Young Tunisian activists under police pressure5One year of the pandemic:

What is your corona story?3 Swiss children suit up for ‘Mission to Mars’12 Arsenal fightback denies

West Ham in 6-goal thriller16ISSUE NO: 18389

16 Pages 150 Fils

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The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

SHAABAN 9, 1442 AH MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

MPs call on government to end partial lockdown

Kuwait reports 11 deaths, 1,192 new COVID-19 casesBy B Izzak KUWAIT: A number of lawmakers yesterday called on the government to “immediately” end the partial lockdown that was imposed two weeks ago to curb a spike in the number of coronavirus cases, saying it has hurt the society and the economy. Opposition MP Hasan Jowhar said the partial lockdown has failed to deal with the crisis as it has not helped bring down the number of new cases, as he cast doubt on the “accuracy” of official figures released by the ministry.

The lawmaker said the health minister and the min-istry have made “blunders” while dealing with the health crisis, and wondered why the number of coron-avirus cases has been dropping worldwide except in Kuwait, where it continues to rise. He also asked how is it logical that the number of cases among Kuwaitis is twice the number of cases among expats, although Kuwaitis make up just 30 percent of the population.

Jowhar said the partial 12-hour lockdown has forced people to carry out their essential needs like shopping in a highly shortened period, which has caused harm to the people and the economy. He said this and other issues will be included in a grilling that Jowhar and another MP plan to file against the health minister.

Another opposition MP Ahmad Al-Azemi yester-

day reiterated that he will file to grill the health minis-ter over the alleged mishandling of the coronavirus issue and other subjects. MP Khalil Al-Saleh called on the ministry to stop sending people who have taken two dozes of the COVID-19 vaccine to so-called institutional quarantine. He also demanded that the government must pay the cost of the hotel quarantine for citizens, otherwise it should send them home.

The health ministry yesterday reported 1,192 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking total cases to 219,125, while 11 deaths were recorded, tak-ing the death toll to 1,226. Ministry Spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said the number of people receiv-ing treatment in intensive care units has reached 232, with 14,360 others undergoing treatment. Sanad said the number of swabs performed in the past 24 hours reached 7,072, taking total tests to 1,967,210. Earlier, the ministry announced 1,331 cases had recovered in the past 24 hours, taking total recoveries to 203,539.

Meanwhile, Islamist MP Saleh Al-Mutairi yester-day submitted a draft law to amend article 79 of the constitution to make all future legislation in line with Islamic sharia. He called on MPs and Kuwaiti voters to help him in passing the amendment that will require that any law in the future must comply with sharia.

Continued on Page 2 KUWAIT: People queue as they wait to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the vaccination center at the international fairgrounds in Mishref yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat (See Page 3)

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) announced yesterday the launching of a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). The license for the first virtual operator, aimed at attracting foreign investors, is to be run by Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa (VMMEA) and Kuwait Telecom Company (STC), the authority said in a statement to KUNA, adding that this step will boost compe-tition in Kuwait’s market.

It will also provide multiple new services in Kuwait with competitive prices, as well as pro-vide job opportunities for both citizens and expats, CITRA noted. — KUNA (See Page 9)

Kuwait launches first Mobile Virtual Network Operator

CAIRO: Famed Egyptian author Nawal El-Saadawi, a champion of women’s rights who revolutionized discus-sions on gender in the Arab world, died yesterday at the age of 89, Al-Ahram news-paper said. Saadawi died in a Cairo hospital after suffer-ing a long illness, her family said. A prolific author who shot to fame with widely translated novel “Women at Point Zero” (1975), Saadawi was a fierce advo-cate for women’s empowerment in Egypt’s deeply conservative and patriarchal society.

With more than 55 books to her name including the taboo-breaking work “Women and Sex”, she was briefly jailed by late president Anwar Sadat and

Continued on Page 2

Women’s rights icon, author Saadawi dies

Nawal El-Saadawi

FIGUIG, Morocco: A woman stands at a viewpoint overlooking this oasis town on the border with Algeria on March 19, 2021. — AFP

FIGUIG, Morocco: Moroccan farmers in an isolated oasis on the Algerian bor-der are bearing the brunt of regional tensions after Algiers expelled them from date groves they have worked for generations. The border between the arch-rivals has been closed since 1994, but Algeria had allowed some residents of the Moroccan frontier town of Figuig to cross into the date groves of Al-Arja, known to Algerians as the

Laaroda oasis. In recent days, Algeria has with-

drawn that right, deploying soldiers to enforce the move. “Everybody feels wronged,” said Mohamed Jabbari, an unemployed 36-year-old who joined a protest in Figuig against the move. “Agriculture is the only resource we have. There’s no work here, no factories.”

On Thursday, some 4,000 people - around half of Figuig’s population - attended an angry demonstration against Algeria’s decision. Morocco’s regional authorities organized a meet-ing to “examine possible solutions to mitigate the impact” of a decision they said was “temporary”.

Continued on Page 2

Morocco oasis farmers mourn date palm loss

BEIRUT: Lebanese women hold placards as they protest against the coun-try’s political paralysis and deep economic crisis on the eve of Mother’s Day on Saturday. — AFP

BEIRUT: Around one hundred women demonstrated in crisis-hit Lebanon on Saturday on the eve of Mother’s Day in the country, express-ing outrage at the ruling class. The mothers, some with their children, marched from an area once on Beirut’s dividing line during the 1975-1990 civil war, to the city’s port, which saw a catastrophic explosion last year - blamed on official negligence - that

killed more than 200 people and injured thousands.

Chanting anti-government slogans, they held signs addressing the ruling class. “You have stolen our money and our children’s futures,” several plac-ards read. “The best gift would be your leaving,” read another. Lebanon is battling its worst economic crisis in decades. The national currency has lost almost 90 percent of its value against the dollar on the black market and consumer prices have soared.

Some 55 percent of Lebanese now live below the poverty line, the United Nations says, and unemployment stood at 39.5 percent late last year. The government resigned after the

Continued on Page 2

Lebanon moms march against ruling class

PARIS: The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year swung closest yesterday, giving astronomers a rare chance for a good look at a space rock that formed at the dawn of our solar system. While in astronomical terms this marks a close encounter with the asteroid - called 2001 FO32 - NASA says

there is no threat of a collision with our planet “now or for centuries to come”.

The nearest it gets will be two million kilometers away, according to the US space agency. That is roughly 5.25 times the distance of the Earth from the Moon but still close enough for 2001 FO32 to be classified as a “potentially hazardous asteroid”. “We know the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the Sun very accurately,” said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies.

NASA says 2001 FO32 will pass by at about 124,000 km per hour faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth. The asteroid is esti-mated to be about 900 m in diameter and was dis-

covered 20 years ago. Astronomers are hoping to get a better understanding of the asteroid’s size and a rough idea of its composition by studying light reflecting off its surface.

“When sunlight hits an asteroid’s surface, miner-als in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others,” NASA said. “By studying the spectrum of light reflecting off the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical ‘fingerprints’ of the minerals on the surface of the asteroid.” The asteroid was at its closest to Earth at around 1600 GMT yesterday, according to the Paris Observatory, France’s largest astronomy research center.

Continued on Page 2

Large asteroid (safely) zips past Earth

2L o c a l

Established 1961

Monday, March 22, 2021

Deputy Amir receives Speaker, Prime Minister, Deputy Premier

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Deputy Amir and Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at

Se i f pa lace Nat iona l Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem. His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince also received

H is H ighness the Pr ime Min i s ter She ikh S abah A l -Kha l ed A l -Hamad A l -Sabah . Moreover, he r ece ived D eputy Pr i me

Minister, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Integrity Enhancement Abduallah Yousef Al-Roumi. — KUNA

KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem. — KUNA photos

His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah meets with Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Integrity Enhancement Abduallah Yousef Al-Roumi.

KUWAIT: Zain Group, a leading mobile telecom innovator in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa, announces that its subsidiary Zain Drone has been awarded a contract to perform a precise data acquisition assignment for Kuwait’s Public Authority of Industry. The project will entail conducting an aerial topographical survey using Zain Drone state-of-the-art technology.

Aerial surveys will be performed using autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) capable of capturing

corrected georeferenced imagery that will be handed over to the Public Authority of Industry for further data processing.

Zain Drone recently signed a contract with Openware for Zain Drone’s UAV services to be uti-lized to monitor industrial areas in Kuwait on behalf of the Public Authority of Industry and detect and report on any changes to business activity. The Authority’s aim is to develop, promote and supervise industrial activity in Kuwait as well as the development of the industrial base as it works to achieve national eco-nomic goals.

Zain Drone CEO, AbdulAziz Jawad commented, “The Public Authority of Industry has an important mission to supervise economic activity in industrial areas in Kuwait. We believe our services and technol-ogy are amongst the most precise and sophisticated available anywhere in the region, allowing our indus-

trial and commercial clients to undertake tasks with greater efficiency and lower cost than when utilizing traditional methods.”

Zain Drone became operational in Kuwait in October 2018 to focus on the delivery of drone-pow-ered solutions. This development built on Zain Group’s leading position in digital innovation across the mar-kets in which it operates.

Since that time, Zain Drone has managed to offer a diversified fleet of world-class drones and applica-tions, provide bespoke solutions and educate the mar-ket on the magnitude of benefits the usage of drones can drive, particularly with respect to asset digitiza-tion, operational efficiency, inspection, maintenance, data accuracy and cost cutting while using advanced analytics to help governments and private businesses.

Zain Drone assigned to acquire precise industrial data

KUWAIT: Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah met separately with Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Ngo Toan Thang (left) and Greek Ambassador to Kuwait Konstantinos Piperigos in his office at Seif palace yesterday. — Amiri Diwan photos

Continued from Page 1 Islamist MPs have tried repeatedly in the past to

amend the constitution to make all laws Islamic, but failed. Constitutional amendments in Kuwait are extremely difficult to pass because they require the approval of two-thirds of the Assembly and HH the

Amir. The leftist Kuwait Progressive Movement imme-diately criticized the move, saying this will transfer Kuwait from a civil state into a religious state.

Five opposition lawmakers yesterday submitted a draft law to amend the election law in such a way to exactly define crimes that deprive people from voting and contesting elections. In their bill, the lawmakers said any conviction should stipulate at least three years in jail for crimes such as issuing a dud check, cheating, rape, abduction and bribery among others. Currently, such crimes are not defined as those which result in barring people from voting or running for public office, unlike political offenses.

MPs call on government...

Continued from Page 1 also condemned by Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni

Muslim authority in Egypt. Saadawi’s outspoken brand of feminism - including campaigning against women wearing the veil, inequality in Muslim inheri-tance rights between men and women, polygamy and female circumcision - gained her as many critics as admirers in the Middle East.

In 1993, after constant deaths threats from fire-brand Islamist preachers, Saadawi moved to Duke University in the US state of North Carolina, where she was a writer-in-residence at the Asian and African languages department for three years. She returned to Egypt and in 2005 ran for president but abandoned her bid after accusing security forces of not allowing her to hold rallies.

She fell out of favor with many secular progres-sives later in life for her wholehearted embrace of general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s mili-tary overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Her path-breaking, critical books published in dozens of languages also took aim at Western feminists including her friend Gloria Steinem and policies espoused by heads of state such as former US president George W Bush’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Saadawi’s death coincides with Mother’s Day celebrations in Egypt and across the Arab world. She divorced three times and had two children.

“I don’t care about academic critics, or people who write critical reviews. I was never much recog-nized by them or by the government,” the radical feminist told AFP in 2015. “Young men and women across Egypt and outside have showered immense love and recognition on me,” said Saadawi, whose books were translated into more than 30 languages. Saadawi, a trained physician, was renowned for her fiery denunciation of FGM, which she was subjected to when only six years old. — AFP

Women’s rights icon, author...

Continued from Page 1 The Figuig oasis, sitting on a caravan route on the edge

of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert, was settled in ancient times. Trade began to decline after the border was drawn in 1845, and diplomatic disputes between Algiers and Rabat soon turned Figuig into a dead end. Before the border was drawn, the tight-knit Berber com-munity had moved freely in the area. Now, to reach rela-tives just a short distance over the sealed border, residents say they have to first take a plane to Algiers.

Algeria has justified the latest move by claiming farmers have failed to comply with regulations and that drug-trafficking gangs were operating in the area. Figuig residents have strongly rejected those allega-tions. “The expulsions are a political decision,” said Mohamed El-Jilali, head of a local association.

The expulsions coincide with a rise in tensions between the two countries in recent months over the disputed Western Sahara. Rabat considers the territo-ry to its south a sovereign part of the kingdom - a position given Washington’s seal of approval in the final days of the Trump administration. Algeria has backed the Polisario Front which seeks independence for the territory.

Hundreds of kilometers away in Figuig, residents have more immediate concerns: Their livelihoods. The oasis, a three-hour drive to the nearest towns of Oujda and Errachidia, struggles to attract tourists. That is despite its beautiful architecture and landscapes, which residents hope will eventually earn it a UNESCO World

Heritage listing. That leaves many residents reliant on date palms for

a living. Over the years, farmers have planted dates in areas beyond the wadi, or valley, that marks the bor-der, taking advantage of the area’s groundwater. The more recently planted areas produce a better harvest than traditional gardens surrounded by adobe walls and irrigated by a complex network of hand-built canals, farmers say. The area evacuated this week cov-ers around 1,500 hectares and includes sought-after Aziza date palms.

Abdelmalik Boubekri, a Figuig farmer with chiseled features, said his date orchard had been his family’s livelihood for three generations. “Algeria and Morocco have let us farm with no problems and now we don’t know who to turn to,” the 71-year-old said. He said he’d had to abandon 30,000 trees, some planted by his grandfather.

The years of work represented more than five million dirhams in value - more than half a million dollars - he said, with dates that sell for up to 150 dirhams a kilo-gram. Like others expelled from the Arja area, he claims a “historic right” to his land, brandishing a copy of a document dating to 1939. Farmers from Figuig had already been forced to leave lands on the other side of the wadi.

