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THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 / RAMADAN 17, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17676 16 PAGES 150 FILS ‘CANNOT ADVANCE WITH PRESENCE OF EXTREMIST THOUGHT’ Saudi Crown Prince defends

In this Feb 20, 2021 file photo, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wears a face mask to help curb the austerity steps, liberalization spread of the coronavirus as he at- tends the Saudi Cup award ceremony during the final race of the $20 million, the Saudi Cup, at King Abdul Aziz race Prince Mohammed voices hope for good relations with Iran track in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP)

RIYADH, April 28, (AP): Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pressed hopes for good relations with rival Iran and said that Saudi Arabia and the stc reports KD 69.8mn laid out a vigorous defense of his domestic policies and the think- Biden administration in Washington were in agreement on most issues of mutual ing behind his push to transform Saudi Arabia economically and concern. The bulk of the interview, though, was spent laying out a dizzying array of economic revenue for Q1 of 2021 socially during a wide-ranging interview broadcast across Saudi figures and milestones to explain why the government has raised taxes, cut subsidies and television channels late Tuesday. embarked on unpopular austerity measures to hit targets in the so-called Vision 2030 plan. – Details Page 9 In the lengthy interview that stretched past midnight, the crown prince also ex- He said the kingdom is in talks to sell a 1% stake of the state-owned oil giant Aramco to a leading global energy company. In 2019, the kingdom listed 5% of Aramco on the Saudi stock ex- Opinion change in an effort to raise mon- ey for its sovereign wealth fund. The interview was timed to mark five years since the launch of Vision 2030, Prince Moham- Lebanon ... mafi a, med’s blueprint for transforming the kingdom from an oil-depen- dent, insular nation to an eco- nomic powerhouse that is open militia and drugs to the world. In his unveiling of the project in 2016, he acknowl- edged Saudi Arabia had an “ad- diction to oil.” By Ahmed Al-Jarallah One of the most important Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times goals of Prince Mohammed as he prepares to one day inherit THE Lebanese must choose to either return to be- the throne from his 82-year-old coming people who love and strive for freedom, father, King Salman, is to create and seek to restore their country’s position as an millions of jobs for young Saudis icon of affluence, openness, culture, and sophis- entering the workforce. He aims tication, or continue accepting subservience to a to lower unemployment to 7% sectarian gang that destroys their country — their by 2030. The kingdom’s unem- only refuge. ployment shot to a high of 15.9% This gang has turned Lebanon into a drug factory in mid-2020 before going back and a platform to smuggle drugs to the Arab coun- down to around 12%. tries ... the “Ali Baba” cave to plunder the depos- To boost government revenue its of people — Lebanese and Arabs — who chose last year and help offset the double this country to deposit their money when it assured shock of the coronavirus pandemic confidentiality and privacy of its clients, parallel to and downward slide in oil prices, Switzerland, and safety for them. the government tripled taxes on Regarding the Lebanese who have accepted goods and services to 15%, which their media platforms — financed by Iran — to led to a rise in inflation and grum- become an arena for insulting the Arabian Gulf blings on social media. The Crown Prince described states and their people, they should emancipate This April 14, 2020 file photo, provided by the US Army shows the USS Firebolt in Manama, Bahrain. The Firebolt fired warning shots themselves from the bondage of the immoralists the tax rate as a “temporary de- when vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a recent patrol in the Arabian Gulf, the US Navy said Wednes- cision” that could last from one among them who describe Saudi Arabia, Kuwait day. (AP) and the UAE as nomads (Bedouin), backward to five years and then be lowered and fragile, through brutal media campaign per- to between 5% and 10%. He said petuated by the Hezbollah and those who revolve Shots fi red difficult decisions had to be made around it. “to avoid catastrophe and create opportunities.” There is no doubt that these insults will not change An American warship fired the fact that the large quantities of drugs confiscated Other Voices On relations with Washington, warning shots when vessels of the prince said Saudi Arabia and in the Gulf region, not only in Saudi Arabia, are suf- iran’s paramilitary Revolution- the Biden administration agree on ficient to destroy 400 million Arabs. It is no longer ary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Arabian Gulf, the 90% of issues of mutual concern, acceptable to cover up with flimsy arguments. but are in disagreement on the The Lebanese security services really need to US Navy said Wednesday. It The government and its inequality was the first such shooting in rest, though he did not elaborate. work on controlling the borders and putting an end He said the world is “a wide to the smuggling operations. These security services nearly four years. The Navy released black- place” with many nations to should stop taking orders from the gang leader liv- By Ali Ahmed Al-Baghli to the principles of selectivity and build strategic ties with. inequality. and-white footage of the en- ing in the burrows — Hassan Nasrallah ... Other- Former Minister of Oil counter Monday night in inter- “We do not accept any exter- wise, Lebanon will be isolated internationally, as Nevertheless, the stubborn in- OUR true Islamic religion and the national waters of the northern nal pressure or interference in the European Union has begun suffering from the equality falls on the shoulders of Newswatch our internal affairs,” Prince Mo- rest of the religions, laws and con- our expatriate brothers in human- reaches of the Arabian Gulf influx of drugs coming from Lebanon. stitutions — on top of which the near Kuwait, Iran, Iraq and hammed said. The people of Lebanon should take notes from ity except certain and well-known Saudi Arabia. In it, lights can Kuwaiti Constitution — stipulate groups that fear rationality. The Relationship the living conditions in Iran, which happened due the equality of human beings. This KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s Min- be seen in the distance and to the policy of the evil tyrants occupied by the illu- key to such a decision is the ‘for- istry of Health has announced what appears to be a single President Joe Biden’s admin- is a civilized behavior. eign’ government. This is for those recording 1,446 new coronavi- gunshot can be heard, with a sions of the dark Middle Ages. Consequently, we must first istration has made clear it is re- who are sick people getting higher rus infections and eight related tracer round racing across the calibrating the US relationship These delusions that run through Hezbollah are treat all citizens equally regardless advisory positions which even Ku- the ones that the gang uses to justify its drugs manu- deaths in the past 24 hours. top of the water. with Saudi Arabia following four of their ethnic, tribal, sectarian or waitis are forbidden to occupy!! The new fi gures take the to- Iran did not immediately ac- facturing and trafficking operations, as it considers regional affiliations, etc. The Con- years of warm times with the We go back to racial discrimina- tal cases in the country up to knowledge the incident. Trump administration. Among this as one of its weapons, and does shy away from stitution stipulates this in a clear tion in the treatment of a Kuwaiti 269,681 and deaths to 1,535 re- The Navy said the Cyclone- Biden’s first decisions was order- it ... In fact, it is proud of these operations. and explicit manner that even the and a foreigner … I do not mean spectively, noted the ministry’s class patrol ship USS Firebolt One of the leading clerics within the gang said blind can see it. This is confirmed here that a Kuwaiti should be equal spokesman Dr Abdullah Al- fired the warning shots after ing an end to US support for the with all brazenness through several media outlets, in Article Seven of the Constitution with a foreigner in terms of rights Sanad in a press statement on three fast-attack Guard ves- Saudi-led war in Yemen. “Smuggling is a sacred duty ... It serves the resis- which states “justice, freedom and and duties. This is obvious and it is Tuesday. sels came within 68 yards (62 The interview aired on the tance”... How wretched is this resistance that is equality are the pillars of society, applied in all countries throughout He pointed out that some meters) of it and the US Coast same day that an explosives-lad- based on drugging people and killing them slowly?! and cooperation and compassion the world. 1,377 more people had been Guard patrol boat USCGC Ba- en boat targeted the Saudi port of For all these reasons, there was nothing wrong are the firm links binding all citi- I will delve into what many of cured of the virus over the past ranoff. Yanbu. Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with the stance of the Gulf countries, particularly zens.” my expatriate friends have asked day, raising the total of those “The US crews issued mul- who are backed by Iran, have Equality before laws and others me to write about — that they have who have overcome the disease tiple warnings via bridge-to- claimed responsibility for past Saudi Arabia, against Lebanon and the Lebanese. to 252,888. bridge radio and loud-hailer attacks on Saudi oil targets. Protecting people from crimes against humanity is one of the most important pil- been locked up in Kuwait accord- lars of soci- ing to the decisions of the young He added that the number of devices, but the (Guard) ves- “We want good relations is the duty of state leaders. Is there a more horrific people hospitalized with the vi- sels continued their close with Iran,” Prince Mohammed crime against humanity than destroying generations ety. Article minister of health, Sheik Basel Al- Eight also rus currently stands at 15,258, range maneuvers,” said Cmdr. said of the kingdom’s top rival. with drug addiction? Sabah, for months now; far from with 216 of them in intensive Rebecca Rebarich, a spokes- stipulates their families. They have been Problems with Iran stem from This Lebanon, which used to be a hospital care units. (KUNA) woman for the Mideast-based its “negative actions,” such as in the Middle East, is now moaning about the that “the vaccinated for some time and they ❑ ❑ ❑ 5th Fleet. (AP) State safe- want to go to their countries to be its nuclear program, interference wear and tear of its health system. Its schools guards the KUWAIT CITY: Deputy Foreign in regional conflicts and ballistic and universities, which used to be a beacon of with their families. pillars of One of them told me that one of Minister Ambassador Majdi missile program, he said. knowledge and enlightenment, have turned into society and his sons God gave him a grandson a Al-Dhafi ri took part on Tuesday The crown prince’s comments incubators for extremism, sectarianism, and fa- guarantees year ago and he wants to meet him in a virtual meeting with GCC Dubai knife on Iran were more measured than naticism. security, because he is the first grandchild. foreign ministers along with the in previous years when Donald The illiteracy rate in Lebanon has increased from tranquility However, he knows that once he special US envoy for Iran Rob- Trump was in office. Iran is cur- 3.5 percent to 25 percent after the gang of wick- and equal travels to his country, he will not ert Malley. fi ght kills 3 rently negotiating with world edness and ignorance took over. Lebanon used to opportuni- Al-Baghli be able to return to Kuwait. The conferees examined ef- powers on how it and Washing- be the preferred destination for tourists from Gulf ties for citi- This person has important busi- forts for bolstering security and DUBAI, April 28, (AP): Police in ton can return to the 2015 nuclear countries, other Arab countries and Europe, but to- zens.” ness in Kuwait that he does for stability in the region, namely Dubai have arrested 10 suspects in a deal that the Trump administra- day everyone is fleeing from that country. A person may find an excuse current consultations held in massive knife fight that killed three tion pulled the US from. himself and others, including Ku- Vienna for reviving the nu- Regarding this situation, the Lebanese have no for the backward members of this waiti individuals and companies. people, authorities said Wednesday, With backing by his father, the clear deal between permanent a relatively rare outburst of violence prince has lifted the ban on wom- choice but to revolt against this mafia militia in a bid community not to use these lumi- He is supposed to be treated like member States of the UN Secu- to emancipate themselves from the agony caused by nous flames. However, we found Kuwaitis, so he does not board the in the Gulf Arab sheikdom. en driving, curbed restrictive rity Council plus Germany with male guardianship laws, opened this gang. However, if they continue to surrender, that the government - which is plane until after the examination. Iran. (KUNA) The police said the melee they will kill their future, destroy their homeland, entrusted with implementing the At the airport, he is tested for covid ❑ ❑ ❑ stemmed from a dispute over the country to cinemas and con- and will not find anyone to help them when the laws, foremost of which is com- by the company appointed by Ku- money, with 13 men armed with certs, and issued directives that matter gets out of hand. This is because the drug mitment to the Constitution and the wait’s Ministry of Health and then KUWAIT CITY: The Kuwaiti knives and wooden bats fight- have dramatically dropped the smuggler hiding behind the cloak of religion and re- principles of its articles — was the he sits at home for a week. So, why government on Tuesday re- ing over 5,000 dirhams (some kingdom’s rate of executions. first to violate these articles. not deal with expatriate brothers newed its call for necessary $1,360). The brawl drew others “Today we cannot advance ... sistance is only concerned about serving his Iranian fruitful cooperation with the in, killing three and seriously with the presence of extremist masters. For example, in employment we have known for decades in the - especially for the sensitive posi- same way we deal with Kuwaitis? parliament through respecting wounding more. Police did not thought in the kingdom,” he said, the Constitution, bylaw and Email: [email protected] tions, we find these positions being This is one of the sins of our ra- identify the suspects beyond say- adding that it would hamper eco- limited to specific groups and other tional government that implements parliamentary norms so as to ing they were of Asian descent, nomic growth and development. Follow me on: groups are excluded if the govern- meet aspirations of Kuwaiti or specify where the fight took He cautioned that any Saudi with the proposals of its young minister, people. ment is not satisfied with them. the sheikh. He will be held ac- place. extremist views, even if that person The absence of government in Dubai police rarely offer hasn’t yet committed a crime, “is a One, two or three analysts might countable for this, because he and the planned parliamentary ses- be employed from among hundreds his rational ministry committed overall crime statistics, but pre- criminal.” [email protected] sion earlier in the day aimed to of qualified applicants; while some a number of mistakes and sins — avoid partaking in matters that viously have acknowledged He attempted to put distance be- entities are known for excluding the most recent of which include may lead to the deterioration similar incidents in low-income tween the kingdom and the teach- those who do not embrace their severing kinship ties and inequal- of the parliamentary practice, expat communities and labor ings of the late Sheikh Mohammed militant ideology that destroys the ity between God’s creation due to Minister of State for National camps, dormitory-style housing Ibn Abdul-Wahhab, whose ultra- Ramadan Timings structure of society. contradicting laws and decisions!! Assembly Affairs Mubarak for many of the migrant workers conservative teachings are known This is about the original Ku- ❑ ❑ ❑ Al-Harees said in a speech from Asia, Africa and the Middle as “Wahhabism” and associated Iftar ...... Thursday ...... 18:23 waitis. Some sensitive government East who drive the machinery of with some of the most extreme in- Imsak ...... Friday ...... 03:32 broadcast by the Kuwaiti TV. agencies separate them according Email: [email protected] (KUNA) daily life in the emirate. terpretations of Islam. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 2

Resolved, That the House of Representatives: ing diplomatic privileges, and to call on nations (1) condemns past and present Iranian state- to prevent the malign activities of the Iranian re- sponsored terrorist attacks against United gime’s diplomatic missions, with the goal of clos- States citizens and offi cials, as well as Iranian ing them down, including the Iranian Embassy in dissidents, including the Iranian regime’s terror Albania; plot against the “Free Iran 2018–the Alternative” (3) stands with the people of Iran who are con- gathering in Paris; tinuing to hold legitimate and peaceful protests (2) calls on relevant United States Government against an oppressive and corrupt regime; and agencies to work with European allies, including (4) recognizes the rights of the Iranian people those in the Balkans where Iran has expanded its and their struggle to establish a democratic, sec- presence, to hold Iran accountable for breach- ular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran.

File photo, the chamber of the House of Representatives is seen at the Capitol (inset) in Washington. (AP) House reps join in condemning Tehran terror, rights abuse Resolution backs free, secular, non-nuclear Iran

EXPRESSING support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secu- lar, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran and condemning violations of human Signifi cance of H.Res. 118 with Bi-partisan House Majority Support rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government. 1. The initiative is bipartisan and with more regime’s terrorism, its egregious human rights position leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES than 220 House members, welcoming the Ad- violations and expressing support for the Ira- plan for the future of Iran, which calls for the February 11, 2021 ministration’s offer to consult with U.S. Con- nian people’s struggle for a free democratic universal right to vote, free elections, and a mar- Mr. McClintock (for himself, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Webster of Florida, Mr. gress when determining its Iran policy. non-nuclear republic Iran should be at the ket economy, and advocates gender, religious, Fitzpatrick, Mr. Loudermilk, Mr. Babin, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. 2. This resolution is timely because it offers core of U.S. policy on Iran. and ethnic equality, a foreign policy based on Norman, Mr. Fleischmann, Mr. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Grothman, the sense of congress in the fi rst 100 days of 6. This resolution emphasizes on the solu- peaceful coexistence, and a nonnuclear Iran.” Mr. Mast, Mr. Meuser, Mr. Griffi th, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Ruiz, Ms. the Biden Administration. tion that is based on recognizing the rights of Mrs. Rajavi was also the main target of the 2018 Craig, Mr. Peters, Mr. LaMalfa, Ms. Chu, Mr. Perry, Mr. Luetkemeyer, Mrs. 3. It is brought to the administration’s atten- the Iranian people and their struggle to estab- Paris terror plot for which an Iranian diplomat tion, before President speaks before the joint lish a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear was convicted by a Belgian court. Wagner, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Green of Tennessee, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Stefanik, session of Congress on April 28th. Republic of Iran. 9. The resolution also highlights the Iranian Mr. Aguilar, Mr. Biggs, Mr. Cartwright, Miss Rice of New York, Mrs. Wal- 4. This resolution serves as a strong bi- 7. This resolution is very timely because it regime’s threats against the opposition, MEK orski, Mrs. Lesko, Mr. Budd, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Burchett, Mr. Courtney, Mr. partisan sense of congress as the Biden Ad- addresses Iran’s state-sponsored terrorism, in Albania, for which four Iranian diplomats Womack, Mr. Stanton, Ms. Granger, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Zeldin, ministration is engaged in the talks in Vienna, particularly the February 4th Belgian court were expelled and the need to close the Irani- Mr. Harder of California, Mr. Allen, Mr. Bera, Mr. Payne, Mr. Cloud, Mr. to ensure that the talks are not limited to the verdict on Assadollah Assadi, Iran’s top diplo- an embassies in Europe especially in Albania. Wenstrup, Mr. Johnson of Louisiana, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. nuclear issue. mat in Europe, who was found guilty and sen- 10. It refers to the 2018 terror plot against Bucshon, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Timmons, Mr. Steube, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Bur- 5. The administration has said that democ- tenced to 20 years for being the operational NCRI offi cials in the U.S., and the need to gess, Mr. Weber of Texas, Mr. Brady, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Latta, Mr. Rogers racy and human rights is at the core of Ameri- commander of a terror plot against the 2018 hold the regime accountable for its crimes of Kentucky, Mrs. McBath, Miss González-Colón, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of can foreign policy. Thus, the initiative refl ects Free Iran Gathering in Paris. against humanity especially the massacre of Texas, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Estes, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, the sense of congress that ending the Iranian 8. The resolution notes the “support for the op- 30,000 political prisoners in 1988. Mr. Katko, Mr. Cline, Mr. Keller, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Guthrie, Mrs. Fletch- er, Mrs. Miller of West Virginia, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Smith of Missouri, Ms. Malliotakis, Mr. Gonzalez of Whereas, on November 15, 2019, popular protests against the Iranian re- tion of medical care”; Ohio, Mr. Young, Mr. Guest, Mr. Barr, Mr. Gooden of Texas, Mr. Taylor, Mr. gime began and rapidly spread to at least 100 cities throughout the country, Whereas, from January 11 to 13, 2020, protesters gathered across Iran Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Costa, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Austin Scott of Geor- and reports indicate that Iranian security forces used lethal force and about chanting against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revo- gia, Mr. Schweikert, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mrs. 1,500 people were killed during less than two weeks of unrest, and thousands lutionary Guard Corps after it shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane killing Hartzler, Mr. Emmer, Mr. Fulcher, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Johnson more were detained during these protests; 176 civilians, and Iranian authorities deployed tear gas and live ammunition of Ohio, Mr. Westerman, Mr. Hagedorn, Mr. Allred, Mr. Hill, Mr. Huizenga, Whereas, in the 116th Congress, the House of Representatives passed against the protesters; Mr. Phillips, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Brooks, and Mr. Amodei) submitted the fol- House Resolution 752, “Supporting the rights of the people of Iran to free Whereas the Iranian regime has routinely violated the human rights of Ira- lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. expression, condemning the Iranian regime for its crackdown on legitimate nian citizens, including by implementing ongoing, systematic, and serious protests, and for other purposes.”; restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of RESOLUTION Whereas House Resolution 752 urges the Administration to work to con- opinion and expression, including the continuing closures of media outlets, arrests of journalists, and the censorship of expression in online forums such Expressing support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, vene emergency sessions of the United Nations Security Council and to work and nonnuclear Republic of Iran and condemning violations of human rights with United States partners and allies to condemn the ongoing human rights as blogs and websites; and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government. violations perpetrated by the Iranian regime and establish a mechanism by Whereas the Iranian regime has killed or arrested more than 860 journalists Whereas beginning in 2017, and continuing for several months after pro- which the United Nations Security Council can monitor such violations; since 1979; tests erupted in more than 100 cities, the Iranian regime suppressed such Whereas according to a September 2, 2020, Amnesty International report, Whereas the Iranian regime has lured three political activists to Iran’s protests with repressive forces that resulted in at least 25 deaths and 4,000 detained protesters were subjected to “widespread torture including beatings, neighboring countries, where they were abducted and transferred to Iran, of arrests, including decorated wrestling champion Navid Afkari, who was later fl oggings, electric shocks, stress positions, mock executions, waterboarding, which one, Ruhollah Zam, was executed on December 12, 2020; executed in September 2020 amidst international outrage; sexual violence, forced administration of chemical substances, and depriva- Continued on Page 3

editor’s choice ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 3

Weather Expected weather for the next light to moderate north westerly Bubyan - - Prayer Timings 24 hours: wind to light variable wind with Jahra 41 28 By Day: Hot and partly cloudy speeds of 08-28 km/h and some Failaka Island - - Fajr ...... 03:44 Asr ...... 15:21 with light to moderate north west- scattered clouds will appear. Salmiyah 36 28 Sunrise .. 05:09 Maghrib .. 18:22 Zohr ...... 11:46 Isha ...... 19:45 erly wind to light variable wind Station Max Exp Min Rec Ahmadi 34 28 with speeds of 08-32 km/h with a Kuwait City 38 29 Nuwaisib 42 25 chance for scattered light rain. Kuwait Airport 39 28 Wafra 41 26 By Night: Rather hot to fair with Abdaly 41 26 Salmy 39 26

