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MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 / ZUL-QAADAH 18, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17725 16 PAGES 150 FILS FACILITIES VIOLATING VACCINE RULES FACE KD 5,000 FINE Authorities implement ID requirement

New daily cases remain high Newswatch KUWAIT CITY, June 27, (Agencies): KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait records The authorities on Sunday implement- the world’s highest temperatures ed the health requirement process of exceeding 53.2°C during last 24 hours, prompting weather author- entering malls, gyms, and hairdress- ities to issue alert for residents ing salons through the ‘My Identity’ to take proper care of hydration periodically, reports Gulf Today. and ‘Immunity’ applications. An international website that The process of organizing entry for vaccinat- monitors temperatures around ed recipients includes malls, restaurant, cafes, the world has ranked 13 Arab cit- health clubs and hairdressing salons. ies among the hottest spots in the Kuwait Municipality teams were Sunday inspect- world during the last 24 hours, ing shops, malls, coffee shops and gyms in differ- with temperatures exceeding ent governorates to make sure only people who 53.2ºC. received Covid-19 vaccines were allowed to enter, The website said, “An Arab or the facility would be fined with KD 5,000 (USD city records the highest tempera- ture in the world, along with oth- 16,500). er 10 cities from the Arab world.” The inspections were in compliance with a gov- The “Eldoradoweather” pub- ernment decision to only allow vaccinated persons lished a list of the highest tem- to enter these facilities starting today. peratures in the world during the Director of inspection and services follow up last 24 hours, as the seven highest department at Ahmadi office, Saad Al-Shaiba, said were recorded in 7 Arab cities, teams were working round-the-clock to make sure and the list came as follows: only vaccinated persons enter shopping malls, res- Maximum Temperature in last taurants, salons and coffee shops. 24 hours 06/27/2021 at 10:00 He said owners of the facilities were complying UTC No. 1. Nuwasib (Kuwait) 53.2°C; with the government’s decision, which was part of 2. Jahra (Kuwait) 50.2°C; 3. Mi- efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. tribah (Kuwait) 49.4°C; 4. Bas- Al-Shaiba said the Municipality carried out an rah Int. Airport (Iraq) 49.3°C; awareness campaign before execution of the deci- 5. Amarah (Iraq) 49.2°C; 6. sion, so the teams would take all legal measures Sulaibiya (Kuwait) 49.2°C; 7. against people violating the decision. Abdaly (Kuwait) 49.1°C; 8. Abadan (Iran) 49°C; 9. Ahwaz Violations (Iran) 48.8°C; 10. Kuwait Air- Sulaiman Al-Ghais, Director of violations at Mu- port (Kuwait) 48.8°C; 11. Bas- nicipality’s Al-Jahra office, said teams in Al-Jahra rah-Hussen (Iraq) 48.6°C; 12. British paratroopers with the 16th Air Assault Brigade attend instructions before they board a C-130 transport aircraft at RAF Akrotiri air base in were accompanied by a police force in order to en- Kuwait City (Kuwait) 48.6°C; Cyprus for an airdrop over Jordan as part of a joint exercise with Jordanian soldiers on June 23. (AP) 13. Sabriyah (Kuwait) 48.6°C; force the implementation of the government deci- 14. Experimental Farm (Kuwait) sion. 48.5°C; 15. Ali-Algharbi (Iraq) Al-Ghais, speaking to KUNA, commended man- 48.4°C Airdrop affi rms UK support for Jordan agements of shopping malls and gyms who were The temperature in the Gulf re- making sure non-vaccinated persons were not al- gion is usually hits 50°C in sum- British paratroopers have trained together with prosperity and security.” Speaker calls for lowed to enter the facilities. mers. Jordanian soldiers in an airdrop over the Middle The jump by the paratroopers - the Brigade’s He said a facility would be fined KD 5,000 (USD In 2017, a tweet went viral Eastern country to underscore the U.K.’s support lead assault force - took place during Jordan’s Thursday session 16,500) if it allowed non-vaccinated persons, unless showing a truck sinking as as- for Jordan and its commitment to regional stabil- 100th year of independence. the management proved the visitor breached the re- phalt melts in Kuwait. The tem- ity, Britain’s armed forces minister said. The brigade is a key element of the UK’s Global striction decision. perature was reported the highest Minister James Heappey said in a statement Response Force, a versatile force that can quickly By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh on that day. that Wednesday’s joint exercise of 150 paratroop- undertake assigned missions around the world. Arab Times Staff and Agencies Kuwait government decided on June 17 it would ❑ ❑ ❑ ers from Britain’s 16 Air Assault Brigade and 84 “They are the soldiers of the future, ready to allow access to most public venues only for fully Jordanian parachutists demonstrates that U.K. tackle changing threats around the world,” He- KUWAIT CITY, June 27: National As- vaccinated people, in an effort to contain the spread KUWAIT CITY: The Kuwait armed forces “stand with Jordan against shared appey said. sembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim of the Delta coronavirus variant, which has been be- Transparency Society revealed threats in the region.” The British paratroopers jumped from a C130 declared that he had addressed invitations hind a sharp rise in new infections. that only ten government agen- Brigade Commander Brigadier James Martin Hercules transport aircraft flying at 1,000 feet to the MPs to hold a session on Thursday As per the new rules, only those who have had cies committed to implementing said British forces will play a role in deepening that took off from RAF Akrotiri, a British air base to examine the State financial status. both doses of a COVID vaccine will be allowed into the Right to Information Law, “strong, historic bilateral ties in the Middle East on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Al-Ghanim, in a statement on Sunday, large shopping malls, gyms and salons, in addition and that the percentage of non- and North Africa region, which are vital to UK (AP) said the session would begin at 9 a.m. compliant government agencies (Kuwait local time). to state bodies that provide services. reached 90 percent, reports Al- Meanwhile, MP Muhammad Hadi Al- On public venue admission for those vaccinated, Rai daily. Hewaila submitted a proposal to estab- a smartphone app called “Immune” will be valid Chairman of the Society’s Sisi in landmark lish three hospitals for the employees at proof of immunization and subsequent entry to Board of Directors Majid Al- Ticket, hotel prices surge the National Guard, Kuwait Firefighting these venues. Mutairi called on the Council visit to Baghdad Force (KFF) and Ministry of Interior. Meanwhile, Abdullah Jaber, head of the Capital of Ministers to “urge the govern- According to the proposal, these hospi- health requirements implementation department, ment agencies to implement the on airport passenger limit tals shall offer services in all specializa- said teams were touring the shopping malls, gyms, provisions of Law No. 12/2020 BAGHDAD, June 27, (AP): Egypt’s restaurants, coffee shops, cinema theaters and cul- regarding the right to access tions; including an advanced laboratory. president arrived in Baghdad on KUWAIT CITY, June 27: According to managers of travel and This is in addition to a department tasked tural centers to make sure they were in compliance information and its executive Sunday on a first official visit by an regulations, and to speed up the tourism offices, reservations made by expatriates for the month to conduct researches on diseases com- with the government’s decision. Egyptian head of state to the country of August are almost negligible until now, despite the Cabinet’s mon among employees at the National Kuwait’s daily coronavirus cases jumped by initiative of determining the com- in over 30 years, for tripartite talks petent authority in each govern- decision to allow non-Kuwaitis to enter the country starting from Guard and burn burn injuries among KFF 1,661 to 349,923 as deaths rose by six to 1,919, ac- with Jordan and Iraq to deepen eco- employees. cording to the health ministry on Saturday. ment agency to receive requests nomic and security cooperation. the beginning of August, provided they obtain two doses of Pfizer, for access to information, as well The employees will undergo regular Another 1,689 people were cured of the virus, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was greeted AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & as publish the approved form to Johnson vaccine, reports Al-Rai daily. medical check ups and they will continue raising the total of those to have overcome the dis- request access to information in by Iraq’s President Barham Salih receiving health care after retirement. upon arriving Sunday morning. It They attributed the reluctance of the expatriates to their fear of ease to 329,423, the ministry said in a statement. accordance with the law and its the repetition of the scenario of August last year when the state The hospital for workers at the Minis- The number of people hospitalised with the vi- executive regulations.” marked the first time Egypt’s presi- try of Interior will also serve their fami- dent paid an official visit to Iraq since closed the airport and they were stuck in transit destinations such rus currently stands at 18,5581, with 265 of them in Al-Mutairi stated that, “All lies. intensive care units, he added, revealing that some government agencies and com- the 1990s when ties between both that many of them ended up returning to their countries. The medical records of employees will panies are legally obligated to countries were severed after Saddam The managers said they expect the rate of reservations to increase 13,834 swab tests were conducted over the last day be stored in individual files which will not out of a total of 2,921,345. publish a guide to the public on Hussein invaded Kuwait. significantly during the first two weeks of August, after expatriates be revealed to anyone as per the related their websites, indicating lists of Jordan’s King Abdullah II arrived receive assurance that the government would actually implement He went on to urge nationals and expatriates alike regulations. Whoever reveals the medi- that abiding by health precautions, mainly, follow- information available to be dis- shortly afterwards, he and el-Sisi then the decision to open the airport for them, and would not back down cal data of employees will be imprisoned closed, as well as lists of confi - met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mus- from that as it did previously. ing social distancing rules, is the only way to halt dential information that cannot for three months maximum and fined the spread of the virus. tafa al-Kadhimi. The meetings are On the other hand, they highlighted the high demand of Kuwaiti KD1,000 to KD5,000 or any of these two be disclosed, the reasons for this, seen largely as an attempt to neutral- and forms of requests for access citizens to travel during the month of July, especially during the penalties. Circumstances ize Iran’s influence across the region. Eid al-Adha holidays, revealing that the seats available on various The Ministry of Public Works, in co- to information and grievance Al-Kadhimi also aims to shore up The Directorate General of Civil Aviation forms in the event of a rejection airlines for the Eid period are full. ordination with its health counterpart and regional alliances and bolster Iraq’s other concerned institutions, will allocate (DGCA) has allowed some local companies to of any request. The managers explained that limiting the airport’s capacity to transport goods through the passenger planes for ❑ ❑ ❑ standing in the Middle East as a me- the sites for the proposed hospitals. diator, after it recently hosted talks 3,500 passengers per day led to a jump in the ticket prices by about three months due to the exceptional circumstances 200 percent. However, this did not discourage Kuwaitis from trav- The construction of these hospitals DUBAI: Two Saudi women’s between Iran and Saudi Arabia focus- will be under the supervision and moni- caused by the coronavirus pandemic, reports Al- rights campaigners have been ing on the war in Yemen. elling, as the percentage of reservations increased by about 300 per- toring of the Ministry of Public Works Qabas daily quoting a reliable source. released from prison, three years “This visit is an important message cent during the current month compared to the previous month. The until the completion of these projects, The source told the daily that a company has after a sweeping crackdown by to our people that we are mutually most popular destinations among the Kuwaitis for travelling next been given the go signal to transport goods through Mohammed bin which will be handed over to the Min- Crown Prince supportive and unified to serve our month, especially on Eid holidays, included all touristic destina- istry of Health. the passenger planes from July 1 to Sept 30 in line Salman targeting female activ- people and the people of the region,” tions of Turkey (Bodrum, Antalya and Trabzon), as well as Dubai, with the new regulations on loading and transporting ists who’d peacefully advocated MP Osama Al-Shaheen submitted a al-Kadhimi said, according to a state- Cairo, Greece, Riyadh and the Maldives. London came last in the proposal to grant KD300 allowance per goods, affirming that the risks have been evaluated to for greater freedoms, rights ment from his office. groups said Sunday. list of popular destinations. month to the workers at the Industrial ensure the safe transport of goods while adhering to It now appears that all the Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hus- In this regard, a member of the Board of Directors of the Travel Waste Department in the Public Author- the procedures laid down by aircraft manufacturers. women’s rights activists detained sein said in a press conference fol- Offices Association Abdul Rahman Al-Kharafi said the problem ity for Industry (PAI). Due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus, in the 2018 sweep have now been lowing the meeting that a wide range that expatriates are facing now is related to the failure of the Direc- MP Ali Al-Qattan proposed the for- some airlines decided to use the passenger planes released from prison, although of topics had been discussed, includ- torate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to increase the capacity, mation of a committee whose members for transporting goods or mail. Operators have the status of one woman remains ing economic and political coopera- are from the Municipal Council, Public evaluated the reconfiguration of the passenger plane tion, large-scale industrial projects, even though the Council of Ministers decided in May to increase unclear. the number of arriving passengers on commercial flights coming Authority for Agricultural Affairs and by removing some seats to increase the space for The London-based ALQST and trade in medicine and agricul- Fish Resources (PAAAFR), Public Au- goods, the source revealed. rights group, which primarily fo- tural pesticides. from abroad to 5,000 passengers per day instead of only 1,000. thority for Roads and Transportation He stressed that the airport’s capacity was raised last week only The source said the International Air Transport cuses on Saudi Arabia, said the The talks, which were welcomed (PART), and the concerned public and Association (IATA) issued guidelines last year for two women — Samar Badawi by the U.S., also covered regional to 3,500 passengers, and the number of passengers allowed on private institutions. The committee and Nassima al-Sada — were issues including the Syria crisis, the board the planes coming to Kuwait was increased from 35 to 70 the operators to guarantee the safety of using air- will lay down a strategy for combat- craft designed for transporting people to transport released sometime late Saturday conflict between Israel and the Pales- passengers only. ing desertification, present ways to re- or early Sunday. Human Rights tinians, and the war in Yemen. goods, including those containing dangerous mate- duce the temperature, and protect farms rials and others. Watch also confi rmed their re- “Iraq must be isolated from region- and remote residential areas from dust lease. al interventions” Jordan’s Foreign The travel and tourism sector of Kuwait incurred The women had been sen- storms and quicksand. Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters The committee will also determine the losses of about KD 1.11 billion during the year tenced to fi ve years imprison- 2020, which is about 50.9 percent. Its contribution ment, two of which were sus- after the meeting, in an apparent ref- best ways to use rainwater and establish erence to Iran’s powerful influence. the green wall to protect different areas to the GDP declined from KD 2.179 billion in 2019 pended. (AP) to KD 1.069 billion in 2020 (constituting 3.3 per- ❑ ❑ ❑ Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance from quicksand. Dam project, which Egypt fears will MP Muhannad Al-Sayer unveiled his cent of GDP). RIYADH: The Saudi-led coalition imperil its water supply, was also dis- plan to submit a proposal to prioritize According to a report by the World Travel and to support the legitimate Yemeni cussed, he added, and all three coun- the grilling motions against the minis- Tourism Council, the spending of foreign tourists in government said Saturday even- tries agreed that a political solution ters over that of His Highness the Prime Kuwait decreased from KD 342.5 million in 2019 ing that it had intercepted three and the return of refugees was needed Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid. He to KD 120.5 million in 2020, constituting 64.8 per- explosives-laden drones fi red by to end the Syrian crisis. affirmed that a number of his colleagues cent. The spending of local tourists decreased by the Yemeni Houthi militia to- “The message from the leaders is have signed the proposal and he is still 49.3 percent from KD 1.699 billion in 2019 to KD wards civilian targets in southern we stand together in the face of these saudi cities. presenting it to his other colleagues to 861.5 million in 2020. In a statement aired by the challenges,” he said. obtain their support. He said the proposal The sector’s contribution to employment de- Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Iraq has already signed key eco- will be included in the agenda of the ses- creased by about 21.5 percent, as about 28,600 coalition condemned repeated nomic and trade agreements with sion for July 6, 2021. people lost their jobs in the sector. This sector Houthi attempts to attack civilian both Jordan and Egypt. He explained that his objective is to employed 133,200 people in 2019 which then de- targets in the Kingdom, vowing In November, Egypt signed 15 start with the grilling of ministers and creased to 104,600 in 2020. The sector’s losses to take all necessary measures to memoranda of understandings that end with the no-confidence motion for globally amounted to $4.5 trillion. defend civilians and counter the spanned sectors from oil to construc- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, (center), arrives at an the government to realize its actual situ- Houthi threat. (KUNA) tion and trade. airport in Baghdad, Iraq, June 27. (AP) ation. See Also Page 3 ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 2

Take back control Multiple sclerosis patients can live their best lives

ultiple sclerosis patients across the UAE and beyond have a new re- the best medical destinations in the world. One gap we noticed is that despite ous. In fact, it is the opposite. The right amount of exercise that improves Msource to help guide them through their MS journey, thanks to a web- the growing community of people affected by MS, the online resources and strength, endurance, balance and flexibility can be a huge help. One tip we site launched by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, an integral part of Mubadala support available have not kept up. I hope this website will serve as a founda- always share is not to push too hard. Over exertion may sometimes worsen Health. tion to help patients across the region find unbiased information that can guide symptoms, so keeping the right pace is crucial,” says Vinodh Ravindran, a Caused by inflammation in the nerves of the brain and spinal cord, multiple their decisions. We believe that arming patients with knowledge will help multiple sclerosis certified specialist physiotherapist at Cleveland Clinic Abu sclerosis (MS) can cause vision problems, muscle weakness, numbness, and a them make the right choices in managing their MS. Seeing they are not alone Dhabi. variety of other symptoms. Most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20 and engaging with the experiences of other MS patients will strengthen and As part of its commitment to elevating the level of care and improving and 40, multiple sclerosis is twice as common among women than men. While inspire them to fulfill their own potential,” continues Dr. Jacob. quality of life for people with MS, Cleveland clinic Abu Dhabi has ongoing there is no cure yet, the vast majority of cases can be managed with medica- In addition to medication to stop inflammation, slow progression and stop research projects looking at how certain medications might be used to further tions that help stop inflammation, control symptoms and effectively slow the symptoms of the disease, the team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Neuro- improve quality of life for patients. progression of the disease. logical Institute provides a holistic approach to managing patients with mul- “Multiple sclerosis can be treated and treated extremely well right here in “Multiple sclerosis is certainly a condition on the rise both here in the UAE tiple sclerosis. This ranges from psychological support and smoking cessation the UAE. Although it is a diagnosis for life, there are a whole host of ap- and globally. It usually strikes in the prime of life, causing a great deal of programs to physical therapy and exercise tips. proaches we can take to limit its impact and allow people to lead a normal anxiety and anguish. With early diagnosis, and the right treatment, most can “The most common form of multiple sclerosis we see, particularly in our life. I always put myself in my patients’ shoes. If I had MS, I would want my go on to live a normal life. I have seen some of my patients do amazing things younger patients, is what we call ‘relapsing-remitting’ meaning that patients condition explained to me clearly and be supported in choosing the right treat- that even someone without their diagnosis might balk at,” says Dr. Anu Jacob, experience a flare-up of symptoms periodically. This form of the disease re- ment by a team that takes all my circumstances into account. After that, apart a neurologist and director of the multiple sclerosis department at Cleveland sponds well to lifestyle changes that, when made alongside the right medica- from the occasional hospital visits for treatments and appointments, I would Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Neurological Institute. tion, can prolong remission and reduce symptoms – dramatically improving want to be able to forget about MS and get on with my life with the confidence The new website, in both English and Arabic, offers patients and their fami- quality of life,” says Dr. Jacob. that my team will be there if I need them. That is what I want for our patients. lies practical advice on a range of topics in simple and easy to understand Some of the most noticeable effects of multiple sclerosis include muscle MS should not define them,” concludes Dr. Jacob. language on symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, and lifestyle as well as exercise weakness, loss of balance and difficulty walking. Regular exercise, including As part of its World MS Day activities this month, Cleveland Clinic Abu and diet. The site also provides support materials and curated external links stretching and progressive strength training helps to keep muscles strong and Dhabi’s Neurological Institute also hosted an informative webinar and Q&A for physicians and the wider MS community in the UAE. retain physical function. session on living a healthy life with MS and the impact of COVID-19 on “The level of care on offer to MS patients in the UAE is on par with some of “A lot of people think that exercising with MS is difficult or even danger- patients with the condition.

