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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 / RAMADAN 3, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17664 16 PAGES 150 FILS

Billions on the bottomline ... but a pass for Pasdaran Guard ... of what? Day by Day IR-6, 60% – Rouhani THE economic affairs are Failures fair game? still ‘missing’ from the state’s plans, which mean we are heading in the direction of an DUBAI, April 14, (AP): The recent rection of the Guard may in part be exceptional situation and in sabotage at Iran’s main nuclear en- due to the upcoming June presiden- future, no one will have mercy richment facility is just the latest set- tial election. on us. We do not know who is back for the country’s Revolutionary Rouhani, a relatively moderate responsible for this scenario. taunts two-hands cut Guard, though the paramilitary force cleric within Iran’s theocracy whose Even those who have tam- is rarely publicly criticized due to its administration struck a 2015 nuclear pered with public money deny power. deal that brought Iran relief on sanc- this frivolity. Rather, they are But with some of its leaders now tions, cannot run again due to term striving to take revenge on Tehran nears critical mass those who did not support considering vying for the presidency, limits. That’s created a potential free- them in their crooked acts. the Guard’s influence and failures for-all filing period for candidates Now they unjustly want to find could become fair game. when it opens in May. fault in them. DUBAI, April 14, (AP): Iran’s president on This weekend’s sabotage at the Natanz nuclear facility In just over the last year, the Guard Within Iran, candidates exist on Since the world rotates Wednesday called his country’s decision to appears to be part of an escalating shadow war between shot down a Ukrainian commercial a political spectrum that broadly around its axis, we will not the two countries. Israeli authorities have not commented airliner, killing 176 people. Its forces includes hard-liners who want to know who the real oppres- dramatically increase its uranium enrich- on the attack, but are widely suspected of having carried failed to stop both an earlier attack at expand Iran’s nuclear program and sor is and who is not plagued ment after saboteurs attacked a nuclear site Iran’s Natanz facility and the assas- confront the world, moderates who by even a greater oppressor. it out. sination of a top scientist who started hold onto the status quo and reform- They will wish this not to have “an answer to your evilness,” saying Israel Iran announced Tuesday it would increase uranium enrich- a military nuclear program decades ists who want to change the theocracy happened. hoped to derail ongoing talks aimed at reviv- ment up to 60%, its highest level ever, in response to the at- earlier. Meanwhile, its floating base from within. Those calling for radical … Yet, tomorrow is another ing Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world tack. That could draw further retaliation as Israeli Prime Minister in the Red Sea off Yemen suffered an change find themselves blocked from day. Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed never to allow Tehran to obtain explosion. even running for office by Iran’s con- Zahed Matar powers. a nuclear weapon. While Iran’s move keeps enrichment below Then on Sunday, the nuclear facil- stitutional watchdog, the Guardian weapons-grade levels of 90%, it ity, of which the Guard is the chief Council. is a short step away. protector, experienced a blackout A soldier has yet to serve as Iran’s Speaking to his Cabinet, an that damaged some of its centrifuges. top civilian leader since the Islamic impassioned President Hassan Israel is widely believed to have car- Revolution, in part over the initial Rouhani said the first-generation ried out the sabotage that caused the suspicion that its conventional mili- IR-1 centrifuges that were dam- outage, though it has not claimed it. tary forces remained loyal to the top- aged in the attack would be re- In the wake of the attack, Iran an- pled shah. However, a line of former placed by advanced IR-6 centri- nounced Tuesday it would begin Guard leaders have begun raising fuges that enrich uranium much enriching uranium at 60% purity, the their profiles ahead of the vote, and faster. highest level its program has ever many may try to run. “You wanted to make our reached. They include Mohsen Rezaei, an hands empty during the talks but No one in Iran has directly called outspoken former top commander; our hands are full,” Rouhani said. out the Guard for these failures - Hossein Dehghan, an adviser to Su- He was referring to ongoing and that isn’t surprising. The force preme Leader Ali Khamenei; Ros- talks in Vienna that are aimed created after its 1979 Islamic Revo- tam Ghasemi, a former oil minister; at finding a way for the United lution has an extensive intelligence and Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the States to re-enter Tehran’s nu- apparatus rivaling those of Iran’s speaker of Iran’s parliament known clear agreement with world pow- civilian government - and it is bru- for his support of a bloody crack- ers and have Iran comply again tal in its clampdown on dissent. down on students in 1999. with its limits. The accord, which Former detainees at Tehran’s Evin A young generation of Guard lead- former President Donald Trump prison describe the Guard as run- ers is in the mix as well, led by Saeed withdrew the U.S. from in 2018, ning an entire ward of the facility Mohammad, who once headed the prevented Iran from stockpiling housing politically sensitive prison- Guard’s powerful Khatam al-Anbiya enough high-enriched uranium to ers. Local journalists can face ar- Construction Headquarters that is one be able to pursue a nuclear weap- rest, prosecution and imprisonment of Iran’s biggest business conglomer- on in exchange for the lifting of for their work. ates. economic sanctions. Around the edges, however, criti- The debate over how much power Rouhani added: “60% enrich- cism is beginning to leak out. the Guard should wield in Iran’s poli- ment is an answer to your evil- Eshaq Jahangiri, President Has- tics is as old as the Islamic Republic ness ... We cut off both of your san Rouhani’s top vice president and itself. Yet the force has been able to hands, one with IR-6 centrifuges a reformist, lamented that “nobody portray itself as the country’s defend- and another one with 60%.” is ready to be responsible” for what er through mass media on Iranian Rouhani also accused Israel of happened at Natanz in remarks that state television. Private local chan- The iconic Haghia Sophia, illuminated for the month of Ramadan, in the historic Sultan Ahmed district of Istanbul, April being behind the Natanz attack. appeared aimed at the Guard. nels don’t exist. 13, 2021. As Muslims around the world began marking Ramadan Tuesday, in mostly-Muslim Turkey, the month of fast- “Apparently this is a crime by “Which body is responsible to That includes the Iranian spy TV ing kicked off with some restrictions amid record levels of COVID-19 infections. (AP) the Zionists. If the Zionists take identify and prevent the country’s show “Gando,” a fever dream of an action against our nation, we enemies from doing something in the conspiracy theories in line with the will respond,” he said, without country? Has anyone ever been held Guard’s worldview. Its second sea- elaborating. accountable, or been held responsible son just aired, drawing more criticism In Jerusalem at a Memorial or reprimanded, for what the biggest for its depiction of Iran’s civilian Day commemoration, Netanyahu enemy of this country is doing here?” government as being weak and over- US intel sees gloom, doom appeared to reference Iran. Jahangiri asked in a video shared whelmed by foreign powers. “We must never remain apa- widely on social media. But there’s a clear line between WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): thetic to the threats of war and Separately quoted by the hard-line their idealized television version and The effects of the coronavirus extermination of those who seek newspaper Kayhan, Jahangiri added: the reality of these recent attacks pandemic are expected to con- to eliminate us,” he said. “People need to know what the re- striking the heart of one of Iran’s Other Voices Turmoil in tribute over the next year to “hu- Settlement sources, credibility and prestige of most powerful forces. manitarian and economic crises, the country are being spent on.” “We spent our resources and ca- political unrest, and geopolitical Rouhani in his comments That’s another apparent dig at pabilities for the production of a TV Parliament competition,” according to a new Wednesday insisted Iran is still the Guard, whose business interests series to portray ourselves as power- intelligence report that also warns hoping that the Vienna talks lead through construction and other indus- ful in the fields of security and intel- Be accountable, By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh about the threats from foreign to a negotiated settlement over its tries reach into the billions of dollars. ligence, as well as accusing our of- program — and the accompany- Arab Times Staff adversaries and from violent ex- The exact scope of all its holdings ficials of spying,” wrote the hard-line tremists inside the United States. ing lifting of punishing sanctions. remains unclear, though experts’ es- daily Jomhuri Eslami, asking why KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The The U.S. government’s annual France, Germany and the timates run from 15% to as much as recent attacks hadn’t been thwarted. punish yourself! National Assembly, during its sup- assessment of worldwide threats, United Kingdom, all parties to 40% of Iran’s overall economy. The election may soon see more plementary session on Wednesday, released Tuesday ahead of con- the nuclear deal, issued a joint This new willingness to point the people soon asking that question statement Wednesday expressing By Ali Ahmed Al-Baghli approved the request of Health gressional hearings expected to finger - however carefully - in the di- publicly. Minister Dr Basel Al-Sabah to cover similar territory, charts a their “grave concern” over Iran’s Former Minister of Oil postpone discussion of the grill- broad array of potential dangers decision to increase enrichment. A DISTINGUISHED Kuwaiti woman works as a doctor and ing motion that MPs Ahmed Mutei anticipated by the intelligence “This is a serious development she is specialized in a rare medical field. Her husband is also Al- Azmi and Soud Bu Sleeb filed community over the coming year. since the production of highly en- Newswatch a doctor who works in a private hospital. He is a skilled con- against him for two weeks. Its grim assessment of diverse riched uranium constitutes an im- sultant with a complex medical specialization. The husband is A total of 34 MPs voted in threats echoes in some ways the portant step in the production of a national of a sisterly Gulf State, but he spent most of his life favor of the request, 14 voted conclusions of a separate intel- a nuclear weapon,” the countries in Kuwait and married a Kuwaiti woman. against and 11 abstained. ligence report from last week said. “Iran has no credible civilian KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait Minis- Tuesday received a phone call This medical family has a young daughter. She was born, Meanwhile, several MPs gath- that examined likely global chal- need for enrichment at this level.” try of Health said Tuesday seven from Seyyed Ammar Abdulaziz raised and grew up in Kuwait. She graduated from one of the ered in the middle of the Assem- lenges, including related to the Saudi Arabia, a regional rival persons died of coronavirus in the Al-Hakim, chairman of “Tayyar local schools and she is currently studying ‘medicine’ in one bly Hall to express objection to pandemic, over the next 20 years. to Iran, similarly issued a state- past 24 hours while 1,544 people Al-Hekmah,” in Iraq, expressing of the Gulf medical colleges … Dear reader, imagine that the postponing the grilling motion. “The American people should ment, saying enriching at that tested positive for Covid-19. congratulations on advent of the young girl was prevented from enter- Some MPs interfered to pre- know as much as possible about level “could not be considered Ministry spokesman Dr. Ab- blessed month of Ramadan. ing Kuwait to see her parents because vent a physical altercation be- a program intended for peaceful Al-Hajim expressed good the threats facing our nation and dullah Al-Sanad said total deaths her nationality is not Kuwaiti?!! tween MPs Musaed Al-Ardi what their intelligence agencies purposes.” rose to 1,419 and registered in- wishes for the two brotherly This is a story we present to the fans “The kingdom calls on Iran to countries, Iraq and Kuwait, for and Salman Al-Azmi, as well are doing to protect them,” Avril fections surged to 250,273. of decisions issued by our Minister of as between MP Thamer Al- avoid escalation and not to sub- He added that 1,201 people re- the Arab and Muslim nations Haines, the director of national Health, the young Sheikh who spe- Suwait and Deputy Speaker intelligence, said in a statement ject the security and stability of covered from the virus since yes- as well as for His Highness the cializes in ‘Otorhinolaryngology’ and the region to more tension, and terday to reach a total of 233,757. Amir who thanked him for the Ahmed Al Shuhoumi. A total accompanying Tuesday’s report. his rational ministry which is finger- of 27 MPs then walked out of to engage seriously in the current He said recovery-to-infection ra- gracious gesture and “this broth- printed on his decisions whose results The report raises concern over the session. the lingering impact of the CO- negotiations,” Saudi Arabia said. tio was 93.4 percent. erly contact,” also expressing are not studied and brought Kuwait’s Iran insists its nuclear program Al-Sanad said 235 Covid-19 good wishes to him. (KUNA) policy on combating corona and re- Upon leaving the hall, MP Ab- VID-19 pandemic, which has ❑ ❑ ❑ dulkareem Al-Kandari addressed killed nearly 3 million people is peaceful, though the West and patients were in the intensive care ducing the rate of infection to a very the International Atomic Energy units, while total patients receiv- low level. In spite of his supposed HH the Prime Minister Sheikh worldwide, warning of the ways ing health care was 15,097. CAIRO: A bus overturned while Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah: in which the recovery will “strain Agency says Tehran had an orga- trying to pass a truck on a high- preventive decisions, the number of Al-Baghli nized military nuclear program up Health care workers con- corona infections has increased!? “You will go on the podium will- governments and societies.” ducted 9,232 swab tests in the way in southern Egypt on Tues- until the end of 2003. An annual day, causing a collision that killed Without talking about his misfortunes, we should com- ingly or unwillingly.” The pandemic has already past 24 hours to reach a total of This turn of events disrupted disrupted crucial health services US intelligence report released at least 20 people and injured pare Kuwait’s corona conditions with that of Britain within Tuesday maintained the American 2,178,297 tests since the pan- the same period, so we could visualize the magnitude of the deliberations on the report of the in certain areas of the world and demic broke out in Kuwait, said three others, authorities said. assessment that “Iran is not cur- The bus was travelling from health-political confusion as we are currently in the dark days Education, Culture and Guidance will lead to continued health Al-Sanad who added that infec- Affairs Committee on the second emergencies, and it has raised rently undertaking the key nuclear tions-to-swab ratio was 16.7 per- Cairo when it turned over and of our lives in our beloved country. weapons-development activities was hit by the truck on a road in One newspaper — Al-Rai daily — published a report stating reading of the proposed amend- tensions as countries compete cent. (KUNA) ment of the publishing, printing for advantage, according to the that we judge would be necessary ❑ ❑ ❑ the southern province of Assiut, that the number of corona infections in Britain on Jan 9, 2021 to produce a nuclear device.” 320 kilometers (199 miles) south reached 59,937 and it decreased to 2,379 on April 6, 2021. and audiovisual laws. report. The economic fallout in Assembly Speaker Marzouq Iran previously had said it KUWAIT CITY: The Pub- of Cairo, Assiut Gov Essam In Kuwait, Basel Al-Sabah announced on Jan 9, 2021 that developing countries has been could use uranium enriched up to Saad said in a statement. Both the number of infections reached 427 only to increase to 1,403 lic Authority for Civil Al-Ghanim adjourned the session. especially severe, with food in- 60% for nuclear-powered ships. Information(PACI) announced vehicles caught fi re, it added. on April 6, 2021. While the infection rate decreases day after Earlier, the opposition MPs failed security worldwide at its highest that the timings for collecting (AP) day in other respected countries around the world, we find that However, the Islamic Republic to realize any of its goals during the point in more than a decade, in- currently has no such ships in its civil ID cards at its headquarters ❑ ❑ ❑ it is increasing and amplifying day after day in Kuwait. ordinary session on Tuesday. telligence officials say. in South Surra during Ramadan The floundering health decisions include the fact that the do- navy. NIAMEY: A fi re fueled by high One of these goals is nullify- “No country has been com- Iran had been enriching up to starts from 10:00 am and ends at mestic workers whom we encounter daily — more than our rel- ing the decision of the Assembly pletely spared, and even when 4:30 pm, while work in its Jahra winds swept through an elemen- atives, friends and acquaintances — have yet to be vaccinated! 20% - and even that was a short tary school in Niger’s capital, to postpone deliberations on the a vaccine is widely distributed technical step to weapons-grade and Ahmadi branches ends at The recent decisions include the shaky curfew period which grilling motions filed and yet to globally, the economic and po- 1:30 pm, reports Al-Rai daily. killing 20 children, hospital of- changed some days after its approval — a difference of just an levels. fi cials said Wednesday. be filed against HH the Prime litical aftershocks will be felt for Officials initially said the en- In a press statement, PACI hour. This instability will be evident in the blessed month of Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Kha- years,” the report says. disclosed the Ramadan working The pupils — between the ages Ramadan; during which we meet relatives, friends and loved richment would begin Wednes- hours in its administrative building of 7 and 13 — were attending lid for one and a half year. The document focuses sig- day. However, an early Wednes- class at the time the blaze erupted ones whom we may not have seen for a year. The blessed Ra- During the session, Assembly nificant attention on threats from start from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm; madan brings us together. However, health-related decisions day morning tweet from Iran’s while the citizens ’reception hall around 4:30 pm on Tuesday. Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim foreign countries, though those envoy to the IAEA, Kazem The cause of the fi re was under prevent us from enjoying this good year, even though none of read the proposal to cancel the concerns are largely already closes at 1:00 pm and expatriates the brotherly Gulf states went towards such direction?!! Gharibabadi, suggested it might can visit from 1:30 to 4:00 pm. investigation and it was not im- grilling motion that MPs Ham- known and frequently discussed. mediately known where it started. Therefore, we have the right to ask His Highness the Prime come later. ❑ ❑ ❑ Minister and members of his Cabinet that is headed by the dan Al-Azmi and Muhammad China, the document warns, Some of the school’s classrooms Al-Mutair filed against HH the is likely to continue its efforts to KUWAIT CITY: His Highness were inside buildings, though young Sheikh: When will you cut out the truth from your- selves and end such decisions?!! Prime Minister; because the spread its influence and undercut Ramadan Timings the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al- other classes were held outdoors ❑ ❑ ❑ grace period for the latter to re- U.S. power, and is likely to press Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on in straw huts. (AP) quest postponement of delibera- Taiwan to move toward unifica- Iftar ...... Thursday .... 18:15 Email: [email protected] tions on the motion has ended. tion with the mainland. Imsak ...... Friday ...... 03:49 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 2

This Wednesday, April 7, 2021, satellite photo by Planet Labs Inc. shows the MV Saviz in the Red Sea as it leaks oil. An attack Tuesday on the Iranian cargo ship said to serve as a fl oating base for its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard off Yemen has escalated a yearslong shadow war on Mideast waters, just as world powers negotiate over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal. (AP) Mystery assault on Pasdaran base SEAL-style attack on Iran ship heats shadow war n attack last week on an Iranian cargo ship that is said to serve as a halt it. We are hitting it in the entire region. ” incident. That likely springs from the ongoing talks in Vienna that could Afl oating base for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces off Then came the explosion on the MV Saviz. mean billions of dollars in American sanctions relief. They also have the coast of Yemen has escalated a yearslong shadow war in Mideast While the previous attacks on shipping targeted only commercial ves- faced two mysterious attacks later blamed on Israel last year without a waters. The development comes just as world powers are negotiating sels and caused cosmetic damage above the waves, Tuesday’s blast ap- major response — the explosion at an advanced centrifuge plant at its over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal. parently blew through the hull of the Saviz below its waterline. While Natanz nuclear facility and the killing of a scientist who began the coun- The assault on the MV Saviz last Tuesday appears to have caused still fl oating off the Dahlak archipelago, a chain of islands off the coast try’s military nuclear program decades earlier. the most-extensive damage yet in this shadow war, seemingly between of the African nation of Eritrea, it appears the damage to the vessel was Israel, whose offi cials and Mossad intelligence service rarely publicly Iran and Israel — and one that could further escalate regional tensions. severe. acknowledge such attacks, have followed the same playbook when it Attacks and counterattacks between the two nations could spin out of Salt water from the Red Sea fl ooded through the vessel’s engine room, comes to the recent attacks on Iran. However, Netanyahu has for years control. according to images released last Thursday by the website Nournews, described Iran as an existential threat to his nation due to its support for Since at least 2019, there have been a series of mysterious attacks on which is believed to be close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Coun- militant groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas, vessels, typically with limpet mines attached by a special forces diver to cil. The photos bore timestamps from last Wednesday afternoon and and has hinted that his country will act if necessary against it. a ship’s hull. The attacks came at a time of mounting tensions between showed the ship’s registration number from the International Maritime Netanyahu, premier of a state with its own secret nuclear weapons Iran and the United States over then-President Donald Trump’s decision Organization, a United Nations agency regulating vessels at sea. program, long has accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons. Iran has to unilaterally pull out of the atomic accord. A satellite image shot last Wednesday by Planet Labs Inc. later ana- maintained its nuclear program is peaceful. Netanyahu has also kept up The US Navy blamed a series of blasts in June 2019 in the Gulf of lyzed by The Associated Press appears to show an oil leak trailing be- his criticism of Iran’s nuclear deal, which if followed strictly limits Teh- Oman off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Iran. Video after hind the vessel. ran’s ability to enrich and stockpile uranium, blocking it from being able one blast showed Revolutionary Guard troops removing an unexploded While Iranian authorities described the damage done to the ship as to make a weapon. limpet mine from one targeted ship, something never fully explained by minor, fl ooding in the Saviz’s engine room would affect its ability to “History has taught us that deals like this, with extremist regimes like Tehran. power its propellers and move, as well as generate electricity for the this, are worth nothing,” Netanyahu said Wednesday at a Holocaust re- Who planted the fi rst explosive in this confl ict remains unclear. Ira- ship. If Iran is unable to pump the water out and fi x the damage at sea, membrance ceremony. “An agreement with Iran that will pave the way nian vessels similarly have suffered mysterious incidents at sea, with another vessel likely will need to come to aid it and perhaps even tow it for nuclear weapons — weapons that threaten us with destruction — we the fi rst public case involving an Iranian oil tanker in May 2019. As back to port for repairs. will not be obligated to such an agreement in any way. We have only time went on, Iran began acknowledging attacks on its own vessels, as Losing the Saviz would be a blow to Iran’s efforts to project power one obligation: to prevent anyone who seeks to destroy us from carrying recently as an explosion onboard a cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea into the Red Sea and the ongoing war in Yemen. Saudi military briefi ng out his plot.” in March. There’s yet to be a clear accounting of all the ships struck. papers earlier obtained by the AP show the kingdom believes the ship That suggests the shadowy war at sea will continue. And while it In recent weeks, Israel also publicly entered the confl ict. An Israeli- conducts both visual and electronic surveillance. Analysts at the Wash- hasn’t seen any reported deaths, a string of attacks in the 1980s on oil owned car carrier suffered an apparent limpet mine blast in February. ington Institute for Near-East Policy describe the vessel as an “Iranian tankers in the Persian Gulf did lead once to a one-day naval battle be- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for the attack at mothership” and a fl oating armory. tween Iran and the US Any further incidents risk a further escalation as the time, saying: “Iran is the greatest enemy of Israel, I am determined to Iranian offi cials, however, so far have been trying to downplay the diplomats negotiate. (AP)

These photos released by Nournews show the fl ooded engine room of the Iranian ship MV Saviz after being attacked in Red Sea off Yemen. (AP)

editor’s choice ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 3

Weather Expected weather for the next By Night: Fair with light to mod- Abdaly 38 20 Prayer Timings 24 hours: erate freshening at times north Jahra 33 22 By Day: Rather hot and partly westerly wind with speeds of 12-42 Failaka Island - - Fajr ...... 04:00 Asr ...... 15:23 cloudy with light to moderate fresh- km/h and some scattered clouds Salmiyah 27 22 Sunrise .. 05:22 Maghrib .. 18:14 will appear. Zohr ...... 11:48 Isha ...... 19:34 ening at times north westerly wind Ahmadi 31 23 to northerly wind with speed of 15- Station Max Exp Min Rec Nuwaisib 33 20 45 km/h causing rising dust with a Kuwait City 30 23 Wafra 33 20 chance for scattered light rain. Kuwait Airport 33 22 Salmy 35 18

