Kuwait to Suspend Direct Flights to and from Britain Direct Flights Planned from Banned Countries for Kuwaitis • Saudi Reopens Borders
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JAMADA ALAWWAL 20, 1442 AH MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2021 16 Pages Max 22º Min 12º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 18325 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Missing child’s body found Dozen US senators plan to Afghan dairy entrepreneur COVID-hit City still 3 washed ashore after a week 5 oppose Biden certification 13 walks tightrope to stay afloat 16 too good for Chelsea Kuwait to suspend direct flights to and from Britain Direct flights planned from banned countries for Kuwaitis • Saudi reopens borders KUWAIT: Kuwait is suspending direct commercial flights to and SAMA grants Tamam region’s from Britain as of Wednesday, Jan 6 at 4:00 am until further notice, the Directorate General first micro-financing license of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said yesterday. Meanwhile, Kuwait is Bader Al-Kharafi: Tamam is a sharia-compliant platform offering planning to operate limited flights for Kuwaiti citizens from a micro-finance in less than 5 minutes through a mobile app number of countries with which RIYADH/KUWAIT: Zain Group, a leading it has halted flights for more than mobile telecom innovator in seven markets across four months now to curb the the Middle East and North Africa, announced spread of the coronavirus. that Tamam Financing Company (Tamam), the The flights will be operated by financial technology (fintech) subsidiary of its Kuwait Airways. Instructions have operation in Saudi Arabia, has been officially been issued to open reservations licensed by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) to for flights from the banned coun- tries for Kuwaiti nationals, their KUWAIT: (From left) Minister of State for Services Affairs Abdullah Marafi, provide micro-financing services to consumers Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs across the kingdom. first-degree relatives and domestic workers, DGCA Director General Anas Al-Saleh and DGCA President Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah visit Commenting on the licensing of Tamam, Bader Kuwait International Airport as flights resumed on Saturday. — KUNA Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group CEO, Yousef Al-Fouzan confirmed to Zain KSA Vice-Chairman and Tamam Chairman, Bader Al-Kharafi, Zain Vice-Chairman and Group Kuwait Times. Kuwait has banned said: “We are extremely proud of the teams at CEO, Zain KSA Vice-Chairman and Tamam Chairman direct flights from 35 countries aimed to stem the spread of a new COVID-19 variant believed Zain Group, Zain KSA and Tamam in the success- over COVID-19 concerns. new strain of the coronavirus. to be more transmissible than ful delivery of this innovative sharia-compliant in the Middle East, so the establishment of the On Saturday, three Cabinet The decision to reopen Kuwait’s the initial strain, Deputy Prime service that provides consumer micro-finance in first consumer micro-financing platform in Saudi ministers monitored safety land and sea borders, in addition Minister and Minister of State less than five minutes through a mobile app.” Arabia represents a fantastic opportunity for measures at Kuwait International to resuming commercial passen- for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al- Fintech services remain largely under-penetrated growth. (See Page 8) Airport as commercial flights ger air traffic, was made as more Saleh told KUNA. resumed after a brief suspension information was collected on the Continued on Page 2 Yesterday, Britain became the News in brief Nations race to latest country to warn of tougher measures to come, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitting he was Man stabbed, run over inoculate; India “reconciled” to the prospect hours after his country registered a new KUWAIT: A 33-year-old man, Abdullah Al- OKs 2 vaccines daily record of 57,725 COVID-19 Khalifa, died on Saturday at Adan Hospital after cases. But he told the BBC “we can being stabbed four times inside a diwaniya in NEW DELHI: India approved the see the way ahead”, revealing that Qusoor and then run over by a car on emergency use of two COVID-19 530,000 doses of the newly Wednesday. The interior ministry said it had vaccines yesterday, as nations across approved AstraZeneca/Oxford arrested the main suspect, a police officer, and the world raced to get their popula- vaccine will be available for use three other perpetrators. Khalifa was buried tions inoculated to beat back surging from today. yesterday at Sulaibikhat cemetery. infection numbers. More than a year Britain has already vaccinated after COVID-19 first emerged it has around one million people with the killed 1.8 million people out of 84 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and million cases, and governments hope Johnson said he hoped tens of mil- 60 illegal campsites razed KOLKATA: A resident looks on as an artist applies finishing touches to that recently