basketball

Page 16

THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Page 14 ice hockey Established in 1977 / www.arabtimesonline.com

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 / SHABAAN 25, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17657 16 PAGES 150 FILS US, Iran begin ‘backwater’ N- talks

Day by Day

IMAM Ali (may Allah bless him) was once asked: “Who is the most despicable of people?” He said: “Those who prosper while their homelands starve.” What the Imam said hun- dreds of years ago applies to us today. See what is hap- pening in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. The leaders of these countries plunder their na- tions and starve their people. This situation is beyond de- scription. They are under the illusion that they will neither The male date palm spathe be punished nor held to ac- after it has been opened and count for the wealth they is ready to be used for pollina- tion.The male spathe looks have accumulated. something like a long seedpod. They forget that God’s Inside are many long, thin floral mill grinds slowly but surely branches crowded together. In and they will not enjoy what spring, when the male flowers they have stolen. What these reach their maturity, the spathes countries are witnessing is a change color from green to a disaster. more brownish shade and then … Yet, tomorrow is just an- split open. This is the time to other day. harvest them and use them for Zahed Matar pollination. — Details Page 2

Speaker won’t romp in the swamp

This Jan 15, 2011 file photo shows the heavy water nuclear facility near Arak, Iran. Efforts to bring the United States back into the 2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear program are to step up a gear as Iran and the five world powers remaining in the accord meet in Vienna on April 6, while the US is due to start indirect talks with Tehran. (AP) ‘Revelations soon’ By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh ‘Spies’ caught Arab Times Staff Opinion Newswatch KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Nation- VIENNA, April 6, (AP): al Assembly Speaker Marzouq Efforts to bring the Unit- Al-Ghanim said he will not slip ed States back into the KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait said into the swamp of offending oth- King Abdullah ... Prosperity breeds stability 1,357 people tested positive for ers, which is part of the systematic 2015 deal on Iran’s nucle- coronavirus while 12 related campaigns conducted by some ar program stepped up a deaths were reported on Monday, parties, asserting he will always gear Tuesday as Iran and taking the total up to 238,549 and follow the right path and that sev- Here it is necessary to admit to ‘Development’ nod the five world powers still 1,365, respectively, according to eral facts will be revealed soon. By Ahmed Al-Jarallah the health ministry. In a press statement, Al- Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times the man that he created an important in the accord were meet- Another 1,326 people were Ghanim pointed out the political kingdom. He knew how to utilize its ing in Vienna while the cured of the virus, raising the total field recently witnessed financed JORDAN’S important status in the strategic position to make it the focus of those to have overcome the dis- world has been highlighted by the Kuwait reaffirms U.S. is due to start indi- campaigns, including unprece- of the world’s attention. He worked ease to 223,269, ministry spokes- dented groundless claims and lies overwhelming international support on an advanced system of legislation rect talks with Tehran. man Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad told Friday’s announcement against him, the MPs and senior it received for the measures taken by that strengthened its role and fortified Jordan solidarity a press conference. officials. He disclosed that they its monarch to protect the stability of the monarch. He cemented the loy- that Washington and Tehran The number of people hospi- claimed he prevented journal- the country from the intrigues of some. alty of the armed forces and the clans KUWAIT CITY, April 6, (KUNA): would begin indirect talks talised with the virus currently stands at 13,915, with 216 of them ists from entering the Assembly It is also evidenced from the great that saw in him great works to build Kuwait’s Cabinet has stressed that through intermediaries was building and they circulated pho- solidarity shown by the people of the in intensive care units, he added, a strong and solid kingdom, as the its leadership and people stand in one of the first signs of tan- revealing that some 8,371 swab toshopped footages and pictures Middle East, especially the Arabian events of the past two decades have full solidarity with Jordan, affirm- gible progress in efforts to re- tests were conducted over the last on social media which are totally Gulf region, which began in the early proven. ing that the Hashemite Kingdom’s turn both nations to the terms day out of a total of 2,100,948. wrong. hours of the intrigues that emerged in Nonetheless, as a Kuwaiti, I am bit- security and stability is an integral of the accord, which restricted (KUNA) He thanked the Kuwaiti people Amman. ter about his support towards Saddam part of its own security and stabil- Iran’s nuclear program in re- ❑ ❑ ❑ – his supporters or those against All this is due to the balance main- Hussein during the Iraqi invasion of ity. turn for relief from U.S. and him – who rejected the unprec- KUWAIT CITY: His Highness the edented offending of others and tained in its international relations. Kuwait. However, I was certain from This came after the ministers, in international sanctions. Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad The late King Hussein bin Talal had my interactions with him in London Then-President Donald Trump low level of dialogue among their weekly session at Seif Palace Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable of some politicians who used deca- invested over five decades of perse- and Amman that the man must return led by His Highness the Prime Min- pulled the U.S. unilaterally out condolences to the President of the verance in strengthening the pillars of the accord in 2018, opting Republic of Madagascar Andry dent language. to his purity and Arabism ... but time ister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamd He expressed gratitude as well of the monarchy, and steadfastness in was not on his side. Al-Sabah, were briefed on the dis- for what he called a maximum Rajoelina, expressing his sorrow the face of the earthquakes that struck pressure campaign of stepped-up over the demise of late President to all those who communicated Given that this cub comes from that cussions that earlier took place be- with him through short messages the country, and for creating a politi- U.S. sanctions. Didier Ignace Ratsiraka. lion, Jordanians, Arabs and the world tween His Highness the Amir and In his cable, His Highness the or their published articles; stress- cal path that made it the focus of the view King Abdullah II as a comple- Since then, Iran has been His Highness the Crown Prince, and steadily violating the restric- Amir extended his condolences ing that the abovementioned world’s attention. ment to his father’s path. They expect the King of Jor- to the family of the late president. campaigns will not affect him During the 48 years of King Hus- tions in the deal, like the amount him to surpass his teacher in moderniz- dan. of enriched uranium that it can (KUNA) and will not force him to change sein’s rule, Jordan was the focus of ing the country in accordance with the During the ❑ ❑ ❑ his path. Western media attention in terms of stockpile and the purity to which Arab proverb which translates – “How call, His High- it can enrich it. Tehran’s moves He warned his supporters and the initiatives it presented the steadfast KUWAIT CITY: Standard & the silent majority of the people many students have become better than ness the Amir have been calculated to pressure Poor’s Ratings Services affi rmed positions it maintained concerning the their teachers?” the other nations in the deal - its AA- long-term issuer and fi nan- against reacting to such offensive Arab-Israeli conflict, the way it over- Sheikh Nawaf campaigns in a similar manner Currently, there are many oppor- Al-Ahmad Al- Russia, China, France, Germany cial strength credit ratings on the looked the wounds caused by Jamal tunities available to Jordan, and all and Britain - to do more to offset Arab Investment & Export Credit as this act contravenes Islam, as Abdul-Nasser, and its support towards Jaber Al-Sabah well as the Kuwaiti and parlia- of them could turn into historical and His High- crippling U.S. sanctions reim- Guarantee Corporation Dhaman. Egypt in the Six-Day War. achievements credited to the current posed under Trump. In its recent report, standard & mentary traditions. It is understood from the start that ness the Crown President Joe Biden came into Poor’s said that its issuer credit He added that one part of the king. This includes developing in- Prince Sheikh any setback for an Arab country is a vestments, building a system by tak- office saying that getting back into ratings on Dhaman are based on upcoming session will be allocat- S&P’s assessments of Dhaman’s ed for revealing facts, while the setback for everyone. The Arab image ing advantage of the opportunity of Al Khaled Mishal Al-Ah- the accord and returning Iran’s drawn in the Western mindset must be mad Al-Jaber nuclear program to international strong business profi le and strong other part will be announced soon. peace that relieved Jordan of heavy fi nancial profi le, supported nota- Meanwhile, MP Yousef Al- changed for the better, especially the burdens and paved the way to over- Al-Sabah had both insisted that restrictions was a priority. But the country stands by the brotherly Iran and the United States have bly by its capital adequacy and Fadala unveiled his plan to resign perception about the Arab monarchs, come the escalating unemployment excellent liquidity. (KUNA) from the Assembly; emphasizing as the Western circles had worked on Kingdom of Jordan. disagreed over Iran’s demands ❑ ❑ ❑ crisis through a large industrial and that sanctions be lifted first. that he will not change his deci- distorting their stances and courses of agricultural infrastructure, building They wished Jordan continued sion and will divulge his reasons stability and prosperity, under the Senior foreign ministry officials KUWAIT CITY: The Ministry of development. a real partnership among Jordanian, from the countries still in the ac- Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has for doing so later. In response to these fallacies, the Gulf, Israeli and Western business- wise leadership of King Abdullah MP Saleh Zeiab Al-Mutairi II, praying that the Kingdom and its cord, known as the Joint Com- started taking measures to curb late King Hussein bin Talal worked on men, and opening western markets prehensive Plan of Action, were marginal employment that spread submitted a proposal to assign two paths. The first path was to ensure to Jordan to overcome all of its eco- people be protected from any harm. holding a European Union-chaired in its departments and sectors, re- the parliamentary Education, internal development by developing nomic challenges. Meanwhile, Health Minister meeting Tuesday in Vienna. ports Al-Jarida daily quoting reli- Culture and Guidance Affairs human beings using an advanced edu- This matter needs special effort from Sheikh Dr. Basel Al-Sabah briefed Also due in the Austrian capi- able sources. Committee to prepare a report cational system. For this, he was called King Abdullah II, who will undoubted- the ministers on the latest develop- tal is a U.S. delegation headed by Sources said the Administra- on the readiness of the Ministry the Builder King. Working throughout ments on the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration’s special en- tive Affairs Sector recently sent a of Education for the paper ex- ly find a great turnout of investors and letter to a company which signed the country steadily and calmly, he was states. Indeed, loans will be poured into warning that infections and virus- voy for Iran, Rob Malley. State amination of grade 12 students; a contract with the ministry de- indicating the report should be eventually able to place the country on Jordan, which ultimately will lead to induced deaths in Kuwait are wit- Department spokesman Ned manding for the termination of 74 the map of the world as an important nessing an “unprecedentedly large Price said talks will be structured referred to the Assembly within the closure of the outlets for trolls in the print workers in different depart- two weeks. and sovereign state. waters of its stability crisis. We hence increase,” due to a laxity in adher- around working groups that the ments; indicating the list includes Europeans will form with the citizens, Bedouns and expatriates He called for cancellation of The second path was manifested in reiterate, “Prosperity breeds stability.” ing to government-imposed mea- the paper exams due to the risk of his international campaign to correct other parties to the accord. -- 14 of whom are assigned in the sures. Price said Monday the talks coronavirus infection. He added the image of the Arab monarchs. Their Email: [email protected] The Ministry of Health was Financial Affairs Department and are a “healthy step forward” but 12 in the Department of Islamic that since the students started the leaders were presented to the Western Follow me on: tasked with providing the Minis- added that “we don’t anticipate Studies (Farwaniya and Jahra). online education, they should world in the correct manner, and the try of Education with preventative an early or immediate break- ❑ ❑ ❑ end the academic year using the preconceived conclusions that some equipment (face masks, sterilisers, through, as these discussions, we same method. orientalists had formed in the Western disinfectants, thermometers and fully expect, will be difficult.” DUBAI: Police in Dubai have ar- Talking about the oil sector mindset were eliminated. [email protected] “We don’t anticipate at present rested a Russian citizen for fi lming which will conduct interviews other protective gear) ahead of sec- several naked women on a high- ondary school 2020/21 final exami- that there will be direct talks with to recruit engineers soon, Al- rise balcony in the city, a Russian Mutairi hopes for the recruitment nations. Iran,” he said. “Though of course diplomat said Tuesday, after foot- Furthermore, the Cabinet referred we remain open to them. And so age of the nude photo shoot went of a large number of Kuwaiti an Economic Affairs Committee we’ll have to see how things go.” viral and prompted a crackdown in engineers; especially since the Joint Gulf security critical: Kuwait the Gulf Arab sheikhdom. number of vacancies is higher recommendation regarding the an- Also: than the number of applicants. nual 2020/21 third quarter plan More than a dozen foreign KUWAIT CITY, April 6, (KUNA): Under- speech the secretaries of the Interior Min- TEHRAN: Iranian authorities ar- women who had posed naked in He stressed the need for the oil secretary of Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior istries in the GCC countries, stressing the follow-up report to the National As- rested several people on charges the photo shoot were detained, but sector to contribute in solving the (MoI) Lieutenant General Essam Al-Na- depth of security relations between them sembly. of spying for Israel and other na- only the photographer carried Rus- unemployment issue since it is a ham has underlined the importance of uni- and the continuous coordination to reach It also approved a draft law re- tions, state TV announced Mon- sian citizenship, Ivan Gubanov, large sector which is supposed to fying security efforts among the countries the Gulf security integration that everyone garding the Economic Affairs Com- day. the Russian vice consul in Dubai, hire graduates from all special- of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), seeks. mittee recommendation for the An unnamed Intelligence told The Associated Press. (AP) izations. through cooperation and coordination be- He thanked and showed gratitude to the 2020/21-2024/25 development plan, Ministry official in the coun- ❑ ❑ ❑ On the other hand, MPs Abdul- tween various security sectors to deal with Secretariat General of the GCC for their raising the matter to His Highness try’s eastern Azerbaijan prov- DUBAI: Ten offi cials have been lah Al-Mudaf, Muhannad Al- crime in all its forms. great efforts in strengthening joint Gulf se- the Amir ahead of its final approval ince was quoted by state TV as indicted in Iran over the 2020 Sayer, Badr Al-Mullah, Hassan Al-Naham made these remarks in a curity coordination and cooperation. by the National Assembly. saying that security forces had military shootdown of a Ukrain- Jawhar and Mehalhal Al-Mudaf detained a group of people sus- ian passenger plane that killed submitted a bill to amend Law speech at the 11th meeting of MoI’s under- The meeting discussed common security The Committee’s recommenda- pected of spying for Israel and No. 20/2014 regarding online secretaries in the GCC countries, held in issues that contribute to strengthening the tion on the annual 2021/22 develop- 176 people, a prosecutor said other unspecified countries. The Tuesday, an announcement com- transactions. The bill is aimed Riyadh, through video conferencing. process of joint Gulf security cooperation ment plan, the policies of which are brief report did not provide fur- ing just as Tehran begins indirect at obligating the government to A statement issued by MoI’s General in the GCC countries, identifying the latest based on the seven-pillar ‘New Ku- ther details on the nationalities of negotiations with the West over its enforce online transactions in Department of Security Relations and Me- developments in the region, and coordinat- wait’ development plan, were also the suspects or provide evidence collapsed nuclear deal with world all institutions within a period of dia said that Al-Naham welcomed in his ing efforts as required at the current stage. raised to the National Assembly. to support the espionage charges. powers. (AP) two years. ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 2

Give and take … trial and error

The close, hands-on relationship between humans and date palms continues to this day. At the plant nurseries on the Fourth Ring Road, Abu Hamza is selling the spathes of the male date palm, to be used in hand pollination. Abu Hamza is originally from Ahvaz, a town in Khuzestan province in southwest Iran that‘s a traditional date

growing region. He stems Main picture: The fl ower bunches on our date palm after having been hand pollinated. Inset: The male date palm spathe after it has been opened and is ready to be used from a long line of date palm for pollination. Story and photos by Claudia Farkas Al Rashoud cultivators and for the last 25 Special to the Arab Times years has been offering his f all the plant species that have developed into an Date palms are either male or female, with the pod. Inside are many long, thin floral branches crowded Oagricultural crop during the course of human histo- male trees producing flowers with pollen and the fe- together. In spring, when the male flowers reach their ry, perhaps none is so intimately connected with people male trees producing only flowers. Since the flowers maturity, the spathes change color from green to a more services and expertise to date as the date palm. Archaeological evidence points to date have no scent the bees are not attracted to them and brownish shade and then split open. This is the time to cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula from the Bronze consequently play a very limited role in pollination, harvest them and use them for pollination. Age. There are those who claim that had the productive as is the case with other insects and the wind. If the Abu Hamza and other date palm cultivators at the palm owners in Kuwait. relationship between people and date palms not existed, male date palms do not grow in close proximity to nurseries offer their services for this job for a small fee. habitation and exploration of this hot, dry area would the females, natural pollination is very limited. That’s Since our house helpers have learned how to pollinate have been much more limited in ancient times. why Abu Hamza and a host of other date palm cultiva- date palms, we buy a spathe from Abu Hamza for one As the source of a non-perishable super food, shade, tors can be seen lined up outside the nurseries, selling dinar and take it home to do the pollination ourselves. and shelter, the date palm made life possible in the male spathes for hand pollination. We only have one date palm and it wasn’t planted harshest conditions. People also discovered how to make The origins of hand pollination extend far back into intentionally. Some years ago someone passing by our a wide variety of products used for agricultural produc- the mists of time. According to an online article titled house must have dropped a date stone in the corner tion and daily life from all parts of the tree. Ethnoecology of pollination and pollinators published in of our front garden. It sprouted and grew and we now ratios Had the date palm merely been left to grow unat- the Revue d’ethnoecologie, “the technique of hand pol- have a date palm about two meters high. Last summer it tended, without human attention, the crops it produces lination is documented through iconographic and textual produced a generous crop of red dates, probably of the would not be substantial. It was only through a long ex- sources, some of which date back to the third millennium khanezi or khasab variety, which are among the more perimental process that people learned what actions to B.C.E…. The Code of Hammurabl, the Babylonian law than 600 types of dates grown in the region. Out of these carry out in each season and in each stage of growth, so code of ancient Mesopotamia dating back to about 1754 many different kinds, however, there are usually just a that productivity increased. B.C.E.,…offers a consensual textual source for this prac- couple dozen varieties available in the local market. The close, hands-on relationship between humans tice, and we can ascertain that date palm pollination was Since our tree is not very tall it makes pollinating and date palms continues to this day. At the plant nurser- practiced in Mesopotamia as early as the Old Babylonian and later picking the dates an easy task, except for being ies on the Fourth Ring Road, Abu Hamza is selling the Period, 20th to 19th centuries B.C.E.” very careful not to get poked in the eye by the long sharp and spathes of the male date palm, to be used in hand pol- Under natural growing conditions, palm trees in palm fronds. To pollinate the female tree a few strands lination. Abu Hamza is originally from Ahvaz, a town in the wild would usually maintain an approximately of male flowers with pollen are cut from a freshly opened Khuzestan province equal number of male and female trees. Human cul- spathe and are placed lengthwise between the strands of in southwest Iran tivators adjusted this ratio when they learned that the female flowers. As they do this, working their way that‘s a traditional a single male palm can pollinate between forty to around the tree, the hands of our house helpers are soon date growing region. fifty female trees. covered in white sticky pollen dust. A long, thin strip of He stems from a long Mature male date palms can produce between five to palm frond is used to gently tie up each branch of female line of date palm cul- ten spathes each year while adult female palms can have flowers, securing the male flowers that have been placed relationships tivators and for the as many as twenty flower spathes annually. A Bahraini in the middle. last 25 years has been lady once told me that she grew up in a home with a Our date palm has ten flower spathes this year. Now offering his services garden filled with date palms. In spring, if spathes from that they have all been pollinated we just have to water and expertise to date male trees were plentiful, the children were given some the tree regularly. In summer, when the dates turn from palm owners in Kuwait. of the blossoms to eat and it was always considered a green and in this case to red, we will tie some netting “When it comes to date palms, for everything there is special treat. Date palm blossoms and pollen are also around them to protect them from the birds. When they a season,” says Abu Hamza. “There is a time to fertilize, used for traditional folk medicines among people in date have ripened we can enjoy nature’s bounty, the result a time for irrigation, a time to trim and a time to polli- growing regions. of a long and remarkably fruitful relationship between nate. Now is the season for pollination.” The male spathe looks something like a long seed- people and date palms.

editor’s choice ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 3

Weather Expected weather for the next erate north westerly wind with Jahra 35 18 Prayer Timings 24 hours: speeds of 12-30 km/h and some Failaka Island - - By Day: Rather hot with light scattered clouds will appear. Salmiyah 31 20 Fajr ...... 04:12 Asr ...... 15:23 to moderate north westerly wind Station Max Exp Min Rec Ahmadi 30 20 Sunrise .. 05:32 Maghrib .. 18:09 with speeds of 15-35 km/h and Nuwaisib 35 16 Zohr ...... 11:51 Isha ...... 19:28 Kuwait City 33 20 some scattered clouds will ap- Kuwait Airport 34 16 Wafra 32 17 pear. Abdaly 34 15 Salmy 32 13 By Night: Fair with light to mod- Bubyan - -