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YIACO Medical soars 40 fi ls, Humansoft Holding dips Kuwait stock market ekes feeble gains in volatile session By John Mathews wether National Bank of Kuwait rose our stood pat at 265 fi ls. Bank paused at 625 fi ls. Arab Times Staff 3 fils to 826 fils on back of 2.9 million The market opened fi rm and edged higher Warba Bank fell 2 fils to 247 fils ▼ UUS$/KDS$/KD 0.30140/500.30140/50 shares while Kuwait Finance House ral- in early trade. The main index fl ipped and whereas Ahli United Bank BSC inched 1 KUWAIT CITY, April 14: Kuwait stocks lied 5 fils after pushing 9.2 million shares fell sharply to plumb the day’s lowest level fil higher on back of 14.7 million shares. ▼ Euro/KD 0.3604 logged feeble gains on Wednesday stem- and has retreated 49 fils month-to-date. of 5924 points before bouncing back into Al Ahli Bank ticked 1 fil down to 201 fils ming the two-day decline. The All Shares ■ Yen/KD 0.0027 Index rose 8.93 points in a volatile session Mabanee Co gave up 3 fils to close at 718 green turf. It continued to vacillate in a whereas Ahli United Bank Kuwait dialed fils whereas YIACO Medical soared 40 broad range and revved up in the fi nal min- up 1 fil. to 5,941.56 pts helped by fresh buying in ■ British £/KD 0.4151 some of the heavyweights even as the over- fils. utes to close small gains. KIPCO edged 1 fi l higher to 162 fi ls all mood remained fi ckle. Zain eased 1 fi l to 603 fi ls with a volume Sprinted and National Investment Co held ground ■ Indian Rs/KD 0.0040 of 2.9 million and Ooredoo scaled 6 fi ls at 178 fi ls. Al Imtiaz Investment clipped 2 The Premier Market climbed 19 points Top gainer of the day, National Shooting 6,516.62 pts taking the month’s gains to to settle at 648 fi ls. stc inched 1 fi l higher fi ls whereas International Financial Advi- ■ Philippines Peso/KD 0.0062 to 899 fi ls whereas logistics major Agility Range sprinted 10 percent to 37.4 fi ls and sors gave up 4 fi ls. Kuwait International Co 192 points while Main Market shed 14.33 YIACO Medical climbed 8.7 pct to stand pts. The BK Main 50 was down 18.68 pts sprinted 6 fi ls on back of 2.6 million shares added 1 fi ls on back of 2.6 million shares ▲ KSE taking the month’s gains to 32 fi ls. Human- next. International Investors skidded 10.39 and Arzan Financial Group closed 2 fi ls in +8.93 pts at closing, April 14 at 4,973.24 points. The volume turnover percent, the steepest decliner of the day and meanwhile dipped below the 200 million soft Holding slid 29 fi ls to KD 3.859 and red with brisk trading. ALOLA topped the volume with over 15 ▲ FTSE +4.87 pts at closing April 14 mark for the fi rst time during the month. Mezzan Holding tripped 1 fi l. Noor Finan- Erased Over 182 million shares changed hands – cial Investment gained 10 fi ls. million shares. down 19 percent from the day before. Despite the day’s uptick, the losers out- Kuwait Financial Centre ( Markaz) crept ▼ Nikkei Shares numbered the winners. 51 stocks advanced 0.2 fi ls up to 87.9 fi ls whereas First In- -130.62 pts at closing April 14 Discretionary National Industries Group rose 3 fi ls on whereas 60 closed lower. Of the 132 coun- vestment dialed down 2 fi ls. KMEFIC and The sectors closed mixed. Technology back of 6.3 million shares whereas Gulf ters active on Wednesday, 21 closed fl at. KAMCO eased 1 fi l each while Gulf Invest- ■ Gold 1728.10 per oz (London) outpaced the rest with 1.51 percent gain Cable was down 7 fi ls at 832 fi ls. Boubyan 9003 deals worth KD 33.7 million were ment House shed 8 fi ls. KFIC took in 2 fi ls whereas Consumer Discretionary shed 1.50 Petrochemical Co slipped 5 fi ls to 895 fi ls transacted during the session. and Tamdeen Investment erased 2 fi ls. ▲ NYMEX crude $61.03 per barrel percent, the biggest loser of the day. Vol- and Al Qurain Petrochemical Co dialed up In the banking sector, Gulf Bank and The market has been mixed so far dur- ume wise, Financial Services topped with 2 fi ls. Jazeera Airways continued to skid Burgan Bank took in 1 fi l each to close at ing the week, adding 19 points in last three ▲ Brent crude $64.48 per barrel 75.7 million shares while Banking was for the second straight session losing 34 fi ls 216 fi ls and 221 fi ls respectively whereas sessions. It has rallied 169 points from ahead in value with KD 14.6 million. while ALAFCO ticked 1 fi l into red. Inte- Kuwait International Bank trimmed 1 fi l af- start of the month and is up 272 points LIBOR rate 0.18575% Among the day’s movers, sector bell- grated Holding took in 2 fi ls whereas Azn- ter trading over 1 million shares. Boubyan year-to-date. ‘No promotional offers’ Curfew blamed for hike in food prices KUWAIT CITY, April 14: Kuwait markets the coming days. witnessed a hike in the prices of many food Meanwhile, an economics professor at items and consumer goods in light of the Kuwait University Mansour Al-Rashidi partial curfew imposed by the government said the wave of high prices witnessed dur- to confront the spread of the COVID-19 vi- ing the fi rst few days of the partial curfew rus, as well as the disappearance of promo- in Kuwait was expected. tional offers in cooperative societies and At the same time, he warned that the parallel markets, reports Al-Shahid daily. prices could rise dramatically during the According to an offi cial from the Un- coming period, especially during the initial ion of Consumer Cooperative Societies days of the month of Ramadan. (UCCS), there is an increase in the rate of Prof. Al-Rashidi noted that the govern- commodity purchase, which has led to an ment is responsible for the high prices due increase in the prices of some items. Some to the random decisions and the confusion fear the effect of the partial curfew on the that prevails in the public arena in the re- supply of goods due to which they choose cent period. to buy more than what is required in order He indicated that the decision to close to store them. supermarkets and shops during the curfew The losses have affected various eco- hours and not grant permits would contrib- The cannon in the Nayef Palace is fi red to announce the breaking of fast. nomic activities. ute to an increase in congestion in these A recent report issued by the Restau- shopping outlets in addition to a new wave COVID keeps away ‘cannon’ visitors rants and Cafes Association revealed the of high prices. complete closure of more than 40 percent A Kuwaiti citizen Ali Mubarak said he For the second year in a row, a hand-held of fasting visitors from the cannon site in dan competitions moved to the House of of restaurants in one year from February noticed a signifi cant rise in the prices of cannon was used at the Nayef Palace to Nayef Palace, a situation imposed by the Al-Othman Museum, reports Al-Seyassah 2020 to February 2021 due to the decisions many products by up to 50 percent. announce the Iftar time, amid the absence Covid-19 pandemic. This year the Rama- daily. and procedures implemented for closing He indicated that the curfew timings are this sector. very diffi cult as he returns from work at As per a document issued by the Public 4:00 pm and does not have enough time to Authority for Manpower (PAM) recently, buy home supplies. the total number of expatriates whose resi- Furthermore, the Ministry of Com- GTD working hard to control Ramadan traffi c dencies have expired due to their presence merce and Industry recently affi rmed that outside Kuwait in light of the precaution- all goods and products are available in all ary measures taken by the state to confront cooperative societies and other supermar- Shoppers on rise COVID-19, reached about 692,000 as of kets, and there is no need to worry, as the Fury over limiting ‘taraweeh’ time the end of February. The largest percent- strategic stock of basic commodities and age of them are Egyptians. products is suffi cient to last for more than KUWAIT CITY, April 14: Parliamen- reducing the time of prayer, it was sup- KUWAIT CITY, April 14: With the increas- Kuwait is experiencing one of its worst six months. tarians and citizens have expressed their posed to reduce the number of rak’ahs, ing traffi c congestion on the roads of Kuwait economic crises due to the effects of COV- It stressed that it will reconsider the de- anger at the decision to limit Taraweeh provided rak’ahs are to be prayed in especially in areas that witness a signifi cant ID-19 and the decline in the price of oil, cision to stop granting permits to citizens prayers to 15 minutes, reports Al-Seyas- tranquility since Taraweeh prayer is per- which is the main source of more than 90 and residents to go to cooperative societies sah daily. missible even with three rak’ahs but to turnout of the members of the public to ob- percent of government revenues. and other supermarkets during the curfew MP Fayez Al-Jamhour said it is unac- keep the same number and reduce the tain items for Ramadan, and increased con- The Cabinet had decided to impose period. ceptable by law, reason and logic to limit time is illogical since it involves read- gestions on the streets that reach in some a partial curfew in all parts of the coun- In this regard, an informed source indi- 11 rak’ahs to 15 minutes. This is a clear ing, kneeling and prostration and this is locations to the point of stalemate, the Gen- try, from March 7 to April 8. During the cated that the ministry may issue a decision case of tampering with the Taraweeh absurd. partial curfew, Kuwait witnessed severe to allow these shopping outlets to operate prayers. He interacted with a comment made eral Traffi c Department is working hard to congestion on all the streets and roads, during the curfew period until 10:00pm. Former MP Khaled Al-Sultan com- by MP Saleh Dhiab Al-Mutairi, saying, facilitate smooth traffi c fl ow in areas that especially during peak hours when peo- In addition, an economy expert Hajjaj mented by saying it clearly “shows the “I agree with you. We have contacted witness congestion, reports Al-Rai daily. ple were returning home from work in the Boukhdhour said, “Kuwait has returned one who made the decision has decided the Minister of Awqaf and awaiting a The Traffi c Control Room monitors and follows up evening. The government decided not to to square one because of the curfew de- what to pray.” response.” take legal measures against the violators. cision that was imposed, which will last the traffi c movement, and works on directing traffi c pa- The source from UCCS affi rmed that all for a month. All countries in the region Citizen Ahmad Al-Nafees said this One of the tweeters asked the Minister trol teams to areas that witness congestion. The cameras necessary goods and products are avail- have abandoned the idea of curfew and means the duration of each rak’ah is a lit- of Awqaf and Health, saying “As long as monitor any traffi c violation and record it remotely in able, and the level of anxiety witnessed lockdown, as they caused many other tle over one minute, and he expects the health precautions and spacing are pre- image and video forms which are then referred to the among shoppers in the supermarkets is un- kinds of crises such as shortage of goods Cabinet to be overwhelmed with this de- sent in Taraweeh prayers, why should Traffi c Violations Room where citations are fi led against justifi ed, calling on citizens and residents and high prices. The government should cision. it be only 15 minutes, as the complexes the violator. not to buy excessively and store goods. provide all goods and services at reason- Activist Abdul-Rahman Al-Nassar require people to stay in them for only a Therefore the absence of a patrol or traffi c police is no He expressed hope that the curfew hours able prices”. said “If the ministry saw the necessity of quarter of an hour.” longer an opportunity for violations to happen unchecked, as will be reduced in the coming period so He indicated that the decision to tighten the violator’s traffi c violation will be recorded through traffi c that citizens and residents can go to super- precautionary measures and impose cur- control cameras. markets without jostling and having fear of fews will cause a wave of layoffs of em- Head of the Traffi c Public Relations and Awareness Depart- running out of stocks. ployees from their work and deteriorate ment, Major Abdullah Abu Hassan, briefed on the mechanism At the same time, he stressed that a calm the living conditions of many people in the of operations in the control room, especially these days during state is expected to return to the markets in country. the month of Ramadan. He explained that many of the roads and streets of the coun- try are experiencing traffi c congestion because many people are heading to shopping places and malls. This results in bot- tlenecks and high densities in some places. The control room in the General Traffi c Department is working in full swing, to be its supportive role, by directing the traffi c patrol teams to the sites of congestion in order to direct the traffi c movement in a smooth manner. Major Abu Hassan added, “One of the reasons for the crowding is the failure of motorists to stop properly at entranc- es and exits and at traffi c lights. Some of them block entrances, and roads and obstruct traffi c. Traffi c offi cers are doing their role effectively”. He appealed to motorists to cooperate in order to achieve smooth traffi c fl ow, stressing that the control room monitors intersections, especially during peak hours that witness heavy traffi c, as it works to change the time allocated in some traffi c signals and close some entrances so that vehicles run normally as much as possible. Interior Minister Sheikh Thamer Al-Ali and offi cials at the seizure of the contraband. He highlighted the complete ban of using bicycles or scoot- ers on the roads. Major Abu Hassan concluded his statement by calling upon Customs offi cers efforts lauded the public who exercise during the curfew hours to avoid walking in the middle of the road, as there are motorists who have permits Interior Minister Sheikh Thamer Al-Ali Director General of the General Admin- to drive during curfew hours, in order to avoid any accidents. has praised the efforts exerted by the istration of Customs, Counselor Jamal Meanwhile, for the second day in a row, the country wit- brave customs men who succeeded Al-Jalawi, the Deputy Director General nessed traffi c jams on the main roads as citizens and expatri- in foiling the attempts by fi ve men to of Customs Affairs, Suleiman Al-Fahd, ates fl ocked to cooperative societies and parallel markets to smuggle 3 million Captagon drug pills and a number of customs offi cials in- buy Ramadan supplies on the eve of the fi rst day of the month into the country, reports Al-Seyassah spected the place of the seizure and lis- of fasting, reports Al-Qabas daily. daily. tened to the detailed explanation given The heavy presence of security and traffi c patrols was ob- The Directorate General of Public Re- by the customs inspectors. served in the main circles and roads as they worked hard to lations and Security Media Department Earlier it was stated the cargo of po- regulate traffi c movement and the crowd of shoppers in Muba- of the Interior Ministry said in a state- tatoes came from Lebanon and the pills rakiya Market, as well as the wholesale markets in Shuwaikh, ment the Minister of the Interior and the were amalgamated with the pills. Al-Rai and others. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 LOCAL 4

KU Council approves book regulations ... book prices to reduce Wheel of appointments starts moving in institutions KUWAIT CITY, April 14: At a fl ow of work. Sources explained selection according to competence. duce the price of university books mandate for the permanent com- quantities for each book to compare time the leadership positions in a the appointment of offi cials in enti- Sources also unveiled a plan to for students on one hand and result mittee, under the chairmanship of with the actual need. He asserted that number of government agencies re- ties under the CSC require follow- study the possibility of implement- in savings in the budget allotted for the assistant vice president for the all these points contributed to reduc- main vacant, the wheel of appoint- ing: ministers should submit names ing an evaluation mechanism for purchasing books for the university library sector and the concerned ing the budget for purchasing books ments has started moving in institu- of candidates to the CSC for ap- offi cials in case their tenure is up library on the other hand, reports employees in various sectors as for the university library. tions which are not under the Civil proval and then the candidates must for renewal. Al-Qabas daily. members, to determine the prices He clarifi ed that the students will Service Commission (CSC); while pass the leadership tests. Once the ❑ ❑ ❑ Al-Dhafi ri affi rmed this is in of books and the required quan- also benefi t from setting a higher others renewed the tenure of some candidates pass the tests, their fi les response to the call for protect- tity before purchasing the books. ceiling for the amount allotted for offi cials particularly those who are forwarded to the Cabinet for ap- Book regulations OK’d: Deputy Di- ing public money; considering the He added the regulations stipulate books, considering they buy buys were appointed for just one four- proval of their appointment, sourc- rector for Academic Support Ser- budget for purchasing books for the a higher ceiling for the amount allot- books with 60 percent support from year term, reports Al-Qabas daily es added. vices Sector at Kuwait University university library decreased from ted for books, as well as to stop buy- the university; hence, if the price is quoting sources. Sources stressed that the mecha- Dr Muhammad Al-Dhafi ri said the KD 1.4 million last year to KD ing new editions of the books avail- low for the university, then it is also Sources pointed out that fi lling nism for selecting offi cials by re- University Council approved the 750,000 this year. able in stores, involving colleges in low for the students. He stressed vacancies is one of the govern- quiring them to pass certain tests is university book regulations in its He disclosed that the univer- the requests for books and control- that such savings will not affect the ment’s priorities to ensure smooth one of the necessary procedures for last meeting, indicating this will re- sity book regulations include a ling them, and reviewing the required supply of the required books. KOC seeking male diploma holders for technical posts

Interview procedures to start after April 29 deadline

KUWAIT CITY, April 14: According to informed sourc- es from the oil sector, the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has set April 29 as the dead- HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad. line for receiving applications from diploma holders for technical specialties intended for men only, as part of the re- cruitment process announced by the company during the month of February, reports Al-Anba daily. They said the advertisement calls for applicants of the disciplines of exploration and development en- KUNA photos gineering diploma, production me- From left: HH the Crown Prince with Speaker Al-Ghanim, and HH the PM Sheikh Sabah Khaled. chanics diploma, chemical industries diploma, petroleum engineering di- Audiences of HH the Crown Prince ploma (production and export), in- dustrial electronics, communications His Highness the Crown Prince on Wednesday National Assembly also received His Highness the and wireless and external networks Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim. Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled diploma, electronics and communi- Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace His Highness the Crown Prince Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. (KUNA) cations diploma, civil engineering diploma, mechanical power and ma- rine engineering diploma, and elec- trical machinery diploma. KUNA photos ‘Kuwait has 464 registered domestics hiring offi ces’ National Assembly Speaker Al-Ghanim. Tests KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The Public the Domestic Workers Regulation Depart- labor recruitment offi ces is 1,533 workers, Authority for Manpower (PAM) an- ment, reports Al-Seyassah daily. while the total number of complaints/re- The sources indicated that the inter- Audiences of HH the Amir nounced the total number of registered PAM stated the money collected from quests that have been registered with the view procedures will start immediately after the deadline ends this month, re- domestic workers hiring offi ces is 464, ac- employers was 14,835 dinars, and the total concerned authority is 362 or which 151 vealing that the applicants who fulfi ll His Highness the Amir Sheikh the Amir also received Parlia- cording to the statistics issued in March by number of workers registered at domestic were resolved amicably. Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- ment Speaker Marzouq Ali Al- the conditions will be subjected to all Sabah received on Wednesday at Ghanim. the required tests and must pass the Bayan Palace His Highness the His Highness the Amir received English language test, which will de- Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al- as well His Highness the Prime termine whether to continue through Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al- the vetting process. At Bayan Palace, His Highness Hamad Al-Sabah. (KUNA) They affi rmed that KOC plans to receive thousands of applicants, as the criteria for employment, in the event Talks held from hotel room that the results of the candidates are equal, according to the instructions of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) will be as follows - the applicant needs Spain’s FM suspends Kuwait visit to attain 90 percent and above for the qualifi cation, he should be the oldest in after team member tests positive obtaining the qualifi cation, and mar- ried applicants will be preferred over KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The Span- unmarried ones. ish ambassador to Kuwait, Miguel The daily had earlier published that Moro Aguilar said the visit of the Span- French envoy sends the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation de- ish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Euro- cided to extend the recruitment process pean Union and Cooperation, Arancha Ramadan greetings for diploma graduates from the Public Gonzalez Laya, was cancelled after a Authority for Applied Education until member of the delegation tested posi- KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The April in order to give an opportunity tive when the delegation arrived at the French Ambassador to Kuwait to new graduates to apply for the job. Kuwait International Airport, reports Anne-Claire Legendre, on her be- ❑ ❑ ❑ Al-Seyassah daily. half and on behalf of the French The ambassador said in a statement people, con- Installation of lights: Minister of the minister held a number of talks that gratulated State for Municipality, Housing and were on the agenda from his hotel room. the Kuwaiti leadership, Urban Development Affairs Shaya Al- He pointed out the minister held talks Shaya explained that the installation government with her counterpart, Kuwaiti Foreign and peo- of lights along a road in Sabah Al-Ah- Minister Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al- mad Marine City is not the project of ple for the Muhammad, as well as with the Prime month of the Public Authority for Housing Wel- Minister and Chairman of the Kuwait fare (PAHW), reports Al-Rai daily. Ramadan, Investment Authority, where they dis- reports Al- In response to the query of MP cussed ways to strengthen bilateral rela- Hamad Al-Matar, Al-Shaya stated that Rai daily. tions between the two sides. In a video the lighting of Road Number 285 in The two sides also discussed the re- the aforementioned city does not fall Legendre clip, the within the responsibilities of PAHW. gional situations, exchanged visions, French am- and agreed to adopt a peaceful solution bassador said, “Ramadan is a to the differences in the Middle East month of refl ection, ethics, help and the Gulf region. and solidarity among people, and Umm Talal will not Moro Aguilar revealed the Kuwaiti it has a fundamental value in our Foreign Minister will visit Madrid lives”. be seen on screen whenever circumstances permit, with- She affi rmed that this is the fi rst out setting a date for the visit, in order to Ramadan that she is spending in during ‘Ramadan’ sign two memoranda of understanding Kuwait, and that she heard about (MoUs) regarding political consulta- KUWAIT CITY, April 14: Well- the ancient Kuwaiti customs of tions and cooperation between the dip- hospitality and gatherings in the di- known and most loved artiste Suad lomatic institutes of both countries and Abdullah will not be seen on the screen waniyas during this month, but the an appendix of an agreement in consu- circumstances of the COVID-19 during this Ramadan, reports Al-Anba lar affairs, and that the signing will take daily. pandemic this year necessitate place in the capital Madrid during the social distancing.The ambassador The absence of the ‘Cinderella of upcoming visit of the Kuwaiti Foreign the Gulf Screen’ is attributed to the wished safety for all during the Minister. month of Ramadan. current situation the country and the Moro Aguilar also indicated that world are passing through – the Cov- the Spanish Foreign Minister brought id-19 pandemic. with her three messages to strengthen to the Amir HH Sheikh Nawaf Al- This is in addition to her lack of con- relations between the two countries, viction of the dramatic works that have Ahmad and the Crown Prince, Sheikh but these letters could not be delivered Meshaal Al-Ahmad, and the third let- been presented to her. Suad Abdullah after one of the delegation members in the past has appeared in distinctive tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. ter was from the Spanish Prime Min- works which dealt with social and hu- Two of the letters were addressed ister to his counterpart Sheikh Sabah manitarian issues, the latest of which by the King of Spain, King Philip VI Al-Khaled. was the series ‘Hali Paradise’, which was presented last Ramadan. ‘Umm Talal’ prefers to ‘sit at home’ if she fi nds the character she plays is Delay in projects blamed on pandemic not suitable and would return to the screen at the right time. By Muhammad Ghanem contain the new Corona virus pan- Al-Seyassah Staff demic. These measures prevented

KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The some experts and technicians from Minister of Electricity, Water and entering the country to supervise Renewable Energy, Minister of technical works and add to this Social Affairs, Labor and Com- the diffi culty faced by workers and munity Development, Dr. Mishaan materials which take a lot of time Al-Otaibi, in his response to a par- to arrive at the work sites during liamentary question by MP Dr. the curfew or total ban periods. Muhammad Al-Huwaila, said the The reason for the delay in one obstacles facing the projects in- of the projects is the failure to take cluded in the development plan a fi nal decision to award the tender can be summarized in the impli- to the concerned party by the Cen- Suad Abdullah cations of the measures taken to tral Tenders. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 LOCAL 5 REMEMBER WHEN

Local Architecture

An aerial view of Dasman Palace, was always built around a courtyard home of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber, the where a brackish water well or a fresh- Photograph courtesy ruler of Kuwait from 1921 till 1950 water cistern stood. In daytime, there as it looked then. It has since gone would be plenty of sunshine through- of The Center for Re- through tremendous changes and mod- out the house. Invariably, a few stairs search and Studies on ernization to suit the present ruler of led to the roof, a much preferred place Kuwait who inherited this palace from for sleeping during hot summer nights. Kuwait and the work his father. Note the east end of the city Close to the house stood the diwaniya, of Dr Yacoub Al- wall in the background. or men’s meeting place, with its pri- The architecture in old Kuwait is char- vate entrance and coffee-hearth in the Hijji in the book Old- acterized by its success in “transforming center. It was there that the men of the Kuwait: Memories the local values and way of life into ar- house would entertain their guests. chitectural terms,” as stated by a contem- In nearby villages, however, houses in Photographs fi rst porary architect of Kuwait. The Kuwaiti were less sophisticated and blended published in 1996. master builder, known locally as ustad, beautifully with the surrounding en- drew no plans on papers; he fi gured the vironment. Some were fi shermen’s proportions and made the plan in his homes; others, such as the romantic mind. His success, however, in using tra- kubar, were retreats that belonged to ditional techniques with locally available city dwellers. They resided there in the materials such as mud, gypsum, coral spring when the desert bloomed after and mangrove poles, is all too evident. the winter rains. (From the book ‘Old A house or a mosque in old Kuwait Kuwait: Memories in Photographs’) Courtesy of The Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait © K.O.C. diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION Does love of control over money, infl uence feed the aggravation? “MONEY and economy are the two main locomotives of politics. You will disagreement. factories, warehouses, tourist villages and recreational centers, and resolving not fi nd a political issue or crisis unless you look for those behind it and the “In recent years, the competition between the infl uential people in failing and housing problems far from the state’s guarantee of providing that care, or the economic motives. Most wars from the dawn of history to the present day have disrupting most government projects has not stopped, for example disrupting so-called land and loan system that ends with young people tied up with loans been primarily due to economic expansionary causes, and the colonialists in the partnership project with the Dhow Chemical Company, obliging the state to due to the exaggeration in construction and the increase in electricity consump- previous centuries did not move except out of a thirst for the riches of the East pay a fi ne of two and a half billion dinars, emptying the Touristic Enterprises tion and water subsidized from public funds. and the satisfaction of their desires for money and trade,” columnist Oweid Al- Company of its contents and refusing to modernize and destroy Kuwait Air- “Finally, the state needs to transform government institutions, companies Salili wrote for Al-Shahed daily. ways on behalf of other competing companies. and other bodies from being dependent on public money to being a tributary to “If we look closely at our internal situation and our political problems from “Doubts and accusation of betrayal revolve around the Bubiyan Port and the it through the transformation to profi tability, which is the gateway to privatiza- independence until today, we will fi nd that the love of Silk City projects and many other important state projects to explain to us the tion. control over money and wealth was behind these prob- extent of the impact of that confl ict in disrupting economically feasible projects “It is diffi cult to impose income taxes on individuals with the presence of lems to varying degrees. that benefi t the homeland and the citizen. “The repetitive government-parliamentary confl ict “He who has money and his heart is full of greed always seeks to advance his corruption and poor government services.” that has lasted for decades is considered by some as a own interests at the expense of the interests of the state.” ❑ ❑ ❑ purely political disagreement over the way to run the Also: “Is the world’s appreciation of eastern civilizations absent? Are models of country, without knowing that there are economic mo- administrative success absent in the East? Why does it look like it was struck tives and infl uential parties hungry for money that is “While we are busy, like the people of Byzantium, with controversy instead by historical lesions? Is it true that countries in the Middle East do not know to driving that confl ict. of work, the general budget defi cit grows with every passing day as is our cus- reform and change?” columnist Dr Nada Al-Mutawwa wrote for Al-Jarida tom in dealing with all the disasters that have gone through during which we “There are many examples of this, so there is no gov- daily. ernment project that appears on the scene until we see ignored them hoping that they would disappear by time and not by action. The competition between the infl uential people to acquire it, days proved the fatal error of that approach,” columnist Sami Al-Nisf wrote for “It is not a secret to anyone that the civilization of the East was the product and if one of those infl uential people loses that tender, Annahar daily. of the oldest national societies in history, for example, Egypt, China, Japan, he moves the media that he owns to infl uence the street, Oweid Al-Salili “There is a fi nancial defi cit in the general budget that grows and it does not Vietnam and others, from which ancient religions arose as well as the unifi ed taking advantage of the deputies who are affi liated with them or the deputies help to ignore or wait for the sky over Kuwait to rain gold and silver, or to religious and national philosophies and ideologies. Therefore, the success sto- who are deceived and who are affected by the trends of the street without know- dream of a permanent rise in oil prices that takes care of its solution, and we are ries of its development and rise are worth reading and learning. ing that they follow the plans of others. busy with our disputes and do nothing, and also the international agencies warn “Will that day come for the Gulf countries to achieve administrative miracles “If we go back to local history a little, we will know how greed was and still against reconsidering our fi nancial classifi cation, and the fact that it is linked to and investment attractiveness of eastern and western countries with their his- is the real motive of those differences and their leader in many plots. In the the political blockage between the authorities, the fi scal defi cit must be given torical legacy in their educational institutions? 1960s and 1970s, the main goal of the alliance of merchants with political cur- priority over other matters not related to the life of the citizen. “Why not? In the past, the Gulf achieved success and acquired the largest rents with different orientations and ideologies was protecting and strengthen- “The state must also start with what is called de-regulation, meaning the share in refi ning the commercial skills of the people in the region. This is in ing their wealth and supporting their projects, and demanding privatization of abolition of destructive bureaucratic restrictions in Kuwait that impede invest- addition to the distinguished management of commercial ports such as Bahrain, the state facilities to control them so that they have the fi rst word in controlling ment and restrict the operation of the private sector. In this context, modern Basra, Kuwait and Oman, before the emergence of oil. These are success sto- state affairs. administrative systems can be imported from sister Gulf countries to replace ries that combined innovation with good management and a sound and fruitful “During the eighties and nineties, one of the most prominent images of the the outdated socialist systems that we brought from Arab countries that got rid investment in human resources. So, are we ready to reproduce such success parliamentary government confl ict, despite the diffi cult regional security situ- of them later. stories?” ation surrounding the country, revolved around the climate crisis and the dif- “Consideration should also be given to dropping the restrictions that restrict fi cult debt issue, which is a confl ict based on commercial and apparent political the state’s granting of its public lands to developers and investors to establish — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli

Ban on bringing Filipino workers Other Voices to Kuwait lifted ‘No more egg shortage’ By Faris Al-Abdan Al-Seyassah Staff ‘Abundant foodstuff for Ramadan’ Why Shafi qa Al-Awadi? KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The Head of the Federation By Ahmad alsarraf age it. of Domestic Labor Offi ces, PADA is concerned about the condi- Khaled Al-Dakhnan, has an- KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The Ministry of special funds for direct importation of eggs, uwait is considered the most distin- tions of more than 50,000 disabled people nounced a ban on bringing Social Affairs and Community Development, reports Al-Qabas daily. Kguished in the world at the level of and because of the extraordinary generos- Filipino workers to Kuwait represented by the Cooperative Societies Sec- Assistant Undersecretary for Cooperative Affairs fi nancial support provided to a person ity it pays in terms of benefi ts, salaries and has been lifted, after months with a disability. The unreasonable gen- free materials prompted a large number tor, has solved the egg shortage in the local Salem Al-Rashidi confirmed the ministry quickly took erosity of support has led many, among of meetings and negotiations action after receiving reports about the shortage of eggs of people to tamper with their requests, between the federation and market by providing abundant supply of eggs them pious to cheat, involve in trans- in cooperative societies as it instructed the Cooperative gression and forgery in order to feign especially in the early years of the estab- the competent authorities. in the sales outlets of cooperative societies in lishment of the authority with the help Al-Dakhnan told Al- Supervision Department to facilitate procedures for the as one of them view of the increase in demand before holy or their children of well-known doctors falsely acquired Seyassah daily it is assumed cooperatives to allocate funds for direct importation of incorrect disability certifi cates, causing that the recruitment of Fili- month of Ramadan and this was achieved af- eggs. as disabled per- son to obtain all loss of millions of dinars and thousands of pino workers will start from ter the cooperatives were allowed to allocate He pointed out the shortage of eggs was just a minor crisis cases were fi led against those who unlaw- next week and Filipino em- as large quantities of eggs or some of the privileges. fully received the benefi ts. bassy begins to process the were immediately distribut- Privileges and salaries were also a workers’ contracts. ed to the vegetable markets People with Al-Dakhnan feels the re- and cooperatives. severe disabili- strong motivation for some to pay large cruitment of Filipino workers He stressed that the coop- ties, who rep- sums to obtain Kuwaiti citizenship, and will ease the domestic worker erative societies in various resent almost they are confi dent that what will be paid crisis slightly, and pointed out, parts of the country have 50,000, deserve will be recovered within a few years “We are still waiting for the fully prepared for Ramadan the following from the PADA, let alone money and signing of the Memorandum to ensure abundant supply of benefi ts and less alsarraf grants provided by other institutions. of Understanding (MoU) with food products and consumer for other dis- Fighting these claimants and others Ethiopia, which will solve goods. abilities: has created countless enemies for the the problem of the 70 percent A priority in residential care; full paid Authority especially after their fi les shortage of domestic work- Crowd leave for the disabled pregnant person; were transferred to the Prosecution. ers.” He added the crowd of fewer working hours for the disabled However some of them were acquit- He pointed out all domes- shoppers in some central and those entrusted to care for them ted because the charges fell within the tic workers’ offi ces must ad- markets, cooperative and early retirement for the caregiver; a unethical, but practically non-criminal, here to the 890 Kuwaiti di- branches, parallel markets wheelchair, earphone, or vision device, ways to obtain the money. nars price set by the Ministry and wholesale markets is as needed; a disabled person and his The same applies to prolonging the of Commerce and Industry. normal before Ramadan. companion are entitled to paid leave, if work of government committees to ob- In an unrelated develop- “We assure citizens and he/she is sick; the father of a disabled tain allowances or going on unneces- ment , Educational Technol- expatriates that the supply person is entitled to a disability al- sary offi cial missions, or what is similar ogy Professor and member The Undersecretary of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Hashim Al-Rifai, of Ramadan commodities to adverts in the social media for bad honored Sgt Fahd Saleh Al-Fahd of the National Guard affi liated to the Chemical lowance which is added to his salary; of the teaching staff in the and other items in coopera- a housing grant of 10,000 ; a monthly products and services in exchange for Curriculum Department at Defense and Radiation Monitoring Center, for his patriotic and humanitarian duty, re- tive societies is abundant ports Al-Seyassah daily. General Al-Rifai said this comes in recognition of values and salary of 300 dinars for the person as- money. the College of Education in -- more than enough to signed to take care of a disabled person; In the same context, a report issued Kuwait University Dr Walid principles that the National Guard has walked since the start of its formation in caring meet the needs of every- for the societal and humanitarian aspect, in addition to its security and military role. a monthly salary of 150 dinars for a dis- some time ago showed that there was Al-Enezi affi rmed that the one,” he concluded. abled driver and a monthly salary of 594 a signifi cant increase in the rate of the book exchange campaign of Meanwhile a few days disabled persons in the Jahra and Ah- the college, which was or- earlier, the main sales outlets dinars for a disabled person. ganized in cooperation with – the cooperative societies The Public Authority for Disabled Af- madi governorates, compared to the rest the Offi ce of the Dean for MoH hikes Covid vaccination pace and supermarkets -- suffered fairs (PADA) also has other broad pow- of the governorates and the difference ers, including issuing school licenses and was double the number of people with Student Affairs, covers the KUWAIT CITY, April 14: Spokesman of been vaccinated. from a shortage of Kuwaiti needs of 2,000 out of 7,000 and imported eggs. other things that drool over manipulators, disabilities. students in the college, re- the Ministry of Health, Dr. Abdullah He went on to say the campaign by the A survey conducted by and some deputies rush to obtain them for Despite the seriousness of the phe- ports Al-Jarida daily. Al-Sanad announced the employees of all Ministry of Health to vaccinate workers in the Al-Seyassah daily themselves or their voters, even if force nomenon, no party paid much attention In a press statement, Al- 12 cooperative societies in the Hawalli the rest of cooperative societies, commer- showed there is widespread has to be used, and the incident of a quar- to the issue other than noting that the Enezi pointed out that con- Governorates have been vaccinated for cial activities and service providers in all scarcity and people run rel with that parliamentarian -- who is in residents of Al-Jahra Governorate are trols and regulations have Covid-19, including all employees working residential areas is ongoing, within the here and there just to buy a hurry to get rich -- with the director of the poorest as a sole justifi cation for been in place in the process for shops inside the cooperatives as well as framework of the Ministry’s keenness to eggs. the authority, Dr. Shafi qa Al-Awadi is still the presence of a higher percentage of of receiving books in order Kuwait’s mosques employees in all gover- expand the segment of the beneficiaries of The daily met shoppers at fresh in the memory. people with disabilities there than other to ensure that the college norates, reports Al-Rai daily. the vaccine in addition to accelerating the poultry shops, consumer Because of all these issues and oth- areas. applies the health regula- In a press statement, Dr. Al-Sanad said all pace of vaccination. cooperative societies and ers, almost all ministers who took over ❑ ❑ ❑ tions on the students; such employees of the Yarmouk, Khaldiya, The Ministry has launched mobile vacci- other distribution outlets, PADA sought to change something as wearing masks and gloves Adailiya, Fahaheel, Al-Raqqa, Jaber Al-Ali nation services by allocating two mobile and everyone complained about it, or to dismiss those who man- e-mail: [email protected] and social distancing. and Mangaf cooperative societies have also units in each health zone. about the shortage of eggs. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 LOCAL/GULF 6

‘Beyond Sugar’ aims to increase awareness about complications, management of T2DM AstraZeneca Kuwait launches diabetes awareness campaign KUWAIT CITY, April 14: To support residents Head of the Diabetes Unit at Mubarak Alka- Hospital and Vice President of Kuwait Nephrol- throughout the month of Ramadan and beyond beer Hospital and President of Kuwait Diabetes ogy Association, Dr. Anas Alyousif, the Head in managing their diabetes, AstraZeneca Kuwait Society, Dr. Waleed Al Dahi said: “Kuwait Dia- of the Kuwaiti Society of Endocrinology and today announced a new public awareness cam- betes Society is keen to support patient aware- Consultant Endocrinology and Diabetologist paign scheduled to kick off in the holy month, ness initiatives, and this year we’re pleased to at Jahra Hospital, Dr. Sameer Alshemari, and a titled ‘Beyond Sugar’. The campaign is in part- partner with AstraZeneca to launch the Beyond Consultant Diabetologist from Mouwasat Hos- nership with the Kuwait Diabetes Society, Ku- Sugar initiative to ensure safe fasting in the holy pital, Dr. Habib Steitieh. wait Nephrology Association, Kuwait Society month of Ramadan. Patient awareness and edu- ‘Beyond Sugar’ is a global project that will of Endocrinology, and the Kuwait Medical As- cation are paramount, and with this initiative, pilot in Kuwait before its implementation across sociation and aims to increase awareness about we hope to combat any misconceptions about the GCC. Starting in April, the public campaign the complications and management of Type 2 T2DM, including how the disease is not only will run for four weeks during the holy month Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). linked to high sugar levels but can also impact of Ramadan across the societies’ and AstraZen- Diabetes affects millions of people each year vital organs such as the heart and kidneys.” across the world and approximately 22% of Ku- Dr. Waleed Al Dahi Moustafa Abdelhady AstraZeneca’s awareness campaign will fea- eca’s GCC social media accounts and AstraZen- wait’s population. Kuwait ranks among the top ture a series of short videos that will increase eca’s patient application, HealthGate. ture. We hope to call considerable attention to 20 countries worldwide in the prevalence of dia- that non-communicable diseases like diabetes public awareness of how diabetes goes ‘Beyond AstraZeneca (AZ) is a British-Swedish mul- betes, and almost 50% of the country’s diabetic need to be controlled, particularly given the the gravity of the disease and how to overcome Sugar’, including explaining what T2D is and tinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology population remains undiagnosed. The campaign high rate of prevalence in Kuwait. One impor- the medical problems that come with it, and how T2D makes people vulnerable to unseen company specializing in medicines and pipe- aims to educate the public on T2DM to ensure tant way of doing this is through education, and we cannot do this without the right partners in and hidden complications of cardiovascular and lines for Diabetes, Cardiovascular, Renal, On- better health management and safe fasting in this is the aim of our ‘Beyond Sugar’ campaign. place. We’re very grateful to the Kuwait Dia- renal disease. The information in the videos are cology, Respiratory and Immunology therapy Ramadan, and empower patients to have a con- We hope to bring attention to the fact that con- betes Society, Kuwait Nephrology Association, presented by key healthcare professionals in areas. In Kuwait, the company works hand-in- versation with their doctors to ensure they are trolling blood sugar levels is not the only factor Kuwait Society of Endocrinology and Kuwait Kuwait including, the Head of the Diabetes Unit hand with the Ministry of Health to create a fully protected. in managing T2DM. It is also the persistence of Medical Association for their support and join- at Mubarak Alkabeer Hospital and President of supportive ecosystem that improves patient ex- AstraZeneca Kuwait Country Director, maintaining the goal of avoiding complications ing us on this important initiative to educate Kuwait Diabetes Society, Dr. Waleed Al Dahi, periences and outcomes, and collaborates with Moustafa Abdelhady, said: “There is no doubt secondary to T2DM in the near and distant fu- residents living with or without diabetes.” the Head of the Nephrology Unit at Al Amiri Kuwait’s Patients Helping Fund Society. Identifi cation fl ashes explain how to use e-services – PAM Authority continues to implement introductory fl ashes

KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The Public Authority for Manpower said the elec- tronic services launched by PAM for the labor market, through the automated sys- tem are ‘easier’ and came in response to the govern- ment’s work trend to auto- mate all procedures in light of the corona pandemic, re- ports Al-Seyassah daily. PAM spokesperson and Director of the Public Relations and Media Department, Aseel Al-Mazyad said the authority, since the launch of the new electronic services on January 12, 2021, to facilitate the A life-size portrait of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar being unveiled at the embassy. private sector business owners and companies, Kuwaiti and expatriate workers, wants to ensure they ben- Indian Embassy marks Ambedkar Jayanti efi t from these services. The au- The Embassy of India, Kuwait, or- the Preamble of the Constitution. thority, she said, has implemented ganized an event on April 14, to Ambassador also unveiled a life- a set of what she called identifi ca- celebrate the birth anniversary of size portrait of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar tion fl ashes to explain how to use Babasaheb Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the at the embassy premises. Floral these services. architect of the Constitution of Re- tributes were paid to the statue of Al-Mazyad added PAM is contin- public of India. the Father of Nation, Mahatma uing to implement the introductory Delivering the inaugural remarks, Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar by An aerial view of the project. fl ashes for the rest of the electronic Ambassador of India to Kuwait, HE the ambassador, offi cers and fam- Sibi George spoke about the pivotal ily members of the embassy and procedures gradually, and the de- role played by Dr. Ambedkar as the members of the Indian community One of the largest infrastructure, highway projects fi nitive fl ashes that were completed Chairman of the Drafting Commit- in Kuwait. have been published on the author- tee of the Constitution in produc- The event was well attended vir- ity’s social media and on the offi cial ing the Constitution which laid the tually by people from different walks website. framework for peaceful govern- of life in Kuwait. For more details 88 pct of work completed in vicinity of She explained these fl ashes are to ance, development and progress. about the event, please visit the introduce the services provided by Pledging to rededicate to the cause website and social media handles the Employment Affairs Sector (eas- of the nation, ambassador read out of the embassy. Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, says PART ier service and electronic forms ser- vice) and the National Labor Affairs Muhammad Ghanem in addition to 3 internal intersec- implemented for the fi rst time in Sector (Financial Benefi ts Disburse- Largest food drive of its kind in Arab world Al-Seyassah Staff tions. the region which has a capacity ment Department and Guidance and The work as a whole includes to hold 37,500 cubic meters of Employment Department), noting KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The that the authority’s website provides 4 donation channels announced Public Authority for Roads and the construction of 14 bridges water. -- 8 fl yovers, 6 at ground level, As for the micro-tunneling an inquiries service to the public for Land Transport (PART) said 88 and 4 tunnels in the vicinity of sewage lines have been built un- all its sectors when required. for ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign percent of the work has been Sheikh Jaber Hospital, in addi- derground. The sources pointed completed on the construction, DUBAI, UAE, April 14: The ‘100 tion to two pedestrian bridges out the project is receiving great Million Meals’ campaign has launched completion and maintenance and 11 bus stops. interest and close follow-up by Farwaniya Hospital four easy ways to facilitate donations of roads, bridges and other pro- The sources continued saying the departments of the Ministry participates in int’l from individuals, businesspeople and jects in the vicinity of Jaber Al- the work goes undisturbed 24/7 of Public Works, PART and all institutions from inside and outside the Ahmad Hospital and parts of the UAE. at all the implementation stages ministries and other concerned coding system ICD11 The ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign, Sixth Ring Road and King Fahd of the project through coopera- institutions, given the great im- the largest food drive of its kind in the Highway. KUWAIT CITY, April 14: The Director Arab world, aims to provide food par- tion and coordination between portance of this project and its of Farwaniya Hospital, Dr. Muhammad PART explained the project is all the parties working on the sensitive location between gov- cels to empower disadvantaged indi- Al-Rashidi, announced the hospital’s viduals and families across 20 coun- one of the largest infrastructure project that will reduce traffi c ernment buildings and residen- participation in the fi rst experiment at the and highway projects which will tries in the Middle East, Asia, and congestion during peak hours, tial areas. level of the Middle Eastern countries in Africa to prepare their own meals dur- reduce traffi c congestion since reduce traffi c accidents rates, and The Kuwaiti engineers also the international coding system “ICD11” ing the Holy Month of Ramadan.The bridges and tunnels have been achieve the high levels of safety play an important role in fol- in coordination with the National Center campaign’s target is to provide basic built based on previous traf- for Health Information and the Depart- food items, sufficient to prepare up to and security. lowing up the management of ment of Information Systems at the fi c studies, in addition to doing 100 million meals. The sources indicated the pro- the South Surrah project to en- Ministry of Health, reports Al-Seyassah Every AED1 donated will help pro- away with the traffi c signals at ject includes the basic services sure that it is on the right track daily. vide one meal for beneficiaries in tar- some intersections. such as the construction of huge with high quality work, as they He stressed on the importance of geted countries including Sudan, The sources told Al-Seyassah rainwater tanks, water collec- follow up the work of both the the system in writing the pathologi- Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Angola, cal diagnosis with more accuracy and daily the project consists of de- tion tank in front of Sheikh Jaber consultant and the contractor and Uganda and Egypt. A fl yer of the event. fl exibility as compared to the previous Companies and individuals can veloping the South Surrah region Hospital, to avoid the scenario of facilitate all obstacles with the system. donate as little as AED1 through the paign’s team on the toll-free no: in 3 main sectors on each of the fl ooding in case of heavy rains technical authorities in the inter- Al-Rashidi told the daily, the Far- website, SMS, bank transfer and call waniya Hospital is one of the larg- 8004999. Donations will help pur- Sixth Ring Road and King Fahd and storms which form the main est of the work, the project and centre. chase basicfoodstuffs to be delivered Bin Abdulaziz Road (Road 40), project services, which is being the state. est hospitals in Kuwait, and provides services to 1.2 million people and in- Website to those in need, empowering them to prepare their own meals during the cludes many specialties, and serves the Any individual, institution, compa- population from birth to the elderly, holy month of Ramadan. ny or businessman inside and outside The various donation channels pro- pointing out that the modern coding of the UAE can donate the value of experiment “ICD11” is a unique ex- vided by the ‘100 Million Meals’ cam- any number of meals through the paign allow charitable and humanitar- perience and is done for the fi rst time. website:www.100millionmeals.ae. He indicated that the “ICD11” for ian work during the Holy Month of diagnosis is the fi rst experience in the Text messages Ramadan to be directed to the com- munities most in need of support, aid Middle East that speaks in the language People and companies in the UAE of all doctors and allocates a language to whoprefer to text can send“Meal” via and relief, and to help them in meeting each doctor that enables him to commu- SMS to the specified numbers for Du a basic need, which is access to food. nicate information so that it is not lim- or Etisalat. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al ited to him alone, as a language that the SMS donations start from a mini- Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) doctor understands only, but rather the mum of 10 meals, at a value of AED10, is teaming up with the United Nations institution as a whole. For his part, the by sending the “Meal” in an SMS to World Food Programme, the Food doctor specializing in modern coding at the number 1034, leading up to a dona- Banking Regional Network and chari- Farwaniya Hospital, Dr. Abdul Ghafour tion of 500 meals at a cost of AED500 ty organizations in beneficiary coun- Al-Awadi said that the ICD11 system is by sending the word “Meal” in a text tries to ensure food parcels are deliv- a modern version of the ICD10 system, message on the number 1038. The rest ered to the doorsteps of impoverished which is the systems concerned with the of the numbers are listed on the cam- families. The Mohammed Bin Rashid fi nal diagnosis of the patient after his paign’s website. Al Maktoum Humanitarian & Charity discharge from the hospital, but the latter Establishment (MBRCH) will support had many observations. Bank transfer the campaign, alongside other local He added, one of the disadvantages Local and international contribu- and federal entities in the UAE. of the ICD10 coding system is that the tions can be made via bank transfer to Beneficiary countries to include diagnosis is one and the doctor can- the designated bank account through Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, not change it, so every doctor has the Dubai Islamic Bank, to the account Angola, Uganda and Egypt. freedom to write any important details number with IBAN no: AE080240 The ‘100 Million Meals’campaign related to the diagnosis and this was 001520977815201. is part of the UAE’s contribution to negatively refl ected in the collection of global efforts to combat world hunger data and information about the patient Call center and malnutrition, in line with the UN’s if there was a need for study or data Big monetary donations can be Sustainability Development Goals collection for any specifi c purpose. made by reaching out to the cam- (SDGs). ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 7