Physicians concerned that COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in home schooling have caused an explosion in cases. A ‘pandemic within a pandemic’ Rising levels of myopia in children cause for concern

xperts from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Eye Institute have warned that time, has worsened the situation. It’s a ‘pandemic within a pandemic’ that will The pediatric myopia clinic takes a multidisciplinary and personalized ap- Eincreased time indoors looking at screens in 2020 has led to a steep rise lead to serious complications without proper care,” explains Dr. Arif Khan, a proach to preventing the progression of myopia. The primary treatment em- in myopia among children, creating potentially blinding complications later pediatric ophthalmologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. ploys specialized eye drops that are compounded at Cleveland Clinic Abu in life. With current trends myopia will affect half of the global population by Dhabi. In addition, multifocal glasses and contact lenses are options that can Myopia, often referred to as nearsightedness, is the most common eye con- 2050. In response to the significant increase in the number of myopic children, also be appropriate. dition worldwide. It occurs when the shape of the eye changes, becoming too Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Eye Institute has opened a specialized pediatric “We’re already seeing a growing number of children in our practice, but long for its focusing power and causing blurred intermediate and distance myopia clinic to monitor children and work to prevent their condition from this is just the crest of a coming wave. Without preventative care, in 10 or 20 vision. Left untreated, myopia can progressively worsen in childhood, affect- progressing. Following a comprehensive eye exam, children can be referred years we’re going to have a lot of young adults all over the world dealing with ing academic performance and quality of life as well as increasing the risk of to the specialized myopia clinic should doctors determine that they could ben- potentially blinding eye disease,” concludes Dr. Khan. glaucoma, myopic macular degeneration, and retinal detachment, which are efit from personalized care to help prevent their condition from progressing Doctors have long recommended that all children have an initial eye exam potentially blinding conditions. further. at approximately the age of four. Effective screening enables causes of pre- As rates of myopia have continued to rise, studies have linked the condition “The higher a person’s myopia, the higher their risk of developing eye dis- ventable blindness to be treated during childhood, when they are most cor- to increased time spent indoors in addition to other factors. Physicians are ease such as glaucoma or retinal detachment later in life. With children devel- rectable as the visual system is still developing. However, if parents suspect now concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in home schooling oping myopia at younger ages, the risk of developing high myopia increases a child has an eye problem, the child should be examined as soon as possible have caused an explosion in cases, with one study in China registering sharp dramatically. Our goal is to prevent or slow the progression in a growing regardless of age. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s pediatric ophthalmologists growth in the number of myopia cases in young school-aged children in 2020 . child, significantly reducing their risk of sight- threatening conditions later perform comprehensive eye exams and treatments for children of any age “Myopia has been on the rise for a long time but the events of 2020, with so in life,” says Dr. Christine Dackiw, an ophthalmologist at Cleveland Clinic and, when necessary, can perform corrective surgery, even for rare congenital many children staying indoors and looking at screens for extended periods of Abu Dhabi. disease in newborns.

editor’s choice ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 3

Weather Expected weather for the next 24 relatively humid specially over Abdaly 49 29 Prayer Timings hrs: coastal areas with light to moderate Jahra 50 33 Fajr ...... 03:15 Asr ...... 15:25 By Day: Very hot and relatively hu- south easterly wind to light variable Salmiyah 44 31 mid specially over coastal areas with wind with speeds of 08-30 km/h. Ahmadi 41 36 Sunrise .. 04:50 Maghrib .. 18:51 light south westerly wind changing to Nuwaisib 50 31 Zohr ...... 11:51 Isha ...... 20:24 light to moderate south easterly wind Station Max Exp Min Rec Wafra 48 30 with speeds of 12-35 km/h. Kuwait City 49 35 Salmy 47 30 By Night: Hot to rather hot and Kuwait Airport 49 30 Jal Aliyah 48 30

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

Zain climbs 5 fils, Humansoft Holding skids Kuwait bourse closes in green turf after wobbly start By John Mathews ■ UUS$/KDS$/KD 0.30100/100.30100/10 Arab Times Staff KUWAIT CITY, June 27: Kuwait stocks ▲ Euro/KD 0.3600 eked out small gains on Sunday as it re- sumed its ascent which was briefl y inter- ■ Yen/KD 0.0027 rupted by last session’s pullback. The All Shares Index, after a wobbly start, rose ▼ British £/KD 0.4187 5.38 points to 6465 points helped mostly by heavyweights. ■ Indian Rs/KD 0.0040 The Premier Market climbed 12.22 points to 7028.62 pts taking the month’s gains ■ Philippines Peso/KD 0.0062 to 288 points while Main Market gave up 10.44 points. The BK Main 50 fell 5.60 points to 5626.86 pts. The volume turn- ▲ FTSE +26.10 pts at closing June 25 over meanwhile saw small a rise following Thursday’s drop. Over 359 million shares changed hands – down 2.5 pct from the pre- ▲ Nikkei +190.95 pts at closing June 25 vious session. The sectors closed mostly mixed. Basic ▲ Gold Materials outshone the rest with 0.66 per- $1783.25 per oz (London) cent gain whereas Insurance shed 1.02 per- cent, the biggest loser of the day. Volume ▲ NYMEX crude $74.04 per barrel wise, Financial Services topped with 206.3 million shares and the sector also dominated ▲ Brent crude $76.01 per barrel in value with KD 20.9 million shares. In the individual shares, sector bellwether LIBOR rate 0.1460% National Bank of Kuwait eased 1 fi l to 858 fi ls after trading 2.5 million shares whereas Kuwait Finance House took in 1 fi l on back deals worth KD 52.83 million were transact- of 3.3 million shares. KIPCO inched 1 fi l ed during the session. higher after pushing 3.8 million shares In the banking sector, Gulf Bank was un- whereas Mabanee Co stood pat at 731 fi ls. changed at 253 fi ls after moving 1.8 million Humansoft Holding slid 30 fi ls to KD 3.750. shares whereas Burgan Bank and Kuwait Zain climbed 5 fi ls to 591 fi ls whereas International Bank dialed down 1 fi l each. Ooredoo was down 8 fi ls at 632 fi ls. stc di- Boubyan Bank climbed 5 fi ls to 735 fi ls. aled up 2 fi ls whereas logistics major Agil- Warba Bank inched 1 fi l higher to 256 ity eased 1 fi ls to 950 fi ls after pushing 1.5 fi ls and Ahli United Bank BSC followed million shares. Mezzan Holding slipped 4 suit on back of 11.9 million shares. Com- fi ls to 640 fi ls and Boursa Kuwait Securities mercial Bank and Al Ahli Bank paused at dialed down 1 fi l. Gulf Insurance Group 500 fi ls and 216 fi ls respectively. Ahli Unit- slid 23 fi ls to 897 fi ls whereas Educational ed Bank Kuwait gained 4 fi ls. Holding soared 51 fi ls to 786 fi ls. National Investment Co eased 1 fi l to 178 Photo by Mahmoud Jadeed National Industries Group was unchanged fi ls while Kuwait Investment Co was down Kuwaitis and expats show the inspectors they are vaccinated before entering a mall. at 228 fi ls after pushing 6.2 million shares 6 fi ls at 206 fi ls after pushing 2.2 million while Gulf Cable gave up 6 fi ls to close at shares. International Financial Advisors 758 fi ls. Boubyan Petrochemical Co rose scaled 6 fi ls on back o 15.5 million shares 3 fi ls to 925 fi ls on back of over 4 million whereas Kuwait Financial Centre ( Markaz) ‘Taken jabs, enter malls’ begins shares and Al Qurain Petrochemical Co gave up 3 fi ls. KMEFIC rose 4 fi ls to 166 scaled 5 fi ls. fi ls. Noor Financial Investment Co stood Jazeera Airways tripped 1 fi l whereas pat at 229 fi ls whereas Tamdeen Investment ALAFCO added 2 fi ls before ending at 226 gained 7 fi ls. ‘Download apps’ fi ls. Integrated Holding fell 2 fi ls to 383 Kuwait Cement Co was unchanged at Reasons why medical personnel fi ls whereas Aznour paused at 233 fi ls. 250 fi ls whereas Kuwait Portland Cement NAPESCO fell 3 fi ls to 902 fi ls and Sultan took in 1 fi l. Kuwait Foundry Co slipped 5 KUWAIT CITY, June 27: At a time when Centre trimmed 1 fi l. Independent Petro- fi ls to 384 fi ls and ACICO Industries gained are quitting in massive numbers leum Group jumped 20 fi ls to 629 fi ls. 7 fi ls. HEISC gave up 3 fi ls whereas Shuaiba the Public Security Sector is entrusted The market opened fi rm and ticked up Industrial and Kuwait National Cinema Co By Marwa Bahrawi sions prevent the entry of expatriates, with the task of monitoring major com- in early trade. The main index fl ipped and held ground at 173 fi ls and 840 fi ls respec- slipped into red to plumb the day’s low- tively. NICBM added 2 fi ls whereas Arabi Al-Seyassah Staff it means they cannot travel except in plexes and ensuring the entry of people rare cases by registering with the minis- who have received the Covid-19 vaccine, est level of 6453 pts before heading north Group Holding spiked 73 fi ls to 125 fi ls. KUWAIT CITY, June 27: For more try and waiting for a long documentary again. It continued to climb amid buying Kuwait and Gulf Links Transport Co than 18 months since the COVID-19 the Assistant Undersecretary for Public spurt in some of the blue chips and peaked at eased 1.9 fi ls to 57.6 fi ls after moving over cycle which might end up with their ap- Security Affairs at the Ministry of Inte- 6469 points past the mid-session. It eroded 1 million shares whereas Automated Sys- outbreak, the Ministry of Health man- plication being rejected. slightly before closing in the green turf. tems Co and Combined Group Contracting aged to keep Kuwait outside the red Despite the issuance of a ministe- rior Major-General Farraj Al-Zoubi told Top gainer of the day, NCCI rallied 8.8 Co were unchanged at 117 fi ls and 331 fi ls circles of the spread of the virus. rial decision in March to prevent the the Al-Anba daily that no less than 500 of- percent to 56.6 fi ls and Mazaya Holding respectively. Burgan Company For Well However, the ministry has been facing deduction of allowances from medi- ficers and non-commissioned officers will sprinted 7.34 pct to stand next. AGHC skid- Drilling dropped 7 fi ls to 189 fi ls and Unit- internal and external challenges, ac- cal staff in the event of a leave, that be assigned the tasks of supervision and ded 36.8 pct, the steepest decliner of the day ed Projects Co shed 10 fi ls. cording to the testimonies of offi cials decision has not been activated yet, and Gulf Finance House topped the volume The market was buoyant during the previ- from the World Health Organization. and shift allowance is being com- follow-up. with 38.3 million shares. ous week. The main index closed higher in During the past week, it witnessed a pletely deducted from every doctor or The senior official said the security per- Despite the day’s gains, the losers out- four of the fi ve sessions gaining 66 points wave of resignations by the medical numbered the winners. 47 stocks advanced week-on-week. It has rallied 243 points nurse who takes a leave. sonnel in addition to manning the entrances whereas 71 closed lower. Of the 140 coun- from start of the month and is up 903 staff. The medical staff affi rmed that they will also monitor the situation from control ters active on Sunday, 22 closed fl at. 12,872 points year-to-date. According to informed sources, have suffered in the recent period from the crisis of resignations by expatri- miscalculation, which can sometimes rooms and press into service what the min- ate doctors and nurses is the result extend to the arrogance or infringement istry called ‘foot patrols’ indicating that the 9,787 cases filed in courts of the general atmosphere which has of the clients, and this is unacceptable, distribution of force in each security direc- become repelling to them after hav- especially with the low salaries and the torate has been completed and spoke of the ing suffered for nearly two years and absence of a mechanism to increase readiness of the public security sector and Drug abuse kills 327 in five years working to their full capacity, but be- them, as well as differentiation in the the rest of the other agencies to follow up ing ultimately rewarded with neglect promotion system, which is often sub- KUWAIT CITY, June 27, (KUNA): The num- and betrayal. on the implementation of the orders of the ber of drug related court cases in Kuwait was ject to personal whims. Minister of Interior Sheikh Thamer Al-Ali to 9,787 in the past fi ve years, with 327 related Doctors have denied the rumors cir- Doctors highlighted many challenges deaths, said head of Al-Sabah Medical Special- culating on social media about the ex- that the medical and nursing staff faced implement Cabinet instructions. ist Area Dr. Ahmad Al-Shatti. clusion of medical and nursing cadres in light of the pandemic. For example, He added the instructions of the Minister come His remarks were made during the Ministry from the front-lines being the main rea- if a doctor or nurse is infected with the into force today (Sunday) and members of the of Health’s celebration of the International Day son for the increased number of resig- virus and is admitted or placed under public security police will be posted at 10 major against Drug Abuse and Illicit Traffi cking on nations. home quarantine, part of his/her sal- complexes, including the Avenues, Marina and Al- Sunday, celebrated every June 26. They said monetary appreciation is ary is deducted as sick leave instead of Kout. At each gate one or two policemen will be He called for different sectors in the not what they seek for the great efforts being honored for his/her work in the posted to ensure smooth entry of those who have country to exert further efforts to protect so- been vaccinated. ciety against the dangers of drugs, including they exerted during the COVID-19 cri- front-lines and for facing many risks to crimes, car crash and money laundering. sis and the health and material suffer- confront the pandemic. Regarding the regional ban or the partial ban KUNA photo In the same context, Al-Shatti noted the Dr. Ahmad Al-Shatti. ing they were exposed to as a result of Also, if a doctor or a member of his/ again, Major General Al-Zoubi told the daily, there efforts of the Addiction Treatment Center at infection with the virus. her family is sick, they are all treated are no plans for this so far, and “if there is a need Al-Sabah Medical Area in treating drug ad- added. A number of doctors and nurses re- like any patient. for that, certain areas will be closed for a limited dicts and bringing awareness to society on ❑ ❑ ❑ vealed the actual reasons behind the in- They have to pay the fees for treat- period during which all residents will be vaccinat- the issue. creasing number of resignations. ment and admission in the hospital (ex- ed.” On his part, head of the center Dr Adel The Public Authority for Civil Informa- They explained that the medical sec- cept for the X-ray tests). Even if they Decision Al-Zayed said that the coronavirus lock- tion’s Al-Qurain Government Mall branch tor in Kuwait has become repellent, are treated at their places of work, they down period made drug prices go higher as will reopen its doors to nationals and expa- The Deputy Chairman of the Ministerial Committee it was harder to smuggle it to the country. triates from Sunday after being temporarily as the medical staff have been work- must bear all the expenses of the treat- for the Implementation of Health Requirements, Di- This step encouraged a lot of people to seek closed due to COVID-19 measures. ing continuously without vacations ment, and there is no exemption for rector-General of Kuwait Municipality, Eng. Ahmad treatment at the center to end their addiction. Offi cial working hours will be from Sunday for about two years until the ministry them or their family members from Al-Manfouhi, in confi rmation of what was published In 2010, the center turned into a reha- to Thursday (9 am to 1 pm) with applications agreed one month ago to grant vaca- paying health fees. by the Al-Seyassah daily last Monday, announced yes- bilitation center, providing continuous pro- taken only after an appointment is made every tions not exceeding two weeks. Some doctors have also not been able terday that the military will help the civilian team to grams for those who overcame addiction, he Saturday on the PACI offi cial website. However, that decision was soon sus- to get their spouses and children vacci- implement the decision and ban the entry of people pended. This has caused a major crisis nated. – who have not been vaccinated -- into the shopping for doctors and nurses residing in the Despite the fact that they are vulner- malls, restaurants and health institutes,reports Al- country as they need to travel to check able to direct infection, the Ministry of Seyassah. on their families. Health did not give them priority in vac- He explained the state during the next two months Considering that ministerial deci- cination. needs to intensify campaigns to follow up on the im- plementation of Cabinet decisions in the hope of ac- ‘Kuwait, Gulf to host returnees’ quiring herd immunity. He explained the fi eld teams from the concerned government agencies will man the entrances to the malls and other public places and will allow entry only ‘Interpreters to leave Kabul first’ to those who have taken the vaccine (even if they have KUWAIT CITY, June 27: The United day before the meeting of Biden with Af- received one dose). States of America (USA) intends to ghan President Ashraf Ghani to discuss This will be done in cooperation and coordina- evacuate Afghan interpreters before the relations between the two countries de- tion with the owners of the malls and other public US military completes its withdrawal spite the US military’s withdrawal. places. from Afghanistan so they can complete The Pentagon was quoted as saying on He explained the citizens and residents must down- their visa applications safely, reports Al- Thursday that the evacuation of interpret- load the “My Identity” application issued by the Pub- Qabas daily. ers from Afghanistan may not require the lic Authority for Civil Information or the “Manna” A senior Republican congressman told use of US military aircraft. “It does not application issued by the Ministry of Health on their Reuters on Thursday that the evacuation always have to entail US military aircraft smart phones and show this to the fi eld teams in the will include family members of the inter- to accommodate,” Pentagon spokesman malls to be allowed to enter. preters -- around 50,000 people. John Kirby told reporters. He indicated the fi eld teams will also visit restau- Representative Michael McCaul dis- Commenting on the issue, MP Mar- rants, cafés, health clubs, and women’s and men’s sa- cussed the evacuation plan with offi cials zouq Al-Khalifa said: “We need a quick lons to ensure all visitors to these places apply health of US President Joe Biden’s administra- clarifi cation from the government regard- requirements and allow entry only to those who have tion; disclosing that countries to which ing what was reported by Reuters about taken the approved vaccine in Kuwait. the evacuees could be fl own include the America’s desire to evacuate 50,000 Af- Al-Manfouhi has called on everyone to cooper- United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar ghans and their families to Kuwait and ate with the fi eld teams to help them implement the and Kuwait. other Gulf countries. If the government Cabinet decision in the best interest of the health and The decision of Biden’s administration remains silent, it means this news is true safety of shoppers and prevent the spread of the coro- might lead to a crisis in Afghanistan one and it cannot be tolerated.” navirus. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 LOCAL 4

His Highness congratulates Djibouti on National Day HH Amir congratulates Mongolian president-elect on victory KUWAIT CITY, June 27, (KUNA): His High- the friendly country further progress and prosper- Meanwhile, His Highness the Amir sent Sun- ness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber ity. day a cable of congratulations to the President of Al-Sabah sent Sunday a cable of congratulations His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Djibouti Republic Ismail Omar Guelleh on the to Mongolia’s newly-elected President Ukhnaa Prince Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah occasion of his country’s National Day. Khurelsukh. and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown In the cable, His Highness the Amir wished Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar Prince and His Highness the Prime Minister sent him further success and wellness, as well as for cables. similar cables. CITRA cancels all work exemptions, to go with ‘fingerprint attendance’ CSC’s decision encourages other govt agencies

KUWAIT CITY, June 27, (Agencies): The Com- munications Authority is HH the Deputy Amir and the Crown Prince with Speaker Al-Ghanim. following in the footsteps of the Civil Service Com- mission (CSC) to cancel all work exemptions and continue with the finger- print attendance system, reports Al-Rai daily. The CSC decision to resume work using the fingerprint atten- dance system has encouraged other government agencies to take simi- lar steps, as the Communication & Information Technology Regula- tory Authority (CITRA) followed in the CSC footsteps, announcing the resumption of fingerprint atten- dance, as of July 25 next. In a circular similar to what the Photo by Rizk Taufiq CSC issued recently, the authority KUNA photos Impounded vehicles being taken to the ministry garage. has suspended all cases of exemp- HH the Deputy Amir and the Crown Prince with HH the PM Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled. tion from work, except in the case 1,974 traffic citations issued, 47 vehicles seized in 24 hours of a pregnant employee who has Audiences of HH Deputy Amir not received the two doses of the By Munif Nayef traffic citations and impounded 47 vehicles. vaccine, a physically handicapped His Highness the Deputy Amir and His Highness the Deputy Amir and The General Traffic Department said in a state- employee, and an employee who Crown Prince Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ah- Crown Prince received at Bayan Pal- Al-Seyassah Staff ment the violations varied between reckless driving, suffers from one of the following mad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Bay- ace Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Traffic officers carried out an extensive traffic cam- speeding and vehicles which were found to be not chronic diseases -- heart disease, an Palace Sunday National Assembly of Defense Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali paign against the reckless and speeding motorists road worthy. kidney failure, cancer, provided Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim. Al-Sabah, and Deputy Prime Minister, and vehicles which make annoying noises with their The GTD said the campaigns will continue the employee suffering from any of He also received His Highness the Minister of Justice and Minister of State exhausts and over the past 24 hours issued 1,974 against violators of the traffic laws. these diseases submits a certifi cate Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al- for for Nazaha (Integrity) Enhancement from a competent medical authority Hamad Al-Sabah. Abdullah Yousef Al-Roumi. (KUNA) affi liated to the Ministry of Health. Kuwaiti student Al-Hajri comes first in scientific section The authority has also cancelled the fl exible working hours, rota- UAE retains 9th place tion and return to work with 100% 18 students score 100 pc marks in paper exams attendance without prejudice to the aforementioned exemption cases. By Abdul Rahman Al-Shimmari The authority restored the offi cial Kuwait absent again this yr in Senegal’s envoy to leave after 33 years working hours (7 hours), starting Al-Seyassah Staff from half past seven in the morning KUWAIT CITY, June 27: For the to two thirty in the afternoon. Global Competitiveness Index fi rst time in Kuwait’s educational Al-Khalil to be next dean of ‘Diplomatic Corps’ In its circular, states employees are history, 18 Grade 12 students scored required to use alcohol-based hand KUWAIT CITY, June 27: For the third year in 58th place last year to 49th globally this 100 percent marks. They are 15 By Shawky Mahmoud which he held the Deanship of sanitizer that conforms to the stan- a row, Kuwait has not appeared in the Global year, and continues to be in fourth place in the Diplomatic Corps for more Competitiveness Index, which was issued re- the Arab world. Egyptians, two Syrians and a Leb- Al-Seyassah Staff dards of the Ministry of Health at the than 22 years. same time emphasizing the need to cently by the International Institute for Man- This year’s index, which included 64 coun- anese while fi ve students scored Reliable sources told the daily 99.99 percent. KUWAIT CITY, June 27: The adhere to the health and precautionary agement Development based in Lausanne, tries around the world, is part of the Global Al-Seyassah daily has learned Ibrahim Al-Khalil will succeed requirements put in place by the health Switzerland, reports Al-Anba daily. Competitiveness Yearbook. It measures the .Kuwaiti student Hajar Muhammad that the tenure of the Dean of Mbaki as Senegal’s ambassador Al-Hajri came in the fi rst place in the authorities. The circular goes into ef- In fi rst place is Switzerland, jumping competitiveness of countries on the basis of the Diplomatic Corps, Sen- to Kuwait, while Djibouti’s am- from the third place it occupied in the index four main axes - economic performance, gov- scientifi c section with 99.94 percent fect from Sunday, July 25, 2021. egal’s Ambassador to Kuwait, bassador, Mohamed Ali Momen, The government agencies have of 2020, followed by Sweden, Denmark and ernment effi ciency, effectiveness of the busi- marks; second was Nour Yousef Al- Abdel Ahad Mbaki, will end will take over the deanship of the then Netherlands in second, third and fourth ness environment and infrastructure, in addi- Sunin with 99.92 percent. soon after serving for about Diplomatic Corps after Mbaki started to take the necessary steps for the resumption of work in full capacity; places respectively. tion to 346 sub-indicators that fall within the In the literary section, Kuwaitis 33 years in the country, during leaves the country. Singapore, which topped the list last year, four axes and include various aspects and fac- Maryam Muhammad Al-Daihani taking into consideration the increasing rate of vaccination against coronavirus fell to fi fth place, and the United States retained tors that affect these axes. ranked first with 99.50 percent the tenth place that it occupied last year. The Global Competitiveness Yearbook, marks and Awatef Muhammad among citizens and expatriates, reports 5 sites to accommodate ‘workers’ Al-Jarida daily quoting sources. It is worth highlighting that only four which was fi rst published in 1989, is a com- Al-Qallaf with a score of 99.42 Sources said the ministries of Jus- Arab countries managed to fi nd a place in prehensive annual report and global reference percent. KUWAIT CITY, June 24: The to be sold at the public auction tice, Foreign Affairs, Oil, Commu- the index for this year - the United Arab point on countries’ competitiveness, providing In the religious section Aya Mu- Ahmadi Governorate Commit- provided that the five sites are nication, Higher Education, Educa- Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan. comparisons and trends, as well as statistics hammad Ali of the Egyptian nation- tee in the Municipal Council has subject to the standards of cities tion, Communication; as well as the At the Gulf level, the UAE retained ninth and survey data based on extensive research. It ality got the fi rst rank scoring 100 approved the Kuwait Municipal- and labor gatherings, reports Al- Financial Controllers Bureau, Kuwait place globally and fi rst in the Arab world, analyzes and ranks countries according to how percent marks, in second place was ity request to allocate 5 sites in Seyassah daily. Investment Authority, Public Author- which it achieved last year among the most they manage their competencies to achieve Kuwaiti Hassan Ali Al-Kandari, the Shuaiba port area to establish Sources said four floors can ity for Manpower, Kuwait Authority competitive economies in the world. long-term value creation. 99.66 percent while Habiba Jamal housing complexes for expatriate be built for residential buildings, for Partnership Projects between the Qatar fell three places from the 14th posi- The competitiveness of the economy can- Al-Muhanna scored 99.43 percent. workers to implement the Coun- and two floors for the use of ser- private and public sectors, Public Au- tion to the 17th globally, and came second not be reduced to only GDP and productiv- The results of high school for aca- thority for Industry, Criminal Investi- in the Arab world after it was among the ity, because companies must also deal with demic year 2020/2021 according to cil of Ministers’ decision on an vices and commercial purposes. area of 150,000 square meters The housing complexes will gation General Department, Kuwait top ten competitive spots on the 2019 list. the political, social and cultural dimensions, paper tests were 91.22% in the sci- Credit Bank, and Civil Service Com- Saudi Arabia fell eight places from 24th so governments need to provide an environ- entifi c section, 90.17% in the liter- for each site, to be handed over include a central market, a bank, mission have obtained approval for globally last year to 32nd globally this year, ment characterized by infrastructure, insti- ary section and in religious educa- to the State Property Depart- cafés, restaurants, multi-purpose the resumption of work of 100 percent and it came third in the Arab world. Jordan tutions and effective policies that encourage tion 88.26%. ment of the Ministry of Finance halls and shops. of their employees. achieved a strong jump by nine places from enterprises to create sustainable value.