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

National Investment Co rallies 6 fi ls, Zain ticks down Kuwait bourse resumes ascent, volume hits 50-day high By John Mathews Arab Times Staff ▼ UUS$/KDS$/KD 0.30195/050.30195/05 KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Kuwait stocks re- ▲ Euro/KD 0.3570 sumed its ascent on Tuesday following last session’s retreat. The All Shares Index, af- ■ Yen/KD 0.0027 ter an early pullback, climbed 29.25 points to 5,850.34 pts helped by fresh buying in ▼ British £/KD 0.4186 some of the blue chips and other counters. The Premier Market sprinted 36.26 pts Indian Rs/KD 0.0041 to 6,410.19 points taking the month’s gains ■ to 86 pts while Main Market scaled 13.82 points. The BK Main 50 was up 12.51 pts ■ Philippines Peso/KD 0.0062 at 4,922.62 points. The volume turnover, meanwhile, hit a 50-day high as it extend- ▲ FTSE +78.31 pts at 12:50 hr, April 06 ing its rise to sixth straight session. Over 364 million shares changed hands – a 32 pct jump from the day before. ▼ Nikkei -392.62 pts at closing April 06 The sectors closed mostly in green ter- ritory. Technology outshone the rest with 5.63 percent gain whereas Telecommunica- ■ Gold 1715.85 per oz (London) tions sector eased 0.15 percent, the biggest loser of the day. Volume wise, Financial ▼ NYMEX crude $59.93 per barrel Services topped with 200.8 million shares and Banking Sector dominated in value ▼ Brent crude $63.40 per barrel with KD 52.41 million. Among the prime movers, Kuwait Fi- LIBOR rate 0.19975% nance House climbed 6 fi ls to 713 fi ls on back of over 15 million shares and Bou- byan Bank paced 5 fi ls to close at 750 fi ls. Of the 133 counters active on Tuesday, 18 National Investment Co rallied 6 fi ls after closed fl at. 12,875 deals worth KD 50.03 pushing 6.5 million shares while Boubyan million were transacted during the session. Petrochemical Co soared 37 fi ls to 871 fi ls. In the Banking Sector, National Bank YIACO Medical galloped 46 fi ls to KD of Kuwait was unchanged at 811 fi ls after 1.450 partly recouping Monday’s slide. pushing 2.6 million shares and Gulf Bank Zain eased 1 fi l to 601 fi ls and is lit- followed suit to end at 219 fi ls with brisk tle changed year-to-date while Ooredoo trading. Kuwait International Bank took in climbed 8 fi ls to 644 fi ls. stc shed 10 fi ls 1 fi l whereas Burgan Bank held ground whereas logistics major Agility took in 1 at 221 fi ls. KUNA photo fi l on back of 2.52 million share taking the Ahli United Bank BSC climbed 5 fi ls His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Tuesday at Bayan Palace, His Highness Sheikh Nasser month’s gains to 10 fi ls. Humansoft Hold- to 210 fi ls on back of 15.3 million shares Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. ing stood pat at KD 3.800 and Mezzan and Warba Bank inched 1 fi l into green. Holding dialed up 2 fi ls. Mabanee Co was Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait dialed up1 fi l and Audiences of HH the Crown Prince unchanged at 700 fi ls. Ahli United Bank Kuwait added 2 fi ls with National Industries Group was fl at at 187 a volume of 4.3 million. fi ls after moving 1.8 million shares whereas KIPCO was unchanged at 164 fi ls His Highness the Crown Prince of State for Youth Affairs Abdul- work prepared by youth cadres, untary charitable work, calling to Gulf Cable gave up 2 fi ls. Qurain Petro- Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al- rahman Al-Mutairi, Head of the aims to organize and support vol- show the world the bright image whereas Imtiaz Investment and Kuwait chemical Co clipped 2 fi ls and Integrated Real Estate Co edged 1 fi l higher to end at Jaber Al-Sabah, received Voluntary Work Center Sheikha unteer work in the country. of Kuwait that enjoys a human Holding Co inched 1 fi l to red. Jazeera Tuesday at Bayan Palace, His Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- His Highness during the meet- culture stemming from the values 116 fi ls and 139 fi ls respectively. Kuwait Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mo- Sabah, Rawan Yarub Al-Fawzan ing praised the efforts of Kuwait of the Islamic religion. Airways continued to stall at 710 fi ls after Investment Co took in 1 fi l whereas Inter- hammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. and Mohammad Nasser Al-At- youth in spreading the culture of His Highness also received the shedding 20 fi ls year-to-date and ALAFCO national Financial Advisors gave up 2 fi ls His Highness the Crown Prince wan, where they presented to His humanitarian initiatives around Governor of the Central Bank of too did not budge from its previous close of after pushing over 3 million shares. also received, Minister of Infor- Highness, an explanation on the the world, as he stressed the po- Kuwait (CBK), Dr Mohammad 210 fi ls. Aznour added 2 fi ls on back of 2.3 Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz) was mation, Culture and the Minister national strategy for volunteer litical leadership attention to vol- Yousef Al-Hashel. (KUNA) million shares. fl at at 86 fi ls whereas KMEFIC and Aay- The market opened slightly gap up and an Leasing slipped 3 fi ls each. KFCI rose slipped into red in early trade. The main 2.5 fi ls to 73.5 fi ls on back of over 3 mil- index plumbed the day’s lowest level of lion shares and KAMCO closed 0.7 fi ls in 5,814 pts and rebounded amid buying spurt green. Osoul Investment was down 3.5 fi ls in some of the counters. It dipped again be- at 73.5 fi ls whereas and First Investment fore clawing back to peak at 5,853 points and Bayan Investment scaled 3.5 fi ls each. No to bribery, power abuse past the mid-session and moved sideways Noor Financial Investment dialed up 1 fi l to close with modest gains. and Tamdeen Investment paused at 218 Top gainer of the day, Bayan Invest- fi ls. Kuwait Insurance Co gained 5 fi ls and Whistle-blowers will be protected: Nazaha ment rallied 10.8 pct to 35.9 fi ls while Al Al Ahleia Insurance Co darted 13 fi ls to Aqaria paced 9.96 percent to stand close 518 fi ls. Salhia Real Estate Co clipped 2 behind. Al Rai Media Group skidded 11.93 fi ls whereas Tamdeen Real Estate stalled at KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Director of Cases pct, the steepest decliner of the day and 240 fi ls. and Investigations Department at Kuwait Anti- ALOLA topped the volume with 32.7 mil- The market has been largely upbeat dur- Corruption Authority (Nazaha) Abdul Hamid lion shares. ing the week gaining 37 points in last three Mirroring the day’s gains the market sessions. It has rallied 74 points from start Al-Hamr stressed the need to take more meas- spread was skewed towards the winners. 77 of the month and is up 278 points year- ures to protect State agencies from bribery and stocks advanced whereas 38 closed lower. to-date. abuse of power, reports Al-Qabas daily. In a statement to the daily, Al-Hamr affi rmed the au- thority is keen on exerting tremendous efforts to conduct DGCA jobs on hold fi eld studies through the liaison offi cers who are coor- dinating with government agencies to prevent abuse of power just to get personal benefi ts and to prevent media- Airlines violating rules fi ned tion and favoritism in line with Article Four of the law on the establishment of the authority. By Muhammad Ghanem regarding violations of laws and circulars He said: “We are preparing databases and information sys- Al-Seyassah Staff issued by the DGCA related to the air tems, as well as exchanging information with the authorities transport market, and the committee issued and organizations concerned with corruption issues at home KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The Complaints decisions to fi ne these companies and initi- and abroad. This is in accordance with the prevailing legisla- and Arbitration Committee at the Gen- ated legal measures against them. tion. We request competent authorities to investigate financial eral Directorate-General of Civil Aviation The head of the committee stressed the and administrative corruption, uncover violations and abuses, (DGCA) discussed the violations com- need for the implementation of all laws and collect evidence.” mitted by airlines operating at the Kuwait and circulars issued by the DGCA to regu- He reiterated that Nazaha is keen on protecting whistle- International Airport in terms of non-com- KUNA photo late the work of the air transport market in blowers; reinforcing the principle of cooperation and partici- pliance with health requirements. Kuwait, stressing that this matter should Blankets, used clothes and other items seized during the campaign. pation with State, regional and international organizations; During the meeting the committee is not be tolerated and the rights of the state activating the role of civil society institutions and organiza- said to have listed 160 violations and ap- and travelers should be preserved. Raids on vice dens begin tions in combating corruption; educating members of society proved the fi nes slapped against these air- A reliable source told the Al-Qabas about the dangers of corruption; and expanding knowledge on lines. daily that the Directorate-General of Civil the means and methods of preventing corruption. The Director of the Air Transport De- Aviation (DGCA) has told the Civil Ser- He clarified that Nazaha has the right to ask the competent partment, Chairman of the Complaints vice Commission (CSC) not to approve Campaign to root out Jleeb ills authorities to take the necessary legal measures to terminate and Arbitration Committee, Abdullah Al- requests sent by DGCA departments for any contract in which the State is a party or to withdraw a Rajhi, also looked into the passengers’ appointment for now. KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The Assistant concession or sever ties if proven that the laws or contracts complaints and violations committed by The source said that the DGCA has Undersecretary for Public Security Affairs Written exams have been violated. He said the authority does all these in travel and tourism offi ces and airlines in stopped all letters issued regarding a re- at the Ministry of Interior, Major-General coordination with the competent authorities as per Article Five the presence of all members of the com- Faraj Al-Zoubi has embarked on a plan to quest for work in civil aviation saying no of the law on its establishment. mittee -- representatives of several govern- requests will be approved as of Monday. end all abuses inside Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and He added Nazaha continues to refer reports to the Public surrounding areas such as Al-Hassawi and 300 halls ready ment agencies. The source attributed the reason for Prosecution after completing investigations in a bid to prevent During the meeting, the committee re- Abbasiya, including suspicious activities corruption, prosecute perpetrators, seize and recover embez- stopping the appointment due to ‘over em- and practices, illegal storage of furniture and KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The Under- zled funds, and fulfill Kuwait’s obligations as per the United viewed all the violations of airlines oper- ployment’ during the previous phase and other abuses, reports Al-Anba daily. secretary of the Educational Facilities Nations anti-corruption conventions. ating at Kuwait International Airport and high salaries of administrators compared Al-Zoubi pointed out the campaigns in and Planning Sector at the Ministry examined the complaints referred to it and to other government agencies, as well as the area will continue unabated until the of Education, Eng Yassin Al-Yaseen, sought opinions on the complaints, dur- the possibility of them obtaining a shift al- goals of the plan are achieved. said the engineers working in the sec- ing which it also discussed 14 complaints lowance of up to 220 dinars. The source added the campaign will up- tor continue to maintain and equip 300 ‘21,000 shots every day’ root all abuses happening in that area over schools, which are designated to hold the years or rather decades. The source written exams for Grade 12 students, KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The government’s target is to in- added, the task cannot be accomplished reports Al-Jarida daily. crease registration for Covid-19 vaccine and give the vaccine overnight, but it will take time given the Al-Yaseen told the daily that work is to 1.5 million citizens and residents out of 2.5 million people complex situation. underway in full swing in order to ex- targeted before the last ten days of Ramadan, given the fact Al-Zoubi pointed out the public security pedite the completion of work at these the vaccination is the only way to reduce infections with the sector campaign is carried out in coopera- schools in accordance with the require- coronavirus, reports Al-Anba daily. tion with the Municipality inspectors and ments of the health authorities. The health sources said the reports are encouraging and that workers to remove waste following the ‘go- The sources pointing out the nec- the 650,000 people from now until April 22, when the imple- ahead’ from the Minister of Interior Sheikh essary maintenance is being done to mentation of partial curfew will be looked into corresponding Thamer Al-Ali and the Undersecretary of ensure the safety of air-conditioning, to the 10th of Ramadan, the Ministry of Health will have com- the Ministry of Interior Lieutenant-General lighting and other requirements for the pleted vaccinating one million people at the rate of vaccinating Essam Al-Naham. work of schools, in addition to prepara- 21,000 people every day. He pointed out these campaigns will be tion for the exams, theaters and physi- The sources went on to say during the next ten days, you extended and periodical at different times. cal education halls, which will be ready will have reached the vaccination of one and a half million out During the campaign large quantities of in sufficient time before the start of the of the total number of targeted people, which is 2.5 million, electrical items, furniture, used accessories exams. and a higher number may have been achieved under the plan and sponges were lifted which will be de- to administer the vaccine in clinics. stroyed in due course especially since these The sources added that, in normal circumstances, the vac- items were stored in a dangerous manner and Ministry of Health, will facilitate the cination rate of 60% of the population will have been achieved, which could cause fi re and destroy proper- participation of 300 teachers in training which is the initial percentage required to achieve community ties of others. courses on precautionary measures related immunity and return to normal life, which will entail the aboli- Regarding suspicious practices inside the to the rapid intervention process in schools tion of the ban. region, the source said, the authorities are as part of ongoing preparations for the pa- ❑ ❑ ❑ not oblivious to these activities, and in due per examinations slated for May 30, reports special teams will be deployed inside this Al-Anba daily quoting reliable sources. The Director of Graduate Affairs Department at the Dean- region and suspicious houses will be raided. In a related development, acting Un- ship of Admission and Registration at Kuwait University Fa- Al-Zoubi called on the citizens and resi- dersecretary of the Ministry of Education tima Al-Amiri announced 2,053 students have graduated dur- dents to support Ministry of Interior agen- Faisal Al-Maqsid asked Assistant Un- ing the fi rst semester of 2020/2021/2020, reports Al-Seyassah cies and report any practices that harm the dersecretary for Public Education Affairs daily. safety, health and security of society. Osama Al-Sultan to nominate one teacher She said the distribution of graduation certifi cates will con- ❑ ❑ ❑ and a member of the Examination Commit- tinue until next week. Al-Amiri explained in a press note, the tee in each school to participate in the train- lists of graduates have been sent to the Civil Service Commis- The Ministry of Education, in coordina- ing course, which will be conducted online sion, and that coordination has been established to extend the tion with the Civil Defense Department through the Microsoft Teams program. registration period at the CSC. ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 LOCAL 4 ‘Comprehensive salary’ to reduce dependency on oil revenues vital Gulf economies to be exposed to risk of increasing turmoil: experts

KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Oil revenues consti- tute the lion’s share of Gulf government’s rev- enues, which allows them HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad to maintain a low level of taxes. However, the large dependence of the citizens of Gulf countries on gov- ernment jobs of low pro- ductivity has a detrimen- tal effect on the private sector due to the decrease in specialized individual talent, reports Al-Qabas daily. Chief emerging market econo- mist at Bloomberg Economics Ambassador George with Minister of Finance Khalifa Hamada. in Dubai Ziad Daoud said, “The economies of the Gulf countries will be exposed to the risk of Indian ambassador calls on Minister Hamada increasing turmoil as the impor- tance of crude oil diminishes in KUNA photos His Excellency Ambassador of In- discussed bilateral relations be- ments. the global economy and its prices Minister Al-Mutairi, Head of the Voluntary Work Center Sheikha Amthal, Al- dia to Kuwait Sibi George called on tween India and Kuwait and delib- Both sides also discussed the Fawzan and Al-Atwan. Khalifa Musaed Hamada, Minister erated on ways and means of fur- latest regional and international de- fall. Instead of governments pay- of Finance & Minister of State for ther enhancing and diversifying the velopments, including on the evolv- ing huge sums of money on gov- Economic Affairs and Investment, already close bilateral ties across ing situation related to the ongoing ernment jobs of low productivity, Audiences of HH the Amir State of Kuwait. various fi elds and sectors, includ- Covid-19 pandemic and matters of these countries should give their During the meeting, both sides ing economy, fi nance and invest- mutual interest. citizens a fi xed monthly salary. His Highness the Amir Sheikh egy for volunteer work prepared by This may help facilitate the tran- Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah youth cadres, aims to organize and sition of these countries to the received at Bayan Palace Tuesday, support voluntary work in the coun- post-oil phase. His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mo- try. hammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. His Highness the Amir praised Electricity supplied to 3 new hospitals Even before the COVID-19 out- His Highness the Amir also re- break, the International Monetary efforts and contributions in the fi eld ceived Minister of Information, of volunteer work, stressing his sup- By Muhammad Ghanem Fund expected the exhaustion of Culture and the Minister of State Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies Gulf wealth amounting to about for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al- port to strengthen the joint work be- Indian Embassy offers shuttle service two trillion dollars by 2034. It indi- Mutairi, Head of the Voluntary Work tween the volunteer teams and the KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Accord- various authorities of the state. KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The All visitors to the embassy, es- cated that the countries of the region Center Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad ing to informed sources, the cost of Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Rawan Yarub His Highness also received Gov- Embassy of India in Kuwait as pecially the elderly, families with will fi nd it increasingly diffi cult to the new projects to deliver electric- fi nance their budgets and maintain Al-Fawzan and Mohammad Nasser ernor of the Central Bank of Kuwait ity to three new hospitals - Sabah, of April 6, 2021, has pressed into young children, and people with Al-Atwan, where they briefed His (CBK), Dr. Mohammad Yousef Al- service a ‘free-of-charge shuttle mobility issues who will be given their pegs to the dollar, and the maternity and cancer hospitals – is slowdown in job creation in the pub- Highness on the national strat- Hashel. (KUNA) an estimated value of KD 3 million, vehicle service’ from the entrance priority, are encouraged to use the of the Diplomatic Enclave to the shuttle service. lic sector may lead to unrest. reports Al-Anba daily. Embassy premises, says a press re- The operating timings of the Diversify They stressed that there is no de- lease issued by the embassy. shuttle service is from 0700 to lay in the delivery of electricity to This endeavor is part of the em- 1600 hours on week days. All Attempts to diversify the Gulf Other Voices any of the medical centers in the bassy’s commitment to address those using this service are re- economies have achieved only lim- country. and resolve all genuine concerns quested to adhere to all health and ited success so far. Several Gulf The sources revealed that electric- and problems faced by the Indian safety guidelines related to Co- governments have announced long- ity was connected to the new Jahra community in Kuwait. vid-19. term economic visions and plans to Hospital with the required capacity. reduce dependence on oil, but their Statement of Hajj Adel They explained that the Ministry results have not yet emerged. of Electricity and Water is commit- essary approvals are taken from the The Ministry of Electricity carried The most viable solution now By Ahmad alsarraf ral of a security minister with great ted to providing electricity hospitals Ministry of Health in the event of out radical maintenance of about 75 is for the Gulf states to grant their infl uence to prison, and before that adult citizens a monthly salary, or a THE former MP, Hajj Adel Al- held his brother accountable. and medical centers, except when periodic maintenance of secondary secondary transmission stations and Damkhi, said, he is wondering if it comes to radical maintenance for “comprehensive salary.” Instead of The era also referred one of the transfer stations that require com- hospitals during the period from hiring adult citizens in unproduc- those who abuse the opposition are which coordination is made and nec- most powerful and infl uential heads plete disconnection of electricity. 2017 until January 2021. tive government jobs, governments satisfi ed with the current situation of the ministry to the prosecution could pay unconditional monthly we are in and this era of corruption, and banned him from traveling. salaries regardless of a person’s sta- money laundering, human traffi ck- Don’t all these matters deserve tus, wealth, or gender. ing and trad- the praise and credit for the era? The concept of comprehensive ing in visas, All the devastation and corruption salary is the most appropriate solu- plundering the that you mentioned above is true, and tion now for the Gulf countries for country, the there are more because of your ob- several reasons. By excluding the military fund, stinacy and the opposition that you the Malaysian represent, and your unjustifi ed and option of government employment, and the Gen- governments will effectively push irrational insistence to overthrow eral Reserve the Prime Minister and the Speaker citizens to take up more produc- Fund, the fi le tive jobs in the private sector, and of Parliament, and presenting empty, of freedoms, absurd, inappropriate and unneces- the private sector companies will be imprisonment able to reduce the salaries of their sary interrogations with the same of youth, the logic and the tools which we do not employees while containing the im- situation of Ahmad alsarraf pact on new lifestyles”. agree with, but we understand. opposition Preserving the security and sta- Daoud stressed that the Gulf abroad, tampering with the national countries could fi nance the compre- bility of the homeland and its con- identity, and so on. tinued prosperity is above any con- hensive salary plan for their citizens I only represent myself and since sideration, and is higher than any by reducing the public sector wage I am not from the opposition and I material price paid because of the bill, and they could use their huge am against the opposition in many recklessness of some. This era not savings instead of using them for ways then I assume that I am one only deserves our respect, but also to other benefi ts such as energy sub- of those whom Haji Adel asked his be given the opportunity. All signs sidies. questions. indicate tomorrow will be better. He cited the example of Saudi First, no one is satisfi ed with the I have been taken by Hajj Adel’s Arabia where there are more than current situation if he has an iota of statement related to his dissatisfac- half of government jobs held by love for this country in his heart. tion with the level of freedoms. citizens and the government spends Secondly, it is clear what is This is indeed a matter for astonish- $131 billion annually on their sala- said above concerns the current ment and a feeling of shamefulness. ries, saying, “Cutting state salaries era which does not exceed a few How can those who represent in half would generate suffi cient months, and the problems of the the most extreme religious currents savings to pay 14 million adults state that have accumulated over talk about the absence of freedoms? a monthly salary of about $400 a the decades are placed on the shoul- What are freedoms in your view, month. People who have been cut ders of the new era, and this is not and can you explain them? off from government salaries can be fair Adel. We are not talking here about You were once a deputy in the the obvious and trivial matters, helped in fi nding jobs in the private heart of these events, what did you sector, or establishing new business- and they are really like that, such do to reform the conditions that you as the freedom to drink or wear es, or living temporarily on a month- describe as ruinous, but the truth is ly stipend until they fi nd work”. beachwear, or hold parties in ho- that you did exactly the opposite, tels. Rather, we are talking about Comprehensive when you slandered the best and real freedoms, such as freedoms cleanest Minister of Public Works of belief, so do you believe in Daoud indicated that the value of known to Kuwait, and pushed her the comprehensive salary will dif- them? out of offi ce after you conspired What about the freedom to pub- fer from one Gulf state to another against her with the support of your depending on its fi nancial and oil lish and say, do you really want it? hardline comrades in racism. It is What about the freedom to practice wealth and the size of its popula- indeed regretful. tion, adding that the governments religions and establish places of On what situation you are crying worship? will have to decide whether they out for – you who admitted one day will pay government salaries that Consequently, we say it will to exploiting your religious party be an honor for us if ‘Hajj Adel’ are suffi cient only to cover their ba- so that your company gets the right remains silent, and stops talking sic needs or allow less welfare. to manage many of the fl owers about freedoms in particular, and He said, “Since the comprehen- and coffee branches of the Patients not to weep over their loss and let sive salary will be linked to oil rev- Helping Fund in private and gov- others do the talking. enues , it will not lead to indefi nite ernment hospitals, without under- ❑ ❑ ❑ fi nancial coverage from lower crude going the bidding process. prices. Why not be fair and give this era e-mail: [email protected]. In the event of a collapse in pric- its right of appreciation after refer- kw es, the Gulf governments will not be able to obtain these salaries the same as those of the public sector. Kuwait participates in League confab The comprehensive salary in the Gulf countries, if adopted, would make the distribution of wealth less 12th grade students examinations among distorted than before, so the coun- tries of the region must provide a safe way out of the idea of depend- several decision issued during MoE meets ence on oil completely”. KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The recent Sources explained the decision to In conclusion, Daoud stated that, Ministry of Education meetings result- conduct paper exams is in the interest “Reducing total wages in the private ed in the issuance of several decisions of the student despite the current chal- sector will lead to reducing the costs related to the examinations of 12th lenges, especially since the situation of goods and services produced in grade students -- the most important of indicates the students’ degrees are not the Gulf region. Their prices will which is reducing the curricula by 25 to approved internationally if there is no thus become lower, making them 30 percent, reports Annahar daily quot- real measurement of graduate levels. more competitive. This would in- ing reliable sources. Meanwhile, Kuwait participated in crease their attractiveness at the lo- Sources disclosed the Public Education the meetings of the Fifth High-level cal and external levels and help Gulf Sector held meetings with the directors of Arab Conference on the Rights of the economies to diversify. Finally, the public schools to fi nalize the lessons that Child organized by the General Sec- comprehensive salary would pro- will be deleted from the curricula, while retariat of the League of Arab States vide a more equitable income distri- retaining the 70 percent of the exams; under the title ‘Best Practices for Pro- bution and transparency of oil earn- affi rming the level of any exam will be tecting Children from the Covid-19 ings and imports”. average and the questions will be direct. Pandemic, reports Al-Seyassah daily. ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 LOCAL 5 REMEMBER WHEN

Local Architecture

Sometimes two houses facing one another and belonging to water cistern stood. In daytime, there would be plenty of one family were connected by an archway as shown in this sunshine throughout the house. Invariably, a few stairs led to Photograph courtesy photograph. There were many beautiful archwaysa in old the roof, a much preferred place for sleeping during hot sum- Kuwait, under which people passed freely. mer nights. Close to the house stood the diwaniya, or men’s of The Center for Re- The architecture in old Kuwait is characterized by its suc- meeting place, with its private entrance and coffee-hearth in search and Studies on cess in “transforming the local values and way of life into ar- the center. It was there that the men of the house would en- chitectural terms,” as stated by a contemporary architect of tertain their guests. Kuwait and the work Kuwait. The Kuwaiti master builder, known locally as ustad, In nearby villages, however, houses were less sophisti- of Dr Yacoub Al- drew no plans on papers; he fi gured the proportions and made cated and blended beautifully with the surrounding environ- the plan in his mind. His success, however, in using traditional ment. Some were fi shermen’s homes; others, such as the Hijji in the book Old- techniques with locally available materials such as mud, gyp- romantic kubar, were retreats that belonged to city dwellers. Kuwait: Memories sum, coral and mangrove poles, is all too evident. They resided there in the spring when the desert bloomed A house or a mosque in old Kuwait was always built after the winter rains. (From the book ‘Old Kuwait: Memo- in Photographs fi rst around a courtyard where a brackish water well or a fresh- ries in Photographs’) published in 1996. Courtesy of The Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait

© N.M.M. diwaniya A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION ‘Opposition must work jointly, on one platform for nation’s betterment’ “EVERYONE realizes that the country has reached a bad stage. The political “All of this necessitates that the opposition meet on one idea and on an Al-Naham, who examines the circumstances of the deportation and has the horizon looks gloomy and the path of development remains unpaved,” colum- explicit project to save the country, not to achieve some electoral gains, a proj- authority to approve or reject, but the formation of a committee for this pur- nist Dr Hamad Muhammad Al-Matar wrote for Al-Jarida daily. ect that secures national reconciliation, lays the foundations for real political pose, from my point of view, will prevent exploitation by a specific segment, “The incidents of corruption and the number of corrupt people are increasing reform, and takes on the responsibility of saving the country. especially since there are expatriates who are partners with citizens in multiple coupled with dominance of the culture of private interest over the public, and “We are optimistic, and we realize that political battles are part of the demo- commercial projects.” that – without a doubt – due to the government performance and its practices cratic practice and we need to take a deep breath, if in the end people have to ❑ ❑ ❑ through multiple and effective tools found in the political arena. be victorious.” “This is what Kuwait is witnessing today as the country rides the wave of “Let us move away from the flatteries, and ask openly - For whom is unprecedented political crisis, which has paralyzed the supervisory role of the Also: Kuwait? Is it for all of us or is it for a particular category? If it is for all of us, National Assembly by disrupting the interrogations submitted against the “In response to a parliamentary question, Minister of Interior Sheikh Thamer then why do we still adhere to the concepts of discrimination or partisanship Prime Minister, taking shelter of the Constitution, and the political maneuvers Al-Ali announced the deportation of expatriates who were caught filming and for this group without the other?” columnist Dr. Ali Al-Zuabi wrote for that have preceded with no intention to get out of the selling judicial files, and that the measure was taken to ensure that expatriates Al-Shahid daily. crisis, but to deepen it and marginalize the options and do not exploit their jobs or evade legal measures through administrative or “If Kuwait is meant for a certain group only, then why insist that all Kuwaitis weakening the democracy that characterized Kuwait legal loopholes,” columnist Muhammad Al-Jalahmah wrote for Al-Anba daily. are first-class citizens? Why isn’t the nationality distributed to each group with during the previous stages. “Some may argue that the Ministry of Interior should have referred the its own color, and discriminate between groups by imposing concrete barriers, “Kuwait now needs another voice to pull the country ‘document thieves’ to the judiciary so they get punished commensurate to the as it happens in Brazil, for example? out of this situation and put in on the track of real offense they committed and not deportation, but in my opinion, these people “For someone who describes himself as a historian, he is supposed to reform. This voice can only be the voice of the com- have the financial ability to hire lawyers and stay in the country, so the faster remember the events of certain families, and denounce the events of the rest bined national opposition, and this is the real idea of the and more costly punishment for them is deportation, especially in light of what of society. In a book that is being incubated by the state, this is not only a opposition associated with democratic regimes through- we are suffering from due to the spread of the Corona virus. catastrophe in itself but also a disaster for the official political discourse to out history. “Administrative deportation is often right, especially when dealing with such insist that Kuwait is for all. “What we see now is popular anger which is impera- employees for betraying the trust given to them and the same can be said of the “Those who describe themselves as political analysts are supposed to tive for the national opposition to take upon itself to drugs pushers, but what I am calling for is for the formation of assistant under- remember the names of some union members in the 1960s and 1970s, and adopt a comprehensive rescue project, especially since Dr Al-Matar secretaries at the Ministry of Interior to compile reasons for deportation. deliberately forget the trade unionists from the Shiite tribes and sects. This is what we see among the young generation – the frustra- “In most cases there are incidents when expatriates are blackmailed by citi- also another indication that Kuwait is not for all. tion, which will have dire consequences for the country. zens through some sort of relationships and this can be used as a tool to oppress “To say with conclusive evidence to a former minister that a person is not fit “So far, the oil prices are still working in the interest of the government, and deport expatriates administratively when it comes to financial or commer- to lead the government sector he is responsible for because he is not qualified covering up its shortcomings, and enabling it to deliver the pension to every cial disputes, and this is what the Ministry of Interior or we as citizens cannot administratively, and the minister replies by saying, “Yes, but he is son of family. accept, as I suggest the formation of the committee to look into such issues so Kuwait”, as though others are the children of Tanzania or Tora Bora ... we “However, the economic situation is not reassuring, and it may lead us to the that no one is wronged or abused before he is deported from the country. wonder - Is Kuwait for all of us, or us alone or them alone?” unknown tunnel, especially with the absence of statesmen in the government “I largely agree with those who see that the administrative deportation is who can guide the country to a safe shore. entrusted to the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Lieutenant General Issam — Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli Egyptian kills compatriot ‘MEW adopts latest technologies’ Eye on malfunctions in water network Pakistani dies in Abdali mishap By Muhammad Ghanem place in determining the location the Kuwait Development Vision Al-Seyassah Staff of malfunctions or faults and 2035 and has introduced methods to By Munif Nayef rushed to a hospital in an ambulance but he died on the way. carry out repairs in the water net- keep pace with the increasing Al-Seyassah Staff Police are investigating the cause of the accident. KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The work. demand for water,” noting that the ❑ ❑ ❑ Undersecretary of the Ministry of This is in addition to giving citi- application of the mobile system is KUWAIT CITY, April 6: An unidentified Electricity and Water, Eng Jassem zens the opportunity to know the one of the best smart solutions pos- Pakistani killed: Two days after the death of two Al-Nouri, said the ministry is progress of the reforms being car- sible to monitor areas of water leak- Egyptian who murdered his 54-year-old Kuwaitis in a painful accident on Al-Abdali Road, a always adopting modern technolo- ried out by the ministry, to report age in fresh water distribution net- compatriot and room-mate has been Pakistani succumbed to his wounds at a hospital at the same gies and linking them to info sys- and see the work they carry out, and work, as well as it is one of the arrested. spot and his vehicle overturned for an unknown reason, tems to enhance customer service the speed of the ministry’s response smart methods adopted by the min- reports Al-Seyassah daily. ‘152’, pointing out that the smart to emergency center, ‘152’. istry to fix faults as soon as possi- According to a security source, the Ministry of Interior’s According to a security source, the Ministry of Interior operations room received a report on the quarrel happening ‘We Kuwait’ application is an For his part, Assistant ble. operations room received a report of the accident and the important step for the ministry to in the so-called ‘singles’ accommodation and by the time the Undersecretary for the Water Al-Roudhan stated that water securitymen and paramedics rushed immediately to the spot support its efforts in speed interac- police reached the source of the complaint they discovered Projects Sector, Eng Hamoud leakage from the network consti- and discovered the man had succumbed to his wounds. tion when it comes to complaints Al-Roudhan, affirmed that the tutes an obsession and a concern for the quarrel had resulted in the death of one of the fighters. The man’s remains have been referred to Forensics. It is about water distribution network. Ministry of Electricity and Water the ministry because it is considered The victim was allegedly stabbed with a knife and was noteworthy to mention the Abdali Road during the past Al-Nouri indicated the smart has not neglected its efforts over the a material loss, pointing out that the week witnessed several program through the mobile past years to provide water to citi- efforts of the Kuwait Water traffic accidents some of phone detects the wrong behav- zens until now, and this tremendous Association were and are still which resulted in deaths iors of water consumption and is development is followed by the appreciated by the Ministry’s and one of the causes is the one of the quick solutions to solve huge amount of doubling water pro- departments because of their role in potholes on the road. the problems that the water distri- duction over the past years to meet promoting the concept of water sus- ❑ ❑ ❑ bution network suffers from, so the growing demand for fresh tainability because it has adopted Contractor dies: A Syri- that it is followed up on an up-to- drinking water. initiatives that support the state’s an working as a contractor date basis, as it provides workers He added, “The Ministry has a efforts in the governorate on the fell to his death from a in the emergency sector time and clear vision that is consistent with water reserves of the state. house under construction in a suburb of Surrah. According to a security source, the Ministry of News in Brief Interior’s operations room received a notification about the incident and immediately the security- Misprint regretted: The Arab Times newspaper in its Committee, reports Al-Anba daily. men and paramedics went Friday/Saturday issue, April 2-3 published an article In this regard, KPC stressed the need to cancel the to the site, and discovered ‘Mekrad meets Polish envoy’. The name of the envoy proposed text of the law that contains the requirement to the 40-year-old Syrian was inadvertently mentioned as Paul Schweiz. The cor- consider working in government-owned companies with- was supervising the work rect name is Pawel Lechowicz. The error is regretted. in the definition of a public position. when he lost balance and ❑ ❑ ❑ It explained that state-owned companies, including fell. subsidiaries and those wholly owned by the KPC, are His corpse has been KNPC incurs losses: The Kuwait National Petroleum commercial companies established in accordance with Scene of the accident. referred to Forensics. Police Company (KNPC) has incurred $183 million losses last the provisions of the companies law promulgated by law are investigating the inci- year, as a result of its increase in the quantities of fuel oil No. 1/2016, which are not public laws, but rather private 3 hurt in bus-tanker collision dent. production, as the selling price of fuel oil is less than the laws without changing that it is owned by the state. ❑ ❑ ❑ average price of purchasing crude oil, reports Al-Qabas Accordingly, the jobs in these companies are not con- daily. Three expatriates were treated for non- The daily added, the injured men were Duo doing drugs: Two sidered as public jobs, just as the workers in these com- The sources pointed out that despite the decrease in the serious injuries at the Al-Adan Hospital, riding in the bus. Personnel from the Kuwaitis, who were under panies are not public employees. selling price of fuel oil and the company incurring addi- following a collision between a bus and General Traffic Department (GTD) are the influence of drugs, have Therefore, according to the general principle, work in tional losses, the company continued to increase its pro- a water tanker, reports Al-Anba daily. investigating the cause of the accident. been referred to the state-owned companies may not be included within the Criminal Investigation duction in its affiliated refineries, as the percentage of definition of public employment, as stipulated in the Department, reports Al-Rai increase in the planned fuel oil product reached 85% at proposed draft law. ‘66,689 complaints received online’ daily. the Ahmadi refinery, and to 190% at the Mina Abdullah ❑ ❑ ❑ Personnel from the refinery. ❑ ❑ ❑ Drugs seized: Personnel from the General Admin- KUWAIT CITY, April 6 : The General The administration said in a press state- Criminal Investigation istration of Customs have seized 21 kilos of narcotic Traffic Department announced that since ment yesterday all complaints and reports Department (CID) have Draft law on employment: According to informed herbs which arrived from an unidentified European coun- May 2020 – the day the service was have been dealt with, saying 764 com- also seized from the men sources from the oil sector, the Kuwait Petroleum try, reports Al-Anba daily. launched – until March 30, 2021 it had plaints have been referred to the traffic four sachets of psychotro- Corporation (KPC) and Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) A security source said the air cargo men suspected the received 66,689 complaints on “WhatsApp” engineering department, while the police pic substances. have presented their opinions regarding the draft law on contents of the parcel, and upon searching it, the herbs number 99324092 – the service that has patrols dealt 21,441 reports of traffic viola- The suspects were caught public employment in the country which was discussed were found neatly packed. been designated to receive, reports and sug- tions, and 284 reports were dealt with by by police during a security by the parliament’s Human Resources Development The daily did not give more details. gestions, reports Al-Seyassah daily. the control room. tour in Hawalli. ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 LOCAL 6

World Autism Organization marks World Autism Day Society keen to support and care for autistic people: Al-Saad KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Chairperson ciple of cooperation between civil of the Kuwait Autism Society and the society institutions and care centers Kuwait Autism Center Foundation, Dr in Kuwait, since the establishment of MSA starts receiving delegates’ names for collecting Ramadan donations Samira Al-Saad, said the society and the Kuwaiti Autism Society in 2006, the center are keen to support and care one of its goals has been to support KUWAIT CITY, April 6: The prevention of gathering are fol- in order to control the donation concerned department, as the for the people with autism, and the activities of the Kuwait Autism department of charitable organi- lowed. process, especially since the del- deadline is this week. achieving community partnership Center, which was established in zations and donor associations According to informed sourc- egates will be getting a percent- Meanwhile, with the end of the between state institutions and the 1994 as the first educational center in the Ministry of Social Affairs es, ten delegates have been age of the total sums collected. legal mandate of five members of Kuwait Autism Center, which is an specializing in autism disability and has started receiving the names identified for each charitable After completing the vetting the board of directors of Rabya of delegates who will participate establishment that is participat- process of the names of the del- Cooperative Society, Minister of integrated model in care and develop- played a big role in expanding the in the collection of donations, ing in the project, but this can be egates, they will be referred to Electricity, Water and Renewable ment of skills for all ages and all citi- circle of care and training for col- reports Aljarida daily. increased to a maximum of 20 for the Ministry of Interior to check Energy, and the Minister of zens and residents, reports leagues in the profession in the Arab It stressed the need to exclude large establishments that have on the delegates’ good conduct Social Affairs and Community Al-Seyassah daily. Gulf states, whose effects are evident delegates whose work permits branches distributed over sever- and behavior, and ensure they Development Dr. Mishaan Dr Samira Al-Saad, who is also the on our students. are not under the organizations al areas in the country. After do not have a criminal record. Al-Otaibi is in the process of President of the World Autism “It is a center that can be replicated or societies that they represent. receiving the names of the dele- For the Bedoun residents, it will using his legal powers to appoint Organization ‘WAO’, said in a press as an integrated model in caring and With the approach of the gates, the concerned department be ensured that no security the board of Rabya Cooperative statement, on the occasion of World developing skills for all age groups month of Ramadan, the Ministry will work on ensuring that they restrictions have been recorded Society until the health authori- Autism Day, “Fifteen years have and for all citizens and residents of the of Social Affairs announced that are not registered in more than against them. ties allow the elections to be passed since the United Nations beloved land of Kuwait,” she said. collection of donations will be one establishment that is partici- The charity organization that conducted so that the board can declared April 2 a World Day for Dr. Al-Saad went on to say, “We allowed in mosques, provided pating in the donation project. wishes to participate in the exercise its legal duties and run Autism, with a Gulf initiative raised celebrate this year in the midst of the the regulations related to health Those registered with more than “Ramadan donation” should the affairs of the cooperative by the Gulf Autism League in 2007, Corona pandemic, which required measures, social distancing and one association will be excluded quickly submit a request to the society without any obstacles. when the world began celebrating this concerted efforts of all centers to pro- day and attract attention to autism vide care and educational programs in duced various activities during this Zoom application to shed light on dif- the latest developments in care. Dr. Al-Saad expressed sincere throughout April -- the Autism accordance with health requirements, period, including organizing a virtual ferent topics, and the transfer of expe- She indicated that an introductory thanks and appreciation to HH the Awareness Month. and to confirm the principle of social She added, “Every year, the centers distancing, as the Society launched a conference in cooperation with the riences between families about how contest will also be organized on the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad and concerned with the care of our chil- consultant initiative, which is an Kuwait Autism Center, providing spe- families deal during this pandemic.” Q8autism Center on Instagram pro- HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal dren, students with autism, compete to application that helps families provide cialized lectures on several topics, Dr. Al-Saad added, a specialized viding information and services it Al-Ahmad for their generous care for show their capabilities and spread educational and behavioral advice in opening the door for discussion seminar and initiative of a group of contains that help professionals and their children from the special groups, awareness of their qualities and the their homes during periods of lock- between specialists and the families of dentists in Kuwait will be organized, parents to benefit from lectures, publi- praying to God Almighty to protect support and care they need to help down and the closure of many regular people with autism, and organizing a hosted by the consultant Dr. Robert cations, or specialized consultations in Kuwait from all harm and to perpetu- them adapt to society.” centers and places.” meetings for different families from Nassif of the United States of America various fields that help the sufferer ate the blessing of security, safety and She stated: “To achieve the prin- She added: “The Society also intro- inside and outside Kuwait through the on World Autism Day to shed light on adapt to society. lasting prosperity. Govt has taken all measures to ensure food security: Bushehri

Co-op sector vital in meeting needs of citizens and residents

KUWAIT CITY, April 6: KUNA photo Governor of Mubarak Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majdi Al-Dhifeeri met Egpyt’s Ambassador Al-Kabeer Governorate, to Kuwait Tarek Al-Qouni on Sunday. During the meeting, the two dis- Major-General Mahmoud cussed bilateral relations along with regional and international develop- Bushehri spoke of the great ments. role the Kuwaiti Cooperative Societies Call for more support movement plays in the Gulf region, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Actor Al-Faraj main character He noted that this movement coincides with the values of coop- of ‘Kuwait New Film Festival’ eration and joint action that the KUWAIT CITY, April 6, Kuwaiti society has placed on it. (KUNA): The head of cinema sec- Bushehri said, during his visit to tor at Kuwait Artists and Media the Sabah Al-Salem Cooperative Syndicate Abdulaziz Al-Sayegh, Society in Mubarak Al-Kabeer and said Sunday actor Saad Al-Faraj the Al-Qurain Coop, on the occa- will be the main character of the sion of the approaching month of Kuwait New Film Festival, to be Ramadan, that the cooperatives held next May. sector makes many contributions In a statement, Al-Sayegh said and plays a remarkable role in Al-Faraj is one of Kuwait cine- developing regions and meeting ma’s pioneers, as his comprehen- sive career coupled with creativity Governor Mahmoud Bushehri with the president and members of the Sabah Al-Salem Cooperative Society during the needs of its residents, both citi- and exclusivity. the visit. zens and residents. Al-Faraj agreed to participate in He reiterated that the govern- the activities of the festival which Saad Al-Faraj ment has done everything neces- is considered one of syndicate Passenger’s negative result of COVID-19 test required sary to provide food security for achievements in Kuwait, full of accomplishments in addi- citizens and residents despite the Al-Sayegh said. tion to an artistic career rich in COVID-19 pandemic, stressing Al-Faraj called for more support achievements engraved in the Student visa applications continue: US Embassy the need not to store goods because to Kuwaiti cinema and the arts memory of the Kuwaiti, Gulf and they are available in all shopping industry in general, Al-Sayegh Arab viewers. KUWAIT CITY, April 6: Head of the centers throughout the year. added. The Kuwait New Film Festival visa section at the US Embassy Frank Al-Faraj has a cinematic career will be held next May 25-27. Tu announced that the embassy will Efforts continue to receive student visa He pointed to the specificity of applications in a limited manner, and the blessed month of Ramadan that it had resumed receiving applica- among societies, which leads to an Kuwait backs ‘climate change’ tions since August 2020, reports increase in commodity consump- Al-Qabas daily. tion rates, which places responsi- In a press statement, he explained action amid pan-regional talks that the embassy issued about 2,400 bility on state agencies and the Union of Cooperative Societies to DUBAI, April 6, (KUNA): Kuwait on tions, to discuss what more can be visas, including 1,200 for students, Monday agreed that it was time for done to expand policies to combat cli- exchange visitors and their families, exert more efforts. mate change on a regional level. During the governor’s tour in global action over the challenges fac- from the beginning of August 2020 ing the fight against climate change, Chief among the issues discussed until the end of January 2021. the Sabah Al-Salem Cooperative in line with the goals of the Paris amid the talks, attended by Kuwait Kuwaiti students are a top priority Society, he listened to an explana- agreement that aim to curb global Environment Public Authority chief for the US embassy. In order to pre- tion from the Chairman of the warming. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Humoud serve the health safety of the embassy Board of Directors about what the The talks, held virtually, brought Al-Sabah, was efforts to cut green- staff and visitors, the number of association’s management has together officials from across the house gas emissions to help cope with available appointments daily has Khayal Al-Ibrahim done to provide all the needs of Middle East and North Africa region, a rapidly changing climate, according been reduced. All employees and citizens and residents in terms of in addition to international organiza- to a joint statement after the talks. visitors are required to wear masks ‘Virtual Education’ launched basic and consumer goods in gen- and adhere to health requirements eral and Ramadan in particular at TGS features ‘DJ Aki’ and physical distancing. reasonable prices, which prevents Concerning the latest developments Khayal Al-Ibrahim, Director of include a discussion of the first regarding visas, Tu said, “The USA Al-Asmaa Bint Al-Harith Secondary axis, which is identifying the reality some merchants from exploiting Next Thursday, The Guest Show A multifaceted person, he is a School announced the launch of of virtual education in light of the the holy month to artificially (TGS) on Radio Kuwait welcomes painter, artist, DJ and producer. has taken innovative measures by the activities of the Gulf Education Corona pandemic, while on the Mohammed ‘Aki’ Mubarak – the Aki has pushed boundaries, defied exempting Kuwaiti applicants espe- increasing prices and place extra Forum under the title ‘Virtual second day successful experienc- burdens on the consumers. Star of FM 99.7. Head of the expectations and experimented cially students from personal inter- Education: Introduction to New es and initiatives for virtual educa- Department of Superstation at while creating his own space, find- views for visa renewal. This applies to Education’, reports Al-Seyassah tion will be presented, while on the Also: Radio Kuwait, Aki, as he is popu- ing his own voice. Tune in next the categories of tourist visas, medical daily. last day the future of virtual educa- larly known is a young Kuwaiti who Thursday as he shares his jour- and study emergencies, and students In a press statement, Al-Ibrahim tion after the Corona pandemic will KUWAIT CITY: The Minister of has lived life on his own terms. ney. of academic programs. indicated that the forum aims to be discussed in addition to work- Finance Khalifa Hamadah identify the reality of the experience shops diverse from GCC countries. affirmed that the estimated cost of Renewal in ‘distance education’ in educa- Al-Ibrahim hoped that “there will the project for building a private We were among the first US tional institutions and present suc- be benefit from all the countries of hospital for retirees is KD 200 mil- embassies in the region to do so. cessful experiences in the fields of the Gulf Cooperation Council during virtual education in addition to iden- the forum through which we see how lion - KD 243 million, reports Now, citizens and residents can apply tifying the latest theoretical and we can pass this period in light of the Al-Qabas daily. for renewal of a US visa without applied developments in this field students unable to attend schools so In response to a parliamentary undergoing an interview if the visa is in light of the Corona pandemic. that each of the participating coun- question by MP Osama valid for 48 months or more.” She indicated that the activities tries will present their initiatives and Al-Manawer, he indicated that the In light of the current COVID-19 of the first day of the forum will experience in education.” pandemic in Kuwait, we have tempo- obstacles that hindered the imple- rarily suspended routine business and said, “As of January 26, the note that presidential declarations are mentation include the delay in the tourism visa services. We are con- American Center for Disease still valid to suspend entry for foreign regulatory approvals necessary to stantly reviewing the situation, and Control and Prevention (CDC) nationals into the United States if obtain design and building permits we will resume normal visa opera- requires all passengers aged two they were physically present in cer- to start spending on the project tions when local health conditions years and above who enter the tain countries 14 days prior to arrival according to the budget allocated permit. United States (including American to the US. at the time due to the presence of Any cancellation of the interview citizens and legal permanent resi- Tu called on applicants seeking obstacles on the ground. appointment will be sent via mail. dents) to submit a negative result of emergency medical visas to attach He said, “A new obstacle Regrettably, cancellation is some- the COVID-19 test that is taken the necessary documents including appeared, other than the aforemen- times necessary to ensure the health within three days before departure, medical reports along with their tioned obstacles, after the safety of staff and visa applicants. or prove recovery from the virus 2019/2020 fiscal year. It was the Those whose appointments have within the last 90 days”. application, adding, “We will do our best to ensure that these travelers presence of a conflict with the been canceled can reschedule by vis- He explained that airlines are campus of Jahra Street by five iting our website - ustraveldocs.com. required to confirm a negative test receive treatment and any accompa- Temporary suspension of personal result, or ensure the availability of nying family members receive their meters on one side and 5.70 meters interviews of applicants for work or proof of recent recovery, for all pas- visas in a timely manner regardless of on the other side”. tourist visas can happen. We will sengers before they board the plane. whether there is a priority category or Hamadah stressed that the Public continue to receive requests for emer- They should refuse passengers who not. We will continue to process and Institution for Social Security is gency medical visas for applicants do not provide the necessary docu- issue renewal requests for all visa working hard to overcome these and their companions”. ments proving a negative test result categories that do not require a per- obstacles with the Kuwait Regarding PCR certificate, Tu or recovery. Applicants must also sonal interview.” Municipality and relevant authorities. The Guest Show poster ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 INTERNATIONAL 7

Asia

Drills near Taiwan China cautions Japan against US ‘team up’