America

‘There is enough supply’ ‘Govt putting safety 1st in J&J jab pause’ WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign hit a snag when federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson shots. But the White House portrayed the action as important validation of his measured approach throughout the rollout. Biden declared Tuesday that even with a temporary loss of J&J ‘s one-shot vaccine, there is a huge supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, enough that “is basically 100% unquestionable, for every single, solitary American.” Perhaps more concerning than any worry about supply, however, is the potential blow to public confidence in all of the vaccines, as polls suggest potentially tens of millions of Americans are hesitant to get the shots that public health experts say are necessary for the nation to emerge from the pandemic. The pause actually should have the opposite effect, boosting confidence Fauci that the government is putting safety first, Biden and top health officials said at a White House briefing. The advisory by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - citing a need to investigate reports of rare but potentially dangerous blood clots - was “testi- mony to how seriously we take safety,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. In the opening months of his presidency, Biden has put President Joe Biden gives a coin to Logan Evans, son of late US Capitol Police officer William ‘Billy’ Evans, during a memorial service as Evans lies in honor in top priority on a robust response to the virus that has killed the Rotunda at the US Capitol, Tuesday, April 13, in Washington. (AP) 559,000 Americans, with a vaccine campaign in which nearly 50% of adults have received at least one shot. His actions have received generally strong reviews, and hesitancy toward taking the vaccine has gradually declined America as inoculations have increased. With three vaccines in use in the US and plenty of supply in the pipeline, Biden actu- ally has received some criticism for not sharing more vac- cines with other nations. The president said Tuesday’s Decision expected on charges for cop action proved the wisdom of his approach. “My message to the American people on the vaccine is, I told you all,” Biden told reporters after the announcement, adding that he “made sure we have 600 million doses” just Biden works to balance rights, justice from Pfizer and Moderna in the pipeline. Production WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): On President Donald Trump, where one tions, sweeping probes into police one end of Pennsylvania Avenue, he officer died and scores more were departments that examine whether sys- The Johnson & Johnson pause, which regulators say they mourned with the family of a fallen injured. temic deficiencies contribute to mis- hope to resolve within days, comes on the heels of produc- police officer. On the other, he pledged “Never has there been more strain conduct or enable it to persist, which tion issues at the Baltimore plant that produces the J&J to help end the epidemic of Black men … and responsibility been placed on were curtailed under the Trump vaccine. being killed by police. the shoulders of Capitol Police,” the administration. But the job is not yet The White House, which got only about 12 hours’ notice Over the course of a few hours president said. “And yet, you hear it, filled. that some sort of announcement was coming and did not Tuesday, President Joe Biden’s dif- you see it, you watch them, and you Although Biden announced Kristen have any advance warning about the substance of the FDA ficult balancing act on policing was watch them do their duty with pure Clarke, one of the nation’s foremost and CDC’s action, moved swiftly to minimize concerns put on vivid display. He is urgently courage and not complain.” civil rights lawyers, to lead the depart- about its impact. Aides recognized that they had to portray trying to navigate criminal justice Hours later, Biden was in the Oval ment’s civil rights division at the same the decision as ensuring the “gold standard” of safety, to and civil rights while the White Office with members of the time he announced Garland’s nomina- avoid feeding into vaccine hesitancy. NATO Secretary General Jens House nervously watches unrest in Congressional Black Congress to con- tion, she is not yet in her position. Her “I think it’s a very strong argument for safety actually,” Stoltenberg pauses before speaking Minnesota as the trial of the white vene a meeting that was meant to tout confirmation hearing is set for Fauci said. during a media conference at NATO police officer accused of killing the assistance that his jobs and infra- Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients added headquarters in Brussels, George Floyd winds down. structure plan would give to Black Committee. Wednesday, April 14. United States The test for Biden comes as the communities but was shadowed by the Clarke, who has garnered support that the pause by the agencies “should reassure the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken is public that they will be very diligent and conservative about nation is on edge awaiting the conclu- police shootings. from some of the nation’s largest law in Brussels on Wednesday for talks sion of the trial of Derek Chauvin, who enforcement organizations, dozens of how they approach the vaccines.” with European and NATO allies about Denounced They argued the pause proved the prudence of Biden’s prosecutors said killed Floyd, a Black police chiefs and the families of hate Afghanistan, Ukraine and other mat- man, last year by placing a knee on his Acknowledging it has been “a pain- ters. (AP) crime victims, is expected to tell mem- cautious approach to promises around vaccine supply and neck for about nine minutes. Tensions ful week,” Biden denounced the kill- bers of the Senate Judiciary Committee delivery, as well as his administration’s reluctance to make have only been heightened by the ing of Wright as “a God-awful shoot- that she would bring a “clear-eyed commitments to share excess vaccine with the world shooting death this week of another ing” and said that “We’re in the busi- pursuit of justice” to the position, if because of concerns about potential setbacks such as this. Black man in Minnesota, Daunte ness, all of us here today, of delivering she is confirmed. “They’re clearly trying to reassure people there will be Wright, who was killed after police real change” when it comes to policing The Senate has also yet to vote to supply, and it will be safe,” said former White House com- said a white officer accidentally communities of color. He promised he confirm Lisa Monaco as deputy attor- munications director Jennifer Palmieri. “You don’t want reached for her handgun instead of a could do “a lot” when it comes to ney general and Vanita Gupta, who this to have happened, but in terms of what are your tools taser. revamping how officers interact with previously ran the Justice Department’s when it does, they used their best ones - the president, the Biden has pledged to help combat African Americans during his time in civil rights division, to be associate most senior person who has credibility and the top experts racism in policing, helping African office. attorney general. - to do it.” Americans who supported him in large Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, said Administration officials have main- Due to supply issues, the J&J shot reflects just a small numbers last year in the wake of pro- after the meeting in a message to those tained a public silence but have kept share of doses being administered, though it had been one tests that swept the nation after Floyd’s hurt by the shootings that “we are tabs on the situation around of the most promising vaccines given its ease of administra- Sefcovic Elizabeth death and restarted a national conver- standing here on the grounds of the Minneapolis, which has had two nights tion and distribution. Zients said the US still expects to take sation about race. But he also has long White House because of them and for of unrest since the Wright killing. delivery of enough doses of the other two approved vac- projected himself as an ally of police, them.” There are fears of more after the ver- cines for every adult American to get their shots by the end including Tuesday, when he traveled “We feel their pain because many of dict in the Chauvin trial. Europe to the U.S. Capitol to pay respects to us have witnessed the same thing,” of May. Moderna and Pfizer this week are delivering 28 Also: million doses to the federal government - enough to exceed William Evans, a Capitol police offi- Beatty said, “the same discrimination, even the current 3 million shot-per-day pace. EU, UK to meet on trade rules: Euro- cer who was killed when a suspect we know there is systemic racism, we BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn.: Prose- Zients acknowledged that some states may have been pean Commission Vice-President Maros rammed him with his car outside the know that we need to do better with cutors expect to decide Wednesday caught off guard by Tuesday’s announcement but said that Sefcovic and the United Kingdom Brexit citadel of democracy. enforcing police reform, gun reform, whether to charge the white former reflected the speed with which officials moved to address minister David Frost will hold talks “I didn’t know Billy, but I knew we’re asking them to stand with us as police officer who fatally shot a Black Thursday in Brussels to discuss Northern Billy,” Biden said at a tearful memo- we stand with them.” man during a traffic stop in a the safety concerns. He added it was proof of Biden’s com- Ireland trade rules, the EU said on rial under the soaring rotunda. “I grew But so far, Biden’s Department of Minneapolis suburb, sparking nights mitment to “follow the science” in responding to the pan- Wednesday. up with Billys in Claymont and Justice has been unable to do much. of protests and raising tensions amid demic. The meeting will take place a month after Scranton, Pennsylvania. Billy was Attorney General Merrick Garland the nearby murder trial of the ex-offi- “We want the science agencies to lead with science,” the EU started legal action against the always the kid that you know if you has signaled that civil rights would be cer charged with killing George Zients said, saying no one at the White House was involved United Kingdom, arguing the former mem- got in a fight and you’re outnumbered a top priority and that he was commit- Floyd. in the decision to call for the pause. “There’s no reason for ber did not respect the conditions of the three to one, he’d still jump in, know- ted to combating racial discrimination Brooklyn Center police officer Kim us to be involved in any of the scientific decisions, we bring Brexit withdrawal agreement and violated ing you’d both get beaten.” in policing. During his confirmation Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon nothing to the table.” international law. Two of Evans’ children clutched hearing, he told lawmakers that resigned Tuesday, two days after The agencies said Tuesday they were investigating EU Commission spokesman Daniel stuffed animals as the gazed at their America doesn’t “yet have equal jus- Potter shot 20-year-old Daunte Ferrie said Sefcovic and Frost will have an unusual clots that occurred in six women, of the more than informal meeting to “take stock of ongoing father’s flag-draped coffin, one wear- tice.” Wright. Gannon has said he believed 7.2 million adults who’ve received the shot. One of the technical work” and “to provide a political ing his father’s police uniform hat. At Advocates hope the department’s Potter mistakenly grabbed her pistol patients died and another remains hospitalized in serious steer for both teams on outstanding issues.” one moment, a toy replica of the US priorities will shift dramatically in when she was trying to pull out her condition. Both sides are trying to find an agree- Capitol was dropped; Biden reached the Biden administration, with a Taser. Officials said the delay had as much to do with educating ment on trade rules in Northern Ireland over to pick it up. focus more on civil rights issues, Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike physicians about the unique way the clots have to be treated amid rising tensions in the small territory His own life defined by grief after criminal justice overhauls and polic- Elliott said at a news conference that as their desire to study the exceedingly rare side effect. The where Britain’s exit from the European having buried two children and his ing policies in the wake of nation- the city had been moving toward firing usual treatment, with the blood thinner heparin, could lead Union has unsettled an uneasy political bal- first wife, Biden said his prayer for wide protests over the death of Black Potter, a 26-year veteran, when she to dangerous patient outcomes, they said. ance. Earlier this month, Protestant and the Evans family is for “that moment Americans at the hands of law resigned. Elliott said he hoped her Fauci, speaking at the White House, advised those who Catholic youths in Belfast hurled bricks, when a smile comes before the tear.” enforcement. resignation would “bring some calm to had recently gotten J&J shots not to “get an anxiety reac- fireworks and gasoline bombs at police and And he saluted the Capitol police Garland has also suggested he is the community,” but that he would each other during a week of violence. (AP) force, still reeling from the Jan. 6 more likely to authorize more so- keep working toward “full account- tion, because remember it’s less than one in a million.” He ❑ ❑ ❑ added, “However, having said that, pay attention” to poten- insurrection by supporters of called pattern or practice investiga- ability under the law.” tial symptoms of the clot including severe headaches, Queen returns to royal duties: Que- abdominal or leg pain, and shortness of breath. en Elizabeth II has returned to royal duties, Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, an infectious disease physi- four days after the death of her husband, After the searches, all four editors - a video the magazine ran ahead of January pro- Roskomnadzor, demanded DOXA delete it cian at the John Cochran VA Medical Center and St. Louis Prince Philip. Armen Aramyan, Natalya Tyshkevich, tests organized to support jailed Russian opposi- several days after it ran, alleging that it The 94-year-old British monarch attend- Vladimir Metelkin and Alla Gutnikova - tion leader Alexei Navalny. Two weekends of contained information encouraging minors Board of Health, said the J&J pause might affect overall ed a retirement ceremony for a senior royal were taken to Russia’s Investigative nationwide mass rallies in support of Navalny to take part in illegal activity. vaccine confidence but the transparency was critical to official on Tuesday, according to the Court Committee, the statement said. They are were Russia’s biggest in recent years, posing a The magazine complied, but Aramyan, boosting confidence in minority communities that have Circular, the official record of royal engage- accused of encouraging minors to take part major challenge for the Kremlin. Tyshkevich, Metelkin and Gutnikova filed a some of the lowest uptake of the shots. ments. in illegal activity, a criminal offense punish- The video talked about pressure school lawsuit to contest the order. “Today was such a sign of strength and of leadership and The royal family is observing two weeks able by up to three years in prison, accord- and university students faced before the DOXA said Wednesday that the video of improved direction toward rebuilding trust in these com- of mourning for Philip, who died Friday at ing to the statement. protests, including threats of expulsion. contained “no calls for unlawful actions - munities,” she said of the Biden administration’s forthright- the age of 99. The palace has said members DOXA said the crackdown was connected to Russia’s media and internet watchdog, we were saying that young people shouldn’t ness about the issue. “They came to us as soon as this of the royal family will “undertake engage- be afraid to express their opinion.” information became available knowing what was at stake.” ments appropriate to the circumstances” “The pressure the journalist community has “They’re trusting the American public, and this gives during the mourning period. faced recently is unprecedented, but we won’t The queen attended a ceremony at stop our work. We will continue to cover these communities a reason to trust them,” she said. Windsor Castle for Lord Chamberlain Earl what’s important for young people and will Also: Peel, who has retired as the royal house- continue to stand up for their rights,” the WASHINGTON: The White House says President Joe Biden hold’s most senior official. He oversaw magazine’s statement read. (AP) arrangements for the funeral of Prince ❑ ❑ ❑ will accompany his wife, Jill Biden, early Wednesday Philip, also known as the Duke of morning to an appointment where she will undergo a “com- Edinburgh, until handing over to his succes- Quake rattles Greece islands: A mon medical procedure.” sor days before the duke’s death. (AP) moderately strong earthquake with prelimi- The White House says both Bidens will then return to the ❑ ❑ ❑ nary magnitude 5.2 struck Tuesday between White House and “resume their normal schedule.” the southeastern Aegean Sea islands of Later Wednesday, the president is set to address the Russia cops raid apartments: Russ- Nissyros and Tilos, Greek authorities said. nation on his plans to withdraw U.S. troops from ian police on Wednesday morning raided There were no reports of damage or injury. the Moscow apartments of several editors of Athens University’s Geodynamic Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. He will then visit Section DOXA, an online student magazine that Institute said the undersea quake struck at 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place rose to prominence covering mass protests 2028GMT (11:28 p.m. local time) and had of many American service members who lost their lives in in Moscow in 2019 and advocating for stu- a depth of 15.8 kilometers (10 miles). The Afghanistan and Iraq. dent rights. earthquake was felt in several nearby The White House did not immediately detail the nature of DOXA said in a statement on its website islands in Greece’s Dodecanese chain. the first lady’s procedure. that police officers searched apartments of The King Henry VIII gates are tested to open and close at Windsor Castle guarded Earthquakes are very common in Greece, four of the magazine’s editors, as well as by armed police and casket wardens in Windsor, England, Tuesday, April 13. which is one of the worlds most seismically – See Page 11 the apartments of two of the editors’ parents Prince Philip, husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died Saturday April 10, aged active areas. However, they rarely result in and the magazine’s offices. 99, and his funeral will take place in Windsor upcoming Saturday. (AP) severe damage or deaths. (AP) GM’s Cruise to operate all-electric driverless cars in Dubai

Dubai said Monday that U.S. though it just recently began driverless transport by 2030. driving car partner took several self-driving car company testing without the safety of a As part of the agreement, years and was based at least Cruise will become the first to backup driver in the car. Cruise Cruise will establish a Dubai- partly on the company’s rela- This image provided by Gen- operate autonomous taxis and plans to begin offering a fully based company that will be re- tionship with “auto manufactur- eral Motors shows the GM ride-hailing services in the Unit- autonomous ride-hailing ser- sponsible for the fleet of roomy ing giants.” The fleet is expect- ed Arab Emirates city of more vice there but it has not said vehicles, which have four pas- Logo. (AP) ed to start operating in 2023 in than three million people. when that will begin. senger seats and no visible It is the first venture outside The partnership, Dubai offi- driver’s seat or controls. limited numbers, before scaling of the U.S. for General Motors- cials said, aims to reduce traf- Dubai’s roads and transport up to as many as 4,000 vehi- owned Cruise, which has been fic accidents, cut pollution and chief, Mattar Mohammed Al cles by 2030, Al Tayer said. operating electric vehicles in save money while converting Tayer, said the process for se- GM bought Cruise in 2016. San Francisco for years, al- 25% of all trips in the city to lecting Cruise as the city’s self- (AP)

Market Movements 14-04-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries +49.62 7,280.63 JAPAN - Nikkei -130.62 29,620.99 S. KOREA - KRX 100 +26.90 6,844.47 PHILIPPINES - PSEi +65.42 6,523.21 INDIA - Sensex +660.68 48,544.06 PAKISTAN - KSE 100 +262.65 45,311.22 CHINA - Shanghai SE +20.25 3,416.72 Business US banks to see big Q1 profits

Lenders move COVID ‘bad’ loans back to ‘good’ pile

NEW YORK, April 14, (AP): The nation’s larg- est banks are expected to report big profits for the first quarter amid renewed confidence that pandemic- battered consumers and businesses can repay their debts and start borrowing again. The brighter outlook allows banks to move billions of dollars A Citibank office is open, Jan 13, 2021 in New York. (AP) A Chase Bank is seen, Feb 3, 2021, in Woburn, Massachu- Bank of America signage is shown, Feb 10, 2021, in Atlanta. worth of “bad” loans back to the setts. (AP) (AP) “good” pile, in what are known as of $3.09, up from a profi t of 78 cents Further the government has allowed Bank stocks have refl ected inves- loan loss releases. The pandemic per share a year earlier, according to banks to be more fl exible in defi ning tors’ anticipation for the improved forced banks such as JPMorgan FactSet. Bank of America is expected what loans are considered bad or not conditions. Since Oct. 1, the KBW Boeing sees uptick in airplane Chase and Bank of America to put to post a profi t of 66 cents per share, - allowing longer forbearances and Bank index, which tracks the shares of aside billions of dollars to cover compared to the 40 cents a share it grace periods - which in turn has kept two dozen large U.S. banks, has risen orders as global travel picks up potentially bad loans. earned last year. some loans out of the “bad” pile. 66%. The sum of money put into these The banks have massive govern- The U.S. economy is estimated to Banks have already started releas- SEATTLE, April 14, (AP): Boe- Boeing orders have plummeted pools is nothing small. Across the en- ment stimulus to thank for the im- have grown 4.9% in the fi rst quarter after ing some loans from the bad pile as the ing orders picked up in March, over the past two years, fi rst from the tire banking industry - large and small provement, as well as the recover- growing by 4.3% in the fourth quarter of outlook for the economy has improved. fueled by a major deal with South- grounding of all 737 Max jets after banks alike - a collective $120 bil- ing economy and fewer defaults than last year, according to FactSet. Employ- JPMorgan Chase in the fourth quarter west Airlines that helped to offset two of them crashed, and later from a lion is set aside to cover these loans, originally anticipated. Just in the U.S., ers hired at a rapid pace in March. With moved $1.89 billion of the roughly another round of cancellations for pandemic that brought global travel according to data from the Federal trillions of dollars have been spent to more people getting vaccinated, spend- $20 billion it had set aside during the its 737 Max airliner. to a standstill and quashed airline de- Deposit Insurance Corporation. And keep individuals and businesses afl oat ing is expected to pick up. pandemic out of its loan-loss reserves. Boeing said Tuesday that it mand for new planes. a signifi cant chunk of it - around $40 in the form of one-time cash payments “I have little doubt that with (the Citigroup moved roughly $1.5 billion received 196 orders in March, in- Travel is picking up with the billion - was set aside by the nation’s and the Paycheck Protection Pro- stimulus), huge defi cit spending, more of its reserves last quarter as well. cluding the previously announced rollout of very effective vaccines, largest fi nancial institutions. gram. Multiple surveys have shown (help from the Federal Reserve), a new Banks are expected conduct these 100 from Southwest, while losing but it remains far below pre-pan- These funds, once released, are add- that Americans used at least a portion potential infrastructure bill, a success- loan-loss reserve releases for some 156 to cancellations. Turkish Air- demic levels. In the U.S., nearly ed to a bank’s bottom line when they of their relief payments to pay down ful vaccine and euphoria around the time, potentially into the end of 2022, lines scrapped most of a commit- 1.5 million people a day have gone report their quarterly profi ts. debts or get caught up on their loans, end of the pandemic, that the U.S. according to analysts at UBS. This is ment for 50 Max jets, replacing through airport checkpoints this Most banks are expected to report including one from the New York Fed economy will likely boom,” said Ja- largely because the economic recov- some with options. month, down from more than 2.3 signifi cantly improved results com- that showed that one of three Ameri- mie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s CEO ery will likely take at least a year, and The net gain of 40 orders raised million people per day in early pared to the fi rst quarter of 2020. can households use their stimulus pay- and chairman, in a letter to sharehold- banks don’t want to release the funds Boeing’s fi rst-quarter total to 76. April 2019. JPMorgan is expected to report a profi t ments to pay down debt. ers last week. all in one shot. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 BUSINESS 9