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

Resolution 118 Other Voices Continued from Page 2 Whereas the Iranian regime has arbitrarily and bru- tally suppressed ethnic minorities, including Iranian Kurds, Baluchis, and Arabs, as well as religious mi- The scholars of Social Reform Society and Al-Ajami’s tweet norities such as Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Zoroastrians, and even Sunni Muslims and deprived them of their ba- By Ahmad alsarraf With the issuance of the verdict, Mr Dhafer Al-Ajami any straw to save them from drowning in the sea of back- sic human rights, and has in many cases executed them; published a tweet on his account and it quickly spread wardness. Whereas, in the 115th Congress, the House of Rep- any countries follow the jury system in one form or in the media. In the tweet Al-Ajami stated that the jury We have also come to repeat that every achievement, Manother including the United States, Britain, Canada, system had its origins in the Ma- invention, or modern scientifi c is attributed to the Muslim resentatives passed H.R. 4744 calling on the United Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand to issue judgments States to “condemn Iranian human rights abuses against liki school of thought in the eighth scholars. Then we were surprised that the “Islah (Social in major crimes. The judge’s role in this system is limited century without indicating whether Reform) Society, the local branch of the Muslim Broth- dissidents, including the massacre in 1988 and the sup- to managing trial sessions and pronouncing the sentence pression of political demonstrations in 1999, 2009, and the century was Hijri or not. He erhood, which Al-Qabas praised for its glorious history, after the jury gives its verdict. also added, with the academic’s presented a list to the Kuwait Municipality with the names 2017, and pressure the Government of Iran to provide This system is characterized by its complexities and confi dence, that the system con- family members detailed information that they were of 47 ‘scholars’ to name streets after them. costs, compared to the systems used in our countries in the sisted of 12 jurors chosen from the When reading the list of the 47 names, with full respect denied about the fi nal resting places of any missing vic- way an ordinary citizen is involved in the process of ap- good people who swore they would tims of such abuses”; to their families, and among them our contemporary, I did plying the criminal justice. The selection and verifi cation rule with justice, and that the Brit- not fi nd a single name of what we call Islamic scholars. This Whereas the killings were carried out on the orders of the legibility of the jury are carried out in a complex ish King Henry chose to apply it means the Social Reform Society does not recognize the of a judge, an offi cial from the Ministry of Intelli- manner, and it may take up to a few months especially in in the 12th century, yet he did not real Islamic scholars to the point that they would not hesi- gence, and a state prosecutor, known to the prisoners as complex crimes. Lawyers also have the right to object to show us which Henry he was talk- tate to change the names of Al-Razi and Ibn Sina Hospitals “Death Commissions”, which were formed on July 19, any of them. Jurors are kept in a closed place throughout alsarraf ing about since there are 8 British and others if they could do. Where is the truth, I wonder? 1988, and undertook proceedings in a manner designed the trial period and until a verdict is issued, and their con- kings with this name. Note: I thank the patience of the Al-Qabas Board for ac- to eliminate the regime’s opponents; nection with their surroundings is severed so as not to be The funny thing is that the source of Mr Dhafer Al-Aja- cepting the publication of my yesterday’s article, in which I Whereas Amnesty International described as a “mo- infl uenced by what is said and published in the media. mi is the American TV channel TYT, and not the Islamic criticized its recent editorial, and this confi rms its credibil- mentous breakthrough” marking a “turning point” the On May 25, 2020, US policeman Derek Chauvin killed heritage books, which, as far as I know, did not deal with ity, and its willingness to publish various viewpoints with September 3, 2020, communication by seven United American citizen George Floyd by pressing his knee on this type of judiciary. my belief that this willingness should not extend to publish- Nations human rights experts, regarding information the neck of the victim until he could not breathe and as a The scarcity of our history of achievements is not a de- ing the views or opinions of extremist parties. that “between July and September 1988, the Iranian result he died. It took more than ten months to choose a fect because this is the case for most of the countries of the ❑ ❑ ❑ authorities forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially jury, conduct a trial, and fi nd Chauvin guilty of the murder world. The present is what is important and not the past. executed thousands of imprisoned political dissidents and leave it to the judge to pronounce the verdict. However, some feel an inferiority complex and search for e-mail : [email protected] affi liated with political opposition groups in 32 cities in secret and discarded their bodies, mostly in unmarked mass graves”, as United Nations experts warned that ‘Approval awaited’ “the situation may amount to crimes against humanity”; Whereas the United Nations calls on the interna- tional community to take action to investigate the cases through the establishment of an international investiga- ‘Restructuring PART tion; Whereas the United States should be involved in any establishment of an international investigation into the is CSC’s jurisdiction’ 1988 extrajudicial killings of Iranian dissidents; Whereas senior Iranian Government, military, judi- By Muhammad Ghanem cial, and security offi cials have for decades ordered or Al-Seyassah Staff committed egregious human rights violations and acts of terror; KUWAIT CITY, April 28: Minister of Public Works and the Whereas the Iranian people have been deprived of Minister of State for Communications and Information Tech- their fundamental freedoms for which reason they re- nology, Dr. Rana Al-Faris, confi rmed that setting a date for the jected monarchic dictatorship and are opposing reli- approval of the organizational structure of the Public Author- gious tyranny; ity for Roads and Land Transport (PART) is a matter beyond the authority and pointed out this issue falls within the jurisdic- Whereas, on June 30, 2018, tens of thousands of peo- tion of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). ple gathered in Paris at the Free Iran gathering where Minister Al-Faris stated in her response to a parliamentary they supported advocates for a democratic, secular, and question from MP Faris Al-Otaibi, a copy of which has been ob- non-nuclear Republic of Iran, and showed support for tained by the Al-Seyassah daily, that a transitional organizational the opposition leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s 10-point structure for the Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport plan for the future of Iran, which calls for the univer- was presented to the Civil Service Council by the Chairman of the sal right to vote, free elections, and a market economy, Authority’s Board of Directors on November 24, 2016 according and advocates gender, religious, and ethnic equality, to his letter (No. 758-49-161-PART), noting that in light of the a foreign policy based on peaceful coexistence, and a CSC’s request that the organizational structure be presented to it nonnuclear Iran; by the then-competent minister, the bureau was addressed by the Whereas, on July 2, 2018, the Belgian Federal Pros- minister on March 9, 2017, after completing all observations. Photo by Bassam Abu Shanab ecutor’s Offi ce announced it had foiled a terrorist plot The minister added that authority’s organizational structure People coming for vaccination being transferred from the parking lot and back on mini-cars at the vaccination against the “Free Iran 2018–the Alternative” gathering has not been approved until now because the body entrusted center in Mishref. The rate of vaccination has picked up as citizens and residents fl ock to get their jabs according held on June 30, 2018, in support of the Iranian peo- with it is the CSC. “Until this date we have not received a to their appointments. Most people above 65 years of age have already been vaccinated. ple’s struggle for freedom; response as stated in the CSC letters dated May 17, 2017, May Whereas several prominent bipartisan former Unit- 15, 2019, and July 15, 2020. ed States Government offi cials, several retired United States generals, congressional staff, and thousands of American citizens participated in that gathering; Focus on how China rise Judicial rulings issued on Whereas Assadollah Assadi, a senior Iranian dip- lomat based in the Iranian Embassy in Vienna, Aus- tria, was arrested in Germany in connection with the affects ‘global dynamics’ planned terror plot in Paris; RECONNAISANCE Research announced that it will collabo- Whereas the Iranian diplomat has been charged in rate with prominent French scholar Nadège Rolland to pro- cases in court since long Belgium in connection with the Paris terror plot and duce an analysis of China’s global infl uence for Kuwaiti and in Germany with “activity as a foreign agent and con- regional media outlets. spiracy to commit murder”; Ms Rolland is a Senior Fellow for Po- Whereas, on February 4, 2021, a court in Belgium sen- litical and Security Affairs at the National 7 years for many in funds scam tenced Iran’s diplomat Assadollah Assadi to the maxi- Bureau for Asian Research (NBR). Her mum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for his role in research focuses mainly on China’s do- mad Shahid Islam, former assistant un- defendant (Sheikh Mazen Al-Jarrah) planning to plant a bomb at the Free Iran gathering in mestic, foreign and defense policy. KUWAIT CITY, April 28: Three judicial rulings were is- dersecretary in the Ministry of Interior agreed with the fi rst defendant (the 2018, and his 3 accomplices were given jail terms of 15 She has served for two decades as an Sheikh Mazen Al-Jarrah, an offi cial in Bangladeshi MP) to exchange benefi ts, to 18 years and stripped of their Belgian citizenship; analyst and Senior Advisor to the French sued this Sunday on lawsuits the Public Authority for Manpower and asked him for money in exchange Whereas Assadi took an Iranian-made bomb from Ministry of Defense, for which she has that have been on the forefront (PAM) Hassan Al-Khodar, and former for issuing the needed security clear- Iran to Europe on a commercial fl ight, and delivered it been awarded the Medal of Honor. in the recent months, and per- MP Salah Khorshid for seven years ance for the recruitment of Bangla- to his accomplices with the aim of causing mass casual- “Nadège Rolland is a highly respect- each, and the dismissal of Sheikh Ma- deshi workers, by abusing his offi ce ties at the Free Iran gathering in Paris in 2018; ed authority on Chinese affairs, a bona haps even recent years, says Rolland zen and Al-Khodar from their positions and authority, as well as to enable hu- Whereas the Belgium court found “that the four de- fi de expert on China’s Vision for a New Al-Seyassah. over “bribery and visa trading” charges. man traffi cking in the country. fendants are part of a larger terrorist group within a World Order, China’s authoritarian infl uence, as well as Chi- The Criminal Court presided over The court also decided to change the Security sources explained that the specifi c Iranian intelligence service. This appears from na’s evolving military engagement,” said Abdulaziz Al-Anjeri, by Judge Nayef Al-Dhahoum sen- fi ne imposed on the main suspect – the senior offi cial’s secretary admitted the sums of money paid to the defendants, the way in- Founder and CEO of Reconnaissance Research. “She has au- tenced in absentia the former secre- Bangladeshi MP – to two million sev- to receiving bribes in cash from the formation was gathered, the meetings in Iran, the use thored many books and publications on the impact of China’s tary-general of the so-called “Um- en hundred and ten thousand dinars, Bangladeshi MP. The money was de- of diplomatic status, and the making and testing of the dynamics around the world. Her article will build on the series and his deportation from the country posited in the bank account of a private of analytical articles on China that we started with Dr. Charles mah Party” Dr Hakim Al-Mutairi, explosive device in Iran itself.”; to life imprisonment for the leaked after he serves his prison sentence. The company that he owns. The money Burton. Nadège’s insights will help us understand and defi ne court also amended the fi ne imposed was then cashed out using cheques is- Whereas, on July 10, 2018, a senior Department of how the Chinese government works, as China is a force to be recordings of a meeting with the late State offi cial said, “Iran uses embassies as cover to plot on Al-Khorshid to seven hundred and sued in the name of the senior offi cial reckoned with and we have to gain as much knowledge about Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi . forty thousand dinars, and upheld the so that there would not be any proof terrorist attacks”, and that “The most recent example is it as possible. We believe in the importance of transferring The Criminal Court also sentenced fi ne of one million and 970 thousand of a direct relationship between Sheikh the plot that the Belgians foiled, and we had an Iranian knowledge forward and look forward to producing informa- MP Marzouq Al-Khalifa, former MP dinars imposed on Sheikh Mazen. Mazen and the Bangladeshi MP. diplomat out of the Austrian Embassy as part of the tive content for our readers.” Sultan Al-Lughaissim, and six others The ruling also upheld the innocence The Public Prosecution Offi ce con- plot to bomb a meeting of Iranian opposition leaders In a statement, Nadège Rolland said:“I look forward to a to two-year imprisonment with hard of MP Saadoun Hamad on charges of fi rmed the statements made by the secre- in Paris.”; productive collaboration with Reconnaissance Research. I labor, and a bail bond of KD 5,000 abusing power and receiving bribes tary regarding the accounts and cheques. Whereas, in January 2019, the European Union (EU) hope that our analysis will provide readers in the GCC and each to suspend the ruling over the from the Bangladeshi MP in exchange The sources revealed that Sheikh Ma- included the Internal Security Division of the Iranian around the world with a better understanding of how China’s case of “Shammar consultation meet- for completing offi cial transactions in zen contributed to the issuance of 23,000 Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), and two rise affects global dynamics.” ings in the fourth constituency”. state ministries. The court also upheld entry visas for Bangladeshis, and that he of its offi cials on the EU terror list in connection with Ms Rolland holds a MA in China Studies from the National Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals the three-year jail term imposed on two is said to have used his position to bypass the Paris bomb plot; Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations and a MSc in presided over by Judge Hani Al- employees working in the company of an earlier decision that forbade the issu- Whereas according to the Select Iran-Sponsored Op- Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Hamdan upheld the verdict issued to the Bangladeshi MP. ance of visas to citizens of Bangladesh, erational Activity in Europe, released by the Depart- Studies. She is also a National Taiwan Normal University alumna. imprison the Bangladeshi MP Muham- According to the case fi les, the ninth during his tenure in offi ce. ment of State on July 5, 2018, “Two Iranian operatives were arrested on charges of terrorism by Albanian authorities”, for a bomb plot against the March 2018 Six companies at work 24/7 New Year gathering of thousands of Iranian opposition members in Tirana; Whereas, in December 2018, the Government of ‘EPA committed to relocate old tyres’ Albania expelled Iran’s Ambassador, Gholamhos- sein Mohammadnia, and MOIS station chief in Alba- By Abdel Nasser Al-Aslami Earlier, the EPA had issued new li- nia, Mostafa Roudaki, for planning terrorist activities Al-Seyassah Staff censes for companies that took the initia- against Iranian dissidents and members of the People’s tive to remove the tyres from Rahiya and Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK); KUWAIT CITY, April 28: The Envi- Whereas, in January 2020, the Government of Alba- hand over the land to the PAHW to work ronment Public Authority (EPA) said it on the South Saad Al-Abdullah Residen- nia expelled two other Iranian diplomats also for plan- is fully committed to move the old and ning terrorist activities against the MEK; tial Project. Whereas the expulsion of the Iranian Ambassador by discarded vehicles tyres from the Rahiya These licenses were issued based on the Government of Albania is a positive and important dump to Al-Salmi where these tyres will the Cabinet’s directive to assign the step, which sends the right message that no Iranian em- be recycled and the area will be handed EPA to supervise the site of used tyres bassies should be used for plotting terror and conduct- over to the Public Authority for Housing Rahiya and take the necessary measures ing spying activities against dissidents; Welfare (PAHW). to dispose them of as soon as possible so Whereas Iran’s malign activities in the Balkans, spe- A reliable source told the Al-Seyassah that these tyres can be recycled and then cifi cally its presence and activities in Albania, pose a daily, six companies are working non- given to factories for use for industrial serious threat to United States national security interests; stop for 12 hours a day to shift the tyres. purposes. Whereas the Department of State has urged “all na- Deputy Director for Administrative It is said the area has between 30 and tions to be vigilant about Iran using embassies as diplo- and Financial Affairs at the EAP, who 50 million tyres as has been reported by matic cover to plot terrorist attacks”; and was present in the area of with members the concerned authorities. Whereas the United States Government arrested two of the South Saad Al-Abdullah Volun- Iranian nationals in August 2018 who had acted on be- The Waste Department at the Environ- half of the MOIS to conduct covert surveillance in the tary Project Committee, to follow up the ment Public Authority stated the interna- United States against offi cials of the National Council of movement of tires from Rahiya to Salmi, tional ban of asbestos used in construc- Resistance of Iran for a target package, which, according said companies have submitted requests tions roofs and pipes is due to its danger to the Department of Justice Federal complaint, may in- to remove tyres during the curfew period to humans. When particles of asbestos in- clude “apprehension, recruitment, cyber exploitation, or and that the issue is being considered by haled by humans the respiratory systems capture/kill operations”, and that they pleaded guilty and the EPA so that necessary permits can be are affected and cause many respiratory were sentenced to imprisonment: Now, therefore, be it. obtained to get the job done faster. diseases. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 LOCAL 4

Experts to convene again in June to negotiate and endorse final draft Kuwait chairs UNESCO meet on ethics of artificial intelligence PARIS, April 28, (KUNA): Kuwait committee meeting of technical and endorse a final draft of the efforts to write and negotiate an humanity as a whole. would provide artificial intelligence chaired on Tuesday a UNESCO legal experts meeting. Recommendation on the Ethics of international code of ethics for artifi- It stressed that the world needs a with a strong ethical basis, that will experts meeting on negotiating a draft In statements to KUNA, Al-Mulla Artificial Intelligence (AI). cial intelligence had begun in human-centered artificial intelli- not only protect but also promote text of the Recommendation on the noted the experts meeting is held The approved text will be submit- November 2019. gence to be used for the greater human rights and human dignity. Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI). during the period from April 26 to ted to member states for the adop- According to the UNESCO, these interest of the people, not the other If adopted, it will be an ethical Kuwait’s delegate to the UNESCO April 30. tion by the UNESCO General efforts aim to find international and way around. guiding compass and a global nor- Dr. Adam Al-Mulla moderated He pointed out that the technical Conference at its 41st session in national policies and regulatory The UNESCO believes that the mative bedrock allowing to build a today’s virtual session of the and legal experts would convene November 2021, he elaborated. frameworks to ensure that artificial development of a comprehensive strong respect for the rule of law in UNESCO intergovernmental special again next June to negotiate and Al-Mulla stated that the UNESCO intelligence technologies benefit global standard-setting instrument the digital world. Married graduates to get ‘aid’ for a year or until joining work 79% of Kuwaiti women work in govt sector