BEIJING, April 6, (AP): China’s foreign minister cau- tioned Japan against teaming up with the US to counter Beijing, as Japan speaks up more on human rights in Chi- na’s Xinjiang region ahead of a US-Japan summit next week. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart in a phone call Monday evening that their two countries should ensure that their relations “do not get in- volved in the so-called confrontation between major coun- tries,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said. It quoted Wang as saying that “China hopes that Japan, as an independent country, will look at China’s develop- ment in an objective and rational way, instead of being misled by some countries holding biased view against China.” Japan, a close US ally that hosts major American naval and air force bases, shares US concerns about Chi- na’s military buildup and claims to territory in the South and East China Seas. However, its major trade and investment interests in China have at times reined in its criticism of its larger neighbor. Suga Japanese Prime Minister Yoshi- hide Suga is to travel to Washington to meet President Joe Biden on April 16 in what will be the US leader’s fi rst in-person summit since taking offi ce in January. Biden, in contrast to his predecessor Donald Trump, has stressed rebuilding ties with European and Asian allies as Indonesian women walk past a house damaged by fl ood in Waiwerang, on Adonara Island, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia on April 6. (AP) the US prepares for competition with a rising China. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi raised Indonesian rescuers dig for people buried in landslides human rights in China’s Xinjiang region and Hong Kong, both important issues for Biden. He also reiterated Japan’s Rescuers in remote eastern Indonesia were dig- Hundreds of police, soldiers and residents dug eral days as it moves south toward Australia. protest against China’s presence in waters around a group ging through the debris of a landslide Tuesday in through the debris with their bare hands, shovels and In addition to the dead, Indonesian disaster offi - of uninhabited, Japan-controlled islands that China claims search of as many as 21 people believed to be bur- hoes searching for those buried, efforts that were be- cials said at least 72 people were missing. ied in one of several disasters brought on by severe ing hindered by heavy rain. Relatives wailed as they Rescue efforts were being hampered by the in the East China Sea. weather in the Southeast Asian nation and neigh- watched rescuers pull out one mud-caked body, place weather and the remoteness of the areas affected. Motegi told reporters Tuesday that he expressed “grave boring East Timor. it on a bamboo stretcher and take it away for burial. Roads and bridges were damaged in many areas. concern and strongly requested China to take concrete ac- More than a dozen villages were affected by Sun- Landslides and fl ooding from heavy rains from Rescue personnel with eight excavators and tons tions” for improvement on those issues, including the hu- day’s landslide on Lembata island, which was trig- a tropical cyclone have killed at least 128 people of food and medicine were planned to be deployed man rights situation in the Xinjiang region. gered when torrential rains caused solidifi ed lava across several islands in Indonesia and 27 people in from Makassar city on Sulawesi island, but were being Some members of a foreign policy team within Suga’s from an eruption in November to tumble down the East Timor. Thousands of homes have been dam- hindered by a lack of sea transportation to the remote slopes of Ili Lewotolok volcano. At least 67 people aged and thousands of people displaced in the dis- islands, said the National Disaster Mitigation Agency conservative ruling party have called for his government have been confi rmed dead, according to Indone- asters, which could continue to worsen as the storm chief Doni Monardo. He called on the private sector to to take a tougher stance against China over the Xinjiang sia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency. is expected to continue affecting the region for sev- support relief efforts in these remote areas. (AP) situation. They say Japan should adopt a law to impose sanctions against a foreign country over human rights vio- lations. The United States, Canada, Britain and the European America Union have adopted such a law, and they say Japan is the only Group of Seven country without it. Japan has taken a softer approach by maintaining dia- logue rather than imposing unilateral sanctions. But Chief Fresh new path around GOP blockade Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato on Tuesday said Japan is open to the possibility of having such a law. “It is necessary to analyze and consider whether Japan should adopt a system that would unilaterally determine human rights violations and impose sanctions, taking into Biden boosted by Senate rules consideration various views including our ongoing human WASHINGTON, April 6, (AP): With any corporate tax increase would crush nance Committee, unveiled their own rights and foreign policies and trends in the international an appeal to think big, President Joe economic growth. framework for an international taxa- community,(asterisk) he said. Biden is promoting his $2.3 trillion in- “They know we need it,” Biden said tion overhaul Monday that could pro- Kato said it is important for each country to do what it In this photo released by the Taiwan frastructure plan directly to Americans, of the Republicans as he returned to vide an opening to Biden’s approach. can to improve human rights conditions. “Japan will con- Presidential Offi ce, Taiwan President summoning public support to push past Washington on Monday. “Everybody “We desperately need reform,” tinue to cooperate with the United States and other related Tsai Ing-wen visits those injured in the Republicans lining up against the around the world is investing billions said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., one of countries,” he said. Friday’s train derailment at a nearby massive effort they sum up as big taxes, and billions of dollars in infrastructure, those involved in the effort. Wang opposed Japanese interference in China’s inter- hospital in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, on big spending and big government. and we’re going to do it here.” Shepherding Biden’s proposal nal affairs in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, the Chinese state- April 3. Prosecutors in Taiwan on Sat- Republicans in Congress are mak- The standoff almost ensures a through Congress remains a work in ment said. urday sought an arrest warrant for the ing the politically brazen bet that it’s months-long slog as Congress hunkers progress, particularly in the evenly-di- owner of an unmanned truck that rolled Taiwan is another potential fl ashpoint, with Suga saying more advantageous to oppose the down to begin drafting legislation and vided 50-50 Senate, where Democrats onto a train track and caused the coun- costly American Jobs Plan, saddling the White House keeps the door open have the majority because the vice earlier this week that Japan would cooperate with the US try’s worst rail disaster in decades, kill- the Democrats with ownership of the to working across the aisle with Re- president from their party, Kamala on the issue. China regards the self-governing island as a ing dozens and injuring more. (AP) sweeping proposal and the corporate publicans, hoping that continued pub- Harris, can cast a tie-breaking vote. renegade province that should be under Chinese rule. tax hike Biden says is needed to pay lic attention will drum up support. But a single senator can break ranks China, in a signal to the US and its allies, recently sent for it. He wants the investments in to infl uence the size and shape of the an aircraft carrier group to waters near Taiwan for training roads, schools, broadband and clean Modest package. On Monday, Sen Joe Man- exercises. energy approved by summer. Senate Republican leader Mitch chin, D-W.Va., indicated he would On Monday, Biden received a boost McConnell declared plainly on Mon- prefer a corporate tax rate at 25%, low- Also: from an unexpected source. The Sen- day that Biden’s plan is “something er than what Biden is proposing. BEIJING: China is holding naval drills involving an air- ate parliamentarian greenlighted a we’re not going to do.” Seizing on Democratic divisions, Re- craft carrier battlegroup near Taiwan it says are aimed at strategy that would allow Democrats Speaking to reporters in Kentucky, publicans have signaled zero interest in safeguarding Chinese sovereignty, an apparent reference in the evenly split 50-50 chamber to McConnell said Republicans could undoing the tax cuts they approved with to Beijing’s claim to the self-governed island. rely on a 51-vote threshold to advance support a “much more modest” ap- Trump, and instead prefer a smaller in- The navy said the exercises involving the Liaoning, one some bills, rather than the typical 60 proach, and one that doesn’t rely on frastructure package paid for by user of its two aircraft carriers, are routine and assigned under votes typically needed. The so-called corporate tax hikes to pay for it. fees on drivers or other public-private budget reconciliation rules can now be A core dividing line is Biden’s effort partnerships that share the costs. an annual schedule. China has been steadily increasing its Macron Kielsen used more often than expected — giv- to pay for infrastructure by undoing Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member threat to take control of the island militarily with exercises ing Democrats a fresh new path around Donald Trump’s tax break for corpo- of Senate GOP leadership, said Sun- and incursions into the island’s air defense identifi cation the GOP blockade. rations, a signature achievement of the day a smaller infrastructure package zone by Chinese warplanes. Europe Senate Majority Leader Chuck Trump White House and its partners in of about $615 billion, or 30% of what In a statement late Monday, the navy did not say when Schumer’s spokesman welcomed the Congress. Biden is proposing, could draw bipar- the exercises began or how long they would last, but said parliamentarian’s opinion as “an im- The 2017 GOP tax bill, which all tisan support. more such drills will be held in the future. ‘Secret restaurants’ probed: Cham- portant step forward.” Spokesman Jus- the Republicans voted for, slashed the Administration offi cials have en- It said the exercises aim to “assist in improving the pagne, lobster and no masks: That’s what a tin Goodman said no decisions have corporate rate from 35% to 21%. It was couraged Republicans to talk more ful- ability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and French TV documentary says is on the menu been made on the process ahead, but supposed to usher in a new era of Amer- ly about what they dislike and would development interests,” terms often interpreted as being at one of multiple high-end “clandestine res- “this key pathway is available to Dem- ican investment and job creation, yet do instead, under the opinion that a taurants” catering to the Paris elite, in viola- ocrats if needed.” growth never came close to the prom- battle of ideas will only help Biden directed at Taiwan’s democratically elected government, tion of nationwide pandemic restrictions. which has refused to give in to Beijing’s demands that it The prospects for a massive infra- ised levels and the economy fell into a gain support with voters. What’s even more shocking to the newly structure investment, once a bipartisan recession because of the pandemic. The president has already met twice recognize the island as part of Chinese territory. confi ned French public — and exhaust- source of unity on Capitol Hill, have Biden proposes raising the rate to with bipartisan groups of lawmakers China operates two aircraft carriers, of which the Li- ed medical staff — is that one organizer cracked and groaned under the weight 28% and instituting a global minimum in the Oval Offi ce, and members of aoning, originally purchased as a hulk from Ukraine, is claimed government ministers are among of political polarization. Where Biden rate to dissuade companies from relo- Biden’s Cabinet leading the charge on the fi rst, having been operating in a combat role since at those who attend. sees an urgency in going big, Republi- cating in lower-tax havens. Democrat- infrastructure have also have placed least 2019. French authorities are investigating the ac- cusations, and government members scram- cans want a narrow plan that focuses ic senators led by Sen. Ron Wyden, dozens of calls to lawmakers on both US military offi cials and observers have recently warned bled to insist they’re behaving properly. on roads and bridges, and warn that D-Ore., the chairman of the Senate Fi- sides of the aisle. of increased Chinese threats toward Taiwan, which split Anti-capitalist activists and critics of from the mainland during a civil war in 1949. The US President Emmanuel Macron aren’t con- has recently agreed to sell upgraded warplanes, missiles vinced, and plan a protest Tuesday — ad- 220-euro ($260) meal, visitors in elegant at- Greenland election shows split: should allow international companies to and other defensive hardware to Taiwan and the island is vertised on social networks under the ban- tire shared cheek kisses and strolled a red Greenland is holding an early parliamentary mine the sparsely populated Arctic island’s also revitalizing its own defense industries, particularly by ner “Let’s Eat the Rich” — at one of the carpet. (AP) election Tuesday focused in part on wheth- substantial deposits of rare-earth metals. alleged secret venues, ❑ ❑ ❑ er the semi-autonomous Danish territory Lawmakers agreed on a snap election af- starting a submarine development program. The Paris prosecutor’s offi ce said Mon- ter the center-right Democrats pulled out of In a move certain to anger Beijing, the US Navy said day that an investigation was opened Sun- Greenland’s three-party governing coalition in the carrier Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group had day into possible charges of endangerment February, leaving the government led by the re-entered the South China Sea on Saturday to “conduct and undeclared labor, and to identify the center-left Forward party with a minority in routine operations.” It is the second time the strike group organizers and participants of the alleged the national assembly, the 31-seat Inatsisartut. has entered the waterway this year as part of its 2021 de- gatherings. One of the main reasons the Democrats ployment to the US 7th Fleet area of operations. A documentary that aired on French net- withdrew was a deep political divide over a work M6 over the weekend included a man proposed mining project involving uranium While in the area, the strike group will “conduct fi xed saying that he had eaten in two or three clan- and rare-earth metals in southern Green- and rotary-wing fl ight operations, maritime strike exercis- destine restaurants “with a certain number land. Supporters see the in the Kvanefjeld es, anti-submarine operations, coordinated tactical train- of ministers.” mine project as a potential source of jobs ing, and more,” the 7th Fleet said in a statement. The prosecutor’s offi ce said Monday that and economic prosperity. China claims virtually all of the South China Sea and the investigation is continuing despite re- Former prime minister Kim Kielsen routinely objects to the presence of foreign militaries in ports that the man featured in the documen- pushed to give the green light to mine owner tary had retracted his claim. Greenland Minerals, an Australia-based com- the area, especially the US Navy. The US Navy says it has Government members denied knowledge pany with Chinese ownership, to start opera- a right to operate in international waters, emphasizing the of any wrongdoing by their colleagues. Inte- tion. Erik Jensen — Kielsen’s recent succes- point by sending destroyers to sail close by Chinese-held rior Minister Gerald Darmanin asked police sor as Forward party leader — is opposed to features in the area in what it calls freedom of navigation to look into the claims. granting the company a mining license. operations. Beijing considers them highly provocative. M6 aired hidden camera footage that it Recent election polls showed the left- The US presence in the area also underscores its strong said came from two different private venues leaning Community of the People party alliances and other partnerships with countries from Japan in recent weeks, as a new virus surge swept (Inuit Ataqatigiit), a staunch opponent of over France and restrictions tightened. the mine project, in position to become the to Australia. At one venue, white-gloved waiters pre- largest party in the Greenlandic Parliament. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Sunday sented fi xed-price menus running from 160 The opposition party has stated that a ma- said Japan will cooperate with the United States to calm to 490 euros (around $190 to $575) per jority of Greenland’s 56,000 inhabitants, most rising tensions between China and Taiwan, saying Tai- person whose offerings included Cham- of them indigenous Inuit people, are against wan’s peace and stability are key to the region. pagne, truffl es with foie gras, and lobster the project, largely for environmental reasons. Suga is to meet with President Joe Biden in Washing- in ginger sauce. One host said guests don’t Kosovo’s newly-elected President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, with her husband Prin- The mining proposal is relevant beyond wear masks, despite France’s indoor mask don Sadriu and their twin daughters Dua and Anda (left-right, unknown), attend Greenland. The largely ice-covered island ton in coming days in the US leader’s fi rst in-person sum- requirements, because “it’s a private club. the presidential hand over ceremony in Pristina, Kosovo, on April 6. Osmani has the world’s largest undeveloped de- mit since taking offi ce in January. We want people to feel at home.” took over the presidency after being elected to the post during a two-day ex- posits of rare-earth metals, according to the At another venue, reportedly offering a traordinary session of parliament. (AP) U.S. Geological Survey. (AP) labor board says Amazon illegally fired outspoken workers Emily Cunningham, The National Labor Relations Cunningham shared with The In a statement, Amazon said it based company said. (left), speaks as Board has found that two outspo- Associated Press an email from disagreed with the preliminary Cunningham said the ruling Kathryn ken Amazon workers were ille- the NLRB, which said it found findings and said it fired the proves that they were on the Dellinger, (right), gally fired last year. that Amazon violated the rights employees for repeatedly violat- right side of history. looks on during a Both employees, Emily of the two workers. The govern- ing internal policies, not because “Amazon tried to silence us,” news conference Cunningham and Maren Costa, ment agency also confirmed on they talked publicly about work- said Cunningham. “It didn’t following worked at Amazon offices in Monday that it found merit in the ing conditions or sustainability. work.” Amazon’s annual Seattle and publicly criticized the case, adding that if Amazon “We support every employee’s Because of the ruling, Amazon shareholders company, pushing it to do more doesn’t settle the case a com- right to criticize their employer’s could be forced to offer meeting in to reduce its impact on climate plaint will be filed. After that, a working conditions, but that does Cunningham and Costa their jobs Seattle. (AP) change and to better protect trial could start. The news was not come with blanket immunity back, pay them back pay and warehouse workers from the first reported by The New York against our internal policies, all reimburse them for expenses coronavirus. Times. of which are lawful,” the Seattle- related to losing their jobs. (AP)

Market Movements 06-04-2021 Change Closing pts Change Closing pts AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries +69.71 7,133.91 JAPAN - Nikkei -392.62 29,696.63 S. KOREA - KRX 100 +12.88 6,741.70 CHINA - Shanghai SE -1.43 3,482.97 PHILIPPINES - PSEi +94.96 6,590.11 INDIA - Sensex +42.07 49,201.39 PAKISTAN - KSE 100 +856.49 44,404.70 Business Move could make it harder for companies to shift earnings offshore Yellen calls for minimum global corporate income tax WASHINGTON, April 6, (AP): US includes a $1.9 trillion COVID relief Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on package approved last month, to spur Monday urged the adoption of a mini- higher inflation. Former Treasury mum global corporate income tax, an Secretary Larry Summers, among oth- effort to at least partially offset any ers, has raised such concerns since the disadvantages that might arise from relief bill passed. the Biden administration’s proposed “I strongly doubt that it’s going to increase in the US corporate tax rate. cause inflationary pressures,” Yellen Citing a “30-year race to the bot- said, referring to the administration’s tom” in which countries have slashed infrastructure proposal. “The problem corporate tax rates in an effort to for a very long time has been inflation attract multinational businesses, that’s too low, not inflation that’s too Yellen said the Biden administration high.” would work with other advanced Yellen also said the United States economies in the Group of 20 to set a will step up its efforts at home and minimum. overseas to fight climate change, “Competitiveness is about more “after sitting on the sidelines for four than how US-headquartered compa- years.” nies fare against other companies in Treasury will work to “promote the global merger and acquisition bids,” flow of capital toward climate-aligned Yellen said in a virtual speech to the investments and away from carbon- Chicago Council on Global Affairs. intensive investments,” Yellen said. “It is about making sure that govern- That approach has raised the ire of ments have stable tax systems that GOP members of Congress, who say raise sufficient revenue to invest in it threatens the ability of the US oil essential public goods.” and gas industry to access needed The speech was Yellen’s highest- lending. profile so far on international affairs, Yellen also noted that many devel- and came just as the spring meetings oping nations are lagging in vaccinat- of the World Bank and International ing their populations, and have also Monetary Fund began in a virtual for- experienced harsh economic conse- mat. quences from the pandemic. As many “It is important to work with other as 150 million people worldwide will countries to end the pressures of tax fall into extreme poverty this year, competition and corporate tax base Yellen said. erosion,” Yellen said. “The result will likely be a deeper President Joe Biden has proposed and longer-lasting crisis, with mount- hiking the US corporate tax rate to ing problems of indebtedness, more 28% from 21%, partially undoing the entrenched poverty, and growing Trump administration’s cut from 35% inequality,” Yellen said. in its 2017 tax legislation. Biden also The Biden administration supports wants to set a minimum US tax on In this file photo, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen speaks during a news conference following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting in the creation of $650 billion in new overseas corporate income, and to Washington. Yellen on Monday, April 5, 2021, urged the adoption of a minimum global corporate income tax, an effort to offset any disadvantages that lending capacity at the IMF to address make it harder for companies to shift might arise from the Biden administration’s proposed increase in the US corporate tax rate. (AP) such issues, she said. Many earnings offshore. The increase would Republicans in Congress oppose the help pay for the White House’s ambi- mum tax that was included in Trump’s thing,” Auerbach said. “But this to a question from reporters. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., said that new allotment, arguing that much of tious $2.3 trillion infrastructure pro- tax law, from 10.5% to 21%. One would be a big deal because it would According to the Tax Foundation, a Yellen’s proposal was unlikely to make the funding would flow to relatively posal. focus of the OECD talks is whether get countries to coordinate their tax right-leaning think tank, the Trump much progress overseas. He also said better-off developing countries, such Yellen’s remarks essentially serve other countries will adopt similar min- systems in ways they haven’t before.” administration’s corporate tax reduc- Republicans should reverse any corpo- as China. as an endorsement of negotiations that imums. Biden’s corporate tax measure Also on Monday, Biden said he is tion lowered the US rate from the rate tax hike if they regain a congres- Yellen acknowledged that the addi- have been underway at the 37-nation would also penalize other countries “not at all” concerned that a higher highest among the OECD countries to sional majority in upcoming elections. tional credit would be distributed to Organization for Economic without a minimum corporate tax by corporate tax rate would cause some the 13th highest. Many analysts have “Spoiler alert: This effort will likely each IMF member, but argued that Cooperation and Development for more heavily taxing their subsidiaries US companies to relocate overseas, argued, however, that few large US fail and even if there is some sort of “significant resources will go to the roughly two years, said Alan in the U.S. though Yellen’s proposed global min- multinationals paid the full tax. agreement, it will be non-binding poorest countries most in need.” Auerbach, an economist at the Auerbach said that the OECD has imum corporate tax is intended to “We have 51 or 52 corporations because it is not a treaty,” Toomey said. Nations can also donate some of their University of California at Berkeley. helped foster other agreements around prevent that from happening. from the Fortune 500 who haven’t Yellen, meanwhile, downplayed the funds to the hardest-hit countries, Biden’s US corporate tax proposal issues such as bank secrecy. “There’s no evidence to that ... paid a single penny a day for three potential for the Biden administra- which she expects many will do, she includes an increase to the US mini- “There is precedent for this sort of that’s bizarre,” Biden said in response years?” Biden said. “Come on.” tion’s domestic agenda, which also added. ‘Serious lessons will be learned’ US services surge to ‘record’ Credit Suisse sees $4.7bn charge over fund default GENEVA, April 6, (AP): Swiss out by external parties,” and said high in March, survey shows bank Credit Suisse on Tuesday Brian Chin, the head of Credit announced the departure of two Suisse’s investment bank, and top executives and said it expects a chief compliance and risk officer one-time charge of 4.4 billion Lara Warner will leave the bank. Easing of restrictions pent-up consumer demand Swiss francs ($4.7 billion) in con- Credit Suisse didn’t identify the nection with a previously hedge fund or the other banks announced default of a US hedge affected, or give other details of fund on margin calls. what happened. News reports WASHINGTON, April 6, The Zurich-based bank said it identified the hedge fund as New (AP): The U.S. services sec- provisionally expects to report a York-based Archegos Capital tor, which employs most loss of 900 million francs for the Management, whose default also first quarter – though final figures ensnared Japan’s Nomura. Americans, recorded are still being worked out. Credit The Financial Times reported record growth in March as Suisse said it has suspended a last month that Archegos had large the easing of coronavirus share buyback program and exposures to ViacomCBS and reduced its dividend in the wake of some Chinese technology stocks restrictions released pent- the default. and was hit hard after a drop in up consumer demand. “The significant loss in our shares of the US media group in The Institute for Supply prime services business relating to March. Management, an association of the failure of a US-based hedge A margin call is triggered when purchasing managers, reported fund is unacceptable,” CEO investors borrow using their stock Monday that its nonmanufacturing Thomas Gottstein said. “Serious portfolio as collateral and have to index rose to an all-time high 63.7 lessons will be learned.” make up the balance required by The bank said it has launched banks when the share prices fall last month from 55.3 in February. two investigations “to be carried and the collateral is worth less. The old record of 60.9 was set in October 2018. New orders also hit a record, and hiring and prices grew faster. Anything above 50 signals US consumer watchdog eyes growth, and the services sector is on a 10-month winning streak since rebounding from the economic rules to prevent foreclosures impact of the pandemic last spring. LOS ANGELES, April 6, (AP): The 90 days late, according to the CFPB. If The March reading was much high- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau current trends continue, there still may er than economists had expected. said Monday it is considering new be 1.7 million such loans by September, The rollout of vaccines is encourag- rules aimed at averting a wave of fore- the CFPB said. ing Americans to return to normal closures later this year when millions One rule proposed by the agency life - shopping and eating out - and of homeowners are no longer allowed would prohibit mortgage servicers In this file photo, waiter Jose Bravo (center), delivers food for Alberto Castaneda (left), and his wife, Esther, at President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Picos restaurant in Houston. The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, to put off making their mortgage pay- from starting the foreclosure process economic rescue plan is also likely ments. reported on April 5 that the US services sector, which employs most Americans, recorded record growth in March to stimulate demand for services and before Dec. 31. The CFPB is also con- as orders, hiring and prices all surged. (AP) Last year, the federal government sidering whether to permit servicers to juice economic growth. suspended foreclosures and evictions initiate foreclosures before the end of “All the right pieces for a faster for mortgages insured by the Federal this year, in certain cases, such as if services recovery - expanded vac- Housing Administration as the corona- they’ve made efforts to contact an cine eligibility, reopenings, and his- virus pandemic left millions of people Stores in Greece open amid virus surge toric fiscal expansion - are falling unemployed. Fannie Mae and Freddie unresponsive borrower. The CFPB is also weighing a rule ATHENS, Greece, April 6, (AP): Retail stores across most Christmas holiday season. The prolonged closures piled into place,’’ economists Oren Mac did the same for borrowers in of Greece were allowed to reopen Monday despite an ongo- pressure on the economy. Klachkin and Gregory Daco of single-family homes with loans backed that would allow servicers to offer ing surge in COVID-19 infections, as the country battles to Greek economic output shrank by 8.2% in 2020 while the by the two mortgage buyers. The ini- “certain streamlined loan modification Oxford Econmics wrote in a tiatives offered borrowers relief for up options” to borrowers with hardships emerge from deep recession. national debt as a percentage of gross domestic product shot research note. to one year and suspended late charges caused by the pandemic, and changes Stores in greater Athens opened for pickup services only over 200%. About 16% of the country’s residents have Although debate on economic and penalties. to ensure servicers are notifying bor- but remain closed in Greece’s second- and third-largest cit- received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccination but policy often focuses on manufactur- As of February, nearly 3 million rowers of their options in a timely ies, Thessaloniki and Patras, because of fears of a more infection rates continue to rise. “Opening retail businesses ing, services - such as banks, retail- U.S. homeowners were behind on their basis. The agency is seeking public serious spike in infections. ... will provide a decompression valve for our society and ers and restaurants - account for home loans, with about 2.1 million input on its proposed rule changes Lockdown measures have been in force since early will help improve the implementation of (restrictive) mea- 71% of all U.S. jobs and 83% of mortgages in forbearance and at least through May 11. November, although shops opened briefly around the sures,” government spokeswoman Aristoltelia Peloni said. private jobs. ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 BUSINESS 9