In this fi le photo, Neil Barof- US nominates NY lawyer to monitor UAW union sky, then-Special Inspector General for the Troubled As- The U.S. attorney’s office in Detroit is recommend- spector General for the Troubled Asset Relief contracts, the settlement agreement says. set Relief Program, testifi es ing that a federal judge name New York lawyer Program, which bailed out banks and two auto Acting U.S. Attorney Saima S. Mohsin made before the House Appropria- Neil Barofsky to monitor the United Auto Workers companies after the 2009 financial crisis. the motion to hire Barofsky on Monday, accord- tions Subcommittee on Fi- union’s behavior after a corruption scandal. After a monitor is appointed, the union has six ing to court records. The union submitted the nancial Services and General Appointing an independent monitor is part of a months to hold a secret-ballot election to decide names of three candidates, and the appointment Government on the Financial settlement the union agreed to with federal pros- whether members will vote directly to pick the still must be approved by Judge David Lawson. Crisis and TARP program on ecutors in December. He’ll stay in place for six union’s future leaders. Barofsky would monitor The agreement came in the wake of a Capitol Hill in Washington. years unless both sides agree to a shorter term. the election, as well as compliance with the set- wide-ranging federal probe into corrup- The US attorney’s offi ce in Barofsky leads the law firm Jenner & Block’s tlement. Currently union leaders are picked by tion that reached into the upper ranks of the Detroit is recommending monitorship practice. He monitored two units that a federal judge name delegates to a national convention. 400,000-member UAW. It held off a possible Barofsky to monitor the of Credit Suisse following multibillion-dollar The monitor will administer the election, will federal takeover of the union due to the brib- United Auto Workers union’s settlements. He also was an assistant U.S. At- have the power to approve hiring or discharges ery and embezzlement investigation that has behavior after a corruption torney in Manhattan and served as Special In- of union employees, and can end or approve lasted more than five years. (AP) scandal. (AP) Asian markets rise after new Wall St high Crude prices edges higher, dollar slips versus yen

BEIJING, April 14, (AP): Asian stock markets fol- lowed Wall Street higher VertiGIS buys on Wednesday after U.S. inflation ticked up and ‘partner’ KMS Japanese machinery or- MUNICH, April 14, (Agencies): Ver- ders fell. tiGIS, a leading geographic informa- tion systems (GIS) solution provider Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and software developer, announced and Sydney rose. Tokyo was today the completed acquisition of off less than 0.5%. longstanding development partner Wall Street’s benchmark S&P KMS Computer GmbH. KMS is an 500 index closed 0.3% higher in established and trusted computer- aided facility management (CAFM) choppy trading. Tech and consum- software specialist based in Dresden, er stocks gained on optimism the Germany. vaccine rollout will allow business VertiGIS is an established and prov- activity to return to normal. John- en provider of computer-aided facility son & Johnson declined after U.S. management (CAFM) software based regulators suspended use of its in Dresden, Germany. KMS is known single-dose vaccine to investigate for its GEBman software and has been possibly dangerous blood clots. supporting municipalities, industrial, The U.S. government reported service and utility companies, among consumer prices increased by a others, with their facility and docu- ment management requirements since stronger-than-expected 0.6% in 1990. The flexible, end-to-end solu- March, the fastest rate since 2012. tions are based on the latest web tech- Higher infl ation normally fuels nologies and are suitable for internal or fears interest rates might be raised mobile use. (Graphic: Business Wire) to keep prices stable, but the Fed- VertiGIS is backed by global, tech- eral Reserve has said the economy nology-based investment firm Battery will be allowed to “run hot” to en- Ventures, who began acquiring GIS sure a recovery is in place. and location technology-focused com- Traders “took the well-telegraphed panies under the brand in 2017. Best known for the GEBman software infl ation ‘pick-up’ in stride,” said suite, KMS has helped municipal, indus- Stephen Innes of Axi in a report. try, service, and utility companies with Market also are “seemingly unfazed” their facility- and document management by the J&J suspension. needs since 1990. Their flexible, end-to- The Shanghai Composite Index end solutions - based upon the latest web gained 0.2% to 3,401.72 and Hang technologies and suitable for in-house or Seng in Hong Kong advanced A couple wearing face masks walks by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Asian stock markets rose mobile use - integrate access and analysis Wednesday after Wall Street hit a high following an uptick in US inflation and an order by regulators to suspend use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus of factual data, documents, and spatial 1.2% to 28,850.00. vaccine. (AP) The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo shed information for plants, real estate, and capital goods. 0.4% to 29,636.24 after govern- growth of 0.2% over a year ago in while the CAC 40 in Paris gained Johnson & Johnson fell 1.3%. U.S. crude rose 45 cents to $60.63 For the past 15 years, KMS has ment data showed February ma- the three months ending in March. 0.2% to 6,196.15. Moderna, which also makes a CO- per barrel in electronic trading worked with VertiGIS to bring ProOf- chinery orders fell by an unexpect- The central bank left monetary On Wall Street on Tuesday, the VID-19 vaccine, climbed 7.4%. on the New York Mercantile Ex- fice - a process-oriented software solu- edly wide margin of 8.5% from the policy unchanged. S&P 500 rose to 4,141.59. The Worries about the potential loss change. The contract advanced tion with optional GIS connectivity for previous month, adding to concern Investors have been encouraged Dow Jones Industrial Average fell of a vaccine option also pulled 48 cents on Tuesday to close at infrastructure workflows, and built upon about the country’s recovery. by the rollout of coronavirus vac- 0.2% to 33,677.27. The Nasdaq, down companies that are counting $60.18. Brent crude, the interna- GEBman technology - to German, Aus- The Kospi in Seoul was up 0.3% trian, and Swiss customers. The integra- at 3,179.85 and Sydney’s S&P- cines despite renewed disease out- which has more technology stocks, on pandemic restrictions easing. tional price standard, gained 45 tion of KMS into VertiGIS ensures that ASX 200 gained 0.5% to 7,013.40. breaks that have prompted some gained 1.1% to 13,996.10. American Airlines slipped 1.5% cents to $64.12 per barrel in Lon- the strategic planning and development Indian markets were closed for a governments to tighten or reim- Apple rose 2.4% and Microsoft and Delta Air Lines fell 1.1%. don. It added 39 cents the previous of ProOffice and GEBman continue to be holiday. New Zealand and Jakarta pose business and trade curbs. gained 1%. Technology stocks The yield on the 10-year U.S. session to $63.67 a barrel. closely coordinated. In early trading, London’s have been boosted by expectations Treasury fell to to 1.62% from Mon- The dollar declined to 108.89 “After 30 years, it was time for me advanced. to hand over the company to the next Singapore’s benchmark de- FTSE 100 was up less than 0.1% Americans will shift even more to day’s 1.67%. JPMorgan Chase fell yen from Tuesday’s 109.09 yen. generation,” explains Konrad Schulze, clined after the government report- at 6,896.64. Frankfurt’s DAX de- online buying and entertainment 1.2% and Wells Fargo lost 2.4%. The euro rose to $1.1962 from the founder and Managing Director of ed unexpectedly strong economic clined less than 0.1% to 15,222.10 following the pandemic. In energy markets, benchmark previous session’s $1.1946. KMS. Resignation amid acquisition talks ExaGrid bookings, revenue surge in first qtr MARLBOROUGH, Mass., April Storage to protect their data. Ex- cure architecture with an approach Japan’s Toshiba president steps down 14, (Agencies): ExaGrid ®, the in- aGrid’s growth is accelerating, that would allow for recovery of dustry’s only Tiered Backup Stor- and the company is hiring 40 ad- data after a ransomware attack. Ex- TOKYO,April 14, (AP): The pres- age solution, today announced that ditional inside and field sales staff aGrid has the only backup storage ident of Toshiba Corp. stepped it had an all-time record bookings worldwide. solution with a non-network-facing down Wednesday, a week after the and revenue in the quarter ending ExaGrid’s Retention Time-Lock tier, delayed deletes, and immutable Japanese technology and manufac- March 31, 2021. As compared to for Ransomware Recovery feature data objects,” said Bill Andrews, turing giant said it was studying an Q1-2020, bookings grew over 40% is among the many reasons custom- President and CEO of ExaGrid. acquisition proposal from a global and revenue grew at 24%. In ad- ers are choosing ExaGrid Tiered “In just three months, ExaGrid has fund where he previously worked. dition, ExaGrid was cash positive Backup Storage. “Ransomware at- upgraded over 1,000 customers to Nobuaki Kurumatani tendered in the quarter. ExaGrid added over tacks have been on the rise and are Version 6.0 and all of those custom- his resignation at a board meeting, 120 new customers in the quarter, top of mind at many organizations. ers have the Retention Time-Lock and the board accepted, effective and now more than 3,000 custom- ExaGrid saw this trend and realized for Ransomware Recovery feature Wednesday, Tokyo-based Toshiba ers use ExaGrid Tiered Backup we could build upon our already se- turned on.” said in a statement. Kurumatani headed the Japan operations of CVC Capital Part- ners, which proposed the acquisi- tion last week, before taking his post as chief executive of Toshiba in 2018. Some questions had been raised, In this image provided by Toshiba Corporation, new Toshiba President both within and outside Tokyo- Satoshi Tsunakawa speaks during an online press conference in Tokyo based Toshiba, about Kurumatani on April 14, 2021. Nobuaki Kurumatani, the president of Toshiba Corp leading the board discussions on stepped down Wednesday. (AP) the acquisition. Kurumatani did not attend the posal or the president’s resigna- computers. online news conference, where tion. It also invented fl ash memory, two board members explained his But speculation has been grow- the ubiquitous computer chips resignation and fi elded questions. ing other funds may offer better that store and retain data for digi- A company offi cial read his prices. tal cameras, cell phones and other statement that said the resignation Kurumatani will be replaced as gadgets. Toshiba no longer makes was for personal reasons. chief executive and president by laptops, and it has sold its comput- “Toshiba is a wonderful compa- his predecessor, Satoshi Tsuna- er chips division. ny and is Japan’s precious wealth. I kawa, who remained on the board, The company’s fortunes began love Toshiba deeply,” Kurumatani fi rst as COO and currently chair- to crumble over its heavy invest- said in his message. man. ment in nuclear power. After the The CVC deal is estimated to Tsunakawa oversaw some of March 2011 nuclear disaster in Fu- be worth 2 trillion yen ($18 bil- the recent fi nancial challenges at kushima, costs of the business bal- lion) and will turn Toshiba private. Toshiba. Before becoming CEO, looned because of growing safety Toshiba had said it was giving it in his previous stint from 2016, concerns. Some nations are turning “careful consideration.” Osamu he had headed Toshiba’s medical toward sustainable energy. Nagayama, a board member, told systems business, now a group Toshiba also had massive losses reporters the proposal lacked de- company of Japanese camera and from the nuclear power operations tails and could not yet be evalu- equipment maker Canon. of US manufacturer Westinghouse, ated. Tsunakawa told reporters Toshi- which Toshiba acquired in 2006. Trading in the company’s shares ba was ready to embark on growth Westinghouse fi led for bankruptcy was suspended when the news as “an infrastructure services com- protection in 2017. hit last week. Shares of Toshiba, pany.” He promised to work in the In Japan, Toshiba is decommis- whose sprawling business includes interests of shareholders, employ- sioning nuclear plants, including making elevators and railways, ees and society overall, and con- the one in Fukushima, where the shot up on the CVC news and have tinue to strengthen governance. tsunami 10 years ago set off mul- been trading at nearly 5,000 yen “We stand behind the principle tiple reactor meltdowns. ($46). of ‘Do the right thing,’ ” he said, In 2015, Toshiba acknowledged CVC is a European private eq- delivering the motto in English. it had been systematically falsify- uity fi rm, based in Luxembourg, Toshiba, founded in 1875, was ing its books since 2008, as manag- which has committed nearly $162 long revered as one of Japan’s re- ers tried to meet overly ambitious billion in funds, managing more spected brands, developing the na- targets. An outside investigation than 300 investors. It has declined tion’s fi rst radar and microwaves, found it had infl ated profi ts and hid to comment on the acquisition pro- electric rice cookers and laptop massive expenses. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 BUSINESS 10 Syrian leader sacks Central Bank chief amid currency crash BEIRUT, April 14, (AP): President US dollar before improving to 3,100. financial and economic collapse in Bashar Assad sacked the governor of The official price remains 1,256 Syrian neighboring Lebanon. Syrians are war-ravaged Syria’s Central Bank on pounds to the dollar. believed to have billions of dollars Tuesday amid a crash in the currency At the start of the conflict in mid- blocked in Lebanese banks that have in recent months. March 2011, the US dollar was worth imposed harsh capital controls since State media did not give a reason for 47 Syrian pounds. late 2019. US consumer prices the removal of Hazem Qarfoul from the The currency crash has thrown more The average salary in Syria is about post he held since late 2018. The Syrian Syrians into poverty. The pound has 90,000 pounds ($29) per month mak- pound set a record in March trading on been hit hard by the war, corruption, ing it difficult for many Syrians to the black market at 4,600 pounds to one Western sanctions and more recently a survive. jump 0.6% in March Biggest gain since 2012

WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): U.S. consumer prices increased a sharp 0.6% in March, the biggest uptick since 2012, while inflation over the past year jumped 2.6%. The big gains had been anticipated and are largely expected to be a temporary blip rather than a reawakening of long dor- mant inflation. The increase in the Labor Department’s consumer price index Tuesday followed a 0.4% increase in February and was the biggest one-month gain since a In this file photo, shoppers look at items in Bed, Bath and Beyond, in New 0.6% bump in August 2012. York. U.S. consumer prices increased a sharp 0.6% in March, the biggest The year-over-year increase was increase since 2012, while inflation over the past year rose a sizable 2.6%. far greater than the 1.7% increase (AP) for the 12-month change the previ- ous month and while it easily tion appear worse than it is at first “The surge in inflation in March exceeded the Federal Reserve’s 2% glance. is the first meaningful wave of sev- target for inflation, the 2.6% For example, the 2.6% March eral that will cumulatively lift infla- increase in March was more of a jump looks out of whack compared tion in the coming months to a level snapshot of a period of time last with core inflation, which excludes not seen in many years,” said Jim year when prices tumbled as much volatile food and energy. That was Baird, chief investment officer for of the world went into a pandemic up a more moderate 1.6% over the Plante Moran Financial Advisors. lockdown. past 12 months, compared to a 1.3% “Even so, the coming surge The Fed a year ago slashed its key 12-month increase in February. shouldn’t be a cause for alarm.” interest rate to near zero and has sig- For March, energy prices Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. naled that it does not plan to start increasing interest rates until it sees a increased a sharp 5% led by a 9.1% economist at High Frequency sustained rise in inflation above its jump in gasoline prices. The gaso- Economics, said that price pres- 2% target. Currently, the expectation line surge accounted for nearly half sures will build further over the net is that the Fed’s first rate hikes will of the monthly price gain. AAA few months reflecting a variety of not occur until after 2023. reports that the nationwide average factors including supply chain To ward off turbulence in finan- for gasoline stands at $2.86 a gal- restraints and stronger demand as cial markets over fears of rising lon, up from $1.86 a year ago. economic activity resumes. But she interest rates, Fed Chairman Jerome Food prices edges up 0.1% in said the Fed will see view these Powell has for weeks cautioned that March and are 3.5% higher than a prices increases as transitory and inflation figures will rise this spring, year ago. “not expected to be sustained.” but that the increase would be tem- Economists said they expected The report Tuesday showed that porary. further price gains in coming new vehicle prices were unchanged Economists call the March jump months as the country continues to in March and up 1.7% over the past a base effect due to those plunging open up, but believe the Fed will year while used car prices rose prices at the start of the pandemic. continue to see those gains as tem- 0.5% and are 9.4% higher than a The phenomenon can make infla- porary. year ago. Global consumer demand strengthens China’s exports rise 30.6% in March BEIJING, April 14, (AP): China’s exports rose 30.6% trade activities are recovering and market confidence over a year ago in March as global consumer demand increasing,” a spokesman for the customs bureau, Li strengthened and traders watched for signs of what Kuiwen, said at a news conference. Li warned, however, President Joe Biden might do about reviving tariff war that “the world economic situation still is complicated talks with Beijing. and severe.” Exports rose to $241.1 billion, decelerating from the China’s exporters have benefited from the relatively dramatic 60.6% rebound in the first two months of 2021, early reopening of its economy while some other gov- customs data showed Tuesday. Imports rose 38.1% over ernments are re-imposing anti-virus curbs that limit a year ago to $227.3 billion in a sign of reviving Chinese business and trade. activity. “We expect export momentum to remain robust in the That is a “positive signal that global economic and rest of 2021,” Tommy Wu of Oxford Economics said in a report. “While global shipping delays pose a near-term challenge, the strong global economic recovery that we expect this year should support China’s export outlook.” Exports to the United States jumped 53.6% in March to $38.7 billion despite tariff hikes still in place on Chinese goods in a trade war launched by former President Donald Trump over Beijing’s technology ambitions. Imports of U.S. goods, also still under Chinese retalia- tory duties, soared 74.7% to $17.3 billion. Biden, who took office in January, says he wants bet- ter relations with Beijing but has given no indication he might roll back Trump’s tariff hikes, which set off his- tory’s biggest global trade conflict. The two sides have yet to say when their top trade envoys might meet again. Lower-level U.S. and Chinese officials hold monthly meetings by phone on the status of the “Phase 1” agree- ment in January 2020. Beijing promised to buy more American soybeans, natural gas and other exports while the two sides post- poned more tariff hikes. Most penalties on each other’s goods stayed in place. China fell behind on meeting its purchase commit- ments but started to catch up as demand rebounded. China’s global trade surplus narrowed by 30.6% in March from a year earlier to $13.8 billion. The politically volatile surplus with the United States rose 39% to $21.4 billion. Chinese trade figures look especially dramatic com- pared with early 2020, when the ruling Communist Party shut factories to fight the virus and trade plunged. For the first three months of 2021, exports jumped 49% over a year earlier to $710 billion. Imports rose 28% to $593.6 billion The ruling party set an economic growth target of “over 6%” this year, which should help propel demand for foreign oil, iron ore, food, consumer goods and other imports. Exports to the 27-nation European union were $36.6 billion while imports of European goods were $27.5 bil- lion.

