MUHARRAM 15, 1442 AH THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 16 Pages Max 47º Min 30º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 18221 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Health experts puzzled as Macron supports ‘sovereignty’ Will trade for food: Online Malaysia eSports player 5 Pakistan virus cases drop 6 of Iraq on first Baghdad visit 10 barter soars in Philippines 15 wins citizenship battle Steroids cut death rates in critical COVID-19 patients Study shows how masks with valves, face shields allow spread of virus LONDON: Treating critically ill COVID-19 the United States - gave a consistent message patients with corticosteroid drugs reduces the risk throughout, showing the drugs were beneficial in of death by 20 percent, an analysis of seven inter- the sickest patients regardless of age or sex or national trials found yesterday, prompting the World how long patients had been ill. The findings, pub- Health Organization to update its advice on treat- lished in the Journal of the American Medical ment. The analysis - which pooled data from sepa- Association, reinforce results that were hailed as a rate trials of low dose hydrocortisone, dexametha- major breakthrough and announced in June, when sone and methylprednisolone - found that steroids dexamethasone became the first drug shown to be improve survival rates of COVID-19 patients sick able to reduce death rates among severely sick enough to be in intensive care in hospital. COVID-19 patients. “This is equivalent to around 68 percent of (the Dexamethasone has been in widespread use in sickest COVID-19) patients surviving after treat- intensive care wards treating COVID-19 patients in ment with corticosteroids, compared to around 60 some countries since then. Martin Landray, a pro- percent surviving in the absence of corticosteroids,” fessor of medicine and epidemiology at the the researchers said in a statement. “Steroids are a University of Oxford who worked on the dexam- cheap and readily available medication, and our ethasone trial that was a key part of the pooled analysis has confirmed that they are effective in analysis published yesterday, said the results mean reducing deaths amongst the people most severely doctors in hospitals across the world can safely affected by COVID-19,” Jonathan Sterne, a profes- switch to using the drugs to save lives. “These sor of medical statistics and epidemiology at results are clear, and instantly usable in clinical Britain’s Bristol University who worked on the practice,” he told reporters. “Among critically ill This handout picture shows a far-field view of a droplet spread when a face shield is used to impede the analysis, told the briefing. patients with COVID-19, low-dose corticos- jet, 2.97 seconds after the initiation of the emulated cough. — AFP He said the trials - conducted by researchers in teroids...significantly reduce the risk of death.” Britain, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Spain, and Continued on Page 2 Al-Humaidi Al-Subaei. Voting on the two no-confi- MPs support Saleh, dence motions is scheduled to take place on Sept 10, Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem said after the grillings. During the interior minister’s grilling, MP Harbi after grillings Mohammad Hayef accused the minister of not act- By B Izzak ing over the alleged leaks of a meeting at the state security agency that included the main suspect in KUWAIT: The National Assembly agreed to start the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund scandal. He debating the budgets for 2020/2021 including the also accused the minister of not taking any legal state budget, which is projecting a massive KD 14 action against officers and people involved in mis- billion deficit, one of the biggest in several years. The leading thousands of bedoons or stateless people to decision came following a marathon session on buy passports of some countries which turned out Tuesday during which lawmakers filed no-confi- to be fake. dence motions against Education Minister Saud Al- Saleh categorically denied the allegations and Harbi and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh following insisted that he is being questioned because he took two grillings. action and for seeking reforms. He said all the alle- But several MPs were quick to renew their confi- gations in the grilling relate to events that had taken dence in the two ministers, especially the interior place before he was appointed interior minister and minister, who will be facing a second confidence wondered why he was being grilled for the second vote in two weeks. The Assembly however agreed to time in two weeks. The minister said the cases that delay the debate of two grillings against HH the have been highlighted in the grilling were referred Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah to the public prosecution and asked why he is being filed separately by MPs Abdulkarim Al-Kandari and questioned for that. KUWAIT: Lawmakers are seen during a session of National