Al-Qabas photo Sana’a Takaddum ‘Wing official’ course soon 26 male and female nurses graduate: says Takaddum By Marwa Al-Bahrawi Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, June 27: Director of the Nurs- ing Services Department at the Ministry of Health, Sana’a Takaddum, announced the graduation of 26 male and female nurses for the position of ‘Assis- tant Chief Nurse’, reports Al-Qabas daily. During a press statement the ministry official said the course lasted for a month, and nurses from the Ministry of Health and others took part in the course and praised the support support of the Minister of Health, Dr Basil Al-Sabah, the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Dr Mustafa Reda, and the Assistant Undersecretary for Support Medical Services, Dr Muhammad Al-Khashti, for overcoming all obsta- cles. She revealed that a ‘wing official’ course will be held in the coming weeks. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 LOCAL 5 diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION ‘Privatization only path to development, govt must take serious steps’

“THE process of privatization can be deemed as a sensitive and signifi- words, the process of privatization is currently at the bottom of the gov- Iranian spiritual leader and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran cant issue,” columnist Hamed Al-Saif wrote for Annahar daily. ernment priorities and programs. Al-Sayed Al-Khomeini’s decision when he decided to select Khamenei “If the process is poorly designed from the legal and technical point “This happens although privatization is very significant for many states as the president of Iran in a prelude to succeed him as the Iranian spiritual of view public funds will find a way into the pockets of a small group of the world except Kuwait for solving their financial and administrative leader and this is what actually occurred following the death of Kho- of influential people who maintain close relationship with the decision- problems and this is something that has drawn the attention of many spe- meini. makers. cialists in the field of development as well as in the area of management, “Speaking of Raisi, this black turbaned man holding the title of Aya- “There is no secret that this denomination of improvement and the process of production at state level. tollah is close to Khamenei and enjoys his confidence and belongs to the people are striving for privatization of some of the “Kuwait at the moment is managing its rendered services as well as old guard and this means the election of Raisi as president may be a step State assets for a cheap price without any precon- its assets in a backward manner and that is reason why it has failed to to prepare him as front-runner to succeed Khamenei. ditions, given the fact this manner shall conduce achieve economic feasibility. “However, if this reading is correct, then we are likely to witness the to what happened in the past when some projects “Consequently, we suggest that the government must think seriously absence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, because this method reminds us were offered for privatization the Kuwaiti way. about listing the privatization programs among its priorities, because this of the end of the Ottoman State, when some of the Sultans of the empire “But if the process of privatization is done on is the only way forward for future development and will help the govern- in response to malignant advice from their advisors awarded the post of scientific, sound, legal and technical methods, this ment to lighten the burden from its shoulders. crown prince to the older person from among the brothers and sons of process will bear fruit at the economic, financial “In other words, the process of privatization remains the only method the Sultan. and social levels and the entire country will reap to support the development of the state. “Not just that, the ‘Pashas’ (advisors) went to such an extent that they the benefits and will be in a position to carry out its Hamed Al-Saif “Such being the case, we suggest that the process of privatization is had convinced the consecutive Sultans to eliminate every prospective programs and futuristic plans. very important and necessary for the good of this kind country and its crown prince in the palace and keep him far away from state affairs until “Likewise, the state will move its non-active assets and projects people – God willing.” the time came to make him the ruler. of less financial returns either to the Kuwaiti private sector or to the Also: “This policy resulted in creating Sultans who knew nothing about foreign countries or to the undertakers of joint ventures in an effort the state affairs even if they enjoyed good morals, were intelligent and “The election of the new Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi has a big whose intentions were good, because the pashas then could have a hold to reap more financial benefits for its funds and the interests that have effect on my mind,” columnist Dr. Anwar Al-Shuraian wrote for Al- been paid to obtain these funds, let alone such a joint sector will em- over them or of the Palace affairs and this situation continued until the Shahed daily. collapse of the entire state. ploy national manpower which in the past constituted a burden on “This development brings to the fore many political readings of the the state. “In light of the above, we conclude that what is currently taking place modern Iranian history in which I have found a strange relationship be- in Iran is similar to what occurred to the Ottoman State and some other “However, it is needless to say the positive aspects of the process tween who presides over Iran and the ruling party in the United States of privatization in the world exceed negative ones, and can be done states. In this connection, we elucidate that the post of the president in of America. Take for example, when the Iranians elect a reformative Iran looks like the post of the prime minister in the royal states, because by implementing well studied programs taking into account all legal, president the Republicans occupy the White House, they elect a hardline technical and economic aspects. Hence, the world experiments in the the spiritual leader plays the role of the monarch. president and when the Democrats manage the White House, the Irani- “Such being the case, Iran is currently in need of a method to enable field of privatization mostly depend on the seriousness of the state in ans converge on their neighbors and the states situated in their periphery terms of understanding the economic aspect of the privatization and that country return to its natural situation and eventually select the effi- under the rule of the hardliners and this means that we shall witness a cient officials from the reformists and the moderates for the post of prime targeted benefits. Gulf-Iranian convergence soon. “As a matter of fact, the government in the State of Kuwait doesn’t minister far away from the loyalty and the interest of the Old Guard and “While the second reading shows a bond and loyalty of Raisi to the think about the future of the state.” want to discuss the topic of privatization, rather wants to hold on to ev- Iranian spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, as if the history repeats itself and erything even if it has not been successful in managing the same. In other this may return us to a previous development represented by the former — Compiled by Zaki Taleb

Other Voices Kuwait, Gulf target but MoI one up ‘But my name will live on ...’ in tackling tricks of drug traffickers By Ahmad alsarraf clopedia of Iraqi Politics” did not mention your name, even though he friend and reader sent me a mentioned the names of 1,500 other ‘Addicts must go for cure, expats will not be deported’ Acontroversial and charlatan ep- Iraqi personalities; Iyad Allawi (the isode from the black box interviews well-known symbol of the resis- of its presenter and author Ammar tance) did not mention your name Taqi with the Iraqi politician Faeq KUWAIT CITY, June in his book “In the Minefield”; Paul 27: In conjunction with al-Sheikh Ali as if he was telling Bremer, U.S. government official me: ‘I will not let you rest from who served as director of the Coali- the International Day Bedoun dies, Syrian injured in traffi c accident writing daily tion Provisional Authority (CPA) Against Drug Abuse and columns and in Iraq (2003–04) after the fall of Illicit Trafficking 2021, By Munif Nayef The cause of the accident is being investigated. this is what Saddam did not mention your name which fell on Saturday, Al-Seyassah Staff ❑ ❑ ❑ happened’. in his memoirs. In light of a security source at the KUWAIT CITY, June 27: A bedoun who is be- Kuwaitis rescued: Acting on information firefight- How did all these personalities Criminal Security Sec- all the alle- forget to mention your name, and lieved to be in his 30s died and a Syrian was in- ers rushed to the Doha Beach and rescued two gations, true they are the most famous in the tor of the Ministry of jured in a three-vehicle collision on the Jahra Ex- Kuwaitis and their vehicle got stuck in silt off the or false, that resistance and in documenting the Interior said address- pressway. beach, reports Al-Seyassah daily. were made stage before the fall of Saddam, the ing drugs smuggling via The corpse of the victim has been transferred The Public Relations and Media Department of by Mr. Faeq presenter asked. land, sea, air into Kuwait to Forensics Medicine department and the injured the Directorate-General of Fire Department said al-Sheikh Ali The guest replied, first of all I do was taken to the Jahra Hospital. after the operations room received a report that two during the 46 is receiving great atten- alsarraf not work for any party in any coun- tion from the Minister of According to a security source, the Operations people were stuck in their vehicle off the beach, episodes of try. These all have relations with Room of the Ministry of Interior received a noti- the ‘Black Box’ program in which Interior Sheikh Thamer personnel from the fire rescue department rushed many countries. (I myself don’t fication of the accident securitymen and personnel to the spot and succeeded in pulling the vehicle out the guest of the episode tried hard know for whom Bremer was work- Al-Ali, Undersecretary to highlight his vital and pivotal of the Ministry of Inte- from the Emergency Medical Services affiliated to of the silt. ing. Why was he afraid of mention- the Ministry of Health went to a site and found one The fire administration has appealed to citizens role in opposing Saddam and he ing Faeq’s name in his memoirs?); rior Lieutenant-General spearheading many matters and of the motorists had succumbed to his injuries and and residents not to approach the muddy area of the two, I am independent and I have Essam Al-Naham and the other badly injured. The third motorist escaped that he had complex and deep rela- no affiliation with any country, Sulaibikhat Beach due to the recurrence of similar tions with all the opposition sym- Undersecretary of the unhurt. incidents. Both men were reportedly unhurt. and no one has any clue about me. Criminal Security Sector bols or those who were its symbols, (What does this have to do with and some of them became thieves not mentioning your name in the Major-General Muham- but the interviewer Ammar Taqi memoirs and bios?); three, I am mad Al-Sharhan because in a movement that seemed to be the father of the Iraqi opposition, this devastating scourge a return to awareness surprised the the bearer of the banner of fighting is a top priority for the guest with the following question: Saddam, my head is high and even criminal security sector, Do you believe that you were after my death I will advise who- wronged by the Iraqi politicians reports Al-Anba daily. ever will bury me to keep my head The security source told by not mentioning your name as a held high; four, I am honored that prominent dissident who played a these people did not mention my the daily drug dealers target vital role before the fall of Saddam? name in their books; five, history Kuwait in particular and the The guest replied: Yes, and they will immortalize me as the brave Gulf states by using the lat- did that out of fear that my name and heroic Iraqi who stood against est methods of camouflage, would be mentioned. Saddam, whose intelligence nego- pointing out that the securi- The presenter did not pay atten- tiated with me and offered me a tymen are up to the task and tion to his strange answer, and won- blank check just for not mentioning are provided with the lat- dered: In the course of researching his name in the interviews, and I re- est global training methods and preparing for this program, I fused and six, history will mention and technology to improve found the following: my name after 30 years through their ability to foil these at- Ahmed Chalabi (the biggest, doctoral and master’s theses that tempts. most important, richest opponent the next generation will write about The source pointed out there and spearhead of the resistance me, the generation that I am now is coordination at a high level, before the fall of Saddam and the raising in Iraq. both at the level of the Arab Gulf closest to America) did not men- * * * states and the Arab countries, to tion your name at any stage or any I cursed the friend who sent me follow up and monitor the vari- meeting, before and after the fall the interview episode, and I blamed ous smuggling operations and of Saddam although he mentioned Al-Qabas deep inside for its unin- exchange information in this re- the names of many personalities; tended role in distorting something gard, stressing the need for par- Aziz al-Samanji did not mention from the modern history of Iraq! ents to take what is necessary to your name in his book “The Iraqi ❑ ❑ ❑ protect their children and society Opposition Train”; also, Hassan as a whole by communicating Al-Zubaidi in the 800-page “Ency- email: [email protected] with the Ministry of Interior and fi ling an addiction complaint. The sources pointed out ex- patriates who report the drug- addiction habits of their children KMA files four cases are not deported, but treatment is provided to them, and the same applies to citizens. In all cases, young people reported for their ‘Dignity of doctors top priority’ addiction are not referred to the judiciary, but the drugs are con- By Marwa Bahrawi exceptional circumstances as the coun- fi scated and they are given an op- Al-Seyassah Staff try and the whole world is fighting the portunity to return to society as Covid-19 pandemic. normal people. KUWAIT CITY, June 27: The Presi- He stated the medical information The sources stressed that the dent of the Kuwait Medical Associa- related to the ‘Covid-19’ virus is avail- efforts of the General Depart- tion (KMA), Dr. Ahmad Al-Enezi, an- able to everyone with evidence and ment for Drugs Control (GDDC) nounced the KMA has filed four cases refutes all rumors and personal whims, do not stop at confronting the against persons who are said to have so it is not acceptable to prejudice the drugs smuggled into the country, violated the dignity of the doctors and dignity of doctors and question their ef- but also intensify their efforts to medical profession. forts and their important and effective pursue those who promote them In a statement, Al-Enezi said he to- role in protecting the health and safety inside the country. tally rejects the violation of the dignity of the society. The sources added, “There is a of doctors through false information decrease in the number of deaths He stressed the ethics of the medi- due to drug abuse, and this is and malicious rumors, and warned such cal profession is the basis for present- abuses threaten the health security in due to the efforts being exerted ing and communicating with the com- in this regard,” pointing out that the country. munity, pointing out that the KMA is He called on civil society to defend the volume of seizures of narcot- always keen to take legal measures to ics and psychotropic substances its sons working in all technical fields deter anyone who might offend the is very large, and this indicates particularly the medical staff who are ‘medical body’ and health security in huge money is involved in drug working to save lives under the current the country. traffi cking. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 LOCAL 6

Sustainable project to benefit six localities suffering from lack of water Kuwaiti charity completes water project for 3,000 Yemeni families ADEN, June 27, (KUNA): Kuwait So- part of the Basma Foundation efforts stable domestic economy. this valued support that transcends for Salem Bawazir, the director of the namely Marib, Hadramout, Lahj, Taiz ciety for Relief has completed a sus- to improve their quality of life. The previous stages encompasses generations to come. “humanitarian response association -- and Aden. tainable water project that will provide A statement by Head Assistant of improving the quality of life at home Also, a cornerstone of a school in Hadhramaut” expressed deep grati- KRCS chief added that these proj- clean water to over 3,000 families at a the Ministry of Social and Labor Af- through presenting covering costs of construction of which was funded by tude to the KRCS for its qualitative ects varied in several aspects. On the district in Yemen’s Taez governorate. fairs in Taiz, Foud Al-Faqih gravely furniture, financial sustenance, and Kuwait Red Crescent Society was laid relief works in the country. health side, a field hospital was estab- The artesian well consists of a 100 thanked the state of Kuwait for such health care for one year. last week in the Yemeni town of Sei- Kuwait Red Crescent Society lished in the city of Tarim, incubators cubic meter container and a 2,200 meter- ventures supporting efforts in assisting Suhail also pointed out that Basma’s yun, the Governorate of Hadhramaut. (KRCS) announced in April the imple- for premature babies were provided to long pump line, dug at a 300-meter depth, a better quality of life for its people. ventures covered 28 families with finan- Issam Al-Kathiri, the undersecretary mentation of a number of humanitar- a number of hospitals, in addition to the head of the Yemeni charity tasked On his part, Suhail Al-Thabhani who cial backing depending on the needs of of Hadhramaut Governor, lauded in a ian, medical, health and educational providing Yehr General Hospital with with executing the project told KUNA. is in charge for implementing these ven- each family, to include micro/minibuses, statement during the ceremony Kuwait projects in Yemen as part of several various medical equipment. He added that the sustainable proj- tures also said that Basma’s goals in this Tata mini trucks, motorcycles, food and for its humanitarian aid for the Yemeni projects aiming at helping Yemenis In addition to water projects, and food ect will benefit six localities, who have project is to realistically better the lives of sowing shops, valued at USD 100,000 people and praised the KRCS for sooth- who are suffering from difficult hu- baskets distribution, KRCS will build been suffering from a lack of water. the families through bettering the econo- provided by the International Charitable ing people’s hardships. The enterprise manitarian conditions. In a statement two fully equipped schools in the near fu- Last week, fifteen Yemeni families my to develop quality of life and health. Society for Development. will secure schooling for 300 students. to KUNA, KRCS Director-General ture, he confirmed. KRCS is keen on pro- have been handed the responsibility He also added, in this final stage of They also ended their statements Meanwhile, the ICR Director Gen- Abdulrahman Al-Oun said the soci- viding all forms of support to the Yemeni of running economic ventures in Taiz, the foundations project the goal is to thanking the State of Kuwait; His eral Abdulrahman Al-Aoun said ety’s projects in Yemen varied be- people who suffer harsh humanitarian funded by the International Charitable hand over small businesses for a con- Highness the Amir and Kuwaiti people many more of such projects would be tween health, development and re- conditions due to the ongoing conflicts in Society for Development in Kuwait as sistent income to create some form of (including the Charitable Society) for launched in the coming days. lief projects in several governorates, the country, he affirmed. Authority seeks consultative house to launch renewable energy enterprises

65 reports filed

KUWAIT CITY, June 27, (Agencies): Kuwait Author- ity for Partnership Projects is seeking to Al-Shimmari inspects one of the violations. assign a consultative entity for studying and promoting en- terprises for produc- ing electricity from renewable resources. The authority direc- tor, Fadhila Al-Hassan, said on Sunday that the authority is cooperating the Ministry of Electric- ity and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research to assign the consultative house for that purpose. Al-Hassan said in an in- terview with KUNA that the Photos by Mahmoud Jadeed most prominent future renew- Deputy Head of the Judicial Police Team Ahmed Al-Shimmari with the campaign able energy enterprises are participants. Al-Dabdaba power station and the third phase of Al- Shagaya renewable energy project, prospected to put out some 3,000 megawatts. The authority is currently seeking to assign a single consultancy body to study both enterprises, she added. A consultancy house will be selected to prepare studies and documents and promote the enterprises ac- cording to Law 39/2010 and its amendments. This will entail setting up a share- holding Kuwaiti company to take charge of building power and water desalina- tion plants in the country. Also: A Burgan Bank flyer KUWAIT CITY: Deputy Head of the Judicial En- forcement Team at the Min- KD 5,000 cash prize istry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy and member of the eviction of bachelors from model ar- Burgan Bank names winners eas committee, Ahmed Al- Shimmari, said 65 reports of violations with proof of Yawmi account daily draw have been issued from June KUWAIT CITY, June 27: Burgan Bank Yawmi Account offers Daily and Quar- 1 to June 26 as part of a se- announced today the names of the daily terly Draws, wherein the Quarterly Draw ries of campaigns launched by the team in cooperation draw winners of its Yawmi account requires customers to maintain a minimum and coordination with con- draw, each taking home a cash-prize of amount of KD 500 in their account for two cerned state authorities, re- KD 5,000. months prior to the draw date. Additional- ports Al-Seyassah daily. The lucky winners are: ly, every KD 10 in the account will entitle Al-Shimmari said in a 1. Aliah Bint Saleh Sehaimi customers to one chance of winning. If the press statement yesterday, 2. Mamoun Abdoulah Hasan account balance is KD 500and above, the that the team launched an 3. Salem Hajji Abdullah Alfarhan account holder will be qualifi ed for both extensive campaign last 4. Jawad Naser Ali Mohammad the quarterly and daily draws. Wednesday on the Shuwaikh 5. Sayed Reza Mousawi Burgan Bank encourages everyone to Industrial Area, targeting in- In addition to the daily draw, Burgan open a Yawmi account and/or increase fringements on public elec- Bank also offers a Quarterly Draw with their deposit to maximize their chances tricity and water utilities, in more chances to win higher rewards, of- of becoming a winner. The higher the cooperation with the Capital fering the chance to one lucky customer to level of the deposit, the higher the like- Control Sector of the electric- win KD 125,000 every three months. The lihood to win. ity distribution networks. Dr Amar Behbehani on TGS

This Thursday, The Guest Show (TGS) will host an extraordinary Kuwaiti woman. Dr Amar Behbehani is a super-achiever who wears many hats and wears them all with aplomb. She is the first certified Art Psychother- apist in Kuwait touching lives with her compassion and empathy. She is also a Professor of Design and Inno- vation at the College of Architecture, Kuwait University. A Senior Clinical Psychologist, Dr Behbehani estab- lished Shore Consultancy that provides psychological, educational, innovation & strategic design and organi- zational psychology consultancies. As a female leader, Dr Behbehani is passionate about improving the quality of human life through education, innovation, creativity, and compassion. Her work as an activist led her to co- found Soroptimist Kuwait, a worldwide sisterhood that works to empower, enable and educate women. She was the President of The Soroptimists till recently.

The Guest Show poster ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 7

America

5 killed, 150 unaccounted Friends, families describe condo collapse ‘missing’