KUWAIT CITY, April 28: The Family Welfare Department in the Ministry of Affairs has issued the circular detailing conditions for married graduates who KUNA photo are entitled for assis- HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad. tance, reports Al-Anba daily. Audiences of HH the Amir The daily quoting reliable sources stated that “the assis- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf National Assembly Speaker Marzouq tance is disbursed to the students Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Ali Al-Ghanim. after graduation for one year or His Highness the Crown Prince Furthermore, His Highness the Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Amir received His Highness the until joining work, whichever is Al-Sabah at Bayan Palace on Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah earlier, provided that he is regis- Wednesday. Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. KUNA photos tered with the Civil Service His Highness the Amir also received (KUNA) From left: HH the Crown Prince with Speaker Al-Ghanim and HH the PM Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled. Commission (CSC) or the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) Audiences of HH the Crown Prince to find a job. The source added the circular HH the Amir congratulates Sierra also stipulates that this assistance His Highness the Crown Prince Assembly Speaker Marzouq received His Highness the Prime will continue in the event a mar- Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Ghanim at Bayan Palace on Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled ried student is nominated to work Leone president on National Day Al-Sabah received National Wednesday. His Highness also Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. (KUNA) after the graduation but rejected KUWAIT CITY, April 28, (KUNA): ty. was rejected. In this case the Sheikh Mishaal tours area assistance will be paid until the His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh graduate finds the job for a maxi- Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah mum of one year. cable to President of Sierra Leone Julius and His Highness the Prime Minister Maada Bio Wednesday to congratulate Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Abide by curfew hours, says Farwaniya governor Freedom him on his country’s National Day, Al-Sabah sent similar cables to President On the other hand, the same wishing him good health and for the Bio congratulating him on the National KUWAIT CITY, April 28: The Al-Seyassah daily. leaders at these points during curfew administration issued another cir- Republic further progress and prosperi- Day. Governor of Farwaniya, Sheikh During the tour, Sheikh Mishaal times, especially the work mechanism cular that says given the excep- Mishaal Al-Jaber, made an inspec- Al-Jaber met the Assistant to limit the repercussions of the new tional circumstances the country tion tour of a number of areas of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of coronavirus. is going through due to the corona governorate, accompanied by the Interior for Operations and Traffic, He praised the efforts of security- pandemic, which has restricted Director General of the Farwaniya Major General Jamal Al-Sayegh, and men their dedication to work and citizens’ freedom to enter and exit Security Directorate, Brigadier was briefed on the security situation at called on the citizens and residents to through the land and air ports, Abdullah Saffah, and a number of the entrances and exits of the regions cooperate with the securitymen and causing some recipients of social security officials, reports and the measures taken by the security abide by the curfew hours. assistance to be unable to return to the country, based on the instruc- tions of the Minister of Social Affairs, it was decided that the from Aug 4, 2021 until Oct 7, 2021 is not counted as a period of residence outside the country the aid will continue to be disbursed to the beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the latest labor market statistics show the total number of Kuwaiti women in the labor force has reached 234,422 or which 79 percent work in the government sector, reports Al-Qabas daily. The statistics issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics on the labor market concerned with the distribution of employment as recorded by the insurance sector indicated that 79.3% of working Kuwaiti women are insured in the government sector or 185,891 employees, while 10.9% of them are insured in the Al-Ahly insur- ance sector or 25,619 employees. The statistics also indicated that the percentage of insured women in the oil sector was The Guest Show poster. 0.1% of the total number of female Kuwaiti employees whose number is only 255, while TGS presents Melody Mitchell the percentage of insured women in the state-owned oil sector was The Guest Show on Radio Kuwait gender equality and empowerment 1.2% or 2,800 employees. welcomes Melody Mitchell this Melody went beyond the call of duty The percentage of Kuwaiti Thursday. Retired Lt Col Melody H. and touched lives through her roles women in Chapter Five insur- Mitchell served the United States Air as a TedX Speaker, Middle East ance was 4.1% of the total Force for two decades. Specialist and, in her personal capac- Kuwaiti women workforce or As a federal agent, she spent most ity, Founder of Lean In Kuwait. 9,576 women, while 4.4% or of her career in security and counter- Here on The Guest Show, Melody 10,281 working Kuwaiti women terrorism and protecting assets and speaks of her life in the Air Force, her did not find the type of insurance people from danger. A natural leader passion for work and her experience available to them. and go-getter, and passionate about in Kuwait. Speaker adjourns session until after Eid ‘Govt missing as MPs occupied vital seats’ By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh budget allotted for the incentive of Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Mubarak Arab Times Staff frontline workers dealing with the coro- who asserted that ministers can sit on navirus crisis. However, they were sur- any of the seats in the Assembly hall.” KUWAIT CITY, April 28: National prised as the seats allotted for them He stressed the MPs will not carry out Assembly Speaker Marzouq were occupied by some MPs; pointing their monitoring task with the current Al-Ghanim adjourned the session slat- out this is a violation of a parliamentary government which protected itself ed for Tuesday until after Eid Al-Fitr, tradition practiced in various legisla- against grilling through its alliance indicating the government declined to tures throughout the world. with the speaker who covered up its attend the session because some MPs They affirmed the government is illegal procedures. He said it is not true occupied the seats allocated for minis- ready to cooperate with the Assembly, that the government proved the MPs ters and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh pointing out the illegal action of some caused delayed payment of the incen- Sabah Al-Khalid. MPs proves wrong the allegation that tive to frontline workers in the fight A few days before the session, the the executive authority is disrupting against corona. On the contrary, the opposition MPs posted a joint state- parliamentary sessions. government is behind such delay, he ment on their Twitter accounts stating concluded. “no grilling, no session”. Dismissal On the other hand, 10 opposition When the session started on On the other hand, the opposition MPs submitted a proposal for the Tuesday, several MPs occupied the MPs announced that they will continue Budgets and Final Accounts Committee front seats where members of the gov- calling for the dismissal of the Speaker to complete its report on adding KD600 ernment are usually seated. They also and HH the Prime Minister. MP million to the budget allotted for the pasted papers with the statement: “We Muhammad Al-Mutair said the incentive of frontline workers that was have taken the 1962 oath,” referring to absence of the government shows how supposed to be approved by the the issuance of the Constitution in it disparages the Assembly, indicating Assembly on Tuesday. However, 1962. the prime minister’s excuse that he did Chairman of the committee MP Bader The government then issued a state- not attend the session because some Al-Mullah said they failed to complete ment, clarifying they went to the MPs occupied his seat only proves he the report because the government did Assembly building to attend the session is concerned about his position wheth- not respond to their questions. as the agenda included important items er such move is in the interest of the MP Saadoun Hammad called for the such as the grilling motion against citizens or not. formation of a committee consisting of Minister of Health Dr Basel Al-Sabah; Al-Mutair pointed out the govern- psychiatric doctors to regularly check voting on the second reading of the bills ment “cries about parliamentary tradi- the MPs to determine who among to amend the printing, publishing and tions and ignores the statement of for- them are not capable of attending the audiovisiual laws; and approval of the mer State Minister for Cabinet Affairs sessions. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 LOCAL 5 REMEMBER WHEN

The People of Old Kuwait

The famous Kuwaiti dhow-builder Ah- any curiosity about him. When he asked mad bin Salman was also one of the about their city, only the eldest and most city notables. He is pictured here sit- knowledgeable of them would answer; Photograph courtesy ting in his dhow-building yard talking the rest would quietly listen to him, ready to his son and to one of his helpers. to help him if he expressed a need. of The Center for Re- The people of old Kuwait, both men In the afternoons, they would sit dig- search and Studies on and women, were characterized by their nifi ed in the shade of a house on a mat, Kuwait and the work modesty, honesty and deep faith in God talking to one another until the evening and His prophets. They spoke little and prayers were called. After performing of Dr Yacoub Al- listened carefully to others. They avoid- their prayers in a nearby mosque, they Hijji in the book Old- ed gossip and talked about ships, pearl visited friends in diwaniya and enjoyed markets and such far places as Calicut a few cups of well-brewed coffee. Kuwait: Memories and Zanzibar. If a stranger visited them, They went home afterwards, had their in Photographs fi rst he would be invited to join them for a dinner and slept peacefully. (From the meal. The peoples’ natural good man- book ‘Old Kuwait: Memories in Pho- published in 1996. ners would prevent them from displaying tographs’) Courtesy of The Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION ‘People fed up with open conflict and the ‘secret’ agreements’ “THERE are voices coming out from here and there that an unconstitutional Also : conflicts, image of corruption and pessimism about the future and fate of the solution has no place in the Constitution, and that there is no unconstitutional “Since the San Francisco Conference after World War II and the declaration country. solution of suspending the constitution”, columnist Abdullah Ali Al-Qabandi of the United Nations in October 1945, the world has been mourning the “Our homeland is greater than these attempts to control hopes about the wrote for Al-Qabas daily. wounds of war and destruction, while aspiring for peace to prevail and wisdom beginning of reform and conditions for the better, with the help of God. “There are those who went further and said the suspension of the constitution and reason to resolve international disputes through dialogue and to benefit “What is happening today is abnormal. I am almost certain this someone in the past had resulted in the Manakh stock market crash, and the second time from the harsh lessons of war that left millions of victims,” columnist Hind created invisible hands that work with a hateful heart and exhale blood. These it happened was followed by the Iraqi invasion. That is the reason for the warn- Al-Choumar wrote for Al-Anba daily. hands are revived by tying the threads of disagreement, turning them into ver- ing against the suspension of the constitution. “The bet was on the Elders of the World with all their positions. But now, bal wars in preparation for something harsher and more difficult. “I tell you that the Manakh stock market crisis was after nearly eight decades of the establishment of the United Nations, all “Corruption, crimes and news in Kuwait are the same as the daily occur- due to the suspension of the constitution. The crisis hap- regions in the world are still boiling with those waving weapons of mass rences in other countries … But the difference is that certain professionals in pened in 1983, and one of its knights at that time was a destruction. No spot on the ground is far from tension if we look in the East, and outside the country are blowing the fire to distribute sparks between fami- member of the National Assembly. West, North or South. If we look in any of these directions, we find the lies and loved ones, wishing for a fire that eats everything.” “The invasion took place during the calls for the machines and tools of destructive wars. We find those who make decisions ❑ ❑ ❑ resumption of the constitution during Monday about destruction and the death of innocent people. Diwaniyah. The Saddam regime thought that the people “Are these the indications of failure, aggression or lack of wisdom in assess- “With the worsening health crisis due to the spread of coronavirus that got were against the rule and had invaded Kuwait. Suppose ing situations and making decisions? If wisdom and rational decisions do not more severe in Kuwait and the world in general, major countries have started that the constitution was not suspended, would the prevail, the world will ignite once again and return to the atmosphere of dev- to compete in obtaining vaccine shipments and to support scientific research National Assembly have been able to deter Saddam astation that it lived during the Second World War and the disastrous repercus- for the production of vaccines developed for protection against the mutations,” from invading Kuwait? sions. columnist Dr Moudhi Al-Hamoud wrote for Al-Qabas daily. “We neither want to disrupt the constitution nor dis- Al-Qabandi “If the world has not benefited from the United Nations for decades – from “This race has also taken another turn – introduction of policies to attract like it. However, a little humility, calmness and elevated 1945 till date, then it is imperative for the wise to think of a new way to save medical staff, including doctors and health personnel, to these countries. discourse are needed in order to avoid causing people not to believe in the human lives and spread world peace before those who tamper with it continue “Finally, on April 15, Canada announced its new immigration package in six importance of the Constitution because of the MPs’ actions. What is most to wreak havoc.” programs ... three of them were designated to attract doctors and workers in important is not to give yourself more than what you deserve. Communication ❑ ❑ ❑ hospitals, front liners and health care home workers by granting them perma- development has demolished the fortresses in which MPs hid whenever they nent residence in Canada and this is applicable for all nationalities. committed disgraceful acts and violated their oaths. “I really feel that someone is sitting behind the window of my country “A year before that, America opened its doors to foreign doctors and health “As for the executive authority, we ask them to nominate and appoint quali- applauding enthusiastically, cheerfully and happily about what he has achieved workers, while granting them permanent residency in order to increase its fied people with deserving merits. This is due to the fact that the attitude of in terms of breaking the bonds of love and respect among the people and how qualified human resources for combating this epidemic. appeasing the MPs and buying their silence is not the way, because the task in he sowed discord among all segments here,” columnist Iqbal Al-Ahmad wrote “Opportunities have been opened for many doctors in the world, while our hand is heavy, history is ruthless, and generations will not forgive those who for Al-Qabas daily. need for doctors has not been met during this pandemic. It is difficult for us to wronged Kuwait. “He is happy to raise the voices of hyperbole, treachery, underestimation and grant our Bedoun doctors the Kuwaiti nationality granted to those who are less “We are fed up with the open conflict and the under-the-table agreements. insult, ecstatic about the tyranny of the feeling of fear and anxiety that swirls educated and do not render service for Kuwait.” Today, the various means of communication expose whatever happens in the around mothers and fathers, young and old, due to the barrage of worrying and dark. Everything is now in the open and has a barcode.” frightening news about Kuwait, its present and future. He is ecstatic about the — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli Salary not paid for 13 months? ‘Lift ban on hiring expat teachers’ KUWAIT CITY, April 28: The Sources revealed the ministry needs Administrative Sector in the Ministry around 300 slots for expatriate teachers of Education (MoE) has asked the Civil with various specializations, including ‘Living on handouts’ Service Commission (CSC) to lift the teachers for special needs schools in the ban on hiring expatriate teachers for the next academic year 2021/2022. posts which were not filled in the last If the request is approved, the total KUWAIT CITY, April 28: Days after a fiscal year, reports Al-Rai daily quoting number of slots for the next academic video clip showing an Egyptian school sources from the educational sector. year will be 600. security guard – Mohammad Kamal Ja’afar – complaining that he did not receive his salary for more than five months went viral, another guard assigned at a kindergarten in Farwaniya made a similar complaint, disclosing that he has not been paid his salary for 13 months now, reports Al-Rai daily. The guards are waiting for confirmation from their companies and the Education Ministry regarding the payment of their salaries in order to give their fami- lies a decent life, especially in light of the current health crisis which has affected all sectors with very few emerging unscathed from its economic conse- quences. Photo by Bassam Abu Shanab Stray dogs – a common sight at the Salmi scrapyard. According to the kindergarten guard, he and his col- leagues are enduring difficult conditions that no one could bear. He is making ends meet with the help of those residing Stray dogs menace in scrapyard near the kindergarten, the kindergarten director and some teachers. auto parts workshop in Al-Salmi, said Meanwhile, a reliable source from the company that hired By Najeh Bilal the guard disclosed the company’s contract with the minis- Al-Seyassah Staff stray dogs have already become a men- ace in all streets of Al-Salmi Scrap area, try was terminated on July 31 last year. He affirmed all the A number of garage workers, repairing which requires a solution, especially as guards are aware of the contract termination and that the and selling auto parts in Al Salmi scrap- it becomes frightening and the dogs can unpaid salaries are for four months only – April, May, June yard have demanded that a solution be attack the workers any moment. and July. He said the ministry officially informed the guards found to the problem of stray dogs in the Muhammad Ali, a seller of used spare about the contract termination, but they decided to stay in area.] parts says neglect and slums are wide- the kindergarten as they are surviving through the help of The workers said the cleaning compa- spread in Al Salmi scrapyard, pointing out some teachers. nies should pay attention to removing that the problem is not only in stray dogs, He affirmed their problem will be solved soon, indicating scrap waste, and garbage which more but in the lack of commitment by garbage the Financial Department withheld the budget allocated for often than not overflow with car tires and companies to lift garbage on time, indicat- the salaries of guards for the above-mentioned months. He pieces of rickety cars and remain for a ing some garages now throw their waste said the money will be transferred soon to the Public long time until they are removed. randomly on the ground because the gar- Authority for Manpower (PAM) to start the disbursement Mohammad Al-Zaini, an official of an bage bins are overflowing. process. He added: “We cannot disburse the amount direct- ly, because their contracts are with a private company which has been experiencing management problems since the No reports of fake PCR certificates beginning of the corona virus crisis. We will transfer the amount to the authority minus the fines, if any; and then the KUWAIT CITY, April 28: The Ministry of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is studying the authority will pay their salaries.” Health stressed during meetings with per- issue of increasing the number of health Asked why the guards are staying in the school despite sonnel from the Directorate-General of laboratories responsible for issuing PCR the termination of the contract, the source revealed the com- Civil Aviation (DGCA) and airlines repre- certificates in many countries and coun- pany is facing legal problems and it has no shelter for the sentatives that it had received no reports tries from where passengers arrive into the guards; so the ministry decided on humanitarian grounds to about falsification of results about testing country, especially Turkey, the Gulf states give the guards the choice to stay in the housing allocated arriving passengers at the Kuwait and others. for them inside the schools or to leave. Their salaries will be International Airport since August 2020, The source stated the system for linking paid next week at the latest, he affirmed. until date, reports Al-Anba daily quoting a Medical Utility Network Accreditor The source pointed out that some MPs have intervened, responsible source. (MUNA) abroad is done only after the indicating a lawmaker met Minister of Education Dr Ali The daily quoting the same sources said approval by the Ministry of Health and Al-Mudhaf who approved the salaries of 170 security the DGCA in coordination with the under the supervision of the DGCA. guards. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 6

America

SEALs make shift From counterterror to ‘global’ threats WASHINGTON, April 28, (AP): Ten years after they found and killed Osama bin Laden, U.S. Navy SEALs are undergo- ing a major transition to improve leadership and expand their commando capabilities to better battle threats from global powers like China and Russia. The new plan cuts the number of SEAL platoons by as much as 30% and increases their size to make the teams more lethal and able to counter sophisticated maritime and undersea ad- versaries. And there will be a new, intensive screening process for the Navy’s elite warriors, to get higher-quality leaders after scandals that rocked the force and involved charges of murder, sexual assault and drug use. Rear Adm. Hugh Howard, top commander for the SEALs, laid out his plans in an exclusive interview with The Associ- ated Press. He said the Navy’s special operations forces have been focused on counterterrorism operations but now must begin to evolve beyond those mis- sions. For the past two decades, many have been fi ghting in the deserts of Iraq and mountains of Afghanistan. Now they are focused on going back to sea. That decision refl ects the broader Pentagon strategy to prioritize China Stone carver Sean Callahan climbs a ladder to a scaffold to work on a sculpture of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winning author Elie Wiesel in the Hu- and Russia, which are rapidly growing man Rights Porch at the Washington National Cathedral, Friday, March 19, 2021. (AP) their militaries and trying to expand bin Laden their infl uence around the globe. U.S. defense leaders believe that two dec- ades of war against militants and extremists have drained re- America sources, causing America to lose ground against Moscow and Beijing. The counterterrorism fi ght had its benefi ts, allowing the SEALs to sharpen their skills in developing intelligence net- Jackson potential justice works and fi nding and hitting targets, said Howard, who heads Naval Special Warfare Command, which includes the SEALs and the special warfare combatant-craft crewmen. “Many of these things are transferable, but now we need to put pressure on ourselves to operate against peer threats.” Judicial nominees to face Senate WASHINGTON, April 28, (AP): attorney general. court’s oldest member, has been mum Adding Ketanji Brown Jackson is heading to Democrats, narrowly controlling about any retirement plans. The last he As a result, Howard is adding personnel to the SEAL pla- Capitol Hill for an audition of sorts. the Senate for the fi rst time in eight had to say on the topic, in an interview toons to beef up capabilities in cyber and electronic warfare Lawmakers will be grilling her about years, are eager to turn the page from published in December, was: “I mean, and unmanned systems, honing their skills to collect intelli- her nomination to become a federal the Trump era. Sen Richard Blumen- eventually I’ll retire, sure I will. And gence and deceive and defeat the enemy. appeals court judge. But if the hearing thal, D-Conn, a member of the Judici- it’s hard to know exactly when.” “We are putting pressure on ourselves to evolve and under- goes well, the 50-year-old could some- ary Committee, said Democrats will Still, liberal groups have urged the stand our gaps in capability and what our true survivability day get a callback for an even bigger prioritize diversity “not only in race court’s most senior liberal justice to is against these threats” posed by global competitors, he said. role: Supreme Court justice. and ethnic backgrounds, but also in step down while Democrats have Vice Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said the goal Jackson is one of fi ve judicial nomi- careers.” President Kamala Harris to break the Rev William Barber II speaks as the nees who will appear before a Senate tie in a Senate split 50-50. And it’s get- is to better integrate the SEALs into the Navy’s missions at North Carolina NAACP and clergy urge Qualifi ed sea. state attorney general Josh Stein to take panel Wednesday, the opening act in ting to be the time of year when jus- “As the Navy Special Warfare community returns more and over the investigation into the police President Joe Biden’s effort to put his Blumenthal said Biden is off to a tices often announce their retirements. more to its maritime roots, their increased integration across shooting death of Andrew Brown Jr dur- mark on the bench after four years in good start on that front. “They are all If Breyer were to retire this year or the Fleet - above, under, and on the sea - will unequivocally ing a press conference at the Mt Leba- which President Donald Trump chose highly qualifi ed, and as important as next and Biden were to select Jackson enhance our unique maritime capabilities to help us compete non AME Zion Church, Tuesday, April white men as judges at the highest rate their academic and professional cre- to replace him, it would be a quick po- and win against any adversary,” Gilday said in a statement to 27, 2021, in Elizabeth City, N.C. The in decades. None of the fi ve people the dentials is, they look like America,” tential promotion, but also not out of the AP. FBI launched a civil rights probe Tues- committee will consider Wednesday he said. step with other members of the court. Increasing the size of the SEAL platoons will add high-tech day into the death of Andrew Brown Jr, for a judgeship is a white man. Jackson, for her part, went before President George H.W. Bush nominat- capabilities. And decreasing the number of units will allow a Black man killed by deputies in North Because Biden has promised to the committee in 2012 for her current ed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Howard to rid the force of toxic leaders and be more selective Carolina, as his family released an inde- name a Black woman to the Supreme job. Introducing her was Republican Court in 1991, just a year after putting in choosing commanders. That decision is a direct result of pendent autopsy showing he was shot Court if a vacancy arises and because Rep. Paul Ryan, who later became him on the DC Circuit. Last fall, Presi- five times, including in the back of the Jackson was a candidate for the court House speaker and is related to her by dent Donald Trump nominated Amy the erosion in character that Navy offi cials have seen within head. (AP) the force. during President Barack Obama’s marriage. “Now, our politics may dif- Coney Barrett to fi ll the Supreme Court In recent years, SEALs have been involved in a number of administration, she is widely seen as fer, but my praise for Ketanji’s intel- seat left vacant by the death of Justice high-profi le scandals. One of the most well-known was the ar- a potential high court pick down the lect, for her character, for her integrity, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It was just three rest of Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher on America line. She is now a judge in the District it is unequivocal,” Ryan said at the years after he put the Notre Dame law war crimes charges that included murder of an Islamic State of Columbia, and Biden wants her pro- time. professor on an appeals court. militant captive and attempted murder in the shootings of civil- moted to a seat on the city’s federal As for whether there might be a Jackson, of course, wouldn’t be the ians during a 2017 deployment to Iraq. Bill to kill 90% wolves: The Idaho appeals court that was left vacant by Supreme Court opening in the near only potential pick if Breyer announc- Gallagher was acquitted of all charges except one, posing in House on Tuesday approved legislation al- Merrick Garland when he became US future, Justice Stephen Breyer, 82, the es his retirement. photos with the dead captive. A jury recommended his rank be lowing the state to hire private contractors reduced, cutting his pension and benefi ts as he was about to re- and expand methods to kill wolves roaming tire. But President Donald Trump intervened and ordered that Idaho - a measure that could cut the wolf Gallagher be allowed to retire without losing his SEAL status. population by 90%. tle, sheep and wildlife. Governor inks abortion ban: Arizona More recently, a SEAL team platoon was pulled out of Iraq in Lawmakers voted 58-11 to send the “We have areas of the state where the Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday signed a 2019 amid allegations of sexual assault. Members of SEAL Team agriculture industry-backed bill to Repub- wolves are having a real detrimental im- sweeping anti-abortion bill that bans the 10 were involved in cocaine use and tampering with drug tests. lican Gov. Brad Little. The fast-tracked pact on our wildlife,” said House Major- procedure if the woman is seeking it solely bill that allows the use of night-vision ity Leader Mike Moyle, one of the bill’s because a fetus has a genetic abnormality And Navy SEAL Adam Matthews was sentenced to a year in mili- equipment to kill wolves as well as hunt- tary prison for his role in the 2017 hazing-related death of an Army sponsors. “They are hurting the herds, elk such as Down syndrome. ing from snowmobiles and all-terrain ve- and deer. This allows the Wolf (Depreda- Green Beret in Africa. Navy leaders also chafed as Navy SEALs hicles, among other measures, passed the Doctors who perform an abortion solely broke away from their “quiet professional” ethos, publicizing their tion) Control Board and others to control because the child has a survivable genetic Senate last week. them, also, which we have not done in the participation in the raid into Pakistan that killed bin Laden, the al- Backers said changes to Idaho law could issue can face felony charges. The propos- Qaeda leader responsible for plotting the 9/11 attacks. help reduce the wolf population from about past.” (AP) al also contains a raft of other provisions 1,500 to 150, alleviating wolf attacks on cat- ❑ ❑ ❑ Ducey Little sought by abortion opponents. (AP)

