press statement, he said the workers. They stressed the ministry’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent the The meeting touched on several commitment to the CSC’s decision MoU recently to the Ministry of topics and matters related to all the regarding the rules, principles, pro- Labor in Addis Ababa for review and problems facing Sri Lankan domestic cedures and dates for evaluating the study, and to obtain its observations workers in the country and local performance of employees espe- concerning the provisions, if any, or recruitment offices, as well as the cially as it entails the disbursement approve them as stated. problem of female workers currently of performance bonuses to those Al-Dakhnan stressed the impor- staying at the embassy, and about who are eligible and for promotion. tance of allowing the recruitment of completing the procedures for their The sources indicated that, in domestic workers from several coun- deportation as quickly as possible. implementation of the directives tries instead of limiting it to only two They agreed to hold a workshop and instructions of the Cabinet and or three countries. between the union and the embassy to the decisions issued by CSC He insisted that allowing the discuss all matters related to the Sri regarding the extension of the tem- recruitment of Ethiopian workers will Lankan labor, especially the problem porary suspension of fingerprint create a balance in the market and of female workers stuck in the embas- attendance system as a precaution solve more than 70 percent of the sy. to confront the spread of COVID- problem related to shortage of domes- The embassy affirmed that the 19, the evaluation has been relied tic workers that the market currently workers are refusing to continue on the manual statements present- suffers from. working and want to return back to ed by the direct manager of the Al-Dakhnan indicated that the their country. It will communicate employee. Ministry of Foreign Affairs had with the Public Authority for It is worth mentioning that amended some of the items in the Manpower, represented by the according to the guide issued by MoU in a way that preserves the Department of Organizing the CSC concerning the policies, pro- rights of the three parties to the equa- Recruitment of Domestic Labor, to cedures and rules for the gradual tion - domestic worker, local recruit- expedite the solution of this problem, return to work in government ment agencies, and their counterparts and to place the workers in the shelter agencies, the employees exempted in Addis Ababa. until their departure. from work are pregnant employees He affirmed that there is an almost The meeting also discussed the who are entitled to a reduction in daily follow-up by the union to find renewal of the recruitment contracts out the latest developments in the concluded between the local offices working hours due to breastfeed- MoU, the validity of which will save and their counterparts in Sri Lanka, ing, employees who meet the con- huge sums of money for citizens and according to which the labor recruit- ditions for reduced working hours residents wishing to bring in this ment process takes place. due to illness or to having to take care of a disabled, employees with special needs or disabilities, employees aged 55 years and above (except for those holding leadership, supervisory and super- visory positions), and employees suffering from chronic or serious diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and chest diseases such as asthma, heart, cancer, kid- ney failure and others.

Eman Al-Ansari ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 LOCAL 5 REMEMBER WHEN

Photograph courtesy of The Center for Re- DEFENDING KUWAIT search and Studies on A war dance in progress by some citizens of Kuwait near the city wall in 1928. Their unquestionable devotion to the inde- Kuwait and the work pendence of their country helped theim greatly in defending of Dr Yacoub Al- themselves against the desert invaders. (From the book ‘Old Hijji in the book Old- Kuwait: Memories in Photographs’) Kuwait: Memories in Photographs fi rst published in 1996.

© N.M.M. Courtesy of The Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION ‘Kuwait sinking in turbulent mixture of democracy, Parliament’

“THE Parliaments all over the world are legislative authorities and their task is to racy has been extracted from dictatorships as in the case of the West or a gift the government’s measures in dealing with repercussions of the coronavirus exercise comprehensive control on state policy and its actions. Parliaments gain or grant from the ruler such as the case in Arab democracies which are usually crisis. The session concluded with the adoption of several recommendations their power through the constitutions that defi ne the provisions related to parlia- incomplete, weak and expensive. The Arab democracy does not develop automati- such as speeding up the implementation of laws on granting compensation mentary work,” columnist Faisal bin Sabt wrote for Al-Qabas daily. cally or easily through community awareness but remains a prisoner of peoples’ to small, medium and micro enterprises affected by the crisis and the bill on “The main function of a deputy is to represent the people, ‘the whole people’, gradual and slow social development,” columnist Dr Ali Al-Huwail wrote for rescuing small and medium enterprises to be ready for submission to the As- and to ensure that their rights are protected and that their security and safety are Al-Rai daily. sembly in the next session,” columnist Abdulrahman Al-Awwad wrote for guaranteed. Therefore, the Constitution grants a deputy absolute authority in legis- “What we are experiencing today in Kuwait is a turbulent mixture of both de- Al-Sabah daily. lation and oversight over state policy and fi nancial affairs. mocracy and parliament which deviate from the concept of democracy - the fi nest “Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim was obliged to explain in a long in- “Despite all that has been said and done about this repre- system of government that promotes freedom, justice, equality, and preserves the terposition the constitutionality of holding the session, indicating this is based on sentation, the issue in many countries of the world, and es- rights of nations – that is to say our democracy goes in the opposite direction. the opinions of constitutional experts who have been expressing views regarding pecially where personal interest of the representative and the “We are sinking in what the Romans and the Greeks called in the past the so- the Assembly since its inception till date. called demagogues of the patterns that disrupt growth, development and achieve- interests of his electors take center stage, in most cases these “He recalled a number of parliamentary precedents in this regard in order precede the interests of the country and the entire people. ment, and is known for arrogance in dealing with its political opponents, including “The Interior and Defense Committee of our esteemed governments and peers, and does not hesitate to push the leadership to the brink of to convince the lawmakers who opposed holding the session. The opposition Parliament objected to a draft law which was submitted by failure, as is the case now in Kuwait. claimed that the government has resigned, and that only His Highness the Prime the Ministry of Interior to increase the value of traffi c fi nes “These demagogues violate the constitution and its principles and challenge the Minister has the right to attend the session as he is mandated by His Highness the to deter those who disrespect the lives of people. will of the head of state and his right to choose his prime minister, without present- Amir to form the new government. “The reason is that the committee members do not want ing a clear work strategy and they even bypass the internal bylaws of Parliament, “Although the parliamentary majority was already convinced about the consti- to overburden the citizen’s pocket. Here, either most of the and strive to stir up the ire of the street, by ruminating on fi nancial corruption cases tutional validity of the session which was completed well, it is worth contemplat- committee members do not know the difference between before the courts, in clear violation of the Constitution and the country’s laws. ing on because this refl ects an intractable morbidity in our lame democracy.” the fees for violations, the laws and the tax money that are Faisal bin Sabt “Democracy is not like that and this is not how Parliament works, for it is the ❑ ❑ ❑ imposed on everyone and this is a calamity, or they are committee members who one which issued laws restricting freedoms, and the representatives were given the have no objection to people violating laws and threatening the safety of people day opportunity after another to amend the election law and issue a general amnesty “We are pleased with the appointment of Professor Tariq Al-Muzrim as offi cial and night, and this is an even a bigger calamity. law, but they did not seize the chance and the opposition appeared with a factional spokesperson of the government, especially since he played an important role dur- “The other issue is the repetition of a request by a group of members asking to shape and it took the fi ght against fi nancial corruption without other types of cor- ing the corona crisis - whether in press conferences or on social media,” columnist pass a general or comprehensive amnesty law, which as soon as you discuss it with ruption such as the political and social which are the most dangerous - a single Saad Al-Nashwan wrote for Al-Anba daily. them , it becomes apparent to you that the amnesty law they want is only for some approach being the most provocative to the common people. “However, the role of the government spokesperson is not limited to conveying of the convicts who have fl ed the country and not a general amnesty as they claim, “The opposition was keen that its followers have an overwhelming feeling details of Cabinet meetings. The government must provide him with information and the national reconciliation fi le they are hoisting only includes the names of that those who preceded them in citizenship had seized their rights, leaving only to respond to rumors or contradictory statements regarding its work. those who have fl ed from court rulings and are now in Turkey because in Kuwait crumbs for them, so society split into its three class components, and hostility “We have heard a lot about the issues raised on Twitter and some news outlets, we do not have internal disputes to call for national reconciliation. arose between them, thus performance was disrupted, production and levels on yet we rarely hear from the government through its offi cial spokesperson. “In conclusion; three MPs have presented a proposal to continue the remote international measurement indicators declined, development was disrupted, and “The role of the spokesperson is to present the truth to the citizens. The govern- government work policy even after the Corona pandemic, in order to save energy because the opposition’s weapon did not exceed the noise of microphones, cor- ment must tell the truth, instead of the people relying on the reports of news outlets and offi ce space according to their claim, and that this system increases employee ruption have become rampant. as most of these reports are untrue. Therefore, people are exposed to rumors and productivity, reduces sick leave, and raises the morale and psychological spirit of “The disagreements of the opposition leaders took a political momentum that this is reprehensible. People lose trust in the government, because they do not some of them. It seems that the parliamentary trio sensed the benefi t that will ac- outweighed the interest in education, diversifi cation of income sources, and the know the facts. crue to them personally and nothing else.” development of state services and performance. “The government must clarify news reports and decisions, especially those af- Also: ❑ ❑ ❑ fecting the lives of people. Clarity is excellent as it cuts off rumors and lies.” “Democracy has a price that people must pay irrespective whether this democ- “During the recent special session of the National Assembly, it discussed — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli Other Voices Political activist released ‘We can never forget invasion’ Arrests in booze factory raid By Ahmad alsarraf decision to demolish the house, which belongs to the state property. wrote an article 15 years ago on The issue of commemorating KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The Public Pros- Ithe invasion, and how many par- the memory of the invasion is not ecution released political activist Dr Obaid Boy dead, dad lives in mishap ties do not want to see any trace a personal issue and it should not Al-Wasmi after investigating him regard- that reminds us of that stage and the be left in the hands of parties or treachery we were subjected to. individuals with personal interests ing the complaint that Emirati Attorney If we exclude the ridiculous at- and purposes. Rather, it must be General Hamad Al-Shamsi filed against Young man slits wrist, ends life tempts made by some to immortal- an institutional act. If we visit any him. KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: A young Ku- Police are investigating why the man ended ize the event, cities and metropolitan countries Al-Wasmi and his lawyer – Attorney Mashary Al-Nami out of a desire waiti ended his life by slitting his veins his life. around the world that were previ- – appeared before the prosecution recently, during which at his father’s house in northwestern Su- ❑ ❑ ❑ to achieve ously occupied, we would find a easy and rap- they looked into the complaint submitted by the Emirati laibikhat. monument or a symbol reminis- attorney general who claimed that the accused tweeted Boy dies, dad lives: A six-year-old boy id wealth, we A security source explained sensing the died and his father suffered severe injuries cent of that period. statements deemed offensive to him. Al-Wasmi denied the young man’s absence from the rest of the would fi nd Even the Germany of insane when the vehicle they were driving over- that we, as a accusation. family, the father went to his son’s room turned on the Abdali Road. Hitler who ignited the largest war in ❑ ❑ ❑ and knocked on the door and was forced state, people human history and caused the loss As soon as the Ministry of Interior opera- and govern- Ruling overhauled: The Court of Appeals overturned a verdict to break the door when the man did not tions room received a report of the accident, of tens of millions of lives and the respond. ment, did not, destruction of entire great cities did issued by a lower court which sentenced a fashionista and her securitymen and paramedics rushed to the after more husband to two-year imprisonment and fined them KD 2,000 as Upon entering he was shocked to fi nd the site and rushed the father and the child to not hesitate to leave fi gures and ru- victim in a pool of blood and he immedi- the Jahra Hospital. than 30 years alsarraf ined heaps of buildings in its most well as the deportation of the husband after serving the term. The since the lib- court instead fined them KD 5,000 on charges of posting an inde- ately rushed his son to the Sabah Hospital The child succumbed to his injuries, famous squares as a reminder of where doctors failed to rescue him. while the father has been admitted to inten- eration of Kuwait from a dangerous that futile war, and the severity of cent video clip on SnapChat application. The Public Prosecution charged the defendants with misuse of His corpse has been referred to Forensics. sive care unit. and vicious invasion that sought to the killing and destruction in those wipe the state off the face of the mobile phones by publishing a video clip, which contained inde- years. cent images and words and is against the public decorum and earth, ‘scatter’ its people, by any We urgently need government ‘Iraq-era’ ammo serious work to commemorate that morals, on SnapChat. action and assign a committee or Defending the fashionista was Lawyer Ali Jawhar, who event even by placing a memo- body, such as the National Council found in desert rial or a landmark that reminds or demanded the annulment of the ruling and the deportation of her for Culture, Arts and Letters, which husband, stressing that when referring to the case documents, it KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: chronicles that dark period and the almost died by a stroke at the hands was evident that they did not commit a criminal activity by pub- Acting on information, atrocious event. of Minister Jalaluddin Al-Roumi to lishing the clip. personnel from the Jahra In addition, the education cur- assume the responsibility for plac- ❑ ❑ ❑ Governorate Security Di- ricula are almost devoid of any ing this monument, by choosing rectorate rushed to an uni- clear or detailed mention of what the place and holding a competition Bootleggers nabbed: The Public Security Sector of the dentifi ed location in the happened on the August 2, 1990. Ministry of Interior recently destroyed thousands of alcohol bot- area, threw a fence around for its design and construction, and tles that were found inside a den in a suburb of Ahriya, reports The matter requires someone to Al-Shaheed Park may be the most a quantity of ammunition undertake the task of commemo- Al-Anba daily. until the competent authori- suitable place to place it and remind The booze was destroyed by the Kuwait Municipality bulldoz- rating the memory of the invasion, us and the future generations of the ties from the army engi- so that there will not come a time ers in addition to barrels of raw material and booze manufactur- neering unit dealt with the treachery, the invasion and occupa- ing equipment. ordnance, reports Al-Anba when our children do not know tion, and to perpetuate the memory the reason for calling a tall and The Asians arrested for running the factory said they were get- daily. of a tragic occasion which affected ting help from the cleaning workers to get for them the empty The security source said empty concrete edifice the ‘Lib- us all and perpetuate our national mineral water bottles dumped by residents in garbage containers eration Tower’, and the question this happened after a report resistance. and that they were reusing these bottles without washing them. was received by the Interior -- Liberation from what? The design and construction The factory was raided after the security sector received infor- A few days ago, the Al-Qabas Ministry from a Kuwaiti of the monument can be funded mation from undercover police agent. who stated that he had seen daily conducted an interview with through public donations, which ❑ ❑ ❑ whoever was behind the idea of a quantity of ammunition in the Ministry of Social Affairs takes At clinic with knife: The Jahra police have arrested a Kuwaiti the Al-Liah area near Jahra, establishing the Kuwait House for over, through a charity association, National Works, on which we have for consuming drugs. 2 kilometers off the main and I am ready to be the fi rst to do- land. The sources say the written more than fi ve articles on all The arrest came after someone informed the Operations Room nate to this project. of the Ministry of Interior that the suspect armed with a knife had ordnance is believed to be that was raised about its establish- ❑ ❑ ❑ remnants left behind by the ment and management as that per- entered a polyclinic in the suburb of Saad Al-Abdullah and threatening to stab the people. retreating Iraqi forces after son objected to the Municipality’s e-mail: [email protected] The man has been arrested and detained at the area police sta- the defeat in the Liberation tion. war in February 1991. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 LOCAL 6

115 academicians to be referred for retirement Allow schools to participate in competitions, MoE tells districts KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The Ministry several principals, advisors, adminis- of Education has issued instructions to trators and directors of two central educational districts to allow schools departments in the educational dis- to participate in national competitions tricts, indicating the ministry has yet to Minister affirms keenness of youth for sports activities organized by school activities depart- specify the date for referring these ments in cooperation with the techni- academicians for retirement. KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The News Agency (KUNA), Al-Mutairi for all players, referees and officials measures inside stadiums and gyms, cal guidance department for social Sources said there are two options - Minister of Information and State said the ministerial committee for in charge of matches, and conduct- either during training or official and affairs during this February, reports one is to refer them for retirement at the Minister for Youth Affairs COVID-19 emergencies had ing regular PCR tests on them.” friendly matches for clubs and Al-Jarida daily. end of the current school year specifi- Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi affirmed approved the precautionary mea- Al-Mutairi referred to “perma- teams”. In this context, the Director of cally on July 1, and the other option is the keenness of the youth in Kuwait sures that were agreed upon between nently banning public gathering”, Al-Mutairi praised all the federa- Activities at the Ministry’s General for them to continue working until the to practice sports and organize local representatives of clubs and local calling on all federations and clubs tions and clubs for abiding by the Office, Maryam Al-Enezi, said the gen- end of the current year in December. and foreign competitions in accor- sports federations and officials of to adhere to these measures that Cabinet’s call issued on February 3 eral technical guidance for social workers After a thorough review of the list, dance with the strict health proce- the Public Authority for Sports in a come in the interest of everyone. to halt all sports activities and is about to hold a competition at national it will be forwarded to the Public dures without public attendance in meeting held recently and “their He said, “The Public Authority friendly matches in order to combat level under the title ‘Peace is Homeland’. Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) order to preserve the health safety of implementation before, during and for Sports, the Olympic Committee the increasing spread of COVID-19 The competition will be held for approval and to evaluate the acade- all members of the sports teams, after the competitions, after being of Kuwait, Ministry of Health, and pandemic in the country. through the social networking program micians’ eligibility for retirement. The their families and the society in light approved by the health authorities”. Ministry of Interior are coordinating He said, “This mechanism and without personal attendance. She ministry is continuing its plan regard- of the ongoing COVID-19 pandem- He indicated that among the most to follow up the clubs and sports procedures will provide an opportu- added, the competition continues ing the retirement of employees with ic, reports Al-Nahar daily. important of these measures is federations’ implementation of the nity for the safe return of sports throughout the February via the tech- 34 years in service, sources added. In a statement to the Kuwait “seeking to carry out vaccinations health conditions and precautionary activities.” nical guidance website. Meanwhile, Acting Undersecretary In other news, the concerned authori- of the Ministry of Education, Faisal ties at the Ministry of Education pre- Al-Maqsid, said officials in all educa- which has been obtained by the daily, instructions of the health authorities ply is considered a disciplinary offense as follows – warning, deduction from pared a new list of academicians - a total tional sectors and regions who do not said based on the Civil Service and the preventive measures to con- that calls for punishment accordance the employee’s salary in a gradual of 115 - who will be referred for retire- comply with the health requirements Commission Circular No. 1/2021, the front the spread of the new coronavi- to Article (55) of the decree issued in manner beginning with one day’s sal- ment as they have been in service for 34 and instructions issued by the health Ministry of Education is pleased to rus related to health safety and preven- the matter of the service system, taking ary and then tightening control in pro- years, reports Al-Anba daily quoting authorities face disciplinary measures, announce to all employees of the min- tive measures that fall within the duties into account the hierarchy of penalties portion to the violation and its repeti- sources from the educational sector. reports Al-Anba daily. istry the following: and prohibitions that the employees and rules mentioned in Article (60) of tion in a gradual manner, not exceed- Sources disclosed the list consists of Al-Maqsid in a circular, a copy of The obligation to adhere to the must abide by and their failure to com- the aforementioned decree, which are ing fifteen days at a time. ‘US still committed to Kuwait’s security as it was 30 years ago’ US ambassador pays visit to Martyrs’ Office