AstraZeneca inks agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital

AstraZeneca has entered into a collabo- chronic illness management outside of a Through remote monitoring, AMAZE ticals Business Unit, said: “We believe the pathway to innovative digital health solu- ration agreement with Massachusetts clinical setting. identifi es at-risk patients and delivers AMAZE disease management platform tions that place the patient at the center of General Hospital (MGH), leveraging ro- This collaboration is being led by the insights to the clinical care team at the has the potential to transform the current care,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, President, bust data and clinical best practices to MGH Center for Innovation in Digital point of care to improve the management healthcare delivery paradigm for patients Massachusetts General Hospital. “By em- create digital health solutions that ad- Healthcare (CIDH) and will utilize Astra- of complex patient populations. The digi- around the world living with chronic dis- bracing the tension of different perspec- dress today’s most urgent healthcare Zeneca’s new AMAZE disease manage- tal platform, including a patient app and eases. We are incredibly proud to be tives and expertise, we can move faster challenges. Catalyzed by the COVID-19 ment platform in studies for heart failure clinician dashboard, is intended to speed working closely with Massachusetts Gen- and more effi ciently while maintaining the pandemic and a shared mission to im- and asthma management. These fi rst two up evidence-based clinical practice with eral Hospital to utilize this digital platform highest levels of scientifi c rigor and clini- prove care for patients with chronic ill- studies will pilot AMAZE in a real-world the aim of continuously improving the to close gaps in patient care, ultimately cal excellence. While there is no prece- ness, this novel partnership is focused setting with the goals of improving patient standard of patient care and healthcare leading to better outcomes.” dent for this type of deep relationship, we on creating and clinically validating pa- engagement, care-team communication effi ciency. “This extraordinary level of collabora- hope this alliance will serve as a model for tient-centric digital health solutions and and clinical outcomes while reducing Ruud Dobber, Ph.D, Executive Vice- tion between an academic medical center future collaboration between pharma and establishing a new standard of care for healthcare costs. President and President, BioPharmaceu- and a pharmaceutical company, opens a healthcare providers.” (AP) Asian equities mixed after Wall Street rally TOKYO, April 6, (AP): Asian shares were mixed Tribune to consider Tuesday after a Wall Street rally that refl ected some $679m buyout offer optimism about the econ- CHICAGO, April 6, (AP): The company omy recovering from the that owns the Chicago Tribune and other pandemic. major U.S. newspapers said Monday Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 that it would discuss a $679 million bid from hotel mogul Stewart Bainum and lost early gains and fell 1.3% to fi n- Wyoming billionaire Hansjörg Wyss ish at 29,696.63. Australia’s S&P/ that is higher than the $634 million offer ASX 200 was up 0.8% at 6,885.90. from hedge fund Alden Global. South Korea’s Kospi edged up The board’s special committee said 0.2% to 3,126.72. The Shanghai in a prepared statement that its decision Composite inched up less than lets Tribune “engage in discussions 0.1% to 3,486.22. Hong Kong and negotiations with, and provide trading was closed for Easter. diligence information to Newslight,” Yoshimasa Maruyama, chief mar- which is Bainum and Wyss’ group. ket economist at SMBC Nikko, noted But for now it continues to recommend a gradual recovery in the Japanese that shareholders choose Alden’s offer. economy had been refl ected in the re- Tribune Publishing Co. said it got a cent “tankan” Bank of Japan survey, non-binding proposal from Newslight which was released last week. He said on Thursday, an offer of $18.50 per a rebound was marked in electron- share that was fully fi nanced by equity ics because of households consuming from Bainum and Wyss. electronics goods, as the pandemic The Newslight offer emerged after had squelched people’s spending on pushback from journalists at many of services. Tribune’s paper against the Alden deal. Household spending data released Alden, one of the country’s largest news- Tuesday showed a 6.6% decline in paper publishers, has a reputation for cut- February, with dining, clothing, trans- ting costs and jobs in an industry already port and entertainment falling sharply. hollowed out by newsroom layoffs. Deep worries remain over the pan- Alden currently owns nearly one- demic, with medical experts warning third of Tribune’s shares. Japan to brace for a “fourth wave” of A representative for Alden declined surging infections and deaths related to comment Monday. to COVID-19, as the nation has fallen Bainum had previously sought to behind the rest of the world in testing buy the Baltimore Sun as part of the A currency trader wearing a face mask talks with his colleague at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Alden deal, but negotiations stalled. and vaccinations. Korea on April 6, 2021. Asian shares were mixed Tuesday after a Wall Street rally that refl ected some optimism about the economy recovering from the Similar outbreaks have fl ared in damage of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP) other countries, including India and Thailand. Xlife 2020 profi t jumps France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.8% to 6,153.49, while Germany’s DAX Crude oil prices gain, dollar fi rmer versus Japanese yen BERNE, April 6, (Agencies): In 2020, surged 1.1% to 15,276.45. Britain’s Xlife Sciences AG (XLS) signifi cant- ly increased its profi t to 21.2 million FTSE 100 rose 1.2% to 6,818.49. U.S. hedge fund or the other banks affected, from $1.1813. that the services sector recorded record gist at Prudential Financial. “The only shares were set to drift lower, with Swiss francs compared to the previous or give other details of what happened. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose growth in March as orders, hiring and thing that can stymie this rebound, year (1.03 million). The increase is Dow futures slipping 0.1% to 33,405. News reports identifi ed the hedge fund 1.4% to 4,077.91 on Monday, another prices surged. this recovery, will be that COVID-19 S&P 500 futures fell 0.2% to 4,061.12. based on the transaction and the capi- as New York-based Archegos Capital record high. The Dow Jones Industrial Both employment and the services launches another wave.” tal appreciation of the portfolio com- Investors appeared to take in stride Management, whose default also has Average rose 379 points, or 1.2%, to industry have been lagging other ar- The gains were broad Monday, with an announcement by Swiss bank Cred- panies Velabs Therapeutics and Araxa it Suisse on Tuesday that it expects a ensnared Japan’s Nomura. 33,527.19 and the Nasdaq was 1.6% eas of the economy throughout the nearly every sector rising. Companies Biosciences. For the current year, the one-time charge of 4.4 billion Swiss In energy trading, benchmark US higher, at 13,705.59. recovery. Analysts have said that both that stand to benefi t from a broader management expects again a signifi - francs ($4.7 billion) related to a previ- crude added 99 cents to $59.64 a barrel The gains came after the U.S. gov- need to show signs of growth in order reopening of the economy and eco- cant increase in profi ts. For 2021, two ously announced default of a US hedge in electronic trading on the New York ernment reported that employers went for the recovery to remain on track. In nomic growth also did well. Norwe- exits and an IPO are planned for 2022. fund on margin calls. Mercantile Exchange. It gave up $2.80 on a hiring spree in March, adding the US, the strong rollout of vaccina- gian Cruise Line jumped 7.2% for Xlife Sciences AG looks back on a Two top executives are leaving to $58.65 per barrel on Monday. Brent 916,000 jobs, the most since August. tions is making an eventual return to the biggest gain in the S&P 500 as it very successful 2020. With a lean cost the Zurich-based bank and it has sus- crude, the international standard, rose Traders had a delayed reaction to the normal for many people seem clearer seeks permission to restart cruises out structure of approximately 3.2 million pended a share buyback program and 93 cents to $63.08 a barrel. encouraging jobs report, which was re- and closer. of US ports in July with a vaccination Swiss Francs (2020: 1.5 million) as a reduced its dividend in the wake of the In currency trading, the US dol- leased on Friday when stock trading “The jobs report underscored the requirement for passengers and crew result of the transaction and capital ap- default. lar rose to 110.38 Japanese yen from was closed. Investors were further en- rebound in the labor market,” said members. Rival Carnival rose 4.8% preciation of Velabs and Araxa with a Credit Suisse didn’t identify the 110.19 yen. The euro cost $1.1816, up couraged by a report Monday showing Quincy Krosby, chief market strate- and Royal Caribbean gained 3.5%. net profi t of 21.2 million Swiss Francs. travel rebound: United plans to hire about 300 new pilots

United Airlines said it plans to hire resume the pilot hiring process that weeks, and the government says at about 300 pilots, another sign that air- was halted last year,” Bryan Quigley, least 1 million travelers a day have In this fi le photo, lines feel more confi dent that a recent Chicago-based United’s senior vice gone through airport checkpoints for a JetBlue fl ight ar- increase in travel will continue. president of fl ight operations, told em- the past three weeks. Still, U.S. air rives at Salt Lake The airline plans to start by hiring ployees. travel remains down nearly half from City International pilots who received conditional job Nearly 1,000 United pilots have re- the same period in 2019. Airport, in Salt offers or had a class for new hires tired or taken voluntary leave since United CEO Scott Kirby said this Lake City. (AP) canceled last year, when the indus- September. Federal payroll aid to week that domestic leisure travel de- try was slammed by the coronavirus airlines blocked furloughs. Quigley mand “has almost entirely recovered,” pandemic. said United’s need for new pilots will but critical business and international “With vaccination rates increasing depend on the airline’s recovery from travel remain severely depressed. and travel demand trending upwards, the pandemic. Airlines report that United’s hiring plans were reported I’m excited to share that United will bookings have increased in recent earlier by CNBC. (AP) Business PPluslus Millions of women can’t take jobs because they can’t fi nd or afford child care From child care to COVID, rising job market faces obstacles

alternative. Economic research suggests that unemployment benefits generally don’t deter workers from taking jobs: A study by the JPMorgan Chase Institute found that last year’s federal unemployment pay- ment didn’t discourage recipients from working. But the new $300-a- week federal supplement is set to last six months - longer than the previous payment did. “It’s a much more attractive benefi t now,” said Julia Pollak, an economist at ZipRecruiter. “It would be foolish to think that wouldn’t have any ef- fect.” Economists have calculated that roughly half the unemployed are earning more from benefi ts than they did at their former jobs. Another factor is that jobless ben- efi ts normally require the unemployed to document their efforts to seek a job in order to remain eligible. But during the pandemic, most states have sus- pended this requirement. That means there is less incentive to job hunt. Browning said her fi rm is advising clients to pay more and offer other benefi ts, including bonuses, to offset the extended jobless aid. Six months ago, a client raised the hourly rate for a temporary position by $4 an hour. The proportion of jobs fi lled, she said, jumped from 35% to 98%. “You really have to encourage peo- ple to come back to work,” Browning said, “and that means pay at the level the market is demanding.” Need for new skills For some of the unemployed, their old job appears gone for good. In some cases, their former employers have learned to operate with fewer workers. Landing a job will require fi nding work in a new occupation or industry - perhaps only after obtain- A roadside banner beckons potential employees outside Channel Control Merchants LLC, an extreme value retailer and exporter of brand sensitive secondary market inventories, in Hattiesburg, ing job training. This takes time. Mississippi, March 27, 2021. With hopes growing for a strong snapback in hiring this year, Friday, April 2 monthly jobs report will provide crucial insight into whether those sunny expectations Many economists expect more will come true. The most optimistic economists are predicting the report could show a cool 1 million jobs were added in March. (AP) companies to help reskill work- ers themselves, particularly if they By Christopher Rugaber While few doubt that the trillions break rooms. care centers reopen. About 500,000 become desperate to hire. Should the in federal money fl owing through the As a single mother, Jennifer Knapp women returned to the labor force in unemployment rate keep declining, surge in hiring in the United economy will help accelerate hiring, of Augusta, Maine, worries about March and found jobs. The improve- businesses might have little choice. AStates last month - 916,000 added the challenges are sure to endure. what a return to work would mean ment could continue in the coming “When the economy is running hot, jobs, the most since August - coin- Here’s a look at some of them: for her and her children’s health. A months: Jed Kolko, chief economist businesses begin to increase training cides with growing confi dence that Health fears year ago, Knapp, 44, lost her job as a at Indeed, the job listings website, and take risks on someone they might a blistering pace of job growth will For now, a sizable majority of receptionist at a hotel and spa, a place says job openings at child care cent- not have hired in the past,” said Ryan continue as vaccinations increase and Americans remain unvaccinated. And she described as a “hub of germs.” ers are growing, a sign that more of Sweet, an economist at Moody’s federal aid fuels economic growth. after weeks of sharp declines, the “There is work out there, if you these centers are back in business. Analytics. The most optimistic economists number of daily infections is creeping want to put yourself at risk,” she said. Recruiters also say fl exible or Optimism needed even predict that between now and back up. Recruiters say that trend is But the open jobs she sees are typi- hybrid work schedules, along with For millions of Americans, the year’s end, the nation could produce discouraging some of the unemployed cally temporary and offer low pay. benefi ts for part-time workers, may past year has meant demoralizing job I think it is going as many as 10 million more jobs and from taking jobs. Right now, Knapp is living off sav- be critical in attracting job seekers, losses - sometimes multiple layoffs restore the labor market to its pre- “People are afraid to come to work ings, child support payments from her especially women. More companies - and fruitless job searches, leading to‘ require some sys- pandemic level. - there is some of that,” said Tammy ex-husband and unemployment aid. could provide on-site child care. many to give up on fi nding work. Maybe so. Yet even in normal Browning, president of KellyOCG, a Like many parents, she’d like to fi nd “I think it is going to require some As an example, the number of temic changes by times, it would be hard to regain staffi ng agency. a work-from-home job, ideally in her systemic changes by employers,” people who said they want a job but all those jobs so quickly. And these Eventually, ongoing vaccina- fi eld of psychology and social work. said Karen Fichuk, chief executive of were too discouraged to look for one aren’t normal times. tions ought to gradually reduce “The goal,” she said, “is to get Randstad North America, a recruiting in the past month didn’t change in employers Many people who’ve been thrown such fears, although a portion of back out there and work, as long as fi rm. March. That was true even though ’ out of the labor force remain fearful Americans remain hesitant to get my kids are doing OK.” Extended jobless aid several job search websites report of the coronavirus and reluctant to vaccinated. Browning also suggested Need for child care Recruiters say the $300-a-week that job postings have risen sharply in take face-to-face service jobs. Mil- that employers will need to become Nearly 2.5 million women lost jobs federal unemployment benefi t that recent weeks. lions of women are still caring for more creative about making workers and stopped looking for work during was provided by President Joe For discouraged workers, Pollak children attending school online - and feel comfortable on the job. Many the pandemic. In most cases, experts Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID aid said, it can take time to regain confi - can’t take jobs because they can’t fi nd of her fi rm’s clients are manufactur- say, it was because so many children package, on top of regular state job- dence. or afford child care. ing companies. On many hot factory were suddenly stuck at home, going less benefi ts that average about $340 “There are many job seekers who Extended unemployment aid has fl oors, their employees have to wear to school online, and their parents a week, might have made it harder haven’t yet realized how rapidly meant that some employers might masks and gloves for eight or more lacked available or affordable child for some employers to fi nd work- the conditions in the labor market have to pay more to attract workers, hours a day. care. Better child care options or ers. For some job seekers, especially have changed,” she said. “Many which they may feel unable to do. Companies should consider provid- more fl exible work schedules would those fearful of the virus, part-time searched for work earlier during the And some people will need new skills ing more break times, Browning said, be needed to fully reverse that trend. or temporary jobs at restaurants or pandemic, when it was most diffi cult before they can land a job to replace and allow workers to remove their Some such change is becom- stores that may pay less than their and frustrating to do so, and are now the one they lost. masks outside or in socially distant ing evident as schools and child unemployment aid, aren’t much of an discouraged.” (AP) If you need to fi nd tax help, try DIY fi rst

By Liz Weston this relief check, which is worth up to exempts $10,200 of last year’s vices, says Lynnette Lee-Villanueva NerdWallet $1,400 per person. For the fi rst time, unemployment benefi ts from taxa- , program vice president. In-person If you need more all dependents of eligible taxpayers tion for people with adjusted gross sessions are still available but only by ‘ etting help from the IRS this tax can get the payment, including col- incomes under $150,000. The IRS appointment. help, you may be Gseason is going to be a challenge. lege students. Also, there is a steeper has promised to automatically refund I got a notice! what do I do now? The IRS has fi nally opened the 23.4 phaseout : Single fi lers with adjusted the appropriate amounts to those who Consumer advocates have criticized able to get free million pieces of mail that piled up af- gross incomes up to $75,000 can re- already fi led their 2020 returns before the IRS for continuing with collection ter the pandemic shuttered its process- ceive the full amount, but the payment the stimulus deal was signed. and enforcement actions while the assistance through ing centers last spring. But the agency decreases above that level and zeroes Where can I get free tax help? agency was still dealing with its back- still has a backlog of paperwork out at $80,000. The phaseout range Most taxpayers can fi le their federal log. (As of Jan. 29, the IRS still hadn’t the IRS’ Volunteer from last year even as it ingests this is $112,500 to $120,000 for heads of taxes online for free, using software processed 6.7 million tax returns from year’s returns, issues a third round of household, and $150,000 to $160,000 that guides them through their returns 2019.) In some cases, taxpayers re- relief payments and gears up to send for married couples fi ling jointly. and checks for errors. The IRS’ Free ceived past-due notices for payments Income Tax monthly child tax credit payments to Payments will be based on adjusted File program is available for taxpayers already made. Sometimes the notice millions of families. gross income on 2020 returns, if those with adjusted gross incomes of up to itself was so delayed that the taxpayer Assistance and Tax The tax deadline has been moved have been fi led, and on 2019 returns $72,000. Unfortunately, some online didn’t have enough time to respond from April 15 to May 17, giving peo- otherwise. tax preparers promise free fi ling but before penalties were levied. Counseling for the ple more time to fi le. Getting help is None of the payments are taxable, then divert users into paid options, so The IRS has information on its another matter. Callers face long wait and you typically won’t have to it’s best to begin the process on the coronavirus tax relief hub about how Elderly programs, times with no guarantee they’ll reach repay the money if you get too much. IRS’ Free File page at www.irs.gov/ its “mission-critical functions ” have a human being. Meanwhile, many tax Taxpayers can check the IRS’ Get freefi le. been affected. The website offers although many of help sites are closed or working at re- My Payment tool to track the status of “If you need more help, you may details on what you can expect and duced capacity because of COVID-19 their relief payments. be able to get free assistance through what you can do next if you received the programs are restrictions. This undated fi le photo provided by In addition to the relief payments, the IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax As- a bill or notice. If you’ve taken steps Here are some common questions NerdWallet shows Liz Weston, a monthly payments of up to $300 per sistance and Tax Counseling for the to resolve the issue that prompted the and answers that could save you some columnist for personal fi nance web- child are expected to begin in July Elderly programs , although many of notice, for example, the IRS recom- operating differently time or point you to resources that site NerdWallet.com. (AP) and continue through December. This the programs are operating differently mends doing nothing further - simply will help. enhanced child tax credit begins to this year. “ wait for the agency to catch up. this year Where’s my stimulus payment? due May 17. phase out at adjusted gross incomes Some sites are temporarily closed If your issue is pressing, though, you ’ The IRS dispatched two rounds of The third relief payment, created of $75,000 for singles, $112,500 for and others are not operating at full can try the number listed on the notice economic impact payments last year. by the $1.9 trillion stimulus pack- heads of household and $150,000 for capacity, but the programs also have and consider contacting the Taxpayer If you didn’t receive your payments age that President Joe Biden signed joint returns. added low- and no-contact options. Advocate Service offi ce in your state. or received less than you should have, into law March 11, started arriving How do I get a refund of the taxes For example, the largest such pro- You also could hire a CPA or enrolled you can claim the “recovery rebate in bank accounts shortly afterward . I paid on unemployment benefi ts? gram, AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide agent , who can give you advice and credit ” on your 2020 tax return that’s The rules are somewhat different for The latest stimulus package also , has added online and drop-off ser- represent you with the IRS. (AP) ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 SCIENCE 11