Google’s Q1 ad sales surge 32%, Alphabet profit doubles

Google’s digital advertising back to life as more people get Google vast digital ad em- and restrictions on mobility are network has shifted back into vaccinated against COVID-19 pire is now benefi ting from lifted,” said Ruth Porat, chief high gear, with its corporate and burst out of their pandem- that recovery, although com- fi nancial offi cer for Google’s This April 26, 2017 fi le parent reporting profi t that ic cocoons. pany executives warned in a parent, Alphabet Inc. photo shows the Google more than doubled after an That is particularly true in conference call that another Google’s sales surged 32% mobile phone icon, in unprecedented setback dur- the travel industry, a key part wrong turn in the pandemic from the same time last year Philadelphia. Alphabet ing the early stages of the of the ad market that drasti- Inc, parent company of could discourage recent con- to nearly $45 billion during Google, reports fi nancial pandemic. cally curtailed its spending sumer splurging that’s also the January-March period. It’s results, April 27. (AP) The robust fi rst-quarter ad- last year after governments spurring advertisers to spend the third consecutive quarter vertising growth announced around the world imposed more. of accelerating ad growth for Tuesday provides the latest lockdowns to prevent the “It’s too early to say how du- Google following an 8% de- sign that advertisers are ex- spread of the novel coronavi- rable this consumer behavior cline during last year’s April- pecting the economy to roar rus. will be as economies recover June period. (AP)

Market Movements 28-04-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries +24.47 7,320.01 S. KOREA - KRX 100 -86.42 6,746.11 JAPAN - Nikkei +62.08 29,053.97 PAKISTAN - KSE 100 -233.75 45,059.12 PHILIPPINES - PSEi +112.67 6,469.14 INDIA - Sensex +789.70 49,733.84 CHINA - Shanghai SE +14.46 3,457.07 Business US home prices rise 11.9% in Feb

‘Impact of COVID-19 waning gradually’ Fastest pace since 2014 WASHINGTON, April 28, the pandemic for safety reasons it has Japan cbank keeps monetary strained the supply of homes for sale (AP): US home prices rose even further. in February at the fastest Matthew Speakman, economist at policy and up economic view pace in nearly seven years the real estate fi rm Zillow, said that list- ings of homes have begun to tick up, TOKYO, April 28, (KUNA): Ja- levels,” it said. as strong demand for hous- potentially easing the supply shortage. pan’s central bank decided on Meanwhile, in its outlook report If that continues, “the meteoric rise in Tuesday to maintain its ultra-easy published after the meeting, the ing collided with a tight supply of homes on the home prices may fi nally have a reason monetary measures to support BoJ revised up growth forecasts to come back down to earth. For now, coronavirus-hit firms amid the for the world’s third-largest econ- market. red hot home price appreciation shows resurgence of infections while omy, saying it is expected to grow The February S&P CoreLogic upgrading its assessment of its 4.0 percent in the current fiscal few signs of cooling,” Speakman said economy. year, compared with the 3.9 per- Case-Shiller 20-city home price in- in a research note. At the end of a two-day policy cent growth estimated in January. dex, released Tuesday, rose 11.9% The Commerce Department reported meeting, Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) “Japan’s economy is likely to from a year earlier, the biggest gain last week that sales of new homes shot Governor Haruhiko Kuroda and recover, although the level of eco- since March 2014. The index had up nearly 21% in March to the highest his eight board colleagues agreed nomic activity is expected to be level since 2006, bouncing back from also surged – 11.1% – in January. a big drop in February when severe to keep short-term interest rates at lower than that prior to the pan- The February gain was about what minus 0.1 percent and guiding 10- demic for the time being,” the cen- winter weather paralyzed much of the year Japanese government bond tral bank said. economists had expected. country. yield around zero percent, accord- “That is, with the impact of CO- Prices rose in all 20 cities, led by Sales of existing homes, however, ing to the statement. VID-19 waning gradually and the year-over-year gains of 17.4% in Phoe- A ‘Sale Pending’ sign stands along side a new driveway in Madison County, fell in March for the second straight “The central bank will closely economy being supported by an nix, 17% in San Diego and 15.4% in Miss., Tuesday, March 16, 2021. US home prices increased at the fastest month, the National Association of monitor the impact of COVID-19 increase in external demand, ac- Seattle. Chicago (up 8.6%) and Las pace in seven years in January as the pandemic has fueled demand for Realtors reported last week, partly be- and will not hesitate to take ad- commodative financial conditions, Vegas (up 9.1%) registered the small- single-family houses even as the supply for such homes shrinks. (AP) cause so few houses are on the market. est gains. The broader Case-Shiller na- The S&P 20-city index has climbed ditional easing measures if neces- and the government’s economic nate enough to work from home, have fi xed, home loan rate fell last week be- sary, and also it expects short- and measures, a virtuous cycle from tional home price index rose 12% – the 83.5% since hitting bottom in March long-term policy interest rates to income to spending is expected to biggest gain since February 2006. sought more space or a different loca- low 3% for the fi rst time in two months. 2012 after the collapse of the mid- remain at their present or lower operate,” it added. Demand for housing has surged dur- tion. Low mortgage rates are also en- Yet so many have been reluctant to 2000s housing bubble and the 2007- ing the pandemic. Americans fortu- couraging buyers: The average 30-year put their homes on the market during 2009 Great Recession. Investors adopt a wait-and-see stance ahead of Fed Global shares mostly higher TOKYO, April 28, (AP): Global shares were moderately higher in list- less trading Wednesday, as investors watched for news out of a Federal Re- serve meeting. France’s CAC 40 gained 0.3% in early trading to 6,291.87, while Germany’s DAX edged up 0.2% to 15,279.81. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 6,961.41. The future for the Dow industrials slipped 0.1% to 33,834, and S&P 500 futures rose 0.1% to 4,182.12. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.2% to fi nish at 29,053.97, while South Ko- rea’s Kospi slipped 1.1% to 3,181.47. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.4% to 7,064.70. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.5% to 29,071.34, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.4% to 3,457.07. Analysts said Asian investors have People walk by an electronic stock board of a securities fi rm in Tokyo, April 28. adopted a wait-and-see stance ahead of Asian shares were mostly higher as investors await a meeting of the Federal the Fed meeting. Reserve and a speech to Congress by U.S. President Joe Biden. (AP) “But the wider point and the bigger driver of markets, as equities shuffl ed the pandemic, in contrast with vaccina- is headed. nervously ahead of the FOMC meet- tion progress in the U.S. and parts of The Federal Reserve started a two- ing today, is arguably just how much Europe. day policy meeting Tuesday. Investors restraint the Fed will exercise,” said Japan has declared a state of emer- expect the U.S. central bank to keep Venkateswaran Lavanya at Mizuho gency in some urban areas, trying to its key lending rate close to zero and Bank. curb travel, crowds and the spread of inject more money into the fi nancial Also on tap is President Joe Biden’s infections, as the country heads to a se- system through bond purchases. speech to a joint session of Congress, ries of national holidays called Golden In energy trading, benchmark U.S. which is expected to lay out several Week. crude fell 9 cents to $62.85 a barrel parts of his agenda such as increased Investors expect U.S. corporate re- in electronic trading on the New York infrastructure spending, likely higher sults due out this week to show strong- Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the taxes on the wealthy and higher fund- er profi ts as more people are vaccinat- international standard, lost 13 cents to ing for government programs. ed and increase their spending. Global $66.29 a barrel. The slow pace of coronavirus vac- investors are gauging how companies In currencies, the U.S. dollar fell to cinations in some parts of Asia, includ- fared during the fi rst quarter and any 108.85 Japanese yen from 108.92 yen. ing Japan, and a surge of cases in India other information that can help paint a The euro cost $1.2075, down from are adding to continued worries about clearer picture of where the economy $1.2091. Economic slowdown hits payments Huawei says sales Visa Q2 profi ts fall 2% down 16.5% in Q1 BEIJING, April 28, (AP): Embat- NEW YORK, April 28, (AP): Visa ness model and how the company tled Chinese tech giant Huawei said Inc.’s fi scal second-quarter profi ts reports revenue, this quarter’s results Wednesday fi rst-quarter revenue fell af- fell 2% from a year earlier, as the are more diffi cult to compare than ter it sold its lower-priced Honor smart- company dealt with a slowdown previous quarters. However there phone brand, but profi tability improved. Sales declined 16.5% from a year across its payment network due to are signs that Visa’s business model earlier to 152.2 billion yuan ($23.5 bil- the global pandemic. took a hit during the pandemic, as lion) due in part to lower revenue for The payment processing giant said the global economy has slowed and its consumer unit, the company said. Tuesday that it earned $3.03 billion travel has come to a standstill. It gave no earnings but said its profi t in its second quarter ended March Cross-border payments volume margin improved by 3.8 percentage 31, or $1.38 a share, down from across Visa’s network were down points to 11.1%. $3.08 billion in the same period a 11% from a year earlier, the com- Huawei Technologies Ltd., China’s year ago. Due to Visa buying back its pany said. fi rst global tech brand, is struggling to own stock, the company’s earnings That said, it appears payments are hold onto its global market share fol- per share last year was also $1.38. improving, particularly in the U.S. lowing U.S. sanctions that devastated The results were better than the as the economy recovers. U.S. pay- its smartphone sales, once among the $1.27 per share that analysts expect- ments volume was up 13.5% from a world’s highest. The company also ed on average, according to FactSet. year earlier on a constant dollar ba- is the biggest maker of network gear Shares rose 1.8% in after-hours trad- sis. used by phone and internet carriers. ing. While credit card transactions Washington says the company is a Due to the nature of Visa’s busi- declined steeply from a year ear- security risk and might facilitate Chi- lier, debit card transactions were nese spying, an accusation Huawei up 21% in the same period. A denies. number of Americans shied away The sanctions bar access to U.S. from using paper money in the pan- processor chips and services includ- ing Google’s music and other popular demic, which may have translated apps. Huawei designs its own chips, into people using debit cards and but manufacturers are barred from us- touchless transaction. They also ing U.S. technology required to pro- purchased more groceries and other duce them. items online. Honor was sold in November in Visa did not provide a fi scal full- hopes of reviving sales by separating it year forecast, citing the uncertainty from the sanctions on the parent compa- related to the pandemic and a lack of ny. Wednesday’s announcement gave clarity about when travel would pick no details of sales by network gear, up again. consumer and other business lines. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 BUSINESS 9

Sony’s profit zooms to record

Sony’s January-March profi t that ended March 31, roughly ally. musical artists in the latest zoomed eight-fold to 107 bil- doubling from 582 billion yen Tokyo-based Sony’s quar- fi scal year were Harry Styles, lion yen ($982 million) from a the previous fi scal year. terly sales rose 27% from 1.7 AC/DC, Luke Combs and Doja A man stands by promo- year earlier as people stuck The popularity of the “De- trillion yen to 2.2 trillion yen Cat. tioanl pictures of PlaySta- at home during the corona- mon Slayer” animation fi lm ($20 billion). Sony had report- But Sony projected a 44% tion 5 at an electronics virus pandemic turned to the also helped, along with solid ed a January-March profi t of decline in profi t for the fi scal retail chain store in Tokyo, Japanese electronics and en- sales in mobile game applica- 12.6 billion yen last year. year through March 2022, at Wednesday, April 28, tertainment company’s video tions and digital content. De- Sony’s fi nancial services di- 660 billion yen ($6 billion), 2021. (AP) games and other visual con- mand persists for the PlaySta- vision, including banking and as factors that boosted profi t tent. tion 5 game console, which insurance, also contributed to for the fi scal year just ended, Sony Corp. reported a re- went on sale last year. Sony healthy profi ts and sales for such as the megahit “Demon cord profi t of 1.17 trillion yen said it has sold 7.8 million the fi scal year. Slayer,” would be missing. ($11 billion) for the fi scal year PlayStation 5 machines glob- Among the top-selling Sony (AP) stc reports KD 69.8mn revenue for Q1 Company posts KD 8.0mn net profit, customer base reaches 1.8mn at end of March 2021

KUWAIT CITY, April the digital platforms”. 28: Kuwait Telecommu- Alharbi added, “stc’s EBITDA increased by 10.9% in the first nications Company (stc), three months of 2021 to reach KD a world-class digital lead- 18.9 mn compared to KD 17.0 mn er providing innovative during the same period of 2020. services and platforms to EBITDA margin reached 27% in Q1-2021 compared to 24% in customers, enabling the Q1-2020. Accordingly, stc report- digital transformation in ed an increase in the net profit by Kuwait, announced its 22.6% to reach KD 8.0 mn (earn- fi nancial results for the ings per share of 16 fils) with a three-month period end- profit margin of 11% compared ing 31 March 2021. Dr. Mahmoud Abdulrahman, Maziad Alharbi, CEO to KD 6.5 mn (earnings per share Chairman of 13 fils) with a profit margin of On this occasion, Dr. 9% in 2020. Mahmoud Ahmad Abdulrah- first quarter of 2021 compared to end of March 2021”. stc demonstrated its ability to man – stc’s Chairman, stated: KD 72.2 mn during the same Dr. Abdulrahman noted, “stc’s overcome the potential challeng- “stc has demonstrated its resil- period of 2020. The overall drop financial results for the first three- es and risks with the ability to ience and viability in providing in revenues for Q1-2021 is con- month period of 2021 demon- keep up its operations and open the best services and products tributed to the continuing reper- strates its ability to compete and its doors to serve its customers in to the individual and business cussions of the current crisis, enhance its position as the second such circumstances. Whereby, in sectors on a continuous ba- which continues to strain the largest telecom operator in the order to maintain its operations sis, throughout the potential operational and financial results Kuwaiti telecom market with a and continue delivering uninter- risks and critical economic of the Telecommunications sec- revenue market share of approx. rupted services to customers, stc conditions resulted from the tor, in particular the individual 35%. With the ongoing repercus- carried on its comprehensive sector, as a result of the continued sions and challenges we are fac- business continuity plan. Earlier continued global spread of ing due to the COVID-19 crisis, COVID-19 pandemic. Ac- partial curfew imposed in Kuwait in the year, the Company was due to COVID-19 pandemic. the significant increase in certified with the latest version cordingly, as the negative ef- Company’s financial results is of the ISO Certification in fects of COVID-19 continue Furthermore, the continued imposed restrictions on the air- attributed to the decline in stc’s Business Continuity (ISO to signifi cantly hit most of the bad debt and its implementation 22301:2019) after completing a vital sectors worldwide, stc is port and the suspension of flights have also contributed to the drop of the cost optimization program vigorous auditing process per- constantly keen on developing in stc’s revenues due to the in order to achieve the best results formed by TopCertifier. The cer- precautionary plans that en- decline in the number of residents and enhance profitability through tification comes as a testament to able the company to maintain in the State of Kuwait over the adopting a balanced and effective the diligent approach taken by financial policy in relation to the stc headquarters its operations during the cur- past year, resulting in a decline in stc to implement protocols and operational and capital expendi- few and lockdown periods in the demand for the individual guidelines across all business- order to ensure service deliv- ture”. related aspects during the pan- sector in addition to the signifi- In regards to the Company’s ery and customer satisfaction. cant and almost total decline in demic. In line with the industry global financial results, engineer Maziad It is worth noting that the first the roaming services. Despite the Alharbi – Chief Executive Officer quarter of 2021 carried extraordi- of stc, said: “stc was able to nary events for stc, whereby, the achieve these results due to the Company received the approval great efforts provided and the from the Communication and dedication of its employees in Information Technology addition to being flexible in Regulatory Authority’s (CITRA) implementing the company’s dig- to launch the first-of-its-kind ital transformation strategy and mobile virtual network operator providing integrated advanced (MNVO) license to launch Virgin technical solutions that serve the Mobile Kuwait in partnership Kuwaiti government’s outlook with Virgin Mobile Middle East with regards to the social distanc- & Africa. Virgin Mobile Kuwait ing for the individual and enter- trends, market changes and the decline in revenues, stc recorded will operate using stc’s network, company’s corporate strategy, prise segments. stc has focused its with stc acting as a Host Facilities a growth in EBITDA by 10.9% efforts on building on the 5G Based Provider “FBP” with stc updated its strategic frame- and net profit by 22.6% in the work to enhance its position network to deliver a range of ser- Virgin Mobile Kuwait, offering first three months of 2021 com- vices, including entertainment prepaid plans to users, and mak- as a leader in the digital arena. pared to the same period in 2020. Over the past couple of years, and digital services, meeting the ing it the first virtual telecom Considering the Company’s growing demand for broadband service in the country. stc’s corporate strategy has en- financial position as of 31 March high-speed networks, in addition In addition, solutions by stc, abled the company to optimize 2021, total assets reached KD to the corporate and institutional the Company’s specialized busi- its operations, invest in devel- 383.0 mn, while total sharehold- requirements for online institu- ness arm, launched its ultimate oping the largest 5G network ers’ equity reached KD 200.2 tional and educational interaction solution in cyber security and in Kuwait and enhance its mn, with a book value of 401 with the highest quality and effi- protection, “Shield”. The pio- digital channels to provide its Kuwaiti fils per share. ciency. Accordingly, stc proved neering service ensures online customers with an unrivalled Furthermore, stc boasts a strong its ability to overcome potential protection for businesses by iden- experience”. financial solvency position, con- unprecedented challenges due to tifying risks in possible data Commenting on the financial sidered to be amongst the best in the great efforts provided and the breaches, offering 360 degrees results for the three months peri- comparison to telecom compa- dedication of its employees and protection, and assessing critical od ended 31 March 2021, Dr. nies in the Middle East. their determination to provide assets to enable worry-free envi- Abdulrahman said: “stc’s reve- Furthermore, stc’s customer base services to customers with the ronments for businesses to thrive nues reached KD 69.8 mn in the stood at 1.8 mn customers at the same quality standards through digitally”. Deutsche Bank shows best quarter in 7 years

FRANKFURT, Germany, April 28, (AP): Deutsche Bank saw its strongest quarterly profi ts in seven years as the bank’s long-running restructuring achieved lower costs and as the bank suffered fewer loan losses in an economy that is rebounding from the worst of the pandemic recession. The quarterly results showed a distinctly different narra- tive for the bank, which had struggled for years with high costs and low profi ts as it faced heavy fi nes and trouble with regulators over matters such as manipulating interest benchmarks, lax money laundering protections and selling mortgage-based bonds that went bad. CEO Christian Sewing has led a two-year effort to exit riskier lines of business, cut costs and restore steady prof- itability. The bank on Wednesday was able to announce stronger profi ts and progress in shedding risky assets at a time when competitors such as Credit Suisse, UBS and Nomura have to explain losses connected to the collapse of hedge fund Archegos Capital Management. Deutsche Bank - in the front rank of previous scandals such as the one over US subprime mortgage bonds – this time appears to be among the fi nancial institutions that avoided serious trouble. Profi t attributable to Deutsche Bank shareholders was 908 million euros ($1.1 billion) in the fi rst three months of the year. That compared with a loss of 43 million euros in the year-earlier period. Top-line revenues rose 14 percent to 7.23 billion euros. Asked on a conference call with journalists if the bank was now less risky and “boring,” Chief Financial Offi cer James von Moltke said that “we don’t shy away from your characterization of ‘boring’ as being a desirable thing for the company.” He said that the bank was “very focussed on risk management and we were very, very pleased to see that pay dividends in terms of our ability to navigate that particular situation.” He said the bank “took no pleasure” in competitors’ trou- bles over “an unwelcome event in the industry.” Among the factors contributing to the improved result was releasing money that had been set aside to cover loans that aren’t expected to be repaid. Provisions for credit loss- es fell 86% to only 69 million euros in the fi rst quarter, down from 506 million euros in the year-ago period refl ect- ing what the bank said was “an improved macroeconomic outlook.” The bank said Wednesday it had reduced its cost base for 13 straight quarters and cut its internal workforce to 84,400, down by 2,300 from a year ago. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 BUSINESS 10 Asian lender forecasts strong rebound for the region in 2021