By Abdel Nasser Al-Aslami Romanowski during the tour of the museum was given an explanation Al-Seyassah Staff of the museum’s contents, including pictures of the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad and Bush Sr., during his visit to Kuwait after liberation, KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The Ambassador of the United and some pictures of the Kuwaiti resistance forces during the Iraqi inva- States of America to Kuwait Alina Romanowski visited sion of Kuwait, as well as the joint activities between the office and the the Martyrs Office. She was received by the Director- American embassy. General of the Office Salah Al-Oufan in the presence of The tour comes as part of a series of events organized by the US embassy to members of the Board of Trustees. commemorate the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait. On this occasion, Al-Aufan said Kuwait does not forget the countries that stood with it during the launch of Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait, and the honorable stand taken by the United States, which led the liberation efforts with coalition forces at a time when the Kuwaiti people who accept- ed the challenge and resisted injustice in order to liberate their country from the brutal Iraqi invasion. The martyrs wrote with their blood an immortal saga, so that the home- land can continue the march with unprecedented and courageous inter- national aid led by the United States of America, the country that led the KUNA photos liberation efforts with the govern- US Ambassador Alina Romanowski at the Jahra Nature Reserve. ment of Kuwait and the coalition countries. Al-Oufan added that the Office of the Martyrs does not forget the heroics Inspiring: Romanowski of the martyrs of Kuwait, and “it is our duty to salute these sacrifices of the martyrs.” For her part, the US envoy said, “I Envoy plants mangrove heard moving stories from the families of martyrs who were martyred during US Ambassador Alina Romanowski during her visit to the Martyrs’ Office. the 1990 invasion, and thanks to the at Jahra Nature Reserve Martyrs’ Office for this visit in which KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: As part part of the coastal environment we honor the sacrifices of the martyrs of the cooperation efforts between rehabilitation project in Kuwait Bid to involve private sector to advance development as the US celebrate the thirtieth anni- the Environment Public Authority that has been implemented by the versary of liberation and our long part- and the United States Embassy, EPA since 2018 by planting man- nership with Kuwait. In January 1991, the EPA Director-General Sheikh grove seedlings on the coast of Minister discusses ways to develop projects the late President George Bush Sr Abdullah Al-Ahmad and his depu- Al-Jahra Reserve. announced Operation Desert Storm ty for technical affairs Dr Abdullah “The visit was inspiring to me,” By Abdel Nasser Al-Aslami Housing Welfare, Engr Badr projects. begins and a US-led coalition led Al-Zaidan, received Ambassador Romanowski said. “The reserve is Al-Seyassah Staff Al-Luqian and Deputy Director Representatives from the Kuwait alongside Kuwait to expel Iraqi forces, of the United States of America to home to some truly unique plants General for Investment Sector Economic Society who participated in and Kuwait was liberated at the end of Kuwait Alina Romanowski, at the and animals, and I hope all KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The Affairs Engr Hadeel bin Naji dis- the meeting include Abdul Wahhab February 1991.” Jahra Nature Reserve, where she Kuwaitis will visit the reserve in Minister of State for Housing cussed ways to develop housing Al-Rasheed, Khaled Al-Mutairi, She added that liberation is an was briefed on the environment the future.” She added, “We at the Affairs and Minister of State for welfare projects and involve the pri- Ahmed Al-Taheeh, Ahmed Al-Mulla, important part of “our two countries’ and biodiversity at the reserve and United States embassy are ready to Services Affairs Dr. Abdullah vate sector to advance the develop- and a group of academics - Dr. common history and a bond for our the efforts exerted by the EPA to work with the authority and other Ma’arafi, a number of representa- ment in public interest by making Ahmed Al-Mutairi, Dr. Salah Al very strong partnership that we enjoy rehabilitate the natural reserve. Kuwaiti institutions to exchange tives of civil and academic bodies, use of the available expertise in Hammadi, Dr. Abdullah Al-Awadi, today,” and the United States is com- During the visit, Ambassador knowledge from the United States in the presence of the General various investment fields that serve Dr. Ahmed Bash, Dr. Muhammad mitted to the security of Kuwait today Romanowski planted mangroves about preserving the environ- Director of the Public Authority for the development of housing welfare Al-Asfour, Dr. Dhari Al-Rasheed. just as it was 30 years ago. on the coast of Al-Jahra Reserve as ment.” Dr Al-Sabah meets Company committed Indian ambassador KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18, (KUNA): The Kuwaiti Minister of Health Sheikh Serious pledge to vacate Dr Basil Al-Sabah discussed with the Ambassador of the Republic of India to the country HE Sibi George mea- the poultry farm by June sures taken by Kuwait to address and contain the spread of (COVID-19) By Abdel Nasser Al-Aslami site, revealing the existence of a corona pandemic during the ambassa- Al-Seyassah Staff timetable and weekly reports for dor’s reception today. the evacuation process and handing The Health Ministry said in a press KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: Members it over to the Public Authority for statement the Indian Ambassador of the Municipal Council, accom- Housing Welfare. touched on the latest developments panied by personnel from the Deputy Chairman of the regarding the production and use of Public Authority for Agricultural Municipal Council, Abdullah the protective vaccine against (corona) Affairs and Fish Resources Al-Mahri, stated the Municipal in India. (PAAAFR), visited the site of the visit comes in coordination with the The Minister of Health thanked the poultry farm in the South Saad PAAAFR to look into the latest Ambassador of India, expressing his Abdullah residential project, where developments in the evacuation of appreciation for the ambassador’s the PAAAFR Director-General the poultry site, as it resulted in a clear efforts to facilitate and speed up Sheikh Muhammad Al-Youssef, serious commitment to hand over the arrival of the Indian vaccine in the announced the rate of evacuation of State of Kuwait. the site next June, adding that it is a the site will reach 80 percent by step forward to retrieve the land March. that has been allocated for the hous- In a press statement Sheikh ing project. Al-Youssef said according to what In turn, Municipal Council has been agreed upon and the deci- Member Engr Abdul Salam sions issued in this regard, the com- Al-Randi said one of the reasons pany is committed to handing over for the delay in handing over the the site next June. land for housing project was not to Al-Youssef said a site had earlier ‘confuse’ the food security. been allocated to the poultry com- Member Maha Al-Baghli said pany in the Shagaya area, but the those responsible for the removal services were not completed until a have given a period of less than a short time ago, explaining that month to bring the removal rate by there is no obstacle for the compa- 80%, especially that the complete ny to remain committed to hand removal will end in less than 6 over the site. months. The Deputy Director-General of Al-Baghli hopes that there will the Livestock Sector at PAAAFR, be a positive response from the rest Misha’al Al-Qurifa, said the tour of the authorities since PAAAFR shows the seriousness of PAAAFR has responded positively for the KUNA photo with the instructions of the Director immediate removal, confirming 30 Indian Ambassador with Kuwait’s General in following up on the thousand families are waiting to Health Minister. removal of the poultry company live in South Saad Al-Abdullah. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021

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Members recite poems reflecting deep love for their country Writers’ Forum Kuwait marks India’s Republic Day with special meeting KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: One na- President of the Forum Mrs. Maimu- sacrifices that the country’s brave tion, one vision, one identity. With na Chougle to preside over the meet- freedom fighters and ancestors had this belief, the Writers’ Forum Ku- ing and Mrs Anupama Chaturvedi, a done to build this beautiful nation. wait conducted its monthly meeting Hindi poetess, as the Chief Guest for She went on to present her poem to celebrate India’s 72nd Republic the evening. in Hindi and reflected succinctly Day. In the poetry session of the meet- upon the meeting and poems re- The pandemic and resulting so- ing, the members presented their cited by the members. cial distancing may have limited the poems that reflected deep love for Mrs. Maimuna Chougle, while WFK meetings to digital platform the country, admiration for its con- delivering her presidential remarks, but it could not dampen the spirit and stitution and respect for its unity congratulated and thanked every enthusiasm at all. in diversity. The members who member for attending this special Aamir Diwan, filling-in in the recited their poems were Aamir meeting dedicated to the Republic absence of the General Secretary Diwan, Dr (Mrs.) Radhika Guleri Day and reminisced about the pro- of the Forum Ms Nazneen Ali, Bhardwaj, Umesh Sharma, Sunil grams and Mushayeras that Writ- welcomed everyone to the meet- Sonsi, Mrs. Kalpana Shah in Hindi, ers’ Forum is so proud to organize ing by congratulating them on the Ammeruddin Ameer, Sayeed Na- on the Republic Day and Indepen- eve of the Republic Day and re- zar Kadpawi and Mrs Nazneen Ali dence Day every year. An accom- minding all about the value of our in Urdu and Mohan Singh in Eng- plished writer and critic that she is, great democracy and constitution. lish. Other members who attended she read a moving critique about The members fondly talked about the meeting were Sabir Omer and one of the most celebrated and pro- the programs that WFK does every Biswa Ranjan. lific Hindi / Urdu story and novel year to celebrate Republic Day and In her speech as chief guest, writer Munshi Premchand. the grand Mushaira it did last year Mrs Anupama Chaturvedi spoke The meeting ended with Aamir as well with ‘elan. eloquently about our great Re- Diwan expressing thanks to all the Aamir then proceeded to invite the Screen shots from WFK’s online monthly meeting. public and reminded all about the members for their presence.

A screen shot of BSK’s Zoom online webinar. Billava Sangha Kuwait 2021 management committee members. Poojary reelected as president Event sees huge turnout for a noble cause Billava Sangha Kuwait holds 8th AGM, elects new management committee PSA organizes 6th blood donation camp KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: The eighth entertainment the audience. Karthik KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: Pakistan annual general body meeting of Bil- Kadekar, renowned music composer in Sports Association Kuwait, a well- lava Sangha Kuwait was held on Jan 15, home town edited the cultural videos known sports organization in Kuwait, through Zoom online webinar. which added more flavor to the event. organized its 6th Annual Blood Do- The event commenced with a prayer MC Rajesh Kunder announced the nation Camp on Friday, Feb 12 from by baby Sanskrati S. Poojary followed new management committee members 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Kuwait Central by the lighting of lamp by BSK com- elected unanimously for the year of Blood Bank Jabriya, according to the mittee member Mithun Vishwanath in 2021as follows: SOPs of MOH in the situation of COV- the presence of BSK management and President - Krishna S. Poojary; Vice ID-19 in the country. This remarkable members. President - Ms. Sushma Bangera; Gen- blood donation drive was dedicated to Master of Ceremony, Rajesh Kunder eral Secretary - Raghav D. Poojary; Joint the founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam welcomed President and all the BSK mem- Secretary - Prashanth Poojary; Trea- Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Late Amir bers. President Krishna Poojary in his wel- surer - Venu Gopal; Internal Auditor of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al come speech appreciated all the committee - Hareesha Poojary; Cultural Secretary - Jaber Al Sabah. A noble cause to serve members for working with unity towards the Ms. Jayalaxmi Vishwas; Joint Cultural the humanity, Pakistan Sports As- upliftment of the community. Sec. - Ms. Yashodha K. Bangera; Sports sociation and its members, dedicated General Secretary Raghav Poojary Secretary - Amarnath Suvarna; Joint themselves volunteering for the differ- presented the Annual Report mention- Sports Sec. - SujithKotian; Welfare Of- ent activities of organizing the camp ing the activities carried out in the Year ficer - Prabhakar Bola; Joint Welfare and most notably, a large number of its 2020 and briefed about the Constitution - SathishKotian; P.R.O. - Gautham Su- amendment, while Treasurer Venugopal varna; Joint PRO - Dayananda Amin; members and associates turned up with read out the financial report for the Year Media Secretary - Ghanshyam Attavar; enthusiasm honoring the occasion. 2020, both of which were approved by Joint Media Sec. - Gireesh Kumar and Well known personalities from dif- the members. Raghu C Poojary, Manoj Kumar and ferent communities, visited the camp Welfare Officer Prabhakar Bola Chitrek Bangera will be in the advisory and appreciated the well-disciplined spoke about the scholarship programme, committee for the year 2021. and successful drive. The delegates food kit distribution during COVID-19 Re-elected President Krishna Poojary were briefed on different stages the lockdown and other welfare activities addressed the gathering and requested donated blood goes through, how it conducted during the Year 2020. the full cooperation from all the nom- is preserved and how a bottle of do- On behalf of BSK, Prabhakar ex- mittee members in fulfilling his duties nated blood can save up to 3 lives. tended best wishes to ‘Friends Tuluver towards the Sangha. They also commended and appreci- Group Kuwait’ formed by BSK member Vote of thanks was given by the Joint ated the efforts of reaching to masses Dheeraj Salian. Secretary Prashanth Poojary. with a great message and achieving a Highlight of the function was the BSK management committee would large turnout for such a great cause in cultural program, which was very well like to take this opportunity to thank all very diffi cult situation of COVID-19. organized by the Cultural Secretary Ms. the sponsors and BSK members for their They stated, “We are delighted to see Jayalaxmi Vishwas and team. BSK kids contribution towards the success of all such a well-organized, disciplined and and adults exhibited their talent by per- the functions and the events taken place successful blood donation camp by Pa- forming dance, singing and skit which till date. kistani community organized by Paki- stan Sports Association Kuwait.” They congratulated and appreciated the efforts made by Pakistan Sports As- sociation in this noble cause of blood donation and assured all support in fu- ture as well. Founder/Director General of Pa- kistan Sports Association Kuwait, Muhammad Irfan Adil, President Maqbool Ahmed, Vice President Mu- hammad Younas Shahid, thanked Blood Bank management, sponsors, media partners, community support- ers, donors, volunteers, team members and all the community heads including all media representatives for visiting the blood donation camp. People from A photo from the event. all walks of life and nationalities vis- ited the camp and donated blood for the noble cause. Life Fitness, BDK hold blood donation PSA management thanks all the sponsors, Hafi z Muhammad Shabbir, camp as part of ‘V-Day’ celebrations Shamshad Khan Tanoli, Ubaid-ur- Reman Arain, Peer Amjad Hussain, KUWAIT CITY, Feb 18: Abbasiya wishes. The memento for Life Fitness Mohammad Abdul Hakeem, Mubeen Life Fitness Gymnasium and BDK Ku- was handed over by BDK Kuwait Ad- Ahmed, Asif Jamal, Shahzad Ur Re- wait Chapter jointly organized a blood visory Board Member Rajan Thottam. hman Butt, Atiq ur Rehman, Pakistan donation camp on the occasion of Val- Raghubal welcomed the gathering. Life Business Center and Al Hafi z Com- entine’s Day. Many people, including Fitness Partner Lijo Joseph thanked the pany, QNET, Kiran & Smart, Business Life Fitness members, donated blood at participants and blood donors. Nimish Base Company, Gulf Consult, United Photos from the event. the camp, which was held at the Blood Kavalam, Biji Murali, Freddy, Sophie Swiss Textile Company, Grand Pearl International Company, Combined Transfusion Center near the Central Rajan, Ratheesh, Pramil, Binil, Jibi, Un- appreciated their support in this noble PSA organizing team including Mu- Dr. Yasir Jamil, Women Section Head Blood Bank’s Adan Hospital. The camp Tafaol Trading Company and Al Ha- nikrishnan, Jolly and Beena led the camp. cause. Media representatives were also hammad Irfan Adil, Maqbool Ahmed, Dr. Farah Zahid, Mrs Robeela Ghazal was conducted in full compliance with bib International Company. Organ- highly appreciated by PSA manage- Muhammad Younas Shahid, Khalil (President PWA), Dr. Anam Irfan, Dr. COVID-19 standards. Those interested in participating in izing partners Pakistan Employment ment, including KTV2, Tariq Iqbal, Ahmed, Shakeel Murtaza, Farrukh Ka- Shivani Gupta, Dr. Amal Abdul Latif, The camp was officially inaugurated blood donation activities such as blood Forum Kuwait, Pakistan Women As- Shahzad Iqbal from VOOP Media, mal Siddiqui, Muhammad Irfan, Mu- Dr. Sara, Isra Tariq, Faiza Siddiqui ( by BDK Kuwait Patron Manoj Mavelik- donation camps and awareness classes sociation Kuwait, Green Hands En- Shareef Hadeesvi from Duniya News hammad Hadi Balti, Muhammad Ha- GS PWA), Abeer Irfan, Fozia Zaheer, kara. Life Fitness Partner Jeans Mathew in collaboration with the Central Blood vironmental Team and Pakistan Qir- and Dharti News, Muhammad Riaz feez, Muhammad Arslan, Muhammad Mariuam Irfan, Danah Al Khasan, presided over the function. BDK Coor- Bank and need of free blood donor ser- rat & Naat Council Kuwait, Pakistan from Supreme Media, Muhammad Ali Hassan, Asad Ismail, Muhammad Asia Amber and Aysha Irfan contrib- dinator Nalinakshan Thazhath Valappil vices can contact BDK Kuwait helpline Medical & Dental Association Kuwait Hadi Balti from GB Media and other Usman, Talha Atiq, Adil Qayyum, uted towards Blood Donation Camp to and Dhanuj Karakkad offered their best numbers 6999 7588/5151 0076. and Pakistani Professionals in Kuwait media volunteers. Imran Ali, Dr. Soment Mishra and make it a successful event. cost controls, luxury sales help Daimler weather pandemic

Car and truck maker Daimler With net cash at year end pandemic.” ros per share from 90 cents increased its profits by 48% of 17.9 billion euros, CEO The Stuttgart-based com- a share. to 4.0 billion euros ($4.8 bil- Ola Kallenius said the com- pany said its outlook for this Daimler AG faced produc- In this file photo, a worker lion euros) in 2020 thanks to pany had the resources to year was for profits and sales tion shutdowns early in the wipes a logo of a car at the extensive cost-cutting and a develop the electric cars and to be “significantly above” year along with other au- Mercedes Benz automobile sales recovery in the second digitalized products and ser- last year, assuming continu- tomakers but benefitted from assembly plant outside Mos- half for its highly profitable vices that are transforming ing rollout of vaccines and recovering demand for luxury cow, Russia. (AP) Mercedes-Benz luxury cars the industry: “We proved our absent any unexpected pan- cars after the first wave of and sport-utility vehicles. ability to generate substan- demic-related setback. Man- the virus outbreak. The Mer- The bottom line improved tial cash flow and to drive agement proposed that the cedes-Benz luxury car divi- on 2.7 billion euros from 2019, the ongoing transformation board of directors approve sion saw sales down only 1% even as top-line revenue fell on our own – even under the raising the dividend payout in the last three months of the 11% to 154.3 billion euros. adverse circumstances of a to shareholders to 1.35 eu- year. (AP)