Health

HIV outbreak probe sought FDA approves new ADHD drug for kids

NEW YORK, April 6, (AP): US regulators have approved the first new drug in over a decade for children with ADHD, which causes inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. The Food and Drug Administration late Friday OK’d Qel- bree (KELL’-bree) for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children ages 6 to 17. It comes as a capsule that’s taken daily. Unlike nearly all other ADHD medicines, Qelbree is not a stimulant or a controlled substance, making it harder to abuse than older drugs. That’s been a problem with earlier ADHD treatments like Ritalin, nearly all of which contain the stimu- lants amphetamine or methylphenidate. Qelbree, developed by Supernus Pharmaceuticals of Rock- ville, Maryland, carries a warning of potential for suicidal thoughts and behavior, which occurred in fewer than 1% of volunteers in studies of the drug. Supernus wouldn’t disclose the drug’s list price, but it’s sure to be higher than the many cheap generic ADHD pills. ADHD affects about 6 million American children and adolescents. For many, problems include trouble paying attention and completing tasks, fidget- ing and impulsiveness. Experts say the drug may appeal to Walensky parents who don’t want to give their child stimulants. It also could be an option for kids who have substance abuse problems, dislike the side effects of stimulants or need addi- Medical workers tend to a patient affected with the COVID-19 in the Amiens Picardie hospital, March 30, 2021, in Amiens, north of Paris. European countries tional therapy, said Dr. David W. Goodman, director of Sub- scrambled, April 5 to tamp down a surge in COVID-19 cases and ramp up vaccinations, hoping to spare hospitals from becoming overwhelmed by the pandemic’s urban Psychiatric Associates near Baltimore and an assistant latest deadly wave of infections. (AP) professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Goodman said most ADHD patients taking medication cur- rently are prescribed long-acting stimulants, which are harder to to abuse to get a high than the original, fast-acting versions. Coronavirus In a key late-stage study funded by Supernus, 477 children ages 6 to 11 took the drug for six weeks. Inattention and hyper- activity symptoms were reduced by about 50% compared to the placebo group. Qelbree, also known as viloxazine, helped Polish hospitals struggle with spike of virus patients reduce symptoms in some study volunteers within a week. Common side effects include sleepiness, lethargy, decreased appetite and headache. Supernus is in late-stage testing for adults with ADHD. EU scrambles to tamp down virus surge That’s a much smaller group than children, but that market is growing because few adults currently take ADHD medicines. BOCHNIA, Poland, April 6, (AP): Eu- Veran expressed hope that France’s serious cases among seniors. Antidepressant ropean countries scrambled Monday new infections could peak this week Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the direc- to tamp down a surge in COVID-19 thanks to new partial lockdown meas- tor of the Centers for Disease Control Viloxazine was sold as an antidepressant in Europe for sev- cases and ramp up vaccinations, hop- ures. After long resisting calls for a and Prevention, cited the increasing eral decades, but was never approved by the FDA. The maker ing to spare hospitals from becoming new lockdown, the French govern- spread of variants as well as a rise in ended sales for business reasons nearly two decades ago, as overwhelmed by the pandemic’s latest ment closed schools and shuttered all youth sports and extracurricular ac- popular pills like Zoloft and Prozac came to dominate the mar- deadly wave of infections. non-essential stores nationwide and tivities as factors contributing to the ket. The crush of coronavirus patients imposed travel restrictions for four steady increase in cases over the last ❑ ❑ ❑ has been relentless for hospitals in weeks. four weeks. US Sen Joe Manchin on Monday submitted a congressional Poland, where daily new infections hit “We will manage,” Veran said. But Walensky pointed to positive inquiry with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records of over 35,000 on two recent The British government announced developments among seniors, who are regarding an HIV outbreak in West Virginia’s largest county. days and the government ordered new Monday that all adults and children the most vulnerable age group. Senior restrictions to prevent large gatherings will be able to have routine corona- virus deaths have fallen to their low- The West Virginia Democrat asked for the inquiry on behalf Vaccine against the coronavirus and of the Kanawha County Commission two months after a CDC over the long Easter weekend. France’s virus tests twice a week as a way to est level since the early fall. More than the COVID-19 disease from AstraZen- health minister warned that the number stamp out new outbreaks. The tests are 75% of those age 65 or older nation- official warned that the county’s outbreak was “ the most con- eca, Moderna and Pfitzer/Biontech cerning in the United States.” of intensive care unit patients could being introduced as Johnson announc- ally have received at least one dose of are storage at the vaccination centre match levels from a year ago. es the next steps in the country’s road a COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 55% Commission President Kent Carper said in a statement that in the district of Harz in Quedlinburg, the outbreak “is an important public health issue and is deserv- Germany, April 5. (AP) But in a sign of the disparities from map out of its three-month lockdown. are fully vaccinated. ing of our full understanding.” one country to the next, British Prime Britain has recorded almost 127,000 “What we’re seeing is both a de- In a letter to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, Minister Boris Johnson announced that coronavirus deaths, the highest toll in crease in emergency department visits Manchin asked that the CDC review the commission’s con- barbers, gyms and outdoor bar and res- Europe. But both infections and deaths as well as hospitalizations associated cerns and reply by Friday. taurant patios would be able to open have fallen sharply during the lock- with that demographic,” she said Mon- Later Monday, Manchin released a letter from the CDC say- next week after the country reported down and since the start of a vaccina- day. ing it was eager to meet with public health officials. It said Dr. progress with vaccines and its recent tion campaign that so far has given a More than 23% of all adults in the Jonathan Mermin, director of the CDC’s National Center for lockdown. Meanwhile, the US vac- fi rst dose to more than 31 million peo- US are fully vaccinated, according to HIV-AIDS, would be included in the meeting. cination campaign kept accelerating, ple, or 6 in 10 adults. the CDC. with 40 percent of the nation’s adult Many states are making vaccines In early February, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, the CDC’s Lockdown chief of HIV prevention, gave a presentation at a meeting of a population receiving at least one dose. available to younger demographics. Kanawha County HIV task force. On Sunday, coronavirus patients Authorities in Ukraine’s capital, Starting Monday, any adult in Florida “It is possible the current case count represents the tip of fi lled almost all of the 120 beds at the Kyiv, introduced tighter lockdown re- is eligible to receive the vaccine. In ad- the iceberg,” Daskalakis said. “There are likely many more County Hospital of Bochnia, 40 kil- strictions following a recent spike in dition, the state announced that 16- and undiagnosed cases in the community. We are concerned that George Gudmundsson ometers (25 miles) east of the southern virus cases. All schools in the city of 17-year-olds also could get the vaccine transmission is ongoing and that the number of people with city of Krakow. One patient, 82-year- 3 million people will be closed for the with parental permission. HIV will continue to increase unless urgent action is taken.” old Edward Szumanski, voiced con- next two weeks, and only people with Polish hospitals struggled over the The commission’s letter to Manchin asked whether the cern that some people still refuse to special passes will be allowed on pub- Easter weekend with a massive num- CDC has completed an official investigation into the county’s Discovery see the virus that has killed over 2.8 lic transport. ber of people infected with COVID-19 HIV surge. The letter said the commission is concerned that million people worldwide as a threat. “The hospitals are almost full. The following a huge surge in infections the statements referring to the outbreak as the most concerning About 55,000 of those deaths have oc- situation is diffi cult,” Kyiv Mayor Vi- across Central and Eastern Europe in in the nation “are being made without factual and empirical New fi ssure opens up: Steam and lava curred in Poland. tali Klitschko said. recent weeks. evidence.” spurted Monday from a new fi ssure at an “The disease is certainly there, and Elsewhere, North Macedonia has Tougher new pandemic restrictions As recently as 2014, only 12.5% of HIV cases in West Vir- Icelandic volcano that began erupting last it is very serious. Those who have not delayed mass immunization amid vac- were ordered in Poland for a two-week ginia were the result of intravenous drug use. By 2019, 64.2% month, prompting the evacuation of hun- been through it, those who do not have cine shortages as its hospitals fi ll up period surrounding Easter in order were, according to state health department data. The increase dreds of hikers who had come to see the it in their family, may be deluding following record new COVID-19 in- to slow down the infection rate. The was due primarily to clusters in Kanawha and Cabell counties. spectacle. themselves, but the reality is differ- fections and deaths last week. country hit new records of over 35,000 Kanawha County, which includes Charleston and has The new fi ssure, fi rst spotted by a sight- ent,” he said. In Greece, which is struggling to daily infections on two recent days, 178,000 residents, had two intravenous drug-related HIV cases seeing helicopter, was about 500 meters The more contagious and more ag- emerge from a deep recession, most and deaths have been in the hundreds in 2018. The number grew to 15 in 2019 and at least 35 last (550 yards) long and about a kilometer gressive virus variant identifi ed in retail stores were allowed to reopen each day. year, said Shannon McBee, a state epidemiologist. (around a half-mile) from the original Britain is fueling much of the increase Monday despite an ongoing surge The aim of the new restrictions was eruption site in the Geldinga Valley. in Europe. Meanwhile, voters in many in COVID-19 infections. Lockdown to prevent large gatherings over the Diagnosis The Icelandic Department of Emer- countries are angry at the European measures have been in force since ear- long weekend culminating with Easter By comparison, New York City, with a population of more gency Management announced an imme- Union’s strategy but also at their own ly November, although shops opened Monday. Meanwhile, the government than 8 million, recorded 36 HIV cases tied to intravenous drug diate evacuation of the area. It said there governments’ handling of the pandem- briefl y around the Christmas season. is also trying to speed up the country’s was no imminent danger to life due to the ic and the failure to prevent repeated The prolonged closures piled pressure vaccine rollout, but the pressure on the use in 2019, according to the CDC. Counties in other states site’s distance form popular hiking paths. with populations similar to Kanawha had an average of less spikes in infections. on the economy. country’s hospitals is still relentless. The Icelandic Meteorological Offi ce said France’s health minister, Olivier Serbia also has eased measures On Easter Sunday, coronavirus pa- than one HIV diagnosis among people who inject drugs, Das- the new volcanic activity wasn’t expected to kalakis said. Veran, warned Monday that the num- against the coronavirus despite high tients fi lled almost all of the 120 beds affect traffi c at nearby Kefl avik Airport. ber of COVID-19 patients in the coun- numbers of infections and a slowdown at the County Hospital of Bochnia, 40 The surge, clustered primarily around the capital of Charles- The long-dormant volcano on the ton and the city of Huntington, is being attributed at least in try’s intensive care units might match in vaccinations. The government on kilometers (25 miles) east of the south- Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Ice- the level of the fi rst crisis a year ago. Monday allowed bars and restaurants ern city of Krakow. part to the cancellation in 2018 of a needle exchange program land fl ared to life March 20 after tens of that offered clean syringes to injection drug users not able to thousands of earthquakes were recorded Speaking on TF1 television, he said to serve guests outside at reduced ca- “It is a diffi cult situation, because quit the habit altogether. in the area in the past three weeks. It was the country could approach the ICU pacity and with respect of social dis- there are a lot of patients,” said Bozena Needle exchange programs are included in the CDC’s rec- the area’s fi rst volcanic eruption in nearly saturation levels of April 2020, when tancing rules. Gicala, a nurse treating COVID-19 pa- ommendations for controlling disease outbreaks among intra- 800 years. French ICUs held more than 7,000 In the US, a top public health of- tients who spoke to Associated Press venous drug users. Such programs exist in dozens of states, but The volcano’s proximity to Iceland’s virus patients, many of whom were in fi cial said young people are driving reporters visiting the hospital. they are not without their critics, including in West Virginia, capital, Reykjavík, about 32 kilometers temporary facilities because demand the latest uptick in COVID-19 cases, She said the support of her col- who say they don’t do enough to prevent or stop drug abuse. (20 miles) away, has brought a steady far outstripped the country’s pre-pan- as the increasing rate of vaccination leagues was critical in managing the With less than a week left in the regular session, the state stream of tourists to the area, even with the demic ICU capacity. in older Americans prevents the most unprecedented situation. Legislature is considering a bill to regulate needle exchange country in partial lockdown to combat the providers. coronavirus. Around 30,000 people have The nonprofit organization Solutions Oriented Addiction visited the area since the eruption began, whale births for the fi rst time in three dec- dled to about 360. a wildlife biologist who oversees right Response provides addicts with clean needles in Charleston according to the Icelandic Tourist Board. ades. Still, researchers say greater num- “What we are seeing is what we hope whale surveys for the Georgia Depart- and group shares information about HIV testing with residents, Live footage from the area showed bers are needed in the coming years for will be the beginning of an upward climb ment of Natural Resources. “They need including the homeless. SOAR co-founder Sarah Stone has small spouts of lava coming from the new North Atlantic right whales to rebound in calving that’s going to continue for to be producing about two dozen calves fi ssure. said the legislation could shut down her group’s needle ex- from an estimated population that’s dwin- the next few years,” said Clay George, per year for the population to stabilize and change program. Geophysicist Magnus Gudmundsson continue to grow again.” said the volcanic eruption could be mov- Right whales migrate each winter to Also: ing north from its original location. the warmer Atlantic waters off the South- “We now see less lava coming from the NEUCHATEL, Switzerland: Masimo announced the results of eastern US to give birth. Trained spotters two original craters,” he told The Associ- fl y over the coastline almost daily during a prospective, observational study published in Critical Care ated Press. “This could be the beginning in which researchers in Genoa, Italy, evaluated the impact the calving season, scanning the water for of second stage.” (AP) mothers with newborns. of a variety of rescue therapies on the systemic and cerebral ❑ ❑ ❑ oxygenation of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients Survey fl ights over Georgia and Flor- suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Right whales births rise: North At- ida ended Wednesday on the last day of To gauge the impact, the researchers used the Masimo Root lantic right whales gave birth over the March, typically the season’s end. Spot- ® Patient Monitoring and Connectivity Platform with O3 ® winter in greater numbers than scientists ters will monitor waters off the Carolinas Regional Oximetry, which uses near-infrared spectroscopy have seen since 2015, an encouraging through April 15, hoping to pick up any (NIRS) to enable monitoring of tissue oxygen saturation (rSO sign for researchers who became alarmed overlooked newborns as the whales head three years ago when the critically endan- north to their feeding grounds. 2 ) in the region of interest, such as the brain. This season’s calf count matches the Dr. Chiara Robba and colleagues noted that “neurologi- gered species produced no known off- spring at all. 17 births recorded in 2015. Right whale cal complications are common in mechanically ventilated experts consider that number fairly aver- critically ill patients with COVID-19 and may lead to impaired Survey teams spotted 17 newborn right whale calves swimming with their moth- age, considering the record is 39 births cerebral hemodynamics,” and further, that respiratory rescue ers offshore between Florida and North confi rmed in 2009. therapies “may have detrimental effects on brain physiology.” Carolina from December through March. Scientists suspect a calving slump in Observing, however, that there is currently little data avail- One of those calves soon died after being recent years may have been caused by able regarding the effect of rescue therapies on these patients’ hit a boat, a reminder of the high death a shortage of zooplankton to feed right brains, and in particular on cerebral oxygenation, the research- rate for right whales that experts fear is whales in the Gulf of Maine and the Bay ers sought to assess the impact of different ventilatory rescue outpacing births. of Fundy off Nova Scotia. They say the therapies on the brain to help guide clinicians in choosing the The overall calf count equals the com- This undated image provided by Supernus Pharmaceuticals in April 2021 shows uptick in births this season could be a re- most appropriate therapies for their COVID-19 patients. bined total for the previous three years. bottles for different dosages of the drug Qelbree. On April 2, the US Food and sult of whales being healthier after shift- That includes the dismal 2018 calving Drug Administration approved the medication for treating attention deficit hyper ing to waters with more abundant food season, when scientists saw zero right activity disorder in children ages six through 17. (AP) sources. (AP) Film WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 FFeatureseatures Williams my-winning musician (AP) an areaalongthecity’soceanfront. that occurredinthesamenight three separateshootingincidents of theschool, 2018 seasonsanda2019graduate lege atWiseduringthe2017and the UniversityofVirginia’sCol- He wasanoffensivelinemanfor Virginia StatePolice. gation intoLynch’sdeathtothe recently turnedovertheinvesti- can win.” we canbeeffective;sothat down buttolifteachotherupso on notice,nottoteareachother said. “Weneedtoputeachother can getpastthem,”Williams talk aboutyourstrugglessowe talk —aboutyourissues, wants tobe. what thecitystandsforandit tive, calledforaforumtodiscuss cousin andaVirginiaBeachna- nothing less.” the truthbutwewillsettlefor he said.“Thepeoplecanhandle matter whatcolortheoffi there isamandatefortruthno Donovon Lynchisshotandkilled Virginian-Pilot reported. raises toomanyquestions,The prayer service,saidLynch’sdeath President pastor whogavethehomilyat who killedLynchwasalsoBlack. not beenactivated.Theoffi But theoffi it wasrecoveredfromthescene. said Lynchhadahandgunandthat shootings unleashedchaos.Police restaurants shortlyaftertwoother oceanfront stripofhotelsand March 27alongthecity’spopular in theearlymorninghoursof killed bypoliceinVirginiaBeach. player whowasrecentlyshotand man andformercollegefootball Monday atthefuneralforaBlack tor, wereamongthosewhospoke Barber magazine’s “TheBeautiful Issue” will gracethefront ofPeople LOS ANGELES: VIRGINIA BEACH,Va.: responded briefl JFK Library,thankstoHemingway’sandKennedy’swidows. out thelargest-in-the-worldHemingwaycollectionthatendedupat “There isacomplexitybeneaththesurface.” mentaries withBurnsincluding“TheVietnamWar”and“Prohibition.” different ways,”saidNovick,whohasco-createdseveralotherdocu- — ismuchmorecomplex,Novicksaid. celebrity whobecameasymbolofunrepentantAmericanmasculinity century novelist—whoseconcisewritingstylemadehimanoutsized his deathbysuicideatage61. misogynist whostruggledwithinternalturmoilthateventuallyledto tation asanalcoholic,adventurer,outdoorsmanandbullfi 5, takesamorenuancedlookattheauthorandhislongstandingrepu- Novick, premieringonPBSthreeconsecutivenightsstartingApril light ontheacclaimednovelist. nedy PresidentialLibraryandMuseuminBoston—issheddingnew — poweredbyvastbutlittle-knownarchiveskeptattheJohnF.Ken- BOSTON, April6,(AP):AnewdocumentaryonErnestHemingway Vast archiveshelpbring‘Hemingway’tolife atJFKLibrary Lynch’s shootingwasoneof LynchlivedinVirginiaBeach. The city’spolicedepartment “Virginia Beach,youneedto Williams, whoisLynch’s “When amandoingasgood Barber, a Donovon Lynch Although thetwomennevermet,theyadmiredeachotherandcor- That complexitywouldhavebeennearlyimpossibletodetailwith- “We hopethisfi The truthaboutthemanmanyconsiderAmerica’sgreatest20th- “Hemingway,” bylongtimecollaboratorsKenBurnsandLynn , anationallyknownpas- andtheRev. ❑ Joe Biden cer’s bodycamerahad North Carolina y. HemingwaywaseveninvitedtoKennedy’sinaugu- Chrissy Teigen , 25,waskilled ’s inaugural lm opensupopportunitiestolookatHemingwayin Pharrell William J. cers are,” Gram- cer

pears smiling alongwithher chil- last Friday. nual issue,whichhit newsstands cover lastWednesday ofthean- year. heartbreaking miscarriagelast facing racismgrowingupandher her evolveddefi in acoverstorythatdelvesinto On thisyear’scover, Teigenap- The magazinerevealedthe Kim. to givesomepeoplethisopportunityshine,”said ducer, ChristinaM.Kim.“I’msoexcitedthatIget an AsianAmericanshowrunnerandexecutivepro- about it.” happening andfeelslikesheneedstodosomething is goingouttofi hero. Shedoesn’thaveaherocomplexwhereshe Nicky isnotavigilante. the superheroshowsTheCWisknownforthat mentor. targeted bythesameassassinwhokilledherShaolin borhood andfamily,soondiscoversshe’sbeing martial artsskillsshelearnedtoprotectherneigh- munity disruptedbyalocalgang.Shemustusethe mentor iskilled,shereturnshometofi is taughtShaolinvaluesandmartialarts.Whenher while visitingChina,joinsamonasterywhereshe David Carradine.ItstarsLiangasNickyShen,who and she’sgettingpaidforit. as theleadofTheCW’snewseries,“KungFu”— someone paysmetolearnmartialarts.’” myself. Iwaslike,‘I’llneverlearnmartialartsuntil tial artsroles,”saidLiang.“SoImadeapromiseto cause itwassuchatypecastforAsianstodomar- ask mewhymartialartswasn’tonmyresumebe- ary earlyinhercareer. be consideredforroles,butOliviaLiangsetabound- will sometimesclaimtoknowavarietyofskills NEW YORK,April6,(AP):Up-and-comingactors A new‘KungFu’debutsatcrucialtime is.’” the screenfi tor anditjusthitme.Iwaslike,‘I’veneverseen camera testandIliterallywasstaringatthemoni- This imagereleasedbyTheCWshowsOliviaLiangasNickySheninascenefrom‘KungFu,’premieringonApril7.(AP) “When Iwasonsetforthefi The serieshasamostlyAsianAmericancastwith “Nicky isheroic,butshedoesn’tseeherselfasa Liang sayswhatmakes“KungFu”differentthan “Kung Fu”isinspiredbythe1972seriesstarring Liang keptthatpromise.Shelearnedmartialarts “When Istartedoffintheindustry,peoplewould Variety nition ofbeauty, lled withAsianAmericanfaceslikethis nd badguys.Sheseesthings ght-loving Docu shedsnewlightontheacclaimednovelist Television World WarItohisfourwives. the nursehefelllovewithwhilerecoveringfromwoundssufferedin lationship withthewomeninhislife,frommotherandsistersto “It helpedusunderstandjustwhatadisciplinedwriterhewas.” “So muchofwhathedidinlifewasaboutlove:runningtoit,run- Much ofthedocumentarydealswithHemingway’scomplicatedre- “The Hemingwaycollectionwascentraltotheprocess,”Burnssaid. ilasTeigen Williams rst time,wedida years. until theystartedresearchingthefi functions, buthadnoideaabouttheextentofHemingwayarchives seen inpublic,ifatall,Novicksaid. spondence andabout11,000photographs. Sun AlsoRises”and“ForWhomtheBellTolls”—personalcorre- nedy iftheycouldbehousedattheJFKLibrary. out whattodowithherlatehusband’seffects,sheaskedJackieKen- Hemingway scholarinresidenceatthelibrary. ration butcouldn’tmakeitbecauseofillness,saidHilaryJustice,the Burns hadbeentotheJFKLibraryonmultipleoccasionsforseveral Much ofthematerialusedindocumentaryhasnotbeenwidely The archivescontainHemingway’smanuscripts—including“The When Hemingway’sfourthwife,MaryHemingway,wasfi Show shinesspotlightonAsianAmericans nd hercom- sters andvillains.” it promotesthetheory“thatallAsianmenaregang- the gangstorylineaspotentiallyproblematicbecause much intoolderstereotypesandtropes.”Shecites charge tomakesurethattheshowdoesn’tveertoo to viewers. ers willbecarefulwithwhatimageryispresented cisco StateUniversity,hopestheproducersandwrit- Asian AmericanStudiesDepartmentatSanFran- see howthey’retold.ValerieSoe,aprofessorinthe attention, notonlytoseetheirstoriesonTVbut true.” their tasteofwhat’sgood,realand when theygeteducated...willbegintodevelop see whatrealreputationrepresentationislike.And want theaudiencetohaveopportunityfi hate crimesagainstAsianAmericansareontherise. to changethepublicconsciousnessatatimewhen this kindofmakeup,”saidMa. doing thisforaminutenowandIhaveneverseen rectors. Itisanamazingsighttobehold.I’vebeen back itupfromourwritersroomtoallguestdi- are makingcreativeassumptionstowhatthat’slike. have toexplaintheAsianexperiencepeoplewho grounds workingontheshow,becausehedoesn’t remarkable tohavesomanypeoplewithAsianback- Overall, Soesaystheseriesisawinbecauseit’s “The trickypartwillbeforthefolkswhoarein The AsianAmericancommunityisalsopaying “The cameraisaveryinterestinginstrument.I Ma hopestheauthenticityofserieswillhelp “Not onlyisthererepresentationonscreenbutwe Tzi Ma,whoplaysNicky’sfather,Jin,saysit’s Collection the pilotwillbere-broadcastonTNTSunday. a room.” elty. “Usuallyit’sjustmeandoneotherwomanin writers arealsowomen,whichKimsaysisanov- fi ve writersofAsiandescentonstaff.Halfthe “Kung Fu”premieresWednesdayonTheCWand Kim saysherwritersroomisalsodiverse.Shehas lm, whichhasbeenintheworksfor dren bering her son, low herThaitradition inremem- gian descent,said she wantstofol- the magazinein2019. was namedSexiestManAliveby R&B crooner cookbook authorismarriedto I am.”The35-year-oldmodeland the quote“I’velearnedhowstrong Teigen, whoisof Thai-Norwe- Authenticity Luna , 4,and John Legend Jack Miles , whodied at , 2,with , who guring nally to nally impact ontherestofHemingway’slife,andcontributedtohisdeath. help butthinkthatsuchaprofoundnear-deathexperiencehadmajor a teenagerdrivingRedCrossambulanceinWorldWarI.Burnscan’t of shrapneldugfromHemingway’sbodyafterhewasalmostkilledas manuscript,” shesaid. Arms” —asmany47,accordingtoonecount. edited hisworksthroughcross-outs,scribblesandnotesinthemargins. great detailhisthinkingprocessashewrote,rewrote,amendedand scripts, manyhandwrittenonstore-boughtnotebooks.Theyshowin like women,”Novicksaid. life, lettinghishairgrowaswivescroppedtheirsshort. sometimes asgirls.Heexploredgenderfl as twins,oftendressingtheminidenticaloutfi found. about Hemingway’smasculinitywasmorecomplex,thefi ning fromitandruiningit,”Burnssaid. For Burns,themoststrikingthingaboutcollectionarepieces “You cantracehoweachworkdeveloped,fromfi Hemingway, forexample,wrotedozensofendingsto“AFarewell Novick’s favoritepartofthecollectionwereHemingway’smanu- “We wantedtopushbackagainstthisideathatHemingwaydidn’t As achild,Hemingway’smothertreatedhimandoneofhissisters While consideredthearchetypeofAmericanmanhood,truth ing planted inside,”shetold the we’re building,and thistreebe- based onhertradition. “embrace theones thatwe’velost” with theirlatebrotherandalways and Millestostayedconnected She saidit’simportantforLuna bleeding beforethemiscarriage. was hospitalizedwithexcessive 20 weeksofherpregnancy.She “We havethisnew homethat but offersmorethannostalgia. series debutingFridaycapturesthefi had largelytradedactingfordirecting,promisesthe team ofwinnerswholackboundaries.Estevez, gets droppedbytheDucks,whohavemorphedintoa Girls,” “Parenthood”),createanewteamafterEvan ny eagertoleavehome.Besides Margaret WiseBrown treatment inananimatedspecialbasedon and hismom,playedby challenge: help12-year-oldEvan( up tothe1990smoviefranchise.Gordonhasanew Ducks: GameChangers,”aDisney+seriesfollow- hockey coachGordonBombayin“TheMighty lustrations forthe1942book. hand-drawn animationtoevoke Schatz (the“ClassicalBaby”series),thespecialuses among othersartists.Fromproducer-directorAmy and by HBO MaxshowoutThursdayincorporatessongs performance ofanoriginallullabybyBrown,the Baby”), LOS ANGELES: Meanwhile, from one.” different choices,thenyoudon’texpecteverything be exactlywhatwewant.But,ifyouhavealotof going tobefabulousandnoteverything’s we’ve gotthisotherone,’”shesaid. accurately?’ It’slike,‘Well,ifthatonedoesn’t,then accurately? Is‘JoyLuckClub’goingtorepresentus Like, ‘Is’CrazyRichAsians’goingtorepresentus we don’thavetojustlikeobsessivelyfocusonone. a lotofdifferentstoriesouttheretopickfromso Viet ThanhNguyentheauthoruses—abouthaving ing told. one moreexampleofanAsianAmericanstorybe- Mariah Carey Ziggy Marley “The morethemerrier.Ithinknoteverything’s “There’s aphrasecalled‘narrativeplentitude’that Roseanne Cash Emilio Estevez “The RunawayBunny”getsstar (aremakeof“AlwaysBeMy (“WhataWonderfulWorld”), Also: Lauren Graham ’s classicbookaboutabun- (“YouAreMySunshine”) Clement Hurd uidity bothinhisbooksand mother. (AP) embracing herhealed scarsasa She hastakenaproud stanceof after givingbirthto herchildren. defi through thebeautifulleaves.” be withusallthetimeandgrow could beinthatsoil,andhe I wanteditwassoJack’sashes magazine. “Thewholereasonwhy returnsasyouth Tracee EllisRoss Over theyears,Teigensaidher Brady Morrow nition ofbeautyhasevolved lms’ “magic” lms’ ts, sometimesasboys, (“Gilmore rst drafttofi ’s il- lmmakers ) ’ nal ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