ADB expects inflation in to fall to 2.3% this year

MANILA, April 28, (AP): Devel- “The big unknown is whether these restrictions will be sufficient to curb the outbreak. If not and it oping Asian economies will grow continues, more draconian measures may still be at a solid 7.3% pace this year after needed,” Shah said. contracting slightly in 2020 due to The ADB forecast that Myanmar’s economy will contract nearly 10% this year following a the pandemic, the Asian Develop- military coup that has thrust the country into tur- ment Bank says in its latest region- moil. The economy grew at a modest 3.3% level al outlook. in 2020, before the military seized power on Feb But the regional lender said that forecast is 1, provoking a mass civil disobedience campaign that has stifled most business activity. in doubt as outbreaks of coronavirus fl are in The ADB economists did not foresee a sig- several countries, including Thailand, India nificant increase in inflation, despite concerns in and the Philippines. In this file photo, shoppers visit a retail district in the US and elsewhere that massive government Those setbacks threaten just as growth has Beijing. (AP) spending and other stimulus might spark surging been gaining momentum, said the ADB’s chief prices. economist, Yasuyuki Sawada. 300,000 per day for the past five days – may de- The ADB expects inflation in the region to fall “Economies in the region are on diverging rail that progress as hospitals are inundated with to 2.3% this year from 2.8% in 2020, when dis- paths,” he said. “Their trajectories are shaped by seriously ill patients, it noted. ruptions from the pandemic pushed food prices the extent of domestic outbreaks, the pace of their So far, the overall impact of this spike in cases sharply higher in some places. The inflation rate vaccine rollouts, and how much they are benefit- is unclear. for developing Asia is forecast to rise to 2.7% in ing from the global recovery.” “Real-time data on traffic, electricity de- 2022. China, which first reported the virus and has mand and mobility suggest that, so far at Apart from the cost of lost lives and misery, been the first major economy to bounce back least, India’s virus outbreak has had more of damage to health and productivity, the pandem- from the pandemic, is forecast to grow 8.1% this an impact on behavior than it has on activ- ic has extracted a harsh toll in many ways, wip- year, slowing to 5.5% in 2022, said the ADB re- ity,” Shilan Shah of Capital Economics said ing out millions of jobs, sinking families into port, released Wednesday. in a separate report. poverty. It also has put children far behind in It estimates that India’s economy will expand So far, the Indian government has resisted tak- their studies, the report said. at an 11% pace in 2021, in line with similar fore- ing the sort of drastic lockdown measures it or- The authors estimated that the cost to future casts from the International Monetary Fund and dered in March 2020 when millions of workers earnings from school closures amounts to $1.25 private economists. were stranded in cities, unable to work or return trillion, or more than 5% of regional economic Surging new cases in India – at more than to their villages. activity in 2020. Toyota Motor acquires Lyft’s Microsoft Q1 profi ts soar NEW YORK, April 28, (AP): Microsoft’s profits soared during the first three months of 2021, thanks to ongoing demand for its self-driving unit for $550 mln software and cloud computing services during the pandemic. The company on Tuesday reported fiscal third-quarter profit TOKYO, April 28, (AP): Toyota Motor is the Woven City, which held a of $14.8 billion, up 38% from the same period last year. Corp. has acquired the self-driving divi- ground-breaking ceremony in Ja- “Over a year into the pandemic, digital adoption curves sion of American ride-hailing company pan recently, to build a community aren’t slowing down. They’re accelerating, and it’s just the be- Lyft for $550 million, in a move that showcasing intelligent homes, auton- ginning,” CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement. highlights the Japanese automaker’s am- omous vehicles and other mobility Net income of $1.95 per share beat Wall Street expectations. bitions in that technology. products for Toyota’s workers and Analysts were expecting Microsoft to earn $1.78 per share on The acquisition, announced Tues- other people. revenue of $41 billion for the fiscal quarter ending in March, day, was carried out by Woven Planet “Woven Planet is driving towards according to FactSet. The software maker based in Redmond, Holdings, a Toyota subsidiary that be- its mission to combine the innovative Washington, posted revenue of $41.7 billion in the January- gan business in January and focuses on culture of Silicon Valley with world- March period, up 19% from last year. innovations and investment in projects renowned Japanese craftsmanship Revenue from Microsoft’s productivity segment, which in- such as “smart cities,” robotics and au- to create the mobility solutions of cludes its Office suite of workplace products such as email, tomated driving. the future,” said George Kellerman, grew by 15% over the same time last year, to $13.6 billion. Its Of the payment, $200 million will who oversees investments at Woven cloud computing business segment grew 23% to $15.1 billion. be paid upfront, and $350 million Planet. Microsoft’s personal computing business segment grew by over a five-year period, according to All the world’s top automakers are 19% to $13 billion, buoyed by last year’s release of a new Toyota. working on technology to make ve- Xbox gaming console and an unusually strong season for PC The Woven Planet project will bring hicles smarter, cleaner and more con- sales across the industry. Microsoft gets licensing revenue for together engineers and researchers in nected. Lyft, founded in 2012, offers a computers made by other manufacturers running its Windows mobility services, software and sensor ride-sharing and rental network. operating system. assets and automated driving systems Also Tuesday, Toyota announced The first quarter of 2021 was a gold mine for the sale of per- to further develop the technology, ac- it will work with Japanese automak- sonal computers in part due to unfulfilled demand because of a components backlog, according to separate reports from Gart- cording to Toyota. ers Suzuki Motor Corp., which makes “This deal will be key in weaving ner and IDC. The sharp rise across the industry was also due to small cars, Subaru Corp., Daihatsu an unusually weak first quarter of 2020, when the coronavirus together the people, resources, and in- Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. on frastructure that will help us to trans- outbreak began disrupting supply chains in Asia. next-generation vehicle communica- Pent-up demand for supply-constrained consoles during the form the world we live in through mo- tions devices. bility technologies that can bring about holiday season also contributed to the 34% rise in sales of Xbox a happier, safer future for us all,” said content and services in early 2021 from the same time last year. Woven Planet Chief Executive James But it’s the cloud growth that has been Microsoft’s focus as Kuffner. the company tries to tap into a pandemic-caused shift in big Woven Planet and Lyft also signed businesses, governments and other organizations doing more commercial agreements to use the Lyft of their essential work online. system and fleet data to speed up com- “Microsoft came through the pandemic with relatively little mercialization of the technology. damage,” said Forrester research analyst Andrew Bartels. Toyota also said the deal will mean Nadella has steered the company through a series of ambi- Woven Planet will have Tokyo, Palo tious acquisitions while rivals like Amazon and Google have Alto, California, and London as loca- faced more antitrust uncertainty as regulators scrutinize their tions. In this file photo, visitors walk at a market power. A centerpiece of Woven Planet Toyota showroom in Tokyo. (AP) UPS stock hits ‘all-time’ high

NEW YORK, April 28, (AP): Small businesses in the US fueled demand for delivery, helping UPS post better-than-expected earn- ings and revenue for the first quarter of the year. That sent the company’s stock to an all-time high Tuesday morning. UPS is one of the few companies that benefited from the pandemic as de- mand for delivery rose as more people stayed home and shopped online. But even with more people get- ting vaccinated and head- ing out, the company said it expects delivery demand to continue this year as more businesses open up and need to ship goods. Plus, consumers have more money in their pocket to spend from government stimulus checks. UPS said daily volume jumped more than 14% in the first three months of the year from the same period a year ago. The Atlanta company re- ported net income of $4.79 billion, up nearly 400% from the same period last year. But much of those gains came from a $2.5 billion pension benefit related to the Ameri- can Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which gives big employers protection against insolvency of their pension plans. That reduced the company’s pen- sion liability by $6.4 billion. Adjusted earnings, which ex- cludes one-time gains or losses, came to $2.77 per share, far ex- ceeding Wall Street projections of $1.67, according to Zacks Investment Research. Total revenue soared 27% to $22.91 billion, also beating expectations. UPS has also been deliv- ering COVID-19 vaccines around the world, many of which need to be kept in deep freezers. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 HEALTH 11

‘Relaxed guidance a reward, motivator for people to get vaccinated’ Coronavirus Many Americans can now go outside without mask Surge breaks health system NEW YORK, April 28, (AP): The Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention eased its guidelines Tuesday on the wear- Prescribers can treat up to 30 patients at a time India tops 200K deaths ing of masks outdoors, saying fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to cover their faces anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers. amid record virus spike And those who are unvaccinated can go outside without US lifts barriers to prescribing addiction treatment drug NEW DELHI, April 28, (AP): India crossed a grim masks in some situations, too. NEW YORK, April 28, (AP): The Biden administration is “What it does is provide more on-ramps to treatment,” milestone Wednesday of 200,000 people lost to the The new guidance represents another carefully calibrated easing decades-old requirements that made it diffi cult for said Brendan Saloner, an addiction researcher at Johns Hop- coronavirus as a devastating surge of new infections step on the road back to normal from the coronavirus out- doctors to treat opioid addiction using medication. kins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “This will help in tears through dense cities and rural areas alike and break that has killed over 570,000 people in US. New guidelines announced Tuesday mean doctors and health centers, hospitals, jails and prisons – places where overwhelms health care systems on the brink of col- For most of the past year, the CDC had been advising other health workers will no longer need extra hours of train- these folks sometimes show up for treatment.” lapse. Americans to wear masks outdoors if they are within 6 feet ing to prescribe buprenorphine, a gold standard medicine Stricter requirements will remain for prescribers who want The health ministry reported a single-day record of one another. that helps with cravings. And they no longer have to refer to treat more than 30 patients at a time. 3,293 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, bring- “Today, I hope, is a day when we can take another step patients to counseling services. The American Medical Association welcomed the change ing India’s total fatalities to 201,187, as the world’s back to the normalcy of before,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Under the loosened guidelines, prescribers will be able to and urged Congress to remove other roadblocks to prescrib- second most populous country endures its darkest Walensky said. “Over the past year, we have spent a lot of treat up to 30 patients at a time with the drug. It comes in a ing buprenorphine. chapter of the pandemic yet. time telling Americans what you can’t do. Today, I am go- pill or fi lm that dissolves under the tongue. It costs about “Patients are struggling to fi nd physicians who are author- The country also reported 362,757 new infec- ing to tell you some of the things you can do, if you are fully $100 a month. A common version of buprenorphine is Sub- ized to prescribe buprenorphine; onerous regulations dis- tions, a new global record, which raised the overall vaccinated.” oxone. courage physicians from being certifi ed to prescribe it,” said total past 17.9 million. The previous high of 350,000 The change comes as more than half of US adults - or Because of how opioids act on the brain, people dependent Dr Patrice Harris, who leads the AMA’s opioid task force, on Monday had capped a fi ve-day streak of record- about 140 million people - have received at least one dose on them get sick if they stop using. Withdrawal can feel like in a statement. ing the largest single-day increases in any country of vaccine, and more than a third have been fully vaccinated. a bad fl u with cramping, sweating, anxiety and sleeplessness. The prescribing requirements date back to legislation in throughout the pandemic. Walensky said the decision was driven by rising vacci- Cravings for the drug can be so intense that relapse is com- 2000 meant to prevent too-easy access to a medicine with its India, a country of nearly 1.4 nation numbers; declines in COVID-19 cases, hospitaliza- mon. own potential for misuse. But only a small number of doc- billion people, is the fourth to tions and deaths; and research showing that less than 10% of Buprenorphine helps by moving a patient from powerful tors went through the steps and, in many parts of the country, cross 200,000 deaths, behind documented instances of transmission of the virus happened painkillers or an illicit opioid like heroin to a regular dose of patients couldn’t fi nd a prescriber. Ironically, doctors could the United States, Brazil and outdoors. a legal opioid-based medication. prescribe buprenorphine for pain without the extra training. Mexico. And as in many na- Besides doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, US drug overdose deaths have climbed during the coro- tions, experts believe the coro- Expert certifi ed nurse midwives and some other types of nurses will navirus pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and navirus infections and fatalities Dr. Mike Saag, an infectious disease expert at the Univer- be able to prescribe buprenorphine without fi rst getting spe- Prevention reported 90,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12 in India are severe undercounts. sity of Alabama at Birmingham, welcomed the change. cial training. months ending in September, the highest number ever re- The fi rst known COVID-19 “It’s the return of freedom,” Saag said. “It’s the return of The Trump administration tried to make a similar change corded in a one-year period. There is not yet data for all of death in India happened on us being able to do normal activities again. We’re not there in its fi nal days but it would have applied only to doctors. 2020, and the fi gures are preliminary. March 12, 2020, in southern yet, but we’re on the exit ramp. And that’s a beautiful thing.” The Biden administration put the matter on hold for a legal The change “will increase the number of prescribers and Rawat Karnataka state. It took fi ve Some experts portrayed the relaxed guidance as a reward and policy review, ultimately deciding to expand the easier the number of patients who receive prescriptions,” said As- months to reach the fi rst 50,000 and a motivator for more people to get vaccinated - a mes- guidelines to more prescribers. sistant Health Secretary Dr Rachel Levine. dead. The toll hit 100,000 deaths in the next two sage President Joe Biden sounded, too. months in October 2020 and 150,000 three months “The bottom line is clear: If you’re vaccinated, you can do later in January this year. Deaths slowed until mid- more things, more safely, both outdoors as well as indoors,” people, the CDC says. They also should keep their faces cov- 16. March, only to sharply rise again. Biden said. “So for those who haven’t gotten their vaccina- ered when dining at outdoor restaurants with friends from “The biggest thing that it helps us is our mental health,” For the past week, more than 2,000 Indians have tions yet, especially if you’re younger or thinking you don’t multiple households. said Tim Stephens, a 52-year-old software salesman in Bir- died every day. need it, this is another great reason to go get vaccinated now.” And everyone, fully vaccinated or not, should keep wear- mingham, Alabama, who suffered a bout of COVID-19 and India thought it had weathered the worst of the The CDC, which has been cautious in its guidance during ing masks at crowded outdoor events such as concerts or has since gotten vaccinated. “To be able to feel like we’re pandemic last year, but the virus is now racing the crisis, essentially endorsed what many Americans have sporting events, the CDC says. turning the corner and can confi dently go out and experience through its population and systems are beginning to already been doing over the past several weeks. The agency continues to recommend masks at indoor pub- life and do a lot of the things that we did before COVID collapse. The CDC says that whether they are fully vaccinated or lic places, such as hair salons, restaurants, shopping centers, became an acronym in our world. It’s one more step in the Hospitalizations and deaths have reached re- not, people do not have to wear masks outdoors when they gyms, museums and movie theaters, saying that is still the process of moving beyond this.” cord highs, overwhelming health care work- walk, bike or run alone or with members of their household. safer course even for vaccinated people. “Right now it’s very In Oxford, Nebraska, population 800, hardly anyone wears ers. Patients are suffocating because hospitals’ They can also go maskless in small outdoor gatherings with hard to tease apart who is vaccinated,” Walensky explained. a mask, and the school district dropped its mask mandate last oxygen supplies have run out. Desperate family fully vaccinated people. She said the CDC guidance should be a model for states in month. Superintendent Bryce Jorgensen said maybe 10 of members are sending SOS messages on social But unvaccinated people - defi ned as those who have yet setting their mask-wearing requirements. the 370 students are still covering their faces. media, hoping someone would help them find to receive both doses of the Pfi zer or Moderna vaccine or the The advice to the unvaccinated applies to adults and chil- “What goes on in other states is what goes on in other oxygen cylinders, empty hospital beds and criti- one-shot Johnson & Johnson formula - should wear masks dren alike, according to the CDC. None of the COVID-19 states,” Jorgensen said. “You just can’t compare Chicago to cal drugs for their loved ones. Crematoriums have at small outdoor gatherings that include other unvaccinated vaccines in use in the U.S. is authorized for children under Oxford, Nebraska. Things are just different.” spilled over into parking lots, lighting up night skies in some cities. With its healthcare system sinking fast, India is now looking at other nations to pull it out of the re- cord surge that is barreling through one state and then another. Assistance Many countries have offered assistance, includ- ing the US, which has promised to help with person- al protective equipment, tests and oxygen supplies. The US will also send raw materials for vaccine production, strengthening India’s capacity to manu- facture more AstraZeneca doses. Health experts say huge gatherings during Hin- du festivals and mammoth election rallies in some states have accelerated the unprecedented surge In- dia is seeing now. They also say the government’s mixed messag- ing and its premature declarations of victory over the virus encouraged people to relax when they should have continued strict adherence to physi- cal distancing, wearing masks and avoiding large crowds. The national capital New Delhi is in lockdown, as are the southern states of Maharashtra and Kar- nataka. Some other states, too, have enforced re- strictions in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus. India has also called on its armed forces to help fi ght the devastating crisis. India’s chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, said late Monday that oxygen supplies would be released from armed forces reserves and its retired medical personnel would join health facilities to ease the pressure on doctors. Meanwhile, India’s vaccination program appears to be struggling. So far nearly 10% of the country’s population have received one jab, but just over 1.5% have received both vaccines. Indians 18 and older will be eligible for a vaccine from Saturday. Meanwhile, the loss of lives is accelerating. Radha Gobindo Pramanik is among the countless Indians who lost a family member to the virus. His daughter, Navanita Paramanik Rajput, died on April 18. At fi rst, Rajput complained of colds and fever. But when the 37-year-old’s oxygen levels started to drop, her father and husband decided to take her to a government hospital. Pramanik said she came out of the ambulance smiling but by the time her husband fi nished fi ll- ing the hospital registration form, her daughter was gasping for breath. “Before I could understand anything, she col- lapsed in the arms of her husband,” Pramanik said, sobbing. Meanwhile, some Africans are hesitating to get COVID-19 vaccines amid concerns about their safe- ty, alarming public health offi cials as some coun- tries start to destroy thousands of doses that expired before use. Destroy Malawi and South Sudan in recent days have said they will destroy some of their doses, a concerning development on a continent where health offi cials have been outspoken about the need for vaccine equity as the world’s rich nations hold the bulk of shots. Africa, whose 1.3 billion people represent 16% of the world’s population, has received less than 2% of the COVID-19 vaccine doses administered around the world, according to the World Health 0rganiza- tion. The continent has confi rmed more than 4.5 mil- lion COVID-19 cases, including 120,000 deaths, a tiny fraction of the global fatalities and caseload. But some experts worry that the 54-nation continent will suffer in the long term if it takes longer than expected to meet the threshold scientists believe is needed to stop uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 – 70% or higher of the population having immunity through vaccination or past infection. Africa seeks to vaccinate up to 60% of its people by the end of 2022. Achieving that goal will require about 1.5 billion vaccine doses for Africa if the two-shot AstraZen- eca vaccine continues to be widely used. But safety concerns relating to that vaccine, often the main shot available under the donor-backed COVAX program to ensure access for developing countries, have left some Africans worried. Vaccine-related suspicions have been spread widely on social media, driven partly by a general lack of trust in authorities. Uganda’s health minis- ter had to refute allegations she faked receiving a shot, even posting a video of herself getting the jab on Twitter, along with the admonition: “Please stop spreading fake news!” Music THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 FFeatureseatures Judge to thecourtsoon,andagreedwith Court thatshehadaskedtospeak a hearinginLosAngelesSuperior would specifi 23 date.Hedidnotsaywhatshe place in2008.(AP) the conservatorshipwasputin shaved herownheadjustbefore darity withSpears,whofamously during thedemonstrationinsoli- ritney T-shirt,hadherheadshaved ery” and“Thisistoxic.” that read“conservatorshipisslav- outside thedowntowncourthouse. #FreeBritney movementpicketed ing, about50fansfromtheso-called attends them. day’s hearing,andsheveryrarely ments oftheconservatorship. in thecourtproceedingsanddocu- been pushingformoretransparency lic. ButSpears,throughIngham,has June hearingtothemediaandpub- public. None ofwhatshesaidbecame 2019, thecourtroomwassealed. court. 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George Floyd,youchallengedHollywoodtocommit marks havebeeneditedforbrevityandclarity. the dayafterverdictinDerekChauvintrial.Re- debut with“CreedIII.” “A JournalforJordan.”He’spreppinghisdirectorial a newchapter.Herecentlyfi the movies’biggeststars,Jordaniseagertoembarkon to doifIwasrunningfromoneproductionanother.” things thatIprobablywouldn’thavehadasmuchtime at myselfandfamily,spendtimewithmynephew— from LosAngeles.“Ikindofhadamomenttolook of non-stopcareer,”saysJordan,speakingbyphone refl his familyandfriends,atimehesayshasthatbeen Hollywood moreinclusive. Outlier SocietyProductions,aleadingforceinmaking to today.He’saproduceronthefi perform alotofhisownstunts,buttoretailorthefi sibility tonotonlydoabig-budgetactionthrillerand have previouslyfl Keanu ReevesandTomHardyareamongthosewho is hopingitspawnsafranchise. cy’s best-knowncharacteroutsideofJackRyan.Jordan updated originstoryofNavySEALJohnClark,Clan- (which debutsFridayonAmazonPrimeVideo)isan recasts Jordanasaglobe-trottingactionstar.Thefi in “WithoutRemorse”aTomClancyadaptationthat “Just Mercy.”Hisrawfuryin“BlackPanther.” His capacitytoinspirechangeasBryanStevensonin ABC’s “World News Tonight” ABC’s “WorldNewsTonight” M Jordan onpower&‘WithoutRemorse’ Jordan: AP: The 34-year-oldspokewithAssociatedPress But afterthepandemicputaslightpauseononeof “The lastfewyearsI’vebeenblessedtohaveakind Jordan spentmuchofthepastyearquarantinedwith The projecthasbeenaroundHollywoodfordecades; But Jordan’spotencyreachesnew,muscularheights ective. Variety many forms.Hisheavyweightforcein“Creed.” ichael B.Jordan’spoweronscreenhastaken This imagereleasedbyAmazonshowsMichaelB.JordaninascenefromTomClancy’s‘WithoutRemorse.’(AP) Last summeratprotestsfollowingthedeathof From theprojectsthatI’vebeeninvolved eck, Nomzamo eck, irted withit.ButJordansawthepos- cant ormeaningfulresponsefromthe By JakeCoyle ‘Pilot Barcelonaconcertcouldpavewayformore’ lmed DenzelWashington’s ‘Creed’ actor’s potencyreaches new, muscularheights said thesixinfectionswouldextrapolatetoanincidenceof131cases fewer thantheaveragecontagionspreadforBarcelonaattime.He was fromsomeplaceotherthantheconcert. and thatfourofthemsaidtheybelievedtheorigintheirinfection people whohadattendedtheconcert. revealed sixpositivecasesinthetwoweeksfollowingeventamong tocols forlastmonth’sBarcelonashowsaidananalysisofhealthdata produced nosignifi ed by4,500mask-wearingSpaniardswho’dbeenscreenedforCOVID-19 cial distancing—butwithotherprecautionsafterapilotconcertattend- Film BARCELONA, Spain: According todoctor Organizers saidnoneoftheinfectedpeoplerequiredhospitalization The medicalteamfromalocalhospitalthatoversawthehealthpro- lmviahiscompany, pasSongz Spears commitment atVaxLive.” Today Icallonallmycolleaguestojointhismomentumandmakea darity inthefi COVAX initiativethatFranceisinaugurating,weareinconcretesoli- in astatement.“WiththeEuropeanvaccinesharingmechanismvia countries, toensurebothsolidarityandhealthsecurity,”Macronsaid the AssociatedPress. “Last autumn,Icalledforthesharingofdosesorderedbyour cant outbreaks, event organizers argued Tuesday. cant outbreaks,eventorganizersarguedTuesday. ght againstthevirus,whichdoesnotcareaboutborders. lm lm Mid-sized culturaleventscouldbeheldwithoutso- Josep MariaLlibre do thingsthatfeedyourcommunity,soyouknowthe got todothingsthatfeedyoursoul.Andyou’ve life whereyou’vegottodothingsforyourself, Trying tofi between entertainmentandactivism.That’slife,right? ance. Itallowsmetohavethatcomfortablebalance coming up.I’vebeenblessedtohaveahealthybal- action thrillerstomovieswithapurpose.Igot“Creed” “Journal forJordan.”Ilikealltypesofmovies.From about largerissues? sometimes justwanttomakeamoviewithoutworrying sponsibility youfeelandyourowninterests?Do closer together.Andpeopleunifi the highestpointthatI’veexperienced.It’sdrivingus solidarity amongstourcommunityandcultureisat part ofthepopularconversation.Butit’salot.Ithink ume ofwhat’sbeenreportedhasincreased,it’smorea wasn’t beingseenasmuchitisrightnow.Thevol- law enforcement.Whenweshotthatmovie,Iguessit who hadhislifetakenawayfromhimbythehandsof opportunity toshinealightonstory,youngman thing thatcanbecomearealityanyday.Yeah,Ihadan acted outaversionofscenethatkeepsreplaying. all tasksathand. forward. I’mmotivated.recharged.readyfor an opportunitytobeabetterversionofmyselfmoving the camera;instreets,myhome.It’sgivenme culture, formybusiness;infrontofthecamera,behind When itcomestobeingpresentformycommunity, prepared fortheworktocome—andthat’sinallareas. I did.Aftertakingthatbreak,feelmoreenergizedand was somethingthatIdidn’tknowneededasmuch year hasseensomuchofthat.Rechargingmybatteries and thenhourslater,youhaveanotherone.Thispast have amomentwherethingswentourwayyesterday lice brutalityandmurders—it’sbeentough,man.You The pandemic,theprotests,thissteadyincreaseofpo- priorities? things wehaveorthatseeatthemoment. there’s alotofworktobedone.We’renotcontentwith Jordan: Jordan: AP: Jordan: AP: AP: Also: game in offi an allegedaltercationwithpolice Songz announced Tuesday. In “FruitvaleStation,”playingOscarGrant,you Has anythingaboutthepastyearchangedyour Do youeverfi LOS ANGELES: Mike Mansur cers attheAFCchampionship nd abalance.Youhavemoments inyour I wentthrougharollercoasterofemotions. When you’reBlackandbrown,it’ssome- I justmadeone!“WithoutRemorse”and News” had4.9million.(AP) willnotfacechargesin Kansas City ❑ , thesixinfectionsare nd itdiffi , aspokesman for R&B artist , prosecutors cult tobalanceanyre- ed isapowerfulthing. Trey January. Police havesaidhe scuf- arrested andjailed overnightin Tremaine Aldon Neverson to commentfurther. cision latelastweek.Hedeclined that policewerenotifi evidence” tobringchargesand offi the said abouttheresults. after ayearofpandemicrestrictions. pilot programtohelprestartculturaleventswiththesectorsuffering results werepresented. of high-qualityfacemasks. into theshowthathadnosocialdistancingrulesbutdidrequireuse ers underwentasame-dayantigentest.Ifnegative,theywereallowed ple intotheshowbySpanishrockgroupLoveofLesbian.Ticket-buy- 260 casesper100,000inhabitants. per 100,000people,whenthecity-widetallyoverthatsameperiodwas nated restaurantsandattendselectconcertssportingevents. taken ataspecifi cinated, havinghadthevirusatsomepoint,oranegativeantigentest taurants andothereventsafterverifyingtheyarelow-riskforinfections. week ofits“OpenGirona”scheme,wherebypeoplecangotoselectres- some businessandpeoplestartventuringout. perimenting withasimilarinitiativetohelphard-hitrestaurantsrecover Songz, whosereal nameis ce, saidthereis“insuffi Jackson County Also inSpain’snortheastern “There islightattheendoftunnel,”organizerJordiHerreruela A groupofconcertorganizersbehindtheinitiativedescribeditasa Barcelona localauthoritieswerealsopresentonTuesdaywhenthe Health authoritiesgavespecialpermissiontoallowup5,000peo- Using aphoneapp,participantseitherprovideproofofbeingvac- Girona, acityof100,000,neartheFrenchborder,isinsecond (AP) simple. Othertimes,it’snotthatcomplicated,either. sion todevelopmovieslikethat.Sometimesit’snotthat very progressiveandentertaining.It’sanuanceddeci- playing acharacterlikethatinworldisalso representation isimportant.Somebodylikemyself entertaining andI’mgoingtohavefunmakingit.And really likethemovie.Thecharacter’sinteresting.It’s these moviechoicesbutwhatIpayattentiontois: some ofthosedecisions.Alotpeoplespeculateon very lowonthetotempolewhenitcomestomaking you doamovie.Peoplewouldbesurprisedthatraceis ferent factorstoconsiderwhenyouremakeamovieor doing somethingwithoutthattitle.There’salotofdif- studio, whatIPisavailable,thevalueofarebootversus ies getmade—what(intellectualproperty)isat lot ofpeopledon’tunderstandthenuanceshowmov- you giveanysignifi by whiteactors(WillemDafoeandLievSchreiber).Do nally writtenasBlackandhadpreviouslybeenplayed “Thomas CrownAffair,”yourcharacterwasn’torigi- It’s amovieaboutguy,knowwhatImean? extra “ThischaracterisBlackbecauseofthisandthat.” It wascooltoseeacharacterthatjustis.There’sno dio, theproducers,directortocreateanoriginstory. that youwantedtobring“WithoutRemorse”? role likeaTrojanhorse.Wasthereanythingespecially where Idomyownstunts.wasakidinthecandystore. into theTomClancyuniverseanddoanactionmovie hours (laughs)inmyroomplaying.Beingabletostep used toenvisionmyselfplaying,thatIspenthoursupon the fi Six” and“GhostRecon”beforeIevengotintroducedto grew upplaying(TomClancyadaptations)“Rainbow hell foryears.Whatdrewyoutoit? of cinema. a betterplace.Ithinkmakingpeopleisthepower successful andleaveanimpact—theworld you canfi person lookingatyouinthemorningmirror.If Jordan: AP: Jordan: AP: Jordan: AP: ed pharmacy.Oncecleared,userscandineatdesig- lms. Man, I got an opportunity to play a character I lms. Man,Igotanopportunitytoplayacharacter prosecutor’s ed ofthede- “Without Remorse”hadbeenindevelopment You’ve talkedaboutinjectingyourselfintoa Like anotherupcomingfi nd awaytobalanceallthosethingsandbe cient Itwasagreatcollaborationbetweenthestu- , was I’m a gamer. I love playing videogames. I I’m agamer.Iloveplayingvideogames. There’s abusinessbehindthis,aswell.A cance tothat? Catalonia fl head Stadium.(AP) and theBuffaloBills atArrow- between theKansas CityChiefs cols andotherrules atthegame not followingcoronavirusproto- on thechargingdecision. Margetson ed withoffi Authorities accusedSongzof Songz’s representative, , thecityof , declinedtocomment cers duringhisarrest. lm of yours,anew Girona Sydney isex- ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Books