SURFSIDE, Florida, June 27, (AP): Families around the world remained stuck between waning hopes and widening fears Saturday, two days after the stunning collapse of a 12-story condominium near Miami. At least fi ve people were killed and more than 150 people remained unaccounted for as rescuers contin- ued to dig through the rubble of the Champlain Tow- ers South in Surfside. The building was home to an international mix of foreign retirees, South American im- migrants and Orthodox Jews, all with anxious loved ones across the globe. The Miami-Dade Police Department identifi ed for the fi rst time four of the fi ve de- ceased people late Saturday and the apartments where they were at the moment at the collapse. Their names were Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Fang Antonio, 83, and Gladys Lo- zano, 79; and Manuel LaFont, 54. Stacie Dawn Fang Stacie Dawn Fang was with her son Jonah Han- dler when the building collapsed. They lived on the tenth fl oor of the condo building. The boy’s small hand waved through the wreckage as a man who was out walking his dog hurried to the site, climbed through a pile of glass and rebar and promised to get help right away. Workers search in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. One hundred fi fty-nine people were still unaccounted for two Rescuers helped the boy out from under a pile of days after Thursday’s collapse, which killed at least fi ve. (AP) cement and carried him away on a stretcher, taking him to a hospital. “There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie,” members of her family said in a America statement. “Many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time.” As far as the boy’s condition, a friend of the fam- ily, Lisa Mozloom told the AP “He will be fi ne. He’s First campaign-style event a miracle.” Antonio and Gladys Lozano Antonio, 83, and Gladys Lozano, 79, lived on the ninth fl oor and were close to celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary. Their son, Sergio Lozano, Trump airs old poll grievances told WPLG-TV that he had dinner with his parents hours before the collapse. WELLINGTON, Ohio, June 27, (AP): cials, his own attorney general and numer- a far-right Republican from Georgia The son lived in one of the towers of the complex Former President Donald Trump re- ous judges, including some he appointed, known for her incendiary rhetoric, asked and could see his parents’ apartment across the way prised his election grievances and base- have said there is no evidence of the mass the crowd who their president is, they from his. That night, he said the heard a loud noise less claims of fraud as he returned to the voter fraud he alleges took place. boomed loudly, “Trump!” they thought could be a storm. rally stage Saturday, holding his fi rst Trump has been consumed with on- “President Trump is my president, “The building is not there,” he said he told his campaign-style event since leaving the going efforts to overturn the results in too” she said. wife. “My parents’ apartment is not there. It’s gone.” White House. various states, and has even publicly en- The event had many of the trappings Here are the stories of some of the missing: ■ “This was the scam of the century and tertained the idea that he could somehow of the rallies Trump held as a candidate Tzvi And Ingrid “Itty” Ainsworth this was the crime of the century,” Trump be reinstated into offi ce, even though no and as president. There was the eclectic Tzvi and Ingrd “Itty” Ainsworth were celebrat- told a crowd of thousands at Ohio’s Lo- legal or constitutional basis for doing so playlist, the same stage design, and many ing the birth of two new grandchildren. Their son rain County Fairgrounds, not far from exists. familiar volunteers. Trump even reprised in South Africa recently had a baby and their son in Cleveland, where he began making good “The 2020 presidential election was his performance of “The Snake,” a song Florida had a baby just days ago, their niece Chana Harrel told The Associated Press on Saturday. Former US President Donald Trump on his pledge to exact revenge on those rigged,” he told the crowd, which at one he has used as an allegory for illegal im- The couple, who are in their 60s, lived in Aus- pumps his fi st after speaking at a rally at who voted for his historic second im- point broke into a “Trump won!” chant. migration, and the crowd chanted “Lock tralia for nearly two decades before returning to the Lorain County Fairgrounds, June 26, peachment. “We won that election in a landslide.” her up” at the mention of Hillary Clinton, South Florida to be near their children. The couple in Wellington, Ohio. (AP) The event was held to support Max In reality, President Joe Biden’s victory the Democrat he defeated in 2016. had seven children and many live in South Florida, Miller, a former White House aide who was thoroughly validated by the offi cials But gone was the grand entrance using including their daughter just blocks away, she said. is challenging Republican Rep. Antho- who reported fi nding no systemic fraud. Air Force Once as a backdrop, and the “Every person she encountered, ever in her life, ny Gonzalez for his congressional seat. Saturday’s focus on the election lies of pomp that surrounds any sitting president. became her friend. Everyone was treated as equals,” News in Brief Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP House 2020 began even before Trump arrived. Still, traffi c through the afternoon Chana Wasserman wrote in a Mother’s Day blog members who voted to impeach Trump The pre-show included a PowerPoint- was backed up from the fairgrounds into post to her mother Itty last year. “The guy at the for his role in inciting the deadly Jan. style presentation by a man who claims town, where pro-Trump signs dotted res- laundromat, the guy working at the fruit market ... ” Gravel dies at 91: Mike Gravel, a former 6 insurrection at the Capitol building. an algorithm was used to manipulate the idents’ lawns. On street corners, vendors Ingrid struggled with chronic pain issues, but US senator from Alaska who read the Pen- Trump has vowed to back those who run election results. And Mike Lindell, the sold “Trump 2024” fl ags and other mer- didn’t let that darken her mood. She tried to focus on tagon Papers into the Congressional Record against them. My Pillow founder-turned-conspiracy chandise as supporters arrived. the positive, a sunny day, a long car ride that would and confronted Barack Obama about nuclear And while he praised Miller as an “in- theorist who has spent millions trying “I just love him,” said Karen Barnett, seem tedious to many she reframed as a chance to weapons during a later presidential run, has credible patriot” and a ”great guy” who to prove the election was stolen, was 60, who drove from Dayton, Ohio and talk and catch up, he daughter wrote. died. He was 91. “loves the people of Ohio,” Trump spent hailed as a hero by some in the crowd, arrived at the fairgrounds around 3 a.m. “I know I will never be able to match my mother’s Gravel, who represented Alaska as a much of the rally fi xating on the 2020 who chanted his name and jockeyed for after hopping in her car with “no sleep, pure enthusiasm for life but it’s inspiring to watch,” Democrat in the Senate from 1969 to 1981, died Saturday, according to his daughter, election, which he insists he won, even photos as he milled around. nothing” when she heard the line was Wasserman wrote. though top state and local election offi - When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, growing. Itty’s mother, a Holocaust survivor living in Lynne Mosier. Gravel had been living in Miami Beach, is battling cancer and doesn’t know Seaside, California, and was in failing health, said Theodore W. Johnson, a for- about the tragedy. Secretary Matt Hancock resigned on Sat- Conservative party for him to step down in sian reaction to the British warship HMS De- mer aide. “They didn’t tell her. She’s not well,” Harrel. urday in the wake of leaked images which response to the revelations. (KUNA) fender’s travel through waters off the Crime- said. “It’s absolutely horrifi c.” Gravel’s two terms came during tumultu- ous years for Alaska when construction of showed him breaching COVID-19 restric- ❑ ❑ ❑ an coast last week, the BBC said. ■ Brad And Gary Cohen tions. The broadcaster said a member of the public the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was authorized Documents found at bus stop: Sensitive Brothers Brad and Gary Cohen were both medi- and when Congress was deciding how to set- “We owe it to people who have sacrifi ced who wanted to remain unnamed contacted it cal doctors who were active in their local communi- so much in this pandemic to be honest when defense documents containing details about when they found the pile of documents - about tle Alaska Native land claims and whether to the British military have been found at a bus ties. Brad Cohen was married to Soriya Cohen. She classify enormous amounts of federal land as we have let them down as I have done by 50 pages in all - in a soggy heap Tuesday be- has spent hours outside the condo building, showing parks, preserves and monuments. (AP) breaching the guidance,” he said in his resig- stop in England, the BBC reported Sunday. hind a bus stop in Kent, southeast of London. pictures of the siblings on her phone to anyone who ❑ ❑ ❑ nation letter addressed to the prime minister. The papers included plans for a possible The Ministry of Defense said an employee will listen, desperate for updates. The move comes after calls were made U.K. military presence in Afghanistan, as had reported the loss of the documents last “We need every bit of help we can get. This is UK health secretary quits: British Health within the country and the secretary’s own well as discussion about the potential Rus- week. (AP) the difference between life and death for so many people including possibly my husband if he’s still alive,” she told CBS News 4. Dr. Brad Cohen was a popular orthopedic sur- geon who specialized in sports medicine. A woman who answered the phone at his offi ce Friday said, with sadness in her voice, that his patients adored him. He did his residency at the State University of Stony Brook in New York and a fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadel- phia, according to his website. His brother, Dr. Gary Cohen was a physician at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center in Alabama, and was also active in his local synagogue there. “He spent many years providing care to our Vet- erans. He is part of the Tuscaloosa VAMC family and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this incredibly diffi cult time,” accord- ing to a statement from John Merkle, director of the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center. ■ David And Bonnie Epstein David and Bonnie Epstein lived in unit 901 with their dog Chase, said Bonnie’s cousin Joey Feldman. David was a retired successful real estate investor who loved to jet ski and kite surf. The couple have a son who lives in New York. Feldman said the family is very small. “Bonnie was like my sister growing up,” said Feldman, who lives in Los Angeles. “She took me to my fi rst concert.” He said he is devastated but is praying for a mira- cle. “I am holding out hope,” he said. “I came into work to get my mind off of it. But no sleep.” ■ Hilda Noriega Hilda Noriega had called Champlain Towers home for more than 20 years. But six years after her husband died, the 92-year-old was ready to leave. “We were going to move her into our home and her condo was up for sale,” said Sally Noriega, her daughter-in-law. Sally Noriega said her mother-in-law was ex- tremely active and loved living so close to the ocean and to her friends. But, she said, “when you lose a spouse you want to be surrounded by family ... and she wanted to spend more time with her family and grandchildren.” Hilda Noriega’s daughter-in-law described her as “an extremely loving and sweet person,” who built a life with her husband and raised a family after com- ing to the U.S. from Cuba in 1960. “She was just one of those people who from the fi rst time she met a person she instantly loved that person and that person instantly loved her,” said Sally Noriega, who rushed to the scene of the col- lapse with her husband, Carlos Noriega. Zain Iraq launches breakthrough digital brand oodi on MATRIXX software

MATRIXX Software, a global lead- of-use for their mobile experience. that frees them from the traditional Zain Iraq’s focus on giving custom- truly fl exible and transparent mobile form is able to support Zain Iraq er in 5G monetization for the com- “Our number one priority is to retail buying experience. From the ers value beyond connectivity,” experience, including the ability for however it chooses to evolve for munications industry, announced provide our customers with the best moment customers download the said Glo Gordon, MATRIXX CEO. users to create their own plan, as the future of mobile experience. its partnership with Zain Iraq to and most advanced services,” said new oodi app, they have all the “oodi’s vision of fl exibility, transpar- well as providing full visibility into MATRIXX Software is the global help launch its new digital disruptor Ali Al-Zahid, CEO for Zain Iraq. power they need to manage their ency and ease-of-use for their cus- account balances, services, and leader in 5G monetization for the brand, oodi. As Iraq’s fi rst all-digital “Delivering upon those promises re- mobile service. Whether it is all- tomers is a driving force behind our spending at all times. As part of an communications industry. Serving telecom service, oodi launched in quires forging partnerships with for- digital sign-ups, customizing plans, product-fi rst solution. The future of entirely new digital infrastructure, many of the world’s largest opera- May and is powered by MATRIXX’s ward-thinking companies that can tracking spending in real time, or telecom is digital experience, and Zain Iraq used MATRIXX’s API-fi rst tor groups, regional carriers, and Digital Commerce Platform. Built make the future of mobile services taking advantage of valuable add- we are excited to help our partners design to easily integrate into its emerging digital service providers, from scratch, oodi uses out-of-the- and customer experience a reality. ons and boosters, the new oodi app bring that future to life.” transformed technology infrastruc- MATRIXX delivers a cloud native box MATRIXX capabilities to pro- MATRIXX is one of those partners.” delivers Iraqi customers the mobile MATRIXX Digital Commerce, the ture. With its industry-leading cloud digital commerce solution that ena- vide Iraqi customers with complete oodi gives Iraqi customers a sim- service of the future. monetization engine powering Zain native architecture, the 5G-ready bles unmatched commercial and fl exibility, transparency, and ease- ple, all-digital mobile experience “We are so excited to support Iraq’s new digital brand, delivers a MATRIXX Digital Commerce Plat- operational agility. (Agencies)

Market Movements 25-06-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts SAUDI - Tadawul +25.48 10,919.68 EUROPE - Euro Stoxx 50 -1.77 4,120.66 JAPAN - Nikkei +190.95 29,066.18 UAE - DFM -10.84 2,857.86 UK - FTSE 100 +26.10 7,136.07 PAKISTAN - KSE 100 -359.18 47,603.36 EGYPT - EGX 30 +6.14 10,278.86 PHILIPPINES - All Shares +64.51 6,950.51 INDIA - Sensex +226.04 52,925.04 SINGAPORE - Straits Times STI +1.98 3,121.60 Business

Economic crisis worsening ‘Protests’ in Lebanon over economy injure at least 10

BEIRUT, June 27, (AP): Lebanese of the 1975-90 civil war and has been troops deployed in the northern city blamed for corruption and misman- of Tripoli early Sunday taking posi- agement that has ruined the country’s tions around major state institutions economy. after a night of protests and riots The army said rioters on motorcy- against worsening living conditions cles threw stun grenades at troops in left several protesters and 10 soldiers Tripoli injuring nine soldiers, while injured. another was injured when hit by a Sporadic protests were reported stone. Protesters attacked several throughout Lebanon on Saturday as state institutions in the city. the country’s 20-month economic State-run National News Agen- crisis worsened. The World Bank de- cy said Tripoli and other cities in scribed the crisis as one of the worst Lebanon were quiet around noon the world has witnessed in 150 years. Sunday. It is coupled with a political deadlock The situation in Lebanon is not ex- that has left Lebanon without a gov- pected to improve as political bicker- ernment since August. ing between President Michel Aoun The largest protests were in the and Prime Minister-designate Saad southern port city of Sidon and in Hariri has delayed the formation of a Tripoli, Lebanon’s second largest government since Hariri was named city and most impoverished. Spo- to the post in October. Talks with the radic protests and road closures took International Monetary Fund over place in the capital Beirut. the economic crisis have been sus- Lebanon has been suffering severe pended since last year. shortages of vital products including The World Bank said Lebanon’s fuel, medicine and medical products, gross domestic product is project- angering the public. ed to contract 9.5% in 2021, after Lebanon’s currency hit a record shrinking by 20.3% in 2020 and low Saturday, reaching 18,000 6.7% the year before. pounds to the U.S. dollar. The pound Tens of thousands of people have has lost more than 90% of its value lost their jobs since late 2019 in the since the crisis began. tiny country of 6 million, includ- Drivers wait in a long line to get fuel at a gas station under a billboard show- Friday, Hassan Diab, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, granted his ap- In October 2019 protesters called ing a million Syrian refugees. More ing Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in proval to allow the fi nancing of fuel imports at a rate higher than the offi cial for the removal of the political class than half the population lives in Iraq in a U.S. drone attack in early January 2020, along the airport highway, exchange rate, effectively reducing critical fuel subsidies that have been in that has run the country since the end poverty. in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, June 27, 2021. On place for decades, amid worsening gasoline shortages. (AP) CBK names winners of Salary US biggest banks pass & Al Najma Account campaign KUWAIT CITY, June 27: Commercial KD 10,000/-, Kuwaiti pensioner, along Bank of Kuwait conducted the weekly with expatriate customers who transfer draws on Al Najma Account and Sal- their debt amounting to KD 10,000/- or ary Transfer Campaign on Sunday June above to the Bank will receive an in- 27, 2021. The draws were conducted in stant cash gift of 1% from their trans- the presence of Ministry of Commerce ferred debt. and Industry representative Ahmad Al- The Bank stated that Al Najma Ac- Basman. count prizes are distinguished by the latest Fed stress tests The results of the draws were as fol- highest cash prize and diversity of priz- lows: es throughout the year clarifying that 1. Al Najma weekly account – the the account offers weekly prize of KD Lenders given green light to resume paying out dividends prize of 5,000/- Kuwaiti Dinars went to 5,000/-, monthly prize of KD 20,000/- the winner Ali Hussain Al-Shemali and a semi-annual prize of KD 500,000 2. Salary account campaign – the in addition to the largest prize – linked NEW YORK, June 27, prize of up to 1,000/- Kuwaiti Dinars – bank account payout of KD 1,500,000. (AP): All 23 of the nation’s went to the winner Sara Yousef Al-Najma Account can be opened biggest banks are healthy The Bank stated that the salary by depositing KD 100, and customer campaign is aimed at customers who should maintain a minimum amount of enough to withstand a sud- transfer their salaries of KD 500 or KD 500 to be eligible to enter all draws den economic catastrophe, more to the Bank, especially Kuwaiti on Al-Najma Account prizes. As for the Federal Reserve said employees and residents working in the chances of winning, the more bal- the government, oil sectors and com- ance a customer maintains in Al Najma Thursday as it released panies listed with the Bank as well as Account, the more chances the account the results from its latest retirees, and take advantage of the ben- holder will get to win, the account also efi ts of this campaign and get an instant offers additional benefi ts like the ATM “stress tests,” giving the cash gift from KD 250 to KD 500 Ku- card, a credit card against customer’s banks the green light to re- waiti Dinars or an interest-free loan of account and all CBK banking services sume paying out dividends 5 times the salary and a maximum of that customer can enjoy. to investors and buying back stock. The Fed also said it would re- move all of the coronavirus pan- demic restrictions they put on the industry last year, following the results of the tests. The Dodd-Frank Act passed after the 2008 financial crisis requires the nation’s biggest, most compli- cated banks to undergo a set of tests to see how well their balance sheets would hold up against a severe economic meltdown like that seen in the Great Recession. The tests vary from year to year, but gener- This fi le photo shows a Chase ATM in New York. All 23 of the nation’s biggest banks are healthy enough to withstand ally involve the Fed testing to see a sudden economic catastrophe, the Federal Reserve said Thursday, June 24, as it released the results from its latest how much in losses the banking ‘stress tests,’ giving the banks the green light to start paying out dividends to investors and buying back stock. (AP) industry would take if unemploy- ment were to skyrocket and eco- collectively lose more than $470 nomic activity were to severely billion. While the average tier-one contract. capital ratio of these banks would China-Arab trade reaches Due to the economic damage fall to 10.6% from an average level caused by the pandemic, the Fed of 13%, that would still be more did two stress tests of the banking than double what is required under USD 239.8 billion in 2020 system last year, trying to simulate the Dodd-Frank Act. the impact a long-lasting economic “Over the past year, the Federal BEIJING, June 27, (KUNA): He also added that the balance downturn and pandemic would Reserve has run three stress tests The Chinese Ministry of Com- of direct Chinese investment in have on the nation’s banking sys- with several different hypothetical merce said, that the bilateral the Arab countries amounted tem. The Fed’s worst case scenario recessions and all have confirmed trade volume between China and USD 20.1 billion until the end last year, a double-dip recession, that the banking system is strongly the Arab countries reached USD of 2020, while the total invest- would have caused roughly a quar- positioned to support the ongoing 239.8 billion in 2020, making ments of Arab countries in Chi- ter of all the biggest banks to breach recovery,” said Vice Chair for China the largest trading partner na reached USD 3.8 billion. their minimum capital require- Supervision Randal K. Quarles. of the Arab countries. Qian pointed out that there ments. Freed from the Fed’s restrictions, In a press conference, Chi- are huge potentials for coop- As a safety measure during the banks like JPMorgan Chase, nese Vice Minister of Com- eration between China and Arab pandemic, the Fed put in place Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and oth- merce Qian Keming said that countries, especially with “Belt restrictions on the banks to pay out ers are expected to announce plans Chinese exports to Arab coun- and Road” initiative, where the dividends and buy back shares. to pay back investors in the coming tries reached USD 123.1 billion two sides will in the future ex- This year’s harshest test, known days. Bank stocks have risen sharp- in 2020, with an increase of 2.2 pand cooperation in new areas, as the “severely adverse scenario,” ly this year as the U.S. economy percent, despite the effects of digital economy, new energy involved a hypothetical global has recovered from the pandemic COVID-19. and artifi cial intelligence. recession lasting from late 2020 to and investors have increasingly bet The shares of mechanical and The Fifth China-Arab State September 2022, causing the U.S. on these large institutions hiking up electrical products, high-tech Expo is scheduled to be held in economy to contract 4%. their dividends or buying back and modern products recorded Yinchuan, the Ningxia Hui au- Unemployment would jump to more shares. an increase of 6.1 percent and tonomous region, in August, to 10.75%, and stock prices would fall The KBW Bank Index of the 24 3.3 percent, respectively, as they further enrich the cooperation 55%. largest banks is up 27.9% this year, together constituted 67.4 percent content of the Belt and Road Under these parameters, the more than double the gains for the of the total exports, he said. Initiative. nation’s 23 largest banks would S&P 500 index. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 BUSINESS 9

Tesla to recall 285,000 cars in China and fix cruise control average US gas price rises

Tesla is recalling about 285,000 3 sedans and 38,599 Model Y China’s State Administration for sages seeking comment. The average U.S. price of regu- sale prices increase and some electric vehicles in China because compact crossover utility vehicles Market Regulation said that under The company has faced previ- lar-grade gasoline rose 2 cents states’ fuel taxes grow beginning the cruise-control function can be that were built in China and 35,665 certain conditions drivers could ous challenges in China, including over the past two weeks to $3.15 July 1. activated accidentally and cause Model 3s that were imported. The accidentally activate cruise con- accusations of poor treatment of per gallon. Nationwide, the highest aver- cars to accelerate suddenly, creat- cars were produced between De- trol. If the car is traveling slower customers. In April, a customer Industry analyst Trilby Lun- age price for regular-grade gas is ing a safety hazard, Chinese au- cember 2019 and this month. than the cruise control setting, the protested at a car show that faulty dberg of the Lundberg Survey in the San Francisco Bay Area at thorities said Saturday. In a mes- The regulator said Tesla plans to car will accelerate “and in extreme brakes on her family’s Tesla said Sunday that the uptick is $4.33 per gallon. The lowest av- sage to customers on the Chinese upgrade cruise-control software on cases,” could cause a crash. caused a crash that sent her par- about one-third of the amount erage is in Baton Rouge, Louisi- social media platform Weibo, Tesla the vehicles remotely, which would The regulator said Tesla’s Chi- ents to the hospital. After initially that crude oil prices rose over the ana, at $2.63 per gallon. said “there are potential safety haz- save owners the chore of taking nese subsidiaries contacted it “a blaming the driver, Tesla issued same timeframe. A similar rise is The average price of diesel ards in extreme cases.” their car to a company store. It said few days ago” to request a recall. a public apology to the unhappy likely to occur in the coming days, in the survey taken Friday was China’s market regulator said Tesla will contact owners whose Tesla Inc., based in Palo Alto, customer and vowed to learn from and additional price hikes in the $3.27 a gallon, up 2 cents from the recall covers 211,256 Model vehicles can’t be fi xed remotely. California, did not respond to mes- the incident. (AP) future may be larger as whole- two weeks earlier. (AP) House panel pushes to rein in Big Tech power Biden administration passes up chance to ‘block’ pipeline MINNEAPOLIS, June 27, (AP): The “very thorough review” of Line 3s Biden administration signaled in a federal permits. court fi ling this week that it does not Two Ojibwe bands and three envi- plan to cancel federal permits for En- ronmental groups sued the Corps in fed- bridge’s Energy’s Line 3 oil pipeline eral court late last year. They claimed project, despite pleas by Native Ameri- the Corps did not properly evaluate the cans and environmental groups for the pipeline’s impact on climate change, president to intervene. and that the agency should have con- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ducted its own, full environmental used the fi ling to defend its decision in impact study on the pipeline instead November to grant Enbridge a water of relying on the state’s. Their lawsuit permit for the project, the last major also alleges that the Corps failed to approval the Calgary, Alberta-based fully consider treaty rights. The pipe- company needed. line crosses lands where several tribes Wednesday’s fi ling by the Corps claim treaty rights to hunt, gather and and its attorneys at the Department of fi sh. Justice marks the fi rst time President The Corps asked for the case to be Joe Biden’s administration has taken a dismissed, saying the agency met all public position on Enbridge’s plan to requirements under federal environ- replace its aging Line 3, which carries mental law. The permit allows En- oil from western Canada to Enbridge’s bridge to drill beneath certain rivers terminal in Superior, Wisconsin, the during construction and discharge Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported. dredged material. Environmental organizations ex- The Minnesota segment of the pipe- pressed displeasure Thursday. line is more than 60% complete. The “Allowing Line 3 to move forward Wisconsin and Canadian sections are is, at best, inconsistent with the bold already carrying oil. Protests along the promises on climate and environmen- route in Minnesota have ramped up tal justice President Biden campaigned signifi cantly over the past few weeks. and was elected on,” Michael Brune, Since Biden took offi ce in January, executive director of the Sierra Club, opponents of Line 3 have repeatedly said in a statement. called for him to stop the project. The But Enbridge said in a statement that most practical legal way for him to do In this fi le photo, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichais appears on a screen as he speaks remotely during a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee the Corps’ fi ling “is an expected next that would be by revoking Line 3s on Capitol Hill in Washington. Groundbreaking legislation is advancing in Congress that would curb the market power of tech giants Facebook, Google, step in the court appeal process,” and Army Corps permit, or by ordering that Amazon and Apple. The bill could force them to untie their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. (AP) that it laid out the federal agency’s the permit to be redone. Legislation would give more power to consumers