A truck transports containers at a container port on the Yangtze River in Nantong in eastern China’s Jiangsu province on April 8, 2021. (AP) ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 HEALTH 11

Coronavirus

OKs Russia’s Sputnik V India’s worst-hit state imposes ‘strict’ rules

MUMBAI, April 14, (AP): India’s worst-hit and richest state Maharashtra will impose stricter restrictions for 15 days on Wednesday in an effort to stem the surge of coronavirus infec- tions that is threatening to overcome hospitals. Top state offi cials stressed that the closure of most indus- tries, businesses, public places and limits on the movement of people didn’t constitute a lockdown. Last year, a sudden, harsh, nationwide lockdown left mil- lions jobless overnight. Stranded in cities with no income or food, thousands of migrant workers walked on highways to get home. Since then, state leaders have repeatedly stressed that another lockdown wasn’t on the cards. The distinction did little to allay Ramachal Yadav’s anxie- ties. On Wednesday morning, he joined others at a Mumbai railway station get- ting on a train back home. “There is no work,” said the 45-year-old. India has detected over 180,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, about a third in Maharashtra state. India has so far confi rmed over 13.9 million cases and 172,000 dead in what is likely an undercount. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that most public plac- es, shops and establishments will be Thackeray shut starting 8 pm Wednesday, expect essential services like grocery shops and banks. Although the state has announced a relief package of $728 million that will include assistance for the poor, industry ex- perts say that the new restrictions might prove fatal for busi- Sharis Carr, a nurse at the Aaron E. Henry Community Health Service Center in Clarksdale, Miss., holds a box containing doses of the Johnson & Johnson CO- nesses that were only just recovering from last year’s econom- VID-19 vaccine, April 7. The US is recommending a ‘pause’ in using the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of potentially ic recession. dangerous blood clots. (AP) “Livelihoods are important, but life is more important,” Thackeray said, echoing a diffi cult choice faced by other states in India. The scenes playing out in Maharashtra in the past week mirror those developing in other parts of the country: patients Coronavirus gasping for air turned away from hospitals that are running out of oxygen and weeping families waiting their turn to bid farewell to their loved ones at crematoria. Compounding concerns is the question of whether India, ‘I got the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. Now what?’ despite being the world’s largest maker of vaccines, will have enough to immunize its vast population swiftly enough to slow down the virus. Emergency What’s known about J&J jab, rare clots India said Tuesday that it would authorize vaccines that NEW YORK, April 14, (AP): A rare, had been given an emergency nod by the World Health Or- rogue immune response is the main ganization or regulators in the United States, Europe, Britain suspect as authorities investigate high- or Japan. Indian regulators also approved Russia’s Sputnik V ly unusual blood clots following use of South Africa halts J&J vaccine for emergency use. But experts said that the decision was un- two similar COVID-19 vaccines from likely to have any immediate impact on supplies available in Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca. the country. The US recommended that states shots, Europe rollout delayed “All one can think of is that, I hope I don’t fall ill over the pause giving the J&J vaccine on Tues- next month or so,” said Dr. Vineeta Bal, who studies immune A health worker takes a swab sam- day while authorities examine six re- JOHANNESBURG, April 14, (AP): Johnson said. systems at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Re- ple to test for COVID-19 at a drive- ports of the unusual clots, including South Africa suspended giving The delay is a further blow to search in Pune city in Maharashtra state. through COVID-19 testing facility at a death, out of more than 6.8 million Johnson & Johnson vaccine shots vaccination efforts in the European India said Tuesday that it will approve the use of all corona- GMDC ground in Ahmedabad, India, Americans given the one-dose vacci- Tuesday as a “precautionary mea- Union, which have been plagued virus vaccines that have been given an emergency nod by the April 14. The Ahmedabad Municipal sure” and the company delayed its by supply shortages, logistical nation so far. European vaccine rollout following problems and concerns over un- World Health Organization or regulators in the United States, Corporation (AMC) has begun a drive- But the small number of cases Europe, Britain or Japan. through testing facility from Wednes- the FDA decision to pause using usual blood clots in a small number sparked concern because just last the jabs while very rare blood clot of people who received the Astra- India’s Health Ministry said the decision was aimed at has- day. India is experiencing its worst week, European authorities said simi- pandemic surge, with average daily cases are examined. Zeneca vaccine, which is made by tening the use of shots made in other countries and expanding lar clots were possibly linked to the South Africa has given more a process similar to the J&J shot. the “basket of vaccines” available for domestic use. The coun- infections exceeding 143,000 over the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet past week. (AP) than 289,000 jabs of the J&J vac- The blood clot reports prompted try of almost 1.4 billion people is seeing a crippling surge of OK’d in the US that led some countries cine to the country’s health workers several countries in the 27-nation infections that is threatening to overwhelm hospitals in hard- to limit its use to certain age groups. without any reports of blood clots, bloc to limit the AstraZeneca vac- hit cities. Also Tuesday, J&J delayed its im- Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize cine to older people, which are The only way out of the crisis, experts say, is to vaccinate minent European rollout. told reporters. more at risk from serious illness more people. Health He said South Africa was halting and death when infected with CO- But this has global implications since India is a major vac- What Makes These Clots Dif- the use of J&J jabs “out of an abun- VID-19. The bloc’s drug regulator, cine producer and India’s domestic needs have delayed the ferent? dance of caution” and he expects the European Medicines Agency, that the questions over the J&J has authorized the AstraZeneca delivery of shots to the UN-backed COVAX initiative that is UK hits vaccine target: Britain began aimed at distributing vaccines equitably. These are not typical blood clots. vaccine should “be cleared within a shot for all people 18 and over. offering coronavirus vaccinations to any- They’re weird in two ways. matter of days.” Many leading COVID-19 vaccines India had earlier given the nod to the AstraZeneca vaccine one over 45 on Tuesday after hitting its made by Serum Institute of India and another one made by the First, they’re occurring in unusual Earlier, Johnson & Johnson said train the body to recognize the spike target of giving at last one dose to every- parts of the body, such as veins that it was delaying the rollout of its protein that coats the outer surface of Indian company Bharat Biotech. one over 50 by the middle of April. Now, vaccines that have received emergency use authori- drain blood from the brain. Second, coronavirus vaccine across Europe the coronavirus. But the J&J and As- Despite the good news, Prime Minister those patients also have abnormally amid the US probe, a move that traZeneca vaccines use a cold virus, zation by regulators in the US, Europe, Britain, Japan or the Boris Johnson warned that the UK would experts worried could further shake called an adenovirus, to carry the World Health Organization can be used in India. The Health inevitably see “more hospitalization and low levels of platelets — cells that help form clots — a condition normally vaccine confidence and complicate spike gene into the body. Johnson & Ministry also said Tuesday that the Russian Sputnik V vaccine deaths” as it emerges from lockdown. On COVID-19 immunization efforts. Johnson uses a human adenovirus had been green-lit for emergency use. Monday non-essential shops, hairdress- linked to bleeding, not clotting. Scientists in Norway and Germany The announcement came after to create its vaccine, while AstraZen- The Health Ministry said that safety will be monitored in ers, gyms, restaurant patios and beer gar- regulators in the United States said eca uses a chimpanzee version. the fi rst 100 people who receive these shots, before its use is dens reopened in England. fi rst raised the possibility that some people are experiencing an abnormal they were recommending a “pause” In a joint statement Tuesday, expanded to include others. Days before its self-imposed April 15 in the single-dose shot to investi- the Centers for Disease Control immune system response to the As- Dr. Shahid Jameel, who studies viruses at India’s Ashoka deadline, the government said everyone gate reports of rare but potentially and Prevention and the Food and traZeneca vaccine, forming antibodies University, said that while the move was unlikely to help the in its top priority groups — over 50s, dangerous blood clots. Drug Administration said they were that attack their own platelets. That’s country deal with the surge it was currently experiencing, it health care workers and people with se- “We have made the decision to investigating six cases of unusual rious medical conditions — had been the theory as the U.S. now investigates would help in vaccine availability going forward, consequent- proactively delay the rollout of our clots that occurred six to 13 days offered a jab, and about 95% of them re- clots in J&J vaccine recipients, Dr. Pe- vaccine in Europe,” Johnson & after vaccination with the J&J shot. ly freeing up vaccines that could then be exported. ceived one. More than 32 million people, ter Marks, the Food and Drug Admin- He said that this would pave the path for India to use over 60% of the country’s adults, have istration’s vaccine chief, said Tuesday. vaccines made by companies with a manufacturing partner had a fi rst shot and almost 15% of adults in India. For instance, vaccine maker Biological E Ltd is have gotten both doses. Why Suspect Immune Re- many found platelet-attacking antibod- as severe headache or severe abdomi- ies in the blood of some AstraZeneca nal pain, would occur a week to three contracted to make the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vac- Vaccine eligibility was expanded Tues- sponse? cine. day to people ages 45-49, the start of the vaccine recipients who had the strange weeks after the J&J vaccine. The fi rst clue: A widely used blood clots. The antibodies were similar to Jameel added that this would potentially open up the market second phase of the inoculation campaign. Also: for vaccines that require ultra-cold storage facilities to be sold The move came the day after some thinner named heparin sometimes those found with the heparin side ef- in cities where such facilities are available. Vaccine prices in lockdown rules in place for more than causes a very similar side effect. fect even though the patients had never NEW YORK: I got the Johnson & John- India are currently capped at 250 rupees or $3.30. This will three months were lifted. Relieved resi- Very rarely, heparin recipients form used that blood thinner. son COVID-19 vaccine. Now what? also free up the government to subsidize the vaccines for the dents fl ocked to areas such as London’s antibodies that both attack and over- It’s not yet clear if there’s a similar Don’t panic. US health offi cials on poor, while those can afford to buy more expensive vaccines Soho nightlife district, where tables were stimulate platelets, said Dr. Geoffrey link to the J&J vaccine. But the J&J Tuesday recommended pausing vac- can do so. packed into narrow streets that had been Barnes, a clot expert at the University and AstraZeneca vaccines, as well as cinations with J&J’s shot as they look closed to traffi c. of Michigan. a Russian COVID-19 vaccine and one into reports of six clots out of nearly 7 Distribute Politicians and scientists tried to tem- “It kind of can cause both sides from China, are made with the same million doses given in the country. Russia has agreements with fi ve Indian pharmaceutical per the euphoria at the return of some of the bleeding-clotting spectrum,” technology. They train the immune Health offi cials say to be vigilant, companies to make more than 850 million doses of Sputnik V freedoms with a warning that the virus Barnes said. system to recognize the spike protein but to remember that reports of blood still poses a major threat. (AP) Because heparin is used so often in that coats the coronavirus. To do that, clots that may be associated with J&J’s vaccines in India for the world. It has also inked a deal with Dr ❑ ❑ ❑ Reddy’s Laboratories to conduct late trials and distribute up to hospitals, that reaction is something they use a cold virus, called an adeno- single-dose vaccine are exceedingly 250 million doses in India. ‘Suspend live animals sale’: The “that every hospital in America knows virus, to carry the spike gene into the rare. But with four of Russia’s five deals inked in March and United Nations’ health agency on Tues- how to diagnose and treat.” body. “It’s less than one in a million,” said April, the doses are likely to be supplied later in the year. day urged countries to suspend the sale There also are incredibly rare re- FDA’s Marks wouldn’t say if the Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infec- Moreover, Russia’s first manufacturing deal with India was of live animals captured from the wild in ports of this weird clot-low platelet weird clots may be common to these tious disease specialist. with Hetero Biopharma for a 100 million doses — but it food markets as an emergency measure, combination in people who never took so-called adenovirus-vector vaccines. Common side effects after getting is unclear as to whether it has started making doses. Het- saying wild animals are a leading source heparin, such as after an infection. In addition to the AstraZeneca data, a COVID-19 vaccine can include arm ero Biopharma didn’t respond to queries by The Associated of emerging infectious diseases like the Those unexplainable cases haven’t J&J makes an Ebola vaccine the same pain and normal fl u-like symptoms for Press. coronavirus. gotten much attention, Barnes said, way and he said authorities would ex- a couple days afterward. Those aren’t Indian government sources said on Wednesday that 1,027 The World Health Organization, until the fi rst clot reports popped up in amine “the totality of the evidence.” pleasant, but they aren’t what offi cials people died due to COVID-19 as 184,372 fresh positive backed by key partners, issued new guid- some AstraZeneca vaccine recipients. are concerned about. ance saying that animals — particularly What About Other Vaccines? cases were reported from across the country in a span of Health offi cials said one reason for Instead, be on the lookout for differ- wild animals — “are the source of more the J&J pause was to make sure doc- The most widely used COVID-19 ent, more severe symptoms associated 24 hours. than 70 percent of all emerging infectious Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that tors know how to treat patients sus- vaccines in the US — from Pfi zer and with the clots, particularly between diseases in humans, many of which are pected of having these clots, which Moderna — are made with a complete- one and three weeks after the shot. deaths due to COVID-19 rose to 172,085 while the total posi- caused by novel viruses.” tive cases mounted to 13,873,825. The Indian health ministry includes avoiding giving heparin. ly different technology, and the FDA Those include severe headache, back- The coronavirus’s origins more than a said there is no sign of a similar clot ache, abdominal pain, shortness of stated that 12,336,036 people recuperated so far from the pan- year ago have been the source of intense The Centers for Disease Control and demic as it spread to 35 Indian states. speculation, much of it centered around Prevention later Tuesday provided ad- concern with those vaccines. breath, leg swelling, tiny red spots on India reported another record daily surge in coronavirus in- the likelihood that it was carried by bats vice on how to spot and treat the unu- What about people worried because the skin or bruising. fections Monday to pass Brazil as the country with the second- and passed to humans through an interme- sual clots. they received the J&J vaccination? If those symptoms show up, seek Marks said it’s important not to con- medical treatment right away. The most reported infections since the pandemic began. diary species sold as food or medicine in What Does Research Show? The 168,912 cases added in the last 24 hours pushed India’s traditional Chinese wet markets. The pan- fuse the rare clot risk with normal fl u- Centers for Disease Control and Pre- total since the pandemic began to 13.5 million, while Brazil demic fi rst appeared in the city of Wuhan, In two studies in the New England like symptoms people often feel a day vention has issued advice to help doc- has 13.4 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins China. Journal of Medicine last week, re- or two after a COVID-19 vaccination. tors spot these rare clots and safely University. WHO highlighted the risk of direct search teams from Norway and Ger- He said concerning symptoms, such treat them. India also reported 904 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking transmission of emerging infectious dis- its total to 170,179, which is the fourth-highest toll, behind the eases to humans who come in contact United States, Brazil and Mexico. with bodily fl uids of an infected animal, and cited the “additional risk” of picking India is experiencing its worst surge of the pandemic, it up in places where such animals are with a seven-day rolling average of more than 130,000 housed or locations that could have been Siti Nadia Tarmizi, a spokesperson said. cases per day. Hospitals across the country are becoming contaminated with such viruses. (AP) for Indonesia’s COVID-19 vaccine pro- Researchers who conducted Sinovac’s overwhelmed with patients, and experts worry the worst is ❑ ❑ ❑ gram, said Monday that the World Health clinical trials in Brazil released new data yet to come. Organization had found the Chinese vac- Monday that confi rmed the company’s The latest surge also coincides with the shortage of vaccines Indonesia approves Sinovac jab: cines had met requirements by being previously announced effi cacy rate of in some Indian states, including western Maharashtra state, Indonesia’s government says it is satis- more than 50% effective. She noted that about 50%. The paper, which was pub- home to fi nancial capital Mumbai, which is the worst hit state fi ed with the effectiveness of the Chinese clinical trials in Indonesia for the vaccine lished on a website for scientists and has and has recorded nearly half of the country’s new infections in coronavirus vaccine it has been using, from Chinese drugmaker Sinovac showed not yet been peer reviewed, showed that the past two weeks. after China’s top disease control offi cial it was 65% effective. the vaccine was 50.7% effective against acknowledged that current vaccines offer “It means ... the ability to form antibod- symptomatic COVID-19 cases and much low protection against the virus. ies in our bodies is still very good,” she Tarmizi Johnson stronger against severe ones. (AP) Entertainment THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 FFeatureseatures director the truthhurts. people areactuallywatching. inaccurately countinghowmany ing thattheNielsencompanyis providers, whoarecomplain- networks andcablesatellite television viewingisdown? sports attendancerestricted—yet venues closed,restaurants movie theatersclosed,concert COVID-19 restrictions,with stuck athomeforayeardueto (AP) serted themselves,Nielsensaid. people awayfromtheirsetsreas- last spring,long-termtrendstaking ship whenlockdownstookeffect which wasn’theldlastyear. basketball championshipgame, steeper ifnotfortheNCAAmen’s The decreasewouldhavebeen 16% fromthesameweekin2020. 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ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Music

Lake Street Dive soar again Cheap Trick still on top of it in ‘Another’ By Wayne Parry heap Trick, “In Another World” (BMG) C In another world, it’s still 1979, and Cheap Trick is arguably the biggest American rock band. Tracks like “Here’s Looking at You” are dominating FM radio and teens are bopping to “The Party,” sing- ing along with “do-do-dos” reminiscent of Jimi Hen- drix’s “Crosstown Traffi c.” “On Top of the World” was one of their signature tunes, and it fi t the times. But, alas, in this world, it’s 2021, few major out- lets play rock ‘n’ roll, particularly new stuff, and all we can do is be thankful for the longevity and endless creativity of the quartet from Rockford, Illinois. Since their fi rst album in 1977, Cheap Trick has con- sistently put out perfectly pol- ished power-pop and hard rock gems, and that tradition con- tinues here. “Here Comes The Summer” makes a bid for sea- sonal immortality, in much the same way that Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” will be played Zander on the radio every June until the end of time. It’s a track they started playing live, under the name “The Sum- mer Looks Good On You” early last year before the pandemic shut concerts down. In this Jan 11, 2020 file photo, Selena Gomez attends the premiere of ‘Dolittle’ in Los Angeles. Backed by an international concert hosted by Gomez and headlined by The title track appears twice here, fi rst as a lush bal- Jennifer Lopez, Global Citizen is unveiling an ambitious campaign to help medical workers in the world’s poorest countries quickly receive COVID-19 vaccines. (AP) lad, and later, as a fully amped-up garage band jam; it’s delightful to hear the song shed its delicate cocoon and blossom into a full-speed-ahead rocker with glori- ous feedback, booming bass and pounding drums. Singer Robin Zander sounds exactly as he did nearly 45 years ago, and hasn’t lost a thing off his fastball. And Music Tom Petersson, who pioneered the 12-string bass, lays down a bottom so full and chunky it’s hard to believe this four-piece band has only one guitar and one bass. And their decades-long Beatles crush surfaces Jagger, Grohl team up for pandemic anthem again here with a cover of John Lennon’s “Gimme Some Truth.” ❑ ❑ ❑ “Beautiful Scars,” Merry Clayton (Motown) Gomez, J.Lo headline Vax concert It’s appropriate Merry Clayton’s singing volume on her new gospel album repeatedly reaches forte, NEW YORK, April 14, (AP): Backed year developed what it calls “ A Re- young people and in the Latinx com- which in French means strength. “Beautiful Scars” is by an international concert hosted by covery Plan for the World,” which it munity.” a celebration of fortitude, and caps a comeback after Selena Gomez and headlined by Jen- hopes will simultaneously address Gomez, for her part, said she felt Clayton lost her legs in a 2014 car accident. nifer Lopez, Global Citizen is unveil- COVID-19, the climate crisis, hun- honored to be chosen. This is Clayton’s fi rst solo album in more than 25 ing an ambitious campaign to help ger and education issues, as well as “This is a historic moment to en- years, but her name and enthralling alto will sound fa- medical workers in the world’s poorest racial equity. Under that plan, Global courage people around the world to miliar to longtime pop fans. She was a Raelette for countries quickly receive COVID-19 Citizen secured $1.5 billion in com- take the COVID-19 vaccine when it Ray Charles at 16 and sang on the Rolling Stones’ vaccines. mitments from the Group of Seven becomes available to them, call on “Gimme Shelter,” Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright” and The anti-poverty organization is an- industrialized democracies. Even- world leaders to share vaccine doses Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” nouncing the musical event — “VAX tually, though, it recognized that equitably and to bring people togeth- The daughter of a New Orleans preacher, Clayton Live: The Concert to Reunite the greater awareness and funding were er for a night of music in a way that draws heavily on her roots on “Beautiful Scars,” sing- Luke Evans arrives at the 76th annual World” — with the goal of enlisting needed. hasn’t felt possible in the past year,” ing testimonials to love, gratitude, trust, faith and, Golden Globe Awards on Jan 6, 2019, corporations and philanthropists to “We decided we needed to bring the “Lose You to Love Me” singer said most of all, healing. She forms a holy alliance with an in Beverly Hills, Calif. Evans turns 42 raise $22 billion for global vaccina- the world together again with a global in a statement. “I can’t wait to be a part outstanding choir led by Terry Young, who co-pro- on April 15. (AP) tions. The concert, which airs May event that will unite world leaders, art- of it.” duced with Lou Adler. The tight choral arrangements 8 on ABC, CBS and FOX as well as ists, philanthropists and CEOs,” Evans For years, Global Citizen has used make her vocal fl ights of fancy even more powerful, on iHeartMedia radio stations and said. the power of celebrities’ connections and the result is a lot of roof-raising. YouTube, will also showcase the Foo with their fans to create a movement The material includes “Love Is a Mighty River,” Variety Fighters, Eddie Vedder, J Balvin and Initiative of “collective action” that shows gov- a new composition co-written by Coldplay’s Chris H.E.R. As he described it, “VAX Live” ernment leaders how popular certain Martin, and fi ne covers of tunes by Leon Russell and The acts will be recorded at SoFi will be the first globally televised programs can be. Its annual Global Sam Cooke. There’s sax solo recorded 50 years ago Stadium in Los Angeles. effort to lobby world leaders to help Citizen Festivals in Central Park have by Clayton’s late husband, Curtis Amy, who died in KAMPALA, Uganda: The American rap artist and singer Akon is drawing Ahead of the event, Hugh Evans, achieve more equitable vaccine dis- furthered its goals of eliminating ex- 2002, and a vocal solo by her granddaughter, Kyliyah criticism from rights activists over his CEO of Global Citizen, highlighted tribution. The event is also intended treme poverty by 2030 with the help of Amy. But Clayton is the star, still shining brightly. meetings with Uganda’s president as he the magnitude of the problem his or- to raise commitments for the billions fans of Beyonce or Coldplay or Stevie ❑ ❑ ❑ pursues the development of a futuristic ganization aims to address. of dollars that are needed to send 2 Wonder speaking out to world leaders billion vaccine doses, in addition to Lake Street Dive, “Obviously” (Nonesuch Re- city in the East African country. “There are 27 million healthcare on social media. Akon is helping to rehabilitate long- workers globally who don’t have ac- COVID-19 tests, to the world’s poor- The group hopes to do it again with cords) est countries by year’s end. However, Lake Street Dive’s seventh studio album takes its time President Yoweri Museveni’s repu- cess to the vaccine,” Evans told The “VAX Live.” tation after an election earlier this year Associated Press. “I’m 38 years old, even if Global Citizen raises enough “I think growing up, we were all name from the fi rst word in the fi rst song — “Obvi- marred by violence, an internet shutdown money, it will still need wealthier na- ously.” Here’s another thing that’s obvious: You need and it’s not ethical for me to have taught what I would call ‘the Sally and allegations of vote rigging, the US access to the vaccine before these tions who continue to stockpile vac- Struthers view of charity - if I just give to make this band part of your life. based groups Human Rights Foundation Call them what you like — alt-country, indie-pop, heroic first responders and commu- cines to let the drugs’ manufacturers a few dollars here and there, that will and Vanguard Africa said in a joint letter nity health workers. So we need gov- prioritize poorer nations as custom- make a difference’,” Evans said. “Not pop-folk — the hard-to-classify Lake Street Dive of- to Akon shared late Monday. fer top-notch songwriting with progressive lyrics and ernments to start urgently donating ers. only is that methodology not scalable, “Museveni has exploited your meet- those doses.” “This is not ‘Mission Accom- but it’s really just crumbs off the table. one of the most underrated vocalist in music today. ing with him for offi cial propaganda, as Originally formed in 2004 by students attending the plished’,” Evans said. “But there is It’s not going to give anyone a meal. his regime seeks to capitalize on your Vaccines light at the end of the tunnel if we can It’s not going to build any long-term New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, the global prestige to whitewash its image band consists of singer Rachael Price, Mike “Mc- and distract from its most recent wave of The Global Citizen program is ensure that there is equitable distribu- sustainability. We believe in the power Duck” Olson on trumpet and guitar, Bridget Kear- repression,” the letter says, urging him among of a growing web of nonprof- tion of the vaccine.” of ‘collective action’ because we know ney on upright bass and Mike Calabrese on drums. to “explicitly make clear” that he is not its and activists that are seeking to Global Citizen wants the health that we’re trying to change the systems Newest member, keyboardist Akie Bermiss, harmo- endorsing Museveni. achieve wider, more equitable dis- care workers in every country in the that keep people poor.” tribution of COVID-19 vaccines. As world to receive a vaccine by the end nizes beautifully with Price on “Same Old News,” and Museveni’s main opponent in Janu- Also: wrote the beautiful and wistful “Anymore.” ary’s election was the singer known as of this month, Evans said, 60 nations of 2021, a year ahead of current plans. The 11-track “Obviously” follows “Free Yourself Bobi Wine, who has disputed the presi- had still not yet received any COV- “By June, the US government will NEW YORK: Mick Jagger and Dave Up” from 2018, which featured one of the band’s hits, dent’s victory as fraudulent and seeks the ID-19 vaccines. have 45 million doses in excess of their Grohl have teamed up for a hard- “Good Kisser.” This time, “Feels Like the Last Time” international community’s intervention “Low-income countries not only entire population being vaccinated just rock pandemic anthem called “Eazy has a rootsy vibe and “Sarah” is a cappella. over what he regards as a brutal dictator- need this welcome fundraising ef- sitting there in cold storage and ware- Sleazy.” “Nobody’s Stopping You Now” was penned by ship. Museveni, a US ally on regional fort; they need access to COVID-19 houses,” Evans said. “That seems ab- “It’s a song that I wrote about com- security, has asserted that he won fairly. vaccine doses,” Tom Hart, the North solutely insane for something that’s for ing out of lockdown, with some much Price as a letter of encouragement to her teenage There is also growing concern in self and “Know That I Know” is a funky and funny American executive director of an- the common good to be sitting in cold needed optimism,” Jagger said in a Uganda over an unknown number of other nonprofi t, The ONE Campaign, storage.” statement Tuesday. “Thanks to Dave trumpet-led ode to lovers (“You’re Captain Kirk to my opposition supporters allegedly detained Spock/I’m Dee Dee Ramone and you’re punk rock.”) said last month about the overall drive On Tuesday, Global Citizen also Grohl for jumping on drums, bass and without trial by the security forces. A for donations. “The United States has launched its “Vax Because” initia- guitar. It was a lot of fun working with The band’s progressive bent is evident on the femi- group of United Nations experts, who nist “Being a Woman” — “If I complain they’ll blame secured over 550 million excess doses tive to encourage people to get vac- him.” don’t speak for the UN itself, on Tuesday that could be used to help end the glob- cinated when they can. The program The duo recorded the song and video my feelings/But look at the view from my glass ceil- urged Ugandan authorities to “immedi- ing” — “Hush Money,” which assails crooked poli- ately stop the brutal crackdown on its al pandemic faster.” will include advertising developed in different studio locations — Jagger tics, and “Making Do,” which tackles climate change political opponents.” A week later, Gayle Smith, The by The Ad Council, YouTube and at home and Grohl in the Foo Fighters with the lines, “What do I say to my baby girl?/Leav- Akon’s arrival in Uganda earlier this ONE Campaign’s president and CEO, others to spark conversations among studio — and the lyrics mention “pris- ing her with a half a world?” month generated excitement among was selected by the Biden Administra- those who are hesitant about being on walls,” “virtual premieres,” num- “Obviously” was produced by Mike Elizondo, who government offi cials who saw his visit as tion for the new State Department po- vaccinated. bers that are “grim” and Zoom calls. has worked with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Carrie Under- a boon for efforts to attract tourists. The sition of coordinator of global COVID “If people will see their friends and Jagger complains: “I’ve got nothing wood and Fiona Apple. Lake Street Dive have never singer traveled in a military helicopter to response and health security. relatives taking it, they’re far more left to wear.” sounded better, full and clear with every instrument meet Museveni at his rural home in west- Global Citizen, which normally likely to take it,” Evans said. “If people The song also name-checks Bill given a chance to shine in every song. ern Uganda. A second meeting took place focuses on fighting severe poverty, think about what taking the vaccine ac- Gates, lampoons conspiracy theories at Museveni’s ranch in central Uganda. became involved with COVID-19 tually does in terms of reuniting their and those who deny climate change Also: Museveni has said of Akon’s search for vaccines out of what it calls neces- friends and family, they’re far more and gleefully reveals “There’s aliens CHEYENNE, Wyo.: Country music artists including business opportunities that he is “happy to sity. likely to take it.” in the deep state.” Garth Brooks will perform at the fi rst Cheyenne Fron- engage in such a discussion that will uplift “We can’t get back to ending ex- To Evans, Gomez is an ideal host to But there seems to be hope. Jag- tier Days since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. our people and Africa at large.” treme poverty while 150 million press those points to the people who ger looks ahead and sees a “garden of Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Frontier Days But some say Akon’s visit hurt pro- people have been pushed back into needed to hear them the most. earthly delights” when vaccines are democracy efforts in Uganda, and others extreme poverty this year due to the “Selena Gomez is obviously an administered and lockdown ends. offi cials announced this week the rodeo festival will in the country say the square mile of land take place over two weeks in late July like usual after pandemic,” Evans said. “Everything incredible leader in her own right,” “Everything’s gonna get really Uganda is donating to the singer should else is academic until we can get it un- he said. “She has one of the larg- freaky/Alright on the night/Soon it’ll being canceled last year. instead be awarded to local investors Besides Brooks, the night show lineup announced desperate for such an opportunity. der control.” est social followings on the planet, be a memory/You’re trying to remem- Thursday includes Maren Morris, Eric Church, Asked whether he was worried about The advocacy organization last and she also is a true leader among ber to forget.” Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Kane Brown, Ned being accused of collaborating with an LeDoux, Rhett Akins, Aaron Watson, Restless African leader who has spent decades in Road, Ashley McBryde and John King. power, Akon told the local NBS channel The 125th Frontier Days will be dedicated to Chris that “honestly, that just don’t bother me. LeDoux, a Wyoming country music and rodeo star who Clearly democracy just works differently be its new editor-in-chief, making her Journal. died of cancer in 2005 at 56. A bronze statue of LeDoux, in different places, and not every place in the fi rst woman to take that role in the Reuters employs some 2,500 journal- Ned LeDoux’s father, will be dedicated at Frontier Park the world is made for democracy,.” company’s 170-year history. ists in 200 locations around the world. on July 23, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. The singer added that a group of un- The London-based Galloni will re- Part of the larger Thomson Reuters Corp, named investors backing him considered place Stephen Adler, who has been the it competes with other news services like Frontier Days wasn’t held last year for the first newsroom’s leader for the past decade The Associated Press and Bloomberg time in the event’s history — a blow to Cheyenne’s “whatever the people needed. Then it’s our job to support the government to and announced that he will be retiring at News. economy and social scene. Many locals take off the end of the month. Michael Friedenberg, Reuters work to volunteer at the event featuring daily rode- make it happen.” (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ Galloni has been Reuters’ global president, said that Galloni “has driven os, entertainment, a carnival and nightlife crowds. managing editor since 2015, coming to innovation, speed and quality throughout (AP) NEW YORK: The Reuters news service the company two years before that after our newsgathering organization since has promoted Alessandra Galloni to working for 13 years at the Wall Street Akon Galloni becoming global managing editor.” (AP) ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 SPORTS 14 Bruins outlast Sabres in SO in Hall’s debut Rangers blank Devils 3-0