The last evictions by the Algerian authorities took place in 1975, coinciding with the so-called Green March that saw thousands of Moroccans cross into Western Sahara to lay claim to the mineral-rich former Spanish colony. Since then, Figuig has seen a wave of migration towards larger cities or Europe, emptying the oasis of half its inhabitants, their houses and gardens left empty and crumbling. Farmer Abdelmajid Boudi, 62, is mourning the latest loss. “Lots of palm trees have been abandoned and become too tall to harvest dates from,” he said. — AFP

Morocco oasis farmers mourn...

Continued from Page 1 port explosion, but endless haggling between the

main ruling parties has delayed the process of forming

a new cabinet. “They are all war criminals, warlords,” protester

Nada Agha told AFP, referring to the fact that several politicians were militia leaders during the civil war. “They have been dividing up the pie among themselves (for 30 years)... and have blown us up and stolen our money. We want them to leave!” she said. Another demonstrator, Petra Saliba, in her fifties, said “no solu-tion is possible while they are in power”. “We want to destroy them as they have destroyed us.” — AFP

Lebanon moms march against...

Continued from Page 1 Amateur astronomers in some parts of the

globe should be able to conduct their own obser-vations. The asteroid will be brightest while it moves through southern skies, Chodas said.

“Amateur astronomers in the southern hemi-sphere and at low northern latitudes should be

able to see this asteroid using moderate-size tele-scopes with apertures of at least eight inches in the nights leading up to closest approach, but they will probably need star charts to find it,” he added.

NASA said more than 95 percent of near-Earth asteroids the size of 2001 FO32 or larger have been catalogued and none of them has any chance of impacting our planet over the next century. NASA says the next time 2001 FO32 will be close to Earth will be 2052. Sixty-six million years ago an asteroid roughly twice the diameter as Paris crashed into Earth and wiped out 75 percent of life on the planet. — AFP

Large asteroid (safely) zips...

Monday, March 22, 2021

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One year of the pandemic, Kuwaitresidents tell stories of hardships

Kuwait curfew:What you needto knowKUWAIT: Kuwait imposed a one-month par-tial curfew from 5:00 pm to 5:00 am startingfrom March 7, 2021 to help curb the sharpincrease in COVID-19 cases registered inrecent weeks. During the curfew hours, phar-macies, medical stores, co-operative societiesand supermarkets are allowed to continueoperation only through delivery services. Thegovernment later allowed co-ops and super-markets to serve shoppers from 5:00 pm to10:00 pm every day. Also during the curfew,people are allowed to go to Fajr, Maghreb andIsha prayers at mosques only by walking,while taxis are allowed to carry only two pas-sengers. The government meanwhile allowedsalons and health clubs to reopen during theday after a one-month closure but keptrestaurants and cafes closed except for drive-through and delivery services.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industrylaunched a booking service, allowing peopleto shop from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm during thecurfew hours. The service is valid for all co-ops and supermarkets around Kuwait. Tobook an appointment, a shopper should visitwww.moci.shop, enter the required informa-tion (civil ID number and serial number, con-tact number and email address), the reason forappointment (food supply center) and thetime and date of the appointment. The shop-per would then receive a barcode to showonce they reach the shopping center.

Where to obtain a curfew pass?Citizens and residents that need a pass

during the curfew hours to leave theirhomes can apply for a pass athttps://www.paci .gov.kw/. The pass isavailable for those in need of emergencymedical treatment, doctor’s visits, blooddonation, COVID-19 swabs and COVID-19vaccinations.

Co-op delivery during curfew hoursDuring curfew hours, co-ops, grocery

stores and other markets will be allowed tooffer delivery services. Most co-ops willaccept orders via delivery. Here is an incom-plete list of co-op WhatsApp numbers. Eachco-op will be responsible for deciding if andwhen they provide delivery services and notall may be providing.

Omariya Co-opWhatsApp 6041-0067

Farwaniya Co-opWhatsApp 6767-8211

Qairawan Co-opWhatsApp 9000-3749

Jahra Co-opWhatsApp 5160-2458

Abdulla Al-Mubarak Co-opWhatsApp 6066-6338

Nuzha Co-opWhatsApp 9784-5531

Khaitan Co-opWhatsApp 6777-9745

Ardhiya Co-opWhatsApp 6902-0779

Rabiya Co-opWhatsApp 2438-8316

Wafra Farm Co-opTel: 9883-5245 / 5170-0085

Salmiya Co-opTel: 22253225

Jabriya Co-opTel: 1805-353WhatsApp 6566-6084

Rawdha & HawallyWhatsApp 9662-2883

Shaab Co-opWhatsApp 9090-4455

Wafra Co-opWhatsApp 5055-0539

Keifan Co-opWhatsApp 5178-1719

Rehab Co-opWhatsApp 9222-2358

Mishref Co-opWhatsApp 5055-9900

Faiha Co-opTel: 1861-000WhatsApp 9098-6000

Rumaithiya Co-opWhatsApp 6066-0045

Bayan Co-opWhatsApp 9004-2500

Fahaheel Co-opWhatsApp 5178-9951

Adan & Qusour Co-opTel: 5034-3111 / 6593-3975

Salam Co-opWhatsApp 9788-7832

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Every one of us has a coronavirus story.To some the pandemic has been difficult and hard; toothers gruesome and horrible; and to the rest toughand unkind. So what is your corona story? Saby, amiddle-aged Indian man, has been working in Kuwaitfor the last 20 years. He said January 2020 was thehardest, as his father passed away. He couldn’t evenbe by his side during his hospital ordeal.

“Until now I am mourning the passing of myfather. The fact that you cannot travel and be withyour loved ones in times of emergency is the hardestpart. He was in hospital in October 2020, was placedin the ICU, then got better and went home. But inDecember he suffered other health-related issues, sohe was admitted to the ICU again. When you want tobe with your loved ones but cannot do anything isthe most horrible thing. This has been the saddestmoment in my life. Until now I feel terribly bad. Atthat time I wanted to fly back to India, but the timingand reality on the ground were not in my favor. Iloved my father so much, but I didn’t have a choice -even if you have money you cannot do anything,”Saby said.

Saby said 2020 and now 2021 have been the cru-elest years he has encountered. “These have beenhorrible years, not just for me, but for the entire plan-et,” he said. As of yesterday, the world has recorded2.7 million COVID-19 deaths, with Kuwait’s death tollat 1,215. The coronavirus pandemic continues to dev-astate countries around the world and there is no

sign the virus is going to subside anytime soon, evenas the world is slowly rolling out vaccines.

Family separationMuhammad Tariq, a 47-year-old logistics coordi-

nator, has a disheartening family separation story. Hiswife and 9-year-old daughter went home to Pakistanon vacation in early Feb 2020. At that time, reportsabout the coronavirus were just emerging fromChina and there was no indication it would spreadrapidly throughout the world. The virus reachedKuwait in the middle of Feb 2020, and by earlyMarch, lockdowns and curfews has started and manypeople were stranded outside Kuwait.

Tariq’s family too was stranded in Pakistan. WhenKuwait eventually opened, they waited for somemore time to avoid quarantining in a third country asdirect flights were banned from certain countries.Some were able to enter Kuwait early on, but otherslike the family of Tariq who waited for new regula-tions were eventually stuck in Dubai when they final-ly decided to return to Kuwait.

On Feb 7, Kuwait decided to ban the entry of allforeigners to Kuwait for two weeks, which was laterextended indefinitely. Prior to this ban, there wasalready a ban on the direct entry of passengers from35 countries - later expanded to 68 - who had to stay14 days in a third country before flying to Kuwait.

Hope and prayer“In early January, my wife and daughter landed in

Dubai, but due to a series of border closures, my

family is still waiting to be allowed to enter Kuwait. Ihope and pray that Kuwait reconsiders the entry ban,especially for dependents, and arranges a mercyflight for them. My family is not the only one strand-ed in Dubai. They are many others. We have beenpaying for hotel accommodation based on daily ratesand are broke. I hope the Kuwait government will dosomething about our predicament,” Tariq said.

Meanwhile, Raju, an Indian expat, said he waslucky to enter Kuwait just before the coronavirusoutbreak. “I returned from vacation before the coro-navirus struck Kuwait. A few days after I arrived,they shut the airport. I thought this will be temporary,but my vacation in 2020 was scuppered. The prob-lem I am facing now is that all my part-time jobswere cancelled. I used to earn well from part-timejobs before; now I only have a salary from my regularjob. But I am glad that me and my family in India arein good health,” he said.

Melody, a Filipina business owner who hadopened a restaurant in Salmiya in late-2019, said sheis seriously contemplating closing her business. “Icannot earn anything anymore - no more incomefrom my restaurant business. The amount I am nowearning is not even enough to pay my restaurantworkers and rent. This business before was verylucrative, but now all my savings are gone and mybusiness is about to collapse. I am picking up thepieces that I can and am trying to sell anything toadd to my income. I really pray that we survive thistrial, as the only other option is to go back home,”she said.

Loss, family separation, lack of income among expats’ woes

KUWAIT: People queue as they wait to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the vaccination center at the international fairgrounds in Mishrefyesterday. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Monday, March 22, 2021

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THE LEADING INDEPENDENTDAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN

Editor-in-ChiefABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN

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Photo of the Day

KUWAIT: People shop at the Mubarakiya Market in the capital Kuwait city on March 20, 2021. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

News in brief

Kuwait Foreign Minister in quarantine

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Foreign Minister SheikhAhmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah con-firmed that he has tested negative for COVID-19.He added in statements to Al-Rai Arabic daily thathe and his delegation are currently in quarantineafter returning from Pakistan. This follows thenews of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan test-ing positive to the virus.

Vaccine mobile clinics

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health plans to launchthis week a mobile clinic service across Kuwait tooffer COVID-19 vaccines in order to speed up thevaccination process, according to a report pub-lished by Al-Jarida Arabic daily yesterday.

Eight children a day

KUWAIT: An average of eight children enter theCOVID-19 wards at Jaber Hospital every day, upfrom one to two children in the past few months,health officials have warned in a report publishedby Al-Qabas Arabic daily yesterday.

Dollar stable at KD 0.301

KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the US dollarwas stable at KD 0.301, while the euro dropped toKD 0.359 yeterday, compared with Thursday’srates. According to the daily bulletin of the CentralBank of Kuwait (CBK), the sterling went down toKD 0.419, Swiss franc dropped to KD 0.424 andthe Japanese yen was stable at KD 0.003.

KUWAIT: Chief of the Kuwait Fire Force (KFF)Lieutenant General Khaled Al-Mekrad met in hisoffice yesterday Pakistan’s Ambassador to KuwaitSyed Sajjad Haider. The meeting discussed issuesof common interest and ways to enhance bilateral

ties, KFF said in a statement to the press. Lt GenMekrad conveyed to Haider the greetings of theMinister of Foreign Affairs and Cabinet AffairsSheikh Dr Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, it added. — KUNA

Kuwait InsuranceRegulatory Unitissues regulationsKUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Insurance Regulatory Unit hasissued Decision (1/2021) for organizing the sector. Theunit’s head, Mohammad Al-Otaibi, said in a statementon Saturday that issuance of the regulations ushered anew phase with respect of supervision and organiza-tion, indicating that the rules could be revised in thefuture. He boasted that the regulations were workedout although the division was established not a longtime ago. The division operates in light of the vision ofHis Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, calling for tangible achievements thatmeet citizens’ aspirations. Meanwhile, the unit’s deputypresident, Abdullah Al-Senan, said the executivebylaws would be published in the official Gazette (edi-tion 1527) — incorporating 340 articles. The laws reg-ulate issuance of permits, registration of companies,commitments regarding required solvency, investmentpolicies, arbitration and penalties. Senan has addedthat the executive bylaw is posted on the division offi-cial website: https://bylaw.iru.gov.kw. The insurancedivision, established according to Law 125/2019, istasked with regulating the sector in a just, transparentand competitive manner. — KUNA

KFF chief discusses mutual issueswith Pakistan ambassador

KUWAIT: Chief of the Kuwait Fire Force Lieutenant General Khaled Al-Mekrad meets with Pakistan’sAmbassador to Kuwait Syed Sajjad Haider.

Ooredoo Kuwaitsurprises motherswith burst of cheerKUWAIT: It goes without saying that mothers influ-ence us the most and their unwavering compassionimpacts us deeply. In view of that, Ooredoo Telecom,the first to introduce innovative digital services inKuwait, in collaboration with DOH, a local, artisanal,handcrafted donut line, recognized this year’sMother’s Day and distributed DOH brunch trays withsentimental message to all the strong accomplishedmothers and women in Kuwait.

The campaign came to ensure the fact thatOoredoo proudly embrace all mothers as a highlycompassionate figures that not only care for theirimmediate families and children, but also to theircommunities and their nations as well.

Ooredoo is aware that this year’s Mother’s Day isdifferent due to COVID-19, however, even such aglobal pandemic did not prevent Ooredoo to recog-nize mothers and celebrate their unconditional loveand care for their children self-sacrificingly, theiressential role in creating a stable and healthy family

environment, and lookingafter the whole family’swellbeing.

Mijbil Alayoub, SeniorDirector, CorporateCommunications, OoredooKuwait, said: “Mothers areextremely valuable in thesight of all societies. Notonly do they protect theirfamilies and their children inparticular, but they bear lifeand give warmth and care. This protection, validatesthe high premium mothers place on family centrality,an essential component of Kuwaiti womanism.Lovingly and responsibly, the Kuwaiti woman is themother of all humankind, and thus, unquestionably thesupreme mother nurturer.”

Alayoub added: “Our collaboration with DOH goesin-line with Ooredoo’s corporate social responsibilityin supporting talented local businesses, youth andcreative minds. And undoubtedly, DOH owns it all.”

From her side, Fouz Al-Khonaini, CEO andManaging Partner, DOH, said: “Our shared vision ofempowering local talents, and bringing the best expe-riences to customers and the public, is the goal. Ourcollaboration with Ooredoo Kuwait came to honormothers and bring them a joyous experience.”