WASHINGTON, June 27, (AP): approved 34-7. where it will end?” he said. A House panel pushed ahead with The advance of the legislation comes as President Joe Biden’s surprise move last the tech giants already are smarting under week elevating antitrust legal scholar Lina ambitious legislation that could federal investigations, epic antitrust lawsuits, Khan to head the FTC was a clear signal of a curb the market power of tech gi- near-constant condemnation from politicians tough stance toward the tech giants. It was ants Facebook, Google, Amazon of both parties, and a newly installed head of top of mind for the conservative Republicans and Apple and force them to sever the powerful FTC who is a fierce critic of the objecting to the new legislation. Khan played their dominant platforms from industry. a key role in the Judiciary Committee’s The legislative package, led by industry sweeping 2019-20 investigation of the tech their other lines of business. critic Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., targets giants’ market power. Conservative Republican lawmakers the companies’ structure and could point The four companies deny abusing their haggled over legislative language and toward breaking them up, a dramatic step for dominant market position and assert that pushed concerns of perceived anti-conserv- Congress to take against a powerful industry improper intervention in the market through ative bias in online platforms but couldn’t whose products are woven into everyday life. legislation would hurt small businesses and halt the bipartisan momentum behind the If such steps were mandated, they could consumers. package. bring the biggest changes to the industry Lauded as engines of innovation, the The drafting session and votes by the House since the federal government’s landmark Silicon Valley giants for decades enjoyed Judiciary Committee are initial steps in what case against Microsoft some 20 years ago. minimal regulation and star status in promises to be a strenuous slog through The Democratic lawmakers championing Washington, with a notable coziness during Congress. Many Republican lawmakers the proposals reaffirmed the case for curbing the Obama administration, when Biden was denounce the market dominance of Big Tech Big Tech as the committee began digging vice president. The industry’s fortunes but don’t support a wholesale revamp of the into the legislation. abruptly reversed about two years ago, when antitrust laws. It “will pave the way for a stronger econo- the companies came under intense federal Work on the massive bipartisan legislation my and a stronger democracy for the scrutiny, a searing congressional investiga- stretched into the night. The session pushed American people by reining in anti-competi- tion, and growing public criticism over issues beyond the 12-hour mark as lengthy debate tive abuses of the most dominant firms of competition, consumer privacy and hate ensued over a complex bill that would require online,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., speech. online platforms to allow users to communi- the Judiciary Committee chair. “Each bill is Biden said as a presidential candidate that cate directly with users on rival services. an essential part of a bipartisan plan to level dismantling the big tech companies should Proponents said the measure also would give the playing field for innovators, entrepre- be considered. He also has said he wants to consumers more power to determine how neurs and startup - and to bring the benefits see changes to the social media companies’ and with whom their personal data is shared. of increased innovation and choice to long-held legal protections for speech on Earlier, the Democratic-majority committee American consumers.” their platforms. made quick work of arguably the least contro- Conservative Republicans laid down their The legislative proposals also would pro- versial bills in the package, which were markers. They insisted that the proposed hibit the tech giants from favoring their own approved over Republican objections. A mea- legislation doesn’t truly attack anti-competi- products and services over competitors on sure that would increase the budget of the tive abuses by the tech industry because it their platforms. The legislation was informed Federal Trade Commission drew Republican fails to address anti-conservative bias on its by the 15-month Judiciary antitrust investi- conservatives’ ire as an avenue toward ampli- social media platforms. gation, led by Cicilline, that concluded the fied power for the agency. The legislation, And they previewed a fight over legisla- four tech giants have abused their market passed 29-12 and sent to the full U.S. House, tive definitions. The legislation as drafted power by charging excessive fees, imposing would increase filing fees for proposed tech would apply to online platforms with 50 mil- tough contract terms and extracting valuable mergers worth more than $500 million and cut lion or more monthly active users, annual data from individuals and businesses that the fees for those under that level. sales or market value of over $600 billion, rely on them. A second bill would give states greater and a role as “a critical trading partner.” The legislation also would make it tougher powers over companies in determining the The new proposals “make it worse,” insist- for the giant tech companies to snap up com- courts in which to prosecute tech antitrust ed Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the panel’s petitors in mergers, which they have com- cases. Many state attorneys general have senior Republican. “They don’t break up Big pleted by scores in recent years. pursued antitrust cases against big tech com- Tech. They don’t stop censorship.” Democrats control the House, but they panies, and many states joined with the U.S. The legislation’s definition of which online would need to garner significant Republican Justice Department and the FTC in their platforms would fall under stricter antitrust support in the Senate for legislation to pass. antitrust lawsuits against Google and standards could mean that companies such as The chamber is split 50-50 with the Democrats’ Facebook, respectively, last year. The mea- Microsoft, Walmart and Visa would soon be one-vote margin depending on Vice President sure drew many Republican votes and was included, Jordan suggested. “Who knows Kamala Harris being the tiebreaker. Uber pays $3.4 mln for gig worker leave law mistakes SEATTLE, June 27, (AP): Uber has agreed to pandemic. time. Under the settlement, it is simply paying pay more than $3.4 million to 15,000 drivers Seattle’s Office of Labor Standards began one of those days to each eligible driver now after making mistakes related to Seattle’s pio- investigating after drivers complained that rather than later. neering paid sick leave law covering gig they were not receiving the benefits from Uber did not admit liability in the settle- workers. Uber as required. ment agreement. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seattle The office said in a news release Thursday “Having access to paid sick days during this City Council last year temporarily extended that Uber conducted several audits after the pandemic means we can keep our customers sick and safe leave protections to gig workers, investigation began. The company discovered and our families safe and healthy,” one of the who previously didn’t qualify because many that technical glitches prevented some drivers drivers, Jamel Jara, said in the news release. companies treat them as independent contrac- from being able to access their paid-time-off Harry Hartfield, Uber’s public affairs man- tors. accounts on the app; some had time-off ager, said in the news release that the com- The law allows the workers to accrue and requests inadvertently canceled; some had pany worked over a few weeks to build a take paid days off - based on their average incorrect time-off balances in their accounts; new payment system to comply with the new daily compensation, including tips - to care and some had been required to wait until the law. for themselves or family members who get day after their time-off request to take it. “While the vast majority of workers claimed sick. The idea was to reduce the financial The company voluntarily fixed those issues, their Paid Sick and Safe Time without an pressure on them to keep working, possibly the office said. issue, we’re grateful that the Office of Labor spreading the virus, at a time when people The agreement includes nearly $1.3 million Standards worked in partnership with us as we were becoming more reliant on gig workers to in back pay, interest, damages and civil penal- improved our systems to ensure accurate and perform tasks like grocery delivery. ties for 2,329 workers, as well as nearly $2.2 prompt payments,” Hartfield said. It also allows them them to take paid time million in advance payment of unused paid The paid sick leave protections for gig off for other reasons, such as to seek help in time off to 15,084 workers. workers expire 180 days after the end of the domestic violence cases or to care for children The company said it had already set aside civil emergency declared by public officials in whose schools were closed because of the the latter amount for drivers who accrued sick response to the pandemic. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 BUSINESS 10

Nike shares surge premarket on N. American sales, outlook

A Nike running shoe is Nike posted record fi scal revenue soared 141% to $5.38 the COVID-19 pandemic, but ter. President and CEO John seen in the starting block fourth-quarter sales in North billion. many stores have since reo- Donahoe said during a con- during the IAAF Athletics America and gave a better- Nike also experienced pened over the past several ference call that SNKRS grew World Final in Stuttgart, than-anticipated full-year rev- strong sales for its namesake months. more than 90% in demand southern Germany. Nike enue forecast. brand, rising 88% to $11.8 Online sales climbed 41% and saw nearly 80% growth in posted record fi scal The Beaverton, Oregon- billion. Revenue for the Con- compared with a year ago and monthly active users during the fourth-quarter sales in based company’s revenue verse brand climbed 85% to North America and gave were up 147% compared with fourth quarter. a better-than-anticipated totaled $12.34 billion in the $596 million. 2019’s fourth quarter. For the three months ended full-year revenue fore- fourth quarter, easily beating Sales were also helped by And Nike continues to see May 31, Nike moved to a profi t cast. (AP) the $11.06 billion that analysts increased wholesale ship- success with its SNKRS app, of $1.51 billion, or 93 cents polled by Zacks Investment ments. A year earlier those which immediately sells out per share. Analysts surveyed Research predicted. shipments had been hindered of new sneaker releases and by Zacks expected 51 cents In North America, Nike Inc.’s by retail store closures during consistently trends on Twit- per share. (AP) US durable goods orders rise 2.3% Buoyed by surging demand for civilian aircraft

WASHINGTON, June 27, (AP): Orders to for civilian aircraft. April and coming despite a backlogged supply chain in May after rising 2.7% in April. U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured The Commerce Department said Thursday that or- and a shortage of workers. Orders for aircraft shot American industry is thriving despite problems with back- up 27.4% last month after climbing 31.5% in April. logged supply chains and a shortage of workers. The Federal goods rose for the 12th time in the last 13 ders for durable goods - meant to last at least three Reserve reported earlier this month that factory production months in May, pulled up by surging demand years - climbed 2.3% in May, reversing a 0.8% drop in Excluding transportation orders - which can bounce climbed 0.9% on surging output of cars, trucks and auto wildly from month to month - durable goods orders parts. The Institute for Supply Management, an association rose 0.3% last month, down from a 1.7% gain in April. of purchasing managers, said that its manufacturing index A category that tracks business investment - orders for signalled that factories were growing in May for the 12th nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft - dipped 0.1% straight month.

In this fi le photo, a US Air Force KC-46A Pegasus jet takes off in view of a line of Boeing 777X jets parked nose to tail on an unused runway at Paine Field, near Boeing’s massive production facility in Everett, Washington. Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods rose for the 12th time in the last 13 months in May, pulled up by a surge in demand for civilian aircraft. (AP)

Boost to public pension payment NJ lawmakers advance $46.4b budget TRENTON, New Jersey, June 27, lion in tax benefi ts for taxpayers. and lawmakers began ramping it up. (AP): New Jersey lawmakers advanced Buoyed by strong tax collections, Murphy campaigned on making a a record $46.4 billion budget, a 15% New Jersey like much of the country full payment and is set to achieve that increase over last year, boosting the found itself in the black heading into if the budget is signed into law. state’s public pension payment, allocat- the new fi scal year. With a $10 billion For taxpayers, the federal and tax ing hundreds of millions for tax give- surplus and more than $6 billion in collection windfalls will mean more backs and setting aside almost $4 billion federal coronavirus relief funds, law- money in their pockets, if approved. to cover debt. makers had to decide how to spend the The biggest benefi t will be checks of The mammoth spending plan was money. up to $500 mailed to 760,000 families passed by Assembly and Senate budget The plan calls for setting aside near- as part of a giveback under a deal last committees and goes next to the fl oor ly $4 billion in funds for debt — a re- year that hiked taxes on millionaires. of each house if approved, with votes sponse to $4 billion in borrowing law- Checks will go to families with up to as early as Thursday. Democratic Gov. makers and Murphy took on last year $150,000 in income for joint fi lers or Phil Murphy has said he’s working over fears that the pandemic would up to $75,000 for those fi ling individu- with the Democrat-led Legislature on crater state fi nances. ally. To be eligible, fi lers must also the budget and is expected to sign the It also calls for making a bigger- have at least one dependent child. spending plan into law by the June 30 than-expected public pension payment, The budget also begins allocating deadline. boosting the planned $6.4 billion pay- federal COVID-19 relief funds, in- The budget creates no new fees or ment by $505 million. The public pen- cluding $500 million for aid to rent- taxes, and lawmakers and Murphy sion payment had been underfunded for ers and $250 million in help for utility said it sets aside more than $400 mil- years until former Gov. Chris Christie rate payers. Many jobs remain at risk UK’s travel industry ‘urges’ swifter reopening of sector

LONDON, June 27, (AP): The UK’s travel industry held a day of action last week, pressing the British government to allow more quarantine-free travel and provide cash-strapped businesses with much-needed fi nancial support. Hundreds of industry workers, including travel agents, pilots and cabin crew from airlines such as British Airways and easyJet, gathered outside the parliament in London. There were other protests in Edinburgh and in Belfast. Derek Jones, head of luxury travel fi rm Kuoni, said the out- bound travel sector has been “decimated” by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as by the government’s “haphazard” response. “We are united in one message today,” he said. “We want to see the safe reopening of international travel alongside tar- geted fi nancial support for businesses which have not been able to trade for well over a year.” According to industry body ABTA, an estimated 195,000 jobs have been lost across the sector and many more remain at risk. One demand from the sector is for the government to ex- pand the number of countries that are on its so-called “green list,” which allows quarantine-free travel on return to Eng- land. None of the popular holiday destinations in Europe are on the list, which numbers just 11 countries and territories. “The evidence and data exists for government to make transparent policy decisions and the forthcoming review must provide clarity on how and when restrictions can be safely re- duced for travel between low risk countries and for vaccinated and recovered passengers,” said Dale Keller, chief executive of the Board of Airline Representatives U.K. The government is set to update its traffi c-light system in coming days, but few changes are expected. There is specu- lation that Malta and Spain’s ever-popular Balearic Islands, which include Majorca and Ibiza, may be added to the list. Malta and Spain are currently on the “amber list” alongside other popular summer hotspots such as Portugal, Italy, Greece and the United States. A 10-day quarantine period at home is required for people returning from those locations. The industry has accused the government of undermining its system, by urging people to avoid holidays to locations on the amber list. A debate is taking place within government as to wheth- er people who have been fully vaccinated against the virus should be eligible for quarantine-free travel if they return from one of the countries on the amber list. British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the govern- ment has provided unprecedented fi nancial support, and ex- pressed hope that “the world could open up” soon. “I’m optimistic that the world is catching up with where we are in our vaccination program,” he said. One problem the sector faces is that infections in the U.K. are on the rise, whereas they are falling across much of Eu- rope - on Wednesday, government fi gures showed another 16,135 new infections, the highest daily rate since Feb. 6. The divergence has prompted many governments in the continent to slap tougher restrictions on those arriving from the U.K. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 SCIENCE 11

Coronavirus

Vaccine passports? US states push back on ‘digital jab proof’