Market Movements 18-02-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts CHINA - Shanghai SE +20.27 3,675.36 AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries -3.35 7,155.47 JAPAN - Nikkei -56.10 30,236.09 GERMANY - DAX -22.34 13,886.93 FRANCE - CAC 40 -37.51 5,728.33 EUROPE - Euro Stoxx 50 -18.81 3,681.04 S. KOREA - KRX 100 -111.35 6,652.76 PHILIPPINES - PSEi -116.79 6,849.64 Business Outlook is heavily dependent on the course of the virus: central bank officials Fed officials expressed concerns in over slowing economy WASHINGTON, Feb 18, (AP): Federal Reserve offi cials were con- vinced last month that the US econ- omy and job growth had slowed as coronavirus cases surged across the country, noting that the outlook is heavily dependent on the course of US jobless claims the virus. The minutes of the Fed’s January discussions show offi cials believed that the ongoing public health crisis is still posing “considerable risks” to the economy. The minutes, released Wednes- ‘jump’ to 861,000 day, reflect widespread Fed sup- port for the central bank’s policy of emphasizing ultra-low interest rates to boost the economy and Layoffs stay high help millions of Americans regain lost jobs. “Members agreed that the Federal WASHINGTON, Feb In this file photo, an Airbus A380 takes off for its demonstration flight at the Reserve was committed to using its Paris Air Show in Le Bourget airport, north of Paris. (AP) 18, (AP): The number of full range of tools to support the US Americans applying for economy in this challenging time,” according to the minutes, which cov- Plane maker expects better 2021 unemployment aid rose last ered the Fed’s discussions at its Jan week to 861,000, evidence 26-27 meeting. that layoffs remain pain- The minutes note some improve- fully high despite a steady ment in the economy’s medium-term Airbus lost $1.3b amid outlook as distribution of vaccines drop in the number of con- ramped up and Congress passed a firmed viral infections. $900 billion relief measure that pro- coronavirus pandemic Applications from laid-off work- vided more direct payments to in- ers rose 13,000 from the previous dividuals and expanded unemploy- PARIS, Feb 18, (AP): European plane maker Airbus lost 1.1 billion euros week, which was revised sharply ment benefi ts. higher, the Labor Department said At its January meeting, the Fed ($1.3 billion) last year amid an un- 2 directors are kept its benchmark interest rate at precedented global slump in air travel Thursday. Before the virus erupted a record low of zero to 0.25% and because of the pandemic, but expects in the United States last March, to deliver hundreds of planes and make leaving Boeing weekly applications for unemploy- pledged to keep pursuing its low-in- a profi t in 2021 despite uncertainty terest rate policies until an economic ment benefits had never topped In this file photo, a now hiring sign is displayed at a CD One Price Cleaners about when people will resume fl ying CHICAGO, Feb 18, (AP): Boeing said 700,000, even during the Great recovery is well underway. en masse. Wednesday that two of its directors in Schaumburg, Illinois. (AP) The Fed does not meet again Airbus is also pushing to negotiate are retiring, a sign of further change Recession of 2008-2009. until March 16-17. Fed Chairman a “cease-fi re” soon in its years-long on the company’s board as it faces The job market has stalled, with em- three-quarters of those recipients are re- also provide an additional $400 a week Jerome Powell, however, will ap- trade dispute with US rival Boeing, a shareholder lawsuit alleging weak ployers having added a mere 49,000 jobs ceiving checks from federal programs, in federal jobless aid, on top of state pear before Congress next week amid hopes that the Biden Adminis- overview during the 737 Max crisis. in January after cutting workers in De- including two extended benefi t programs benefi ts. That money would replace a to deliver the central bank’s semi- tration will be more amenable than The Chicago-based aircraft cember. Nearly 10 million jobs remain that provide jobless aid beyond the 26 $300-a-week benefi t that was included annual monetary report to the Trump’s government to a deal. The maker said Arthur Collins Jr., chair- lost to the pandemic. Though the unem- weeks given by most states. That trend in the relief package approved last year. Congress, an appearance financial dispute has led to billions of dollars man of the committee that sets ex- ployment rate fell last month from 6.7%, suggests that a sizable proportion of the Some industry data suggests that in tit-for-tat cross-Atlantic tariffs on ecutive compensation, and Susan to 6.3%, it did so in part because some unemployed have been out of work for hiring remains weak. UKG, a company markets will be following closely Schwab won’t stand for reelection people stopped looking for jobs. People for any clues of the Fed’s future planes, cheese, wine, video games and more than six months, refl ecting a bleak that provides time management soft- at Boeing’s annual shareholder who aren’t actively seeking work aren’t job market for many. ware, estimates that among its mostly moves on interest rates. other products. meeting in April. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury ac- counted as unemployed. Two federal unemployment aid pro- small-business clients, the number of The Fed has signaled that it does Boeing directors and executives Fraudulent claims may be elevating grams - one that provides up to an extra shifts worked nationally has risen just not plan to begin raising interest knowledged Thursday that the com- were named in a shareholder law- pany’s performance last year was the totals. Last week, Ohio reported a 24 weeks of support and another that 0.2% in the past month. That tepid rates until after 2023. In addition to suit filed in a Delaware court that huge increase in applications and said covers self-employed and gig workers increase signals that hiring has been low rates, the Fed is buying $80 bil- “far from expectations” and had to alleges the board failed to properly constantly adapt as airlines grounded it had set aside about half the increase - were extended until March 14 by a sluggish so far this month. lion in Treasury securities and $40 oversee management during en- for additional review out of concern $900 billion rescue package that was Still, the economy has shown signs planes – or folded altogether – be- gineering problems with the 737 billion in mortgage-backed securi- cause of travel restrictions. Airbus over fraud. enacted late last year. of picking up as states and cities have ties each month and analysts expect Max. The plane was grounded for announced in June that it would cut 20 months after two crashes that Thursday’s report showed that a total President Joe Biden is proposing to eased some business restrictions and those purchases to continue for some 15,000 jobs, mostly in France and Ger- killed 346 people. The crisis has of 18.3 million people were receiving un- extend both programs through August the most recent round of $600 stimulus time to come. many. cost Boeing billions. employment aid as of Jan. 30, down from as part of his $1.9 trillion package now checks have made their way through Analysts said the minutes indicate “The crisis is not over. It is likely to Last month, former KPMG CEO 19.7 million the previous week. About before Congress. The legislation would the economy. no change from the Fed’s emphasis continue to be our reality throughout Lynne Doughtie replaced Caroline on keeping rates low until the econo- the year,” Faury said. “Airlines will Kennedy, daughter of President my has recovered. continue to suffer” and to “burn cash,” John F. Kennedy, on the board. In Paul Ashworth, chief economist he warned. 2020, two new directors joined, and at Capital Economics, said he be- Airbus doesn’t expect the industry the board created a safety com- lieves the Fed will not start to re- to recover to pre-pandemic levels until mittee. The year before that, CEO duce its monthly bond purchases 2023-2025, and when it does, Airbus Dennis Muilenburg was ousted and until next year and that the first predicts that environmental concerns replaced by David Calhoun, who will be ever more important to pas- had been board chairman. Fed rate hike will not come until Collins is a former CEO of med- 2024. sengers and airlines, so it’s increasing investment in hydrogen and lower- ical-device maker Medtronic Inc. Charlie Ripley, senior investment Schwab was U.S. trade represent- strategist for Allianz Investment emissions aircraft. Airbus sales were down to 49.9 bil- ative under President George W. Management, said that the main Bush. lion euros from 70 billion euros the takeaway from the minutes is that Boeing did not announce nomi- year before. The company also report- nees to replace them. “accommodative monetary policy ed a loss in 2019 because of a major will remain in place for the foresee- multinational corruption settlement. able future.” Airbus delivered 566 aircraft last iffs a “lose-lose situation” for every- The minutes show that Fed staff year and expects to deliver about the one. The tariffs stem from a dispute updated Fed offi cials on their as- same number this year, the company over state subsidies to both Airbus and sessment of the stability of the US said. It took in 268 commercial plane Boeing that each side calls unfair. fi nancial system. The staff noted that orders, down from 768 the year before. After trade tensions worsened under some fi nancial-market assets had el- Both fi gures were well down from Trump’s presidency, Faury said, “We evated valuations. normal recent years, but above those believe the situation is in place to start “The staff assessed vulnerabilities from struggling Boeing. with a cease-fi re, to suspend tariffs, to associated with household and busi- Boeing Co. got a bump in orders and hold negotiations and move forward.” ness borrowing as notable, refl ecting deliveries of new planes in December, Airbus welcomed one bit of good increased leverage and decreased but it wasn’t enough to salvage the news last year: a negotiated agreement This file photo shows the logo for Verizon above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. War- incomes and revenues in 2020,” the year. It notably suffered from continu- between Britain and the EU to reduce ren Buffett’s company made major new investments in Verizon and Chevron and again trimmed its huge stake in minutes said. ing cancellations of its 737 Max jet, trade disruptions after Brexit was fi nal- Apple while making several other adjustments to its stock portfolio last year. (AP) But the staff presentation said which was grounded for 21 months ized Dec 31. Faury insisted Thursday that banks have continued to main- after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that Airbus’ UK plants “have a very, killed 346 people. very important role to play moving Berkshire again trims its huge stake in Apple tain significant levels of high- With both plane makers facing a forward for Airbus.” quality assets and stable sources of long and diffi cult recovery, the Airbus Overall, however, the outlook re- funding should loan losses begin chief executive called the US-EU tar- mains bleak for the aviation industry. to mount. Buffett’s company reveals major In remarks last week to the Eco- nomic Club of New York, Powell emphasized the Fed’s commitment UK bank Barclays resumes to reduce unemployment to multi- investments in Verizon, Chevron decade lows. Powell said while the early re- dividends despite profit fall OMAHA, Nebraska, Feb 18, (AP): War- shares worth roughly $700 million. comment on these quarterly fi lings. And covery last year, helped by nearly ren Buffett’s company made major new Berkshire was also able to delay the document doesn’t make clear which LONDON, Feb 18, (AP): British fi nancial instruments enjoyed its “best investments in Verizon and Chevron and reporting its new investment in Chev- investments Buffett made. The billion- $4 trillion in government support, banking fi rm Barclays is resuming ever year.” The stock market volatili- had been surprising, the country was again trimmed its huge stake in Apple ron. Buffett’s company now holds 48.5 aire handles the biggest investments in dividend payouts despite reporting a ty during the pandemic helped drive a while making several other adjustments million shares of the oil industry giant. Berkshire’s portfolio, such as Apple, “still very far from a strong labor big drop in profi ts last year after it set 45% surge in the division’s revenues market whose benefi ts are broadly to its stock portfolio last year. In addition to those large new in- Coca-Cola and Bank of America. He aside 4.8 billion pounds ($6.7 billion) to 7.6 billion pounds. Berkshire Hathaway Inc said in regu- vestments, Berkshire also revealed has said that investments of less than $1 shared.” to account for loan losses during the Having contained a large part of the latory fi lings Tuesday that it bought $8.6 billion are likely to be the work of Berk- The government on Wednesday a new stake in professional services coronavirus pandemic. pandemic’s costs, the bank said it was billion worth of Verizon stock and picked fi rm Marsh & McLennan that’s worth shire’s two other investment managers. reported the biggest monthly gain The group said Thursday that its net resuming dividends after putting pay- up $4.1 billion worth of Chevron shares For the second quarter in a row, Berk- in wholesale prices in more than a roughly $499 million. profi t over the year fell by 27% to 2.5 outs on hold last year following pres- over the last six months of 2020. Berk- Berkshire offi cials don’t generally shire reduced its giant investment in decade. That news followed a report billion pounds and that it anticipated sure from the Bank of England. It said shire’s holdings are followed closely be- Apple, but the tech giant remains Berk- last week that consumer prices rose costs relating to the pandemic will shareholders will be rewarded with a cause of Buffett’s remarkably successful shire’s largest holding worth roughly in January at their fastest pace in remain high throughout 2021, though dividend worth 5 pence a share. investing record. $109 billion. Berkshire still holds 944 four months. “materially below” last year’s hit. “Given the strength of our business, Berkshire bought nearly 147 million million shares of the iPhone maker. Powell has cautioned that infl a- “We expect that our resilient and we have decided the time is right to re- Verizon shares, but the Securities and In addition to the three new invest- tion, which has been a no-show for diversifi ed business model will de- sume capital distributions,” Staley said. Exchange Commission allowed Buf- ments, Berkshire also added to its the past decade, could accelerate liver a meaningful improvement in In addition, the bank said Staley fett to delay disclosing the new stake in relatively new holdings in drugmak- for a time in coming months as the returns in 2021,” Chief Executive Jes will receive an extra 1.4 million the cellphone giant while his company ers Bristol Myers Squibb, Abbvie and country opens up. But he and many Staley said. pounds in annual bonuses and incen- was building the stake. Separately, Merck. Those were all fi rst disclosed private economists believe this will The bank said investment banking tive shares, taking his total pay to 4 Berkshire also more than doubled the last fall. Berkshire also increased its be only a temporary rise and not a trading helped offset the impact on million pounds for 2020. This was size of a smaller investment in compet- investment in Kroger, so his stake in sign that infl ation is getting out of its retail arm. The markets division, down on the 5.9 million pounds paid itor T-Mobile during the fourth quar- Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and the grocery giant is now worth just control. which trades bonds, stocks and other out in 2019. ter, which now includes 5.2 million CEO Warren Buffett. (AP) over $1 billion. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 BUSINESS 9

Air France-KLM plunges to huge loss in pandemic-hit year

Air France-KLM plunged to a Thursday. agile way of working, we were ment in 2021 “as soon as vac- In this fi le photo, an 7.1 billion euro ($8.5 billion) Both the French and Dutch able to drastically reduce our cination is deployed on a large Air France jumbo jet loss in 2020 as the global pan- governments pledged billions costs, protect our cash, and scale and borders once again rolls behind the tail of demic grounded planes and in support last year to help continue the execution of major reopen.” a KLM Royal Dutch halted travel plans worldwide the carriers survive the brutal transformation plans within our KLM CEO Pieter Elbers airliner at Charles causing a 67% slump in pas- downturn in air traffi c caused airlines,” he said. called 2020 an “incredibly de Gaulle airport in senger numbers at the French- by the coronavirus. Revenue sank by 60.4% to tough” year and referred to Roissy, north of Paris. Dutch aviation giant. Smith said the airlines also 9.2 billion euros. The massive massive job losses, saying that (AP) The year 2020 “tested the adapted fl ight schedules and loss included some 2.1 billion “it was with pain in our hearts Air France-KLM Group with transported more cargo to com- euros in restructuring and other that we had to say goodbye to the most severe crisis ever ex- pensate for falling bookings. charges. more than 5,000 hard-working perienced by the air transport “Thanks to the French and Smith said the carriers now and dedicated colleagues in industry,” CEO Ben Smith said Dutch state support and this are looking for an improve- 2020.” (AP)

Digital platforms fear Australian govt proposal will become an expensive precedent for others In surprise move, Facebook blocks news access in Australia CANBERRA, Australia, Feb 18, because it said the proposed law Frydenberg said he had “construc- bottomline (AP): In a surprise retaliatory move was unworkable. But that threat has tive” discussions with Facebook the Thursday, Facebook blocked Aus- faded as Google has worked out li- chief executive Mark Zuckerberg af- tralians from sharing news stories, censing content deals with Austral- ter the content blocking began. escalating a fi ght with the govern- ian media companies under its own “He did explain to me that they BERLIN: A German court ruled Thurs- ment over whether powerful tech News Showcase model. had concerns with aspects of the day that online retail giant Amazon has companies should have to pay news Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. code, and it goes to the interpretation to tell consumers the specifi c country of organizations for content. announced a wide-ranging deal with of some of its elements. And he will origin of fresh fruit and vegetables that Australia’s government con- Google on Wednesday. Major Aus- come back to me with some more it sells. demned the step, which also blocked tralian media organization Seven considered views,” Frydenberg said. The Munich regional court rejected Amazon’s appeal against a lower Ba- some government communications, West Media reached a deal earlier in He said the government remains varian court’s ruling on the issue last including messages about emergen- the week. Their rival Nine Entertain- committed to the code that is yield- year, which had said the company cy services, and some commercial ment is reportedly close to its own ing generous payment deals with needed to provide full details of the pages. pact, and state-owned Australian Google for Australian media. source of the goods to protect consum- The digital platforms fear that Broadcasting Corp. is in negotia- “Other countries are watching, but ers with transparent product informa- what’s happening in Australia will tions. also Google and Facebook and other tion. become an expensive precedent for The government accused Face- digital giants are very focused on The case was the result of a lawsuit other countries as governments re- book of endangering public safety what it means, as far as a precedent brought by consumer protection group vamp laws to catch up with the fast by temporarily blocking state emer- goes, for other countries,” Fryden- Foodwatch. changing digital world. gency services messaging on a day berg said. In his ruling, Presiding Judge An- Facebook acted after the House In this fi le photo, the Facebook logo on a screen at Nasdaq in Time Square, when there were severe fi re and News Corp. said it would re- dreas Mueller said that according to New York. (AP) European Union regulations, consum- of Representatives passed legisla- fl ood warnings in various parts of ceive “signifi cant payments” from ers had to be given specifi c details on tion that would make it and Google in Australia,” Frydenberg said. “This is an assault on a sovereign Australia. Google under the three-year agree- the country of origin of food, the dpa pay for Australian journalism, said Prime Minister Scott Morrison nation,” Health Minster Greg Hunt The Bureau of Meteorology’s ment, which includes heavyweight news agency reported. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. He said lashed out on his own Facebook told Parliament. “It is an assault on weather warnings, a Hobart wom- news organizations throughout the That means, for example, that it he was given no warning before Fa- page. people’s freedom and, in particular, en’s shelter and the Betoota Advo- English-speaking world such as The was not acceptable for Amazon to sell cebook acted. The legislation must “Facebook’s actions to unfriend it’s an utter abuse of big technolo- cate, a satirical website named af- Wall Street Journal and New York grapes listing 13 possible countries be passed by the Senate to become Australia today, cutting off essen- gies’ market power and control over ter an Australian ghost town, were Post in the U.S., the Times and the of origins or deliver mangoes grown law. tial information services on health technology.” among those surprised to fi nd their Sun in the U.K., and The Australian in Israel when the website listed their Australian news organizations and emergency services, were as ar- The government contends the pro- content blocked at least temporarily. and Sky News in Australia. The deal country of origin as Senegal, dpa re- could not post stories and people rogant as they were disappointing,” posed News Media Bargaining Code Communications Minister Paul spans audio and video and News ported. Corp. also will get an ad revenue Amazon told the court it had already who tried to share existing news Morrison posted. will ensure media businesses will be Fletcher said he told Facebook the adjusted its practices after the initial stories got notifi cations saying they “These actions will only confi rm paid fairly for journalism linked on- government expects access to its share from Google. ruling last year. (AP) were blocked from doing so . the concerns that an increasing num- line. Both Google and Facebook had pages to be restored. Frydenberg said after weekend ❑ ❑ ❑ “This post can’t be shared,” the ber of countries are expressing about threatened to retaliate. “The fact that there are organiza- talks with Zuckerberg and Sundar website said. “In response to Aus- the behavior of BigTech companies Australia’s proposal requires a tions like state health departments, Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet BERLIN: Coming soon to a selected re- tralian government legislation, Fa- who think they are bigger than gov- negotiation safety net through an fi re and emergency services . . . Inc. and its subsidiary Google, that tailer near you: a vegan version of the cebook restricts the posting of news ernments and that the rules should arbitration panel. The digital giants who have had their Facebook pages he was convinced the platforms “do iconic KitKat candy bar. links and all posts from news Pages not apply to them. They may be would not be able to abuse their blocked, that’s a public safety is- want to enter into these commercial Switzerland’s Nestle didn’t spell out in its announcement on Monday in Australia. Globally, the posting changing the world, but that doesn’t dominant negotiating positions by sue,” Fletcher said. arrangements.” the exact formula for the new treat to and sharing of news links from Aus- mean they run it,” he added. “We making take-it-or-leave-it payment Facebook said in a statement: “It’s a massive step forward we be known as the KitKat V. But it said tralian publications is restricted.” will not be intimidated by BigTech offers to news businesses for their “Any pages that are inadvertently have seen this week,” Frydenberg it would “soon have a delicious plant- The legislation mentioned by the seeking to pressure our Parliament.” journalism. In case of a standoff, the impacted, we’ll look to reverse.” said of the Google deals. based option that delivers the perfect notice has not yet been enacted. Facebook said the proposed Aus- panel would make a binding deci- Health Minster Greg Hunt said the “But if this was easy, every other balance between crispy wafer and “Facebook’s actions were unnec- tralian law “fundamentally misunder- sion on a winning offer. Royal Children’s Hospital in Mel- country in the world would have smooth chocolate that people know and essary, they were heavy-handed and stands the relationship between our Google had threatened to remove bourne still didn’t have its feed fi xed done it already. But they haven’t,” love.” they will damage its reputation here platform and publishers who use it.” its search functions from Australia after more than eight hours. he said. The company said it already has launched plant-based alternatives to dairy made from rice, oat, soy, coconut, pea and almonds that are found in its non-dairy ice cream, coffee creamers and other products. The KitKat V, which it said will Stocks move lower on Wall Street, be launched later this year in “several countries across the globe,” is certifi ed vegan and uses 100% sustainable co- coa, the company said. As the product is tested it will only be available in the company’s boutique KitKat Chocolatory shops or online, Treasury yields climb; crude rises and through select retailers. It will be available in Britain, where the KitKat was originally developed in York - and where the research on the Markets in Asia, Europe mostly down, Shanghai advances vegan version was done - but not in the U.S. where the KitKat is produced under a licensing agreement with Her- NEW YORK, Feb 18, (AP): shey’s, the company said. Stocks are broadly lower in Nestle said it is not releasing informa- morning trading on Thurs- tion on other countries participating in the initial roll-out at the moment. (AP) day, as investors were dis- ❑ ❑ ❑ couraged by economic data LONDON: The chairman of accountancy that showed continuing fi rm KPMG in the U.K. has resigned pain for recession-impact- after reportedly telling staff to stop ed Americans as well as the complaining about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their lives steady rise of bond yields. and jobs. The S&P 500 index lost 0.9% Bill Michael said he would leave at as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern. The Dow the end of this month because his posi- Jones Industrial Average was down tion had become “untenable.” 0.9% and the technology-heavy The Financial Times reported that Nasdaq Composite was down in a staff conference call on Monday, Michael told staff not to “moan” about 1.4%. The Russell 2000 index of the pandemic and to “stop playing small companies was down 1.6%. the victim card” over concerns about Energy prices declined for a sec- possible cuts to pensions, pay and bo- ond day, as the frigid temperatures nuses. that impacted Texas and much of the He also reportedly admitted to meet- Midwest moved East. Natural gas ing clients for coffee during lockdown, prices were down 4%. and called training against unconscious Bond yields continue to climb, as bias - the idea that people can hold ste- murmurs of inflation have started reotypes and prejudices without realiz- among investors and as the econo- ing it - “complete crap.” my continues to climb out of the In a statement, the 52-year-old Aus- tralian executive said he was “truly hole that was created by the pan- sorry that my words have caused hurt demic. The yield on the 10-year amongst my colleagues and for the im- U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.31%, pact the events of this week have had nearly double where it was last fall. on them.” It’s now trading at levels seen before “In light of that, I regard my position the March 2020 pandemic shut- as untenable and so I have decided to downs. leave the fi rm,” he said. The climb in bond yields has mul- KPMG said Michael’s duties will be tiple impacts on the market. When taken over by acting chairwoman Bina bonds pay higher yields, they are Mehta and acting senior partner Mary more attractive to a broader group of O’Connor. (AP) investors, who tend to move money ❑ ❑ ❑ out of low-performing stocks and PRAGUE: Czech fi rearms company into the steady income of bonds. It’s A currency trader walks near the screens showing the foreign exchange rates at the foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Ceska Zbrojovka has signed a deal to a push-pull phenomenon that’s exist- Feb. 18, 2021. Shares were mostly lower in Asia on Thursday after a mixed session on Wall Street as losses by technology and industrial companies acquire Colt, the American gun maker ed in the market for decades. With offset other gains. (AP) that helped develop revolvers in the bonds no longer paying out rock- 19th century and has since supplied bottom yields, the inverse relation- cerns over inflation that could prompt interest rates low in order to boost and London. Shanghai advanced flat, at 6,885.90. Japan’s Nikkei 225 the armed forces in the U.S. and other ship betweens stocks and bonds governments and central banks to the economy and help millions of after reopening following the Lunar lost 0.2% to 30,236.09, while the countries. could be reasserting itself. pull back on stimulus down the road Americans regain lost jobs. New Year holiday. Hang Seng in Hong Kong shed 1.6% Ceska Zbrojovka Group SE said Secondly, the bond market tends in several months or even a year. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has Optimism that rollouts of corona- to 30,595.27. In South Korea, the that it has purchased all the shares in A sign of how painful the U.S. cautioned that inflation could accel- virus vaccines will set the stage for Kospi gave up 1.5% to 3,086.66. Colt Holding Company LLC, the par- to be a good predictor for the econ- ent company of Colt’s Manufacturing omy. The steady rise in yields economy remains for many erate for a time in coming months as stronger economic growth in the sec- Energy prices rose again, adding Company LLC and its Canadian sub- means investors see the economy Americans, and the argument for the country opens up. But he and ond half of this year has been push- to a sharp increase the day before due sidiary, Colt Canada Corp. getting better but it also suggests why additional stimulus is needed, many private economists believe this ing shares higher. But expectations to the frigid weather that’s impacted The deal is worth $220 million they’re concerned about inflation. came in this week’s jobless claims will be only a temporary rise and not of a post-pandemic recovery also much of the U.S. and 1,098,620 newly issued shares in President Joe Biden’s plan to spend report. The government reported that a sign that inflation is getting out of have resurrected concerns over infla- U.S. benchmark crude oil gained Ceska Zbrojovk and is subject to ap- $1.9 trillion on stimulus could be applications for jobless benefits rose control. tion that could prompt governments 38 cents on Thursday to $61.52 per proval by regulators. The Czech com- somewhat inflationary, although in last week to 861,000. That’s the lat- Dow component Walmart slumped and central banks to pull back on barrel in electronic trading on the pany said it expected the transaction to a recession, that is not necessarily a est indication that layoffs remain 6% after reporting weaker results stimulus. New York Mercantile Exchange. It be completed in the second quarter of bad thing. high as coronavirus shutdowns keep than analysts were expecting. Germany’s DAX dropped 0.16% surged $1.09 to $61.14 per barrel on 2021. many businesses closed. World shares were mostly lower to 13,886.93 and the CAC40 in Paris Wednesday. Brent crude, the interna- “With this strategic move, CZG will Optimism that rollouts of corona- acquire signifi cant production capacity virus vaccines will set the stage for Minutes from the Federal Thursday after a mixed session on was down at 5,728.33. Britain’s tional standard, climbed 49 cents to in the United States and Canada and stronger economic growth in the sec- Reserve’s January policy meeting Wall Street, where losses by technol- FTSE plunged 1.40% to close at $64.83 per barrel. substantially expand its global custom- ond half of this year has been push- released Wednesday showed central ogy and industrial companies offset 6,617.15. The U.S. dollar fell to 105.74 er base,” the Czech company said. ing the stock market higher. But bank officials believed the pandemic other gains. In Asian trading, the Shanghai Japanese yen from 105.89 yen. The The Czech company has some 1,650 expectations of a post-pandemic still poses considerable risks to the Benchmarks fell in Tokyo and Composite index gained 0.6% to euro strengthened to $1.2066 from workers in the Czech Republic, United recovery also have resurrected con- economy and still support keeping Hong Kong and was also down Paris 3,675.36 and the S&P/ASX 200 was $1.2042. States and Germany. (AP) Walmart sales still surging, but a chill may be on the way