KUWAIT: National Forum(NAFO) Kuwait, a leading non-profit, socio-cultural organizationin the country, recently held theinauguration ceremony for itsOnline Kalolsavam 2021. The cere-mony commenced with the prayerby Nivedita Anil Kumar. The inau-guration of the online cultural com-petition schematized by the asso-ciation was presided over byNAFO President C P Rajiv Menon.Renowned Mohiniyattam dancerGopika Varma, a member of theTravancore Royal family in theIndian state of Kerala, inauguratedthe function by lighting the tradi-tional ceremonial lamp from herresidence in Kowdiar Palace inThiruvananthapuram, the capital ofKerala State.

The main attraction was theonline interactive session withVarma in which she shared herinspirational thoughts and gaveadvice to upcoming young dancersof NAFO about Mohiniyattam,lifestyle in Royal Palace ofTravancore and shared a fewbeautiful personal moments withNAFO members. Another highlightof the inaugural ceremony wascongratulatory messages fromPadmabhushan singer K S Chitra

and silver-screen actress AnjaliNair, who congratulated NAFO forthe efforts taken in holding anonline Kalolsavam amidst theongoing COVID-19 crisis and therelated health and safety restric-tions. They conveyed their bestwishes to all participants in thekalolsavam.

NAFO General SecretaryVijayakumar Menon welcomed theguests to the online inauguration ofthe Kalolsavam program and thenhanded the floor to BhavanaMenon, the compere for theevening. Advisory Board memberRajeev G Pillai delivered the felici-

tation address and wished all par-ticipants the best of luck in thecompetitions. Cultural programconvener Unnikrishna Kurup pre-sented the highlights of NAFOKalotsavam 2021, and summarizedthe guidelines for all competitions.He noted that the competitionswould be conducted in five cate-gories with around 100 partici-pants taking part in the variouscompetitions that will be held from18 to 21 March. NAFO Kids NilaAjay, Nandakishore Girish enter-tained the online spectators withtheir melodious songs, which werescripted by the NAFO Ladies Wingofficials. Around 100 NAFO fami-lies participated in the online inau-guration, and the program conclud-ed with the formal vote of thanksby Joint Treasurer Rajeev Nair.

Mijbil Alayoub

NAFO inaugurates online Kalolsavam 2021

InternationalEvacuations ordered asSydney’s biggest damoverflows after rain

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Calls grow for a national monument honoring America’s COVID-19 deadPage 6

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

Young Tunisian activists under police watch Protesters say risk of arrest places a ‘sword of Damocles’ over their headsTUNIS: Hamza Nasri, a young Tunisian activist, hit thestreets as part of anti-government protests in recentmonths. Now he says he is under police watch and afraidfor his friends. “I’ve moved house three times in recentmonths. I’ve stopped going to see certain friends so I don’tput them in danger,” the 27-year-old told AFP. Tunisia wonplaudits for its democratic transition, its free elections andnew liberal constitution after its 2011 revolution. The popu-lar uprising put an end to a police state and establishedfreedom of expression that was unprecedented in theNorth African country.

But a decade later, in the face of limited reforms to thesecurity and judicial systems, activists say the risk of arrestplaces a “sword of Damocles” over their heads. In January,security forces arrested hundreds of youths, including manyminors, from underprivileged and marginalized neighbor-hoods across the country during several nights of unrest.

They have subsequently arrested several young activistswho denounced what they saw as a repressive policeresponse. Nasri said he feared the country had taken a U-turn. The law student twice spent 48 hours in custody afteranti-government protests in the capital Tunis in Decemberand January, and now risks more than three years in prisonon charges including blocking roads and insulting a policeofficer. “If I am sentenced to more than six months (in jail),it will go down on my criminal record and I can say good-bye to my dreams of being a lawyer,” he said.

‘We don’t feel safe’ In Tunisia, sex before marriage, same-sex conduct,

social media posts deemed offensive and evidence ofcannabis use in urine samples can all be punishable by

imprisonment. Observers say this leaves young people vul-nerable when they stand up to the authorities. RaniaAmdouni, a 26-year-old rights and democracy activist, wassentenced to six months in jail this month for insultingpolice officers, though her sentence was reduced to a fineon appeal and she was freed. Dozens of human rightsorganizations in Tunisia and abroad had called forAmdouni’s release. Both Nasri and Amdouni are connectedto the association Damj, which defends the rights ofLGBTQI people. “Life for a young person in Tunisia isabout trying to avoid the police as much as possible,” said25-year-old Ahmed Ghram.

The philosophy student, sporting short clipped hair andearrings, was jailed for 15 days in January over a Facebookpost criticizing inequalities in the legal system. “We don’tfeel safe. We are not free,” he said. Mehdi Barhoumi, anexpert on rights and government in his thirties, said sucharrests “place a real sword of Damocles over our heads”.Barhoumi himself was arrested at a friend’s house andjailed for two days after criticizing the growing presence ofpolice unions during a private discussion.

He expressed concern at “the alarming security turnTunisia is taking in its response to social movements”.According to a study published in 2020 by peace-buildingcampaign group International Alert, where Barhoumiworks, 17 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds from several mar-ginalized areas in Tunisia said they had been arrested overthe past year. The organization said it had found irregulari-ties in many of those arrests.

Generation of hope However, Tunisian police no longer have the discre-

TUNIS: Tunisian police detain a protester during an anti-government demonstration in the capital Tunis. —AFP

tionary powers they enjoyed under the regime of formerautocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. “Things have changed,”said government spokesperson Hasna Ben Slimane. Whileshe acknowledged reforms had been slower than expected,she said there was now more “professionalism” among thesecurity forces, and that a handbook had been published toimprove police legal compliance, such as on arrests. “Weare taking action to radically change practices,” BenSlimane said.

The right to protest is enshrined in Tunisia’s constitu-tion and police abuse gets media attention. But Oula BenNejma, vice president of a civil society organization work-ing for penal and security reform, said bad habits among

the security forces persisted because violations go unpun-ished. “We are yet to witness a trial where police officersare punished for misbehavior,” she said. Amine Ghali,director of the Kawakibi Democracy Transition Center,said a return to a “systematic police state” was unlikely.

But he warned that some actors hostile to reforms,such as police unions and elements of the justice system,were returning to prominence. Expert Haykel Mahfoudhsaid the greatest source of hope came from the new gen-eration of police officers who have grown up in a democ-racy. “There is a civic dimension to their conception ofthings,” he said. They have “absorbed certain ideas aboutgovernance”. —AFP

Protester shot dead in central Myanmar, 2 Australians in custodyYANGON: Security forces in Myanmar shot dead ananti-coup protester yesterday, as the Australian gov-ernment confirmed it is assisting two nationals whowere detained after trying to leave Yangon.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since soldiers oustedcivilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, triggeringnationwide protests demanding a return to democracy.Security forces have responded with lethal force, usinglive rounds along with tear gas and rubber bullets in aneffort to bring the demonstrations to heel.

One man was killed on Sunday in the central city ofMonywa and at least two people were injured in aclash with security forces at barricades, two witnessestold AFP.

“I saw people carrying a man who was shot andkilled,” a local resident told AFP, adding the body wastaken to a local hospital. “They used stun grenades andtear gas... later they started shooting. I don’t know ifthe man, who died on the spot after he was hit on hishead, was killed from rubber bullets or live rounds.”

Australians in custody Australia’s foreign ministry confirmed yesterday

it was providing consular assistance to two of itsnationals in Myanmar. “Due to our privacy obliga-tions we will not provide further detail,” a spokes-woman said.

It is understood business consultants MatthewO’Kane and Christa Avery, a dual Canadian-Australiancitizen, are under house arrest after trying to leave thecountry on a relief flight Friday.

The couple run a bespoke consultancy business inYangon. A third Australian, economist Sean Turnell, anadvisor to Suu Kyi, who was arrested a week after theputsch also remains in custody.

Weekend violence failed to deter hundreds of doc-tors and nurses donning hard hats and brandishingposters of Suu Kyi as they marched at dawn throughMandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city and culturalcapital. Mandalay has been the scene of some of theworst violence from police and soldiers since the coupand local media said the rally was staged at dawn toevade security forces.

The protests came a day after a local monitoringgroup confirmed the killing of four protesters at thehands of security forces around the country. Two ofthe deaths were in Yangon, the country’s commercialhub, according to the Assistance Association forPolitical Prisoners (AAPP).—AFP

‘Caliphate’ or not, IS expands reachPARIS: In the two years since Kurdish forces wrestedaway the Islamic State’s last Syrian bastion, the jihadistgroup has proved it does not need a stronghold topose a potent threat in more countries than ever. Attheir apogee, the extremists controlled a territory thesize of Britain covering large swaths of Syria and Iraq,where it waged one of the most brutal campaigns ofsystematic terror in modern history.

Its defeat on March 23, 2019, was, it turns out, farfrom definitive, with the group managing to maintainits cohesion despite the dispersal of its leadership. Ithas also continued to claim scores of deadly attacksfar beyond its original base, while taking advantage ofthe vast deserts of war-scarred Syria to target forcesloyal to the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad.

“It has for the time being gone to ground, but with

the goals of maintaining its insurgency in Iraq andSyria and a global cyber-presence,” General KennethMcKenzie, head of the US Central Command thatoversees troops deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq andSyria, said last month. At the same time, the group is“building and retaining a cellular structure whichallows it to carry out terrorist attacks”, he said.

Shortly afterwards, France requested a meeting ofthe coalition partners who teamed up with Kurdishforces to drive out the insurgency, warning of a “strongresurgence of Daesh”, an Arabic acronym for thegroup. The worries are well founded, analysts say.Between the fall of IS’ eastern Syria holdout ofBaghouz and last month, the group has claimedresponsibility for 5,665 military operations - an aver-age of eight per day - according to a widely followedterrorism expert who publishes on Twitter as“Mister__Q_”.

And Syria and Iraq are sti l l subjected to ISattacks, like the one when twin suicide bombersstruck Baghdad in January, killing more than 30 peo-ple at a market. —ÅFP

NEW YORK: Will the United States soon have a nation-al monument commemorating the victims of COVID-19?Calls for a permanent memorial are increasing in thecountry with the largest pandemic death toll of more than540,000. Since Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump aspresident in January, and with America now in its secondyear of the pandemic, ceremonies honoring the dead-mostly virtual-have multiplied. Minute silences, flags athalf mast, and places of contemplation: ephemeralmoments of solemn respect have sprung up nearly every-where. From 20,000 flags planted in the Mall inWashington last September when the US passed200,000 dead, to 30,000 ribbons recently hung by aFlorida resident resembling every death in the state, tomurals paying tribute to caregivers, the pandemic hashad markers in the landscape for months.

Now that the vaccination campaign is in full swing,and with the United States seeing light at the end of thetunnel despite a daily death toll of well over 1,000,appeals for lasting memorials are intensifying. “We areadvocating for a permanent monument on the NationalMall and funding for local, state, and tribal governmentsto be able to bring memorials and places all across thecountry,” said Kristin Urquiza, co-founder of the Markedby COVID association.

Urquiza helped launch the group shortly after herfather died from coronavirus at the end of June. “It can-not be overstated how tragic and monumental thismoment in our existence is,” she said. “We’re slated tolose more people than we lost in the Civil War,” when anestimated 620,000 Americans died, added Urquiza, anenvironmental official from San Francisco.

For Urquiza-who spoke about the death of her father,a Trump supporter, at the Democratic convention inAugust-erecting a monument and declaring a nationalholiday would be “an important step in the healingprocess.” It would also help ensure “that we impart uponfuture generations the unvarnished truth of what hap-pened and why,” she said. Some municipalities havealready green-lighted monuments, with Jersey City in theNew York suburbs the first. In December it designated apark under development as the site of 500 trees, symbol-izing each COVID death in the city.

But the toll there has since risen past 700, highlightingthe challenge facing supporters of these memorials. Many

relatives consider it essential to include the names of allthe victims, even if the number makes that almost impos-sible. Supporters of a national place of remembrance allcite the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, whichis inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 soldierskilled or missing in the war.

The long granite wall erected on the Mall in 1982 isone of the most visited monuments in the United States.It is the most successful contemporary memorial inAmerica along with the 9/11 Memorial in New York City,according to Emily Godbey, a monument design expert atIowa State University. “It’s an experience. It’s not some-thing that you just look at,” she said. But “how do youhonor the victims, when the numbers are so vast and wedon’t know the end point yet?” she asks.

Virtual funerals Godbey thinks an anonymous monument is more real-

istic, such as the “World Memorial to the Pandemic” pro-posed by Uruguayan architectural firm GomezPlatero. Itresembles a large disc saucer and would be installed offthe coast of Montevideo. But in the United States, where

the epidemic has been marred by political tensions, manyrelatives of victims expect real recognition, and evenreparations, from the authorities. “We have to find a wayto recognize each life lost to really make the tragedyunderstood,” said Urquiza.