NEW YORK, June 27, (AP): Customers wanting to dine and unwind to live music at the City Winery’s fl agship restaurant in New York must show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to get in. But that’s not required at most other dining establish- ments in the city. And it’s not necessary at other City Winery sites around the US. If City Winery tried doing such a thing at its places in At- lanta and Nashville, “we would have no business, because so many people are basically against it,” said CEO Michael Dorf. Across the US, many hard-hit businesses eager to return to normal have been reluctant to demand proof of vaccination from customers. And the public and the politicians in many places have made it clear they don’t care for the idea. In fact, far more states have banned proof-of-vaccination policies than have created smartphone- based programs for people to digitally display their vaccination status. Should the US have a nationwide vaccine passport system? Dr Anthony Fauci weighed in during an interview with LX Hosts Jobeth Devera and Nik Z. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends masks when dining or gathering indoors for those who aren’t fully vaccinated. But Fauci few states require it, and most busi- nesses rely on voluntary compliance — even in places with low vaccination rates where COVID-19 cases are climbing. Digital vaccine verifi cation programs could make it easier Security personnel ask customers for proof of vaccination as they enter City Winery June 24, 2021, in New York. Customers wanting to dine and unwind to live music to enforce safeguards and tamp down new outbreaks. at the City Winery’s flagship restaurant in New York must show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination to get in. But that’s not required at most other dining establishments “But that only works when you have mass adoption, and in the city. And it’s not necessary at other City Winery sites around the US. (AP) mass adoption requires trust and actual buy-in with what the state health department is doing, which is not necessarily pre- sent in all states,” said Alan Butler, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington-based Coronavirus nonprofi t organization. Hawaii is the only state enforcing some version of a vac- cine passport. It requires travelers to upload a photo or PDF of their Hawaii vaccination document or pass a pre-arrival COVID-19 test to avoid having to quarantine for 10 days. ‘Vaccine best strategy against coronavirus variants’ Voluntarily Earlier this month, California became just the third state — behind New York and Louisiana — to offer residents a way to voluntarily display digital proof of their COVID-19 shots. New warning on COVID shots None of those states requires the use of their digital verifi ca- tion systems to access either public or private-sector places. WASHINGTON, June 27, (Agencies): By contrast, at least 18 states led by Republican governors Product information about the Moder- or legislatures prohibit the creation of so-called vaccine pass- na and Pfi zer-BioNTech vaccines now Britain virus cases hit highest ports or ban public entities from requiring proof of vaccina- warns about the increased risk for heart tion. Several of those — including Alabama, Florida, Iowa, infl ammation, a rare side effect of the Montana, North Dakota and Texas — also bar most busi- shots. since Feb 5 amid ‘grab a jab’ nesses from denying service to those who aren’t vaccinated. Government health offi cials say, however, that the benefi ts of the vac- “Texas is open 100%, and we want to make sure that you A health worker administers polio cines against COVID-19 outweigh the LONDON, June 27, (AP): The UK which haven’t yet received CO- have the freedom to go where you want without limits,” Gov. drops to children at a slum in Mumbai, risk posed by the side effect, which on Saturday recorded its most new VID-19 vaccines. The latest spike Greg Abbott said in signing a law against vaccine passports. India, June 27. Polio is a highly infec- appears most common among people coronavirus infections since early came as hundreds of walk-in vac- The prohibition doesn’t apply to the demands employers tious disease that spreads in con- under 30. February as the National Health cination sites, including at stadiums make on their employees. Earlier this month, a federal judge taminated water or food and usually The Food and Drug Administration Service ran a “grab a jab” initiative and shopping centers, opened in in Texas threw out a lawsuit from 117 Houston hospital em- strikes children under 5. (AP) said the risk particularly follows the to further drive up vaccination rates. England over the weekend in a ployees who challenged a workplace requirement that they second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, Government figures showed that bid to boost vaccine numbers, par- get vaccinated. More than 150 were later fi red or resigned for and symptoms usually appear within a another 18,270 people tested posi- ticularly among those younger age not getting their shots. tive for the virus across the UK, the groups. few days of vaccination. The fact sheets highest daily number since Feb. 5. “This is a phenomenal achieve- In Louisiana, under a Republican-passed bill facing a po- say people should seek immediate medi- tential veto from Democratic Gov John Bel Edwards, public Over the past week, nearly 100,000 ment and it’s fantastic to see so cal care if they have chest pain, shortness have tested positive, a near 50% many young people coming for- facilities would not be allowed to bar unvaccinated people of breath, or a fast, fl uttering or pounding increase compared to the week ward for their jabs, doing their bit to until the COVID-19 vaccines have received full approval heart after vaccination. before. That has raised questions protect themselves and their loved from the Food and Drug Administration. The vaccines for The FDA noted the change in fact over whether lockdown restrictions ones,” Vaccines Minister Nadhim now are being dispensed under emergency FDA authoriza- sheets for patients and health care will end as planned. Zahawi said. tion. providers in a website post dated Fri- Daily cases have risen fairly The spread of the variant upend- In May, Louisiana launched a program allowing residents day. The action followed discussion sharply over the past few weeks ed the Conservative government’s using the state’s digital driver’s license, LA Wallet, to add a of the issue Wednesday by a com- after fluctuating around the 2,000 plans to lift all remaining restric- record of their COVID-19 vaccination. mittee that advises the Centers for mark earlier. The delta variant, tions on social contact in England But its reach is still limited. About 105,000 people have Lund Newsom Disease Control and Prevention on which was first identified in India this week. The plan is to lift those activated the COVID-19 verifi cation function. That’s about vaccinations. and is considered by government restrictions on July 19, but whether 14% of those with a digital license and less than 4% of Loui- After that meeting, top government scientists to be between 40% to it will do so could largely depend health offi cials and medical organiza- 80% more transmissible than the on whether the vaccine rollout has siana’s 3.1 million people with valid driver’s licenses. Discovery previous dominant strain, accounts created a firewall that protects the Democratic state Rep Ted James, who wrote the bill creat- tions issued an unusual joint statement saying that the side effect is “extreme- for nearly all the new cases in the most vulnerable. The other parts ing the digital driver’s license, said he has used the feature UK. of the U.K. - Scotland, Wales and just once — to show an Uber driver in Nevada that he didn’t ly rare” and usually mild in young Most of the new confirmed cases Northern Ireland - are following Bid to protect trout: Wildlife offi cials people, and that many recover on their need to wear a mask. But James said he has never been asked in Montana are seeking feedback on a are among younger age groups similar plans. to show it in Louisiana and doubts he ever will. own or with minimal treatment. proposal to expand fi shing restrictions to Meanwhile, the European Union “Earlier in the year, I felt that at some point we would be protect declining brown trout populations. Biologists with Montana Fish, Wildlife Friday expressed concern over the limited in travel, going to certain places, unless we had the spread of the Delta variant of the coro- nate, vaccinate, vaccinate. That is the that we will continue supporting Tur- vaccine,” James said. Now, “I don’t foresee us ever having and Parks and the US Geological Survey best strategy against these variants,” key and other partners in the region, have tracked declining numbers of juve- navirus but stressed that vaccinations some type of requirement.” protect against it. she noted. like Jordan or Lebanon, which host As a step in reopening, New York in March launched nile brown trout in southwest Montana millions of Syrian refugees. It is now rivers, including the Big Hole, Ruby, “We are worried about the Delta Recovery its Excelsior Pass, the first state system to provide digital variant. If you look at the UK, there, 10 years into the Syrian confl ict and Boulder, Beaverhead, upper Yellowstone Leaders of the 27-member bloc proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test. and upper Stillwater rivers, the Bozeman the Delta variant is by now the domi- the region still carries the lion’s share As of early June, more than 2 million people had gotten Daily Chronicle reported. nant one. 90% of the infections are the discussed the economic recovery of the burden,” she said. the digital pass — about one-fifth of those who have been Eric Roberts, fi sh management bureau Delta variant. It is rapidly progressing, from COVID-19, migration, and in- “And it is in our collective European vaccinated. chief with Montana Fish, Wildlife and also speeding up here,” President of ternational issues such as relations interest to protect the refugees and to with Turkey and Russia during their support their host, mainly in these dif- Capacity Parks, said it is concerning because low the European Commission Ursula von numbers of younger fi sh indicate that old- der Leyen told a news conference after two-day person-to-person meeting on fi cult times with COVID-19 and very At the City Winery, most customers bypass the Excelsior er fi sh are not being replaced. the end of a two-day summit in Brus- Thursday and Friday. diffi cult economic times,” said the Pass and instead show their paper CDC vaccination cards Biologists are now gathering pub- sels this afternoon. Meanwhile, commenting on rela- President of the European Commission. to gain entry, according to Dorf, who said patrons at the lic comments on the proposed changes, “The good news in that is that we tions with Turkey, von der Leyen told The EU plans to allocate an addi- 1,000-person capacity venue “appreciate going into a bub- which include seasonal fi shing closures see the vaccination protects, double the press conference that “overall, the tional EUR three billion (USD 3.5 bil- ble of safety, knowing that everyone around them is vac- from September to May, catch and release vaccination protects very effectively relations with Turkey have improved lion) to support refugees in Turkey and cinated.” requirements and evening fi shing restric- against the Delta variant, and single recently. also provide EUR 2.2 billion (USD 2.6 Though larger ticketed events, like concerts at Madison tions from 2 pm to midnight daily. The vaccination, or a single shot at the be- “There is a de-escalation in the East- billion) to support Syrian refugees in changes could also apply to the rivers’ Square Garden, require proof of vaccination, most businesses ginning, gives at least a reduction of ern Mediterranean; there are talks be- Jordan and in Lebanon until 2024, she tributaries. tween Turkey and Greece, and that is announced. don’t ask. Residents can submit comment online, severe illness,” she said. “Think of a bar,” said Andrew Rigie, executive director by mail or by attending public meetings “But with this Delta variant, we a good starting point. But on the other On Russia, she said the EU lead- of the New York City Hospitality Alliance. “You have four June 22 and June 23. Department offi cials need to stay vigilant, we need to stay hand, we still see little, if no progress, ers agreed on a united long-term and friends that go in — maybe two of them have it, the other two will then develop proposals to be consid- very coordinated what restrictive made on Cyprus and this remains dis- strategic European approach. “We are don’t. You’re going to turn the other two away when small ered in August. measures are concerned. The typical appointing,” she said. right now in a negative spiral and we businesses are struggling so much?” Roberts attributed the trout population things like masks and distance have to “On the topic of Syrian refugees in need to brace for further downturn,” Though most states have shied away from creating digital decline, in part, because of changing wa- stay in place. And we need to vacci- the region, we have already made clear she said. vaccination verifi cation systems, the technology may soon ter temperatures and habitat alterations. become widespread nonetheless. He said there are long-term plans in place to address stream fl ows and enhance Vaccine providers such as Walmart and major health care down. Campers occupied dusty river- the bottom of the reservoirs to spawn. Businesses need reservoirs full so people habitat; however, angling restrictions are will come play in them and spend money. systems already have agreed to make digital COVID-19 vac- short-term ways to address the declining banks farther north at Shasta Lake. The San Francisco Bay needs fresh wa- cination records available to customers. Apple also plans to But the impacts of dwindling reservoirs ter from the reservoirs to keep out the salt And everyone needs the water to run population. (AP) hydroelectric power plants that supply incorporate the vaccination verifi cation function into a soft- ❑ ❑ ❑ go beyond luxury yachts and weekend water that harms freshwater fi sh. Farm- ware update coming this fall. anglers. Salmon need cold water from ers need the water to irrigate their crops. much of the state’s energy. Novavax announced Monday that its COVID-19 vac- Drought ravages reservoirs: Each If Lake Oroville falls below 640 feet cine had a 90.4% effi cacy in a phase 3 trial in the US and year Lake Oroville helps water a quarter (195 meters) - which it could do by late of the nation’s crops, sustain endangered August - state offi cials would shut down a Mexico. major power plant for just the second time Within months, hundreds of millions of people across the salmon beneath its massive earthen dam and anchor the tourism economy of a ever because of low water levels, strain- US will be able to access digital copies of their COVID-19 Northern California county that must re- ing the electrical grid during the peak de- vaccination records, said Brian Anderson, chief digital health build seemingly every year after unrelent- mand of the hottest part of the summer. physician at the nonprofi t MITRE Corp., part of a coalition ing wildfi res. In Northern California’s Butte County, of health and technology organizations that developed such But now the mighty lake - a linchpin low water prompts another emotion: fear. technology. in a system of aqueducts and reservoirs The county suffered the deadliest US People will receive QR codes that can be stored on smart- in the arid US West that makes Califor- wildfi re in a century in 2018 when 85 phones or printed on paper to be scanned by anyone seeking nia possible - is shrinking with surprising people died. Last year, another 16 people vaccine verifi cation. Those who scan the codes won’t retain speed amid a severe drought, with state died in a wildfi re. any of the information — a protection intended to address offi cials predicting it will reach a record Walking along the Bidwell Canyon privacy concerns. low later this summer. California gover- trail last week, 63-year-old Lisa Larson The California Chamber of Commerce said it welcomes nor is Gavin Newsom. was supposed to have a good view of the While droughts are common in Cali- lake. Instead, she saw withered grass and the state’s new vaccine verifi cation system as a way for em- fornia, this year’s is much hotter and trees. ployers to check on their employees. California regulations drier than others, evaporating water more “It makes me feel like our planet is lit- require most employees who aren’t fully vaccinated to wear quickly from the reservoirs and the sparse erally drying up,” she said. “It makes me masks when dealing with others indoors. Sierra Nevada snowpack that feeds them. feel a little unsettled because the drier it Digital vaccine verifi cation “allows an employer who re- The state’s more than 1,500 reservoirs are gets, the more fi res we are going to have.” ally wants to make sure the workplace is vaccinated to re- 50% lower than they should be this time Droughts are a part of life in Califor- quire that without having the impossible problem of ‘John of year, according to Jay Lund, co-direc- nia, where a Mediterranean-style climate says he’s vaccinated but he lost his vaccine card. What do tor of the Center for Watershed Sciences means the summers are always dry and we do?’ This solves that issue,” said Rob Moutrie, a policy at the University of California-Davis. the winters are not always wet. The state’s A woman receives a shot of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Hanoi, Vietnam, advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce. In nearby Folsom Lake, normally bus- reservoirs act as a savings account, stor- tling boat docks rested on dry land, their June 27. Vietnam is ramping up the vaccination program against COVID-19 as ing water in the wet years to help the state buoys warning phantom boats to slow new cases increase. (AP) survive during the dry ones. (AP) Stage MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 FFeatureseatures Albuquerque. (AP) operations onthesouthernedgeof ahead withplanstoexpandits Phillippe Forte, KristenWiig August 2021.Itwillstar gin fi Universal StudioGroup,willbe- Universal Television,adivisionof comedy seriesforPeacockby tion facilityinNewMexico. incentives forlocatingtheproduc- economic developmentfundsas than $10millioninstateandlocal tion spendingover10years. to $500millionindirectproduc- try. Thecompanyalsocommitted fi print inoneofthefastestgrowing as partofaplantoexpanditsfoot- north ofdowntownAlbuquerque studio inawarehousedistrictjust state-of-the-art televisionandfi in 2019thatitwouldbuilda as weputthepandemicbehindus.” help ourstaterecovereconomically have putsafetyfi has leaptbacktolifebecausethey said inastatement.“Thisindustry television industry,”thegovernor best yearever—withthefi productive years—ifnotourvery had oneofourbestandmost Albuquerque Michelle LujanGrisham ribbon-cutting ceremonybyGov coronavirus pandemic. challenges thatstemmedfromthe to fi by thefi and localoffi facility in the openingofanewproduction with NBCUniversalcelebrated lm productionhubsinthecoun- ban lastedfrom80 A.D.whenthe venturing belowstage level.The the publicwasforbidden from gladiators andwild animals, to watchspectaclesrepletewith spectators fi maker, whohasfootedthebill. Tod’s, theshoeandluxurygoods in thepresenceoffounder restore theundergroundsection pletion ofworktoshore-upand day formallyannouncedthecom- the ancientarena’s“backstage.” through partofwhathadbeen be abletogodownandwander underground passages,touristswill to shoreuptheColosseum’s signed virtualsetsforaproductionof“Aida”attheSydneyopera. that helpedcreateLaScala’sall-virtual2020seasonpremierandde- at DWOK,anItaliancompanyspecializinginadvancedvideodesign artistic quality.” rona Arenaisusedtodoinghugeshows,alittlepharaonic,withgreat said theArena’sgeneralmanager,CeciliaGasdia.“Afterall,Ve- have anotherplan,intheeventualitythatwecouldn’tusebigsets,’’ audience memberssittingfarawayintheuppermostseats. Arena isfamous,onesbigenoughtofi Festival. er, settinginmotionareimaginingofthe98thVeronaArenaOpera ited inthecrampedbackstageopen-airRoman-eraamphitheat- ROME: ALBUQUERQUE, NM: screens, recreatingaSicilianvillageorFellini-esquefi have beenreplacedbydynamic,3DimagesbroadcastonhugeLED the pandemic—butwithonebigdifference. northern Italyhasreturnedtostagingfulloperasforthefi VERONA, Italy,June27,(AP):TheVeronaArenaamphitheaterin 3D videoreplaces hugesetsinVerona asfulloperasresume This summer,MacGruber,a The mediagiantreceivedmore NBCUniversal hadannounced “Despite thepandemic,we’ve The executiveswerejoinedata Meanwhile, Netfl nd ways to work through the nd waystoworkthroughthe During thecenturieswhen Italy’s cultureministeronFri- “They areartistsandtechniciansatthesametime,thatisnot Deputy creativedirectorStefanoTrespiditappedtechnicalwizards “We understoodalreadylastyearinNovemberthatweneededto For thisseason,technologyisstandinginforthesetswhich Distancing rulesmeantthatstagehandsmovingsetshadtobelim- The monumentalsetsthatnormallyfi lming inthefacilitythrough lm and television industry lm andtelevisionindustry After 2-1/2 years of work After 2-1/2yearsofwork ❑ . New Mexico lled theColosseum cials touted efforts cials toutedefforts Mayor rst — and they will rst —andtheywill ix ismoving and Tim Keller , as state , asstate Executives Executives Will lm and Ryan and lm This imagereleasedbyWarnerBros.EntertainmentshowsDonCheadle,(left),andBenicioDelToroinascenefrom‘NoSuddenMo . Russo entrances. formers andanimals fordramatic level vividsceneryaswellper- in ancienttimestohaulupstage wooden elevatorswereemployed until thelastshowin523. amphitheater wasinaugurated, ll thevaststageandengageeven a sequeltohisfi I’m confrontedwith.” Zoom. “Icanfi this industry,”hesaidsmilingonarecentinterviewby ers, seizedanuncertainmoment. through profoundchange,Soderberghhas,likefewoth- of assemblinglastMay. shame the1,000-piecepuzzlesomeofusarestillproud fun) andco-producedtheAcademyAwards. otape”), re-editedsomeofhisoldermovies(mostlyfor Goynes, strollingthrough1950sDetroit.Soderbergh parachute intothisstory.” to seethisguywalking,walking—andwe wanted itornot,”Soderberghsays.“Literally:I center thistime. (“Traffi dle hasco-starredinfourmorefi “Snoop” Millerin“OutofSight.”Sincethen,Chea- with DonCheadle,whomemorablyplayedMaurice Sudden Move”returnsSoderberghtotheMotorCity into winteryDetroit.Twenty-threeyearslater,“No Elmore Leonard. “Out ofSight,”theslinky,sublimecaperadaptedfrom one ofSoderbergh’smostcelebratedmovies:1998’s back-together, “NoSuddenMove”remainsacousinto presence wouldhavereinforcedaspiritofget-the-band- HBO Max,doesn’tlackforstars.AndwhileClooney’s cerns forhisasthmaticson. star, GeorgeClooney,whowithdrewoutofhealthcon- tocols, Soderberghremountedit—albeitwithoutone early fall,afterhehelpedcreatereturn-to-setsafetypro- April 2020.Thepandemicscuttledthoseplansbutby happen. Itwasinitiallyscheduledtobeginshootingin Mike”). Hislatest,“NoSuddenMove,”nearlydidn’t ers (“Ocean’sEleven,”“ErinBrockovich,”“Magic Flying Bird,”“Unsane”)tocommercialcrowd-pleas- of workspanningexperimentaliPhoneindies(“High 35 yearsinmovies,amassinganimble,freneticbody D Soderbergh revisits Detroit withCheadle Colosseum director Dozens ofmobileplatformsand ll thevastamphitheaterstage Soderbergh hasaveragedafi “I thinkit’sfairtosaythatI’mthecockroachof Yet atatimewhenmuchofHollywoodisgoing It’s anamountofaccomplishmentthatreallyputsto “No SuddenMove”openswithCheadle,asCurt “This wasdesignedasvehicleforDon,whetherhe That fi Still, “NoSuddenMove,”whichdebutsJuly1on said tourists will be able to saidtouristswillbe ableto Variety two featurefi uring thepandemic,StevenSoderberghhasshot c,” the“Ocean’s”movies).Buthe’sfront-and- lm openedinMiamisunshinebutdescended nd awaytosurviveinanyversionthat lm backlot. rst fi rst lms, releasedapairofmovies,written rst timesince By JakeCoyle Alfonsina Alfonsina lm (1989’s“Sex,LiesandVide- For manyjustseeinglivetheaterwasatreat Film and underliningthecollisionofreallifetheaterinopera. costumes, againstamoresparebackdropinspiredbyFellinifi white andgray,the“Pagliacci’’castwasdressedinbrighttechnicolor create acentralpiazza. cal staircaseandthroughaforegroundfi scene dynamism,whilesingersandactorsmovedupdownaphysi- buildings, allwiththree-dimensionaldepth.Movingcloudsgavethe screens, withprojectionsofahillside,churchfaçadeandcraggy lm everyoneofhis lms withSoderbergh The videocomponentalsoincludescameoimageryfromItalianmu- While “Cavalleriarusticana’’wasnostalgicallystagedinblack, Instead, aSicilianvillagewascreatedon400squaremetersofLED future edition. cavernous workshopattheedgeofcity,setasideforperhapsa en setsforlastyear’s“Cavalleria”remainunfi due torestrictionsthatlimitedperformancesconcerts.Infact,wood- acci,” aproductionplannedforthe2020seasonthatwasneverstaged Mascagni’s “Cavalleriarusticana”andRuggieroLeoncavallo’s“Pagli- will takeus.Certainly,itusforward.” to takehold.Theprocessthatwestartedtodaydon’tknowwhereit easy,’’ Trespidisaid.“Thisisagreatinnovation;innovationsneedtime ‘No SuddenMove’aperiodcrimefi Wiig Phillippe Friday’s season-openingpremierewasadouble-billofPietro rearrange thefi lengthy introductionsandspeeches,onegambitto ceremony warmlyintimate.Butitwasalsotalky,with shot ofReginaKing,anditmadeanoftenimpersonal cast washandsomelyshot,openingwithafl person OscarsdespiteCOVID-19protocols.Thetele- from 2011.“Ithinkhe’sPatientZero.” referring toSoderbergh’spropheticpandemicdrama gun shyaboutevenleavingmyhouse.” says. “IlostfamilymemberstoCOVID.Iwasreally hell inmyuncertaintyaboutcomingback,”Cheadle antine bubble. The centralcastandcrewmemberswerekeptinaquar- COVID-19 testingunitsthatwerepersonallypaidfor. shoot withoutincidentbyfrequenttestingintwomobile ing andsendinghimscripts.Thedirectormanagedthe a-stuck-at-home Soderberghwouldprobablykeepwrit- set atthetime.Buthealsorealizedthatifdidn’t, energy.” or 1.0,30yearsbeforehand—revisitingthatkindof intrigue. Itfeltinalotofwayslike‘OutSight2.0’ the head,”saysCheadle.“Itwasallpartofnarrative car manufacturerswithoutproselytizingorhittingiton nity andthedevastationofDetroitgreed Oscars safelywhileexperimentingwithanofteninfl broadcast didwhatitsetouttodo:pulloffanin-person Projections In April,Soderberghledanefforttomountin- Cheadle smiles.“Ialsoblamehimfor‘Contagion,’” “I knowthatIputSteventhroughsomeversionof Cheadle wasn’tnecessarilyeagertoreturnafi “We wereabletotalkaboutredliningandcommu- Overall, Soderberghispleasedwiththeshow.The Matt DamonandRayLiotta. Jon Hamm,DavidHarbour,JuliaFox,BrendanFraser, Los Angeles.TherestofthecastincludesBillDuke, original sins,alittlelikehow“Chinatown”doesfor expands inscopetoencapsulatesomeofDetroit’s Culkin), butinamultiplyingseriesofdouble-crosses, three hiredguns(Cheadle,BeniciodelToro,Kieran emissions controls.“NoSuddenMove”beginswith the historyofautomotiveindustry’seffortstoavoid Friends ofEddieCoyle”wasanother.) was oneinspiration.Theclassic‘70scrimefi electric 1959noir“OddsAgainstTomorrow.”(That brought togethernotunlikethoseinRobertWise’s from thestartasaheistmoviewithtrioofthieves and screenwriterEdSolomonconceivedofthefi But whileworkingonthescript,Solomoncameupon nal awardsended awkwardly. lled withtablesandchairsto the COVID-19pandemic. gists wasinterrupted duringpartof workers, architects adarchaeolo- engineers, surveyors,construction that circledtheundergroundlevels. what wereoriginally15corridors (530 feet)longtoviewsomeof stroll downawalkway160meters Tod’s founder Restoration workbyteamsof Devastation nished attheArena’s Diego Della lm set, uid tracking lm foradults lm “The lm certain point.” was singinginthePagliacciboys’choir.“Italmostseemsrealata ful,’’ saidGuiaVeronese,aregularattheArenawhose8-year-oldson new technologyaelementtoabsorb. non-singing castmemberswearmaskswhenthestagegrowscrowded. spread stageleftintheamphitheaterseatinglikeaGreekchoir,and chestra musiciansareseparatedbytwo-meterdistances,thechorusis a maximumof6,000guests,insteadthepre-pandemic13,500.Or- is veryimportantintheArena,becausewesingoutdoors.” able forthevoice.Itisawall,thatgivesalsoacousticsupport,andthis audience canseearealshow,andnotjustconcert.” really sobeautifultosee,thatyoudon’tseeitisnotarealset.Andthe tenor YusifEyvazof,whoissingingtheroleofCanio/Pagliaccio.“It restrictions duringthepandemic. ture ofsolidaritywithanotherculturalbranchthatalsosufferedfrom Museum, theUffi co” and“LaTraviata.”Thecollaborations,includingwiththeVatican seums ineachofthefi ex- lm “Even beingusedtothebigsetsofArena,itisstillverybeauti- For manyinthecrowd,justseeinglivetheaterwasatreat,and Ongoing virusrestrictionsmeanthattheArena,fornow,canseat Eyvazof saidthescreenshadanaddedbenefi “They foundthiswonderfulsolutionthatworksverywell,”said ing oftheColosseum, amonumen- multi-million-euro (dollar)clean- and archaeological treasures. cash tocareforitsimmenseart try’s inabilitytocomeupwiththe tion projectsinlightofthecoun- private sectorfundingforrestora- to anItaliangovernmentcallfor Valle lm Della Vallealsopaid fora responded severalyearsago plummeted. ings, liketheyhaveformostpandemicawardshows, ing senseofalargerexistentialcrisisformovies.Rat- — asatisfyinganduniqueone,hesayswithgnaw- largely onanoceanlinercrossing. to his2020fi a moviecalled‘LetThemAllTalk,’”hejokes,referring that. Thisiswhathappenswhenyouhirethedirectorof where nobodyevergotplayedoff,andI’mproudof ible format. Soderbergh’s sixthheistfi purpose ofmydealwhichisformetobereallybusy.” tory withWarner.Webothseemtobeinsyncthe secular change,”saysSoderbergh.“Ihavealonghis- knows what’sacyclicalthingasopposedtoreal companies. Nobodyknowswhat’scoming. things. Ihonestlywouldnotliketoberunningthese to getmade. streaming fl adults, isverymuchthekindofmoviethatbefore Kravitz. “NoSuddenMove,”aperiodcrimefi HBO Max,“KIMI,”apandemic-setthrillerwithZoë like Soderbergh.Herecentlyshothisthirdfi ing, arealsoripeforaprotean,fast-workingfi that needstobeconfronted.” to?” Soderberghsays.“Tome,thisistherealquestion make peoplecareaboutthemovieswaytheyused of whatourshowlookedlike,andthatis:Howdowe he encouraged.“Spinthewheel!”(AP) let thatgo?” with,” saidSoderbergh.“Thequestionis:ShouldIjust gotten outoftherewithtwomoviesI’mreallyhappy scene ofhisfi “No SuddenMove,”hewonderedifreturningtothe dle hadtoleavefortheTribecaFestivalpremiereof just madeforthemovies,”hesays. bring somethingtothetable—“styleitup.”“It’s genre, thedirectorsays,encouragesafi that itsoughttopulloneoveronHollywood,too.The “Logan Lucky,”aself-fi of Sight”thatincludesthethree“Ocean’s”fi “I justlookatitasalargerissuethanthespecifi But Soderberghdidwalkawayfromtheexperience “As farasIknow,we’rethefi Other thingsneverchange.“NoSuddenMove”is “It’s areallygoodtimeforsomebodywhomakes But theconditions,andopportunitiesofstream- Cheadle didn’thesitate.“Teeitup!Gotothewell!” “I’ve hadtworeallygoodexperiencesinDetroitand As timewounddownbeforeSoderberghandChea- zi andTurin’sEgyptianMuseum,aremeantasages- ood gatesopenedwouldhave beenunlikely lm forHBOMax,withMerylStreep,shot ve newoperas,includingalso“Aida,”“Nabuc- rst crimemovie waspushinghisluck. ve.’ (AP) nanced meta-heistmoviein lm, acyclebegunwith“Out be retractable.(AP) a centralviewpoint. Thestagewill mire theancientmonument from inside theareasovisitors canad- project tobuildalightweightstage Dario Franceschini arena lookdullanddreary. of sootandgrimewhichmadethe tal projectwhichremoveddecades rst showinalongtime Last month,CultureMinister t: “Itisverycomfort- lmkr to lmmaker lmmaker lms and lms l for lm lm for lm detaileda cs ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Art