People & Places

Books

Chef pens struggles, success A new collection of tales by Murakami

By Ann Levin irst Person Singular,’ by Haruki Murakami ‘F(Alfred A. Knopf) Haruki Murakami has a new collection of stories told in the fi rst person by an unnamed older man ob- sessed with baseball, music, and the porous borders between memory, reality and dreams. He may describe himself as a “bland, run-of-the- mill guy,” as in the story “Cream” - about a young man’s encounter with an aging mystic - but Muraka- mi Man is more like a walking encyclopedia who has a problem with women - mainly, that he can’t seem to get past their physical ap- pearance. Thus, in “On a Stone Pil- low,” we have his memories of a melancholy poet and her “shapely round breasts”; in “With the Beatles,” a fi rst girlfriend with “small yet full lips” and a wire bra. (Both, by the way, are suicidal.) In “Car- naval,” the one story where a woman has agency, we are Murakami told over and over how ugly she is. The best story in the collection, translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel, is “Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova.” It is built around the counterfactual premise that the legendary inventor of bebop jazz didn’t die in 1955 at age 34 but lived into the 1960s, long enough to collaborate on a bossa nova album - a This cover image released by Knopf shows ‘First Person Singular’ by Haruki This cover image released by Celadon shows ‘Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story musical pairing as unlikely as that of the Carpenters Murakami. (AP) Remaking a Life from Scratch’ by Erin French. (AP) and Cardi B. At the end of the story, when Bird appears in a dream and performs “Corcovado” on his alto sax, the narrator is transported. It was music, he refl ect- Obituaries ed, “that made you feel like something in the very structure of your body had been reconfi gured, ever so slightly.” In “Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey,” an un- named narrator with the same fl at affect as all the Cohen, much-honored AP national writer, dead others befriends the titular monkey at a rural inn. Af- ter a long night of drinking beer and eating snacks - another favorite pastime of these loner men-the mon- key tells him about the ruse he has used to satisfy his Hashida, who wrote ‘Oshin,’ dies at 95 longing for female humans in a species-appropriate TOKYO, April 6, (AP): Renowned she was diagnosed with brain cancer, more like an Antarctic ice shelf.” way. Japanese scriptwriter Sugako Hashida, Cohen was a national writer, a prestig- She wrote just about every kind of At fi rst, you are carried along in the slipstream best known for the internationally popu- ious position she had held for 20 years. story imaginable in the course of her of bizarre but plausible detail - a feat Murakami lar TV drama series “Oshin,” has died of From her base in Chicago, she unreeled career, but patterns emerged. She wrote achieves through the use of banal, if not clichéd, lan- lymphoma. She was 95. an array of stories about the triumphs true crime stories — a ring that used guage: “Honestly, it felt odd to be seated next to a In this November 2019 file photo, re- Hashida had been treated for the ill- and tragedies of people both ordinary babies to smuggle drugs, for example monkey, sharing a beer, but I guess you get used to nowned Japanese scriptwriter Sugako ness since earlier this year. She died and extraordinary. — but also larger pieces about women it.” Hashida speaks during an interview in Sunday at her home in Atami, west of There was the story of Vashti Ris- jailed because of opioids, about juve- But if you’re not a fan of Murakami’s dreamy vibe Atami, west of Tokyo. Hashida, best Tokyo, according to Pinko Izumi, an ac- dall, the foster mother of 162 children niles in prison, about the failure to in- and magical realism, if you think that life is con- known for the internationally popular tress who appeared in many of the dra- who retired at age 96 only because her vestigate the disappearances of Native founding and interesting enough without needing to TV drama series ‘Oshin,’ has died of mas Hashida wrote, including “Oshin.” 74-year-old daughter insisted. Of Ma- American women. add fairy dust, then this probably isn’t the book for lymphoma. She was 95. (AP) Born in Korea in 1925 during the Jap- rine Sgt. Merlin German, the “Mira- She wrote about American workers: you. You might ask yourself, why a Shinagawa mon- anese colonization of the Korean Pen- cle Man” who survived a bomb blast struggling farms, the lives of meatpack- key and not a tiger or leopard? In Murakami World, insula, Hashida moved to Japan in the in Iraq, dancing with his mom after 100 ers 100 years after Upton Sinclair wrote the answer would seem to be, why not? late 1930s and lived those early years in surgeries. Of barber Gilbert Peppin, “The Jungle,” auto workers forced to ❑ ❑ ❑ Osaka. who lived under a shadow for 30 years, commute 500 miles to new jobs when “Finding Freedom,” by Erin French (Celadon) She joined the Shochiku fi lm studio unjustly suspected of his wife’s murder. their plants closed. Erin French is a rising culinary star known for in 1949 before becoming a freelance Every story got the Sharon Cohen She wrote about America’s fi ghting intimate gourmet dinners crafted from hyperlocal in- scriptwriter for television dramas, in- treatment: determined reporting, zeal- men and women. In 2008, she told the gredients. Her magical restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, cluding the hugely popular morning ous fact-checking, direct and evocative story of “The Long Haul” -- a 15,000- is located in an abandoned 19th century mill in her drama series “Oshin” broadcast in 1983- writing. She knew no other way. word, seven-part serial that won smash- tiny hometown of Freedom, Maine. There’s even 1984 on NHK public television. “Sharon’s genius was in capturing the ing front-page displays in newspapers a show about the restaurant on Chip and Joanna The fi ctionalized drama is based on the stories of Americans as they lived out across the country. Gaines’ Magnolia Network. biography of a Japanese woman who co- the intense changes and disruptions of “This is the story,” she wrote, “of a the last 40 years - struggling when their very long deployment of a very long Sounds like a classic American success story, DMX Trethewey founded a famous supermarket chain and right? But as is so often the case, success did not her multiple hardships from her childhood town’s factory closed, trying to pull war, of how members of the 1st Brigade come easy. French chronicles her struggles, failures until her fi nal days in the 1980s. away from drugs or violence, bewil- Combat Team/34th Infantry Division “Oshin” was broadcast in more than dered when they came back from war,” lived and died in Iraq, how their families and triumphs in a lyrically written new memoir, Sally Buzbee endured while they were gone, and how “Finding Freedom.” Variety 60 countries and gained high acclaim. said , the AP’s senior vice Her other popular dramas included president and executive editor. what happened in a far distant land still The book begins with her idyllic childhood in ru- resonates today.” ral Maine. But climbing trees and chasing frogs soon “Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari,” or Compassionate WHITE PLAINS, NY: Supporters and “Making it Through,” a family drama And she wrote about her native city. gives way to working long hours in her father’s diner. family of the rapper DMX chanted his “Her stories often made me cry. They Cohen was a devoted daughter of He’s a callous man who grins as his dog tears a live series that started in 1990 and aired name and offered up prayers Monday more than 500 episodes. always opened our minds. As a reporter Chicago. She never left it, aside from rooster to bits, and he won’t stop his drunk buddies outside the New York hospital where he and writer, she was a dream — both ut- attending the University of Illinois at from making sexual remarks about French’s teenage Actress Izumi, who was in both “Os- remained on life support. hin” and “Wataru Seken wa Oni Ba- terly precise and dogged and also hugely Urbana-Champaign. She worked for body. Despite their fraught relationship, what French The 50-year-old was admitted to the compassionate.” community newspapers, the suburban learns from her dad about cooking unlocks her des- hospital on Friday, following a heart kari,” said she was at Hashida’s bedside when she died. Cohen was an idea machine, never edition of the Chicago Tribune and tiny: “Feeding a complete stranger a plate of food attack. comfortable unless she had one story United Press International before join- that you had made with attention and care … brought The crowd outside White Plains “I said to her ‘Mama,’ then she briefl y Hospital called “DMX! DMX!” and opened her eyes, then it was as if she she was working on, another on deck ing the AP in 1979. me more joy than I had ever felt.” and others in line. In the days before She knew Chicago’s history and its Pregnancy derails her college plans and she ends when urged to by the main speaker, went back to sleep,” Izumi said in an crossed their arms in the shape of an X. interview with Japanese media. the internet, when she was a regional neighborhoods, loved its rambunctious up in a toxic marriage. She channels her energy into reporter covering the Midwest, Cohen politics, railed against its corruption and running a private supper club and eventually a restau- A woman’s sobs reverberated as those in Hashida wrote a book asking for the the audience heard a recording of the rap- right to die in dignity. According to her subscribed to a score of small newspa- greatly admired its hard-working peo- rant until it all comes crashing down: She’s sidelined per, whose birth name is Earl Simmons. pers; she was always looking for that ple. She also felt that it was too often by a pill addiction, her husband closes the restaurant request, there will be no funeral. Simmons’ longtime lawyer, Murray Hashida received the Japan Order of three-paragraph brief on page 38 that stereotyped. and she loses custody of her son. Richman, said Sunday that the rapper might turn into something special. And so she wrote about Urban Prep, Slowly she rebuilds. She gets divorced, gets her Culture last year. was admitted to the intensive care unit ❑ ❑ ❑ She gathered far more research than an inner-city school that had the auda- son back, and turns an old Airstream into a portable but he was not sure what caused the heart she could ever use, fi lling fi le cabinets cious goal of sending every member kitchen for pop-up suppers. Then she opens The Lost attack. Sharon Cohen, a matchless reporter throughout the Chicago bureau. of the Class of 2010 to college — and Kitchen. When thousands of reservation requests DMX made his rap debut in 1998, and who told American stories with great “You know the iceberg principle of succeeded. And one of her fi nal stories, pour in for her 40-seat dinners, her redemption is has released seven albums in a career that skill and compassion over more than writing, where most of the writer’s re- published last fall, was about Auburn complete. has included three Grammy nominations. four decades at The Associated Press, search and knowledge is below the sur- Gresham, a Black neighborhood where The book ends before the pandemic begins. But He also acted in several movies. died Monday at her Chicago home. She face?” said former AP editor John Dowl- people found hope despite their strug- this compelling, authentic tale of grit and determina- But substance abuse has been a strug- gle for him over the years, including in was 68. ing, a longtime friend and colleague. “The gles with COVID-19, violent protests, tion leaves no doubt that French will fi nd her way At her death, more than a year after bottom of Sharon’s story-iceberg was gun violence and economic misery. through this challenge, just like she did all the others. 2019 when he canceled shows to go to a rehabilitation facility. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Sony Music Publishing announced Bob Dylan and Shakira recently sold “A Million Reasons Why” by Jessica Strawser NEW YORK: Novelist James McBride, Over Troubled Water,” “The Boxer,” (St. Martin’s Press) former US poet laureate Natasha Tre- Wednesday that it has acquired Simon’s their full catalogs, while Stevie Nicks “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Rob- Jessica Strawser’s “A Million Reasons Why” is thewey and science fi ction great Samuel catalog, which includes six decades sold a majority of her catalog and Neil inson,” “Homeward Bound,” “I am a a thrilling story of what happens when a long-held R. Delaney are among this year’s win- of music, from his time in Simon & Young sold 50% of his. Rock” and “50 Ways to Leave Your family secret comes to light. ners of Anisfi eld-Wolf awards for books Garfunkel to his solo career. Financial Simon has won 16 Grammy Awards. Lover,” among others. (AP) After her family receives DNA testing kits for that confront racism and help promote details of the deal were not announced. His well-known songs include “Bridge ❑ ❑ ❑ Christmas, Caroline, a wife and mother of three, is diversity. CLEVELAND: Patrick Carney wasn’t stunned to discover she has a half-sister who is al- McBride’s “Deacon King Kong” won nervous before his fi rst live drumming most exactly her age, the product of a scandalous af- for fi ction and Trethewey’s memoir gig in more than a year, just honored. fair by her father. While the rest of her family wants “Memorial Drive” was a co-winner for A lifelong Indians fan and one nothing to do with Sela, Caroline is desperate to meet nonfi ction, along with Vincent Brown’s half of The Black Keys, the Grammy her. “Tacky’s Revolt.” Delaney, known for Award-winning rock duo from Akron, such infl uential novels as “Babel-17” and Ohio, Carney fi lled in Monday at The pair quickly form a friendship and bond “Dahlgren,” received a lifetime achieve- Cleveland’s home opener for drummer over their mutual love of motherhood, but Caroline ment prize. Victoria Chang’s “Obit” John Adams doesn’t know that Sela is dying of kidney failure. was honored for the best work of poetry. , who is recovering from And it turns out, Caroline may be her only hope for The winners were announced Monday. heart surgery. survival. “The new Anisfi eld-Wolf winners Adams missed his fi rst home opener As Caroline and Sela continue to spend time to- bring us fresh insights on race and the since 1973, ending a run that has featured gether, they also begin to piece together the past. In human condition,” jury chair Henry him sitting high in the left-fi eld bleachers doing so, even more family secrets are unveiled. Louis Gates Jr said in a statement. and pounding a steady beat whenever the “This year, we honor a brilliant Indians are hitting. This is not your typical story of discovering a Carney was thrilled to be able to sit in long-lost family member. The intricacies of the military history (‘Tacky’s Revolt’), a breakout poetry collection that wrestles for Adams. character’s lives are fascinating, their secrets un- “I’m stoked to be here for John,” predictable, and the challenges they face infinitely with mortality (‘Obit’), a novel bursting with love and trouble centered around Carney told the Associated Press about complex. a Brooklyn church (‘Deacon King two hours before the Indians hosted the With this story, Strawser reveals just how compli- Kong’), and a memoir by a daughter Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. cated life can be. Through these dynamic characters, reclaiming her mother’s story (‘Memo- “It’s the best seat in the house and I wish she shows that no one is ever truly a villain or a hero, rial Drive’). (AP) John could be here, obviously. When I but instead, we are all a beautiful and messy mix of ❑ ❑ ❑ In this video grab provided by the SAG Awards, Simone Ledward Boseman, wife heard he wasn’t healthy enough to make both. (AP) of the late Chadwick Boseman, accepts the award for outstanding performance it, I thought it was good way to pay some NEW YORK: Paul Simon is the latest by a male actor in a leading role for ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ on his behalf respect to him and show him some love.” icon to sell his rich catalog of songs. during the 27th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on April 4. (AP) (AP) ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 SPORTS 14 Sanheim scores in OT as Flyers pip Bruins

Everton denied by late goal West Ham into EPL’s top four despite Antonio, Rice injuries LONDON, April 6, (AP): West Ham jumped above Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea into the top four of the Premier League. Injuries to arguably its two best players might see the team struggle to stay there. Jesse Lingard inspired a 3-2 win over Wolverhampton as the midfi elder ran from the halfway line to score one goal and also set up another for substi- tute Jarrod Bowen. Lingard has now scored six goals in eight games since joining on loan from Manchester United in February, a hot streak that has seen him earn a recall to the England squad. The victory saw West Ham climb into fourth place – the fi nal Champions League qualifi cation position – with West Ham’s Jesse Lingard scores his eight games remaining, continuing its side’s opening goal during the Eng- revival under David Moyes. The Lon- lish Premier League soccer match don club has never played in Europe’s between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United at Molineux top competition. Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, “We have to go and take it on. Why on April 5. (AP) not?” Moyes said. “I am hearing pun- dits talking about West Ham having a chance of Champions League – no- body would have envisaged or men- Dike lifts Barnsley tioned that last season.” in English 2nd tier SOCCER Philadelphia Flyers’ James van Riemsdyk (25) tries to get a shot on Boston Bruins’ Dan Vladar (80) as Connor Clifton (75) defends during the third period LONDON, April 6, (AP): American forward Darryl Dike had his second of an NHL hockey game, on April 5, in Boston. (AP) However, Moyes is set to be without two-goal game for Barnsley, help- Declan Rice reportedly for at least four ing his team to a 2-1 win at Luton weeks, with the holding midfi elder Town in England’s second-tier Avalanche edge Wild to extend point streak to 15 games League Championship. missing the game at Molineux after The 20-year-old from Edmund, getting injured on international duty Oklahoma, on loan from Major BOSTON, April 6, (AP): Travis San- with England last week. League Soccer’s Orlando, gave the heim scored 3:08 into overtime, and NHL Results/Standings Also set for a spell on the sidelines visitors the lead in the 27th minute is Michail Antonio, who left the fi eld after Alex Mowatt’s free kick into the Philadelphia Flyers beat Boston because of a hamstring injury in the the penalty area dropped following 3-2 after losing their fi rst fi ve meet- 32nd minute. It is the latest setback an attempted headed clearance by ings with the Bruins this season. WASHINGTON, April 6, (AP): Results and standings from the NHL games on Monday. for the injury-prone Antonio, who has Glen Rea. Dike turned and volleyed Colorado 5 Minnesota 4 Philadelphia 3 Boston OT 2 been transformed from a winger to a with a right-foot shot from 16 yards. The Flyers moved within three points of Bos- Winnipeg 4 Ottawa 3 Vegas 6 St Louis 1 rampaging center forward under Moy- Dike doubled the lead in the 59th, ton for the fi nal playoff spot in the NHL’s East Montreal 3 Edmonton OT 2 es and is the only senior striker in West running onto a pass from Cauley Division. East Division West Division Ham’s squad. Woodrow and beating goalkeeper Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier also scored GP W L OT Pts GF GA GP W L OT Pts GF GA Antonio barged through a slew of Simon Sluga with a right-footed shot for Philadelphia, and Brian Elliott stopped 27 shots. Washington 38 25 9 4 54 132 117 Colorado 38 26 8 4 56 137 87 from just inside the penalty area. NY Islanders 38 24 10 4 52 117 90 Vegas 37 25 10 2 52 119 85 challenges before shooting wide from The Flyers were 2-4-2 in their previous eight games. a narrow angle, then immediately sig- Dike has seven goals in 13 league Pittsburgh 38 24 12 2 50 126 102 Minnesota 37 23 12 2 48 108 94 matches since joining Barnsley. Patrice Bergeron had a second-period goal for Boston 35 19 10 6 44 98 89 Arizona 38 18 15 5 41 102 116 naled to the West Ham bench. Boston that moved him into fourth on the club’s Philadelphia 37 18 14 5 41 112 134 San Jose 37 17 16 4 38 105 122 Barnsley is fi fth with 68 points NY Rangers 37 17 15 5 39 117 99 Pablo Fornals scored the other goal with six games remaining, one career scoring list with 899 points, one ahead of Rick St Louis 38 16 16 6 38 104 124 for West Ham, which led 3-0 after 38 New Jersey 36 13 17 6 32 88 113 Los Angeles 36 14 16 6 34 98 102 point behind Brentford and Swan- Middleton. Buffalo 37 8 23 6 22 82 128 Anaheim 39 11 21 7 29 87 130 minutes only to be pegged back by Le- sea, two points ahead of Reading Karson Kuhlman also scored for the Bruins, who Central Division ander Dendoncker’s header in the 44th have collected at least a point in seven of their last GP W L OT Pts GF GA North Division and three in front of Bournemouth. Florida 39 26 9 4 56 130 103 GP W L OT Pts GF GA and a goal by substitute Fabio Silva in Norwich leads with 84 and Watford nine games (5-2-2). Dan Vladar made 29 saves. Tampa Bay 38 26 10 2 54 130 93 Toronto 38 25 10 3 53 125 95 the 68th. is second with 79. Avalanche 5, Wild 4 Carolina 37 25 9 3 53 120 92 Winnipeg 39 23 13 3 49 125 107 But after throwing away a 3-0 lead The top two teams at the end of In St. Paul, Minn., Nathan MacKinnon, Andre Nashville 39 20 18 1 41 99 113 Edmonton 39 23 14 2 48 127 112 to draw 3-3 against Arsenal in the pre- the season are promoted to the Pre- Burakovsky, Brandon Saad and J.T. Compher scored Chicago 39 17 17 5 39 109 122 Montreal 35 17 9 9 43 114 96 Dallas 36 13 13 10 36 98 95 Vancouver 37 16 18 3 35 100 120 vious round, West Ham held on for the mier League, and the third-through- during Colorado’s four-goal second period, and the Columbus 40 14 18 8 36 98 129 Calgary 39 16 20 3 35 100 119 win this time. sixth-place teams advance to a Avalanche extended their league-best points streak to Detroit 40 13 22 5 31 88 125 Ottawa 39 13 22 4 30 104 146 Wolves has also picked up an in- playoff for the fi nal promotion place. 15 games. Note: Two points for a win one point for overtime loss. The top four teams in each division will qualify for playoffs jury ahead of the league run-in, and The franchise record is 16 outings with a point under this season’s temporary realignment. it’s a big one. Jonny Otto, the Spain from Dec. 27, 2000-Jan. 30, 2001. is set for a long absence. He only just wing back, damaged anterior cruciate returned from six months out with an Tyler Toffoli. He was acquired in a trade with twice to lead Winnipeg to the victory. and medial cruciate ligaments in his ACL injury in the same knee. right knee in training on Sunday and ICE HOCKEY Buffalo on March 26. Adam Lowry and Kyle Connor also scored for the West Ham’s win came after Leices- Jets 4, Senators 3 Jets, who had dropped three of four. Andrew Copp ter and Chelsea, the teams who started and Nikolaj Ehlers each had two assists, and Connor the weekend in third and fourth place, Gabriel Landeskog also scored for Colorado, and In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored Philipp Grubauer stopped 21 shots for his fourth Hellebuyck made 20 saves. lost on Saturday while Tottenham was straight win. Ottawa lost for the third time in four games. Ryan held 2-2 by struggling Newcastle on Ryan Hartman had a goal and two assists for Dzingel had a goal and an assist for the Senators, and Sunday. Minnesota, which had won 11 straight at Xcel Energy Josh Norris scored a power-play goal in the third West Ham is a point ahead of fi fth- Center since losing 5-1 to Colorado on Jan. 30. Nick period. Anton Forsberg made 42 saves. place Chelsea and four behind third- Bjustad and Marcus Johannsson scored in the third Ottawa pulled within one on Connor Brown’s 10th place Leicester. period as the Wild tried to rally, and Kevin Fiala goal with 3:09 left, but Winnipeg held on. Brown has Everton conceded an 86th-minute scored on a power play with 35 seconds left, but scored in four straight games. goal to draw 1-1 with Crystal Palace, Minnesota couldn’t get the equalizer. The Jets improved to 5-1-0 against the Senators missing out on a victory that would Canadiens 3, Oilers 2, OT this season. have lifted Carlo Ancelotti’s team In Montreal, Eric Staal scored in overtime in his Golden Knights 6, Blues 1 within three points of West Ham with Montreal debut, giving the Canadiens a come-from- In St. Louis, Alec Martinez scored two goals and a game in hand. behind win. William Carrier added a goal and an assist, sparking Michy Batshuayi came on as a sub- Staal beat Mike Smith with a wrist shot 4:02 into the Golden Knights to the victory. stitute in the 84th minute and made an overtime. Montreal improved to 2-9 in overtime Tomas Nosek, Jonathan Marchessault and immediate impact by driving a left- games. Edmonton fell to 2-2. Nicolas Hague also scored for Vegas, which had footed shot into the bottom corner. Devin Shore and Darnell Nurse scored for dropped three in a row. Robin Lehner made 31 Colombia playmaker James Rodri- Edmonton, which managed goals in the last minute of saves. Crystal Palace’s Jairo Riedewald guez had marked his fi rst appearance both the first and second periods. Smith made 29 stops. Tyler Bozak scored for St. Louis. Ville Husso controls the ball during the Eng- for Everton in six weeks by breaking Josh Anderson and Tomas Tatar scored for Colorado Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin (13) made 14 saves on 19 shots before he was replaced by lish Premier League soccer match the deadlock in the 56th minute. Montreal in its third-period comeback. Carey Price goes after the puck against Minnesota Wild’s Jordan Binnington. between Everton and Crystal Pal- Everton stayed in eighth place, still had 21 saves. Ryan Suter (20) in the second period of an NHL The Blues are 0-6-1 with just eight goals scored ace at Goodison Park in Liverpool, well in the hunt for the European posi- Staal played on a line with Jonathan Drouin and hockey game on April 5, in St Paul, Minn. (AP) since March 22. England, on April 5. (AP) tions. ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 SPORTS 15

North Korea says it won’t participate in Tokyo Games Tokyo Olympics to call off water polo test event TOKYO, April 6, (AP): Tokyo Olym- pic organizers have called off a water polo test event set for this weekend, Japanese media reported Tuesday. National broadcaster NHK and na- tional news agency Kyodo both cited Stanton’s 471-foot grand slam helps unnamed offi cials. Organizing com- mittee offi cials declined to confi rm the reports. The reports said technical offi cials were unable to go to Japan because of strict procedures to enter the country. Yankees hand O’s 1st loss of season The news comes less than four months before the opening of the postponed Olympics and could be a setback as organizers and the IOC at- tempt to hold the Tokyo Games in the middle of a pandemic. The Olympics open on July 23. Two other test events also appear to be off. Swimming governing body FINA said on its website that a diving World Cup event set for April 18-23 in Tokyo had been canceled, and it reported the same for an artistic swimming event for May 1-4. FINA said it would issue a complete statement later this week. FINA said the “decision of re-allocating the FINA Olympic qualifi ers planned in Japan is under review.” Tokyo organizers did manage over the weekend to pull off a test event for Paralympic wheelchair rugby. The BBC reported last week, citing a letter from FINA it had viewed, that the diving event was canceled because it “will not properly ensure” athletes’ safety.

