olympics markets THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Pages 14, 15 & 16 Established in 1977 / www.arabtimesonline.com Page 9 SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2021 / ZUL-HIJJAH 15, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17745 16 PAGES 150 FILS Mosafer: ‘It doesn’t work ... Kill it!’ Health ‘quits’ Opinion Amir lauds Saudis on Hajj KUWAIT CITY, July 24, (KUNA): es provided for worshippers. By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Meanwhile, His Highness also Arab Times Staff Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a thanked Advisor of King Salman, congratulatory cable to Saudi King Makkah Governor and head of the cen- KUWAIT CITY, July Good manners, reputation, we give Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, tral Hajj committee Khalid bin Faisal 24: MP Hamad Al- Thursday, on the successful Hajj sea- bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Minister of son, especially with the current coro- Interior and head of the Supreme Hajj Matar and several navirus situation. committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud other lawmakers have him our daughter, but not the State His Highness the Amir also hailed bin Nayef Al Saud for their efforts to asked the Directorate Saudi’s expansion efforts and servic- organize the Hajj season. General of Civil Avia- tion (DGCA) to cancel By Ahmed Al-Jarallah the decision obligating Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times Kuwaiti travelers to FOR the third time in less than two years, register on ‘Mosafer’ international credit institutions have lowered platform. Kuwait’s credit rating. For the second time in Al-Matar also suggested two years, the local economy has shrunk by a assigning medical teams at sharp rate, reaching 9.9 percent last year. Kuwait International Airport The concerned government did nothing to to conduct PCR test for Ku- stop this economic deterioration that affects waiti arriving passengers for all aspects of life in the country. It seems as free. He stressed that free though what is happening does not concern health care is guaranteed by Kuwait, its people and its economy. the Constitution. The credit rating process is related to the He wondered why only Ku- state’s fi nancial position, investments, the pri- waitis stranded abroad are suf- vate sector, and the purchasing power of the fering due to high prices of plane tickets. He then reiterated the national currency. Therefore, taking action to need to cancel the requirement confront this continuous decline is an urgent for Kuwaiti travelers to register necessity. on ‘Mosafer’ platform. The executive authority must bear its re- Commenting on the same is- sponsibility. It has many tools and powers sue, MP Khalid Al-Anzi asserted to address the imbalance. The legislative that the platform has been proven authority is also concerned with this matter to be a failure. He stressed the but it does not bear the responsibility on the need to replace it with a better alternative. same level as the government, which invokes He said other countries have flimsy excuses such as the failure of the Na- been flexible in dealing with CO- tional Assembly to allow it to take reform VID-19, while Kuwait still lacks measures. a clear vision and integrated plan How did this government, which has been in this regard. holding on to such excuses, manage to para- MP Hesham Al-Saleh called lyze the National Assembly when interpel- for facilitating procedures for citizens, especially during the lations increased? How was it able to pass travel season. He recommended the laws it wanted with an open game, while exempting citizens from paying standing on the hill and watching the fire for PCR test and canceling the when it finds that the matter does not con- A Palestinian woman enjoys the day on the beach during the Eid Al Adha festival in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 21. The major Muslim holiday ‘Mosafer’ platform registration cern it? at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah is observed around the world by believers and commemorates Prophet Abraham’s (PBUH) requirement. pledge to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. (AP) Isn’t the country’s credit and sovereign rat- Confi rmed ing one of the core aspects of its powers? It MP Bader Al-Humaidi con- needs to make sure its continued decline does firmed that DGCA Chairman not rise to the level of crime, for which no one Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Sa- else will be held responsible. Indeed, no one lem Al-Sabah promised to cancel remembers what MP Muhammad Mutair or China rebuffs WHO COVID probe the aforementioned requirement Obaid Al-Wasmi or some other MPs said in as soon as possible. this regard. BEIJING, July 24, (AP): China cannot MP Abdullah