Giant Paris mural revival Rembrandt’s painting just gets bigger with AI

AMSTERDAM, June 27, (AP): One of Rembrandt van Rijn’s biggest paintings just got a bit bigger. A marriage of art and artifi cial intelligence has ena- bled Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum to recreate parts of the iconic “Night Watch” painting that were snipped off 70 years after Rembrandt fi nished it. The printed strips now hang fl ush to the edges of the 1642 painting in the museum’s Honor Gallery. Their addition restores to the work the off-center focal point that that rebellious Golden Age master Rembrandt originally intended. “It can breathe now,” museum director Taco Dib- bits told The Associated Press recently. The crowded painting’s two main characters, Cap- tain Frans Banninck Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, are central in the chopped down painting. With the new digital additions — particularly a strip on the left of the painting that features two men and makes clear that a boy is looking over a balustrade — the main fi gures effectively are shifted to the right. “It really gives the painting a different dynamic,” Dibbits said. “And what it taught us is that Rembrandt never does Dibbits what you expect.” The museum always knew the original, uncut, painting was bigger, in part thanks to a far smaller copy painted at the same time that is attributed to Ger- rit Lundens. View of Rembrandt’s biggest painting the Night Watch which just got bigger with the help of artifi cial intelligence, (see added sides), in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Researchers and restorers who have painstakingly Wednesday, June 23. The Dutch national museum and art gallery Rijksmuseum reveals fi ndings from a long-term project to examine in minute detail Rembrandt pored over the work for nearly two years using a bat- van Rijn’s masterpiece the Night Watch. (AP) tery of high tech scanners, X-rays and digital photog- raphy combined the vast amount of data they gener- ated with the Lundens copy to recreate and print the missing strips. “We made an incredibly detailed photo of the Night Music Watch and through artifi cial intelligence or what they call a neural network, we taught the computer what color Rembrandt used in the Night Watch, which colors, what his brush strokes looked like,” Dibbits Usher’s success inspired songwriter to not give up said. The machine learning also enabled the museum to remove distortions in perspective that are present in the Lundens copy because the artist was sitting at one corner while he painted Rembrandt’s painting. How Austin rewrote his career Dimensions NEW YORK, June 27, (AP): It’s the leased in 2000, not only became a around the industry doing this.’ It just The reason the 1642 group portrait of an Amster- early ’90s and a preteen Johnta Austin hit on the pop and R&B charts — it motivated me to stick around and fi nd dam civil militia was trimmed is simple: It was moved is in the studio working on his debut is Pharrell’s No. 1 pick from Austin’s another way in.” from the militia’s club house to the town hall and there album with a pair of unknown produc- rich catalog. Austin co-wrote multiple songs it didn’t fi t on a wall between two doors. A bit of very ers named Pharrell Williams and Chad “To this day, every time I see Phar- on Janet Jackson’s 2006 album “20 analog cropping with a pair of scissors ensued and the Hugo. rell, he’s like: ’That’s my favorite Y.O.,” including the hits “So Excited” painting took on the dimensions that have now been Trading ideas, hearing beats and Johnta Austin song of all time,” Austin known for centuries. The fate of the pieces of canvas and “Call on Me.” writing melodies — along with a fu- said. “And then he sings it.” But one time in the studio, Austin that were trimmed off remains a mystery. ture Grammy-nominated singer-song- Pharrell remembers working with The digital recreation that will be on show in com- got a dance lesson from the pop icon. Johnta Austin poses for a portrait in writer named Joe — the artists were Austin in the early ’90s, telling the AP: “Fred Astaire is on the TV and then ing months come as part of research and restoration New York on Nov. 6, 2019. Austin has vibing out and creating magic. “Johnta just had an incredible (gift and project called “Operation Night Watch ” that began I see the move. He does this move and two Grammy Awards and has co-writ- Until Austin hit puberty. he) still has an amazing voice, and he’s I’m like, ’That’s where Michael got just under two years ago, before the global pandemic ten a handful of other multi-platinum “I got signed when I was 13, a great writer. He was talented then, at emptied museums for months. hits deemed R&B classics, including that move from! She’s like, ‘You’ve dropped when I was 15,” Austin ex- 14.” never seen this?’ I’m like, ‘No!’” Under relaxations of the Dutch COVID-19 lock- Mariah Carey’s ‘We Belong Together’ plained. “My voice changed and the Of those days, Austin remembers down, the museum can welcome more visitors from and Mary J. Blige’s ‘Be Without You.’ So Austin stands up and gives the (AP) administration that signed me left.” being in producer Dallas Austin’s re- dance a try. this weekend, but still only about half of its normal One of the songs he worked on for cording studio in Atlanta while “Phar- capacity. himself, the sultry R&B balled “Sweet rell was walking around in these big Teaching During the restoration project, the painting was en- cased in a specially designed glass room and studied Lady,” caught the interest of new sign- space boots.” “I’m playing around and she’s like, in unprecedented detail from canvas to the fi nal layer Variety ee Tyrese, who replaced Austin on the “They were young kids. I remember ‘No, no, no. You have to…’ She stands of varnish. RCA Records roster. Chad (Hugo) had to go back because up and I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ Among that mound of data, researchers created the “I was like, ‘I don’t want to do a he had classes. He had to fl y back to Janet is teaching me how to do a move song for this guy.’ In my mind at this Virginia. Pharrell he was writing, Joe most detailed photograph ever made of the painting by SOUTHAVEN, Miss: A music manager that her brother did in a video. This is combining 528 digital exposures. time, this guy took my spot, even was doing the demos,” he said. crazy.” says someone has stolen $200,000 in cash, though we had never met each other,” Austin recalled the Neptunes duo The 1642 painting last underwent signifi cant resto- jewelry, credit cards and other property Austin said working with Jackson ration more than 40 years ago after it was slashed by a from his north Mississippi home. he said. working on some of their early suc- was a lifelong dream, especially be- knife-wielding man and is starting to show blanching WREG-TV reports Southaven police are But Austin put his businessman hat cesses at the time, including SWV’s “ cause he was always a big fan of her in parts of the canvas. investigating after the robbery at the home on and gave the song away. Released Use Your Heart,” which reached No. 6 music. Dibbits said the new printed additions are not in- of Michael Sykes. He was out of town at in 1998, “Sweet Lady” became a hit, on the R&B charts. “I’m getting called to work (with tended to trick visitors into thinking the painting is the time. earned Tyrese his fi rst Grammy nomi- “‘Use Your Heart’ was done in her) and she’s loving the material? It’s bigger, but to give them a clear idea of what it was Sykes said burglars entered his gated nation and helped his debut album go those sessions; Joe demoed that,” Aus- still hard to sink in when you’re sitting supposed to look like. subdivision and then entered his house platinum. tin said. “You can still hear some of his with these people,” he said. “The hu- “Rembrandt would have defi nitely done it more through a fi rst-fl oor window, possibly Fast forward nearly three decades old ad-libs.” mility that she has; she is open to ideas beautifully, but this comes very close,” he said. disabling his alarm system. after he fi rst was signed, Austin now and then nurturing you to be your best. There, he says they took credit cards, Performance ❑ ❑ ❑ has two Grammy Awards and has It’s great.” $36,000 in cash, Louis Vuitton luggage, co-written a handful of other multi- Imagine this: A teenage Austin and watches, and custom jewelry with the logo of Mariah Carey’s “We Belong To- A colorful human face emerges from waves like a platinum hits deemed R&B classics, Usher running the New York City gether.” Sykes’ company, Palm Tree Entertainment. streets, visiting open mic nights and call for hope above a Parisian street, in a giant mes- including Mariah Carey’s “We Belong “We Belong Together” was the No. sage of optimism from American and French street The thieves have been making charges Together” and Mary J. Blige’s “Be honing their performance chops. on the credit cards at various stores, said “This was back when I had no busi- 1 song of the 2000s, but Austin almost artists painting a massive mural in the French capital Without You.” And the debut album didn’t work on the classic Mariah Car- Sykes, who is a manager for rapper DeAn- he fi rst worked on at 13 fi nally came ness being in these clubs. I was 14, that’s slowly climbing out of its virus isolation. dre Cortez Way, known as Soulja Boy. ey track. out — when Austin was 39 in 2019. 15,” Austin said, namedropping clubs lllustrator AJ Dungo, 29, who lives in California, Sykes said people could see from his Austin said when he was collaborat- and French graffi ti artist Da Cruz, 44, started work- “It’s been a long time coming. Defi - like Cafe Wha? and Chaz and Wilson. social media accounts that he was out ing in the studio with the pop diva and ing in mid-June on the 25-meter (82-foot) high mural nitely happy to have this album out,” “That’s back when on any given night, of town. He said the jewelry was at his Jermaine Dupri, his “publisher wanted in the 19th arrondissement, in the northeast of Paris. home and not in its usual safe deposit box he said of “Love, Sex & Religion.” they’d pass the mic around, Joe would The project, to be inaugurated Saturday, is a symbol In an interview with The Associated get the mic, Dave Hollister would get me to do this other project.” because he was planning to use it. “I was like, ’I would love to but I’m of creative rebirth, and of both cultures reconnecting “I was going to let our artists wear some Press, Austin — who turns 41 next the mic, Puff (Daddy) brought 112 after lockdowns. of the jewelry in their video,” he said. (AP) week — talks about his career, the there one night and they performed. It in Atlanta working on Mariah. They Da Cruz, who grew up in this Parisian neighbor- ❑ ❑ ❑ Grammys, getting dance tips from Ja- was great. I would always go with Carl were like, ‘Are you crazy? Mariah, she hood and used to travel regularly to different conti- net Jackson and writing hits for Carey, (Thomas) and Troy (Taylor) and pass just did ‘Glitter.’ I can’t believe you’re nents, said it was hard for him to see his projects TEANECK, NJ: Through the fl ag twirlers Blige, Aaliyah and more. the mic.” passing this up.’” and the gospel choir and the seemingly He added: “We took Usher down Austin clearly made the right stopped amid the pandemic. endless proclamations from local offi cials, “I’m working in the street because I like showing Tribute there... This is before ‘My Way’ came choice. “We Belong Together” is not Ernie Isley was able to reduce to one word just one of the most popular songs eve- my message to lots of different people, and I miss the honor of having streets named after Austin originally wrote the song out. He and I knew each other since I hearing people speaking another language and being “Miss You” with Ginuwine for the was 12 and he was like 13 coming up ry released, it appears on Carey’s “The him and his famous family in the suburban Emancipation of Mimi,” her comeback able to communicate with them through painting ... towns where they once lived: “Wow.” R&B crooner’s album, but then Aali- in Atlanta. He did ‘Call Me a Mack’ There’s always a bridge that is created by colors,” he “It’s a ‘wow’ moment,” he exclaimed. yah heard the track and wanted to re- for the ‘Poetic Justice’ soundtrack. album that cemented her spot on the told The Associated Press. “This is a spectacular culmination of a lot cord it. That’s how far him and I go back. He list of greatest singers of all-time and of dreams and a lot of prayers.” “She loved ‘Miss You.’ She was would pick me up from school. When extended her long list of No. 1 hits. Project Teaneck and Englewood, suburbs a few like, ‘This is amazing. I want to cut he got his jeep, he would pick me up. “I’d like to think we got that one The project is supported by the French American miles across the Hudson River from New it,’” Austin recalled. Me, him, Jason Weaver were riding right,” said Austin, who also co-wrote Mural Art (FAMA) program, led by the US Embassy, York City, held dual ceremonies to honor But Austin had sent her another around. That was the crew back then.” “It’s Like That,” “Shake It Off,”“Don’t in association with local festival Ourcq Living Colors. the Isley Brothers, the legendary group that song, “I Don’t Wanna,” and his team Usher is just two years older than Forget About Us” and more tracks AJ Dungo and Da Cruz have chosen to represent scored hits with songs including “Shout,” wanted the late icon to record that Austin and released his self-titled de- from the seminal album. “It was great. stylized waves at the bottom of the mural, and an ex- “Twist and Shout,” “It’s Your Thing,” track. So they made a deal. but album in 1994. His major break- Just to be there, melodies back and plosion of colors above surrounding a central human “That Lady” and “Fight The Power.” “My manager at the time was like, through came with 1997’s “My Way,” forth, ideas back and forth. She’s a real face, with inspirations from South America and Africa. Ron Isley lived in Teaneck and Ernie ‘You have to cut ‘I Don’t Wanna’ to which featured the hits “You Make Me writer and she’s fantastic.” “We wanted to make something really optimistic lived in neighboring Englewood during get (‘Miss You’),’” Austin revealed. Wanna...” and “Nice & Slow.” During those recording sessions, he and something celebratory, because after the tragic the group’s heyday in the 1960s. Another brother, Rudolph, lived in Irvington, “Miss You” was released in 2002 Austin said Usher’s success inspired said “We Belong Together” was the year everyone went through, we thought it could help about 12 miles (19. kilometers) south of following Aaliyah’s tragic death a year him to not give up on music. last track they worked on. The bal- the community to lift their spirits a bit and give them Teaneck. The brothers helped put Teaneck prior, and the music video was a trib- “Right around that time he dropped lad spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the some hope with a meaningful image,” AJ Dungo said. on the map when they launched the T-Neck ute to her life and legacy, with every- ‘My Way’ it was like, ‘Now he’s Billboard Hot 100 chart and won the For AJ Dungo, known for his 2019 graphic novel record label, known to generations of music one from Jay-Z to Missy Elliott mak- the man.’” That was motivating for Grammys for best female R&B vocal “In Waves,” the giant mural is also a fi rst — the big- fans for the distinctive orange dust jacket ing cameos. me. Then I realized I had a talent for performance and best R&B song, earn- gest artwork he’s ever done. “I think the last thing I on its 45 rpm records. Aaliyah’s “I Don’t Wanna,” re- writing songs. I was like, ‘I can stay ing Austin his fi rst gramophone. painted was my niece’s bedroom for her sixth birth- It was a local music fan, Teaneck resi- day. I did like a little mural of an elephant and a pencil dent Ira Buckman, who hit upon the idea and butterfl ies,” he said. of renaming part of Van Arsdale Street as For more than a year, artists across the world have Isley Brothers Way two years ago. He was been restrained by virus restrictions. California gradu- inspired by watching a rerun of the movie Former bandmates and neighbors of- tion after hearing all the tributes. ally lifted most measures in recent weeks. France “Animal House,” which features the Isley fered reminiscences of befriending the “It’s beyond words for me to express my started reopening its economy last month, including Brothers’ “Shout.” brothers in the 1960s and ’70s. Neighbors level of appreciation and gratitude,” he told museums, theaters, cinemas and concert halls. The town’s council approved it, and after recalled swimming in Ron Isley’s family’s the crowd. “I love you people, and I thank Da Cruz said “we’ve been confi ned (at home), a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, un- backyard pool all summer long and never you for loving me, for loving us and for veiled the new sign on Isley Brothers Day in being turned away, or hearing the group’s loving the Isley Brothers.” freed, we went out again,” so the mural represents new songs before they were released to the The Isleys originally came from Cincin- “that human energy which makes us get over the hard- front of a crowd numbering in the hundreds. “I’ve lived in Teaneck since 1976 and I general public. They painted a picture of a nati and the group at one time included ships of life.” thought, ‘I’ve never really done anything to close-knit neighborhood that just happened fi ve brothers. “Shout” was their fi rst hit, AJ Dungo stressed that for many artists, last year improve the town’” until making the con- to have a world-famous band hanging out in 1959, and after being immortalized in meant “a drought of inspiration.” nection that some of the Isley Brothers had down the block. “Animal House” it has been used as a rally- lived there, Buckman joked Thursday. Ron Isley was overcome with emo- Isley Way ing cry at sporting events for years. (AP) ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 SPORTS 14

Nemechek claims Truck race Bowman ‘zips past’ Larson after late fl at tire and wins at Pocono

LONG POND, Pa., June 27, (AP): for consecutive wins set in 2007. Alex Bowman made it six straight Bowman won the first of two Cup wins for Hendrick Motorsports, races this weekend at Pocono. when teammate Kyle Larson’s Larson faded to ninth. Chevrolet blew a tire on the final lap, “Disbelief, still,” Larson said. and he took the checkered flag at Po- “Hate that we didn’t get another win. cono Raceway for his third Cup win It would have been cool to win five of the season. in a row. I felt something in the mid- Larson had won three straight dle of the tunnel. I wasn’t sure what Cup races and was in prime position it was yet. It finally kind of shred- to take this one at Pocono when he ded halfway through that little short passed Bowman with three laps left shoot there.” in the race. Larson was maybe a mile John Hunter Nemechek won the away from becoming the first driver Truck race earlier Saturday to kick since former Hendrick driver Jimmie off a packed Pocono schedule. The Johnson in 2007 to win four consec- Xfinity Series races Sunday fol- utive Cup races. Instead, a blown left lowed by the second Cup race. Po- front tire on the last corner of the last cono the site of the only NASCAR lap knocked Larson out of conten- doubleheader this season (325 miles tion and Bowman stunningly made Saturday; 350 Sunday). England captain Eoin Morgan holds the trophy after England won the series 3-0 after the third T20 international cricket match between England and Sri the most of his second chance. NASCAR will invert the order Lanka at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, England, on June 26. (AP) “I hate to win one that way, but of the top-20 hell, yeah, I’ll take it,” Bowman said. finishers for the start of England thump Sri Lanka in 3rd T20 and sweep series Sunday’s race. CAR RACING Chris Buescher England sealed a clean sweep in the Twenty20 made 51 off 43 deliveries, put on 105 in 11.4 England was collectively excellent with the ball, starts on the series against Sri Lanka with a thumping 89-run overs, before Dushmantha Chameera’s career- David Willey taking 3-27 while fellow left-armer victory at the Rose Bowl. Sam Curran collected two wickets. Bowman, who recently signed pole. The bot- tom 18 finish- Dawid Malan returned to form with a classy 76 CRICKET Sri Lanka started the day by winning the toss a two-year contract extension at from 48 balls after single-figure scores in the back- for the third time and this time handed over to Hendrick, took his turn to keep the ers will start in to-back wins at Cardiff. With just one fifty in his last Bairstow and Malan after electing to field. team’s hot streak alive. the same spot. seven innings, the world No. 1-ranked T20 bats- best 4-17 restricted England to 180-6. Malan was shoulder-barged to the floor by Larson said he might have run Bowman is man sparkled in a knock containing five fours and Sri Lanka ultimately capitulated to 91 all out in Binura Fernando while attempting a quick single over debris to cause the tire issue. Nemechek in his sixth full four sixes after being promoted to open the batting. 18.5 overs and it lost the series 3-0. and while there were no cross words between Bowman was in the right spot to take season of Cup Jason Roy’s tight hamstring led to a batting In what has been a recurrent theme of the them, the England batsman clipped the left-arm advantage and win for the third time racing and his fourth with Hendrick. reshuffle and Malan and Jonny Bairstow, who series, Sri Lanka lacked scoring options and seamer off his toes for the first six. (AP) in his last 10 races. He never had more than one win in a “I’m kind of in shock,” Bowman season. He wasted little time in the said. “I don’t know what to say.” No. 48 Chevrolet validating Hen- For team owner Rick Hendrick, drick’s decision to extend his deal the wins keep coming. for another two seasons. Verstappen dominates Styrian GP Bowman started the streak in Kyle Busch was second, followed May at Dover and Chase Elliott by William Byron, Denny Hamlin followed the next week at Texas. and Ryan Blaney. Larson then ripped off three straight Larson starts Sunday in a backup Red Bull and Mercedes occupy top four points victories - and the $1 million car and will drop to the rear of the All-Star race for four wins, total - field. He’s scheduled to visit with all while Hendrick Motorsports be- students from the Urban Youth Rac- came the winningest organization in ing School, the Philly-based pro- SPIELBERG, Austria, “It was a bit of a lonely race, really. gram that creates opportunities in I was trying to keep up with those guys NASCAR history. All eyes were on June 27, (AP): Formula but the speed they have... They obvi- Larson as he tried to match Johnson racing for minorities and extended One championship leader ously made some big improvements for the longest winning streak this an olive branch last year to Larson Max Verstappen dominat- over the last couple of races,” Hamil- century. when he was suspended for using ton said. “It was impossible to keep up. Hendrick has nine wins overall a racial slur while racing online in ed the Styrian Grand Prix I don’t know where we are losing all this season and tied its team record April 2020. on Sunday to win back-to- this time.” back races for the first time Losing 0.25 seconds on Verstappen on the straights left Hamilton with few in his career. options. He pushed and reduced the With a clean start from pole, deficit on some laps, but then had to be the Red Bull driver denied Lewis more cautious on others to protect his Hamilton an early attack and he tires from overheating. remained ahead for the entire race, Racing on its home track in the Aus- trian Alps, Red Bull stretched its win- MOTOR RACING ning streak to four races, as Hamilton’s wait for his 99th career victory reached the seven-week mark. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands raises the trophy after The last time Hamilton went with- beating his Mercedes rival by more winning the Styrian Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring racetrack out a win in four straight races came than 35 seconds. in Spielberg, Austria, on June 27. (AP) more than three years ago, spanning Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bot- the last three races of 2017 and the first tas finished third ahead of Sergio Perez of Hamilton after 10 laps. pion in the drivers’ standings to 18 three of the following season. as Red Bull and Mercedes occupied “Straight away I felt good balance in points after eight races. A race win is Red Bull squandered a potential 1-3 the top four places for the second con- the car,” he said. “It was good to man- worth 25 points. finish with a slow pit stop for Perez, secutive time. age the tires basically from the start. Left with no chance to overtake Ver- which lasted for nearly five seconds “The car was on fire,” Verstappen We just kept on going, trying to hit our stappen, Hamilton pitted again in the due to an issue with the left-rear tire. said over the team radio after crossing lap times and that worked really well penultimate lap and successfully beat Williams driver George Russell, the finish line. today.” the fastest lap time held by Perez at who is a candidate for Mercedes from Verstappen won a few tenths from It was Verstappen’s 14th career win that time, earning him a bonus point 2022 if Bottas were to leave the team, Alex Bowman, (center), driver of car 48, celebrates with his crew after win- Hamilton in most of the laps and was and fourth of the season, increasing his though the deficit to Verstappen grew had to retire after two-thirds of the race ning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, on June 26, already more than three seconds ahead lead over the seven-time world cham- to over half a minute. with a power-unit issue. in Long Pond, Pa. (AP) Fiji men & New Zealand women Gymnasts Malone, Moldauer punch tickets to Tokyo Olympics perfect in Oceania Sevens event 13th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup concludes in Qatar TOWNSVILLE, Australia, June 27, Zealand beat Fiji 27-12, Australia (AP): Defending men’s Olympic defeated the Oceania Barbarians DOHA, June 27, (Agencies): The 13th spot on the U.S. Olympic men’s gym- The victory, on top of the NCAA heading to Japan and beyond. champion Fiji and the New Zealand 32-7 and Fiji beat the Barbarians FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup nastics team on Saturday, earning an crown the Stanford junior won in April Yul Moldauer, the 2017 national women’s side were both undefeated 14-12. which was held at Aspire Dome in Qatari automatic berth on the five-man team and the national title he won earlier champion and a three-time world in six matches at the Oceania Sev- The Fijian men’s side concluded capital Doha over four days concluded. by capturing the Olympic Trials with this month cemented Malone’s status championship team member, is head- ens tournament, the last major tune- its perfect tournament with a 33-5 The Qatar Gymnastics Federation a two-day all-around total of 171.600. as the leader of the men’s program ing to Tokyo next month too after up for the leading teams heading win over the Oceania Barbarians on (QGF) said in a statement that Japan’s finishing runner-up to Malone while into the Tokyo Olympics beginning Sunday, followed by a 17-7 win over Hidenobu Yonekura won the gold medal also ranking in the top three on four next month. New Zealand. In other Sunday men’s of the men’s vault contest and qualified events. for the Tokyo Olympics. Turkey’s Fer- The two other spots will be decided Despite playing at home, Olympic matches, New Zealand beat Australia hat Arican grabbed the gold medal of champion Australia women lost to 17-5 and Australia defeated the Bar- by a selection committee later Satur- the parallel bars competition and Cypriot day afternoon, though six-time nation- both New Zealand and Fiji and fin- barians 28-12. Marios Georgiou snatched the gold med- al champion and two-time Olympian ished with a 3-3 record. al of the horizontal bar category. Sam Mikulak and Shane Wiskus seem The Australian women lost 34-5 RUGBY In women’s competitions, Ukrainian like virtual locks after steady and oc- and 26-5 to New Zealand in their athlete Diana Varinska came first in the casionally spectacular performances matches. Australia beat New Zealand balance beam completion and Italy’s 24-17 in the gold medal final at Rio. There will be 12 teams each in the 2006 world all-around champion Vanes- GYMNASTICS Australia women’s head coach rugby sevens competition at the To- sa Ferrari won the WAG Floor Exercise John Manenti said he saw some posi- kyo Games, with the men’s tourna- gold medal. tives in the squad’s performance. ment being played from July 26-28 Meanwhile, Brody Malone grew up in inside The Dome at America’s Center. “We worked really hard and made and the women’s from July 29-31. northwest Georgia and spent part of his Malone, however, took his choice them work hard for their tries... we All matches will be played at To- childhood tinkering around as a rodeo out of the selection committee’s hands asked a few questions to them and kyo Stadium, which hosted eight rider before finally committing full-time with a confident and controlled dis- probably probably should have matches during the 2019 Rugby to gymnastics. It’s a decision that’s car- play. He hardly seemed bothered by asked a couple more,” Manenti said. World Cup, including the bronze ried him all the way to the Olympics. Brody Malone competes on the pommel horse during the men’s U.S. Olym- the stakes, improving his score on five In other women’s matches, New medal final. The 20-year-old locked down a pic Gymnastics Trials, on June 26, in St. Louis. (AP) of six events compared to Day 1. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 SPORTS 15