Walmart swung to a loss in the 80% jump in the previous The company said it’s going is strong, and we’re making the fourth quarter as the sale quarter, and it was the slowest to invest nearly $14 billion to it even stronger with targeted In this fi le photo, a of its Japan and United King- growth since the beginning of increase automation and im- investments to accelerate Walmart store sign is dom divisions weighed on its the pandemic. prove its distribution network. It growth.” visible from Route 28 in performance. And on Thursday the com- also said Thursday that it’s rais- Walmart Inc. lost $2.09 bil- Derry, New Hampshire. Sales surged by 7.4% in the pany said that it expects over- ing it’s average hourly wage to lion, or 74 cents per share, (AP) period that includes the critical all sales to moderate this year. more than $15 per hour. compared with last year’s holiday shopping season and Shares dipped 5% before the “Change in retail acceler- $4.14 billion profi t during the sales at stores opened at least opening bell. ated in 2020, “said CEO Doug fourth quarter, or $1.45 per a year rose 8.6%, up from Walmart has pushed hard McMillon. ”The capabilities share. Net revenue reached 6.4% in the previous quarter. into fast and convenient deliv- we’ve built in previous years $150.98 billion compared with However, while online sales ery during the pandemic and it put us ahead, and we’re going $140.6 billion in the year ago rose 69%, that was down from signaled that will not slowdown. to stay ahead. Our business period. (AP) Business PPluslus Fate of Biden’s minimum wage proposal remains hazy Biden’s $15 wage proposal: Job killer or a boon for workers?

years, Biden’s plan would enter uncharted territory. Feroli and Silver of JPMorgan note that most minimum wage increases amount to 5% to 15%. A doubling of the minimum, as Biden proposes, could potentially exert a more harmful effect on jobs than research has suggested. Dube concedes that Biden runs the risk of raising the minimum wage too high, too fast. Yet he argues that the gradual phase-in would allow policy- makers to monitor how the job market is reacting - and to delay further scheduled wage increases if employ- ers responded to their higher costs by cutting jobs. At a town hall Tuesday night in Milwaukee, Biden seemed to signal a willingness to settle for a more modest increase in the federal minimum wage. “I do support a $15 minimum wage,” the president said, while add- ing, “but that’s a debatable issue.” “So let’s say you said you’re going to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour between now and the year 2025 to $12 an hour, to $13 an hour,” Biden said. “You double some- one’s pay, and the impact on business would be absolutely diminished.” On Wednesday, the White House said Biden wasn’t suggesting that he would accept a fi nal minimum wage of $12 or $13 an hour by 2025 but rather was stressing that a gradual phase-in to $15 an hour would reduce the impact on businesses. Critics argue that now isn’t the time for a hefty wage increase. Many of the businesses most likely to pay the minimum - restaurants, hotels, movie theaters - have been hardest hit by the pandemic and the lockdowns and other steps meant to contain it. Consider Marshall’s Detroit restaurant, Ivy Kitchen + Cocktails, already devastated by the coronavirus. Revenue is down 85%. She fears that higher labor costs could deliver the Cristian Cardona, sitting on a car hood (center), an employee at a McDonald’s, attends a rally for a $15 an hour minimum wage, Feb 16, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. (Inset): In this fi le photo, Presi- fi nal blow. dent Joe Biden signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Offi ce of the White House in Washington. Biden campaigned on raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour and attached “We’re not making money; 2020 a proposal doing just that to the $1.9 trillion coronavirus pandemic relief bill. (AP) was a complete loss,” Marshall said. “To impose such a wage increase on By Paul Wiseman million jobs. The reasoning is that now. Twenty-nine states and Washing- So when New Jersey raised its mini- us right now would not be a good idea, employers would cut jobs to make up ton, D.C., have already adopted mini- mum wage in 1992 - and neighbor- and a lot of us would just shut down .. resident Joe Biden’s effort to raise for their higher labor costs. mum wages above the federal $7.25. ing Pennsylvania did not - Card and Our doors are barely open.’’ Pthe federal minimum wage to $15 The fate of Biden’s minimum wage The United States lags behind other Krueger saw a real-world experiment Then again, the pandemic has also an hour could provide a welcome proposal remains hazy. Facing resist- developed countries in the size of its in the making. Would New Jersey lose exposed how diffi cult life is at the bot- opportunity for someone like Cristian ance in Congress, the president has ac- minimum wage. In 2018, the U.S. min- low wage jobs, as classical economics tom of the income ladder. In Orlando, Cardona, a 21-year-old fast food work- knowledged that he will likely have to imum amounted to 33% of the nation’s had taught? Cardona makes $11 an hour as a er. Cardona would love to earn enough omit the measure from the $1.9 trillion median earnings - dead-last among The two economists surveyed 410 manager at a McDonald’s. Unable to to afford to move out of his parents’ COVID-19 fi nancial relief package he 31 countries in the Organization for fast-food restaurants in both states. afford a place of his own, he lives with house in Orlando, Florida, and maybe is proposing and re-introduce it later as Economic Cooperation and Develop- Their surprising discovery: The his parents, chipping in for grocer- scrape together money for college. a separate bill. ment. By contrast, Canada’s minimum restaurants in New Jersey, despite the ies and help on the electric bill. His More than 1,000 miles away in For years, there was almost no wage came to 51% of median income, burden of a higher minimum wage, plans to save for college are on hold Detroit, Nya Marshall worries that a debate at all about a minimum wage. France’s 62%. actually added more jobs than those in - indefi nitely. Research has $15 minimum wage would drive up Classical economists had standard Biden’s plan would shake things Pennsylvania did. A bump up to $15 an hour “would her labor costs and perhaps force her to advice on imposing or raising mini- up entirely. He proposes gradually “What they found was very shock- defi nitely be a very nice boost; $11 is ‘ close her 2-year-old restaurant, already still not a living wage,’’ Cardona said. shown that raising mum wages: Don’t. Piling higher labor raising the wage to $15 an hour by ing: Wages rose quite a bit, but there under strain from the viral pandemic. costs on employers, the thinking went, 2025, starting with a jump to $9.50 this was no evidence of reduced employ- “A lot of people who make this wage, the minimum wage Between Cardona’s hope and Mar- would force them to cut jobs and end year. Thereafter, it would be indexed ment,” said Arindrajit Dube of the they live paycheck to paycheck.’’ shall’s fear lies a roiling public debate, up hurting the very low-wage workers to grow at the same rate as the U.S. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Many of his co-workers, he notes, one with enormous consequences for the minimum wage was intended to median wage - the point at which half a leading minimum wage researcher. aren’t teenagers making a few bucks reduces poverty and American workers and businesses. help. earn more and half earn less. “This sent shockwaves through the after school. They’re single mothers or Will the Biden administration succeed But groundbreaking research in the Advocates say that raising wages at discipline.’’ elderly adults, struggling to pay rent, has positive eco- in enacting a much higher federal mini- 1990s suggested that the Econ 101 the bottom of the pay scale would help Dube, who himself worked a afford utility bills, buy groceries. mum wage - and should it? Economists version was simplistic at best. Now relieve income inequality, including ra- minimum wage job at McDonald’s as As for Biden’s minimum wage nomic benefits for have argued the merits of minimum there is growing confi dence among cial disparities in earnings. The liberal a teenager in Seattle, cites two reasons proposal, it is up against the Senate’s wage hikes for years. economists - though far from a con- Economic Policy Institute estimates why he thinks higher minimum wages “budget reconciliation” rules, which workers, their fami- “The mother of all economic sensus - that lawmakers can mandate that 31% of African Americans and don’t generally kill jobs. First, many will likely govern the president’s debates” is how economists Michael sharp increases in the minimum wage 26% of Latinos would receive a raise companies can raise prices to pass rescue aid package. The reconciliation Feroli and Daniel Silver of JPMorgan without killing large numbers of jobs. if the federal minimum wage were along their higher labor costs. rules allow legislation to pass with a lies, their communi- Chase describe it. Assessing Biden’s $15 plan, for in- elevated to $15 an hour. “A burger may cost 50 cents more,” simple majority vote, not a fi libuster- The administration has cast its stance, economists at Morgan Stanley Two economists at the University of Dube said. “What that means is that proof majority of 60 senators. But they ties, and local busi- campaign to raise the minimum as a have concluded that “the impact to em- California Berkeley, Ellora Derenon- middle- and higher-income consum- are supposed to be limited to budgetary way to lift up millions of the working ployment, positive or negative, would court and Claire Montialoux, reported ers are, in fact, subsidizing low-wage matters and likely don’t apply to a nesses where they poor, reduce America’s vast fi nancial be minimal, while the social benefi ts last year that the expansion of the workers. That’s a feature, not a bug.’’ minimum wage increase. inequality and help boost the economy. to lifting real wages of lower-income minimum wage in the 1960s and 1970s Second, he said, the higher a wage, Should the federal government spend those addi- “No American should work full time earners and millions out of poverty are “played a critical role’’ in temporarily the less likely it is that employees will remain at an impasse, states and locali- and live in poverty,” said Rosemary substantial.’’ narrowing the income gap between quit. So a higher federal minimum ties, which can go beyond the federal Boeglin, a White House spokeswoman. Raising the minimum wage, they white and Black workers. They con- could reduce high turnover at, say, minimum, won’t necessarily wait tional dollars “Research has shown that raising the said, would also help narrow the cluded that “minimum wage policy can fast-food outlets and make them more around. Twenty-one states increased minimum wage reduces poverty and chronic economic gap between white play a critical role in reducing racial productive. Employers wouldn’t have their minimum wages last year, Mor- ’ has positive economic benefi ts for Americans on the one hand and Black economic disparities.’’ to constantly scramble to fi nd and train gan Stanley notes. workers, their families, their communi- and Hispanic Americans on the other. Expert thinking on the minimum new employees - a task that consumes Cities are getting into the act, too. In ties, and local businesses where they The federal government introduced wage began to change with the publi- time, money and resources. a study out this month, Dube and Attila spend those additional dollars.” a minimum wage to a Depression- cation in 1993 of a paper by econo- Speaking with analysts last month, Lindner of University College London Yet just this month, the nonpartisan scarred country in 1938. Though mists David Card and Alan Krueger, in fact, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kemp- found that 42 cities have set minimum Congressional Budget Offi ce estimated Congress has raised the minimum over then both at Princeton University. czinski said the fast-food giant would wages above the federal mandate. And that while raising the minimum wage time, it hasn’t done so for more than Before then, economists had worried “do just fi ne’’ as long as the wage 22 of them, including Seattle, Los to $15 by 2025 would increase pay for 11 years - the longest gap between that their theoretical models did not increase applied to everybody. Angeles and Washington, D.C., are 17 million people and pull 900,000 increases. Adjusted for infl ation, $7.25 account for the complexity of the job Yet by more than doubling the already at $15 or more - up from just out of poverty, it would also end 1.4 in 2009 dollars would be about $8.80 market. federal minimum wage over a few three in 2010. (AP) ‘Nigerian farmers can sue Shell in UK over pollution’ LONDON, Feb 18, (AP): Britain’s Nigeria’s Ogale and Bille communi- geria, should therefore not be heard “But it also represents a water- “criminal acts” such as sabotage and Supreme Court ruled that a group of ties took Shell to court in Britain in the UK courts. shed moment in the accountability oil theft. Nigerian farmers and fi shermen can in 2015, alleging that decades of The Court of Appeal agreed and of multinational companies,” he “Regardless of the cause of a But it also repre- sue Royal Dutch Shell PLC in Eng- oil spills have fouled the water, the claimants appealed to the UK’s said. “Increasingly impoverished spill, SPDC cleans up and reme- lish courts over pollution in a region contaminated the soil and destroyed top court for a fi nal decision. communities are seeking to hold diates,” the company said. “It ‘sents a watershed where the Anglo-Dutch energy giant the lives of thousands of people in In its ruling Friday, the Supreme powerful corporate actors to also works hard to prevent these has a subsidiary. the Niger River Delta, where a Shell Court said “the Court of Appeal account and this judgment will sabotage spills, by using technol- moment in the Five justices on the UK’s top subsidiary has operated for decades. materially erred in law” when it signifi cantly increase their ability ogy, increasing surveillance and by court said Shell may owe a “duty They brought the lawsuit in ruled against the Nigerian claim- to do so.” promoting alternative livelihoods accountability of of care” to the claimants over the London, Shell’s home base, because ants. Shell discovered and started ex- for those who might damage pipes actions of its Nigerian subsidiary. they said the Nigerian courts are too It said the appellants’ case had “a ploiting Nigeria’s vast oil reserves and equipment.” multinational com- Shell had argued that it was not corrupt. real prospect of success.” in the late 1950s and has faced The British ruling comes two responsible. Shell argued that the UK courts Daniel Leader of London law heavy criticism from activists and weeks after a Dutch appeals court panies The long-running case has been had no jurisdiction to hear the case. fi rm Leigh Day, who represents local communities over spills and ordered Shell’s Nigerian subsidi- closely watched for its implications Britain’s High Court ruled in the claimants, said the judgment for the company’s close ties to ary to compensate farmers in two ’ about whether large corporations 2017 that the parent company was “gives real hope to the people of government security forces. villages for damage to their land can be sued in London for activities not legally responsible and the Ogale and Bille who have been Shell called the decision disap- caused by leaks in 2004 and 2005. of foreign subsidiaries. claim against its subsidiary, Shell asking Shell to clean up their oil pointing. It said pollution in the That decision can be appealed to the More than 40,000 members of Petroleum Development Co of Ni- for years.” Niger Delta was largely the result of Dutch Supreme Court. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 SCIENCE 11