Godbey says the debate over a national monumentcould last years. While waiting for physical monuments tobe erected, the moment is virtual. Websites with photosand tributes to the victims are legion. A tribute sitelaunched by journalism schools in New York last yearcalling on relatives to send photos and testimonies oftheir departed loved ones is the most exhaustive data-bases amassed so far, according to one of the site’s edi-tors, Anjali Tsui. Despite the help of many volunteers thesite only has some 2,000 names out of the more than30,000 people who have died in New York City, high-lighting the magnitude of the task. “What is so devastat-ing about the COVID losses is that we’re having to expe-rience them virtually,” said Godbey. After attendingfunerals online and watching a family member via ascreen die in their hospital bed, over time a memorial is“going to have to be physical,” she added. — AFP

Monday, March 22, 2021

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Calls grow for a national monument honoring America’s COVID-19 dead

Largest pandemic death toll more than 540,000News in brief

Launch postponed for Soyuz rocket

MOSCOW: The launch of a Russian Soyuz rocketwith 38 foreign satellites on board has been post-poned until Monday, the Russian space agencyRoscosmos said. The launch of satellites from morethan half a dozen Asian, Arab and European coun-tries, as well as Canada and Brazil, was originallyscheduled for 0607 GMT on Saturday. It was ini-tially postponed until yesterday, but Roscosmos lat-er said it would take place today. Space agencychief Dmitry Rogozin said the launch was delayedafter a surge in voltage was detected. “Havingheard reports from the work managers, the StateCommission decided to conduct the launch on themorning of March 22, 2021,” Roscosmos said in alater statement. —AFP

Police clash with protesters

KASSEL: German police clashed with protesters ata mass demonstration against coronavirus restric-tions in the city of Kassel on Saturday, using watercannon, batons and pepper spray to dispersecrowds. The protest attracted between 15,000 and20,000 demonstrators, a Kassel police spokesmantold AFP, making it one of the largest such rallies sofar this year. “This is not what a peaceful protestlooks like,” North Hesse police tweeted, adding thatthere had been “repeated attacks” by protestersagainst emergency service workers. An AFPreporter saw scuffles erupt when a group of coronaskeptics tried to break through a police cordon tojoin up with other protesters, resulting in shovingand the use pepper spray. — AFP

False alarm sends Mexicans into street

MEXICO CITY: Quake alarms roused thousandsof residents of Mexico City early Saturday, send-ing some running into the street in their pajamas,but then nothing happened. Nerves were on edgebecause a 5.7-magnitude quake had struck south-central parts of the country hours earlier, thoughthere were no reports there of injuries or damage.Alarms sounded in some of the capital’s centralneighborhoods, including Escandon and Del Valle,sending dozens out of their homes, AFP journalistsreported. Similar scenes were witnessed in theIztacalco neighborhood farther south, as well as inPopotla in the city’s east, while in neighborhoodsincluding Roma and Doctores no alarm wassounded. - AFP

Climate change row in Canada

TORONTO: Delegates of Canada’s ConservativeParty rejected a resolution calling on the party torecognize the reality of climate change, snubbing aplea from the faction’s leader to take the environ-ment more seriously. In a virtual policy conferencethat opened Thursday, 54 percent of delegates vot-ed against a proposal recognizing that “climatechange is real” and that the party is “willing to act”on it, according to results posted online. —AFP

WASHINGTON, DC: In this file photo taken on February 22, 2021 US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, US VicePresident Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, hold a moment of silence during a candelight ceremony inhonor of those who lost their lives to Coronavirus on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. — AFP

Miami Beach declares state of emergency MIAMI BEACH: Throngs of revelers flocking to MiamiBeach in Florida for spring break have become souncontrollable that authorities declared a state of emer-gency Saturday and imposed a curfew meant to quashthe party. The move marks the second year in a row thatfun has been curtailed at the popular spring break desti-nation-last March because the pandemic was just ramp-ing up and this year due to unruly and destructivecrowds. Authorities announced Saturday that visitorsmust be off the street and that restaurants would closetheir doors at 8:00 pm in South Beach, the epicenter ofthe city’s nightlife, following an increase of violence andvandalism over recent days. “It kind of sucks,” said JohnPerez, a student from Texas having beers with a group offriends on the sand, despite police efforts to preventalcohol consumption on the beach.

In addition to the curfew, the three bridges that con-nect the Miami Beach island to mainland Miami will nowbe closed to traffic from 10 pm to 6 am. Only residents,workers and hotel guests will have access. “It’s been somuch fun out here, you know, like we got the warmweather, you got the beach,” 22-year-old Perez said.

An aerial photo released by police Saturday nightshowed the city’s main strip, Ocean Drive, empty justtwo hours after the curfew went into effect. Miami Beachis no stranger to uncontrollable spring break crowds, butthis year, with approximately 13 percent of US residentsvaccinated, the atmosphere is particularly festive and theillusion that the pandemic is now under control is perva-sive. “Just go get your vaccine y’all so that you couldcome out here and have a good time like us because wevaccinated, baby,” Jalen Rob, another student fromTexas, said. Another man, with his face painted like theJoker, stood on top of a car yelling “Covid’s over, baby!”while waving an American flag, in a video posted toTwitter by filmmaker Billy Corben.

Acting City Manager Raul Aguila said the city’s cur-few moves were “all about the public safety.” Hedescribed huge crowds that had gathered on OceanDrive as looking “like a rock concert. You couldn’t seepavement and you couldn’t see grass.” Miami BeachMayor Dan Gelber said Saturday while announcing thecurfew that “the volume is clearly more than it’s been inprevious years.” “I think it is in part due to the fact thatthere are very few places open elsewhere in the country,or they’re too cold-or they’re not open and they’re toocold,” he said. —AFP

MIAMI BEACH: In this file photo taken on March 17, 2021people watch a drag show at a club on Ocean Drive inMiami Beach. Throngs of revelers flocking to Miami Beach,Florida for spring break have become so uncontrollablethat authorities imposed a curfew Saturday.— AFP

Southern European nations show united front on migrationATHENS: Southern European countries showed aunited front at a meeting in Athens, urging solidarityfrom other EU states in sharing the migration burden.Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Malta and Spain took part in thetalks ahead of a March 25-26 EU summit focusing onEU-Turkey relations. Four of those southern EU coun-tries that bear the brunt of refugee arrivals-Greece,Italy, Malta and Spain-have already told the EuropeanCommission that a proposed New Pact on Migrationand Asylum does not share the burden of migrantsarriving in Europe widely enough.

“We repeat our strong plea in favor of a neededtrue balance between solidarity and responsibility asin its current format the Pact does not provide suffi-cient reassurances to the front-line Member States”,the common statement said on Saturday. TheCommission wants to overhaul the rules so that theasylum-seekers are shared out across the 27 membercountries and not left the responsibility of Greece,Italy, Malta and Spain.

Aware that some countries, mainly eastern EUstates, resist that, the new pact proposes they con-tribute funds instead to help the others taking in asy-lum-seekers. On Saturday the ministers of the fivefront-line countries stressed the “need for an automat-

ic and mandatory relocation mechanism to be put inplace” and “a centrally managed European returnmechanism, coordinated by the Commission and sup-ported by relevant EU agencies such as FRONTEX”.

The MED5 group asked for an increase in “cooper-ation with origin and transit countries” but also to“ensure that the 2016 EU-Turkey Joint Statement isfully implemented by both the EU and Turkey towardsall Member states”.

Cyprus and Greece are strongly critical of Turkey.Ever since a migration crisis in 2015 that saw over amillion asylum-seekers enter Europe, the EU’s refugeeand migration rules have been exposed as deficient.

Under a 2016 EU-Turkey pact, Ankara had agreedto take back migrants not entitled to international pro-tection in return for billions of euros in aid. But Ankarahas long accused the EU of not fulfilling its end of thebargain while it continues to host more than 3.5 millionSyrian refugees.

The ministers who met at a hotel in Vouliagmeni, aseaside suburb of Athens, were joined by the vice-president of the European Commission, MargaritisSchinas and the Greek Prime Minister KyriakosMitsotakis. “We can no longer be punished becauseof our geographic position. We can no longer be pun-ished for saving lives at sea,” Malta’s Home AffairsMinister Byron Camilleri said. Greek MigrationMinister and host Notis Mitarachi warned that “thepact shouldn’t allow in future the emergence of newcamps like Moria”, referring to a notorious Greekisland refugee camp destroyed by fire. He added that“there is a lack of balance between the obligations ofthe countries of first reception and the uncertainmechanism of solidarity of the rest of the EU”. —AFP

ATHENS: Greece will next week celebrate the 200thanniversary of the uprising that created its modernstate, a romantic revolution that experts say captivatedboth elites and the masses around the world. A nationalparade alongside Athens’ central Syntagma Square onMarch 25 — the date traditionally associated with therevolution-will feature mounted troops in traditionalcostumes from the 1821 conflict and the 1912-13 BalkanWars. Nations who helped the Greeks in their near-decade-long struggle against the Ottoman Empire willalso be represented. Russian Prime Minister MikhailMishustin and Prince Charles of Britain and his wifeCamilla will be in attendance, the Greek prime minister’soffice said.

A new coronavirus lockdown forced FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macron to pull out, but FrenchRafale and American F-16 jets will overfly the Greekcapital, while the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier willdock in Crete, a defense ministry source said. Francehas also loaned Greece an 18th-century tapestry ofRaphael’s Renaissance masterpiece The School ofAthens, the French embassy said.

Debt to Greece With passion for Classical Greece mounting among

European elites through the 17th and 18th centuries,“providing aid to modern Greeks came to be seen as a‘duty’ of Europeans, as the only possible way of repay-ing Greece for its contribution to the birth of occidentalcivilization,” said Konstantina Zanou, a MediterraneanStudies specialist at Columbia University. Poet PercyBysshe Shelley wrote in his 1821 verse drama ‘Hellas’that “our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts havetheir root in Greece. But for Greece... we might still havebeen savages and idolaters”.

In decline and distracted by war in Persia and anAlbanian governor’s rebellion in northwestern Greece, in1822 the Ottoman Empire sent an army that was deci-mated by the rebels, who took control of the entirePeloponnese peninsula through use of guerrilla tactics.

The Friendly Society, a secret group of Greek expa-triate merchants and intellectuals, had earlier helpedorganize the uprising with clandestine meetings andfunds. The Greeks were a disparate mix of regionalchiefs, ex-bandits, warrior priests and veterans with pri-or experience in Ottoman-funded militias and British,French and Russian armies, including many of Albanianorigin. By 1823, competing aims among the rebels’ civil-ian and military leaders resulted in open civil war, andan 1824 invasion by the Ottoman vassal state of Egyptnearly extinguished the revolution. —AFP

Greek Presidential guards march past outdoor exhibition,featuring portraits of Greek revolution heroes titled‘History has Face’ by Benjamin Mary, a Belgian diplomaton the occasion of the 200 years anniversary of the GreekRevolution against ottoman Turks. — AFP

‘Put me in jail’: Vaccine-skepticsstill a barrierMARTINSBURG, US: Patients stream steadily intothe COVID vaccine center that Todd Engle can almosttouch from his West Virginia backyard. But like scoresof other Republican voters, force would likely berequired to get a dose into his arm. Many of the party’smillions of supporters are among the nation’s mostvaccine-skeptical people, which experts see as a dan-gerous barrier to finally taming the virus that has killedmore than 540,000 in the United States. “If they try tomake me get it, they’re just going to (have to) put mein jail,” the 58-year-old Engle told AFP from the porchof his home in Martinsburg, referring to health authori-ties. “I just don’t trust them.” West Virginia is heavilyRepublican-over 68 percent of its voters chose DonaldTrump in November’s election-and it has long beenone of the nation’s poorest places.

Yet not all West Virginia Republicans are vaccineskeptics. The state of under two million people hasbeen lauded for quickly getting COVID vaccines to itspeople while bigger, wealthier and Democrat-ledstates have sometimes struggled to do the same. Partof that effort is the vaccine site behind Engle’s home,which operates in a recreation center gymnasium withthe kind of efficiency that bustling, pre-pandemic air-ports could only dream of. Nurse Angela Gray, 51, saidthe site has administered as many as 1,500 shots in aday. “I try not to look at politics; that doesn’t matter,”Gray noted as nurses in masks, face shields and glovesdelivered shots behind her. “But I’ve seen a lot of myfellow Republicans who are getting vaccinated.” Sheadded that Republican elected officials in the areahave spoken up for the safety and effectiveness of theshots and gotten inoculated themselves, a key part ofefforts to convince the skeptical. But in towns acrossthe United States, skeptics are numerous. According toa poll last week, 41 percent of Republicans nationallysaid they would not get the vaccine, compared to just11 percent of Democrats. —AFP

Greece to mark revolutionbicentennial with 1821 allies

Monday, March 22, 2021

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News in brief

Arauz, Lasso to contest poll

QUITO: Left-wing economist Andres Arauz and con-servative former banker Guillermo Lasso will contestthe second round of Ecuador’s presidential electionon April 11, the National Electoral Council (CNE)confirmed Saturday after resolving all disputes fromthe first round. “Once 100 percent of the votes havebeen counted and the legal appeals filed by the polit-ical organizations have been resolved, the plenary ofthe electoral body has decided to proclaim the finalresults for the presidential run-off,” CNE secretarySantiago Vallejo said. Arauz, 36, won the first round inFebruary with 32.72 percent of the vote but notenough to win outright, followed by Lasso with 19.74percent, according to the CNE count. —AFP

Peru govt, unions to end strike

LIMA: The Peruvian government and transportunions, striking since Monday over fuel price increas-es, have reached an agreement to end the protests,authorities announced Saturday. “After a long day ofdialogue, leaders of the transport unions reached anagreement with the government and signed an actbenefitting the sector and are committed to liftingtheir strike,” the Ministry of Transport said on Twitter.As part of the agreement, state-owned Petroperu willreduce the price of diesel and fuel will be subsidizedby a special fund protecting against price volatility.The resolution also sought to place more responsibil-ity on “highly polluting” Canadian companies toreduce greenhouse gas emissions and support inno-vation in green technologies. —AFP

Protesters march in Spain

MADRID: Hundreds of demonstrators on Saturdayrallied in cities across Spain, including Madrid andBarcelona, calling for the release of a controversialrapper, jailed in mid-February for tweets criticizingthe royal family and the security forces. Shoutingslogans such as “Freedom for Pablo Hasel” and “Weare the anti-fascists”, several hundreds of peopletook to the streets in the Spanish capital in an unreg-istered demonstration, according to an AFP reporter.The march passed off peacefully before the crowdsdispersed at the request of the police. In Barcelona,the main focal point of protests last month, around100 people marched, waving banners demanding“complete amnesty for Pablo Hasel”. —AFP

Ex-Malta PM faces graft charges

VALLETTA, Malta: A top aide to former Malteseprime minister Joseph Muscat accused of graft byjournalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose brutalmurder rocked the nation, was charged Saturdaywith money laundering and fraud. Anti-corruptioncampaigners hailed the prosecution of KeithSchembri as a vindication of the work of CaruanaGalizia, whose death in a car bomb in 2017 sparkedgrief and anger across the Mediterranean island.Schembri, who was Muscat’s chief of staff from 2013to 2019, appeared in court Saturday charged withmoney laundering, corruption, fraud and forgery. Hepleaded not guilty and was denied bail. —AFP

SYDNEY: Sydney braced for its worst flooding indecades yesterday after record rainfall caused itslargest dam to overflow and as deluges promptedmandatory mass evacuation orders along Australia’seast coast. Emergency services ordered people liv-ing in low-lying areas on the city’s north-westernfringes to flee to safety, as authorities warned of apotentially “life-threatening” situation in New SouthWales state. It came after the Warragamba Dam,which provides much of the drinking water forSydney, spilled over Saturday afternoon-causingofficials to warn the downstream Hawkesbury Riverwas expected to peak at levels not seen since 1961.