Al-Mudaf asked Today we are facing one of the worst stages accept the World Health Organization’s Minister of Defense Sheikh in the country’s economic management. This plan for the second phase of a study into Hamad Jaber Al-Ali about the is because His Highness the Prime Minister, Newswatch the origins of COVID-19, a senior Chi- rationale behind the decision nese health official said Thursday. requiring citizens to input a lot who is morally upright, left matters in the Zeng Yixin, the vice minister of the of personal information on the hands of the ministers. They committed short- National Health Commission, said he was platform. He wants to know if comings more than once, and some of them LOS ANGELES: The chair of former President It extended condolences for families of the “rather taken aback” that the plan includes such personal data can be leaked took matters as personal affairs. Donald Trump’s inaugural committee was or- victims and wished speedy recovery for the further investigation of the theory that the through the platform. For instance, the decisions taken by the dered freed Friday on $250 million bail to face wounded. (KUNA) virus might have leaked from a Chinese lab. In another development, MP Minister of Health triggered a maze of con- charges he secretly worked as an agent for the ❑ ❑ ❑ He dismissed the lab leak idea as a ru- Khalid Al-Anzi asked Minister the United Arab Emirates to infl uence Trump’s mor that runs counter to common sense of Information and Minister of fusion. The Minister of Commerce, who was foreign policy. DUBAI: Two passenger jets from low-cost car- rier FlyDubai and Bahrain-based Gulf Air col- and science. State for Youth Affairs Abdulrah- disturbed by an editorial piece, refused to re- Tom Barrack, 74, will be subject to electronic “It is impossible for us to accept such man Badah Al-Mutairi to refer the spond to the calls to clarify the ambiguity in monitoring and largely confi ned to his residence lided with each other on the taxiway at Dubai International Airport early Thursday morning, an origin-tracing plan,” he said at a news team behind a television program his confl icting statements. after he is arraigned Monday in a New York conference called to address the COV- aired by Channel 2 Kuwait TV for courtroom. He was arrested Tuesday in Los An- though authorities reported no injuries in the in- Can we really address a major crisis similar cident. ID-19 origins issue. investigation. He pointed out that geles near his home. The search for where the virus came the program depicted Prophets — to the one we are experiencing today? Barrack is expected to plead not guilty to con- FlyDubai said one of its Boeing 737-800s As for the Minister of Finance, who is more heading to Kyrgyzstan found itself affected by from has become a diplomatic issue that Peace Be Upon Them — inappro- spiring to infl uence US policy on the UAE’s be- priately and without consulting concerned with fi nancial affairs than others, half during Trump’s 2016 campaign and while ”a minor incident” and forced to return to the has fueled China’s deteriorating relations Trump was president. Barrack, the founder of stand. It said passengers took a later fl ight, which with the U.S. and many American al- the concerned religious institu- he came out to us a few days ago with one of tions. He vowed to follow up the the most bizarre statements. private equity fi rm Colony Capital, was among departed six hours later. (AP) lies. The U.S. and others say that China three men charged in the case. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ has not been transparent about what hap- steps that Al-Mutairi will take re- He stated, “The fi nancial position of the ❑ ❑ ❑ pened in the early days of the pandemic. garding the issue. State of Kuwait is very strong because it is DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant acknowl- China accuses critics of seeking to blame On the other hand, MP Mehal- fully supported by the future generations re- KUWAIT CITY: His Highness the Amir Sheikh edged Wednesday that leaked data from the it for the pandemic and politicizing an is- hal Al-Mudaf forwarded queries serve fund. Despite this, the Kuwaiti economy Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a company — fi les now apparently being used in a sue that should be left to scientists. to Minister of Oil and Higher cable of condolence to Saudi King Salman bin cyber-extortion attempt involving a $50 million Education Muhammad Al-Fares is in dire need of a fi nancial reform process in ransom demand — likely came from one of its The Biden administration in a state- Abdulaziz Al Saud on Wednesday, over the ment Thursday criticized China’s rejec- about the harmful gas from Zour order to treat its structural imbalances.” death of Princess Nouf bint Khaled bin Abdul- contractors.