Coronavirus

Mutations spread US rushes to expand virus gene-mapping

WASHINGTON, Feb 18, (AP): The US is scrambling to ex- pand DNA mapping of coronavirus samples taken from pa- tients to identify potentially deadlier mutations that are starting to spread around the country. On Wednesday, the White House announced a scaled up push by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and by a US Army biodefense institute. But the more signifi cant action is on Capitol Hill, where a House bill headed for fl oor debate would provide $1.75 billion for genomic sequencing. “I don’t think this is going to be a light switch; I think its going to be a dial,” CDC head Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters, as she described the effort. The US now maps only the genetic makeup of a minuscule fraction of positive virus samples, a situation some experts liken to fl ying blind. It means the true domestic spread of problematic mutations fi rst identifi ed in the United Kingdom and South Africa remains a matter of guesswork. Such ignorance could prove costly. One worry is that more transmissible forms such as the UK variant could move faster than the nation’s ability to get the vaccine into Americans’ arms. “You’ve got a small number of aca- demic and public health labs that have been basically doing the genomic sur- veillance,” said David O’Connor, an Biden AIDS researcher at the University of Wisconsin. “But there is no national coherence to the strategy.” The CDC is trying to shepherd those efforts and align them A medical worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant in the sub-zero temperatures at a coronavirus testing site in Seoul, South Korea, Feb 18. (AP) with the government’s own expanded commitment. Offi cials said Wednesday the administration will spend $200 million for the CDC to increase genomic sequencing to about 25,000 samples a week, or triple the current level. Coronavirus On a parallel track, a US Army biodefense institute will in- crease coronavirus gene mapping to 10,000 samples a week by the end of the month, up from about 4,000. Provisions of President Joe Biden’s COVID relief bill would take the hunt to another level. ‘Slowing transmission critical’ Besides a $1.75 billion budget for gene mapping, House legislation that cleared the Energy and Commerce Committee last week calls for the CDC to organize a national network to use the technology to track the spread of mutations and guide Have we reached ‘herd immunity’? public health countermeasures. Samples NEW YORK, Feb 18, (AP): Health of- fi cials around the world are racing to In the Senate, Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin has in- vaccinate enough people to stop the troduced a bill that would provide $2 billion. Baldwin says the spread of COVID-19, but what quali- How do we know different types US should be analyzing at least 15% of positive virus samples. fi es as “enough” is still an open ques- That might not sound like much, but the current rate is be- tion. lieved to be 0.3% to 0.5%. Analyzing 15% of positive samples The goal is to get to “herd immuni- of ‘COVID-19 vaccines’ are safe? would expand surveillance by at least 30 times. ty,” which is when enough people have NEW YORK, Feb 18, (AP): How do were minor and typical of the im- Genomic sequencing essentially involves mapping the DNA immunity, either from vaccination or we know the COVID-19 vaccines mune system revving up: soreness of an organism, the key to its unique features. It’s done by A volunteer gently transports cold a past infection, to stop uncontrolled are safe? in the arm, fever and flu-like symp- high-tech machines that can cost from several hundred thou- stunned sea turtles, Feb 16, into the spread. Scientists look for safety issues toms including fatigue, chills and sand dollars to $1 million or more. Technicians trained to run recovery area at the South Padre Is- Herd immunity doesn’t make any during the testing phase and con- headache. the machines and computing capacity to support the whole land Convention Center on South Pa- one person immune, and outbreaks can tinue their monitoring as shots roll But since extremely rare problems process add to costs. dre Island. (AP) still fl are up. It means that a virus is out around the world. So far, the might not turn up even in large tests, In the case of the UK variant fi rst detected in England, the no longer easily jumping from person only serious warning to emerge is the vaccines still are being moni- changes in the virus allowed it to spread more easily and are to person, helping to protect those who a rare risk of severe allergic reac- tored. The US and British govern- also believed to cause deadlier COVID-19 disease. Walensky are still vulnerable to catching it. tions. ments and the European Medicines said it has already been identifi ed in more than 40 states. Nobody knows for sure what the Different types of COVID-19 vac- Agency track reports filed by health “Genomic sequencing testing is how we will spot variants herd immunity threshold is for the cines have been authorized and workers and the public about sus- early before they spread,” said White House COVID response coronavirus, though many experts say it’s possible side effects will differ pected side effects. Extra scrutiny in coordinator Jeff Zients. it’s 70% or higher. And the emergence for each — although there’s more the US includes tracking insurance Sequencing 0.3% to 0.5% of virus samples, as the US is of variants is further complicating the public data on the vaccines being claims for red flags. And US vaccine now doing, “just doesn’t give us the ability to detect strains rolled out in Western countries than recipients can sign up for a program picture. elsewhere. Countries also vary in that sends text messages to see if as they develop and become dominant,” said Dr. Phil Febbo, Here’s what’s known about the vi- chief medical offi cer for Illumina, a San Diego-based company their vaccine standards, with some they’re feeling side effects. rus and herd immunity. allowing the use of shots before Those checks are proving reas- that develops genomic sequencing technologies. How is the herd immunity thresh- final-stage testing involving large suring. The Biden administration has to “set a very clear goal,” he old calculated? numbers of volunteers. People are supposed to wait added. “What’s the hill that we are going to charge?” Walker Noguchi It’s a formula based on how conta- But in the US, Britain and Euro- around for a short time after vacci- “We need that data. Otherwise, in some ways, we’re fl ying gious a virus is - or how many people pean Union, regulators required any nation in case they have a severe blind,” said Esther Krofah, who directs the FasterCures initia- catch the virus from one infected per- vaccine to be tested in tens of thou- allergic reaction, called anaphylax- tive of the Milken Institute. son, on average. sands of people before distribution. is. Such incidents so far have been Even more worrisome than the UK variant is a strain fi rst Discovery But the calculation offers only a So far, the US is using shots from rare, with between 2 and 5 ana- detected in South Africa that scientists suspect may diminish broad target for when there might be a Pfizer and Moderna, while Britain phylaxis reports for every million the protective effect of some of the coronavirus vaccines. That big drop off in spread. The fi gure could and Europe have cleared those plus vaccine doses in the first weeks of variant has also been identifi ed in the US in a limited number Cargo ship docks at ISS: An un- also vary by region. the AstraZeneca vaccine. US inoculations, according to the of cases. manned Russian cargo ship docked at the “It’s not 64.9 is terrible and 70.1 is Those companies’ large studies Centers for Disease Control and At the University of Wisconsin, AIDS scientist O’Connor International Space Station Wednesday fantastic,” said Dr. Walter Orenstein, found that common side effects Prevention. said the CDC’s new goal of gene-mapping 25,000 samples a with a load of supplies. an infectious disease expert at Emory week works out to about 5% of US cases, still below the level The Progress MS-16 cargo ship, which University. of surveillance in the United Kingdom. He and his colleagues blasted off Monday from the Russia- where the virus spreads faster, than in at least some protection from the most leased Baikonur launch facility in Ka- Orenstein notes vaccination levels started sequencing coronavirus samples from the Madison area and other factors that affect spread its vast countryside. worrisome variants. But scientists are “because that’s where we live.” zakhstan, has delivered water, propellant and other supplies to the orbiting outpost. could differ even within a city. India plans to look for antibodies in still studying the situation, and worry His colleague, virology expert Thomas Friedrich, said a na- The station’s crew guided the ship to How do we know we’ve reached people nationally to fi gure out what about further mutations. tional effort will require more than money to purchase new moor at the station in manual mode at herd immunity? percentage of its nearly 1.4 billion peo- The variants have underscored the genomic sequencing machines. The CDC will have to set 0627 GMT (1:27 am EST) following a Proof that we’re nearing herd im- ple have already been infected, said Dr. importance of vaccinating people as standards for state health offi cials and academic research in- last-minute glitch in the automated dock- munity would be a “disruption in the Jayaprakash Muliyil, who is advising quickly as possible. Slowing transmis- stitutions to fully share the information they glean from ana- ing system. chain of transmission,” said Ashley St. the government on virus surveillance. sion is critical since viruses can mutate lyzing virus samples. Currently, there’s a hodgepodge of state The space station is now operated John, who studies immune systems at Vaccine effectiveness also plays a when they infect people. regulations and practices, and some of them restrict access to by NASA’s Kate Rubins, Michael Duke-NUS Medical School at Singa- role. Fewer people need to be vacci- Does herd immunity have to be key details. Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon pore. nated to achieve herd immunity if the global? “We need to look at this as a Manhattan Project or an Apollo Walker; Japan Aerospace Exploration But don’t wait for any big declara- shots have higher effi cacy. Global herd immunity is ideal but program,” said Friedrich, invoking the government-led scien- Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi; and tion that we’ve reached that milestone. How do coronavirus variants af- unlikely. tifi c endeavors that developed the atomic bomb and landed Russian Space Agency Roscosmos’ To determine whether to relax re- fect herd immunity? Rich nations have reserved most men on the moon. Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sver- strictions, health offi cials will be It depends on the protection that vaccines that will be manufactured The United Kingdom was able to identify its variant because chkov. (AP) watching infection and hospitalization past infection or vaccination gives you this year. In the US, for example, of- the national health system there has a coordinated gene map- ❑ ❑ ❑ trends as vaccinations roll out. And from the variant. fi cials have said enough people could ping program that aims to sequence about 10% of samples, he those decisions are likely to begin long If vaccines were to prove nota- be vaccinated by fall to start to return added. Since that happened, there’s been greater urgency on Animals at sanctuary freeze: A chimpanzee, several monkeys, some le- before the ideal herd immunity thresh- bly less effective against a variant, it to normal. this side of the Atlantic Ocean. murs and an uncounted number of birds old is reached, though they will be would require vaccinating an even But many poorer countries will “The utility of doing this may not have been as apparent to died when a nonprofi t San Antonio-area gradual and vary by region. greater portion of the population or up- likely have to wait longer. This is why as many people until these variants started popping up,” Frie- wildlife sanctuary lost power early Mon- In India, for instance, scientists be- dating existing vaccines to make them the World Health Organization has drich said. day, yet another casualty of unforgiving lieve that more people will need to be more effective, Orenstein said. warned that global herd immunity is Also: winter weather that has seized much of protected in densely populated cities, So far, it appears the shots provide unlikely to be achieved this year. Texas. WASHINGTON: Federal agents have seized roughly 10 mil- Brooke Chavez, executive director of lion fake 3M brand N95 masks in recent weeks, the result of Primarily Primates, told the San Anto- an ongoing investigation into counterfeits sold in at least fi ve nio Express-News that the power went tures. of the lake had ice, a rapid increase from The expansion of ice coverage is good states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agen- out about 6 am Monday at the 70-acre The lake was experiencing historically 7% just a week ago, according to the Na- news for ice anglers, aquatic life that de- cies. sanctuary that housed more than 400 pri- low percentages of ice in January. But tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- pends on ice cover and shorelines. Ice The most recent seizures occurred Wednesday when Home- mates. that changed Monday when nearly 32% istration. increase is expected to continue, poten- Chavez said her 12 staff members and tially covering 44% of the lake by the end land Security agents intercepted hundreds of thousands of of this week, The Star Tribune reported counterfeit 3M masks in an East Coast warehouse that were volunteers mobilized generators, space heaters, propane tanks and blankets in an Tuesday. set to be distributed, offi cials said. Ice usually reaches its annual maxi- Investigators also notifi ed about 6,000 potential victims in at effort to save the residents. As tempera- tures reached single-digit levels, the staff mum in late February to early March. The least 12 states including hospitals, medical facilities and oth- NOAA had predicted last month that the ers who may have unknowingly purchased knockoffs, urging broke out carriers to evacuate animals to the San Antonio Zoo and another sanctu- lake’s ice would peak at 31%. them to stop using the medical-grade masks. Offi cials encour- Recent ice expansion is between the aged medical workers and companies to go to 3Ms website for ary in North Texas, but Chavez said she and her staff began to fi nd dead animals North and South Shores in the western tips on how to spot fakes. “nose” of Superior, within and south of The phony masks are not tested to see whether they meet throughout the sanctuary. “I never, ever thought my offi ce would the Apostle Islands, and between Isle strict N95 standards and could put frontline medical work- turn into a morgue, but it has,” she said. Royale and mainland Minnesota and ers at risk if they are used while treating patients with COV- “Someone asked me how many animals Canada, the National Weather Service’s ID-19. have died. I don’t know yet. I know we Duluth offi ce said Monday. Nearly a year into the pandemic, fraud remains a major lost lots of monkeys, lemurs and tropical “It’s important to remember ice is problem as scammers seek to exploit hospitals and desperate birds... We won’t truly know how many never 100% safe and that much of this Americans. Federal investigators say they have seen an in- animals have died until the temperatures ice is newly formed and can still shift and crease in phony websites purporting to sell vaccines as well as rise and the snow starts to melt.” move,” the agency noted. fake medicine produced overseas and scams involving person- Now, with the big freeze expected to More than two dozen ice anglers al protective equipment. The schemes deliver phony products, continue for a few more days and the were rescued after an ice floe broke unlike earlier in the pandemic when fraudsters focused more electric grid for most of Texas order- off near Duluth’s shoreline last week. on fl eecing customers. ing more rolling blackouts, Chavez and Although there were no injuries, equip- 3M, based in Maplewood, Minnesota, is among the larg- her staff asked for the public’s help to ment worth thousands of dollars was est global producers of the N95 mask, which has been ap- protect the sanctuary’s animals, most of abandoned. proved by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety which are elderly. Many animals remain Consecutive low ice years could cause and Health. at the sanctuary, including 33 chimpan- the lake to warm, which risks creating an zees that were too diffi cult to transport. environment in warm months for harmful It is considered the gold standard in protection against algae blooms that choke out aquatic life the coronavirus. The company delivered some 2 billion N95 (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ This December 2020 image provided by US Immigration and Customs Enforce- and can be toxic to humans, according to masks in 2020 as the pandemic intensifi ed, but in the earlier ment (ICE) shows counterfeit N95 surgical masks that were seized by ICE and researchers. months, when masks were in short supply, fraudsters took Ice on Lake up nearly 25%: Ice cov- US Customs and Border Protection. Federal investigators are probing a massive The second-lowest average ice cover- advantage. erage on Lake Superior has increased by counterfeit N95 mask operation sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical age for Lake Superior was in January, nearly 25% over the past week thanks to facilities, and government agencies and expect the number to rise significantly according to NOAA records that date to the long stretch of subfreezing tempera- in coming weeks. (AP) 1973. (AP) People FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 FFeatureseatures since 2019.(AP) sported anall-whitesuit. crown, while40-year-oldReum with herwearingawhitedressand forever with,”shesaidinthepost. family andclosefriends. was followedbyacelebrationwith with fl he droppedtoonekneeatacabana pre-dinner walkonthebeachbefore she had“dreamedof.” that theproposalwaseverything birthday. 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Frances McDormand’sFern,onajourneythrough madland,” whichfollowsoneofthoseresidents, history thatopensChloéZhao’sextraordinary“No- and itsinhabitantsforcedtoleave.It’sthisbrief company townsince1948,itszipcodewasretired US GypsumcloseditsdoorsinEmpire,Nevada,a T McDormand disappearsintoFern McDormand disappearsintoFern,whichisno We don’thearmuchfromFernatthebeginning, Fern isavandweller,partiallybychoiceand it alsoerasedanentiretown.Sixmonthsafter he greatrecessiondidn’tjusteliminatejobs, Variety rst timeat18,after Singer discussespasttraumasinhernewdocuseries By LindseyBahr lled admissionaboutwhyshe eeing ve to A different kindofAmericanodysseyin‘Nomadland’ Film Awards andsangthenationalanthemat2020SuperBowlbe- with people.” tinue totellmytruth,I’mgoingmakemusicthatresonates “That’s whenthetruthjustflowsoutofme.AslongasIcon- and whenIamawareofwhat’sgoingoninmylife,”shesaid. when theyareinadarkplaceorusingdrugs. her life. a year.Inthethirdsegment,Lovatodiscussespasttraumasin era, areamongthoseinterviewedinthedocthatwasshotover Lovato re-launchedhersingingcareeratlastyear’sGrammy “I feellikethebestworkthatImakeiswhenI’mpresent Lovato doesn’trelatetoartistswhoclaimtheyaremostcreative Lovato’s family,aswellEltonJohnandChristinaAguil- straight, andIwantedtorevealitallformyfans.” on thesamepathasIhave,”shesaid.“Iwantedtosetrecord until herrelapsein2018. vided herwiththeaccountabilitythatkeptsoberforsixyears further rehab.Shesaidspeakingpubliclyonthoseprogramspro- still dealingwithalcoholandcocaineaddictionsafterundergoing Hilton Minaj Minaj Hilton “My purposeinputtingthisoutistohelppeoplewhohavebeen oor manager manager oor rst few few rst fi and theglamorousmoviestarsatcenterofhis keeps theinterestingandrealpeopleonfringes But shealsogoesbeyondMalickinsomeways.He shots thatlookstraightoutof“TheNewWorld.” ic poet,TerrenceMalick,andthereareahandfulof role, whoknowhowtoinhabittheframe. ers, includingDavidStrathairninagreatsupporting evated thankstotheadditionofseasonedperform- exceedingly well.But“Nomadland”isnodoubtel- fi we’re usedtoseeingonfi fi might takeaturn.Butforthismostpart,is “Nomadland” again. the perfectamountofdistancetofallinlovewith want toturnoneveryweek,buttwomonthswas case scenario,bored.It’snotthekindoffi be asinvigoratedthefi preciation willgrowordiminish,whetheryou’ll will happenonasecondwatch,whetheryourap- just overtwomonthsago.Youneverknowwhat “Nomadland” afternamingitmytopfi lms. Shestaysunapologeticallyonthefringe. fi rst lm fullofkindsouls.They’rejustnottheones Zhao isaspiritualdescendentofanothercinemat- There isalwaysalingeringtensionthatthings Don’t letwordslikeOscarsfrontrunnerand I’ll admit,Ihadabitofanxietyoverrevisiting in hisownright. vandwelling evangelistBobWells,aminicelebrity May, amaincharacterinBruder’sbook,andthe to use.Manyareauthenticnomadstoo,likeLinda retirement boatinhisdrivewaythathenevergot who sawafrienddeteriorateindeskjobwith ents dieofcancerandthecorporateAmericaexile vet withPTSD,thewomanwhowatchedherpar- is thevehiclethroughwhichwemeetVietnam otherwise Fernistheretolistenandlearn.She propel herjourneyalongtoitsquietconclusion.But Creative lm beendrawntonon-actors,whoshe uses borough ofQueens. Shehasnot was raisedintheNew YorkCity Tanya Maraj rick said. Polevich’s Mineolahome,Fitzpat- 1992 Volvostationwagon—to involved inthecrash—awhite, surveillance videototrackthecar day afterdetectivesusedpiecesof Minaj, 38,wasborn Polevich surrenderedWednes- Tension rst timeor,inaworst- lm. Zhaohassinceher in Trinidad Onika and lm of2020 lm you’ll and risingstresssleepproblems. and hyperactivitydisorderasstudentstrytofocusinonlineclasses, spondents: ariseindiagnosisandprescriptionsforattentiondefi schools. Amongthefi surveyed morethan10,000studentsinavarietyofAmericanhigh In partnershipwiththenonprofi ing “Today,”“NBCNightlyNews,”MSNBCandNBCNews.com. Under Pressure,”airingthisweekonshowsandplatformsinclud- emotionally andacademicallyisexploredinNBCNews’“Kids LOS ANGELES: coming forwardissoIneverhavetolivethatlifeagain.” so proudofthepersonthatIamtoday.OnemainreasonsI’m I thinkofthepainthathadtoendureovercomewhathave.I’m that Ilearned,”shesaid.“Ilookbackandsometimesgetsadwhen happened toher. Biden’s inauguration. fore thecoronaviruspandemictookhold. “Everything hadtohappeninorderformelearnthelessons Despite hernear-deathexperience,Lovatowouldn’tchangewhat Last month,LovatosangonaTVspecialmarkingPresidentJoe her father’sdeath. made anypublicstatementabout ship withherfather. about havingastrained relation- about thearrest,”CarolMarajsaid. charged inhisdeath. was relievedasuspectbeing told Newsdaythatthefamily Minaj’s mother, Minaj hasspoken in thepast “I’m very,veryhappy month, withitsfi ries “TheCrown”theleadingnominees.(AP) Golden Globes—actors Globe winner. writer, directorandproducerisasix-timeGolden that focusesonlifeachievementintelevision.The Burnett Award,acounterparttotheDeMilleAward ing Home.” Globes forheracting“Klute,”“Julia”and“Com- Award, anaccoladeforfi Phoenix, CynthiaErivo and winnersfromlastawardsseason: coming ceremony. Mumolo erly Hills,California. Fey willhostliveinNewYorkandPoehler with maids.” sic. Itcomes10yearsafterthepair’shit“Brides- some arealreadycallingthecampyfi Go toVistaDelMar,”wasreleasedlastweekand Awkwafi Foreign PressAssociation. senters announcedWednesdaybytheHollywood LOS ANGELES: Netfl Norman Lear The Feb.28showwillreuniteseveralnominees Jane Fonda The Globeswillbebicoastalforthefi Wiig andMumolo’slatestfi minutes. Fourstarsoutoffour. America for“somefullnudity.”Runningtime:108 is ratedRbytheMotionPictureAssociationof meditative experience. either. Thisfi awards darlinggetinthewayofyouropenness, lm ‘Nomadland.’(AP) Howthepandemicisaffectinghighschoolstudents Tina Fey “Nomadland,” aSearchlightandHulurelease, ix dominated thenominationsearlierthis na arealsoamongthefi will beamongthepresentersatup- ndings detailedinreportingbyNBCcorre- Carol Maraj and “Barb andStar”areheadedtothe will receivetheCecilB.DeMille lm isasmallmiracleanduniquely lm “Mank”anditstelevisionse- willbehonoredwiththeCarol Also: Amy Poehler t ChallengeSuccess,NBCNews Also: and Kristen Wiig , lm. She’swonGolden Renée Zellweger lm, “BarbandStar you.” (AP) much thatitburnwhen Ilookat book atyou,’cause Ihateyouso rapping: “Theyshouldathrownthe the 2008song,“Autobiography,” house withherinside. mother, oncesettingfi tion andwasabusivetowardher Maraj rst batchofpre- servingashosts. Minaj referencedherfatherin In interviews,shesaid lm acultclas- sufferedfromdrugaddic- and rt time rst Joaquin Annie Bev- and re totheir cit Robert ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Obit