“It is one of the biggest floods we are likely tosee for a very long time,” Bureau of Meteorologyflood operations manager Justin Robinson said.Floodwaters had already risen in several areas,prompting mass evacuations, and officials saidanother 4,000 people could be told to leave theirhomes in the coming days. Authorities urged resi-dents to heed the “dozens” of official warnings inplace across affected areas, with State EmergencyService assistant commissioner Dean Storey sayingthose in evacuation zones “must leave immediately”.

People had already begun flocking to evacuationcenters in towns north of Sydney on Saturday astorrential rains pummeled a vast coastal regionalready soaked by an unusually wet summer. State

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the region wasexperiencing a “one in 100 year event” and anational disaster had been declared. In Taree, wheretelevision images showed one house floating down abloated river, about 150 people slept in a local audi-torium overnight that has previously been used arefuge for people fleeing bushfires. Club Taree chiefexecutive Paul Allen described the floods as a “cata-strophe”, telling public broadcaster ABC that somelocals had “lost everything”.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the wild weath-er was forecast to re-intensify north of Sydneytoday before easing later in the week. Conditionswere “going to be treacherous yet again,” seniorclimatologist Agata Imielska said. Rainfall recordswere forecast to continue tumbling in the comingdays, she added. Emergency services reportedreceiving more than 7,000 calls for help and carry-ing out about 650 flood rescues since Thursday,with reinforcements being called in from otherstates.

The rain and floods were also expected to delaythe already halting roll-out of coronavirus vaccinesin Sydney and surrounding areas. Australia is dueto begin the first major public phase of vaccine dis-tribution on Monday although the program hasslipped behind the government’s announcedtimetable due to supply and delivery issues. —AFP

Authorities ask 4,000 people to leave their homes in coming days

Evacuations ordered as Sydney’s biggest dam overflows after rain

SYDNEY: Residents walk amid heavy rain in Penrith suburb yesterday, as Sydney braced for its worstflooding in decades after record rainfall caused its largest dam to overflow and as deluges promptedmandatory mass evacuation orders along Australia’s east coast. —AFP

Thousands rally at anti-Netanyahu protest ahead of voteJERUSALEM: Thousands of Israelis rallied out-side Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’sJerusalem residence Saturday to protest his poli-cies and premiership, days before a general elec-tion that could see the long-standing leaderremoved from power. Netanyahu, 71, in power fora record 12 consecutive years, is hoping to remainin office following Israel’s fourth election in lessthan two years on March 23.

His detractors accuse him of corruption and sayhis management of the coronavirus pandemic,including protracted lockdowns, battered the econ-omy and contributed to job losses. Waving flagsincluding the Israeli blue-and-white, protesters ledby a young man with a bullhorn chanted “Bibi gohome”, using the prime minister’s nickname.

They also held up signs carrying a broadrange of messages, from the need for a leader-

ship “revolution” to mistrust in the police. “Wecame to protest against a dictator,” AnatGourelle, a 60-year-old lawyer from Tel Aviv,said of Netanyahu.

“It is outrageous what is going on in Israel. It isunthinkable that somebody is using his power tosteal from his own people,” she said. “We will keepon protesting until he gets out of Balfour,” she said,using the name of the Jerusalem street where thepremier’s official residence is located.

Netanyahu was the first Israeli premier to beindicted in office for corruption when he was for-mally charged last year in three cases over claimshe accepted improper gifts and sought to traderegulatory favor with media moguls in exchange forpositive coverage. The combative premier denieswrongdoing and claims he is the victim of a witch-hunt, but he would be forced to resign if convictedwith all appeals exhausted.

‘Go vote’ First launched in June last year, the vocal and

colourful demonstrations against Netanyahu havegained momentum over the past 38 weeks, withSaturday night’s rally-the 39th-the largest in recentmonths. “I have come here every Saturday since the

beginning,” said Simon, a Tel Aviv resident whodrove to Jerusalem for the demonstration. “Peoplewill not change their side from right to left, but thisevent is to convince them to go to vote, not toremain silent,” he said. “It is a very emotional eventfor us.” Others, like Hagit, were at the weekly rallyfor the first time. —AFP

JERUSALEM : A protester holds a sign reading “BB GOHOME” depicting Israeli prime minister BenjaminNetanyahu as the character ‘E.T.’ —AFP

Internet blackout asCongo votes, with Nguesso set to winBRAZZAVILLE, Congo: The Republic of Congovoted yesterday in a presidential election boycottedby the main opposition and attacked by critics astilted towards veteran leader Denis SassouNguesso. Access to the Internet and social mediawas cut hours before polls opened at 7:00 am, AFPcorrespondents said. The 77-year-old SassouNguesso is widely expected to win against six con-tenders, led by economist Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas,who revealed Saturday that he is gravely ill withCOVID-19.

Sassou Nguesso, a former paratrooper, first roseto power in 1979 and has since accumulated 36years in office, making him one of the world’slongest-serving leaders. He is hoping for a first-round victory to secure a fourth term running thecentral African oil exporter. Meanwhile challengerKolelas posted a video message from his sickbed,declaring he was “battling against death” after tak-

ing off a respiratory mask. “Rise up as one person...I’m fighting on my deathbed, you too fight for yourchange,” he urged supporters, saying the electionwas “about the future of your children” beforereplacing his mask.

Kolelas, 60, tested positive for COVID-19 onFriday, and was transferred to France yesterday fortreatment, his campaign manager Cyr Mayandasaid. The runner-up in 2016’s presidential election,Kolelas is the only major candidate remaining toface Nguesso.

Doubts and boycotts Congo’s Catholic Church episcopal conference

has expressed “serious reservations” about the bal-lot’s transparency and had said yesterday that itfeared an Internet shutdown. About 50 organiza-tions, including Internet Without Borders, had lastweek appealed to the president to “keep the inter-net open, accessible and safe during the whole ofthe 2021 presidential election period”. Unlike in theprevious election in 2016, telephone communica-tions were still available yesterday. The largestopposition group, the Pan-African Union for SocialDemocracy or UPADS, is boycotting the poll.

UPADS-the group of former president PascalLissouba, who died in France last August-is the

only opposition party to have a parliamentarygroup in the current national assembly. Flanked byits giant neighbor the Democratic Republic ofCongo and Gabon, the former French colony has oilreserves and most of its budget comes from petro-leum revenue. —AFP

BRAZZAVILLE, Commune de Brazzaville: Republic ofCongo incumbent president Denis Sassou-Nguesso,candidate for the presidential election waves at hissupporters, at the end of his last campaign rally inBrazzaville. —AFP

Furor after govt critic quits top Indian universityNEW DELHI: The resignation of one of India’s mostprominent intellectuals and a fierce government criticfrom a top university has sparked student protests andworries about freedom of speech in the world’s biggestdemocracy. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a respected scholar onpolitical theory and constitutional law, had long beendismayed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s govern-ment, firing off stinging editorials and speechesdenouncing the “death of liberalism”. The Oxford andPrinceton alumnus had already stepped down as vice-chancellor of Ashoka University in 2019, reportedly

because the trustees were worried by his outspokenviews, but remained a political science professor.

But last week he threw in the towel, saying that theboard of the university-founded in 2014 as a bastion ofthe liberal arts and India’s answer to the Ivy League-sawhim as a “political liability”. “My public writing in sup-port of a politics that tries to honor constitutional valuesof freedom and equal respect for all citizens, is perceivedto carry risks for the university,” he said in his resigna-tion letter. Ashoka’s founders met Mehta recently andsaid they could no longer protect him in the “currentpolitical environment”, the Indian Express daily reported.According to the university’s student newspaper,Mehta’s resignation was endorsed by the board becauseit would speed up efforts to acquire land needed for anexpansion.

‘Political pressure’ The university has yet to comment on the controversy

but matters escalated Thursday when Arvind

Subramanian, a former chief government economic advi-sor, resigned from Ashoka in solidarity. That the universi-ty “can no longer provide a space for academic expres-sion and freedom is ominously disturbing,” media reportscited his letter of resignation as saying. Students haveheld several days of demonstrations at the Ashoka cam-pus outside New Delhi, calling for a boycott of classes.The university faculty also issued a statement sayingMehta’s departure “raises urgent questions about theuniversity’s commitment to academic freedom as well asits internal processes.”

More than 150 academics worldwide including fromColumbia, Yale and Oxford said in an open latter thatthey were “deeply distressed” that Mehta had resigned“under political pressure”. They said that the values of“free inquiry, candor, and a rigorous distinction betweenthe demands of intellectual honesty and the pressure ofpoliticians, funders, or ideological animus... come underassault whenever a scholar is punished for the content ofpublic speech.” —AFP

N Korean diplomatsset to leave Malaysiaafter ties cutKUALA LUMPUR: North Korea’s diplomats in Malaysiashuttered their embassy and flied home yesterday, afterPyongyang severed diplomatic ties over the extraditionof a citizen to the US. Pyongyang announced the shock

move Friday, labeling Malaysia’s extradition of a NorthKorean man last week an “unpardonable crime” carriedout under “blind obedience” to American pressure.

The Southeast Asian country had been one ofPyongyang’s few allies but ties were already strainedfollowing the 2017 assassination of leader Kim Jong Un’shalf-brother at Kuala Lumpur airport.

A court ruling earlier this month that Mun CholMyong could be extradited to the US to face moneylaundering charges for allegedly exporting prohibiteditems to the North in violation of sanctions proved thefinal blow. After Pyongyang cut ties, Malaysia gave the

North’s diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.Yesterday the North Korean flag and a plaque were

taken down from the country’s embassy-a large housein an upmarket area of Kuala Lumpur-and the gateswere chained up. Before departing, North Koreancharge d’affaires, Kim Yu Song, accused Malaysia ofsiding with Washington in a “conspiracy” againstPyongyang, and committing a “large hostile act”.Malaysia had aligned its policies with those of the US,“which seeks to deprive our state of its sovereignty,peaceful existence and development,” Kim, the North’smost senior diplomat in Malaysia, told a large media

pack. Kim and what appeared to be a group of diplo-mats and their family members then departed on a bus.

They arrived later at Kuala Lumpur airport, loadedstacks of luggage onto trolleys and went to check in atthe counters used by regular passengers. An airportsecurity official, speaking anonymously, told AFP thatabout 30 North Koreans were expected to fly toShanghai yesterday. Pyongyang’s decision to cut tiescame after a visit last week by US Secretary of StateAntony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin toSouth Korea, part of an Asian tour to rally supportagainst the nuclear-armed North and China. —AFP

China crackdown cuts Big Tech down to sizeSHANGHAI: Tighter regulations, billions in lost over-seas share value and government pledges to get eventougher-Chinese tech giants are reeling under whatlooks like a sustained Big Brother assault on innovationand enterprise. But there’s a reason why the escalatingcrackdown is largely drawing shrugs from Chinese con-sumers: it is widely seen as necessary. Concern is risingin China over chaotic online lending and accusations ofpowerful platforms squeezing merchants and misusingconsumer data, reflecting global unease with Big Techthat has Facebook, Google and others also facingscrutiny at home and abroad.

“With China, it immediately becomes about theCommunist Party. But if the UK government were doingthis, people would probably be OK with it,” said JeffreyTowson, head of research at Asia Tech Strategy. “Theseactions look quite reasonable.”

Companies such as e-commerce giants Alibaba andJD.com, along with messaging-and-gaming colossusTencent, are among the world’s most valuable business-es, feasting on growing Chinese digital lifestyles and agovernment ban on major US competitors.

But they have become victims of their own success.The troubles burst into public view last October whenAlibaba co-founder Jack Ma committed the cardinal sinof publicly criticizing China’s regulators for theirincreasingly dire warnings concerning his company’sfinancial arm, Ant Group. Ant Group’s Alipay platform isubiquitous in China, used to buy everything from mealsto ride-hailing, groceries and travel tickets. Slow-footedregulatory oversight also allowed Ant to expand intoloans, wealth management, even insurance. Tencent’sfintech profile also has risen.

Consequently, they have become “overly powerfulactors capable of pushing regulatory boundaries with-out regard for systemic risks,” Eurasia Group consul-tancy said in a research note. These ambitions have col-lided with Beijing’s years-long campaign to purge itschaotic financial system of a dangerous debt build-up.

Size matters Chinese debt spiraled to 335 percent of gross

domestic product by the end of 2020, according to theInstitute of International Finance. Previous lower levelshad already prompted International Monetary Fundconcern. The official response to Ma’s unusual outbursthas been uncompromising: Ant’s record-breaking $35billion Hong Kong-Shanghai IPO was abruptly sus-pended, Ma disappeared from public view for weeks,and regulatory screws have been tightened.

China is expected to force Ant and Tencent to beginrunning their lending operations like banks, with result-ing higher scrutiny and financial liability-things the fin-tech leaders had largely avoided. “They’ll have to meetcapital requirements and set up financial holding com-panies. They can’t escape it,” said Ke Yan, lead analystat DZT Research. The Wall Street Journal reported lastweek that Alibaba was also being pushed to shed wide-ranging media assets, including a potential sale of HongKong’s South China Morning Post. The tumult has slicedbillions off Chinese tech firms’ share values. In China’scrackdown, size matters.