approved vaccines can lions would get the new jab in the stop a cycle of economically crip- next three months. a mural depicting frontline workers carrying a COVID-19 vaccine on KUWAIT: The Municipality said yesterday it Saturday. — AFP removed 60 illegal campsites off the Seventh Ring pling restrictions. Continued on Page 2 Road because they violated the health ministry’s ban on camping in order to prevent gatherings to charges it was too close to Tehran and backed radi- cotting countries Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the curb the spread of COVID-19. The Municipality’s Resolution in cal Islamist groups. Qatar denies the claims. United Arab Emirates, neutral Kuwait and Oman, supervision team will immediately remove any Washington has intensified pressure on the and Qatar. After severing ties in June 2017, the campsite because it violates health restrictions, nations imposing what Qatar calls a “blockade” to Saudi-led alliance subsequently forced out Qatari Faisal Al-Otaibi, director of cleaning and road balance ahead resolve the crisis, insisting Gulf unity is necessary expatriate residents, closed their airspace to Qatari construction for Ahmadi governorate, said in a to isolate US rival Iran as the curtain falls on aircraft and sealed their borders and ports, separat- statement. — KUNA of Gulf summit Donald Trump’s presidency. The row will top the ing some mixed-nationality families. agenda at today’s meeting of leaders of the Gulf The boycott countries later issued a list of 13 DOHA: The Gulf crisis, which has pitted regional Cooperation Council in the northwestern Saudi demands for Doha, including the closure of pan- Egypt probes COVID deaths players against Qatar, could be moving closer to city of Al-Ula. Arab satellite television channel Al Jazeera, under- resolution as the key countries prepare to meet in While Gulf sources say an agreement on further takings on terror financing, and the shuttering of a CAIRO: Egypt said yesterday it had opened an Saudi Arabia tomorrow. talks and limited confidence building measures is Turkish military base in Qatar. Doha has not pub- investigation into the deaths of four COVID-19 Riyadh led a coalition of countries in the Gulf ready, not all of the boycotting countries have yet licly bowed to any of the demands. patients in an intensive care unit allegedly due to and beyond in 2017 to cut ties with Doha, over signed up. The GCC is a bloc that includes boy- Continued on Page 2 lack of oxygen, which has sparked a public out- cry. Since Saturday, numerous social media users have shared a video of patients in a hospi- and an “agent of the Americans”. tal ward, with a voice heard saying “everyone is Iraqis mourn The anniversary of the Baghdad dead in intensive care”. The 45-second video drone strike - which brought also shows Al-Husseiniya hospital staff appar- commanders Washington and Tehran to the brink of ently trying to revive patients. — AFP war in early 2020 - was also marked in recent days across Iran and by sup- killed by US porters in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and elsewhere. The lead up to the com- Larry King hospitalized BAGHDAD: Thousands of Iraqi memorations of the Shiite command- mourners chanted “revenge” and “no ers sharply heightened regional ten- WASHINGTON: Veteran talk show host Larry to America” yesterday, one year after sions in the weeks before US King has been hospitalized with COVID-19, US a US drone strike killed Iran’s revered President Donald Trump, who ordered media reported Saturday. Citing a “source close commander Qasem Soleimani and his the killings, leaves the White House. to the family,” CNN reported that King, one of Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi Al- Iran has held a series of commem- the network’s biggest stars, has been hospital- Muhandis. Pro-Iranian supporters, orative events for the “martyr” ized for more than a week at Cedars Sinai many dressed in black, massed in Soleimani, who has been immortalized Medical Center in Los Angeles. King, 87, has BAGHDAD: Iraqi demonstrators rally in Tahrir Square yesterday to mark Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square to in portraits, sculptures, ballads and an Type 2 diabetes and has had a long history of one year after a US drone strike killed Iranian commander Qasem also condemn Iraqi Prime Minister upcoming TV series. medical issues. — AFP Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. — AFP Mustafa Al-Kadhemi as a “coward” Continued on Page 2 2 Established 1961 Monday, January 4, 2021 Local Egypt’s President appreciates Kuwait’s mediation efforts Amir sends letter to Sisi on efforts to reach Arab reconciliation CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdelfattah Al-Sisi Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah built received on Saturday a letter from His Highness on this genuine goodwill and resumed these the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- efforts. He also commended the Saudi role in the Jaber Al-Sabah on Kuwait’s efforts to reach Arab framework of the Arab Quartet, made up of the reconciliation.