BOSTON, April 14, (AP): Calgary beat first-place Toronto. Juuso Valimaki and Elias Lindholm Charlie Coyle and Jake De- also scored for the Flames. Gaudreau Brusk scored in Boston’s and Lindholm each added an assist, two chances in the shootout and Jacob Markstrom stopped 24 and the Bruins, with new- shots. Calgary won its second straight to pull six points behind Montreal for comer Taylor Hall, re- the fourth and final playoff spot in the bounded for a 3-2 victory North Division. over the Buffalo Sabres. Zach Hyman had a goal and an Craig Smith and David Krejci assist, Alexander Kerfoot also scored scored in regulation for Boston, and John Tavares had two assists for the Maple Leafs, who lead the North which had lost its last two games by three points over Winnipeg. David but improved to 4-2-1 in its last Rittich had 25 saves in his Toronto seven. debut two days after being traded by Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves the Flames. for the Bruins and stopped Buffalo’s Toronto lost for the second straight two shootout attempts. night. Colin Miller and Rasmus Dahlin Panthers 3, Stars 2, OT each had a goal in regulation for the In Dallas, Frank Vatrano scored a Sabres, who had won three of their last power-play goal 3:09 into overtime four. Dustin Tokarski made 32 saves. to lead Florida. Rangers 3, Devils 0 In Newark, N.J., Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves for his first NHL shut- ICE HOCKEY out and New York won the opener of a four-game series. Aleksander Barkov and Radko Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Gudas scored in regulation, and Chris Panarin scored and Adam Fox had Driedger made 24 saves for the assists on both goals as New York Panthers, who snapped a three-game improved to 10-4-3 since March 13. losing streak and matched Tampa Pavel Buchnevich scored into an Bay and Carolina with 58 points atop empty net with 28 seconds to play for the Central Division. the 20,000th goal in Rangers’ fran- Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski chise history. scored, and Anton Khudobin stopped Mackenzie Blackwood had 17 28 shots for the Stars, who are seven saves as the young Devils fell to points out of the division’s last play- 2-7-2 in their last 11. Even the return off spot with 15 games to remaining of captain Nico Hischier from a bro- after playing in last season’s Stanley ken nose that had sidelined him since Cup Final. Feb. 27 didn’t help. Capitals 6, Flyers 1 Flames 3, Maple Leafs 2, OT In Washington, Anthony Mantha United States’ Sophie Smith (2) plays the ball as France’s Grace Kazadi (25) defends during the second half of an international friendly women’s soccer In Toronto, Johnny Gaudreau had a two points in his Washington match between the United States and France in Le Havre, France, on April 13. (AP) scored 36 seconds into overtime and debut, Alex Ovechkin scored the 728th goal of his NHL career and the Capitals got their third consecutive victory. Rapinoe, Morgan score, US women down France Mantha picked up an assist on Tom Wilson’s goal in the first period, then LE HAVRE, France, April 14, (AP): Megan Rapinoe the 19th minute. ing Wendie Renard, Amandine Henry and Dephine showed off his shot in the second for and Alex Morgan scored and the U.S. women’s na- Rapinoe scored twice against the French in a 2-1 Cascario, because of a coronavirus outbreak on that his 12th of the season. Conor Sheary, tional team beat France 2-0 in an exhibition. quarterfi nal victory at the 2019 World Cup, and the trio’s club team, Lyon. Nicklas Backstrom and Carl Hagelin The United States extended its unbeaten streak to The Americans were coming off a 1-1 draw against scored the other goals. Sheary added 39 games, dating to January 2019 when the Ameri- Sweden on Saturday in Stockholm that snapped a two assists for a three-point game. Ilya cans fell to France 3-1. SOCCER 16-game winning streak. The United States, the top- Samsonov made 29 saves for his 10th Rapinoe scored on a penalty kick in the fi fth ranked team in the world, is preparing for the Olym- victory of the season. minute. She leads the team with seven goals in seven United States went on to win its second straight title in pics in Tokyo. Sean Couturier scored matches this year. the tournament. France had not lost a match since then. France beat England 3-1 on Friday. The third- Philadelphia’s only goal, Brian Morgan made it 2-0 with her 109th career goal in France was missing some of its top players, includ- ranked French did not qualify for the Olympics. Elliott allowed six goals on 32 shots and the Flyers lost for the sixth time a goal and an assist, and Tanner in eight games. Kohli’s stint as world’s leading ODI batsman ends Predators 7, Lightning 2 Jeannot and Mikael Granlund also In Nashville, Tennessee, Roman scored. Ryan Johansen had two Josi had a goal and an assist in assists as Nashville salvaged a 2-6 Nashville’s three-goal first period as mark in the season series. Mumbai pulls off 10-run win against Kolkata Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (71) the Predators got their fifth win in six Juuse Saros made 21 saves and CHENNAI, India, April 14, (AP): tangles with Buffalo Sabres defense- games. improved to 9-2-0 in his last 11 starts. Reigning champion Mumbai Indians man Rasmus Ristolainen (55) dur- Brayden Point had a power-play Josi also had an assist in the third. pulled off a 10-run win against Kol- ing the first period of an NHL hockey goal and Yanni Gourde also scored Viktor Arvidsson scored two goals kata Knight Riders for their fi rst points Grand Prix timetable altered game, on April 13, in Boston. (AP) and an assist, Rocco Grimaldi added for Tampa Bay. in the Indian Premier League. Kolkata was well placed at 122-4 at due to Prince Philip’s funeral the end of 15th over to overhaul 153- NHL Results/Standings run target before Mumbai roared back IMOLA, Italy, April 14, (AP): For- Qualifying will now start at 2 p.m. through its spinners and pace to restrict mula One brought forward the start local time (1200 GMT), one hour Kolkata at 142-7. of practice and qualifying sessions earlier than previously scheduled, WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): Results and standings from the NHL games on Tuesday. Left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya for this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna and two hours before the start of gave away only four runs off his last NY Rangers 3 New Jersey 0 Calgary 3 Toronto OT 2 Grand Prix to avoid a clash with the the Royal service. Washington 6 Philadelphia 1 Nashville 7 Tampa Bay 2 two overs before Trent Boult chipped funeral of Britain’s Prince Philip. As a result, the Saturday morn- Boston 3 Buffalo SO 2 Florida 3 Dallas OT 2 in with two wickets off the fi nal six Philip, who had been married to ing third practice session at Imola East Division West Division balls which went for only four runs. Queen Elizabeth II for more than has also been moved forward an GP W L OT Pts GF GA GP W L OT Pts GF GA seven decades, died last week at hour to comply with F1 regulations Washington 43 28 11 4 60 152 127 Colorado 42 29 9 4 62 150 98 99. His funeral will take place at to provide a two-hour gap between NY Islanders 42 27 11 4 58 125 98 Vegas 41 28 11 2 58 132 94 CRICKET Pittsburgh 42 27 13 2 56 146 118 Minnesota 40 24 13 3 51 119 109 Windsor Castle in England on Sat- FP3 and qualifying. The practice Boston 40 22 12 6 50 112 106 St Louis 41 19 16 6 44 119 128 urday at 3 p.m. local time (1400 sessions on Friday have been NY Rangers 42 20 16 6 46 136 112 Arizona 43 19 19 5 43 116 134 Earlier, after being sent in to bat, GMT). brought forward by 30 minutes. Philadelphia 42 19 17 6 44 123 154 San Jose 41 18 19 4 40 113 137 New Jersey 41 14 21 6 34 103 135 Los Angeles 41 16 19 6 38 112 121 Andre Russell’s (5-15) maiden fi ve- Multiple other sports events have There will also be a minute’s si- Buffalo 42 10 25 7 27 100 147 Anaheim 43 13 23 7 33 97 137 wicket haul in Twenty20 bowled out been altered and F1 on Tuesday lence before qualifying. No change Central Division North Division Mumbai for 152. outlined the schedule changes at has been made to the start of the GP W L OT Pts GF GA GP W L OT Pts GF GA Suryakumar Yadav (56) and captain Imola “as a mark of respect for the Sunday’s race, which is the second Carolina 41 27 10 4 58 133 102 Toronto 43 28 11 4 60 143 112 Tampa Bay 42 28 12 2 58 143 108 Winnipeg 42 25 14 3 53 136 113 Sharma (43) added 76 runs for the sec- Royal funeral.” of the season. Florida 43 27 12 4 58 136 117 Edmonton 42 25 15 2 52 134 120 ond-wicket stand but Yadav’s dismissal Nashville 44 24 19 1 49 119 123 Montreal 39 18 12 9 45 122 110 in the 11th over saw Mumbai struggle Sharma cleaned bowled off a slower the one-day format is over. Chicago 43 20 18 5 45 122 135 Calgary 42 18 21 3 39 111 126 for runs in the latter half of the innings. Dallas 41 15 14 12 42 113 107 Vancouver 37 16 18 3 35 100 120 delivery in the 16th over before Rus- The India captain was fi nally over- Columbus 44 15 20 9 39 112 145 Ottawa 43 14 25 4 32 116 161 Bangladesh’s seasoned spinner Detroit 44 15 23 6 36 99 140 Shakib Al Hasan had Yadav’s 36-ball sell picked up all his fi ve wickets off a hauled in the ODI player rankings after Note: Two points for a win one point for overtime loss. The top four teams in each division will qualify for playoffs under this knock ended as the batsman skied a short two-over spell. 1,258 days at the summit, with Paki- season’s temporary realignment. catch to long on after hitting seven Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s 41-month stan captain Babar Azam becoming the fours and two sixes. Pat Cummins had reign as cricket’s leading batsman in new No. 1 on Wednesday. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 SPORTS 15

Australian Olympians prepare for a Tokyo Games like no other 100 Days: Tokyo Olympics marked by footnotes and asterisks TOKYO, April 14, (AP): Tokyo pitched itself as “a safe pair of hands” when it was awarded the Olympics 7 1/2 years ago. “The certainty was a crucial factor,” Craig Reedie, an IOC vice president at the time, said after the 2013 vote in Buenos Aires. Now, nothing is certain as Tokyo’s postponed Olympics hit the 100-days- to-go mark on Wednesday. Despite surging cases of COVID-19, myriad scandals and overwhelming public op- position in Japan to holding the Games, organizers and the IOC are pushing on. Tokyo’s 1964 Olympics celebrated Japan’s rapid recovery from defeat in World War II. These Olympics will be marked by footnotes and asterisks. The athletes will aim high, of course, but the goals elsewhere will be modest: get through it, avoid becoming a super- spreader event, and stoke some nation- al pride knowing few other countries could have pulled this off. “The government is very conscious of how ‘the world’ views Japan,” Dr. Gill Steel, who teaches political sci- ence at Doshisha University in Kyoto, wrote in an email. “Canceling the Olympics would have been seen, at some level, as a public failure on the international stage.” The price will be steep when the Olympics open on July 23. The offi cial cost is $15.4 billion. Olympic spending is tough to track, but several government audits suggest it might be twice that much, and all but $6.7 billion is public money. OLYMPICS