‘A truth detector’ Limbaugh, a powerful ‘voice’ in politics, dies NEW YORK, Feb 18, (AP): Rush Limbaugh, the talk radio host who ripped into liberals and laid waste to political correctness with a captivating brand of malice that made him one of the most powerful voices in politics, infl uencing the rightward push of Ameri- can conservatism and the rise of Donald Trump, died Wednesday. He was 70. Limbaugh said a year ago that he had lung cancer. His death was announced on his show by his wife, Kathryn. Unfl inchingly conservative, wildly partisan, bom- bastically self-promoting and larger than life, Lim- baugh galvanized listeners for more than 30 years with his talent for sarcastic, insult-laced commentary. He called himself an entertainer, but his three-hour weekday radio show broadcast on nearly 600 US sta- tions helped shape the national political conversation, swaying ordinary Republicans and the direction of their party. “In my heart and soul, I know I have become the intel- lectual engine of the conserva- tive movement,” Limbaugh, with typical immodesty, told author Zev Chafets in the 2010 book “Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One.” Limbaugh He called himself a “truth detector” and “harmless, lov- able little fuzz ball” but often traffi cked in lies and conspiracies with contempt for his opposition that of- ten veered into cruelty. This image released by Netfl ix shows Laura Linney in a scene from ‘Ozark.’ Linney was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actress in a drama for her role in the To his fans, Limbaugh’s death was an occasion for television series. Golden Globe Awards will be announced on Feb 28. (AP) deep mourning. For his foes, it was good riddance. Somewhere, Rush could surely appreciate it. He left a legacy. “He was the most important individual media fi gure Television of the last four decades,” said Ian Reifowitz, profes- sor of historical studies at the State University of New York and author of “The Tribalization of Politics: How Rush Limbaugh’s Race-Baiting Rhetoric on the Glaude also builds her production muscles Obama Presidency Paved the Way for Trump.” That assessment was freely offered even though Reifowitz, as the title of his book suggests, isn’t a fan. He blames Limbaugh for setting a blueprint for white The sweet rise of ‘Queen Sugar’ director identity politics and the dividing of the nation into un- easy tribes. NEW YORK, Feb 18, (AP): When the which starred “Queen Sugar” and fashioned, 34 of whom made their tel- Limbaugh’s death led Trump to call in to Fox News Oprah Winfrey Network series “Queen “True Blood” actor Rutina Wesley and evision directorial debut on the series. Channel for his fi rst television interview since leaving Sugar” debuted in 2016, Cierra Glaude aired on Issa Rae’s YouTube channel. And the alumnae have advanced to offi ce - and he did it twice. worked as a fi rst team production as- Glaude was selected by Emmy win- great heights, including Victoria Ma- Former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox he was sistant, an early riser who is responsi- ner Lena Waithe for the AT&T Hello honey, the fi rst woman to direct a “Star inspired by Limbaugh to become a talk radio host ble for keeping track of the actors on Labs Filmmaker Mentorship Program, Wars” fi lm; Amanda Marsalis has himself, which launched his political career. Ex-White set. for which she directed the short “Spilt gone on to direct episodes of “Ozark,” House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany reminisced “I’m basically their chaperone, their Milk,” starring “Orange Is the New “Westworld” and “The Umbrella about riding as a child in her father’s pick-up truck as sister, girlfriend, mom, aunt,” she ex- Black” actor Dascha Polanco. Academy”; and Salli Richardson- Limbaugh’s show played on the radio. Director Cierra Glaude poses for a plained. “I know all of their dietary re- She also directed music videos, in- Whitfi eld, the actor-turned-director, portrait in Glendale, Calif. on Feb. strictions. I get them through the day, cluding “High Rises” for breakthrough recently signed an overall deal with Conservative 4. When the series ‘Queen Sugar’ basically.” rapper Chika, who earned a best new HBO. When actor Michael J. Fox, suffering from Parkin- debuted in 2016, Glaude worked as In two short years, it marked the artist Grammy nomination this year. “The point that we’re making is all son’s disease, appeared in a Democratic campaign a production assistant on the show. third time the young fi lmmaker had “All three of us - the director, the DP these decades y’all just been hiring the commercial, Limbaugh mocked his tremors. When Five years later, she’s been promoted worked with Emmy winner Ava Du- (director of photography) and the tal- same men and the same kind of men, a Washington advocate for the homeless killed him- to director for season fi ve on the Op- Vernay, who created “Queen Sugar” ent - we were all queer Black women thinking that’s the way to make a good self, he cracked jokes. As the AIDS epidemic raged in rah Winfrey Network series. (AP) and also hired Glaude to work on the from Alabama. That was really dope,” show. We’re going to hire all women the 1980s, he made the dying a punchline. He called Oscar-nominated 2014 fi lm “Selma” she said. and the same kind of women and we 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton a dog. as well as her CBS pilot “For Justice.” Glaude also built her production can also make a good show to stand He was frequently accused of bigotry and blatant On “Selma,” Glaude was an addi- muscles by working on the hit 2017 as an example,” DuVernay said. “For racism but could often enunciate the Republican plat- tional PA working with background fi lm “Girls Trip”; 2018’s “A Wrinkle decades and decades when we’ve been form better and more entertainingly than any party actors as they marched on the highway in Time,” which DuVernay directed; told that this is the only way - ‘Sugar’ leader, becoming a GOP kingmaker. from Selma to Montgomery. She was and “Twenties,” Waithe’s BET series stands as an example that was never Trump, like a long line of conservative politicians the director’s assistant on “For Jus- that launched last year. true. It was a myth and it’s been bust- before him, heaped praise on Limbaugh, and during tice,” where Glaude admits she “made That’s when DuVernay knew ed, and it’s been broken.” last year’s State of the Union speech, awarded him the some mistakes that I learned really Glaude was ready to sit in one of her The return of “Queen Sugar,” Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest quickly from.” director’s chairs. where the casting, post-production And on “Queen Sugar,” she contin- and music supervision departments civilian honor. On Wednesday, Trump lauded Lim- Opportunity baugh on Fox News as “a legend” who “was fi ghting ued as a fi rst team PA for season two are headed by women, comes at a till the very end.” and was promoted to the writer’s room “When I met (Cierra) she was a stu- historical time in Hollywood for during season three. dent who left school for the opportu- female directors: For the first time Limbaugh infl uenced the likes of Sean Hannity, Hasel Combs Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and countless other con- Now she’s in the director’s chair - nity to work on set. She made that de- ever, three women are nominated servative commentators who pushed the boundaries of literally. cision for herself that she could get the for best director at the 2020 Golden what passes as acceptable public discourse. Glaude, 29, has directed three degree in Alabama and still be strug- Globes, which will air Feb. 28. His brand of blunt, no-gray-area debate spread to Variety episodes for the show’s fi fth season, gling to get on a set, or she could leave “It’s overdue, so it’s bittersweet,” cable TV, town hall meetings, political rallies and which premiered Tuesday at 8 p.m. the degree and just get on a set. ...She said DuVernay, who was the last Congress itself, emerging during the battles over ET. was the key PA on ‘Queen Sugar’ for woman nominated for best director at health care and the ascent of the tea party movement. NASHVILLE, Tenn: Country star Luke “I’ll just be walking around the a long time. That means she’s fi rst the Globes before Regina King, Chloé “What he did was to bring a paranoia and really Combs has apologized for appearing with house like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I fi nd a in, three o’clock in the morning, four Zhao and Emerald Fennell picked up mean, nasty rhetoric and hyperpartisanship into the Confederate fl ags, saying he is now aware mirror and go, ‘You’re a director,’” o’clock in the morning, last one out for nominations this year. “It’s kind of mainstream,” said Martin Kaplan, a University of of how painful that fl ag is. Glaude said in an interview with The years and years and years. For her to like an eyeroll and a nod at the same Southern California professor who is an expert on the Combs addressed the images during a Associated Press. “It does feel like be able to go back on that show and time. That’s great, but how about all intersection of politics and entertainment and a fre- conversation with singer Maren Morris such a dream. Sometimes I’m like, ‘I be the director is enough to make me the other 100 years before that? At quent critic of Limbaugh. “The kind of antagonism on Wednesday during a panel for radio can’t believe this is all happening still.’ weep if I think about it for too long,” this moment we celebrate these three broadcasters about accountability in coun- It’s really lovely.” DuVernay told the AP. “I know what women, but we (do) say, ‘This is cra- and vituperativeness that characterized him instantly try music. It came weeks after another top became acceptable everywhere.” “Queen Sugar” follows three sib- she did to get there.” zy.’ You’ve got to do both at the same country star Morgan Wallen was removed lings from Louisiana who manage a Though Glaude dropped out of the time.” Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born Jan. 12, 1951, from radio stations and suspended by his in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. His mother was the for- sugarcane farm left to them after their University of Alabama to offi cially Opportunity is at the center of the label after being caught on video using a pursue her fi lm career, she’s earned mer Mildred Armstrong, and his father, Rush Lim- racial slur. father died and is based off the 2014 environment - or school - that Du- baugh Jr., was a lawyer. Panel moderator and NPR music critic novel of the same name. Its debut sea- a degree of sorts from what could be Vernay has manifested and produced Rusty, as the younger Limbaugh was known, was Ann Powers asked Combs about those son won outstanding drama series at considered the School of Ava DuVer- with “Queen Sugar,” and it has given chubby and shy, with little interest in school but a images during a Q&A for the Country the 2017 NAACP Image Awards. nay. Glaude a chance to say four words not passion for broadcasting. He would turn down the Radio Seminar, an annual country radio During the fi rst season, DuVernay Take “Queen Sugar,” for instance, often and easily said by Black women: television during St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, broadcasters conference, that was held encouraged Glaude to shoot and pro- where DuVernay has created a series “I feel very seen.” offering play-by-play, and gave running commen- online this year. duce her own material so she could one where every episode is directed by a “It’s really just surreal,” she added. tary during the evening news. By high school, he had “There’s no excuse for those images,” day direct on her set. woman. So far, 37 female fi lmmakers “It’s a gang of badass women. You snagged a radio job. said Combs, a 30-year-old North Carolina Glaude made her directorial debut have had the chance to direct TV epi- can’t help but be enriched and inspired Limbaugh dropped out of Southeast Missouri State singer-songwriter who has had two mul- in 2017 with the short “Last Looks,” sodes thanks to the utopia DuVernay by that.” University for a string of DJ gigs in which he was tiplatinum albums and several hit country songs. known as Rusty Sharpe and then Jeff Christie on the minimal compared to what Black people clashes erupted for a second night in a row block streets in both Madrid and Barcelona air, spinning Top 40 hits and sprinkling glimpses of Combs said the images were from seven or eight years ago and as a younger man, he face regularly. (AP) Wednesday at demonstrations against the and other cities. Many shop windows were his wit and conservatism. ❑ ❑ ❑ arrest of rap artist Pablo Hasél. smashed in the demonstrations. “One of the early reasons radio interested me was did not understand what that fl ag meant. “And as I have grown in my time as an Many protesters threw objects at offi cers Hasél barricaded himself in a university that I thought it would make me popular,” he once MADRID: Spanish police fi red rubber and used trash containers — setting many building earlier this week to avoid his wrote. artist and as the world has changed drasti- cally in the last fi ve to seven years, I am bullets and baton-charged protesters as alight — and overturned motorbikes to arrest in a case centering on free speech. Promotions now aware of how painful that image can After a 24-hour standoff, police took him be to someone else,” Combs said. “I would away early Tuesday. But he didn’t gain the following he craved and never want to be associated with something He was taken to prison to serve a gave up on radio for several years, beginning in 1979, that brings so much hurt to someone else.” 9-month sentence for insulting the mon- becoming promotions director for baseball’s Kansas He said he was addressing the old im- archy and glorifying terrorism in a song City Royals. He ultimately returned to broadcasting, ages now because he wanted to show as a about former King Juan Carlos I and in again in Kansas City and then Sacramento, California. highly visible country artist that people can 64 tweets several years ago. Hasél’s legal It was there in the early 1980s that Limbaugh really change and learn from their mistakes. He situation has drawn considerable public garnered an audience, broadcasting shows dripping also wanted to encourage more people in attention, with performers, celebrities and with sarcasm and bravado. The stage name was gone. the country music industry to have those politicians demanding a change in the law Rush Limbaugh was on the air, and the public fi gure hard conversations. he was convicted of violating. who would become known to millions essentially was The genre has been having a racial Amnesty International said the case was born. reckoning even before Wallen’s actions, the latest in a string of artists and social media Limbaugh began broadcasting nationally in 1988 but top artists have often been reluctant talk personalities being put on trial for violating from WABC in New York. While his know-it-all about race, both in the genre’s present and Spain’s 2015 Public Security Law, which commentary quickly gained traction, he was dismayed its past. “I am trying to learn. I am trying was enacted by a previous conservative-led by his reception in the big city. He thought he would to get better,” Combs said. government. The law allows has also been be welcomed by Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Morris also spoke about the Confeder- criticized for allegedly curtailing free as- Dan Rather. ate fl ag, saying that as a native Texan, she sembly and to muzzle protests. Some political “I came to New York,” he wrote, “and I immedi- also didn’t fully understand the history and parties defended the protesters but others ately became a nothing, a zero.” context of the fl ag outside of just “Southern defended the police and claimed the violence Ultimately, Limbaugh moved his radio show to pride” until she was a teenager. was caused by vandals. Palm Beach, Florida, where he died. His fourth wife, She said that seeing that fl ag being Initial reports said 30 people were the former Kathryn Rogers, whom he married in 2010, fl own at country music festivals makes arrested Wednesday and some 20 people her not want to play those festivals and Demi Lovato performs the national anthem before the NFL Super Bowl 54 foot- injured in the demonstrations. Eight- survives him. He had no children. urged country artists to demand those ball game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Mi- een people were arrested Tuesday after Though Limbaugh’s message brought spectacular fl ags be removed. She also is one of the ami Gardens, Fla., on Feb. 2, 2020. Lovato reveals publicly for the fi rst time violence broke out in the first protests of wealth and power, its divisiveness sometimes upend- few country artists to publicly criticize details about her near-fatal drug overdose in 2018 in ‘Demi Lovato: Dancing the rapper’s arrest, principally in Barce- ed his aims. Wallen’s actions on social media and said With the Devil,’ a four-part docuseries debuting March 23, 2021, on YouTube lona and other cities in the northeastern that she’s had some backlash, but it was Originals. (AP) — Details on Page 12 region. (AP) ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 SPORTS 14