Publisher pulls Roth bio John Grisham pens a basketball thriller By Rob Merrill ooley,’ by John Grisham (Doubleday) ‘S When you’ve written 35 novels and are work- ing on a streak of 43 consecutive No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, you can write about whatever you want. That’s probably the simplest way to explain why John Grisham’s latest is a basketball story and doesn’t feature a single courtroom scene. It’s not the fi rst sports book for Grisham, of course, but it’s the fi rst set in the big-time world of college hoops. Samuel Sooleymon, nicknamed Sooley, is a 17-year-old playing on dirt courts in his native South Sudan when we fi rst meet him. Growing like a weed and with an infectious passion for the game, soon he’s in Orlando playing on a team of traveling Sudanese all-stars, showcasing his skills for col- lege coaches. The joy of a Grisham novel is turning the pages as the plot propels you forward, so I’ll avoid revealing too much. Suf- fi ce it to say “Sooley” follows the familiar Grisham playbook - short chapters, plenty of fore- shadowing, and a rapid-fi re Grisham prose that’s easy to read and hard to put down. Grisham seems to enjoy moonlighting as a sportswriter. There are entire paragraphs that read like AP game recaps: “Central ripped off a 14-0 run and led by 15 at the half... Sooley grabbed 11 rebounds, Pearl Jam members, from left, Mike McCready, Matt Cameron, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard appear at a news conference in Mexico City, on July for his fi rst double-double... Sooley, still coming 17, 2003. Pearl Jam should be on the road celebrating 30 years of ‘Ten’ with a tour. Pearl Jam’s postponed European tour was rescheduled for June and July 2022. off the bench but playing 29 minutes, scored 31 and The delay not only put any plans to celebrate ‘Ten’ on hold, Pearl Jam has still yet to tour in support of last year’s release, ‘Gigaton.’ (AP) blocked four shots.” He relishes putting words in the mouth of Sooley’s fi ctional coach, who tells his team before their fi rst-ever NCAA tournament game: “Men, we don’t deserve respect. Yet. Respect is out there on the fl oor, just waiting for us to go get it.” If they can get the casting right, it’ll make an action- Music packed sports movie. Harder to recreate in a fi lm adaptation will be the secondary plot of the novel, which focuses on the fam- ily Sooley leaves behind in Sudan. When a rebel group Pearl Jam revisits fi rst studio album burns their village, they join millions of fellow refu- gees fl eeing the country, eventually fi nding food and shelter in a Ugandan camp. They’re never far from Sooley’s mind as his basketball career takes fl ight in McCready proud of 30 years of ‘Ten’ America and the juxtaposition of his fame and celeb- rity with his family’s plight back home is the heart of LOS ANGELES, April 28, (AP): The that we got.” saw each other in person for the fi rst the story. Pearl Jam songs that would end up as Pearl Jam fans loved the take — and time in more than a year. And Pearl tracks on the “Ten” album were played the album, and most everything else Jam spent its downtime working on Fiction live at clubs along the West Coast for the band has produced over three dec- its voting campaign, releasing streams When Sooley’s college team, North Carolina Cen- months leading into the band’s fi rst ades. They hoped to celebrate 30 years of classic performances, and plug- tral, qualifi es for March Madness, Grisham has a lit- recording session. The potential was of “Ten” with a tour. ging up-and-coming bands that need tle fun with his fi ction and history, writing, “Never in there for Pearl Jam to serve as more support (McCready named the Black the tournament’s storied history had a No. 16 beaten than an opening act for bigger bands Surprise Tones) more than a veteran, fi nancial- a No. 1.” The novel is set in 2016, two years prior to at the time — like Alice in Chains — McCready played on Pearl Jam’s big- ly-set band like themselves. Grisham’s favorite team, No. 1-ranked Virginia, los- and it needed an album to support the gest hits with a Stratocaster he splurged The 55-year-old McCready credited ing to No. 16-ranked University of Maryland, Balti- songs that defi ned the grunge scene. on as his fi rst vintage guitar purchase. He 18 years of sobriety to keeping him en- more County, in the 2018 tournament. This cover image released by Dou- “Ten” would soon be born. recently teamed with Fender and master ergized about Pearl Jam and whatever It’s not spoiling too much to say that Sooley’s team bleday shows ‘Sooley’ by John Gris- “This my fi rst real recording session builder Vincent Van Trigt to recreate the lies ahead. makes history in Grisham’s world and their dream ham. (AP) with a budget of a record company, 1960 Stratocaster for sale to collectors “I don’t why I’m still here, I’m just season continues. The pages turn even more quickly and the pressures, all that stuff,” gui- down to the last scratch. McCready was happy I am,” he said. “We still need after that, building to a climax that won’t leave readers tarist Mike McCready said. “I didn’t startled to learn during the process that to work on our communication. But doubting whether this is a John Grisham novel. really know about it. I was just stoked his beloved Strat was from 1960 — not we’re aware of all that, so I think we ❑ ❑ ❑ to be doing this. I thought our band 1959. McCready owned the Stratocaster try to do that to the best of our abil- was great.” since 1991 and it was part of his collec- ity. We’ve been through a lot of dif- The publisher of a highly anticipated and widely Pearl Jam started recording sessions tion of vintage 1959 guitars. He loved ferent highs and lows. But we’ve been discussed biography of Philip Roth is pulling the in late March 1991 and the album that the era of guitars so much, that he even through it together.” book and cutting ties with author Blake Bailey, who launched the band’s meteoric rise was has a “59” tattoo on his left wrist. faces multiple allegations of sexual harassment and as- released fi ve months later. For Mc- Not so fast. Also: sault. W.W. Norton and Company previously released Cready, 30 years of “Ten,” has gone “It was a psychological rug being CLEVELAND: Grammy Award nomi- Bailey’s memoir “The Splendid Things We Planned.” by as quick as a lightning bolt. pulled out from under my feet,” Mc- nated rock & soul duo Black Pumas “Norton is permanently putting out of print our “That was the fi rst time I went, all Cready said on a Zoom with The As- and Cleveland’s own Machine Gun editions of ‘Philip Roth: The Biography’ and ‘The of us were all fi ring on all cylinders sociated Press. “I still love the guitar. Kelly will perform at this week’s NFL Splendid Things We Planned,’ Blake Bailey’s 2014 Carlile Vuillard here,” he said. “These are cool songs, It doesn’t matter. But it was a crazy draft. memoir,” the publisher announced Tuesday. “Mr. we have a great singer. I feel confi - surprise.” The league announced its musical Bailey will be free to seek publication elsewhere if dent in playing with these guys that McCready played his Strat on al- acts for the second and third days of he chooses. In addition, Norton will make a dona- we could go out and do really well. I most 800 shows and just about every the draft, which is back on the road af- tion in the amount of the book advance for ‘Philip Variety didn’t know what that meant. We were record — including Temple of the ter being all virtual last year because of Roth: The Biography’ to organizations that fight just starting. I’m seeing old pictures of Dog’s hit “Hunger Strike” — and said the COVID-19 pandemic. against sexual assault or harassment and work to us from when we fi rst started around he accidentally picked up the replica A massive stage has been construct- protect survivors.” NEW YORK: The Grammy Museum will that time. We looked very disjointed three times to play before he realized ed near FirstEnergy Stadium and the The stunning decision follows reports last week reopen next month after being closed for on stage. What are we doing? We it wasn’t the real deal. He’s getting Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to host the from The New York Times, The New Orleans more than a year due to the coronavirus hadn’t coalesced yet. But I knew the Fender to make him a 1959 model. three-day event from April 29 to May Times-Picayune and The Associated Press among pandemic. energy was there.” He might even get to play it live 1. others that Bailey, who in the 1990s taught eighth The museum in downtown Los next year. Black Pumas will perform after Angeles announced recently that it will McCready, bassist Jeff Ament, gui- grade English in New Orleans, had behaved inap- be open to the public on May 21. The tarist Stone Gossard, and singer Eddie On a break because of the pandemic, the third round is completed on April propriately with students and later sought sexual museum will launch with three new ex- Vedder (and drummer Dave Krusen in Pearl Jam’s postponed European tour 30. Their self-titled debut album was relationships. Two former students and a publish- hibits — “Motown: The Sound of Young his lone Pearl Jam album) spent two was rescheduled for June and July nominated as Album of the Year at the ing executive have alleged that he assaulted them. America,” “Dave Matthews Band: Inside months recording the album that sold 2022. The delay not only put any plans 2021 Grammy Awards. Bailey was quickly dropped by his literary agency, and Out” and “Y Para Siempre… Marco more than 13 million copies in the to celebrate “Ten” on hold, Pearl Jam Machine Gun Kelly, who graduated the Story Factory, and Norton announced last week Antonio Solís.” United States alone. has still yet to tour in support of last from Shaker Heights High School on it would pause publication and publicity as it re- The museum will open at limited “I remember we recorded ‘Even year’s release, “Gigaton.” Cleveland’s east side, will close the viewed allegations. capacity to maintain social distancing, Flow’ like 50 times, or 40, something “We’ll get out there again. We’ll festivities the following day. Norton has acknowledged being contacted, anon- following guidelines provided by LA crazy like that,” McCready said. “We play,” McCready said. “I want to see Rockers Kings of Leon will help ymously, by a woman in 2018 who alleged that Bai- County. Attendees will be required to could never get the groove right. It what songs work on the ‘Gigaton’ re- kick off the draft on April 29 before ley had assaulted her three years earlier. The pub- wear face masks and have their tempera- was driving everybody crazy. Jeff ran cord. That’s the thing about playing Commissioner Roger Goodell tells lisher never responded directly to the email, sent tures checked. The museum will also out and got mad and shot baskets. We live. We were just rehearsing, all of it, the Jacksonville Jaguars they are by Bloomsbury sales and marketing vice president provide social distancing marks, hand fi nally ended up getting the take. I’m four days before we canceled the tour.” on the clock with the No. 1 overall Valentina Rice, and instead forwarded it to Bailey. sanitizing stations and a touchless visitor not sure if Stone even loves the take McCready and Ament only recently pick. Rice first went public with her allegations last week experience. in The New York Times and confirmed her account Free admission will be granted to fi rst with the AP. responders, health care workers and es- sential workers through June. language that is translated into English Several internationally renowned winning book’s author and its translator. Assault The Grammy Museum is a nonprofi t and published in the UK or Ireland. writers who were on the 13-book longlist British author Lucy Hughes-Hallett, organization through The Recording The contenders often include writers failed to make the cut, including Chinese who is chairing the panel of judges, said The alleged assault took place at the home of Times Academy, which annually produces the who are widely read in their own lan- writer Can Xue and Kenyan author the list showed that some of the most book critic Dwight Garner, who was informed by Grammy Awards. The museum will cel- guages but less known in English. Four Ngugi wa Thiong’o. exciting new writing is going on “in the Rice soon after it happened and, at Rice’s request, did ebrate its reopening with a members-only of this year’s six shortlisted authors have The winner will be announced June 2, borderlands” between fi ction and other not until recently tell anyone at the paper. The Times virtual event featuring Grammy-winning never been published in English before. with the prize money split between the genres, such as history and memoir. (AP) had covered Bailey’s book extensively, including a singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile on ❑ ❑ ❑ long profi le of Bailey that ran in its Sunday magazine. May 13. (AP) Garner did not review the Roth biography. ❑ ❑ ❑ RENO, Nev.: Burning Man organizers “Our critic acted appropriately and ethically by announced Tuesday they are canceling honoring the wishes of his friend, Ms. Rice, who con- LONDON: Books from Europe and this summer’s annual counter-culture fes- Latin America that blur the boundaries tival in the Nevada desert for the second fi ded in him in 2015 and asked him not to share the year in a row because of the COVID-19 allegation,” a Times spokesperson told the AP. “And of fi ction, history and memoir are the fi nal six contenders for the 50,000-pound pandemic. it was at Ms. Rice’s request that Dwight spoke with ($69,000) International Booker Prize. The San Francisco-based group The Times.” The shortlist for the literary award, posted a video on its website that said Bailey, whose Roth book came out in early April, announced Thursday, includes “The there are too many uncertainties to has denied any wrongdoing. His attorney, Billy Gib- War of the Poor,” a story of religion resolve in time to hold the event as bens, condemned Norton, while noting that “Philip and revolution by France’s Eric Vuil- scheduled Aug 26 to Sept 3 in the Black Roth” is still being sold overseas. lard, Jewish-Russian family history “In Rock Desert 100 miles (160 kilometers) “Norton made the drastic, unilateral decision to take Memory of Memory” by Russian writer north of Reno. Mr. Bailey’s books out of print, based on the false Maria Stepanova and imaginative short- Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell and unsubstantiated allegations against him, without story collection “The Dangers of Smok- said the “diffi cult decision” is “based on undertaking any investigation or offering Mr. Bailey ing in Bed” by Argentina’s Mariana the best information available to us.” the opportunity to refute the allegations,” he said in a Enriquez. “We know the need for community statement emailed to The Associated Press. “Mr. Bai- The other fi nalists are war story “At has never been stronger. And building ley’s European publishers wisely have not taken such Night All Blood is Black,” by France’s community is what Burners do best. We a rash course of action, and Norton’s knee-jerk reac- David Diop, science-themed story also recognize the pandemic is not over,” tion is troubling and unwarranted.” collection “When We Cease to Under- she said. “We have decided to focus our The Roth biography may also remain available in stand the World” by Chile’s Benjamín energy on building Black Rock City Labatut and futuristic workplace novel 2022.” the US as an audiobook, which was released by a sep- “The Employees” by Danish writer Olga The Reno Gazette Journal fi rst re- arate company, Recorded Books Inc. The audio pub- Ravn. In this March 27, 2021 file photo, people react ahead of a music concert in Bar- ported the news Tuesday on its website. lisher did not immediately respond to a request from The award, run alongside the Booker celona, Spain. A rock concert in Barcelona attended by 4,500 music fans who The decision was based on a combi- the AP about the book’s status. (AP) Prize for English-language fi ction, is had passed a COVID-19 screening produced no significant transmission of the nation of factors, not a single issue, the given annually to a work of fi ction in any coronavirus, event organizers said April 27. (AP) — Details on Page 12 group said. (AP) ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 SPORTS 14