While just over 20 percent of US retail spendingtakes place online, China is forecast to surpass 50 per-cent this year. Major Chinese platforms boast hundredsof millions of users, amplifying concerns about industryconcentration and data privacy. Ma’s unusual outburstwas seen by many as a direct Big Tech challenge toCommunist Party authority and influence.

But Ke says: “I don’t think (the crackdown) was trig-gered by Jack Ma. It’s been planned for a long time.”Unease over tech’s growing influence is not unique toChina. “Most major governments globally are focusedon this issue in a way they weren’t two years ago.Everyone seems to think that Big Tech has gotten toopowerful,” Towson said. Such crackdowns are notunusual in China. Its economy has transformed so rapid-ly in recent decades that regulators often play catch-up,eventually making headlines with clampdowns that ana-lysts say are often necessary-though belated-attemptsto address problems that appear.—AFP

RIYADH: Energy giant Saudi Aramco on Sundayposted a 44.4 percent slump in 2020 net profit due tolower crude prices, as the coronavirus pandemicweighed heavily on global demand. Aramco, SaudiArabia’s cash cow, has revealed consecutive falls inprofits since it began disclosing earnings in 2019.

That has piled pressure on government finances asRiyadh pursues multi-billion dollar projects to diversi-fy the oil-reliant economy. “Aramco achieved a netincome of $49 billion in 2020,” the company said in astatement-down from $88.2 billion in 2019.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter,was hammered last year by the double whammy of lowprices and sharp cuts in production. Aramco chiefexecutive Amin Nasser described it as “one of themost challenging years in recent history”.

The firm said “revenues were impacted by lowercrude oil prices and volumes sold, and weakened refin-ing and chemicals margins.” But compared to many ofits loss-generating international peers, the company,which made its stock market debut in 2019, played upits “strong financial resilience” despite the challenges.

Crude prices have risen in recent weeks to over$60 per barrel. But in the short term, analysts say theSaudi giant is bracing for a possible further waves ofcoronavirus infections that could undermine a tenta-tive global economic recovery. As the global vaccina-tion program gains momentum, however, Aramco saidit was seeing a pick-up in crude demand in energy-hungry Asia and other parts of the world. Analysts saythe company’s debt levels surged last year as it offeredshareholders a bumper dividend even as its earnings

plunged. Aramco said it stuck to its commitment ofpaying shareholders dividends worth $75 billion in2020 — an amount that exceeds the declared profit.Dividend payments from Aramco help the Saudi gov-ernment, the company’s biggest shareholder, manageits ballooning budget deficit.

A brake on reforms Without addressing the company’s debt, Aramco’s

Nasser said belt-tightening had kept the firm’s finan-cial position “robust”, enabling it to pay out the divi-dends. “As the enormous impact of COVID-19 was feltthroughout the global economy, we intensified ourstrong emphasis on capital and operational efficien-cies,” Nasser said. The statement said Aramco“expects capital expenditure for 2021 to be around$35 billion, significantly lower than the previous guid-ance of $40-$45 billion”.

Aramco has also slashed hundreds of jobs as itseeks to reduce costs, Bloomberg News reported lastJune. A drop in oil income is expected to hinder CrownPrince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious “Vision2030” reform program to overhaul the kingdom’senergy-reliant economy. Aramco was listed on theSaudi bourse in December 2019 following the world’sbiggest initial public offering, generating $29.4 billionfor 1.7 percent of its shares. In January, PrinceMohammed said the kingdom would sell more Aramcoshares in the coming years. The kingdom’s de factoruler said future share offerings would be a key way toboost the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sov-ereign wealth fund which is the main engine of itsdiversification efforts. But analysts say further shareofferings could struggle to generate investor interestamid a downbeat energy market, as the coronaviruspandemic saps global demand. There are also con-cerns over an uptick in drone and missile attacks onAramco’s facilities in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’sHouthi rebels. A drone strike sparked a fire at a Riyadhoil refinery on Friday, in the second major assault thismonth on Saudi energy installations claimed by theIran-backed insurgents. — AFP

BusinessEstablished 1961

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

Saudi Aramco’s 2020 profits slump on lower crude prices

JEDDAH: A view of a damaged silo at the Saudi Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea city of Jeddah. — AFP

In this file photo, Team Curse players Christian“IWillDominate” Rivera (left), Joedat “Voyboy” Esfahani(center) and David “Cop” Roberson (right) prepare forthe start of a match during the League of Legends NorthAmerican Championship in Manhattan Beach,California. — AFP

Pandemic weighs heavily on global demand

With rivalries, eSports gain traction in corporate worldSAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft software engineerDaniel Jost has found a way to take on his peers atAmazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google in friendly fash-ion-through video game competition.

His team is the one to beat when it comes to usingjet-powered cars to score points by knocking giantballs, soccer-style, into nets on virtual fields in RocketLeague tournaments organized by the CorporateEsports Association (CEA). “It feels similar to the com-pany bowling or soccer league, it’s just being done infront of a computer screen instead of meeting at thebowling alley every Friday,” said Jost.

Matches are streamed online at an array of plat-forms such as Twitch and YouTube, with braggingrights and charity dollars on the line. Like video-gameplay overall, interest in company team matches hasboomed during the COVID-19 pandemic as real-worldoptions from soccer to softball stopped being viable.

“It really is the corporate sports leagues in just avery slightly different form,” said Brad Tenenholtz, acybersecurity industry veteran and co-founder in 2018of the association with Terence Southard, a scientistwith Jeff Bezos’s space exploration endeavor BlueOrigin. Company workers are free to form teams andsign up to compete in leagues set up by the CEA, withregistration fees going to a charity chosen by the vic-tors. “My dad works at a steel mill in Cincinnati, Ohio,and plays on his corporate softball team,” CEA chiefTenenholtz said. “No one is going to fly him to anothercity for some kind of national competition, but witheSports we can bring people together electronically andjust as meaningfully.” Leagues organized by the associ-ation include competitions for League of Legends, Dota,Overwatch, Valorant, Call of Duty, and even chess.

E-sportsmanship The association can also be hired by companies to

run team-building events. Just as the pandemic wasstarting, CEA introduced a “Comprehend” tool thatanalyzes which players are inspiring teammates andwhich are spoiling the fun. Players are told the tool isbeing used and are given copies of results. “We’reexplicit with players about what Comprehend is andwhat it measures,” Tenenholtz said. “We go to greatlengths to make sure there are no surprises.”

The software can identify people who work welltogether and those to whom peers look for leadership,according to Tenenholtz. The tool also measures howwell players communicate to achieve goals, and itspots comments that cause conflict.

The feedback is intended to help companiesimprove workplace camaraderie and collaboration,with happier workers who feel connected to peersbeing less likely to quit their jobs. Jost, whoseNinjacats team has only played in charity matcheswhere Comprehend is not used, credits the league withmaking him feel more closely bonded with Microsoft,which, thanks to its Xbox division, has status in thevideo game world. A point of pride for his team is hav-ing won thousands of dollars for Child’s Play, a charitythat gives toys and games to children in hospitals.

“The bond with this community of players isabsolutely a selling point for me to be with Microsoft,”Jost said. Playing for charity and representing one’scompany helps keep rivalries good-natured. Plus, sincetech talent tends to be mobile, players sometimes findthemselves facing former colleagues on rival teams.“There is a lot of emotion and passion to win, and yourcompetitive spirit kicks into overdrive,” Jost said ofmatches. “Amazon is particularly fun to beat becausewe share the same hometown.” Nearly every majortech company has at least one team playing in CEAmatches, with League of Legends and Rocket Leaguethe most popular games. “It makes sense, as work-forces attract a greater percentage of gamers, andmany of those games-Rocket League in particular-areeasy to play and fun for the participants,” saidWedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.—AFP

Carbon pawprint: Is man’s best friend the planet’s enemy?PARIS: Is your adorable puppy as bad for theplanet as a gas-guzzling SUV?

While the precise carbon pawprint of our pets isthe source of scientific debate, one thing is becom-ing increasingly clear: lovable, they may be, catsand dogs have an impact on the planet.

In their 2009 book “Time to Eat the Dog?”,Brenda and Robert Vale sparked anger among petowners for saying that the meat eaten by an aver-age canine companion had twice the carbon foot-print as driving an SUV 10,000 kilometers. Adecade on, the verdict is still out on the planetaryimpact linked to the diets of cats and dogs.

“I’ve got nothing against pets,” said GregoryOkin, a professor at the University of California’sInstitute of Environment and Sustainability. “I knowthat they bring a lot of good to people, both work-ing animals and companion animals.

“But, I believe that for people who want to makeinformed choices, they should have the informationavailable to them,” he said. In a 2017 study, Okinestimated that the 160 million domestic cats anddogs in the US were responsible for between 25-30percent of the environmental impact of meat con-sumed in the country. That’s 64 million tons of C02,equivalent to the annual emissions of 13 millionpetrol or diesel cars. Kelly Swanson, a professor inanimal nutrition at the University of Illinois, disputesthe findings of that study, saying the calculationswere based on “a lot of inaccurate assumptions”.

“Because most pet foods are based on second-ary products from the human food industry, espe-cially the ingredients that are animal-based, theenvironmental costs of those ingredients are not thesame as those being consumed by humans,” he said.For Sebastien Lefebvre, from Lyon’s VetAgro-Supveterinary school, carbon emissions from conven-tional mass-produced animal food was “negligible”.

He said emissions from pet food would only be aconcern “when mankind stops food waste (andbecomes) completely vegetarian.” He said thatunfashionable cuts of meat, including offal, whichmany humans turn their noses up at, would be idealfor pet food in order to avoid waste. Yet in somecountries, including the Netherlands, meat is rearedspecifically for animal consumption. Pim Martens,professor of sustainable development at MaastrichtUniversity, said that — as with humans — animalcarbon footprints “depend on where you live in theworld”. In a 2019 study, Martens found the lifetimeemissions of a dog weighing 10-20 kilograms in theNetherlands was anywhere between 4.2 and 17 tonsof CO2 equivalent.—AFP

Monday, March 22, 2021

9B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

Al-Tijari announces winners of Al-Najma account campaign KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait conduct-ed the weekly draws on Al-Najma Account andSalary Transfer Campaign yesterday. The drawswere conducted in the presence of Ministry ofCommerce and Industry representative AhmadAl-Basman.

The results of the draws were as follows:1- Al-Najma weekly account - the prize of

KD 5,000 went to the winner Medhat MohamedMohamed Ibrahim

2- Salary account campaign - the prize ofup to KD 1,000 went to the winner Fahad Ali Al-Temeemi

The bank stated that the salary campaign isaimed at customers who transfer their salaries ofKD 500 or more to the Bank, especially Kuwaitiemployees and residents working in the govern-ment, oil sectors and companies listed with theBank as well as retirees, and take advantage of thebenefits of this campaign and get an instant cashgift from KD 250 to KD 500 or an interest-freeloan of 5 times the salary and a maximum of KD10,000 Kuwaiti pensioner, along with expatriatecustomers who transfer their debt amounting toKD 10,000 or above to the Bank will receive aninstant cash gift of 1 percent from their trans-ferred debt.

The bank stated that Al-Najma Account prizesare distinguished by the highest cash prize anddiversity of prizes throughout the year clarifyingthat the account offers weekly prize of KD 5,000/-,monthly prize of KD 20,000 and a semi-annualprize of KD 500,000 in addition to the largest prize- linked bank account payout of KD 1,500,000.

Al-Najma Account can be opened by deposit-ing KD 100, and customer should maintain a min-imum amount of KD 500 to be eligible to enter alldraws on Al-Najma Account prizes. As for thechances of winning, the more balance a customermaintains in Al-Najma Account, the more chancesthe account holder will get to win, the accountalso offers additional benefits like the ATM card,a credit card against customer’s account and allCBK banking services that customer can enjoy.

The Bank revealed that Al-Najma account isavailable to everyone, and anyone can open AlNajma account through CBK mobile applicationin simple steps from anywhere and at any time.

KUWAIT: Kuwait Telecommunications Company -stc, a world-class digital leader providing innovativeservices and platforms to customers, enabling thedigital transformation in Kuwait, and Virgin MobileMiddle East and Africa (VMMEA) received theCommunication and Information TechnologyRegulatory Authority’s (CITRA) approval for thefirst-of-its-kind mobile virtual network operator(MVNO) license to launch Virgin Mobile Kuwait(Connect Arabia WLL).

The announcement of the first mobile virtual net-work operator in Kuwait was made during a pressconference attended by the Minister of Public Worksand Minister of State for Communications andInformation Technology, Dr Rana Al-Fares, Chairmanand CEO of CITRA, engineer Salim Muthib Al-Ozainah, as well as representatives from the authority,CEO of stc Kuwait, engineer Maziad Alharbi, CEO ofVirgin Mobile Kuwait, Benoit Janin, and various mem-bers of the local press.

Virgin Mobile Kuwait will operate using stc’s net-work, with stc acting as a Host Facilities BasedProvider “FBP” with Virgin Mobile Kuwait, offeringprepaid plans to users, making it the first virtual tele-com service provider in Kuwait.

By combining VMMEA’s role as the region’s lead-ing MVNO and digital innovator, and the stronginfrastructure of stc’s network, the two companies aimto provide an unparalleled customer experience with-in this market, transforming the user and on-demandexperience for pre-paid mobile users through a rangeof digital solutions.

Engineer Salim Muthib Al-Ozainah, Chairman and

CEO of CITRA, said, “Stemming from CITRA’s goalof promoting positive competition, we are glad tolicense the first MNVO to Virgin Mobile Kuwait. Weare also glad to see the entry of a reputable interna-tional investor such as Virgin International in bringingtheir digital expertise to the Kuwaiti market. Thismove will surely contribute greatly to the telecomsector in raising the quality of service and overall cus-tomer experience.”