‘There’s a clause in my contract to extend the deal’ Moyes rebuilds reputation, fronts culture change at West Ham LONDON, Feb 18, (AP): It was with a strong sense of conviction – some would say misplaced arrogance, given the way his managerial career had stagnated - that David Moyes breezed Gut-Behrami wins again, pips back into English soccer in late 2019 with a message to West Ham’s oft- maligned owners. “There’s a clause in my contract to extend the deal,” the Scot said bull- ishly at the start of his second spell at Shiffrin in world giant slalom the London club. “I’m going to make it impossible that that clause can’t be activated.” Moyes has backed up those words. In a year that has gone a long way to rebuilding his reputation in the Pre- mier League, Moyes has transformed West Ham from a relegation candidate to a contender for Champions League qualifi cation. West Ham’s manager David Moy- es walks on the pitch before the SOCCER start of an English Premier League soccer match between West Ham After nearly two-thirds of the sea- and Sheffi eld United at the London son, West Ham is in fi fth place - level Stadium in London, England, on on points with Chelsea in fourth and Feb 15. (AP) above the likes of Liverpool, Totten- coaches. It earned him a once-in-a- ham and Arsenal. lifetime opportunity to take over at The success of his tenure runs deeper Manchester United, as the hand-picked than on-fi eld results and the club’s lofty replacement for Alex Ferguson. position in the standings, however. Just He lasted 10 months in a job that al- as importantly, Moyes - ever the real- ways felt too big for Moyes, who natu- ist - is helping to change the culture of a rally felt he deserved longer to effect club that has long been associated with a post-Ferguson rebuild. Underwhelm- chaos and overindulgence. ing spells with Real Sociedad (2014- Gone, it seems, are the days when 15) in Spain and with Sunderland West Ham would throw money at a (2016-17) back in England strength- big-name player past his best or ill- ened a belief that his failure to succeed suited to the dynamic of the team. In at United had hit his confi dence hard. 2018, the club broke its transfer record Even his next job – a fi re-fi ghting in successive months in a $100 million mission that rescued West Ham from spending spree. relegation in the second half of the Gone, too, are the days of West 2017-18 season – didn’t change the Ham regularly folding during matches, widely held view that Moyes had been showing no appetite for the battle. overtaken by a new generation of man- Moyes’ West Ham is a well-organ- agers. As it turned out, he was simply ized team built on an obdurate defense, warming the seat for a more high-pro- set-piece strength and hard-working fi le alternative: Manuel Pellegrini. players in defi ned roles. Moyes, now aged 57, is proving he Not dissimilar, then, to the Everton can still cut it after putting his own side Moyes steered to fi ve top-six fi n- stamp on West Ham in his second ishes from 2002-13, establishing him spell in charge, showing his methods as one of Britain’s most respected still work. Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami speeds down the course on her way to win a women’s giant slalom, at the alpine ski World Championships, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Feb 18. (Inset): Gut-Behrami shows her gold medal after winning the women’s giant slalom. (AP) Inter full of confi dence Liensberger of Austria finishes third Ibrahimovic and Lukaku meet CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 18, (AP): After go- up a defi cit on the fi rst-run leader with a blistering fi nal leg to beat the American by two-hundredths of a second. again in Milan derby after spat ing her entire career without a major championship title, After Shiffrin had completed her run, Gut-Behrami hugged the American and Lara Gut-Behrami added a second gold medal to her bur- stormed through the fi nish area to celebrate with her coaches. MILAN, Feb 18, (AP): Less than a match to reach the semifi nals but there geoning collection from this year’s skiing world champi- “GS has always been so important for me in my entire career,” the Swiss skier month after their heated spat, Zlatan is arguably much more at stake this said. “I always knew that if I’m skiing well in GS then it’s easy to be fast even in Ibrahimović and Romelu Lukaku meet weekend. onships. the other disciplines.” again in the highly-charged Milan derby It will be fi rst against second when Mikaela Shiffrin, meanwhile, earned a silver medal to give her one of However, Gut has been struggling in GS in recent years and failed to win a race on Sunday, with the stakes higher than Serie A leader Inter visits Milan, with each color - and with her best event still to come. in the discipline since triumphing in the season-opening World Cup race in 2016. they have been in the past 10 years. just one point separating the teams. Gut-Behrami edged Shiffrin for gold in the giant slalom on Thursday, making “This year I was coming back step by step,” she said. “Coming to the fi nish There was a huge argument – The last time the two went into the line, I had already on my mind it’s the and head-to-head clash – between Derby della Madonnina occupying the fi rst time I’m winning a medal in GS. Ibrahimović and Lukaku just before top two spots in the table was in 2011, Bayern prepare to play Eintracht To win the gold here is unbelievable.” halftime of the Italian Cup quarte-fi nal when Milan was above Inter. The Ros- Katharina Liensberger of Austria on Jan 26 and both players were given soneri won that match and went on to was 0.09 behind in third in what was yellow cards. The row between the win the league title – the last team other the closest fi nish ever of a women’s former Manchester United teammates than Juventus to do so. Dortmund gear up for rivals Schalke giant slalom at the worlds. American continued after the halftime whistle “It’s much better to go into the derby skier Nina O’Brien was 0.02 behind and a visibly furious Lukaku had to be ahead of them. It’ll be a great game be- DÜSSELDORF, Germany, Feb 18, Ousmane Dembele and Christian Puli- in second after the opening run but restrained. tween two teams with big ambitions,” (AP): Borussia Dortmund’s win over sic, and made money for Dortmund. dropped to 10th after a costly mistake The confrontation is currently under Inter coach Antonio Conte said. Sevilla in the Champions League came With the club six points off the Cham- shortly before fi nishing her fi nal run. investigation by the Italian soccer fed- Milan won the league match earlier at just the right time. pions League places, it could miss out eration. in the season, with Ibrahimović scoring Erling Haaland’s two goals and Mo- on its European shop window next sea- A spectacular mural depicting the twice and Lukaku netting for Inter in a hamed Dahoud’s long-range curler in son for only the second time in the last SKIING clash was painted just outside the Sta- 2-1 victory for the Rossoneri. the 3-2 win on Wednesday reminded 10 years and the fi rst since 2015-16. dio Giuseppe Meazza. It appeared on They are again likely to take center everyone, not least the Dortmund play- The title is long gone. Bayern Mu- Many pre-race favorites, including Valentine’s Day, with the message: stage at San Siro. Lukaku – and Inter – ers, that they can still be an exciting nich is 16 points ahead of sixth-place defending champion Petra Vlhova and ‘Face to Face, Heart to Heart.’ will be full of confi dence after the Bel- team capable of challenging Europe’s Dortmund as it prepares to play Eintra- Italian duo Marta Bassino and Fed- Lukaku’s Inter Milan beat gium forward scored twice last week- best. cht Frankfurt on Saturday. erica Brignone, struggled with course Ibrahimović’s AC Milan 2-1 in that end to take his tally to 300 career goals Now to do it in the Bundesliga. Jadon Sancho could easily have left conditions as the snow surface varied and help the Nerazzurri beat Lazio 3-1. Saturday brings the Ruhr Derby last summer amid lengthy talks between between grippy, icy and soft. Lukaku also set up Lautaro Martínez against Schalke. Once German soccer’s Dortmund and Manchester United. A Gut-Behrami became the fi rst GS for Inter’s third, sparking scenes of must-watch rivalry, it threatens to be transfer at the end of this season looks world champion from Switzerland wild celebration with Conte enveloped far more likely, and would help the club since Sonja Nef won the title 20 years in a group hug. SOCCER make up for lost earnings because of ago. Gut-Behrami also won gold in the the coronavirus pandemic. Others like super-G and bronze in the downhill at SOCCER Haaland or Gio Reyna will have more this year’s worlds. compelling for a different reason. incentive to move on if they don’t qual- Dortmund’s Erling Haaland con- Shiffrin extended her American Dortmund is teetering on the brink ify for the Champions League. record with her 10th career medal at “We celebrated like that and all of a crisis if it can’t get back into the trols the ball during the Champi- Dortmund’s local rival Schalke of- ons League, round of 16, fi rst leg worlds. She won the combined event hugged together because we really feel Champions League qualifying places fers a cautionary tale of what happens this and we’re a team,” Martínez said. while Schalke is facing relegation. soccer match between Sevilla and when an ambitious club starts missing on Monday and took bronze in the Borussia Dortmund at the Ramon super-G a week ago. “We’re united, we showed great char- The Sevilla win was a valuable mo- out on European qualifi cation. acter and played well. This is who we rale-booster since Dortmund has won Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Se- A decade ago Dortmund and Schalke Shiffrin dropped 0.14 seconds be- just one of its last six in the league and ville, Spain, on Feb 17. (AP) were teams with solid working-class hind Gut-Behrami halfway through are.” was this week beaten to announcing its roots building global brands, capable her fi nal run but made up time in the There were contrasting scenes the as interim coach in charge of a squad of fl at fi nal section. Settling for silver, she previous day when the Milan players own coach. young, hungry players who could push of challenging Bayern Munich. By its When Borussia Mönchengladbach said she was still “happy.” trudged off the fi eld with their heads for transfers if they don’t get Champi- own admission, Schalke made over- said Monday that Marco Rose would ambitious bets on signings and wages “The fi rst thing I saw was the red, down after a shock 2-0 loss at Serie A move to Dortmund in the summer, all ons League games next season. in the hope Champions League money but I felt good with my skiing. I was newcomer Spezia. Dortmund could do was issue a grudg- Even more than usual, Dortmund would cover them. pushing. It was not a perfect run, but it But Milan coach Stefano Pioli is ing confi rmation of a deal it had hoped faces a fi ght to keep its squad together. When performances in the Bundes- was aggressive,” said Shiffrin, who has In this Jan 26, 2021 fi le photo, AC confi dent that was just an anomaly. to keep quiet. The club’s appeal to Europe’s bright- liga dipped and new contenders such as now won 10 medals from 12 events at Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, (left), “I think the worrying thing would In a sign Dortmund was blindsided, est teenage talents is simple - top-class Leipzig increased the competition for the worlds since her debut in 2013. and Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku have been if we’d played like Milan there was none of the club-branded so- training to unlock their potential, and the coveted Champions League spots, “I have never been shooting for a argue during an Italian Cup round and we lost the match,” he said. “See- cial media fanfare that accompanies a Champions League games to showcase Schalke’s spending eventually pitched number of medals or those records or of 8 soccer match between Inter ing as we didn’t play like Milan, we’ve modern hiring. their skills to buyers. the club into a fi nancial crisis made something,” she said. “Just every time Milan and AC Milan at the San Siro turned the page and we’re thinking It also left Edin Terzic a lame duck It’s the model that made stars of worse by the pandemic. I race, I want to win.” Stadium, in Milan, Italy. (AP) about the next match.” ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 SPORTS 15

Volunteers maul Gamecocks Mobley brothers shine, Kerfoot lifts Toronto past Sens No. 17 USC routs ASU LOS ANGELES, Feb 18, (AP): Evan Mobley had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and No. 17 Southern California beat Arizona State 89-71 to stay atop the Pac-12. Isaiah Mobley added 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Tahj Eaddy had 18 points for the Trojans, who improved to 18-3 to start a season for the first time since 1973-74. They’re 12-2 in the league and have won 13 of 14 overall. Pac-12 scoring leader Remy Martin scored 30 points - three off his career high - for Arizona State (7-10, 4-7). Kimani Lawrence added 12 points. Tennessee 93, South Carolina 73 In Knoxville, Tenn., Victor Bailey drilled 7 of 10 3-point- ers and scored a career-high 29 points to lead Tennessee past South Carolina. The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but what turned out to be a false positive COVID-19 test for a Tennessee player led to a one-day post- ponement. John Fulkerson scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half, Jaden Springer added 16 points and Yves Pons had 10 for the Volunteers (15-5, 8-5 Southeastern Conference). Mobley AJ Lawson led the Gamecocks (5-10, 3-8) with 20 points. Loyola Chicago 54, Valparaiso 52 In Chicago, Keith Clemons scored 16 points, Cameron Krutwig added 13 and No. 22 Loyola Chicago made a defensive stop in the final seconds to finish off Valparaiso. The Ramblers (19-4, 14-2 Missouri Valley Conference) have won 12 of 13 and extended their home winning streak to 20 games. Loyola lost its previous game, 51-50, in over- time at Drake on Sunday. Kansas 59, Kansas State 41 In Manhattan, Kansas, Marcus Garrett scored 14 points, Jalen Wilson added 11 and Kansas beat Kansas State. The Jayhawks (16-7, 10-5 Big 12) held the Wildcats to a season low in points despite a ho-hum offensive performance. Dajuan Gordon scored 12 points for Kansas State. The Wildcats (5-18, 1-13) have lost a school-record 13 straight games and Kansas has won four straight by double digits. Wagner 57, Mount St. Mary’s 55 In Emmitsburg, Md, Alex Morales made 7 of 11 from the field and finished with 20 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 5.1 seconds left, and Wagner beat Mount

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) looks for the puck as Ottawa Senators right wing Connor Brown (28) and Maple Leafs defenseman T.J. Brodie (78) BASKETBALL work in front of the net during the fi rst period of an NHL hockey game, on Feb 17, in Toronto. (AP)

St. Mary’s 57-55. Elijah Ford added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Will Panthers pip Hurricanes 4-3 in OT Martinez scored 10 for Wagner (8-5, 8-4 Northeast Maryland thrashes Illinois 103-58 Conference). Damian Chong Qui had 18 points - including TORONTO, Feb 18, (AP): Alexander Kerfoot broke a tie the Mountaineers’ final 12 - and six assists. Deandre Thomas added 12 points and Nana Opoku scored 10 for with 9:14 left, Frederik Andersen made 27 saves and the Mount St. Mary’s (8-9, 7-6). No. 1 UConn women pound St John’s NHL-leading Toronto Maple Leafs beat the last-place Ot- Boise State 79, Utah State 70 NEW YORK, Feb 18, (AP): Christyn Williams tawa Senators 2-1. In Boise, Idaho, Derrick Alston Jr. had 26 points as Boise scored 21 points and Paige Bueckers added 20 to Auston Matthews added his NHL-leading 14th goal for league-leading State stretched its home winning streak to 10 games, topping help No. 1 UConn cruise to a 77-32 win over St Utah State 79-70. Marcus Shaver Jr. had 12 points for Boise John’s. Toronto in the second game of three-game series in Toronto. Jake Muzzin State (17-4, 13-3 Mountain West Conference). Mladen UConn (17-1, 14-0 Big East) moved up to No. 1 had two assists. Armus added seven rebounds. in the AP Top 25 on Monday for the fi rst time this Brady Tkachuk scored for Ottawa, Neemias Queta scored a career-high 32 points and had 10 season. It’s the 246th week since the 1994-95 sea- and Matt Murray made 26 stops. rebounds for the Aggies (14-6, 11-3). Marco Anthony added son that the Huskies have held the top spot. They NHL Results/Standings In the opener Monday night, Ot- 11 points. Justin Bean had 10 points. have been No. 1 for at least one week in each of the tawa overcame a 5-1 defi cit in a 6-5 Indiana 82, Minnesota 72 past nine seasons. The next closest active streak overtime victory. The teams will In Bloomington, Ind., Trayce Jackson-Davis had 20 is two years in a row. The Huskies had a brutal wrap up the series Thursday night. points and 10 rebounds to lead Indiana to an 82-72 victory schedule to start February with fi ve games in 10 WASHINGTON, Feb 18, (AP): Results and Not long after a Toronto power over Minnesota. days, but looked refreshed after a couple days off. standings from the NHL games on Wednesday. play ended, Kerfoot fi shed a puck out Florida 4 Carolina OT 3 Indiana (12-9, 7-7 Big Ten) rebounded from a 78-59 loss The Red Storm (6-12, 3-9) had more turnovers Chicago 2 Detroit 0 of a scramble in front of Murray fol- on Saturday to fourth-ranked Ohio State and has won three - seven - then points or made baskets in the quar- Vancouver 5 Calgary 1 lowing Muzzin’s initial shot for his of four. Minnesota hasn’t won at Indiana since a three-point ter. They tried to slow the game, working the shot Edmonton 3 Winnipeg 2 third goal of the season. win in 2012. Jackson-Davis was 8 of 14 from the floor and clock down on many possessions. That resulted Toronto 2 Ottawa 1 Toronto opened the scoring at 4:32 has scored 20-plus points 12 times this season. in either tough shots to beat the buzzer or a shot- East Division of the second on Matthews’ 13th goal Missouri St. 68, S. Illinois 53 clock violation. GP W L OT Pts GF GA in his last 12 games. Moments after Boston 14 10 2 2 22 42 30 In Carbondale, Ill., Gaige Prim had a career-high 29 Maryland 103, Illinois 58 St John’s guard Kadaja Bailey (30) fouls Con- Joe Thornton had one of his own NY Islanders 15 8 4 3 19 38 34 waved off for the second time in the points, 21 rebounds and six assists as Missouri State beat In College Park, Md., Katie Benzan scored 22 necticut guard Paige Bueckers (5) during the Philadelphia 13 8 3 2 18 46 41 Southern Illinois 68-53. points, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range, to second quarter of an NCAA college basket- Washington 14 7 4 3 17 50 52 game - a high stick on this occasion Demarcus Sharp had 10 points and seven rebounds for ball game, on Feb 17, in New York. (AP) Pittsburgh 14 7 6 1 15 44 50 - Matthews took a pass from Justin lead Maryland to a rout of Illinois. New Jersey 10 5 3 2 12 28 28 Missouri State (15-5, 11-5 Missouri Valley Conference), Chloe Bibby had 20 points and nine rebounds for NY Rangers 14 4 7 3 11 33 39 Holl and rifl ed a one-timer past Mur- which won its sixth consecutive game. Morris added 22 points and Dee Bekelja had 20 as Buffalo 12 4 6 2 10 31 38 ray. Lance Jones had 13 points for the Salukis (10-10, 4-10). DePaul beat Xavier in the Musketeers’ fi rst game Central Division Tkachuk tied it with 1:22 left in the Ben Harvey added 11 points. BASKETBALL since Jan. 23. DePaul led by as many as 15 points GP W L OT Pts GF GA second for his fi fth of the season and Seton Hall 60, DePaul 52 in the second half, but Xavier got within 65-62 Florida 14 10 2 2 22 48 43 100th NHL point. In Newark, N.J., Sandro Mamukelashvili had 25 points early in the fourth quarter. Chicago 18 9 5 4 22 52 51 Panthers 4, Hurricanes 3, OT and 11 rebounds as Seton Hall topped DePaul 60-52. the Terrapins, who extended their winning streak The Blue Demons answered with a 7-2 run, with Tampa Bay 14 10 3 1 21 54 32 four points from Morris, to rebuild a two-posses- Carolina 14 10 3 1 21 53 40 In Raleigh, N.C., Jonathan Hu- Jared Rhoden had 17 points for Seton Hall (13-8, 10-5 to four games. Ashley Owusu added 17 points Columbus 17 7 6 4 18 50 60 berdeau scored his second goal of the Big East Conference), which earned its fourth straight vic- and seven assists, while Diamond Miller had 11 sion lead they would hold the rest of the way de- Dallas 12 5 3 4 14 40 34 tory. Myles Cale added 11 points. spite only making one fi eld goal in the fi nal four Nashville 15 6 9 0 12 36 52 game midway through overtime to points and seven assists for Maryland (15-2, 11-1 Detroit 18 4 11 3 11 35 56 lift Florida past Carolina. Pauly Paulicap had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Big Ten). The Terrapins lead the nation with 91.7 minutes. Held also had six assists and fi ve steals, Demons (3-10, 1-10), whose losing streak stretched to five Morris had six rebounds and seven assists and West Division Huberdeau also had an assist to points per game, but their defense was just as im- help the Panthers improve their fran- games. Kobe Elvis added 13 points. He also had nine turnovers pressive, smothering the Illini (3-14, 1-13). Bekelja grabbed six rebounds for DePaul (13-4, GP W L OT Pts GF GA but only three assists. Ray Salnave had seven rebounds. 10-2 Big East Conference). Morris reached 1,000 Vegas 14 10 3 1 21 43 31 chise-best road start to 5-0-1. Alex S. Florida 69, Cincinnati 65, OT Duke 84, Wake Forest 60 career points on a layup in the fourth quarter. St Louis 16 9 5 2 20 52 49 Wenneberg and Juho Lammikko Colorado 13 8 4 1 17 41 27 - with his fi rst in the NHL - added In Tampa, Florida, Sydni Harvey scored eight Nebraska, 71, Northwestern 64 Arizona 15 7 6 2 16 40 42 In Durham, N.C., Matthew Hurt scored 22 points on 8-of- of her 23 points in overtime, Bethy Mununga had goals, and Chris Driedger made 32 9 shooting, DJ Steward added 16 points and Duke never Anaheim 16 6 7 3 15 32 42 19 points and 14 rebounds, and South Florida beat In Evanston, Ill., Kate Cain matched a career- Los Angeles 14 5 6 3 13 44 44 saves. trailed in its 84-60 win over Wake Forest. high with 22 points, Isabelle Bourne had 21 points San Jose 14 6 7 1 13 38 51 Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho and Joey Baker hit 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with Cincinnati. Minnesota 12 6 6 0 12 30 34 Elisa Pinzan added 11 points and nine assists for and a career-best 17 rebounds, and Nebraska Vincent Trocheck scored for Caro- 12 points for Duke (9-8, 7-6 Atlantic Coast Conference). pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat North- North Division Wendell Moore Jr. scored 11 points. USF (12-1, 10-0 American Athletic Conference). lina, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped The Bulls have won 11 in a row overall and 10 western. Nebraska (10-9, 8-8 Big Ten) ended a GP W L OT Pts GF GA Wyoming 83, New Mexico 74, OT straight conference games, both program records. four-game losing streak despite committing 28 Toronto 17 12 3 2 26 60 45 turnovers, and swept the season series against Montreal 15 9 4 2 20 52 39 In Colorado Springs, Colo., Marcus Williams had 17 Jada Scott made a layup to give Cincinnati (4-14, Edmonton 18 10 8 0 20 63 60 ICE HOCKEY points to lead six Wyoming players in double figures as the 3-11) a 65-64 lead with 1:26 left in overtime but Mu- Northwestern (11-5, 9-5). The Cornhuskers won Winnipeg 16 9 6 1 19 55 46 Cowboys beat New Mexico 83-74 in overtime. nunga hit two free throws 21 seconds later and the the first meeting 65-63 on Sam Haiby’s buzzer- Calgary 16 8 7 1 17 45 45 New Mexico’s Javonte Johnson made a 3-pointer with 29 beating putback. Vancouver 20 8 11 1 17 62 72 Bearcats didn’t score again. IImar’I Thomas had 23 Ottawa 18 4 13 1 9 41 71 33 shots. seconds left in regulation, and later Williams missed a points, six rebounds and seven points for Cincinnati. Cain scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and Note: Two points for a win one point for jumper to force overtime tied at 71. Williams was 4 of 4 Bourne added eight as Nebraska outscored the Wild- overtime loss. The top four teams in each divi- Blackhawks 2, Red Wings 0 from the line and Hunter Thompson made a 3 as the Depaul 83, Xavier 75 cats 31-20. Haiby fi nished with just fi ve points on 1-of- sion will qualify for playoffs under this season’s In Detroit, Kevin Lankinen made Cowboys outscored the Lobos 12-3 in the extra period. In Chicago, Lexi Held scored 25 points, Sonya 12 shooting but had eight rebounds and seven assists. temporary realignment. 29 saves for his fi rst career shutout Maryland 79, Nebraska 71 and fellow rookie Philipp Kurashev In College Park, Md., Eric Ayala scored 17 of his career- scored a pretty goal in Chicago’s vic- high 24 points in the first half and Maryland beat Nebraska Rays sign RHP Drake, fi nalize deal with LHP Hill tory over Detroit. 79-71 to sweep the regular-season series on consecutive The Blackhawks are 4-0 against nights. the Original Six rival Red Wings this season. They have won three straight Shortstop Tatis Jr, Padres agree on 14-year deal overall and six of their last seven. Alex DeBrincat added an empty- SAN DIEGO, Feb 18, (AP): Fernando Tatis Jr. injured list. net goal with 58 seconds remaining. has agreed to a 14-year deal that will keep the Chicago also agreed to to contracts with vet- electrifying shortstop with the San Diego Padres eran relievers Brandon Workman and Pedro Oilers 3, Jets 2 until he’s 35 years old, according to two people Strop, people familiar with the deals said. In Edmonton, Alberta, Leon Drai- familiar with the situation. ❑ ❑ ❑ saitl scored two goals and Edmonton Reports from The Athletic and others indicate beat Winnipeg to complete a split of the contract is worth $340 million. The two peo- Tim Tebow is retiring from baseball after a two-game set with the Jets. ple spoke to The Associated Press on condition fi ve years as a minor leaguer with the New York Jesse Puljujarvi also scored for of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been an- Mets. the Oilers and Connor McDavid had nounced. The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner returned to baseball in 2016 for the fi rst time since his a pair of assists, including his 500th The 22-year-old Tatis has bloomed into a su- NHL point. Mark Scheifele and Neal perstar in less than two full seasons with the Pa- junior year of high school and reached Triple-A, encouraged by then general manager and current Pionk scored for the Jets. dres. He helped San Diego end a 13-year play- Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck off drought in 2020 and win a wild-card series team president Sandy Alderson. In this Oct 8, 2020 fi le photo, San Diego stopped 27 of 30 shots. Mike Smith against the St. Louis Cardinals before the Padres had 33 saves for Edmonton. were swept by the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr throws to fi rst the NL Division Series. for the out on Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mook- BASEBALL Canucks 5, Flames 1 ie Betts during the fi rst inning in Game 3 ❑ ❑ ❑ of a baseball National League Division Se- In Calgary, Alberta, Brock Boeser had a goal and two assists to lead The Tampa Bay Rays have signed right- ries in Arlington, Texas. (AP) Tebow played 77 games at baseball’s high- handed reliever Oliver Drake to a $775,000, est minor league level in 2019, batting .163 with Vancouver past Calgary. one-year contract and fi nalized a $2.5 million, Jake Arrieta won a Cy Young Award, threw four home runs. He fi nishes his career with a Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller also one-year contract with free agent left-hander two no-hitters and helped end a championship .223 average over 287 games. scored and had an assist for Vancou- Rich Hill. The AL champions announced the drought in his fi rst go-around with the Chicago ❑ ❑ ❑ ver. Defenseman Jordie Benn and Nate Schmidt also scored for the Ca- deals. The team cleared room on the 40-man Cubs. The Phillies have fi nalized a $3.5 million, roster by placing left-hander Colin Poche, who’s If his second tenure goes anything like that, nucks, who improved to 2-3-1 against one-year contract with infi elder Brad Miller the the Flames this season. recovering from Tommy John surgery, on the they sure would take it. and a minor league deal with left-hander Tony 60-day injured list. Arrieta returned to the Chicago Cubs, fi nal- Watson, who will attend spring training as a Braden Holtby stopped 35 of 36 Drake, 34, was limited to 11 appearances with izing a $6 million, one-year contract. non-roster player. shots for his fi rst win since Jan. 28. the Rays last season, when he spent time on the He can earn $1 million in performance bo- Miller batted .232 with seven homers, 25 Andrew Mangiapane scored for Tennessee’s Jaden Springer (11) is defended by injured list due to right biceps tendinitis. He nuses for innings under the deal: $250,000 each RBIs and an .807 OPS in 48 games with the St. Calgary (8-7-1). Jacob Markstrom South Carolina’s Seventh Woods (23) during an went 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA and two saves, both for 150, 160, 170 and 180. Louis Cardinals last season. He batted .263 stopped 24 shots in his seventh NCAA college basketball game, on Feb 17, in Knox- coming within the fi rst fi ve games of the season. To open a roster spot, Chicago placed left- with 12 homers, 21 RBIs and a .941 OPS in 66 straight start and 14th in Calgary’s 16 ville, Tenn. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ hander Kyle Ryan on the COVID-19 related games with the Phillies in 2019. games this season. ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19-20, 2021 16