Assembly late Tuesday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat When cars fly: Japan firm Volunteers in says day is nearing Bahrain sign up for vaccine trial MANAMA: In a Bahrain exhibition center that used to hold jewelry shows and book fairs before the coro- navirus pandemic, Mohammed Al-Blooshi and other masked volunteers wait for a dose of a Chinese trial vaccine. “It is a service to humanity,” says Blooshi, one of thousands in the wealthy Gulf country set to partic- ipate in the study. Chinese drug giant Sinopharm began testing a COVID-19 vaccine in Bahrain in August after starting a similar trial on 15,000 subjects in the nearby United Arab Emirates a month earlier. The randomised, double-blind trial of 6,000 people is still recruiting healthy men and women as volunteers MANAMA: A man participates in a large-scale trial of a Chinese-sponsored Continued on Page 2 vaccine for the coronavirus on Aug 27, 2020. —AFP TOYOTA CITY, Japan: This handout picture obtained yesterday shows the ing from farming and fishing the whiskered, revenues. We need years to recover.” SD-03 manned flying car during a test flight at Toyota test field. — AFP Iraq’s dead carp-like fish native to the twin Tigris and The causes of the mass premature Euphrates rivers. Hussein Serhan is a proud deaths remain unclear, but marsh-based TOKYO: It might seem like a flight may excite fans of “Blade Runner” descendant of one such family. Like his fishermen have some theories. “Gangs,” said of fancy, but a Japanese firm says it and “Back to the Future”, the test fish kicking father and grandfather before him, the 70- Hussein Ali, 37, who fishes on another bank is one step closer to making flying run leaves mankind far from a future year-old has spent his life on the riverbeds of the 325-sq-km Al-Delmaj marsh, in cars a reality after testing a drone- of airborne vehicles whizzing into up a stink of Diwaniyah province. neighboring Wasit province. Ali and others like prototype. Video from engineer- the sky to avoid traffic. Season after season, he carefully scoured blame groups with alleged links to fish ing company SkyDrive shows its The company hailed “the first AL-DELMAJ MARSHES, Iraq: Poisoned vast stretches of water for schools of the importers for poisoning local supplies, manned compact vehicle using eight public demonstration of a flying car water, illegal dams and even armed clashes: ray-finned barbels he calls his “children”. although they did not specify what sub- propellers to hover into the air and in Japan” and said the aircraft, These days, fishing for precious barbels in This year, he didn’t have to look far. stance may have been used. make its way - with a few wobbles - around the size of two parked Iraq’s majestic river marshes involves navi- Thousands of tons floated up to the surface “They have also installed dams along around a test field. But while the clip Continued on Page 2 gating precarious waters. For centuries, civ- of the wetland - dead. “It’s an ecological rivulets that feed the marshes, which means ilizations in southern Iraq have made a liv- disaster,” Serhan told AFP. “We lost all our Continued on Page 2 2 Established 1961 Thursday, September 3, 2020 Local Three dead, five injured in Jahra Road crash Dump truck lands on top of vehicle KUWAIT: Firefighters working on the scene of the accident. KUWAIT: Three people were killed and ner, while five persons were rushed to hos- sources. Case papers indicate that the against social media influencer Abdullah Brewery stormed five others were injured in a horrific acci- pital, some of whom in critical condition, checkpoint at the building’s gate report- Al-Jasser (aka Abboudka), Al-Rai report- Ahmadi security forces raided a local dent reported on Jahra Road Tuesday Kuwait Fire Service Directorate (KFSD) ed controlling a Kuwaiti civilian who ed. The court set a hearing to be held on liquor brewery in Mahboula, where night. The accident reportedly happened said in a statement to the press. Police then assaulted a police major, and referred Sept 15 to discuss accusations against dozens of liquor barrels and equipment near the Jahra Governorate’s building, helped restore traffic which was paralyzed them both to a police station for further him of mobile phone misuse. were found, Al-Rai reported, quoting where a dump truck crashed into two vehi- completely by the accident. An investiga- investigations. A case was filed pending security sources. Case papers indicate cles, overturned and landed on top of one tion was opened into the accident. further investigations. However, the KD 60,000 claims that a police patrol suspected someone of them. Firefighters from three fire sta- police officer also filed a case, accusing Hawally patrols stopped a Kuwaiti holding a bag, and on stopping him, tions rushed to the scene as soon as the Assault charges the citizen of assaulting and insulting a man wanted over KD 60,000 in claims in policemen found the bag contained accident was reported, and they immedi- A police officer and a citizen assaulted security agent.