The previously established consortium was led byVMMEA and included stc as a strategic partner toprovide a range of new-to-market fully digital con-sumer services in the Kuwaiti telecom sector.

The license awarded by CITRA to Virgin MobileKuwait to provide MVNO services is pursuant to theagreement for the provision and resale of the servicesnecessary to allow the reselling of services to end-users and operate as a business. Virgin Mobile Kuwaitaims to launch its innovative app-based platform with

proven technology derived from VMMEA’s digitaloperator platform, mainly targeting the local youthpopulation.

Commenting on this significant milestone in thelocal telecom market, engineer Maziad Alharbi, CEOof stc, said, “In line with our commitment to assist inthe development of the Kuwaiti economy, we areproud to partner with a prominent global brand toengage in a new market layer within the local telecomsector. stc’s well-built network infrastructure will pro-vide Virgin Mobile Kuwait with high quality advancedservice to meet the diverse needs of its customers,specially focusing on the youth.”

Alharbi expressed that through this partnership,Virgin Mobile Kuwait aims to provide users withaccessible and customized services. The online pre-paid plan services will allow digital subscribers totake full control of their monthly bills and add ons. Healso mentioned that this initiative falls in line with stc’s

commitment to enable digital transformation inKuwait, providing customers and the people ofKuwait with pioneering telecom and digital solutionsthat meet and exceed their expectations.

Alharbi added, “I would also like to thank andextend my sincere gratitude to CITRA, as this wouldnot be possible without their guidance and support.CITRA’s role in backing the telecom sector hasenabled local providers to operate in line with interna-tional standards. They have continuously supportedthe various initiatives initiated by local telecomproviders to expand their offerings and capitalize onlucrative opportunities that have proved beneficial forthe providers and the community.”

Erik Dudman Nielsen, Founder & Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa, said,“We are very excited about launching Virgin Mobilein Kuwait. This forms part of our ongoing commitmentto providing customers with innovative digital propo-sitions, transforming the traditional mobile experience.We have no doubt that Virgin Mobile will introduce anew era for mobile connectivity with customer-ledservices, enabling a seamless customer experience.”

Virgin Mobile Middle East and Africa has estab-lished a leading position across the Middle East andAfrica region. Currently operating in Saudi Arabia,Oman and providing advisory services to EmiratesIntegrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) inthe UAE, Virgin Mobile Middle East & Africa hasbeen catering to a continuously growing number ofmobile users offering world-class products and serv-ices since 2007, serving more than 3 million cus-tomers across the region.

stc Kuwait enables Virgin Mobile to operate as first virtual telecom provider in Kuwait

stc Kuwait, Virgin Mobile MENA-led consortium win license from CITRA

KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Communications and InformationTechnology, Dr Rana Al-Fares, Chairman and CEO of CITRA, engineer Salim Muthib Al-Ozainah, as wellas representatives from the authority, CEO of stc Kuwait, engineer Maziad Alharbi, CEO of VirginMobile Kuwait, Benoit Janin during the press conference.

Congested ports and supply chain woes hit US factories, storesNEW YORK: The cold snap that gripped theUnited States in February not only caused chaos inTexas and the southwest, it also triggered a short-age in plastics that has disrupted a supply chainalready under strain from a lack of microchips andgrowing congestion at ports as a result of the coro-navirus pandemic. So factories have had to shuttheir doors and consumers are feeling the crunch.

At Toyota, a petrochemicals shortage affectedproduction at plants in Kentucky, West Virginia andMexico. Honda cited supply chain issues “relatedto the impact of COVID-19, congestion at various

ports, semiconductor shortages and severe winterweather” to justify the temporary closure of five ofits factories in Canada and the United States.

Consumers are also being affected. Nike saidThursday that its sales of shoes and sportswear werebeing affected by congestion at ports around thecountry. At a Best Buy home appliance store in sub-urban Washington, a customer said she spent an hourwith a sales assistant, only to find that many stovemodels wouldn’t be available for several weeks.

“I had to buy a black stainless steel stove whenI wanted a white one, and for $200 dollars morethan I’d budgeted”, complained Virginie Hines, aFrench woman living in Maryland. The problems inthe plastics sector are the latest glitch in the sup-ply chain. In mid-February, freezing temperaturesparalyzed Texas and Louisiana, home to many ofthe factories that transform oil into polyethylene,which is used to make plastic bags, shampoo bot-

tles or toothpaste tubes, polypropylene, used forthe hard plastic of car dashboards or refrigera-tors, or PVC, which is used to make pipes or win-dow frames.

While they are used to weathering hurricanes,these plants rarely experience low temperatures. Atthe height of the cold snap, more than 70 percentof ethylene production capacity was down and atleast 62 percent of polypropylene production,according to S&P Global Platts. “Not only wassupply knocked off line from a freeze, but thedemand for products had just started to rebound,”said Robert Benedict of the American Fuel &Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM).

The consequences are hard to pinpoint, but withpetro-chemicals accounting for a third of the rawmaterial costs of a car, “it’s easy to understand whywe’re now seeing ripple effect in other manufactur-ing supply chains,” he said.—AFP

l Al-Ozainah: This milestone achieved by CITRA aids in stimulatinghealthy competition in the local market while elevating the quality of serv-ice in Kuwait

l Alharbi: We are delighted to partner with a prominent global brand toengage in a new market layer within the local telecom sector

l Nielsen: We are proud to launch Virgin Mobile in Kuwait as part of ourongoing commitment to provide customers with innovative digital services,transforming the traditional mobile experience.

Fed maintains a hold on interest rates till 2023KUWAIT: In its meeting last week, the US FederalReserve continued to project near-zero interest rates atleast through 2023, maintaining its dovish stance even asit significantly upgraded growth forecasts. Estimates arenow for 6.5 percent growth for this year, up from the 4.2percent predicted in December. And in regards to thelabor market, unemployment is expected to fall to 4.5percent by the end of the year instead of 5 percent.Looking at inflation, the Fed’s preferred measure is pro-jected to rise to 2.2 percent, above the bank’s target,compared with a smaller rise of 1.8 percent predicted inDecember.

While the Fed acknowledges a surge in inflation islikely, the central bank feels it will be short-lived and nota cause for concern. Predictions are for PCE inflation tofall back to 2 percent in 2022 and 2.1 percent in 2023,even as unemployment is anticipated to drop further. Themarket seems to be in line with the Fed’s dot plot and ispricing 0 changes in interest rates for the next yearthrough the Federal Funds Futures.

The 10-year US treasury yield reached a high of 1.75percent last week, which is a 14 month high. Marketsseem to be bullish on global recovery and are selling thesafe-haven long-term US Treasury bonds and headinginto riskier assets. Moreover, LIBOR rates are movingback-up gradually as 3-months LIBOR reached 0.19percent on Friday up from 0.18 percent on Monday.

Fall in retail salesRetail sales in the US fell by 3 percent in February fol-

lowing the robust 7.6 percent rise in January, theCommerce Department reported last week. Meanwhile,the core figure which excludes volatile items such asautomobile sales declined 2.7 percent. The decline coin-

cided with harsh winter weather, overwhelming someareas of the country with sub-freezing temperatures andwinter storms. This caused a temporary setback indemand that is expected to accelerate in the comingmonths with President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimuluspackage, an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, andwarmer weather ahead.

German sentiment on the riseIn Europe, the German ZEW headline which tracks

economic sentiment improved to 76.6 in March following71.2 in February. The figure beat expectations of 74.ZEW President Professor Achim Wambach said follow-ing in the release: “Economic optimism continues to rise.Experts expect a broad-based recovery of the Germaneconomy. They anticipate that at least 70 percent of theGerman population will be offered a vaccine againstCOVID-19 by autumn.”

Brexit saga continuesThe European Union launched legal action against the

UK in a major escalation of tensions between the twosides less than three months after Brexit was formallycompleted. It follows Britain’s unilateral decision to delayimplementing a key part of the Brexit deal relating toNorthern Ireland. The move could ultimately lead to finan-cial penalties or trade tariffs being imposed on the UK.

On the FX front, The UK has been a great model tolead in vaccinations and steady plans to reopen theireconomy which helped push the Sterling above the 1.40levels. As for the EU it has been struggling to push itsvaccinations across and is lagging behind majoreconomies in vaccination delivery percentage. As suchwe have seen the single currency fall down from the 1.22levels to 1.18 levels.

BOE keeps policy unchangedThe Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee

has voted 9-0 to keep rates on hold at 0.10 percent andthe QE target unchanged at GBP 895 billion, as expectedby markets. The committee also announced that the paceof government bond buying will remain unchanged at 4.4

billion Sterling Pounds a week until 6 May - the date ofthe next meeting and Monetary Policy Report. The MPCminutes added that the pace could be increased if mar-ket function were to worsen materially. The central bankreiterated its existing direction that “it does not intend totighten monetary policy at least until there is clear evi-dence that significant progress is being made in eliminat-ing spare capacity and achieving the 2 percent inflationtarget sustainably”.

BOJ maintains the status quo The bank of Japan met last week and delivered it pol-

icy announcement on Friday. As widely expected bymarkets the central bank and similar to its major econo-my peers, it did not change its policy rate or bond pur-chases program. Few tweaks to the existing frameworkwere made which mainly revolved around the yieldcurve; the 10-year yield is aimed to be at zero percentwith a band of +/-25 basis points from the previous +/-20 basis points. The pair did not move after theannouncement as markets were not surprised by themeeting outcome and the USD/JPY pair continued totrade in a narrow range between 108.60 and 109.40.

Oil prices dropDemand for oil remains pressured by global restric-

tions even though some economies have eased theirlockdown restrictions. On the inventory side, US crudeinventories built by 2.4 million barrels last week and areup 38 million barrel over the last three weeks due to lowrefinery utilization following the winter freeze-off.Overall, US crude stocks are 30 million barrels which is 6percent above their five-year average. These factorsplayed a major role in pushing oil prices down by morethan 10 percent at one point last week. Nevertheless, oilmarket remains supported by the vaccine rollout and thesuccess globally in containing the pandemic which keptthe prices above $62 for Brent and $60 for West Texas.

Kuwait Kuwaiti dinar USD/KWD closed last week at

0.30195.

NBK Money Markets Report

Monday, March 22, 2021B u s i n e s s

Established 1961 10

KUWAIT: Moving forward in its digital transforma-tion strategy, Kuwait Finance House (KFH), the worldleading Islamic financial institution, has signed anagreement with Aion Digital, a digital-first bankingplatform, to transform all functions of retail and corpo-rate banking services at the bank.

Under this agreement, KFH will drive its expansionplans through digitization of its Retail and CorporateBanking services. This will enable a secure and effi-cient digital omni-channel platform that has open APIs.Furthermore, Aion Digital will design, develop, config-ure, and implement a leading and modern DigitalBanking Platform to enable KFH’s digital transforma-tion and enhance its value proposition in deliveringhigh quality and digital-first products and services toits customers.

Aion’s role as the digital banking technology part-ner will be to provide the Aion Rubix Next-GenerationEnterprise Digital Banking Platform that delivers onthe bank’s requirements and the bank’s desired digitalcapabilities. This will enable the bank to offer uniquecustomer digital journeys that facilitate digital bankingservices in a flexible timeline for KFH to offer valuableservices to its Banking Customers.

In addition to the launch of the first ever digital

onboarding solution in Kuwait last year, this new col-laboration will allow KFH to consolidate its position asa pioneer digital and retail player in the GCC Bankingindustry.

Aion will also help KFH revamp its current corpo-rate e-banking services with modern and state-of-theart Digital Omni-Channel enabled Platform, enablingthe bank to offer unique customer digital journeys toits corporate and SME banking customers.

The introduction of the Aion Rubix digital platformwill enable KFH to shorten the time taken to developnew products and accelerate time-to-market. Alongwith the enabling technologies such as facial recogni-tion, fraud analysis, OCR and selfie checks, AionDigitals ready-to-go banking with over 200 pre-inte-grated customer journeys will also provide KFH withthe flexibility to customize their core-independentdevelopment, enabling faster digital innovation withoutthe limitations from back-end systems.

The Aion Rubix platform will allow KFH to transi-tion and operate on a modern, and highly efficienttechnology architecture that is future-ready to meetthe digital-first demands of customers. The platformcan scale to other key markets and across various reg-ulatory bodies while connecting to multiple eco-sys-

tems in the digital world.By using cutting-edgetechnology that will benefitand transform the lives ofthe Banking community,KFH envisions a futurewhere digital delivery of itsproducts will lead the waytowards the adoption ofcashless and digital finan-cial solutions. Aion Digitalsexpertise and extensiverange of solutions has been

proven time and again. KFH is looking forward for to successfully complete

the digital transformation road map and accelerate thedevelopment of its digital banking products services.KFH’s digital innovation journey that is being under-taken with Aion Digital has placed the people at thecenter of our digital investment, with technology beingthe critical driver in transforming the bank and ensur-ing it stays ahead of the competition in the next digitalbanking revolution.”

Group Chief Operations Officer at KFH, Abdulla AbuAlhous said: “KFH being the leader in providing utmost

customer experience and optimized customer journeys,launched this “Digital Channels” initiative to provide allKFH customer segments (Corporate & SME, Retail)with unique set of digital services & digital technologiesto empower them like never before, transforming theirrelationships with KFH and their use of financial prod-ucts and services with deep understanding of KFH cus-tomer ecosystem and becoming a part of it. He pointedout that as a world leading Islamic financial institution,KFH is focusing on core customer needs and digitallyaugment their core capabilities to deliver the outcomescustomers really desire, rather than the products orservices they’ve traditionally sold.

Meanwhile, Shariq Nazim, Co-Founder and ChiefTechnology Officer at Aion Digital said, “Once again,we are excited to partner with KFH on its bank-widedigital transformation journey. Our priorities are towork as partners, ensure customer success, and digi-tally transform while keeping the customer experienceas a priority without impacting ongoing operations.The benefit of working with Aion Digital is the rangeof integration processes that can support banks toexecute in a faster and cheaper manner, strategic digi-tal transformation projects that are tailored uniquelyfor them,” added Shariq.