Royal take IPL lead Gallo HR ends power drought Bangalore beats Delhi by one run AHMEDABAD, India, April 28, (AP): Royal Challengers Bangalore hung in against Shim- ron Hetmyer and Rishabh Pant’s late charge to as Rangers quiet Angels’ bats beat Delhi Capitals by just one run and go atop the Indian Premier League. Bangalore’s fifth win in six games took them to 10 points, leaving Delhi and Chennai Super Diamondbacks keep rolling, Rays cool off Athletics Kings both at eight points. Bangalore, which scored 171-5 on the back of AB de Villiers’ electrifying unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, had the game in control until the 17th ARLINGTON, Texas, over before Hetmyer brought Delhi back with April 28, (AP): Joey Gallo some powerful hitting. ended the longest home run Needing 46 off the last three overs, the West Indian left-hander blazed three sixes off Kyle drought of his career at 20 Jamieson to bring down the target to 25 runs games with the Texas slug- from two overs. ger’s hardest hit of the sea- Although Harshal Patel conceded just one boundary, his penultimate over went for 11 son, an early tiebreaking which left Mohammed Siraj with 14 runs to de- two-run shot in the Rang- fend in the last over. ers’ 6-1 victory over the Siraj made the task difficult for Delhi by con- ceding four off his first four balls before Delhi Los Angeles Angels. captain Pant’s back-to-back boundaries could Nick Solak homered twice to only take his team to 170-4. take the Texas team lead with sev- That left Hetmyer on his knees in disappoint- en as the Rangers stopped a second ment as the left-hander smashed an unbeaten four-game losing streak, their lon- 53 off just 25 balls, but could face only a ball gest of the season. in Siraj’s last over. Pant consumed 48 balls for Shohei Ohtani was 0 for 4 with a his unbeaten 58 which featured six boundaries. strikeout as the LA designated hitter a day after getting the win, scoring three CRICKET runs and driving in two while becom- ing the fi rst home run leader to start as a pitcher since Babe Ruth a century “The way Siraj started the last over, it gave ago. us confidence,” Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli said. “For the most part, I think we were top Diamondbacks 5, Padres 1 in this game with our bowlers … there wasn’t In Phoenix, Merrill Kelly gave the any dew tonight thanks to that little sandstorm Diamondbacks another strong pitching in the middle and we ended up bowling with a performance, Carson Kelly hit a two- dry ball.” run homer and Arizona beat the San Earlier, Delhi had the strong Bangalore batting Diego Padres. lineup in check at 139-5 until the 18th over. Fast bowlers Avesh Khan (1-24) and Ishant Sharma (1- BASEBALL 26) bowled well upfront to dispatch opening pair of Kohli (12) and Devdutt Padikkal (17). But Pant’s decision to give Marcus Stoinis The Diamondbacks have won sev- the 20th over cost Delhi 23 crucial runs. De en of their past eight games, improv- Villiers turned the tide in Bangalore’s favor as ing to 12-11 for the season. It’s the the experienced South African Twenty20 bats- first time they’ve been above .500 Texas Rangers’ Joey Gallo hits a two-run home run next to Los Angeles Angels catcher Anthony Bemboom during the third inning of a baseball man smacked three sixes and in the process also this year. game, on April 27, in Arlington, Texas. (AP) completed 5,000 runs in the IPL. Coming off a doubleheader sweep in Atlanta on Sunday in which Madi- ahead double, Jesse Winkler homered shutout innings in a 4-1 win at Yankee son Bumgarner pitched a no-hitter and and drove in two runs and the Cincin- Stadium last Wednesday. He walked Zac Gallen threw a one-hitter in a pair nati Reds rallied for the second straight only one Cubs batter and struck out N. Zealand Rugby debates selling of seven-inning shutouts, Merrill Kelly night to defeat the scuffl ing Los Ange- eight. kept up the mound mastery. les Dodgers. Yankees 5, Orioles 1 All Blacks ‘share’ to US investors Kelly (2-2) gave up one run and four The defending World Series cham- In Baltimore, Corey Kluber has his hits in six innings, striking out fi ve. He pions have dropped six of eight, in- best start in two years to gain his fi rst lowered his ERA to 6.33 after strug- cluding three straight for the fi rst time WELLINGTON, New Zealand, April Rugby offi cials argue the sale is win for the Yankees, Kyle Higash- 28, (AP): New Zealand Rugby will necessary to secure the future fi nancial gling in his fi rst four starts of the sea- since 2019. ioka homered again as he gains play- son. face a momentous decision on the sustainability of New Zealand Rugby Rockies 5, Giants 5, 10 innings ing time from Gary Sánchez and New future of the All Blacks at its annual after its fi nances were battered last Carson Kelly’s long, high-arching In San Francisco, Ryan McMa- York beat the Baltimore Orioles. homer in the sixth pushed the D-backs meeting Thursday, when it debates year by the COVID-19 pandemic. hon and C.J. Cron hit back-to-back Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton whether to sell a stake in the com- In documents to be presented to the ahead 5-1 and chased San Diego starter home runs in the 10th inning and the also homered - the Yankees are 9-0 Chris Paddack (1-3) from the game. It mercial value of the national team to annual meeting, NZR proposes trans- Colorado Rockies finally won on the when they go deep in the same game, ferring its commercial assets to a new was the catcher’s sixth homer of the including the playoffs. New York American investors. road, beating the San Francisco Gi- company to be called Commercial LP season. ants. stopped a four-game skid at Camden San Diego Padres starting pitcher and to transfer NZ$43.75 million ($31.5 The Diamondbacks took a 2-0 lead Garrett Hampson also went deep Yards and at 10-13 moved into a tie RUGBY in the second inning after Trent Grish- Chris Paddack throws against the million) from the sale price to that entity for Colorado, and Charlie Blackmon Arizona Diamondbacks during the with the Orioles for last in the AL East. am dropped Nick Heath’s line drive added two hits and two RBIs. as operating capital. A further NZ$39 first inning of a baseball game, on Blue Jays 9, Nationals 5 New Zealand’s 26 provincial unions million ($28 million) will be distributed into the left-center gap. It looked like April 27, in Phoenix. (AP) Padres left fi elder Jurickson Profar Tigers 5, White Sox 2 In Dunedin, Florida, Vladimir Guer- will vote on a recommendation from to stakeholders, mainly the provincial could have made the easier play, but In Chicago, Miguel Cabrera and Brewers 5, Marlins 4 rero Jr. hit three home runs, including a New Zealand Rugby that it should unions, who are also cash-strapped after grand slam and solo shot off Washing- Grisham called him off and the ball Niko Goodrum homered, José Ureña In Milwaukee, Adrian Houser bundle its commercial interests into a last year’s disrupted season. ton ace Max Scherzer, and had seven richocheted off his glove and rolled to threw seven innings for his fi rst win in pitched effectively into the sixth in- new entity and sell a 12.5 percent stake NZR said it will also establish a the wall. two years, and the Detroit Tigers over- RBIs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the in that entity to California-based Silver legacy fund for “longer-term strategic ning and hit his fi rst career home run, Nationals. came a season-high fi ve errors to beat leading the Milwaukee Brewers over Lake Partners for 387.5 million New initiatives to ensure the sustainability Rays 4, Athletics 3 the Chicago White Sox. Guerrero’s slam in the third put the In St. Petersburg, Florida, Brett the Miami Marlins. Zealand dollars (US$279 million). of all levels of rugby in New Zealand.” Owners of the worst record in the Blue Jays ahead 4-3 and ended Scher- If the recommendation is carried, it Silver Lake Partners was launched Phillips hit a two-run homer in the Houser began the day 2 for 28 (.071) zer’s scoreless streak at 19 innings. majors, the Tigers matched their high- with 21 strikeouts in his career at the will mark the fi rst time in more than in 1999 and has focused mainly on in- sixth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays est error total since they committed held on for win over Oakland, hand- plate. With two outs and no one on Red Sox 2, Mets 1 115 years that the All Blacks - the most vestment in the technology sector with fi ve against the White Sox in Chi- base in the second, he lined the fi rst In New York, Garrett Richards successful team in world rugby - do holdings in companies such as Airbnb, ing the Athletics their second loss in cago on Aug. 31, 2014. Third base- pitch from Daniel Castano over the fi nally found the strike zone and not wholly belong to New Zealanders. Twitter and Dell Technologies. 16 games. man Jeimer Candelario allowed a run Joey Wendle’s two-out single in the wall in center fi eld. punched out 10, Bobby Dalbec hit his to score in the fi rst when he missed a fi rst homer of the season and the Bos- seventh tacked on another run for the throw and helped bring home another Astros 2, Mariners 0 Rays and ended Tampa Bay’s 0-for-26 ton Red Sox beat the New York Mets. in the third with a throwing error as In Houston, Cristian Javier com- Richards (1-2) allowed a run and MLB Results/Standings stretch with runners in scoring posi- Chicago grabbed a 2-1 lead. But de- bined with two relievers on a two- tion. seven hits over seven innings, issuing spite the struggles on defense, Detroit hitter, and the Houston Astros beat no free passes one start after walking Reds 6, Dodgers 5 came away with the win after losing 10 the Seattle Mariners to get above six. The right-hander trimmed his ERA WASHINGTON, April 28, (AP): Results and standings from the MLB games on In Los Angeles, Joey Votto hit a go- of 11. .500 as they bounced back from a from 6.48 to 4.94. Tuesday. long skid. Javier (3-0) allowed two hits in Indians 7, Twins 4 Pittsburgh 2 Kansas City 1 Detroit 5 Chic. Wht. Sox 2 In Cleveland, Franmil Reyes hom- Cleveland 7 Minnesota 4 Atlanta 5 Chicago Cubs 0 seven innings - both by Kyle Seager Boston 2 NY Mets 1 St Louis 5 Philadelphia 2 - struck out six and walked three. He ered twice, including a 452-foot drive NY Yankees 5 Baltimore 1 Milwaukee 5 Miami 4 extended his scoreless streak to 17 in- that landed in the left-fi eld bleachers Toronto 9 Washington 5 Arizona 5 San Diego 1 nings over three starts and lowered his about six rows in front of the score- Tampa Bay 4 Oakland 3 Colorado 7 San Francisco (10 inn) 5 board, and the Cleveland Indians beat Houston 2 Seattle 0 Cincinnati 6 LA Dodgers 5 season ERA to 0.87. Texas 6 LA Angels 1 the slumping Minnesota Twins. Cardinals 5, Phillies 2 Reyes broke a sixth-inning tie with American League National League In St. Louis, Carlos Martinez his second homer off Kenta Maeda to East Division East Division W L Pct GB W L Pct GB pitched two-hit ball into the eighth in- give the Indians a 4-3 lead. Reyes led Boston 15 9 .625 _ New York 9 9 .500 _ ning for his fi rst win as a starter since off the second with a majestic clout Tampa Bay 12 12 .500 3 Atlanta 11 12 .478 -1/2 2018, leading the St. Louis Cardinals that sent fans in the bleachers scram- Toronto 11 11 .500 3 Philadelphia 11 12 .478 -1/2 over the Philadelphia Phillies. Baltimore 10 13 .435 4-1/2 Miami 10 13 .435 1-1/2 bling and tied the game after Minne- New York 10 13 .435 4-1/2 Washington 8 12 .400 2 Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Ed- sota scored twice in the fi rst. Central Division Central Division man hit two-run doubles and Nolan Pirates 2, Royals 1 W L Pct GB W L Pct GB Arenado doubled twice as St. Louis Kansas City 14 8 .636 _ Milwaukee 14 9 .609 _ In Pittsburgh, pinch-hitter Wilmer Chicago 12 10 .545 2 Pittsburgh 12 11 .522 2 won for the fourth time in fi ve games. Difo delivered the go-ahead single in Cleveland 11 11 .500 3 St Louis 12 11 .522 2 Braves 5, Cubs 0 Detroit 8 16 .333 7 Cincinnati 11 12 .478 3 the seventh inning, and the Pittsburgh Minnesota 7 15 .318 7 Chicago 10 13 .435 4 In Atlanta, Ian Anderson allowed Pirates beat Kansas City to end the West Division West Division one hit in seven innings, Ronald Acu- Royals’ fi ve-game winning streak. W L Pct GB W L Pct GB ña Jr. hit a long home run and the At- Pittsburgh (12-11) has won three Oakland 15 9 .625 _ Los Angeles 15 9 .625 _ Seattle 13 11 .542 2 San Francisco 15 9 .625 _ Tampa Bay Rays catcher Francisco Mejia, (left), is late with the tag as Oak- lanta Braves beat the skidding Chicago straight games and 11 of of 16 since Houston 12 11 .522 2-1/2 Arizona 12 11 .522 2-1/2 land Athletics’ Matt Olson (28) scores on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Moreland Cubs. a 1-6 start, moving back above .500 Los Angeles 11 11 .500 3 San Diego 13 12 .520 2-1/2 during the sixth inning of a baseball game, on April 27, in St. Petersburg, Anderson (2-0) won his second for the fi rst time since it was 1-0 in the Texas 10 14 .417 5 Colorado 9 14 .391 5-1/2 Florida. (AP) consecutive start, after throwing 6 2/3 opening week. ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 SPORTS 15

Australian Olympians to be given COVID-19 vaccine priority Tokyo Olympics, IOC push ahead during state of emergency TOKYO, April 28, (AP): Local orga- nizers and the International Olympic Committee pushed ahead Wednes- day with plans to open the postponed Tokyo Olympics in just under three months, unveiling the latest set of rule books to show how the games can be held during a pandemic. The timing of the second edition of the “Playbooks” is not ideal. The version for Olympic athletes is out Wednesday, with similar guides for other participants out on Friday. Tokyo, Osaka and several others areas came under a third state of emer- gency this week, and the death toll in Japan from COVID-19 has passed 10,000. The numbers are good by global standards, but poor compared with other places in Asia such as Tai- wan, Vietnam, Thailand or South Ko- rea. The state of emergency has closed department stores, theme parks, and bars and restaurants serving alcohol. It also has forced baseball games to be played in empty stadiums after hav- ing allowed fans for much of the pan- demic. Polls consistently show 70-80% in Japan think the Olympics should not be held. Only 1% of the Japanese population has been vaccinated and that number will still be small when the Olympics open on July 23. So far, officials say Japanese athletes have not been vac- cinated. This contrasts with many of the 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic ath- letes entering Japan who - encouraged by the IOC - will have shots. As will thousands of judges, officials, spon- sors, media and broadcasters. OLYMPICS