Lomachenko batters Nakatani, scores TKO in return Davis stops Barrios in 11th round to claim WBA super lightweight title ATLANTA, June 27, (AP): Gervonta Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Vasiliy Davis stopped Mario Barrios in the Lomachenko is back, and in vintage 11th round to claim the WBA super form. lightweight title, his third world cham- The former three-weight world pionship. champion was successful in his return Davis (25-0) moved up in weight to the ring, stopping Japanese vet- Diamondbacks pound Padres, and won by knockout for the 24th time eran Masayoshi Nakatani in the ninth as a professional. The Baltimore native round. also holds the WBA lightweight and With Nakatani’s left eye closed after super featherweight belts. eight devastating rounds, Lomachenko There was little action through the (15-2, 11 KOs) used a fl urry of bat- fi rst half of the fi ght in front of a sellout tering lefts in front of an announced end record 24-game road skid crowd of 16,570 at State Farm Arena sellout crowd of 2,072 inside Virgin as Barrios (26-1) and Davis alternated Hotel’s The Theater, to fi nish off his as the aggressor, with the 5-foot-10 much taller opponent in a statement re- Barrios slightly more active. turn in his fi rst bout since an upset loss According to CompuBox, Davis to Teofi mo Lopez in October. landed just 11 punches over the fi rst Lomachenko landed 59% of his four rounds before fi nding the mark on power punches, as he dominated from 85 in the fi nal six-plus rounds. the opening bell, peppering Nakatani The 5-5½ Davis made himself hard with a steady stream of hard, straight to hit, with both hands frequently held lefts. Lomachenko was only hit by high. 12% of Nakatani’s power punches. Barrios threw many more punches Lomachenko’s biggest round prior (394-296), but Davis connected more to the ninth was a destructive sixth, frequently (96-93) and effectively, during which he landed a number of landing 45.1% of his body punches punches that caused Nakatani’s head compared to 29.1% for Barrios. to snap backward several times, even- Davis dropped Barrios twice in the tually bloodying the Osaka-native’s eighth round, fi rst with a right hook eye, nose and mouth. about a minute in, and again soon after Lomachenko also knocked down the restart with a left hook. Blood be- Nakatani in the fi fth, using a three- gan coming from a cut under Barrios’ punch combo near the end of the left eye and left ear. round. Even with Davis’ domination of that In his last fi ght, Nakatani was round, judges had scored the fi ght even knocked down twice by Felix Verdejo through eight. before responding with a ninth-round Barrios rallied in the ninth, twice KO win. This time, Nakatani never pinning Davis in corners. While Bar- stood a chance as he was outclassed by rios threw multiple combinations, few the former pound-for-pound Ukranian of his punches broke through to make great in every round. solid contact, and the energy expended It marked the first time Nakatani tired the San Antonio native. (19-2) was stopped in a fight, with his only other loss coming by way of decision, at the hands of Lopez in BOXING 2019. With the win, Lomachenko is hop- As Davis sat on his stool before the ing to land a rematch against Lopez, 10th round, his promoter, Floyd May- who was set for his first title defense weather, yelled to him from outside the in Miami on June 19 until he tested ring. positive for COVID-19. His manda- Action slowed in the 10th round tory bout against George Kambosos, when Davis repeatedly ducked to and the entire undercard, has been avoid Barrios’ more wild swings and rescheduled for Aug. 14 in Miami, appeared to further slow his opponent but could be moved to Sept. 11 in with a left uppercut late. Las Vegas. The last punch came when Da- Lopez’s father, Teofi mo Sr., who Diamondbacks’ David Peralta (6) slides in late to second and shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., (right), during the third inning of a baseball game, on June 26, vis landed a left hook squarely in the was in attendance, told ESPN during in San Diego. (AP) middle of Barrios’ face with about an interview after the fi ght his son’s 1:10 remaining in the 11th. The fi ght camp is willing to grant the rematch, was soon stopped as Barrios staggered but with the caveat it must happen im- Mets pip Phillies without falling. mediately after the Kambosos bout. Dominicans get final Olympic berth SAN DIEGO, June 27, PUEBLA, Mexico, June 27, (AP): single in a six-run fourth inning for from July 28 to Aug. 7 in Fukushima (AP): The Arizona Dia- Melky Cabrera sparked a comeback from the Dominicans, who joined host Ja- and Yokohama. a three-run defi cit with a two-run homer, pan, the United States, Israel, Mexico Baseball was dropped from the mondbacks snapped their and the Dominican Republic claimed the Olympics after 2008, was restored for record 24-game road losing fi nal Olympic baseball berth by beating BASEBALL the Tokyo Games and is being dropped streak by routing the San Venezuela 8-5 on Saturday and winning again for 2024, though it is likely to be the fi nal qualifi er at Puebla, Mexico. added for Los Angeles in 2028. Diego Padres 10-1, getting Former Kansas City infi elder and South Korea at the Olympics/ The Players on 40-man major league six scoreless innings from Ramón Torres hit a go-ahead infi eld baseball tournament will be played rosters are not eligible. Merrill Kelly and four hits and five RBIs from Eduar- do Escobar. MLB Results/Standings Escobar and Christian Walker homered for the Diamondbacks, WASHINGTON, June 27, (AP): Results and standings from the MLB games on Saturday. who hadn’t won away from Chase Detroit 3 Houston (7 inn 1st game) 1 St Louis 3 Pittsburgh 1 Field since April 25, when Madi- Toronto 12 Baltimore 4 Cincinnati 4 Atlanta 1 son Bumgarner pitched seven no- Tampa Bay 13 LA Angels 3 Miami 3 Washington 2 Texas 8 Kansas City 0 NY Mets 4 Philadelphia 3 hit innings at Atlanta. Houston 3 Detroit (7 inn 2nd game) 2 Milwaukee 10 Colorado 4 Gervonta Davis, (left), hits Mario Barrios during the WBA Super Lightweight The Diamondbacks had dropped 20 Boston 4 NY Yankees 2 LA Dodgers 3 Chicago Cubs 2 world championship boxing match on June 26, in Atlanta. (AP) of 21 games and 34 of 37 overall. San Francisco 6 Oakland (10 inn) 5 Arizona 10 San Diego 1 Escobar connected for a two-run American League National League homer, and drove in runs with a dou- East Division East Division ble, a single and a groundout. He fi n- W L Pct GB W L Pct GB Tampa Bay 47 31 .603 _ New York 40 32 .556 _ ished a triple shy of the cycle. Boston 46 31 .597 -1/2 Washington 36 38 .486 5 Kelly (4-7) allowed fi ve hits, struck New York 40 36 .526 6 Atlanta 36 40 .474 6 out fi ve and walked none. Toronto 39 36 .520 6-1/2 Philadelphia 35 39 .473 6 Baltimore 24 53 .312 22-1/2 Miami 33 43 .434 9 Mets 4, Phillies 3 Central Division Central Division In New York, Jacob deGrom gave up W L Pct GB W L Pct GB Chicago 44 31 .587 _ Milwaukee 44 33 .571 _ two runs for the fi rst time this season and Cleveland 41 32 .562 2 Chicago 42 35 .545 2 New York rallied after he exited, beating Kansas City 33 42 .440 11 Cincinnati 38 37 .507 5 Philadelphia on Michael Conforto’s sac- Detroit 33 44 .429 12 St Louis 37 40 .481 7 rifi ce fl y in the ninth inning. Minnesota 32 43 .427 12 Pittsburgh 28 47 .373 15 West Division West Division DeGrom’s bid to set the Mets record W L Pct GB W L Pct GB for the longest scoreless-inning streak Houston 48 29 .623 _ San Francisco 50 26 .658 _ fell just short. His run ended at 31 in- Oakland 46 33 .582 3 Los Angeles 46 31 .597 4-1/2 Seattle 40 37 .519 8 San Diego 46 33 .582 5-1/2 nings on rookie Nick Maton’s RBI Los Angeles 36 40 .474 11-1/2 Colorado 31 46 .403 19-1/2 single in the second — R.A. Dickey Texas 29 48 .377 19 Arizona 22 56 .282 29 set the team shutout mark of 32 2/3 in- nings in 2012. inning tie for Detroit. ting out of that bases-loaded jam. He Blue Jays 12, Orioles 4 Casey Mize (5-4) improved to 2-0 retired the fi rst Royals 12 batters, in- In Buffalo, N.Y., Vladimir Guerrero in his last four starts, giving up one cluding fi ve strikeouts in a row, Jr. hit his major league-leading 26th Rai Benjamin wins the men’s 400-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Track run on six hits and two walks in six Reds 4, Braves 1 home run, Teoscar Hernández and innings. and Field Trials, on June 26, in Eugene, Oregon. (AP) Randal Grichuk also connected and In Cincinnati, Luis Castillo pitched Jose Cisnero pitched the seventh for seven scoreless innings and Jesse Toronto rolled past Baltimore. his third save. Malone earns spot at Tokyo Games Guerrero homered during a four-run Winker homered before departing with burst in the third inning that also in- Cardinals 3, Pirates 1 a hip injury, leading Cincinnati past cluded Bo Bichette’s RBI double and In St. Louis, Adam Wainwright Atlanta. Hernández’s homer. pitched into the seventh inning, Paul Castillo (3-10) permitted six hits, Benjamin makes Olympic team Goldschmidt and Paul DeJong hit solo struck out six and walked two. Amir home runs and St. Louis ended a fi ve- Garrett got three outs for his fi fth save. BASEBALL game losing streak. Winker was 0 for 7 in the series be- with 400-meter hurdles victory Wainwright (6-5) allowed one run and fore connecting for his 18th homer in EUGENE, Oregon, June 27, (AP): Rai and secured a spot on the U.S. Olym- Grichuk hit a three-run homer in the six hits. He struck out eight and walked the fi rst. Nick Castellanos extended his Benjamin won the 400-meter hurdles pic team for Tokyo. fi fth and drove in foru runs. Toronto one. Alex Reyes had a perfect ninth for home hitting streak to 18 games with at the Olympic track and fi eld trials, Price set the record at 263 feet, 6 inches. scored four runs apiece in the third, New York Mets starting pitcher his 18th save in 18 opportunities. an RBI double in the third. Joey Votto earning a spot on the team for the To- She became the fi rst American woman fi fth and sixth innings en route to win- Jacob deGrom throws against the JT Brubaker (4-7) gave up three added an RBI single and Tyler Ste- kyo Games. with a throw over 80 meters (80.31) and ning its sixth of seven games. Philadelphia Phillies during a base- runs on six hits in six innings. phenson homered in the eighth. Benjamin, the silver medalist in the just the seventh overall to throw that far. Pedro Severino and Cedric Mull- ball game, on June 26, in New Rangers 8, Royals 0 Brewers 10, Rockies 4 event at the 2019 world championships She beat her own American record ins each had two RBIs for Baltimore, York. (AP) In Arlington, Texas, Kyle Gibson In Milwaukee, Christian Yelich hit a which lost for the 15th time in 17 in Qatar, set a meet record with a fi nish twice during the Olympic track and ing Miami beat Kyle Schwarber and had a season-high 10 strikeouts over two-run homer during a six-run rally in games and dropped its 21st of 22 road seven scoreless innings, Joey Gallo hit in 46.83 seconds. It was also a personal fi eld trials on a steamy Saturday at Or- Washington. the eighth inning that gave Milwaukee best and gave him the world-leading egon’s Hayward Field. games. two massive homers and Texas beat a victory over Colorado. Thompson (2-2) held Schwarber in Kansas City, ending more than month- time this season. Also securing a spot on the team Dodgers 3, Cubs 2 check while allowing two runs and Omar Narváez had a tiebreaking Rai Benjamin’s fi nish was just off for Tokyo was runner-up Brook An- long stretch without winning a series. In Los Angeles, Cody Bellinger three hits in his fourth major league sacrifi ce fl y, Luis Urías singled home Kevin Young’s 1992 world record of derson, with a throw of 255 feet, and Gibson (6-0) allowed only three two runs and Willy Adames delivered homered with two out in the ninth in- start. Yimi García earned his 12th save 46.78. Tokyo will mark his Olympic third-place fi nisher Gwendolyn Berry, base runners, on consecutive singles an RBI double during that eighth-in- ning, and Los Angeles beat Chicago in 15 chances. debut. with a throw of 241-2. It is Berry’s sec- for its fi rst walk-off victory of the sea- and a walk to start the fi fth, before get- ning outburst. Also making the team was Kenny ond Olympics. son. Tigers 3, Astros 1, 1st Game Red Sox 4, Yankees 2 Selmon, who fi nished second in 48.08 It is also Price’s second Olympic Max Muncy and Justin Turner each Astros 3, Tigers 2, 2nd Game In Boston, Nathan Eovaldi pitched and David Kendziera, who was third in team. She fi nished eighth in 2016 in drove in a run in the fi rst inning, and In Detroit, Yordan Alvarez and Car- neatly into the eighth inning, Adam Ot- 48.38 at Oregon’s Hayward Field. Brazil. Since then, she won the gold the Dodgers then made 26 outs before los Correa hit back-to-back homers in tavino escaped a pair of late jams and at the 2019 world championships in Bellinger crushed a 422-foot solo shot the sixth inning and Houston rallied Boston held off New York, improving Doha and is considered among the fa- ATHLETICS to center off Keegan Thompson (3-2). past Detroit to split a doubleheader. to 5-0 this season against its rival. vorites heading in Japan. Eovaldi (8-4) allowed one run off Emily Sisson won the 10,000 meters Rays 13, Angels 3 After winning the opener and end- Maggie Malone won the javelin at at the Olympic trials in a race that was In St. Petersburg, Florida, Shane ing the Astros’ 11-game winning seven hits, issuing no walks and strik- the track and fi eld trials to earn a spot moved to earlier in the day to avoid the McClanahan pitched six effective in- streak, the Tigers took a 2-0 lead into ing out six over 7 2/3 innings. on the U.S. team at the Tokyo Games. extreme heat. nings, Brett Phillips drove in three runs the sixth of the seven-inning nightcap. Giants 6, Athletics 5, 10 Innings Malone set a meet record with a Wearing sunglasses, Sisson pushed and Tampa Bay beat Los Angeles for Jose Altuve led off the Astros sixth In San Francisco, Curt Casali hit a throw of 208 feet, 4 inches at Oregon’s the pace early and no one could keep its fourth straight win. with a double against reliever Michael game-ending double in the 10th inning Hayward Field. It will be her second up as she fi nished in a trials-record Manuel Margot and Mike Zunino Fulmer (4-4). With two outs, Alvarez as San Francisco beat Oakland. Olympics. She was on the 2016 team time of 31 minutes, 3.82 seconds. homered for Tampa Bay. Ji-Man Choi hit a tying drive into the Houston bull- Matt Chapman hit a go-ahead sac- and fi nished 25th in the event. Sisson is headed to the Tokyo had four hits and drove in two runs. pen. Two pitches later, Correa hom- rifi ce fl y in the top of the inning after Kara Winger made her fourth Olym- Games after not qualifying during the The Angels have lost fi ve in a row ered for the lead. saving a run with a brilliant throw pic team with a throw of 201-8. Avi- marathon trials in February 2020 on a overall. McClanahan (3-2) allowed Ryan Pressly struck out the side in home minutes earlier but Steven Dug- one Allgood-Whetstone fi nished third cool day in Atlanta. three runs and four hits, all in the third the seventh for his 12th save. gar quickly tied it on a single in the inning. Miami Marlins batter Jon Berti hits at 193-4 but she does not have the In the heat, she earned her place. Ka- Lance McCullers Jr. (5-1) allowed a double against the Washington bottom half against Burch Smith (1-1). Olympic standard. rissa Schweizer was second. She’s now Marlins 3, Nationals 2 two runs on fi ve hits in 5 1/3 innings. Nationals during the seventh inning Jake McGee (3-2) earned the win DeAnna Price bested her own qualifi ed in both the 10,000 and 5,000 In Miami, Rookie Zach Thompson In the fi rst game, Zack Short’s fi rst of a baseball game, on June 26, in for the Giants, who got a homer from American record in the hammer throw meters. Alicia Monson took third. struck out 11 in six innings, help- home run in the majors broke a fi fth- Miami. (AP) Donovan Solano. ARAB TIMES, MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 16

Players watch the ball during the Euro 2020 soccer champi- onship round of 16 match between Italy and Austria at Wembley Stadium, London. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Subs give Italy win over Austria, spot in Euro 2020 QFs Czechs eliminate 10-man Netherlands, reach quarters

BUDAPEST, Hungary, June 27, (AP): Chiesa ended 95 minutes of Italian An unmarked Chiesa brought Tomas Holes and Patrik Schick scored frustration. down Leonardo Spinazzola’s high second-half goals to give the Czech This record-breaking team is off cross with his head, controlled the Republic a 2-0 win over 10-man Neth- to the quarterfi nals of the European bouncing ball with his right boot and erlands and a place in the quarterfi nals Championship with a defense that fi - then used his other foot to shoot low of the European Championship. nally allowed a goal after more than 19 into the net. Netherlands central defender Mat- hours but with a national team-record “Usually when the ball arrives like thijs de Ligt was sent off for a handball 12th straight victory. this you try a fi rst time on the volley,” Suns ‘close’ in in the 55th minute when under pres- After breezing through the group Chiesa said. “But I think the goal came sure from Schick. The red card was stage at Euro 2020, Italy were made because I was composed, I was relaxed given following a video review. to fi ght for its 2-1 victory over Austria Holes scored with a powerful close- in a last-16 game that came to life in range header in the 68th minute and extra time. SOCCER then broke into the left of the penalty It was Roberto Mancini’s substi- area and set up Schick for his fourth tutes who made the difference with the and I was focused.” goal of the tournament in the 80th. goals from Chiesa and Matteo Pessina The goal rolled the clock back 25 The Czechs will next face Denmark at Wembley Stadium. years to when European Champion- in Baku on Saturday. “We needed some fresh energy,” ship games were last played in England on NBA Finals With three exquisite touches of con- Mancini said, “and the guys who came and his father Enrico Chiesa scored for trol, technique and fi nishing, Federico on were brilliant.” Italy. Euro ’96, however, ended in the group stage for Italy. Clippers struggle with poor shooting After scoring seven goals without reply in the group stage, Italy didn’t have it so easy against an Austrian LOS ANGELES, June 27, (AP): Neither “We’re not looking too far ahead,” Booker said. team playing in the knockout stage at The Clippers rallied from 0-2 defi cits to win against Dal- a European Championship for the fi rst team could make a shot. The ball bounced las and Utah and reach the West fi nals for the fi rst time in time. crazily on and around the rim, but rarely franchise history. “After 90 minutes we said that we went in. “It’s going to be hard and tough, but it has to be one game just had to improve the quality of the In timeouts, the Suns only at a time,” Paul George said. “Play as hard as we can in fi nal passes,” Spinazzola said, “and fi - Game 5.” nally the goals arrived in extra time.” talked defense. The Clippers de- Individual skill produced the break- liberately missed free throws in through from Chiesa. Italy’s second a desperate attempt to retain pos- BASKETBALL was more about calmness in a goal- session and fi re up a 3-pointer. mouth scramble. Pessina, who came In the end, former Clipper Chris The Clippers struggled with poor shooting in all but the on midway through the second half, Paul made clutch free throws on a third quarter, when they made 10 of 17 shots to pull within sent the ball into the far corner of the night when everyone was missing. three points. They got within one four times in the fourth, net in the 105th minute. Devin Booker scored 25 points but could never take the lead in front of a sellout crowd of “In this team everybody can score before fouling out in the fi nal minute Paul 18,222 that hung on every agonizing miss. and this is our main strength,” Pessina and Phoenix escaped with an 84-80 “It was a crazy, emotional game,” Paul said. said. “We are a great group.” victory Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Con- LA shot 32% (27 of 83) for the game; Phoenix was barely The group spirit was clear in the raw ference fi nals. better at 36% (31 of 86). The Clippers, who led the league Los Angeles Clippers guard Terance Mann (left), passes the ball while under emotion of the goal celebrations as The Suns can advance to the NBA Finals for the fi rst time in 3-point shooting during the regular season, made fi ve; the pressure from Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric during the fi rst half in Game 4 teammates collapsed on Pessina, a late injury replacement in the squad. since 1993 with a victory Monday night in Phoenix. Suns hit four. of the NBA basketball Western Conference Finals in Los Angeles. (AP) Kuwait SC win GCC basketball championship

KUNA photo Kuwait SC celebrate with offi cials on the podium after winning 40th GCC Club Championship.

Pogacar and Roglic complete stage podium Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nasser beaten

DUBAI, June 27, (KUNA): Kuwait SC beat Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nasser basket- ball team 96-85 to be crowned champions of the 40th GCC Club Champion- Van der Poel wins 2nd stage to take yellow jersey ship for the second time. Kuwait SC won their fi rst title in 2003. With this victory Kuwait SC qualifi ed for the Asian Club Championship to MUR-DE-BRETAGNE, France, June named “Poupou” and “The Eternal “I imagine how proud he would be,” group of favorites in the 2-kilometer be held next August in Indonesia. 27, (AP): What his grandfather failed Runner-up,” Poulidor was adored by said Van der Poel, whose father, Adri, climb leading to Mur-de-Bretagne, to do in 14 editions of the Tour de French fans but could never win the was also a professional cyclist and wore where the fi nish was set. The Dutch- France, Mathieu van der Poel achieved famed yellow tunic worn by the race the yellow jersey for one day in 1984. man used his greater power with 700 at his fi rst attempt. leader after each stage. Van der Poel jumped out of the meters left to drop all the main con- The Tour debutant pointed a fi n- tenders in the long stretch of road. France look to forwards, ger toward the sky in memory of his Defending champion Tadej Pogacar grandfather, Raymond Poulidor, as he was next across the line, six seconds crossed the fi nish line of the second back, and Primoz Roglic completed Swiss aim to end drought stage at cycling’s biggest race on Sun- the stage podium. day to snatch the coveted yellow jersey. “I knew today was my last chance to BUCHAREST, Romania, June 27, achievement in 1998 and 2000. “It’s a shame he is not here, but what take the jersey, it’s incredible to suc- (AP): Winning the toughest group at Benzema and Mbappé swap quick can I do,” the 26-year-old Van der Poel ceed,” Van der Poel said. the European Championship wasn’t passes and switch positions high up the A versatile rider, Van der Poel has really a big surprise for the World Cup fi eld, with the quick-thinking and skilful CYCLING won titles in many disciplines and plans champions. Winning only one match Griezmann operating behind them. But to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in in that group was, though. none of them were able to score in the mountain bike. A quadruple cyclocross Regardless, it was still enough for opening 1-0 win over Germany, a match said about Poulidor, while holding world champion, he also won the Strade France to fi nish fi rst in Group F and set up decided by Mats Hummels’ own-goal. back tears after his maiden Tour stage Bianche earlier this year and the pres- a match against Switzerland on Monday Griezmann did get on the score- win following a blazing attack. tigious Tour of Flanders last year. in the round of 16. With Kylian Mbappé, board in the 1-1 draw against Hungary, Poulidor, who died in November Netherlands’ Mathieu Van Der Poel celebrates as he crosses the fi nish The powerfully built Van der Poel, Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema, while Benzema scored both in the 2-2 2019, took part in 14 Tours from 1962- line to win the second stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 219.9 however, is not among the main contend- Deschamps has enough attacking power draw against Portugal after rejoining 76, fi nishing in second place overall kilometers (136.6 miles) with start in Perros-Guirec and fi nish in Mur-de- ers at the Tour due to the high mountain to deliver back-to-back major titles, the national squad following an exile three times and third fi ve times. Nick- Bretagne Guerledan, western France. (AP) and time-trialing elements of the race. something that would match the country’s of almost six years.

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