OLYMPICS

Japan has attributed about 9,200 deaths to COVID-19. It has handled the pandemic better than many coun- tries, but not as well as most in Asia. The Olympics and Paralympics will involve 15,400 athletes entering the country, and tens of thousands of of- fi cials, judges, media and broadcasters. Fans from abroad have been banned from attending. North Korea on Tuesday became the fi rst country to drop out of the Tokyo Games because of coronavirus fears, a decision that underscores the challeng- es facing Japan as it struggles to stage a global sporting event amid a raging pandemic. A website run by North Korea’s Sports Ministry said its national Olym- New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (right), hits a grand slam during the fi fth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, on April 5, at Yankee Stadium in New pic committee decided during a meet- York. Orioles catcher Pedro Severino, (left), looks on. (AP) ing on March 25 not to participate in the games to protect athletes from the “world public health crisis caused by Japanese Olympic Minister Tamayo Dodgers rout winless A’s 10-3 COVID-19.” Marukawa told reporters she was still Last week the city of Osaka asked confi rming details and couldn’t imme- organizers to cancel a leg of the torch diately comment on the matter. NEW YORK, April 6, Reds 5, Pirates 3 relay that is to go through the city North Korea sent 22 athletes to the MLB Results/Standings In Cincinnati, Nick Castellanos hit a on April 14. The city is experienc- 2018 Winter Olympics in South Ko- (AP): Giancarlo Stanton hit go-ahead homer in the seventh inning ing a spike in COVID-19 cases. The rea, along with government offi cials, a grand slam over the visi- hours after deciding to appeal a two- torch relay started on March 25 from performance artists, journalists and a tors’ bullpen that landed in game suspension for his part in a brawl, northeastern Japan. It is circulating the 230-member all-female cheering group. WASHINGTON, April 6, (AP): Results and standings from the MLB games on and Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh. country and is to reach Tokyo on July At the Pyeongchang Games, the the left-bleachers 471 feet Monday. Mike Moustakas tied it at 2 in the fi fth 23. It involves about 10,000 runners. North and South Korean athletes jointly from home plate, helping Twins 15 Detroit 6 LA Angels 7 Astros 6 with his fi rst home run of the season, a marched under a blue map symboliz- KC Chiefs 3 Cleveland 0 St Louis 4 Miami 1 solo shot to right fi eld off Luis Oviedo. Meanwhile, North Korea said it will New York hand Baltimore Toronto 6 Texas 2 Cincinnati 5 Pittsburgh 3 not participate in the Tokyo Olympics ing a unifi ed Korean Peninsula, while NY Yankees 7 Baltimore 0 Phillies 5 NY Mets 3 Moustakas also doubled and scored in because of the coronavirus pandemic. the red-clad North Korean cheerleaders its fi rst loss this season. Boston 11 TB Rays 2 Chic Cubs 5 Brewers 3 the eighth. Sean Doolittle (1-0) struck A website run by the North’s sports captivated global attention. The Koreas New York was ahead 1-0 on LA Dodgers 10 Oakland 3 SF Giants 3 SD Padres 2 out two in a perfect seventh, and Amir Aaron Judge’s fourth-inning hom- Chic W. Sox 6 Seattle 0 Garrett allowed a run but completed his ministry said the decision was made also fi elded their fi rst combined Olym- East Division East Division during a national Olympic Committee pic team in women’s ice hockey, which er when starter Jorge López (0-1) W L Pct GB W L Pct GB fi rst save. meeting on March 25 where members drew passionate support from crowds walked the bases loaded in the Baltimore 3 1 .750 _ Philadelphia 4 0 1.000 _ Castellanos connected off Sam How- prioritized protecting athletes from the despite losing all fi ve of its games with fi fth, and Shawn Armstrong forced Toronto 3 1 .750 _ Washington 0 0 .000 2 ard (0-1) for his third homer of the sea- “world public health crisis caused by a combined score of 28-2. New York 2 2 .500 1 New York 0 1 .000 2-1/2 son. He admired the shot as he walked in a run with a walk to slumping TB Rays 2 2 .500 1 Miami 1 3 .250 3 out of the box, whipped his bat toward COVID-19.” Those games were also much about Aaron Hicks. Boston 1 3 .250 2 Atlanta 0 3 .000 3-1/2 South Korea’s Unifi cation Ministry politics. The North Korean contingent Central Division Central Division the home dugout and yelled toward Stanton sent a 92 mph fastball soaring W L Pct GB W L Pct GB teammates as he shuffl ed toward fi rst. on Tuesday expressed regret over the included the powerful sister of North for the longest home run of the young Kansas City 3 1 .750 _ Chicago 3 1 .750 _ North’s decision, saying it had hoped Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who con- major league season and his eighth ca- Twins 3 1 .750 _ Cincinnati 3 1 .750 _ Red Sox 11, Rays 2 that the Tokyo Olympics would provide veyed his brother’s desire for a summit Detroit 2 2 .500 1 St Louis 2 2 .500 1 In Boston, Xander Bogaerts had four reer slam. Chicago 2 3 .400 1-1/2 Milwaukee 1 3 .250 2 an opportunity to improve inter-Korean with South Korean President Moon New York improved to 8-0 when Cleveland 1 3 .250 2 Pittsburgh 1 3 .250 2 hits, including a Little League home run relations, which have declined amid a Jae-in, a move which helped it initiate Judge and Stanton homer in the same West Division West Division - a double, with two ill-advised throws stalemate in larger nuclear negotiations diplomacy with South Korea and the game, including three postseason wins. W L Pct GB W L Pct GB that allowed him to score - and Boston between Washington and Pyongyang. United States. Houston 4 1 .800 _ Los Angeles 4 1 .800 _ got on the board with 16 hits and its fi rst Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (1- Los Angeles 4 1 .800 _ San Diego 3 1 .750 -1/2 0) allowed four hits in six innings with Seattle 2 2 .500 1-1/2 SF Giants 1 2 .333 2 win of the season. seven strikeouts and no walks. Texas 1 3 .250 2-1/2 Arizona 1 3 .250 2-1/2 J.D. Martinez banged a three-run Dodgers 10, Athletics 3 Oakland 0 5 .000 4 Colorado 1 3 .250 2-1/2 homer halfway up the Pesky Pole in the eighth, and Franchy Cordero, Alex Ver- In Oakland, California, Will Smith dugo and Hunter Renfroe all had two homered off the left-fi eld foul pole, Co- off Craig Stammen (0-1). sixth - Narváez also broke up a no-hit hits apiece after coming into the game rey Seager and Zach McKinstry each Blue Jays 6, Rangers 2 bid in the eighth inning Saturday against batting .000. drove in three runs, and Los Angeles Minnesota. Narváez added a three-run pounded winless Oakland. In Arlington, Texas, Steven Matz homer in the seventh. Royals 3, Indians 0 Justin Turner also went deep as the struck out nine in his Toronto debut, Williams (1-0) was making his Cubs In Cleveland, Danny Duffy pitched defending World Series champions Marcus Semien and Cavan Biggio hit debut after fi ve seasons with Pittsburgh. six innings of two-hit ball to beat a provided plenty of support for starter back-to-back homers and the Blue Jays He pitched into the seventh, allowing longtime nemesis and Whit Merrifi eld Dustin May (1-0). Seager hit a three- spoiled Texas’ home opener before the two runs, two hits and two walks while drove in all of Kansas City’s runs with a run double, and McKinstry had two RBI largest MLB crowd since the pandemic. striking out six. Alec Mills, who no-hit homer and sacrifi ce fl y. singles and a sacrifi ce fl y. Toronto, 3-1 for the fi rst time since Milwaukee as a starter last September, Duffy (1-0) came in with 12 career 2015, went ahead 4-0 in the second after pitched the ninth for his fi rst save. losses against the Indians - his most Biggio’s solo homer followed a two-out, against any team. But the left-hander BASEBALL two-run shot by Semien off Texas starter Phillies 5, Mets 3 was in control from the outset and beat Mike Foltynewicz (0-1). In Philadelphia, a throwing error by them for the fi fth time. Scott Barlow The Rangers announced a sellout New York third baseman Luis Guillorme pitched two perfect innings and Jesse May struck out eight and walked two crowd of 38,283 for their 50th home allowed the go-ahead runs to score, and Hahn put two on in the ninth before over six scoreless innings. He allowed opener in Texas, the second in the $1.2 Philadelphia used a fi ve-run eighth in- completing Kansas City’s three-hit In this Feb 10, 2018 fi le photo, IOC President Thomas Bach, (second from only two hits. billion retractable-roof stadium that ning to rally past New York after Jacob shutout and getting the save. left), and Kim Yo Jong, (right), sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Angels 7, Astros 6 has a listed capacity of 40,518 - the deGrom dominated through six. Twins 15, Tigers 6 talks with players after the preliminary round of the women’s hockey game announced attendance doesn’t include Francisco Lindor was 1 for 4 with a In Anaheim, California, Mike Trout single and a walk in his debut with the In Detroit, Nelson Cruz hit a grand between Switzerland and the combined Koreas at the 2018 Winter Olym- hit his fi rst home run of the season and complimentary tickets. They played all 30 home games in the stadium’s debut Mets, which was delayed after a three- slam after a near miss and added a solo pics in Gangneung, South Korea. (AP) Shohei Ohtani came off the bench to homer and a double, Matt Shoemaker season without fans last summer. game series against Washington got score the go-ahead run during an eighth- wiped out because of a coronavirus out- held Detroit hitless into the fi fth inning inning rally that sent Los Angeles past Cubs 5, Brewers 3 break among the Nationals. and Minnesota rolled. Houston. In Chicago, Willson Contreras, Javier DeGrom was spectacular, striking out Akil Baddoo hit a grand slam for the Jets trade QB Darnold to The Angels scored four times in the Báez and David Bote homered during seven and allowing three hits. Miguel Cas- Tigers. He made his big league debut eighth to hand Houston its fi rst loss of a four-run fourth inning to lift Chicago tro pitched the seventh for the Mets but Sunday and homered on the fi rst pitch the year following a four-game sweep at over Milwaukee. newcomer Trevor May (0-1) only got one thrown to him. José Ureña (0-1) lasted Panthers for 3 draft picks rival Oakland. Trout’s solo shot in the Trevor Williams pitched perfectly un- out in the eighth, when Guillorme’s errant only three innings in his Tigers debut. fourth began the comeback from a 4-0 til Omar Narváez’s leadoff single in the throw helped Philly take a 5-2 lead. Cardinals 4, Marlins 1 NEW YORK, April 6, (AP): The New traveled to Provo, Utah, to watch quar- defi cit. York Jets traded quarterback Sam terback Zach Wilson’s impressive pass- Los Angeles is 4-1 for only the sec- In Miami, Yadier Molina hit a bases- Darnold to the Carolina Panthers, end- ing display at BYU’s pro day. ond time in 30 years, and fi rst since loaded double during a three-run fi rst in- ing a stint that was marked by a few With the second pick, the Jets are 2007. ning, and Daniel Ponce de Leon and St. flashes of brilliance, inconsistent play widely expected to take either Wilson or Louis bullpen protected the lead. Giants 3, Padres 2 Ponce de Leon (1-0) allowed one run and unfortunate injuries. Ohio State’s Justin Fields. In San Diego, pinch-hitter Mike And with the Jets holding the No. 2 and three hits in fi ve innings. The right- Then-GM Mike Maccagnan traded Yastrzemski connected for a go-ahead hander struck out three, walked one and overall pick in the NFL draft, they’re up to select Darnold with the No. 3 homer in the seventh inning to lead San hit Starling Marte twice. St. Louis got a likely moving on to another young sig- Francisco over San Diego, which lost perfect sixth from Jordan Hicks and two nal-caller who they hope will deliver the star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a scoreless innings from Giovanni Galle- team back to respectability. New York FOOTBALL partially dislocated left shoulder. gos. Alex Reyes closed it with a score- announced it acquired a sixth-round Tatis was injured taking a hard swing less ninth for his fi rst save. pick in this year’s draft and second- and for strike three in the third inning. He fourth-round picks in the 2022 draft. overall pick in 2018 out of USC. winced in pain as he fell to the ground White Sox 6, Mariners 0 The 23-year-old Darnold was consid- Darnold’s California cool personality and cradled his left arm. Padres manager In Seattle, Yermín Mercedes contin- ered an untouchable player on the roster in played well in New York and he seemed Jayce Tingler and a trainer held Tatis’ ued his early tear with three more hits, his second season, but it became clear the unfazed by the lofty expectations and left arm against his body as he walked Carlos Rodon struck out nine and Chi- Jets could move on when general manag- the Big Apple spotlight. off the fi eld. cago held Seattle to three hits. er Joe Douglas backed off that stance in But a foot injury as a rookie, a bout with Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million Mercedes became the fi rst player March. Douglas praised Darnold, but mononucleosis in his second year and a contract on Feb. 22, the longest deal in since at least 1900 to total 12 hits in his acknowledged he would answer calls shoulder injury last season sidelined him big league history. Darin Ruf and Evan fi rst four career starts - all in the fi rst from teams interested in acquiring him. for stints. And when he did play, Darnold’s Longoria also went deep for the Giants. week of this season. He also was the The speculation only grew when mistakes overshadowed the positives. That Yastrzemski was scratched from the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May throws against the Oakland Ath- fi rst player in the modern era to start a Douglas, new coach Robert Saleh and led to serious doubts as to whether he starting lineup with a sore left hand but letics during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, California, on season 8 for 8. The 28-year-old desig- offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur all could ever truly lift the franchise. batted in the pitcher’s spot and homered April 5. (AP) nated hitter is up to 12 of 18. ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021 16

Baylor forward Flo Thamba (0) fi ghts for a rebound with Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) during the fi rst half of the championship game in the men’s Final Four NCAA college basketball tourna- ment at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (AP) Sports Latest sports scores at — http://sports.arabtimesonline.com Baylor wins historic national title Gonzaga’s pursuit of unbeaten season ends

INDIANAPOLIS, April 6, (AP): Baylor knew it would need to play to near-perfec- tion to end Gonzaga’s fl aw- less season. The Bears just about did. Jared Butler and their dynamic backcourt hit their fi rst fi ve 3-point- ers and never cooled off. Undersized big man Mark Vital delivered as many headaches as bruises. Their bench was superb, their rebound- ing exceptional, their game plan impeccable and the coaching of Scott Drew spot-on in the crowning moment of his long building job in Waco, Texas. The result was a stunning 86-70 rout of the overall No. 1 seed for the fi rst men’s basketball title in school history. Butler, the do-everything All- American, led the way with 22 points, outdueling Gonzaga fresh- man sensation Jalen Suggs in a matchup of premier point guards. Butler hit four 3-pointers, repeated- ly broke down the Bulldogs off the dribble and, when they managed to stop him, piled up seven assists by fi nding someone else wide open.

BASKETBALL

Often it was his backcourt bud- dies MaCio Teague (19 points) and Davion Mitchell (15 points). Or it was Vital, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound fullback in basketball shoes. He had three offensive re- bounds before the game was 3 min- utes old, fi nished with six points and 11 boards and made life miserable for Gonzaga star Drew Timme. The teams were supposed to play in December in Indianapolis, but an Baylor players and coaches celebrate after the championship game against Gonzaga in the men’s Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament at outbreak of COVID-19 within the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Baylor won 86-70. (AP) Gonzaga program forced the game to be called off. The two teams spent most of the regular season ranked Suns down Rockets for 6th straight win 1-2 in the AP poll, and they were anointed the co-favorites for a most unique NCAA Tournament played entirely in central Indiana. Despite only 8,000 fans in the Doncic’s 31 points pace Mavs over Jazz crowd, the vast majority of them wearing green and gold, there was a DALLAS, April 6, (AP): Luka Doncic had enough. nio Spurs 125-101 to snap a fi ve-game palpable excitement about the game scored 31 points and Dorian Finney- Irving wore down the Knicks’ de- skid. Collin Sexton added 22 points for - perhaps it was still lingering from Smith added a season-high 23 as the fense with his dazzling dribbling moves Cleveland. Isaiah Hartenstein scored a NBA Results/Standings Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz that freed up space for jumpers, includ- season-high 16, and Taurean Prince fi n- the Final Four, when Suggs hit a 111-103 on Monday night for their sea- ing a 3-pointer with 59 seconds left after ished with 14. buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime son-best fi fth straight win. New York had closed within two. San Antonio fi nished the longest Barcelona’s Pedri, heads the to beat UCLA in one of the most re- The NBA-leading Jazz had their The Knicks scored fi ve straight to tie homestand in franchise history at 2-7, WASHINGTON, April 6, (AP): NBA results ball during the Spanish La markable fi nishes in the history of and standings on Monday. Liga soccer match between nine-game winning streak halted. it at 112 on Alec Burks’ 3-pointer and dropping from seventh to ninth in the Dallas 111 Utah 103 the NCAA Tournament. Jalen Brunson scored 20 points, Josh forced the ball out of Irving’s hands on Western Conference. It marked the FC Barcelona and Valladolid Toronto 103 Washington 101 CF at the Camp Nou stadium In any case, the Bears roared to Richardson 17 and Tim Hardaway Jr 16 Brooklyn’s next trip. Joe Harris missed fourth time during the homestand that Cleveland 125 San Antonio 101 a 29-10 lead midway through the as Dallas won for the fi rst time in three a jumper, but Green got the rebound and an opponent beat the Spurs to snap a Detroit 132 Oklahoma City 108 in Barcelona, Spain. (AP) Minnesota 116 Sacramento 106 first half, the biggest deficit Gon- games versus Utah this season. Kristaps was fouled. losing streak. Brooklyn 114 New York 112 zaga had faced all year, and threat- Porzingis, Dallas’ No. 2 scorer and lead- Raptors 103, Wizards 101 DeMar DeRozan had 25 points for Phoenix 133 Houston 130 ened to turn that highly anticipated ing rebounder, sat out with a sprained San Antonio. Rudy Gay, Derrick White Eastern Conference Barcelona cut right wrist. In Tampa, Fla, Gary Trent Jr. beat and Keldon Johnson each had 13 points. Atlantic Division showdown into a nationally tel- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was the buzzer with a Cleveland entered the game as the W L Pct GB evised blowout. long 3-pointer and Brooklyn 35 16 .686 - Atlético ‘lead’ pleased to hold the NBA’s No. 3 scor- league’s lowest scoring team, averaging Philadelphia 34 16 .680 -1/2 The Bulldogs somehow got with- ing team, averaging 117.2 points going the Toronto Rap- just 102.7 points, but it had no trouble Boston 25 25 .500 9-1/2 MADRID, April 6, (AP): A late in 47-37 at halftime, and Suggs got in, to its lowest point total since Feb. 7 tors rallied from a New York 25 26 .490 10 winner by Ousmane Dembélé hot early in the second half, allow- after losing the previous two games in 19-point second- Toronto 20 30 .400 14-1/2 gave Barcelona control of their ing them to slowly chip away at their the season series at Utah in late January. half defi cit to beat Southeast Division own fate in the race for the the Washington BASKETBALL W L Pct GB defi cit. But that’s when the poise of Mike Conley scored 28 points to Atlanta 26 24 .520 - Spanish league title. lead the Jazz, who trailed by as many Wizards 103-101. Miami 26 24 .520 - Dembélé scored in the 90th a team long on experience - Baylor Pascal Siakam starts three juniors and two seniors as 18 points. Donovan Mitchell, Bojan scoring against a lethargic San Antonio Charlotte 25 24 .510 -1/2 minute as Barcelona defeated Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson scored led Toronto with defense. Washington 17 32 .347 8-1/2 10-man Valladolid 1-0 to move - provided the kind of emphatic an- 22 points, and Orlando 17 33 .340 9 within a point of league leaders swer that proved this so-called upset 16 each, and Rudy Gobert had 14 points Timberwolves 116, Kings 106 Central Division and 15 rebounds. DeAndre Bembry W L Pct GB Atlético Madrid. was no fl uke. Dallas beat Utah at its long-range and rookie Mala- Irving In Minneapolis, D’Angelo Russell Milwaukee 32 17 .653 - Dembélé scored with a left- Gonzaga’s Andrew Nembhard game. The Mavericks were 23 for 49 chi Flynn led a scored 25 points in his return from knee Indiana 22 26 .458 9-1/2 footed shot after meeting a cross fourth-quarter charge for the Raptors, surgery and Karl-Anthony Towns had Chicago 20 28 .417 11-1/2 had trimmed the defi cit to single dig- from behind the arc; their highs this sea- Cleveland 18 32 .360 14-1/2 into the area to make sure its with 14:22 when Vital answered son from behind the arc are 25 makes who won consecutive games for the fi rst 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Min- Detroit 15 35 .300 17-1/2 Barcelona can secure the title by at the other end. Butler added a cou- and 50 attempts. time since Feb 19-21. nesota Timberwolves in a 116-106 win Western Conference winning all its remaining games, Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 14 against the Sacramento Kings . Southwest Division ple free throws and, after a bucket by Suns 133, Rockets 130 as it hosts Atlético in one of the rebounds and 11 assists for the Wizards, Anthony Edwards scored 19 points for W L Pct GB final rounds in May. Timme, Teague scored a dazzling, In Houston, Devin Booker scored 18 who have lost four straight. Minnesota and started the Timberwolves’ Dallas 28 21 .571 - twirling layup, Vital swatted a shot Memphis 24 23 .511 3 “This is the result of our work. of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, Washington led 101-100 when push in the fourth after the teams went San Antonio 24 24 .500 3-1/2 We worked very hard in these last by Corey Kispert and backup Adam and the Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Siakam was called for a charge with 27 back and forth for three quarters. Russell New Orleans 22 27 .449 6 few months,” Barcelona defender Flagler (13 points) buried yet anoth- Rockets 133-130 for their sixth straight seconds left. Raul Neto missed a reverse continued Minnesota’s push ahead with a Houston 13 37 .260 15-1/2 Northwest Division er 3-pointer for the Bears. win. layup with 5.5 seconds left and Trent pair of 3-pointers in the fourth. He scored W L Pct GB In just over a minute, Baylor’s 58- Deandre Ayton matched a season got the rebound. 13 of his points in the fourth. Utah 38 12 .760 - SOCCER 49 lead swelled to 16 points again. It high with 27 points as Phoenix won Cavaliers 125, Spurs 101 Russell came off the bench in his fi rst Denver 31 18 .633 6-1/2 for the ninth time in 10 games overall. game since Feb. 8. He missed 26 games. Portland 30 19 .612 7-1/2 hit 20 a few minutes later. And the In San Antonio, Darius Garland Oklahoma City 20 30 .400 18 Bears merely had to coast through Mikal Bridges had 20 points, and Chris Pistons 132, Thunder 108 Minnesota 13 38 .255 25-1/2 Clément Lenglet said. “Things are Paul fi nished with 19 points and 11 as- scored a career-high 37 points, and the the fi nal 5 minutes to celebrate a na- Cleveland Cavaliers beat the San Anto- In Oklahoma City, Jerami Grant Pacifi c Division starting to go our way.” tional title nearly two decades in the sists. W L Pct GB Barcelona had been struggling Phoenix led 101-92 after three quar- Phoenix 35 14 .714 - to break through the tight defen- making. ters, but Houston opened the fourth with LA Clippers 33 18 .647 3 The program was mired in scan- LA Lakers 31 19 .620 4-1/2 sive scheme of Valladolid, which a 9-0 run. Houston trailed by nine again Golden State 23 27 .460 12-1/2 played a man down from the 80th dal when Drew arrived 18 years ago. with a minute left, but Jae’Sean Tate Sacramento 22 29 .431 14 after Óscar Plano was sent off for The murder of a player at the hands and Kelly Olynyk made back-to-back 3s a foul from behind to stop a dan- of a teammate was still fresh in fans’ for the Rockets. gerous run by Dembélé. Christian Wood made two free scored 21 points against his former minds, as was the attempted cover- team, and the Detroit Pistons beat the “It’s proof that this is a very up by Drew’s predecessor, Dave throws to cut the Suns’ lead to one with difficult league, you have to fight 3.5 seconds remaining. Booker hit two Oklahoma City Thunder 132-108 . Bliss, and NCAA sanctions that Grant played three seasons for the hard to win in every match,” turned the Baylor program into argu- free throws, and Houston’s inbounds Lenglet said. “We created many pass was defl ected to end the game. Thunder, and then was traded after the ably the biggest rebuilding job in the 2018-19 season. He looked at home dur- chances and scored the winner in history of the sport. Nets 114, Knicks 112 ing his return, making 7 of 15 shots and the end. We are happy but we Yet after a few lean years, Drew In New York, Kyrie Irving scored 40 adding fi ve rebounds and fi ve assists in have to keep working because this had built a Big 12 contender. The points, Jeff Green made two free throws just 23 minutes. is far from over.” with 3.7 seconds left and the Brooklyn Josh Jackson and Sekou Doumbouya Atlético lost 1-0 at Sevilla on Bears began to challenge Kansas and Sunday to see their once-comfort- other blueblood programs. And they Nets overcome the early loss of James scored 14 points apiece for Detroit, Harden to beat the New York Knicks which was coming off a 125-81 home able cushion vanish. Seeking their fi nally broke through with their fi rst 114-112 . loss to the New York Knicks on Satur- first league title sine 2014, Diego conference championship since 1950 Harden returned after missing two day – the franchise’s worst defeat since Simeone’s team have been gradu- earlier this season. That was one of games with right hamstring tightness a 44-point loss in 1994. ally losing ground at the top of the their goals. The other was to deliver but lasted just four minutes before hav- Pistons coach Dwane Casey won- standings. Thier lead over their fi rst national championship. ing to leave again with the same injury. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) goes up to shoot as Utah Jazz dered how his team would bounce back, Barcelona was more than 10 On Monday night, they reached But even short-handed and on the center Rudy Gobert defends in the fi rst half of an NBA basketball game in and he liked what he saw. Detroit shot points a few weeks ago. that one, too. second night of a back-to-back, the Nets Dallas. (AP) 52% from the fi eld.

THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Published by: Arab Times Publishing House

Editor-in-Chief Editorial Office: Telephone: 24813566 & 24849144 Advertising: Tel: 55633481 Annual Subscriptions: Airport Road, Shuwaikh Fax: 24818267 Fax: 24911307 Individuals KD 45/- Companies and Offi cial Tel: 24849144 AHMED AL JARALLAH Departments KD 75 Airmail charges extra for Fax: 24839487 P.O. Box 2270, 13023 Safat, Kuwait E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] overseas