The Switzerland-based IOC gener- ates 91% of its income from selling broadcast rights and sponsorship. This amounts to at least $5 billion in a four- year cycle, but the revenue fl ow from From left, Japan Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee Vice-president Toshiaki Endo, Ryoichi Ishikawa, Tokyo Met- networks like American-based NBC ropolitan Assembly president, and Kunihiko Koyama, chairperson of special committee on measures to promote The Olympic and Paralympic Games of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, pose has been stalled by the postponement. with the unveiled statues of Miraitowa, (left), and Someity, official mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, to mark 100 days before the start of the Olympic Games at the Tokyo What does Tokyo get out of the 17- Metropolitan Government building, on April 14, in Tokyo. (AP) day sports circus? Fans from abroad are banned, tour- ism is out, and there’ll be no room for MLB Results/Standings neighborhood partying. Athletes are being told to arrive late, leave early and maneuver around a moving maze of rules. WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): Re- Red Sox top Twins, extend There are also reputational costs for sults and standings from the MLB Japan and the International Olympic games on Tuesday. Boston 4 Minnesota 2 Committee: a bribery scandal, botched Seattle 4 Baltimore (8 inns 1st game) 3 planning, and repeated misogyny in Oakland 7 Arizona 5 the Tokyo Olympic leadership. Baltimore 7 Seattle (7 inns 2nd game) 6 The IOC is betting Tokyo will be a Texas 8 Tampa Bay 3 Toronto 7 NY Yankees 3 distraction - “the light at the end of the Kansas City 3 LA Angels 2 win streak to seven games pandemic tunnel”- as the closing cer- Cleveland 2 Chic. Wht. Sox (10 inns) 0 emony comes just six months before Detroit 8 Houston 2 NY Mets 4 Philadelphia (8 inns 1st game) 3 the opening of the boycott-threatened NY Mets 4 Philadelphia (7 inns 2nd game) 0 Beijing Winter Olympics. Pittsburgh 8 San Diego 4 Betts, Bauer shine as Dodgers crush Rockies 7-0 Various polls suggest up to 80% of Chicago Cubs 3 Milwaukee 2 Japanese want the Olympics canceled St Louis 14 Washington 3 Miami 14 Atlanta 8 Ryu (1-1) allowed only an unearned With the Mets down a run, Alonso or postponed. And many scientists are MINNEAPOLIS, April 14, San Francisco 7 Cincinnati 6 run over 6 2/3 innings, striking out opened the bottom of the eighth with opposed. LA Dodgers 7 Colorado 0 (AP): Rafael Devers hom- American League seven and limiting the Yankees to four a sharp single off Héctor Neris (0-1) “It is best to not hold the Olym- ered for the fourth straight that scored placement runner Fran- pics given the considerable risks,” Dr. East Division hits and a walk. W L Pct GB game and the streaking Bos- Yankees center fi elder Aaron Hicks cisco Lindor from second. It was New Norio Sugaya, an infectious diseases Boston 7 3 .700 _ York’s fi rst hit since the second inning. expert at Keiyu Hospital in Yokohama, Baltimore 5 6 .455 2-1/2 ton Red Sox beat the Minne- was back in the lineup and went 3 for told The Associated Press. New York 5 6 .455 2-1/2 4 after getting permission from man- Mets 4, Phillies 0 Tampa Bay 5 6 .455 2-1/2 sota Twins 4-2 on a snowy in Japan’s vaccine rollout has been Toronto 5 6 .455 2-1/2 ager Aaron Boone to sit out Monday’s 2nd Game almost nonexistent, few will get shots Central Division a series opener moved back game following the police shooting of In New York, back on the mound before the Olympics open, and Tokyo W L Pct GB following the fatal police a Black man, Daunte Wright, in Min- two days after an abbreviated start, Cleveland 6 4 .600 _ Marcus Stroman tossed six spotless in- has raised its “alert level” with an- Kansas City 5 4 .556 -1/2 shooting of a Black man in a nesota. other wave predicted about the time Minnesota 5 5 .500 1 nings and New York swept its double- of the opening ceremony. About 9,500 Chicago 5 6 .455 1-1/2 nearby suburb. Mariners 4, Orioles 3 header against Philadelphia. deaths in Japan have been attributed to Detroit 5 6 .455 1-1/2 Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer 8 Innings, 1st Game Brandon Nimmo had three hits West Division In Baltimore, Kyle Seager hit an COVID-19, good by global measures W L Pct GB and Bobby Dalbec added a pair and three RBIs from the leadoff spot. but poor by standards in Asia. Los Angeles 7 4 .636 _ of RBI doubles as Boston won its RBI double in the eighth and Seattle Jonathan Villar followed up his game- And what’s the impact of 15,400 Houston 6 5 .545 1 won its third extra-inning game in as winning single in the opener with a Seattle 6 5 .545 1 seventh in a row after losing its Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Hi- Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Oakland 5 7 .417 2-1/2 many tries this season, beating Bal- run-scoring double, and Stroman (2-0) more than 200 countries and territories Texas 4 7 .364 3 first three games of the season. rokazu Sawamura (19) throws timore in the fi rst game of a double- outpitched Phillies ace Aaron Nola. Monday’s game was postponed due entering Japan, joined by tens of thou- National League against the Minnesota Twins dur- header. Stroman’s outing Sunday against East Division to safety and sensitivity concerns in ing the seventh inning of a baseball Miami lasted only nine pitches because sands of offi cials, judges, media, and W L Pct GB Seager, who has reached base in broadcasters? the Twin Cities after the police shoot- game, on April 13, in Minneapolis. the game was suspended due to rain. New York 4 3 .571 _ ing a day earlier of Daunte Wright (AP) nine of his last 10 plate appearances, “The risks are high in Japan. Japan Philadelphia 6 5 .545 _ laced a one-out double to center off Rangers 8, Rays 3 is dangerous, not a safe place at all,” Miami 4 6 .400 1-1/2 during a traffi c stop. The Twins held a Atlanta 4 7 .364 2 Tanner Scott (0-1). That scored Mitch In St. Petersburg, Florida, Nick So- Sugaya said. moment of silence for Wright prior to nights. Mike Moustakas then added his Washington 2 6 .250 2-1/2 two-run homer, sending the drive into Haniger, who opened the extra frame lak and Charlie Culberson drove in The heavily sponsored torch relay Central Division Tuesday’s game. Snow fl urries fell for most of the the water of McCovey Cove beyond as the automatic runner on second three runs apiece, Kyle Gibson pitched with 10,000 runners crisscrossing Japan W L Pct GB seven strong innings and Texas beat also presents hazards. Legs scheduled for Cincinnati 7 4 .636 _ game and it was 33 degrees for the fi rst the right fi eld arcade to give Cincin- base. Milwaukee 6 5 .545 1 pitch. That made for the third-coldest nati a splash-hit homer for the second Tampa Bay to end a season-high four- Osaka this week were pulled from the St Louis 6 5 .545 1 Orioles 7, Mariners 6 start at Target Field, the record being straight game. game losing streak. streets because of surging COVID-19 Chicago 5 6 .455 2 2nd game Solak delivered the biggest blow in cases and relocated into a city park - with Pittsburgh 4 7 .364 3 27 degrees on April 7, 2018. Indians 2, White Sox 0 West Division In Baltimore, Ramón Urías hit a a four-run fourth-inning against Ryan no fans allowed. Other legs across Japan W L Pct GB Dodgers 7, Rockies 0 In Chicago, AL Cy Young Award game-ending single with two outs in Yarbrough (0-2), a double down the are also sure to be disrupted. Los Angeles 9 2 .818 _ In Los Angeles, Mookie Betts hom- winner Shane Bieber pitched three- the seventh inning and Baltimore split left-fi eld line that cleared the bases. San Diego 8 4 .667 1-1/2 hit ball over nine innings while Lucas The IOC and Japanese politicians ered and Trevor Bauer pitched seven a doubleheader with mistake-prone decided a year ago to postpone but not San Francisco 7 4 .636 2 Giolito nearly matched him before Athletics 7, Diamondbacks 5 Arizona 4 8 .333 5-1/2 innings of one-hit ball in both veter- Seattle. cancel the Olympics, driven by iner- Colorado 3 8 .273 6 ans’ fi rst home game in front of their Cleveland broke through in the 10th to In Phoenix, Jed Lowrie hit a tying, César Valdez (1-0) pitched a score- tia and the clout of Japanese ad giant new fans, propelling Los Angeles over beat Chicago. three-run homer in the seventh inning, Dentsu Inc., which has lined up a re- Bieber (1-1) struck out 11 and has less seventh for Baltimore, which had Seth Brown had a solo shot in the next a year after coronavirus travel restric- Colorado. cord of $3.5 billion in local sponsor- Corey Seager and Chris Taylor hit fanned 35 in his fi rst three starts of the lost four in a row and six of seven. Se- frame and Oakland rallied from a fi ve- ship - probably three times more than tions made it impossible to hold them season for the second straight year. attle’s three-game winning streak was run defi cit to beat Arizona. in 2020. “We are doing everything in back-to-back homers in the fi rst inning, any previous Olympics. while Max Muncy homered and drove Giolito also allowed only three hits halted. Arizona’s bullpen was sharp before our power to get the team to and from and fanned eight. He was pulled after unraveling in the seventh inning. Also: the games safely and, of course, to give in two runs for the defending World Series champions. The major league- issuing his second walk to begin the Mark Canha made it 5-2 win an SYDNEY: Australian athletes are prepar- them every opportunity to perform at eighth inning. BASEBALL RBI single and Lowrie followed with their best when that moment comes,” leading Dodgers (9-2) remained un- ing for a games like no other before them beaten in Chavez Ravine this season a three-run homer off Kevin Ginkel. when the Tokyo Olympics start on July Chesterman added. Cubs 3, Brewers 2 Brown led off the eighth with his With only a one-hour time differ- with another dominant performance in In Milwaukee, Willson Contreras Mets 4, Phillies 3 23 - 100 days from Wednesday. their ninth victory in 10 games. homer off Anthony Swarzak (0-1) and Among other pandemic-forced re- ence between Tokyo and the east coast struck back after getting plunked again 8 Innings, 1st Game Matt Chapman’s run-scoring triple off strictions in Tokyo, Olympians won’t of Australia, the Australian Olympic Marlins 14, Braves 8 by Milwaukee, hitting a two-run hom- In New York, Pete Alonso and Jona- the wall in the ninth made it 7-5. Committee said Wednesday it would In Atlanta, Adam Duvall drove in er in the eighth inning and enjoying his have family or friends watching them than Villar each hit an RBI single in Pirates 8, Padres 4 live in Japan, they will arrive and have a national series of live sites seven runs against his former team- trip around the bases as Chicago ral- lied. the eighth inning to give New York the In Pittsburgh, Jacob Stallings had leave within days of their competition during the games. They include The mates with four hits, including two win over Philadelphia in the fi rst game home runs, and Miami beat Max Fried Contreras, who has already been hit three hits and three RBIs, and Pitts- and their movement outside the Olym- Rocks in Sydney, the former 2000 of their doubleheader. Olympic site in western Sydney and and Atlanta. by a pitch from the Brewers three times burgh chased Blake Snell in the fi rst pic Village will be limited. Dominic Smith socked an early two- “They know that these will be a really other live sites in capital cities. Duvall’s two-run double during a this season, got his revenge when he inning before beating San Diego. different games, and not having family Meanwhile, Conn Findlay, a four- four-run fourth inning gave Miami the hit a towering drive to left-center off run homer for the Mets, who took the The game lasted 4 hours, 7 minutes, and friends there is certainly a disappoint- time Olympic medalist in the sports lead. He hit his fi rst homer of the game Brent Suter (0-1). opener of a four-game series between and included 17 walks, seven hit bat- ment for many,” Australian chef de mis- of rowing and sailing and a member in the third inning and added a three- Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff NL East rivals in extra innings. ters and 27 runners left on base. sion Ian Chesterman said Wednesday. of two winning America’s Cup crews, run shot in the seventh. Duvall tied a hit Contreras in the fourth inning. Stallings hit a two-run double off the The Tokyo Games were delayed by has died. He was 90. Marlins record by becoming the sixth When Woodruff was at the plate in the top of the left-fi eld fence in the fi rst in- player to drive in seven. fi fth inning, Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera ning, then added an RBI single in the threw behind him. Woodruff and Te- second. Giants 7, Reds 6 pera exchanged words afterward. San Diego had its four-game win- In San Francisco, Wilmer Flores’ Tigers 8, Astros 2 ning streak end as Snell retired just two tiebreaking sacrifi ce fl y in the seventh of the eight batters he faced. held up in a strange, back-and-forth In Houston, Wilson Ramos hit two game that featured four two-run hom- home runs and Renato Núñez and Cardinals 14, Nationals 3 ers in the fi rst inning alone, and San rookie Akil Baddoo each homered for In St. Louis, Nolan Arenado, Paul Francisco beat Cincinnati. the second straight game as Detroit Goldschmidt and Matt Carpenter all Austin Slater put the Giants ahead slugged its way to a second straight homered off Stephen Strasburg and St. on an RBI triple in the sixth follow- win over Houston. Louis hammered Washington. ing three home runs by San Francisco. Nomar Mazara also homered to Jack Flaherty (2-0) allowed one run That lead didn’t last: Giants shortstop give the Tigers a season-high fi ve long on three hits with six strikeouts in fi ve Brandon Crawford and second base- balls. innings as St. Louis snapped a three- man Tommy La Stella collided trying The Tigers spoiled the Astros debut game losing streak. to chase down pinch-hitter Alex Blan- of Jake Odorizzi (0-1). Detroit tagged Royals 3, Angels 2 dino’s fl y in shallow center in the sev- him for seven hits and fi ve runs, in- In Kansas City, Mo., Catcher Sal- cluding three homers, in 3 1/3 innings enth, and the ball fell to the grass for a Los Angeles Dodgers’ Corey Sea- vador Perez picked David Fletcher off single as the Reds scored the tying run to hand the Astros their fourth consec- third with the bases loaded for the fi nal utive loss after a 6-1 start. ger, (left), hits a solo home run as to make it 6-6. Colorado Rockies catcher Elias out in the ninth inning, helping Kansas The teams were tied at 4 after the Blue Jays 7, Yankees 3 Diaz, (right), watches along with City beat Shohei Ohtani and Los An- fi rst inning on a pair of two-run hom- In Dunedin, Florida, Hyun Jin Ryu home plate umpire Tom Hallion geles. Australian Olympians Edward Fernon, modern pentathlon, and slalom ca- ers by each club. Joey Votto connected cruised into the seventh inning, Mar- during the first inning of a baseball Danny Duffy pitched one-run ball noeist Jess Fox stand by a sign at a ceremony to mark 100 days before the off former Reds right-hander Kevin cus Semien and Rowdy Tellez hom- game, on April 13, in Los Angeles. over six innings, and Perez had two start of the Tokyo Olympics in Sydney, on April 14. (AP) Gausman for his second homer in two ered, and Toronto beat New York. (AP) hits and an RBI. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 16

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez deliv- ers in the second inning of the team’s baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta. Marlins won 14-8. (AP) - See Page 15 Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Jazz deal Thunder 7th straight loss Nets blow out PSG & Chelsea ‘reach’ Timberwolves Champs League semis MINNEAPOLIS, April 14, (AP): The All-Star teammate Kawhi Leonard, show in Minnesota went on, the day who sat out with a sore right foot. after raw emotion from a fatal police Indiana was led by Malcolm Brog- shooting of a local Black man was too don’s 29 points. Caris LeVert scored strong to play. 26 as the Pacers snapped a three-game Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn losing streak. Nets made quick work of the Timber- It sure didn’t look as if the game wolves, even if focus was harder to would be lopsided after a topsy-turvy come by than usual. fi rst half, which included a 15-point Durant scored 31 points on 11-for- fi rst quarter from George amid a cho- 15 shooting in his most productive rus of boos as the Clippers led 67-65. performance in 2-1/2 months, as the And Los Angeles still was clinging to Brooklyn Nets blew out the Minnesota a 100-97 cushion after an equally en- Timberwolves 127-97 on Tuesday af- tertaining third quarter. ternoon. But George made two of the fi rst The game was rescheduled from the three baskets in the fourth quarter to previous night, out of sensitivity to the spur 8-0 run and Indiana never recov- community following the traffi c-stop ered. Eventually, the Clippers pulled death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. away. Players from both teams wore black Lakers 101, Hornets 93 warmup shirts that read, “With liberty In Charlotte, NC, Kyle Kuzma and justice for all,” with the last two scored 24 points, and the Los Ange- words in all-caps for extra emphasis, les Lakers held and a moment of silence was held be- on for a 101-93 fore tip-off. win against a Anthony Edwards had 27 points and Charlotte Hor- eight rebounds for the Timberwolves, nets team miss- who played without Karl-Anthony ing fi ve of its top six scorers. Dennis BASKETBALL Schroder added 19 points and Towns on the one-year anniversary of Andre Drum- his mother’s death from COVID-19 mond chipped complications. Towns chose to sit out Tatum in with 12 re- and spend the time with his family. bounds for the Lakers, who closed Joe Harris pitched in 23 points for out a seven-game road trip with a 4-3 the Nets, who had 31 assists on 46 record to remain in fi fth place in the made baskets. Missing James Harden Western Conference. (strained hamstring), Kyrie Irving Devonte Graham led the Hornets (personal reasons) and LaMarcus with 19 points. Caleb Martin had 17 Aldridge (non-COVID-19 illness), the points and 10 rebounds. Nets were in command from the jump The Lakers held the Hornets to PSG’s Neymar (left), and Bayern’s Lucas Hernandez challenge for the ball during the Champions League, second leg, quarterfi nal soccer match between and ahead by 23 points before the mid- 43.4% shooting overall and 25.7% point of the second quarter. They built from 3-point range. Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes stadium, in Paris, France. (AP) their lead as big as 45 points early in The game was largely a battle of the fourth quarter. backups, with the Hornets missing With Harden, Irving and Aldridge four starters due to injury and the Lak- Bayern pay the price for wastefulness without Lewandowski all out, Nash put Chris Chiozza and ers three. Nicolas Claxton in the starting lineup Charlotte was missing more than PARIS, April 14, (AP): Af- meters out. for the fi rst time, the 17th and 18th 72% of its scoring with Terry Rozier A beautiful goal - arguably the best different players to appear in the fi rst and P.J. Washington joining LaMelo ter Neymar missed several in the Champions League this season - fi ve for the Nets in just 54 games this Ball, Gordon Hayward and Malik chances to fi nish off defend- to settle an ugly match. season. They have used 32 different Monk on the bench. The Lakers, who combinations. ing champions Bayern Mu- It wasn’t enough for Porto. are still without All-Stars LeBron Chelsea qualifi ed for the semifi nals Clippers 126 ,Pacers115 James and Anthony Davis, were miss- nich, Paris Saint-Germain In Indianapolis, Paul George Con- for the fi rst time since 2014 despite a ing Markieff Morris due to a sprained were left clinging to a 1-0 1-0 loss to the Portuguese champions , tinued to dominate his former team by left ankle. scoring 36 points on Tuesday night, home defeat that neverthe- the English team going through 2-1 on Jazz 106, Thunder 96 aggregate. leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a In Salt Lake City, Bojan Bogdanovic less sealed the French club’s 126-115 victory at Indiana. Aside from Taremi’s stunning, acro- scored 23 points and Donovan Mitch- second straight Champions batic effort in the fourth minute of sec- The Clippers have won six straight ell added 22 as the Utah Jazz beat the and 12 of 14 overall. League semifi nal. ond-half stoppage time, Chelsea suc- George also had seven rebounds and struggling Oklahoma City Thunder Bayern had to score twice after cessfully stifl ed Porto in what proved 106-96 . to be something of an arm-wrestle eight assists while improving to 4-0 losing 3-2 in Germany in the fi rst at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since be- Bogdanovic, who scored a season- and was happy to rely on the away high 33 points in his last game, left his leg of their quarterfi nal and survived goals scored by Mason Mount and Ben ing traded by the Pacers to Oklahoma several scares from livewire Ney- City in July 2017. He has topped the familiar spot on the perimeter and re- Chilwell in the fi rst leg, which was also 30-point mark in each of the Clippers’ peatedly took the ball to the basket. He mar in the fi rst half before largely played in Seville because of coronavi- last four games, the last two without fi nished with a season-high 10-for-10 taking control in the second. rus restrictions. shooting from the free throw line. But without the prolifi c Robert Le- It wasn’t pretty but Chelsea manager In pain, Bogdanovic held his right wandowski, the six-time champions Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger, (top left), jumps for the ball with Porto’s Me- Thomas Tuchel didn’t care. wrist after getting knocked to the fl oor lacked a cutting edge and could not add hdi Taremi, (right), during the Champions League quarter fi nal second leg “I can imagine that both games were in the third quarter. Surgery on that to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s fi rst- soccer match between Chelsea and Porto at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan not the nicest games to watch on the wrist ended his season before the bub- half goal against his former club. Stadium, in Seville, Spain. (AP) television for spectators who look for ble last season. But, Bogdanovic kept entertainment,” Tuchel said. “I can to- After losing 1-0 to Bayern in last navirus. In fact, Flick couldn’t even fi ll front of goal, but Neuer spread himself playing and was a key to Utah’s 66-38 year’s fi nal, PSG stand one step away tally accept that, but it’s very hard to scoring advantage in the second and his substitute’s bench. brilliantly to save with his legs, then play your best game against Porto. from the second fi nal of its 51-year his- Still, PSG were not at full strength, Germany’s No. 1 denied the Brazilian third quarters. tory and remain on course to win it for “Part of a performance is not letting Suns 106, Heat 86 either. Defender Marquinhos had an ad- again at the near post. your opponent perform. This is what the fi rst time. ductor problem, while midfi eld schem- Neuer was well beaten in the 37th In Phoenix, Deandre Ayton had Neymar had three shots saved by they do and this is what we do also. To- 19 points and 13 rebounds and the er Marco Verratti stayed on the bench but Neymar’s curler smacked off the day was the day to hang in.” The nig- goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and hit the after recovering from COVID-19. bar, then his low shot crashed off the Phoenix Suns got 65 points from their woodwork twice in an eventful fi rst half gly nature of the quarterfi nal extended bench on the way to a 106-86 victory Early into the game, Kylian Mbappe base of the post two minutes later. to the sidelines, with Tuchel and Sér- that tilted Bayern’s way when Choupo- shot wide from the right and Neuer The sucker punch came when over the Miami Heat. Moting headed home in the 40 minute. Cam Payne banked a layup high off saved Neymar’s close-range shot fol- Coman charged down the left and the Bayern’s wingers were a constant lowing a scramble. ball broke to David Alaba, whose shot SOCCER the glass with less than a second left menace and PSG’s defenders were re- to give the Suns an 83-72 lead head- Bayern’s main threat came from was saved by Navas. The ball looped lieved to see standout goalkeeper Key- Kingsley Coman’s probing runs down up near the line and Choupo-Moting ing into the fourth. It was part of a big lor Navas stretch his right hand to keep gio Conceição exchanging words at night for the Suns’ reserves, which the left fl ank and the silky Sane cutting rose above Presnel Kimpembe to nod the fi nal whistle and the Porto coach out Leroy Sane’s dangerous cross deep inside from the right fl ank. in from close range. was the biggest reason they were able into injury time at Parc des Princes. showing his frustration by cutting short to slowly pull away from the Heat in After an even 30 minutes, a frantic After Bayern started the second half his post-match news conference after That was Bayern’s last chance on a 15-minute spell saw a fl urry of chances. with authority, PSG had another chance the second half. night when the usually so prolifi c Ger- questions about the confrontation. Four bench players scored in dou- Sane curled a shot wide and mid- when Angel Di Maria’s pass across the man side paid the price for their waste- fi elder Joshua Kimmich thumped an Tuchel shrugged it off. He has big- Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic, ble fi gures, including Cam Johnson mouth of goal somehow eluded Ney- ger concerns, fi rstly an FA Cup semi- (right), shoots as Oklahoma City Thun- fulness without Lewandowski. effort past the post moments later. mar in the 54th. (15 points), Payne (14), Torrey Craig Injury-hit Bayern were also missing Mbappe was a menace for PSG on fi nal match against Manchester City der forward Darius Bazley (7) defends (14) and Dario Saric (13). That offset a At the other end, Thomas Mueller on Saturday and then a second straight during the first half of an NBA basket- midfi elder Leon Goretzka, as well as breaks, as he was in the fi rst leg when ghosted around the back of defense but fairly quiet night for the Suns’ All-Star winger Serge Gnabry because of coro- he scored twice. He set up Neymar in Champions League semifi nal on a per- ball game in Salt Lake City. (AP) backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Kimpembe read it. Bayern had to get a sonal basis. Last year, he was at this Paul. second goal, and it almost came in the stage with Paris Saint-Germain and ad- Celtics 116, Trail Blazers 115 NBA Results/Standings 70th when Coman’s header across goal vanced to the fi nal, where his team lost In Portland, Ore, Jayson Tatum was cleared by Leandro Paredes. to Bayern Munich. scored 32 points, including a key With Bayern pushing more players Tuchel doesn’t have the star quality 3-pointer in the fi nal moments, and the forward, Neymar played Mbappe clean of PSG at his disposal at Chelsea, just Boston Celtics held off the Portland WASHINGTON, April 14, (AP): NBA results and standings on Tuesday. through and he fi nished superbly - but a young, hard-working squad which is Trail Blazers 116-115 to extend their Brooklyn 127 Minnesota 97 Utah 106 Oklahoma City 96 Jerome Boateng had cleverly read the outperforming expectations - albeit de- winning streak to four straight games. Atlanta 108 Toronto 103 Phoenix 106 Miami 86 pass and stepped forward just in time to spite a spending spree of around $300 LA Clippers 126 Indiana 115 Boston 116 Portland 115 play Mbappe offside. Jaylen Brown added 24 points LA Lakers 101 Charlotte 93 million in the last offseason. and Kemba Walker had 21 for Bos- By now, gaps were appearing eve- “We take it like an adventure,” he Eastern Conference Western Conference ton, winners of six of their last seven Atlantic Division Southwest Division rywhere and the elusive Sane’s cross said. “It’s a big step to be in a semi- games. W L Pct GB W L Pct GB fi zzed past everyone and rolled wide in fi nal for them. This is a very, very big Damian Lillard had 28 points and 10 Philadelphia 37 17 .685 - Dallas 29 24 .547 - the 83rd. achievement. Brooklyn 37 17 .685 - Memphis 27 25 .519 1-1/2 With seconds left, PSG’s bench assists, and Carmelo Anthony had 25 Boston 29 26 .527 8-1/2 San Antonio 26 26 .500 2-1/2 “You see the last time Chelsea has points off the bench for Portland. New York 28 27 .509 9-1/2 New Orleans 25 29 .463 4-1/2 watched in agony as Sane got into been in a semifi nal, so we are not used Hawks 107, Raptors 103 Toronto 21 34 .382 16-1/2 Houston 14 40 .259 15-1/2 space again. to being there ... We need every minute In Tampa, Fla, Bogdan Bogdanovic Southeast Division Northwest Division But this was a night where Bayern’s to learn, to grow. You cannot improve W L Pct GB W L Pct GB danger didn’t translate into goals. scored 23 points, Clint Capela added Atlanta 30 25 .545 - Utah 41 14 .745 - without these experiences.” Under 19 points and 21 rebounds, and the At- Miami 28 26 .519 1-1/2 Denver 34 20 .630 6-1/2 The damage was ultimately done Tuchel, who replaced the fi red Frank lanta Hawks beat the Toronto Raptors Charlotte 27 26 .509 2 Portland 31 23 .574 9-1/2 two weeks ago when Bayern lost de- Lampard in January, Chelsea have 107-103 for their seventh win in eight Washington 20 33 .377 9 Oklahoma City20 34 .370 20-1/2 spite having 12 shots on target, and only conceded one goal in four knock- Orlando 17 37 .315 12-1/2 Minnesota 14 41 .255 27 games. Central Division Pacifi c Division PSG showed Flick’s side how to be out matches, having nullifi ed Atlético Kevin Huerter had 14 of his 17 W L Pct GB W L Pct GB clinical. Madrid in the last 16. While he has Los Angeles Clippers’ Ivica Zubac points in the fi rst half for Atlanta, and Milwaukee 33 20 .623 - Phoenix 39 15 .722 - The cross from the right was curl- largely sorted out the team’s defense, (40) dunks over Indiana Pacers’ Brandon Goodwin added 18 points. Indiana 25 28 .472 8 LA Clippers 38 18 .679 2 ing away from goal at shoulder height Chelsea’s attack is still a work in pro- Chicago 22 31 .415 11 LA Lakers 34 21 .618 5-1/2 Domantas Sabonis (11) during the Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with Cleveland 19 34 .358 14 Golden State 26 28 .481 13 when Mehdi Taremi took off, connect- gress and will likely need to improve if first half of an NBA basketball game 30 points and rookie Malachi Flynn Detroit 16 38 .296 17-1/2 Sacramento 22 32 .407 17 ing with a spectacular scissor kick that it is to win the competition for a second in Indianapolis. (AP) scored 22. sent the ball into the top corner from 12 time, after 2012.

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