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, (left), tries for a rebound with Indiana Pacers’ Malcolm Brogdon, (center), during the fi rst half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb 17 in Minneapolis. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Warriors outlast Heat in overtime Jazz roll past short-handed Clippers for 9th straight win LOS ANGELES, Feb 18, (AP): Dono- van Mitchell scored 24 points, Rudy Gobert had 23 points and 20 rebounds and the Utah Jazz rolled past the short- handed Los Angeles Clippers, 114-96 on Wednesday night for their ninth Osaka ends Williams bid straight victory. Jordan Clarkson scored 18 points to help the NBA-leading Jazz improve to 24-5 with their 20th win in 21 games. After three tight quarters, Utah broke it open in the fourth to win this matchup of Western Conference powerhouses - for 24th Grand Slam title although it wasn’t a proper showdown with the Clippers missing injured superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Jazz beat the Clippers for the ninth time in the last 12 matchups de- spite a rough fi rst half that didn’t re- semble Utah’s impressive recent play. Utah opened up a tight game with a 14-2 run spanning the third and fourth Utah Jazz forward Royce O’Neale, quarters, followed by a 16-3 run to put top, passes the ball over Los Ange- it away. les Clippers forward Marcus Mor- Lou Williams scored 16 points, and ris Sr during the second half of an Reggie Jackson added 15 for the Clip- NBA basketball game Wednesday, pers. Feb 17, in Los Angeles. (AP) Warriors 120, Heat 112, OT in a row. In San Francisco, Stephen Curry hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:15 left in Wizards 130, Nuggets 128 overtime and had 25 points, 11 assists In Washington, Bradley Beal made and seven rebounds to help Golden two free throws with a tenth of a sec- State outlast Miami. ond left and Washington beat Denver Kent Bazemore had a season-high for its third straight victory. 26 points for Golden State. Draymond Davis Bertans had career highs with Green was a late scratch by the War- nine 3-pointers and 35 points, Beal riors because of right ankle soreness.. fi nished with 25 points and a season- Jimmy Butler had his second straight high 10 assists, and Russell Westbrook triple-double for Miami with 13 points, had a triple-double with 12 points, 13 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Kendrick rebounds and 12 assists. Washington Nunn scored 19 points for Miami. has won three straight for the fi rst time since Dec 1-5, 2018. Trail Blazers 126, Pelicans Jamal Murray led Denver with 35 In New Orleans, Damian Lillard points, and Nikola Jokic scored 33 scored 43 points, including a go-ahead points. Murray scored Denver’s fi nal three-point play with 16.5 seconds left, 11 points, with his 3-pointer tying it to lift Portland past New Orleans for its at 128 with 2.1 seconds left. Coming sixth consecutive victory. off a loss at Boston on Tuesday night, Denver allowed its highest points total BASKETBALL of the season. Magic 107, Knicks 89 Lillard had 11 fourth-quarter points In Orlando, Fla. Terrence Ross and was clutch in the fi nal seven min- scored 18 of his season-high 30 points utes. JJ Redick gave the Pelicans a in the second half and Orlando Magic 105-103 lead with 7:34 left, capping a used a decisive third-quarter run to 7-0 New Orleans run, but Lillard then beat New York. came off the bench and immediately Orlando went on a 25-8 run over the Serbia’s Novak Djokovic hits a forehand return to Russia’s Aslan Karatsev during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in hit a 3-pointer as Portland regained fi nal nine minutes of the third quarter Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Feb 18. (AP) the lead. Anfernee Simons added a and outscored New York 30-14 in the 3-pointer on the next possession to period to wipe out a three-point half- make it 109-105. time defi cit. Djokovic keeps perfect record The Pelicans retook the lead on a Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and A very important signal sent: Bach pair of 3-pointers by Lonzo Ball and 17 rebounds for Orlando. Redick and led for the fi nal time at Julius Randle had 25 points and MELBOURNE, Austra- 124-123 with 26.4 seconds left af- seven rebounds for New York. Seiko Hashimoto takes over ter Zion Williamson made two free Pacers 134, Timberwolves 128, OT lia, Feb 18, (AP): As Ser- throws. Williamson fi nished with 36 In Minneapolis, Domantas Sabonis ena Williams walked off points. had 36 points, 17 rebounds and 10 re- the court after her lat- as Tokyo Olympic president Hawks 122, Celtics114 bounds, Malcolm Brogdon added 32 est so-close-yet-so-far bid In Boston, Trae Young had 40 points and nine rebounds and Indiana TOKYO, Feb 18, (AP): Seiko 2020 Organizing Committee is points and eight assists and Atlanta beat Minnesota in overtime. for a 24th Grand Slam Hashimoto has appeared in seven also sending a very important sig- beat Boston to snap a four-game los- The Pacers played their second title ended with a loss to Olympics, four in the winter and nal with regard to gender equal- ing streak. straight overtime game, coming off an Naomi Osaka at the Aus- three in the summer - the most by ity,” Bach said in a statement. Clint Capela had 24 points and 13 OT loss to Chicago on Monday. any “multi-season” athlete in the Hashimoto competed in cycling rebounds to help Atlanta win in Boston Grizzlies 122, Thunder 113 tralian Open, the 39-year- games. in three Summer Olympics (1988, for the fi rst time since April 8, 2018, In Memphis, Tenn, Grayson Allen old American paused and She made even more history on 1992 and 1996) and in speeds- ending a seven-game losing streak. and Jonas Valanciunas each scored 22 Thursday in Japan, where women put her hand on her chest kating in four Winter Olympics John Collins added 20 points and six points, and Ja Morant had 15 points, are still rare in the boardrooms and (1984, 1988, 1992 and 1994). She rebounds. positions of political power. 11 rebounds and 12 assists for his fi rst while thousands of specta- won a bronze medal - her only The Hawks shot a season-high 57% triple-double of the season and Mem- tors rose to applaud. The 56-year-old Hashimoto medal - at the 1992 Albertville from the fi eld. They took a 90-81 lead was named president of the To- phis beat Oklahoma City. Was this, Williams was asked Games in speedskating. into the fourth quarter. Boston rallied Kyle Anderson added 20 points, and kyo Olympic organizing commit- to cut it to 94-91, but Atlanta respond- at a news conference after the 6-3, tee after a meeting of its executive Dillon Brooks had 17. 6-4 semifinal defeat, her way of Japan’s Naomi Osaka waves after board, which is 80% male. She re- OLYMPICS ed with an 8-2 run get it back up to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defeating United States’ Serena places 83-year-old Yoshiro Mori, 102-93 with 6:33 left. Thunder with 22 points in his return saying goodbye? Jayson Tatum had 35 points for after missing four games because of a “If I ever say farewell,” she replied Williams in their semifinal match at a former Japanese prime minister the Australian Open tennis cham- According to historian Dr. Bill Celtics. They have lost fi ve of seven. strained left knee. with a smile, “I wouldn’t tell anyone.” who was forced to resign last week Mallon, her seven appearances is On Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. local pionship in Melbourne, Australia, after making sexist comments 76ers 118, Rockets 113 Bulls 105, Pistons 102 Thursday, Feb 18. (AP) the most by any “multi-season” time (3:30 a.m. EST), Osaka will meet about women. athlete in the games. In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had 31 In Chicago, Zach LaVine scored fi rst-time Grand Slam fi nalist Jen- Essentially, he said women talk Japan-born Naomi Osaka, points, 11 rebounds and nine assists 37 points and Chicago beat Detroit on in the women’s game at the moment. and hit a key jumper late in Philadel- nifer Brady of the United States for too much. speaking about Hashimoto after short notice. the championship. The 22nd-seeded That used to be Williams, of course. “Now I’m here to return what I phia’s victory over Houston. The Bulls were scheduled to visit But she was off-target too much in this her semifi nal victory over Serena Seth Curry scored 25 points, and Charlotte, with the Pistons at Dallas. Brady, who is from Pennsylvania and owe as an athlete and to return back Williams at the Australian Open, contest. what I received,” Hashimoto told the Tobias Harris added 24 to help the Those games got called off Tuesday played college tennis at UCLA, pre- said “you’re seeing the newer gen- vailed in an epic, 18-point last game Her forehand, in particular, went board, according to an interpreter. Eastern Conference-leading 76ers snap by the NBA because of COVID-19 to edge No. 25 Karolina Muchova 6-4, awry, with no fewer than 10 unforced Hashimoto had been serving as eration not tolerate a lot of things.” a three-game losing streak. Ben Sim- contact tracing concerns with the 3-6, 6-4 in the semifi nals. errors off that side in the fi rst set alone. the Olympic minister in the cabi- “I feel like it’s really good because mons (illness) didn’t play for the 76ers Hornets and power outages in Tex- Williams’ frustration was made net of Prime Minister Yoshihide you’re pushing forward, barriers are a game after scoring a career-high 42 as. The Bulls and Pistons were then plain early in the second set, when she Suga. She also held a portfolio being broken down, especially for points and adding nine rebounds and scheduled to play each other, in- TENNIS leaned over and screamed, “Make a dealing with gender equality and females,” Osaka said. 12 assists. stead. shot! Make a shot!” women’s empowerment. She said John Wall scored 28 points for Jerami Grant scored a career-high Brady dropped to her back at the base- After collecting her professional she would be replaced as Olympic Houston. The Rockets have lost seven 43 points for the Pistons. line after saving a trio of break points, era-record 23rd Slam singles trophy minister by Tamayo Marukawa. then converting her fi fth match point at Melbourne Park while pregnant in She brought up the issue of when Muchova sent a forehand long. 2017, Williams has reached four major gender equality repeatedly, and NBA Results/Standings “My legs are shaking,” Brady said. fi nals and lost them all. focused on problems at the orga- “My heart is racing.” She lost to She’s also now lost in the semifi nals nizing committee, which is male- Osaka in a three-set thriller in the U.S. twice in the past three majors. Novak dominated, has no female vice Djokovic had a perfect record in Austra- Open semifi nals last September. presidents and has an executive WASHINGTON, Feb 18, (AP): NBA re- Washington 130 Denver 128 “Everyone’s just really excited lian Open semifi nals, and he was playing board made up of 80% men. It em- sults and standings on Wednesday. Indiana 134 Minnesota OT 128 almost fl awless tennis to protect it. Orlando 107 New York 89 Portland 126 New Orleans 124 whenever they play their fi rst fi nal,” ploys about 3,500 people. Atlanta 122 Boston 114 Memphis 122 Oklahoma City 113 Osaka noted about what awaits Brady, It didn’t matter that across the net “Of course, it is very important was Aslan Karatsev, a 114th-ranked, Philadelphia 118 Houston 113 Utah 114 LA Clippers 96 “but they’re also really nervous.” what Tokyo 2020 as an organiz- Chicago 105 Detroit 102 Golden State 120 Miami OT 112 Williams was hoping to get to her 27-year-old Russian who had come ing committee does about gender through qualifying to make his debut Eastern Conference Western Conference 34th Grand Slam fi nal but, once again, equality,” she said, sitting between Atlantic Division Southwest Division couldn’t quite get the job done in order in a Grand Slam tournament after nine W L Pct GB W L Pct GB two males - CEO Toshiro Muto Philadelphia 19 10 .655 - San Antonio 16 11 .593 - to add one more Grand Slam trophy to failed attempts. and spokesman Masa Takaya. “I Djokovic made only one unforced Brooklyn 18 12 .600 1-1/2 Memphis 12 12 .500 2-1/2 her collection of 23 and equal Marga- think it will be important for To- Boston 14 14 .500 4-1/2 Dallas 13 15 .464 3-1/2 error in more than 50 minutes. ret Court for the most in tennis history. kyo 2020 to practice equality.” Seiko Hashimoto, president of New York 14 16 .467 5-1/2 New Orleans 12 16 .429 4-1/2 It was tight for the fi rst seven games Toronto 13 15 .464 5-1/2 Houston 11 17 .393 5-1/2 Osaka, who also beat Williams in International Olympic Com- the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Or- Southeast Division Northwest Division the chaotic 2018 U.S. Open fi nal that - before Djokovic reeled off eight mittee President Thomas Bach straight points to win the fi rst set - and ganizing Committee attends a W L Pct GB W L Pct GB concluded with the crowd booing said Hashimoto was “the perfect Charlotte 13 15 .464 - Utah 24 5 .828 - again when Karatsev went on an all-or- press conference following the and both women in tears, reached her choice” for the job. Tokyo 2020 Executive Board Atlanta 12 16 .429 1 Portland 18 10 .643 5-1/2 fourth major title match and stretched nothing roll late in the second set. Miami 11 17 .393 2 Denver 15 13 .536 8-1/2 Sensing a shift in support for the un- “With the appointment of a meeting on Thursday, Feb 18 Orlando 11 18 .379 2-1/2 Oklahoma City 11 17 .393 12-1/2 her winning streak to 20 matches by woman as president, the Tokyo in Tokyo, Japan. (AP) Washington 9 17 .346 3 Minnesota 7 22 .241 17 claiming the last eight points. derdog - there was a loud, vocal crowd Central Division Pacific Division The No. 3-seeded Osaka’s Grand at Rod Laver Arena after a fi ve-day W L Pct GB W L Pct GB span when fans were barred during a season-opening major, and one win off a fi ve-set win over Rafael Nadal, Milwaukee 16 12 .571 - LA Lakers 22 7 .759 - Slam collection also includes last Indiana 15 14 .517 1-1/2 LA Clippers 21 9 .700 1-1/2 year’s U.S. Open and the 2019 Austra- local COVID-19 outbreak - Djokovic from a ninth Australian title. meet in the other semifi nal. He said Chicago 12 15 .444 3-1/2 Phoenix 17 10 .630 4 lian Open and she is, without a doubt, moved up a gear and fi nished off his Djokovic will have a day off Friday he’d have a rest and get the popcorn Cleveland 10 19 .345 6-1/2 Golden State 16 13 .552 6 the most dangerous hard-court player opponent 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. when No. 4 Daniil Medvedev and No. ready to watch and see who he gets to Detroit 8 20 .286 8 Sacramento 12 15 .444 9 He’s now 9-0 in semifi nals at the 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is coming face in Sunday’s fi nal.

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