This version of the Playbooks will offer more details than the first edition in February, but much of the specific Pittsburgh Penguins’ Teddy Blueger (53) and Zach Aston-Reese (12) reach for the loose puck in front of Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask during an NHL hockey game, on April 27, in planning will remain in flux until the Pittsburgh. (AP) final update comes out in June. Though vaccines are now available, the strategy for the Olympics is geared to global health and human security.” around holding the games in a “bub- The cost of the Olympics is officially ble” as if there were no vaccines. $15.4 billion although several govern- Organizers are not expected to an- ment audits suggest it is much larger. All Bruins ‘keep’ Pens in check, nounce until June if fans will be allowed but $6.7 billion is public money. into venues - and if so, how many. Fans The IOC depends on selling broad- from abroad have already been banned. cast rights for 73% of its income, and The decision on venue capacity was the postponement has stalled pay- promised to come to this month by orga- ments. Broadcast income amounted to nizing committee President Seiko Hashi- about $4 billion in the latest four-year moto, but has been pushed back. tighten race in East Division Olympic cycle, at least half from the Taro Kono, the minister in charge U.S. network NBC. of vaccination, suggested earlier this IOC President Thomas Bach is ex- month that empty venues seemed pected to be in Hiroshima on May 17 Panthers rally past Predators 7-4, clinch playoff spot likely. Ticket sales were to account for to greet the torch relay, although he $800 million in revenue. said last week his plans were still ten- Organizers are expected to announce tative. PITTSBURGH, April 28, daily testing for athletes, up from once Bach’s arrival would come just days every four days in the early edition. They (AP): Tuukka Rask turned after the latest state of emergency ends Kuwait SC snatch Kuwait volleyball Cup are also expected to drop a 14-day quar- on May 11. Opposition lawmakers in aside 25 shots and the antine, allowing athletes to train upon ar- Japan’s national legislature have sug- Boston Bruins edged the KUWAIT CITY, April 28, (3-0). Five clubs have won this Cup, rival. Athletes will be required to stay in gested Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (KUNA): The Kuwait SC Kuwait SC controlled the match Al-Qadsia SC tops the list of the Olympic Village on Tokyo Bay, and scheduled the state of emergency to ac- Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 to venues and training areas. tighten the playoff race in crowned as the champion of from the beginning, as they ended KVA winners with 17 Cups, Ku- Japan’s Kyodo news agency, citing commodate Bach. the Kuwait Volleyball Associa- the 1st set with the score of (25- wait SC with 15, Kazma SC with unnamed sources, said athletes and staff The torch relay, which began on the hyper-competitive East tion (KVA) Cup after defeating 18), the 2nd with (25-22) and the 13, Al-Arabi Club with seven, and will have to be tested twice within 96 March 25 in Fukushima in northeast- Kazma SC in the final match 3rd with (29-27). Al-Jahra SC only one. ern Japan, has been detoured several Division. hours before leaving home. They will David Krejci gave the Bruins the also be tested upon arrival in Japan. times this month and was forced to Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the To- run in an empty city park in Osaka. It lead with his seventh goal of the when he took a feed from Charlie second win in three games. Rangers 3, Sabres 1 kyo organizing committee, said this was also rerouted in Matsuyama City season late in the second period. McAvoy, sliced through the Pittsburgh Ryan Ellis scored twice and Luke In New York, Alexis Lafreniere week that 500 nurses were being re- Ehime prefecture. Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall zone and ripped a pretty backhand by Kunin and Tanner Jeannot also scored scored the go-ahead goal in the third quested for the games. Japanese televi- It will be banned altogether this scored in the third as Boston ended Jarry to give the Bruins the lead. for the Predators. period, and the Rangers beat Buffalo. sion TBS on Tuesday, without citing a weekend on the Okinawa island of a two-game losing streak. Marchand, long an issue for the Pen- Capitals 1, Islanders O Mika Zibanejad and Brendan Smith source, said organizers had contacted Miyakojima. The small island has Jeff Carter spoiled Rask’s bid for his guins, doubled the advantage with his In Washington, Daniel Sprong also scored and Igor Shesterkin made 30 hospitals to care for athletes who only one hospital. The relay will run 52nd career shutout with his 11th of 26th goal 9:11 into the third period. scored 1:29 in for his third goal in two 36 saves as New York improved to fall ill. through other locations on Okinawa. the season – and third since joining the Hall, whose arrival at the trade dead- games, Vitek Vanecek made 18 saves 9-2-0 in its last eleven home games. The British Medical Journal earlier Meanwhile, Australian athletes and Penguins at the trade deadline – with line sparked a turnaround that thrust and Washington shut out the Islanders Ryan Strome added two assists. this month, under an editorial titled: support staff preparing for the Tokyo 2:21 left, but it wasn’t enough. Tristan the Bruins out of a midseason funk, to win their first home game with fans Devils 6, Flyers 4 “Reconsider this Summer’s Olympic Olympics will be given priority for Jarry made 28 saves for Pittsburgh, collected his fifth of the season and this season and sweep a three-game In Newark, New Jersey, Yegor and Paralympic Games,” said mass vaccines. two days after shutting out the Bruins. fourth with the Boston just over three series. Sharangovich scored the go-ahead gatherings such as the Olympics are The Australian government an- minutes later to seal it. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin goal at 12:36 of the third period and still neither “safe nor secure.” nounced after a special National Cabi- Panthers 7, Predators 4 missed a second consecutive game New Jersey snapped a 10-game win- The editorial read in part: “Hold- net meeting that Olympic participants ICE HOCKEY In Nashville, Tennessee, Jonathan with a lower-body injury. The Capitals less streak with a wild victory over ing Tokyo 2020 for domestic politi- would be vaccinated under a prior- Huberdeau had two goals and three leapfrogged Pittsburgh to move back Philadelphia. cal and economic purposes - ignoring ity group which includes health-care It was a taut, physical contest that assists, and Florida rallied for a vic- into first place in the tight East Divi- Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha, Miles scientific and moral imperatives - is workers, Indigenous people aged over had the look and feel of a playoff game. tory over Nashville to clinch a playoff sion. Wood and Connor Carrick also scored contradictory to Japan’s commitment 55 and people older than 70. The next time the teams meet, it berth. The Islanders have fallen to third for the Devils, who saw the Flyers very well could be. Aleksander Barkov scored twice after picking up one point out of a pos- rally from third-period deficits twice to Pittsburgh and Boston are in a close and had and assist for the Panthers. sible six in three games against Wash- tie the game. race with Washington and the New Anthony Duclair, Owen Tippett and ington. Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 York Islanders for the East Division’s Frank Vatrano also scored, while Sam New York’s rookie goalie, Ilya So- saves as the Devils ended an 0-9-1 four available playoff spots, with the Bennett had three assists in Florida’s rokin made 32 saves. skid and won for the first time since New York Rangers not completely out April 8. Mikhail Maltsev scored into of it with just over two weeks remain- an empty net in the waning seconds to ing in the regular season. ice the game. The Penguins could have clinched a Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 0, SO 15th straight playoff berth with a win In Columbus, Ohio, Patrik Laine and a loss by the Rangers to Buffalo. and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored in a That celebration will have to wait after shootout and Columbus snapped a the Boston kept the NHL’s most potent nine-game losing streak with a win attack in check to earn its fifth win in over Detroit. eight meetings with Pittsburgh. Laine beat Thomas Greiss between The Penguins came into the game the pads to lead off. Blue Jackets goal- averaging 4.00 goals in April. They ie Elvis Merzlikins denied Jakub Vra- left it having been pushed around by na and Adam Erne, and Bjorkstrand’s the Bruins. Boston didn’t hesitate to shot sealed the win. initiate contact all over the ice and Merzlikins had 41 saves and record- Pittsburgh found little room to work ed his second shutout of the season and A man wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavi- down low. the seventh of his career. rus stands guard near a logo of Tokyo 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo on Krejci finally broke a scoreless tie Feb 1, 2021. (AP) with 1:50 left in the second period Lightning 7, Blackhawks 4 In Chicago, Alex Killorn had a pow- er-play goal and scored into an empty net, and Tampa Bay defeated Chicago NHL Results/Standings Florida Panthers defenseman Brandon Montour (62) moves the puck past Nashville Predators center Calle Jarnkrok (19) in the second period of an to clinch a playoff berth for the fourth NHL hockey game, on April 27, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP) straight season. Brayden Point stuffed in his team- leading 21st goal and added two as- WASHINGTON, April 28, (AP): Results and standings from the NHL games on Tuesday. sists. Erik Cernak, Yanni Gourde, Alex NY Rangers 3 Buffalo 1 New Jersey 6 Philadelphia 4 Barre-Boulet, and Blake Coleman also Boston 3 Pittsburgh 1 Tampa Bay 7 Chicago 4 Skate America headed back Washington 1 NY Islanders 0 Florida 7 Nashville 4 scored for defending Stanley Cup Columbus 1 Detroit SO 0 Carolina 5 Dallas 1 champion Tampa Bay. East Division West Division Brandon Hagel, Dominik Kubalik, GP W L OT Pts GF GA GP W L OT Pts GF GA to Orleans Arena in October Wyatt Kalynuk and Duncan Keith had Washington 49 32 13 4 68 171 144 x-Vegas 47 34 11 2 70 160 103 Pittsburgh 50 32 15 3 67 170 138 x-Colorado 46 31 11 4 66 162 112 LAS VEGAS, April 28, (AP): Skate partner for this competition in 2020, so goals for the fading Blackhawks. NY Islanders 49 29 15 5 63 136 114 x-Minnesota 47 31 13 3 65 151 123 America, traditionally the fi rst event in we are excited to bring Skate America Hurricanes 5, Stars 1 Boston 48 28 14 6 62 139 119 St Louis 46 21 19 6 48 135 143 NY Rangers 50 26 18 6 58 167 132 Arizona 49 21 23 5 47 132 156 the Grand Prix fi gure skating series, is back to Las Vegas in 2021,” U.S. Fig- In Dallas, Jordan Staal scored two Philadelphia 49 22 20 7 51 140 177 San Jose 48 19 24 5 43 131 167 headed back to the Orleans Arena. ure Skating President Anne Cammett power-play goals and Central Divi- New Jersey 49 15 27 7 37 127 174 Los Angeles 46 18 22 6 42 124 137 The competition will be held Oct. said. “We’re looking forward to hav- sion-leading Carolina beat playoff- Buffalo 50 13 30 7 33 122 174 Anaheim 49 14 28 7 35 106 160 22-24 as the fi rst signifi cant event of ing fans in attendance as athletes from chasing Dallas. Central Division North Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA the Olympic season. It also was staged the United States and abroad continue Sebastian Aho had a goal and two x-Carolina 49 32 10 7 71 161 119 GP W L OT Pts GF GA at the venue in 2019, then again last on their journey towards the Olympic assists for the Hurricanes, and Andrei x-Florida 51 32 14 5 69 166 141 Toronto 48 30 13 5 65 159 130 fall but without fans. The national Winter Games.” Svechnikov, had a career-high three x-Tampa Bay 49 33 14 2 68 167 129 Edmonton 46 28 16 2 58 150 126 Nashville 51 27 22 2 56 141 146 Winnipeg 48 27 18 3 57 149 135 championships were held at the arena The complete list of athletes who assists. Dallas 49 21 16 12 54 140 129 Montreal 47 21 17 9 51 136 136 in January, also minus fans due to the will compete at Skate America and Jason Robertson had his 15th goal Chicago 49 22 22 5 49 139 158 Calgary 48 21 24 3 45 128 139 COVID-19 pandemic. all other ISU Grand Prix competitions for Dallas to extend his point streak Detroit 51 17 25 9 43 115 159 Vancouver 42 19 20 3 41 114 132 Columbus 51 16 25 10 42 122 170 Ottawa 49 18 27 4 40 133 171 U.S. Figure Skating indicated the will be announced in June. Typically, to nine games, breaking a tie with Ja- Note: Two points for a win one point for overtime loss. The top four teams in each division will qualify for playoffs under this public will be able to attend the up- the defending U.S. champions appear mie Langenbrunner (1996-97) for the season’s temporary realignment. coming Skate America when it an- at Skate America. longest by a rookie in Stars history. It x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division nounced the venue on Tuesday. Beijing will host the Winter Olym- is also the longest by any NHL rookie “The Orleans Arena was such a great pics in February. this seasonv ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 16

Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Jose De Leon (87) throws during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles. Reds won 6-5. (AP) — See Page 14 Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Chelsea hold lackluster Madrid Blues show strength in CL semis 1st leg

MADRID, April 28, (AP): With a dominant start and a milestone goal by Christian Pulisic, Chel- sea showed their strength against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifi - nals. Chelsea took control early in fi rst leg to hold the Spanish pow- erhouse to a 1-1 away draw, with Pulisic becoming the fi rst U.S. in- ternational to score in the tourna- ment’s last four. He also surpassed DaMarcus Beasley to become the top American scorer in Champions League history with fi ve goals. A red-hot Karim Benzema equal- ized for a lackluster Madrid squad on a rainy night at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium in the fi rst Champions League match since the controversial Super League folded last week amid wide- spread criticism.

SOCCER

The largely closed breakaway com- petition would have had Real Madrid as one of its leaders, and Chelsea also were among their founding members before dropping the idea along with the other English clubs. Madrid didn’t offi cially back out of the Super League but had downplayed the possibility of retaliation by UEFA in its Champi- ons League matches. There were no refereeing controversies in Tuesday’s match. The second leg is on May 5 in Lon- don. Chelsea got off to a fast start and had chances to add to their lead after Pulisic opened the scoring with a nice fi nish in the 14th minute off a high Chelsea’s Reece James, (center left), jumps for the ball with Real Madrid’s Nacho during the Champions League semifi nal fi rst leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Chelsea at the Alfredo pass by Antonio Rudiger inside the di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain. (AP) area. Pulisic calmly got past goalkeep- er Thibaut Courtois before hitting the net past the Madrid defenders trying to Bucks avoid sweep as short-handed Mavs pound Warriors block his shot at the goal line. “It was a great fi nish, great compo- sure,” Chelsea captain César Azpili- cueta said of the 22-year-old Pulisic, who has been thriving after being Nets rally past Raptors, clinch playoff spot marred by injuries early in the season. “He’s an amazing player, he’s a young TAMPA, Fla., April 28, (AP): Kevin him after Antetokounmpo stole the scored 31 points and the Minnesota end their fi ve-game losing streak. player, he’s growing and improving. Durant scored seven of his 17 points ball from him. Timberwolves beat the Houston Rock- Lillard added 23 points and the I’m very pleased with his goal because in the fourth quarter, Jeff Green had Milwaukee built a 62-45 halftime ets 114-107 for their third straight vic- Blazers shot a season-best 57.1% from he’s an important player for the team.” 22 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat lead behind 15 points and eight re- tory. beyond the arc to end their longest skid Pulisic is the second U.S. interna- the Toronto Raptors 116-103 Tuesday bounds from Antetokounmpo while Anthony Edwards had 19 points and of the season. Simons was 9 for 10 on tional to play in a Champions League night and clinched a playoff spot. the Bucks’ defense held the Hornets to nine rebounds, and D’Angelo Rus- 3-pointers. semifi nal after Beasley for PSV Eind- Durant, who was playing his sec- 4-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc. sell added 15 points and seven assists Malcolm Brogdon and Oshae Bris- hoven in a fi rst-leg game against AC ond game after returning from a thigh Mavericks 133, Warriors 103 for the Timberwolves, who have won sett each fi nished with 18 points for the Milan in 2005. injury, added 10 rebounds in 33 min- three in a row for the fi rst time since Pacers, who had a three-game winning Madrid evened the match on Benze- utes for his eighth double-double of In San Francisco, Luka Doncic starting 3-0 in the 2019-20 season. streak end. scored 39 points and the short-handed ma’s volley from inside the area in the Minnesota Timberwolves forward the season. Durant hit a 3-pointer with Minnesota won in Houston for the With the Trail Blazers going 20 of 29th, and there were few signifi cant Anthony Edwards dunks on a fast 1:47 remaining and glared at the To- Dallas Mavericks jumped on Golden fi rst time since Feb. 17, 2012, snapping 35 from 3-point range, Indiana never chances either way during the rest of break during the fi rst quarter against ronto bench after putting his team up State from the start to thump the War- a 14-game losing streak. really had a chance. the game. the Houston Rockets in an NBA 111-101. riors 133-103. Kelly Olynyk had 28 points and Portland broke open the game in the Benzema’s goal came a few min- basketball game in Houston. (AP) Kyrie Irving fi nished with nine points, Stephen Curry scored 27 points with nine rebounds for Houston. Christian second quarter by taking advantage utes after he clipped the post with a six rebounds and four assists while mak- fi ve more 3-pointers, extending his Wood had 24 points and 18 rebounds, of a 13-5 discrepancy in offensive re- long-range shot. The French striker ing just 3 of 13 shots. But the other seven NBA record for 3-pointers in a month Jae’Sean Tate scored 20 points, and bounds and, of course-, the long-range controlled a loose ball with his head NBA Results/Standings Nets who played all fi nished in double to 90 in April after he reached 85 on Kenyon Martin Jr. added 15 points off shooting. before turning and fi ring a volley into fi gures on the night Brooklyn became Sunday night to pass James Harden’s the bench. The second of Lillard’s four 3s 82 set in November 2019. the top of the net for his 13th goal in the fi rst Eastern Conference team to lock broke a 50-all tie and spurred 21-5 Tim Hardaway Jr. added 13 points his last 14 matches. It was Benzema’s up a postseason berth. run that gave the Trail Blazers a 71- WASHINGTON, April 28, (AP): NBA re- and seven rebounds off the bench as BASKETBALL 16th goal in his last 17 home games The Nets won for a third straight 55 lead late in the fi rst half. A fl agrant sults and standings on Tuesday. the Mavericks led by as many as 43 with Madrid. Portland 133 Indiana 112 time and the fourth time in fi ve games foul against CJ McCollum in the fi nal to prevent Toronto from pulling off the and got 60 points from their reserves The Rockets have lost fi ve straight minute allowed the Pacers to claw Chelsea gave little space to Madrid Milwaukee 114 Charlotte 104 a night after losing 113-106 in Sacra- and were the more dangerous team Oklahoma City119 Boston 115 season sweep. The Raptors, who were and 10 of their last 11. They’re 4-37 their way back within 11 and a tech- Brooklyn 116 Toronto 103 led by Kyle Lowry’s 24 points and six mento. since Feb. 4. nical foul on Lillard after the fi rst half early on at the Di Stéfano in Madrid’s Just when the Warriors were deter- training complex. The hosts struggled Minnesota 114 Houston 107 3-pointers, had their fi ve-game home Houston tied the game at 102 with ended got Indiana within 73-63 before Dallas 133 Golden State 103 winning streak end. One of those vic- mined to gain some momentum for the 2:38 remaining. On the following play, the start of the second half. defensively with their setup of three important stretch run, they delivered central defenders. Eastern Conference tories was a 114-103 defeat of the Nets Towns fouled out of the game with But Portland prevented the Pacers Atlantic Division a dud and had their four-game home an offensive foul. He added seven re- “We started the game very, very W L Pct GB in Tampa last week. from making a serious challenge and Newly signed guard Mike James winning streak snapped. bounds and fi ve assists. used its second 3-point barrage to close well — very aggressively, with a lot x-Brooklyn 42 20 .677 - The Warriors went 9 minutes, 40 of quality,” Chelsea coach Thomas Philadelphia 40 21 .656 1-1/2 scored all of his 11 points in the fourth Without Towns, Minnesota closed the third quarter with a 113-78 lead. seconds without scoring spanning the out the game on a 12-5 run. Tuchel said. “We deserved to win the New York 34 28 .548 8 quarter as the Nets rallied from an 83- Thunder 119, Celtics 115 Boston 32 30 .516 10 80 defi cit to start the fi nal period. Blake fi rst and second quarters and were just The game matched the teams at the fi rst half. We had a lot of chances. We 5 for 27 midway through the second In Boston, Lu Dort scored 24 points, should have scored at least one more Toronto 26 36 .419 16 Griffi n scored 17 points off the bench, bottom of the Western Conference Southeast Division quarter. That drought eventually led to standings. Minnesota improved to 19- Darius Bazley added 21 points and when the chances and half-chances while Joe Harris added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City W L Pct GB four 3-pointers. Brooklyn shot 48.2%, a 47-16 hole. 44, going 3 1/2 games up on Houston were there.” Atlanta 34 28 .548 - Thunder snapped a 14-game skid with hit 18 3-pointers and handed out 30 as- Doncic shot 15 for 23 and added (15-47). Not long before Pulisic’s opener, Miami 32 30 .516 2 eight assists and six rebounds. Dallas a 119-115 win over the Boston Celtics. Timo Werner had his strike from in Charlotte 30 31 .492 3-1/2 sists. Trail Blazers 133, Pacers 112 Isaiah Roby and Ty Jerome each fi n- Washington 27 34 .443 6-1/2 has won seven of nine against Golden front of the goal stopped by a superb Bucks 114, Hornets 104 State and four in a row on the Warri- In Indianapolis, Anfernee Simons ished with 15 points for the Thunder, refl ex save by Courtois, a former Chel- Orlando 18 43 .295 15-1/2 scored 27 points on nine 3-pointers, Central Division In Charlotte, N.C., Giannis Ante- ors’ home fl oor. who won their fi rst game since March sea player. tokounmpo had 29 points and 12 re- one shy of Damian Lillard’s franchise 31 against Toronto. W L Pct GB Timberwolves 114, Rockets 107 “It’s true that it was a complicated Milwaukee 38 23 .623 - bounds, Brook Lopez added 22 points record, and the Portland Trail Blazers Oklahoma City committed 27 turno- fi rst half,” Real Madrid coach Zinedine Indiana 29 32 .475 9 and the Milwaukee Bucks held off the In Houston, Karl-Anthony Towns routed the Indiana Pacers 133-112 to vers but went 13 of 30 from 3-point Zidane said. “But we are still alive go- Chicago 26 35 .426 12 Charlotte Hornets 114-104 to avoid range to beat back a furious late charge ing into the second leg. We are happy Cleveland 21 40 .344 17 a sweep of the teams’ regular-season by Boston. with the result in general.” Detroit 19 43 .306 19-1/2 series. Jaylen Brown had 39 points for the Former Chelsea forward Eden Haz- Western Conference Kris Middleton scored 17 points and Celtics, who have lost four out of fi ve ard, coming off a long injury layoff, Southwest Division W L Pct GB Jrue Holiday chipped in with 12 points as they fi ght to maintain their position entered the match in the second half Dallas 34 27 .557 - and 10 assists for the Bucks, who in the tight Eastern Conference playoff but couldn’t fi nd spaces to spark Ma- Memphis 31 29 .517 2-1/2 bounced back from a 111-104 loss to race. drid to victory. San Antonio 31 29 .517 2-1/2 the short-handed Atlanta Hawks on Payton Pritchard added a career- Madrid, making a record 14th semi- New Orleans 27 34 .443 7 Sunday. high 28 points for Boston. fi nal appearance, won three straight Houston 15 47 .242 19-1/2 Devonte Graham scored 25 points The Celtics made the Thunder work Champions League titles from 2016- Northwest Division and Miles Bridges added 21 points and in the closing minutes. 18, before Cristiano Ronaldo left, but W L Pct GB x-Utah 44 17 .721 - 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who had Oklahoma City had its 11-point lead the 13-time champion was eliminated Denver 40 21 .656 4 their two-game win streak snapped. erased in the third quarter before tak- in the round of 16 in the last two edi- Portland 33 28 .541 11 The Hornets beat the Bucks by 12 at ing a 106-95 edge on a layup by Baz- tions. Oklahoma City 21 41 .339 23-1/2 home in January, and then by eight on ley with 2:25 left in the game. Chelsea won the European title in Minnesota 19 44 .302 26 April 9 in Milwaukee. It was 110-100 before the Celtics 2012 and returned to the semifi nals Pacifi c Division Antetokounmpo seemed determined reeled off seven straight points. Boston two years later, but hadn’t been back W L Pct GB not to let that happen again. applied pressure, but Bazley got in the to the last four since. Tuchel is trying Phoenix 43 18 .705 - The two-time NBA MVP played lane for a dunk. LA Clippers 43 20 .683 1 to make it to a second consecutive fi - LA Lakers 36 25 .590 7 with aggression, fi nishing 11 of 19 Boston cut it to 112-109 on a pair nal after a runner-up fi nish with Paris Golden State 31 31 .500 12-1/2 from the fi eld and also dishing out of free throws by Pritchard with 30.8 Saint-Germain last season. Chelsea Sacramento 25 36 .410 18 eight assists. He got fi red up midway Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, (left), passes the ball next seconds remaining. The Celtics then has only two losses since the German x denotes clinched playoff spot through the game when he felt Char- to Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic during the fi rst half of an NBA bas- fouled Theo Maledon, who hit two coach took over in January. lotte’s P.J. Washington tried to trip ketball game in San Francisco. (AP) free throws.

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