KFH, Aion Digital sign digital transformation agreement

Agreement to enhance digital-first retail and corporate banking services

Abdulla Abu Alhous

Mezzan Holding reports FY 2020 financial results KUWAIT: Mezzan Holding KSC, one of the largestmanufacturers and distributors of food, beverage, FMCGand pharmaceutical products in the Gulf, yesterdayannounced the company’s financial results for FY 2020.

The company recorded KD 246.4 million in revenue,driven by its fast-moving consumer goods and health-care, as well as food manufacturing and distribution. Theincrease in Mezzan’s revenue was also accompanied byenhancements in Gross Profit, Operating Profit, andEarnings Before Interest, Tax, and Depreciation andAmortization (EBITDA). Mezzan’s 2020 Net Profit toParent Company Shareholders grew by 94 percent com-pared to 2019, as a result of higher margins, increasedscale of operations, as well as lower borrowing costs.

The Board of Directors recommended a cash divi-dend of 18 fils per share and the distribution of treasuryshares at a rate of 2 percent shares (2 shares for every100 shares held by investors).

FY 2020 financial highlights:• Revenue: KD 246.4 million, up 10.8 percent • Operating Profit: KD 17.1 million, up 35.3 percent • EBITDA: KD25.4 million, up 36.9 percent• Net profit to Parent Company Shareholders: KD10.9

million, up 94 percentMezzan Holding Executive Vice Chairman

Mohammad Jassim Al-Wazzan said: “The group per-formed well and we are pleased with the resultsachieved, taking into consideration the unusual challeng-ing operating conditions. This indicates the strength andflexibility of our business model and the diversification inour business lines during the past few years, in additionto the exceptional dedication and commitment ofMezzan employees in such difficult times”.

Mezzan Holding CEO Garett Walsh said: “Mezzan’sperformance in 2020 once again proved its robust busi-ness model. We have seen a significant increase in prof-itability resulting and revenue growth in Kuwait’s food,FMCG and healthcare sectors. We are also pleased towitness the growth of revenue in our KSA business in2020, despite the challenging market conditions causedby the pandemic, and we expect to capture more growthas we improve our logistics in the kingdom. Looking for-ward, we maintain our focus on becoming a majorregional player with leading positions in each of thebusiness lines we operate in the coming years.

FY 2020 Financial Performance Review:Food business line Total Revenue for the Food Business Line reached

KD 165.5 million, an increase of 3.2 percent comparedwith the same period in 2019. The Food Business Lineaccounted for 67.2 percent of Group Revenue. TheBusiness Line comprises the following three divisions:Manufacturing and Distribution (generating 46.6 percentof Group Revenue), Catering (generating 13.6 percent ofGroup Revenue) and Services (generating 7.0 percent ofGroup Revenue).

Manufacturing and Distribution: FY Revenueincreased by 6.8 percent.

Catering: FY Revenue decreased by 5.9 percent. Services: FY Revenue decreased by 0.8 percent.Non-Food Business Line:Revenue reached KD 80.9 million, an increase of 30.4

percent compared with the same period in 2019. TheNon-Food Business Line accounted for 32.8 percent ofGroup Revenue. The Business Lines comprises the fol-lowing divisions: FMCG and Pharmaceuticals businessdivision (generating 31.0 percent of Group Revenue) andIndustrials (contributing 1.8 percent).

FMCG and Pharmaceuticals: FY Revenue increasedby 34.1 percent fueled by KSPICO acquisition andMedtronics JV

Industrials: FY Industrials Revenues decreased by11.5 percent.

Regional Business Highlights in FY 2020In Kuwait: FY Revenue grew by 16.7 percent due to

strong performance in FMCG and healthcare segmentspurred by acquisitions.

In UAE: FY Revenue increased by 2.1 percent due tothe increase in production and sales of potato chips andsnacks lines.

In Qatar: FY Revenue decreased by 12.1 percent dueto the decline of catering business line.

In KSA: FY Revenue increased by 7.0 percent asMezzan continues to expand its distribution reach andimprove logistical operations.

In Afghanistan: FY Revenue decreased by 16.7 percent.In Jordan: FY Revenue increased by 14.4 percent.

Michelin Agilis 3 launched in GCCKUWAIT: Michelin, the world’s leading tyre companyhas announced the launch of Michelin Agilis 3 in theGCC for the commercial light truck tyre market, tar-geting conventional load customers involved in peopleand goods transportation activities. The newlylaunched tyre aims to capture the larger high-poten-tial, light-load segment with exceptional solutions - interms of safety, performance, and environment.

Marc Pasquet, President, Michelin Africa, India andMiddle East Region said: “When it comes to sustain-ability, Michelin is committed to a long-term strategythat applies to all of its products, from car to trucktyres. Our design choices seek to make more efficientuse of raw materials and resources, while at the sametime ensuring outstanding performance throughout theworking life of the tyres. As a result, their environmen-tal impact is lower and they last longer, two key con-siderations for road and urban transport professionalswho are looking to optimize their costs without com-promising safety, while at the same time reducing their

environmental footprint. Iam confident that this tyrerange fulfills these aspira-tions of the light truck fleetowners in the country”.

Rolling resistance oftyres accounts for at least20 percent of a vehicle’senergy consumption. Onaverage, the tyres thatmake up the new MichelinAgilis 3 range weigh onekilogram less than theircorresponding predeces-

sor, and the difference is as high as 1.7kg in the caseof certain larger sizes. Fewer raw materials and naturalresources are consequently required for their manu-facture and the amount of waste that needs to berecycled is reduced. According to the results of in-house tests carried out by Michelin, this MichelinAgilis 3 tyre curbs CO2 emissions by 100kg on aver-age over a distance of 20,000km. That’s equivalent tothe CO2 stored in approximately three trees, a fuel-consumption reduction of 0.12 litres/100km and asaving of €100.

Certain performance-related qualities actuallyimprove as tyres wear, such as their braking perform-ance on dry roads and fuel consumption. Braking per-formance in wet conditions deteriorates with wear,however, but the Michelin Agilis 3 is designed to deliv-

er high-level braking performance on wet roads all theway down to the tyre’s TWI (tread wear indicator /1.6mm). Indeed, in addition to being A-graded forbraking performance in wet conditions when new (in-line with European labelling legislation), it continues toperform in this domain even when worn, with resultsthat are superior to the safety threshold legislationrequired for new tyres.

This achievement was made possible thanks to theuse of EVERGRIP technologies, notably: • An innovative rubber compound featuring an opti-

mized dosage of carbon black and silica whichcontributes to the tyre’s safety and wet-weatherbraking performance throughout its working life.

• A new tread pattern, featuring: • Deep grooves: flexible tread blocks for superior

vehicle handling on wet roads. • U shaped grooves: more vertically-sided tread

blocks for a higher land-to-sea ratio at a tread-depth of 2mm to favor efficient water clearance allthe way down to the TWI (tread wear indicator).

The Michelin Agilis 3 delivers long life and robust-ness thanks to two technologies developed for trucktyres which Michelin has carried over to a light com-mercial vehicle tyre for the first time: 1. A rubber compound with superior resistance to

abrasion2. A patented technology which combats stones

becoming wedged in the tread. Last but not least, for even greater safety, Michelin

has employed the same sidewall protection solutionfirst seen on the Michelin Agilis CrossClimate, namelyan additional layer that shields the tyre from scrubbing.The new Michelin Agilis 3 is further evidence of GroupMichelin’s sustainable-performance strategy in favor ofsafer, cleaner, more accessible and more efficientmobility.

All size ranges Michelin Agilis 3 is now availablefrom 14- to 16-inch diameter catering to a wide rangeof small minivans and pick-up trucks like New ToyotaHiace, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Urvan etc. at Michelin’sauthorized tyre dealers across the nation.

Marc Pasquet

Musk tells China data gathered by Teslas remain secretWASHINGTON: Tesla boss Elon Musk stronglydenied Saturday that his cars, which gather largeamounts of data, could ever be used to spy onChina despite fears raised by Beijing, the WallStreet Journal reported. The assertion from thehead of the electric car maker followed a decisionby the Chinese government to bar members of itsmilitary or employees of some state-owned com-panies from using Teslas. Musk made the com-ments via video link to a Beijing conference of thegovernment-backed China Development Forum.Chinese authorities are concerned that data gath-ered by Tesla vehicles, such as images taken bythe cars’ cameras, could be transmitted to the US,the Journal said.Tesla did not immediately respondto an AFP request for comment. China is a crucial-ly important market for Tesla, which has a factoryin Shanghai and is already selling one-fourth of itsproduction in that country. The group hopes tosell 200,000 vehicles in China this year.

In his remarks, Musk insisted that no Americanor Chinese company would take the risk of collect-ing private data and sharing it with their govern-ment. “Whether it’s Chinese or US, the negativeeffects if a commercial company did engage inspying — the negative effects for that companywould be extremely bad,” Musk said. If Tesla usedits automobiles to spy in any country, he said, itwould be shut down everywhere, providing “a verystrong incentive for us to be very confidential.”Chinese fears that data gathered by groups likeTesla could pose a threat to national security comeamid an ongoing US-Chinese confrontation overtechnology and commerce. Last week, Americanauthorities classified the Huawei group and fourother Chinese telecommunications equipmentmakers as threats to US national security, under-cutting any hopes that the US, under President JoeBiden, might ease tense bilateral relations. Huaweihad been blacklisted in 2019 by the Trump admin-istration, which accused it without providing evi-dence of potentially spying for Beijing by using itsequipment to monitor communications and datatraffic in other countries. —AFP

Hong Kong’s fragile coral reefs boosted by 3D printingHONG KONG: In jade waters off Hong Kong’s easternshoreline, scientists are thrilled to spot a cuttlefish pro-tecting her eggs inside an artificial, 3D-printed clayseabed helping to restore the city’s fragile coral reefs.

On postcards and in the popular imagination HongKong is a byword for urban density, a thicket of tower-ing skyscrapers crammed along the harbor or clingingto the vertiginous hillsides above. Yet it is circled by asurprising array of nature and the small number of coralreefs are some of the city’s best-kept secrets. Around84 species of coral are found in Hong Kong’s waters,scientists say, more diverse than those found in theCaribbean Sea. Most can be found on remote inlets, farfrom the sediment-filled Pearl River Delta and its busyshipping channels. But like all reefs in a rapidly warmingworld, they are under enormous pressure.

Which is where Vriko Yu and her team of fellowmarine scientists come in. They have begun using 3Dprinted tiles that work as an artificial bed for corals tolatch onto and thrive, with promising results. “The firsttime we put down the tiles, there were a few fisharound,” she told AFP on a recent inspection byUniversity of Hong Kong (HKU) researchers. Now theartificially produced reef laid down last summer isteeming with wildlife, including the cuttlefish, some-thing Yu described as “very, very exciting”.

Terracotta warriors Hong Kong’s government commissioned research

into local coral ecosystems after the reefs at Hoi Ha

Wan marine park were struck by bleaching and massdie-offs. Corals are colonies of billions of living polypinvertebrates and are hugely sensitive to temperaturechanges. When they get too hot, they lose theirvibrant color and die. Repopulating a dead or dam-aged reef requires suitable ground for the remainingcoral larvae to latch onto and build a new home-andthe printed tiles have so far proven dependable.

“3D printing allows us to customize a tile or a solu-tion for any type of environment and I think that’s thereal potential that the technology brings,” David Baker,an associate professor at HKU’s School of BiologicalSciences who led development of the technology, toldAFP. Tiles carrying 400 coral fragments have been laidon a 40 square-meter (430 square-foot) section of seafloor in the marine park.

“The corals now on the tiles definitely survivebetter than the traditional way of transplantation,”said Yu, putting the success rate at around 90 per-cent. Some projects around the world have deliber-ately sunk ships or concrete onto the sea floor toencourage coral growth. And while those methodshave had some success, they can change the chem-istry of the water.

The tiles used in the Hong Kong project are madewith terracotta, minimizing the environmental impact.

“Clay is basically soil, so soil you can find every-where on earth,” said Christian Lange, an associateprofessor from HKU’s Department of Architecture. Itleaves water chemistry unchanged, Lange added, andif a tile fails to spawn a new colony it will simply erodewithout leaving a trace.—AFP

HONG KONG: In jade waters off Hong Kong’s eastern shoreline, scientists are thrilled to spot a cuttlefish protecting hereggs inside an artificial, 3D-printed clay seabed helping to restore the city’s fragile coral reefs. — AFP

Monday, March 22, 2021

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F e a t u r e s

Established 1961 12L i f e s t y l e

Rare Berninidrawing fetchesrecord price atFrench auction

Arare drawing by the Italian 17thcentury sculptor and architectGian Lorenzo Bernini sold for 1.9

million euros ($2.3 million) in France onSaturday, the highest price ever paid fora drawing by the artist, the auction housesaid. The original estimate price for thesanguine, or red chalk drawing of a malenude dating from somewhere between1630 and 1640, had been set at 30,000-50,000 euros by the Acteon auctionhouse in Compiegne, northern France.

But an anonymous, “probably Anglo-Saxon”, buyer secured it for 1.3 millioneuros, which including fees and commis-sion represented a final purchase priceof 1.9 million euros, auctioneerDominique Le Coent told AFP. The previ-ous world record price paid for a Berninidrawing was 139,000 euros in 2014.Bernini (1598-1680) designed statues formany of Rome’s landmarks such as theFour Rivers Fountain in Piazza Navona.The “Academie d’Homme” drawing,which belongs to an “extremely smallbody of academic drawings known to beby Bernini”, Le Coent said. Art historiansknow of only seven others, “all preserved

in museums and institutions, includingone at the Uffizi Museum in Florence”.The auction, broadcast live on the inter-net, attracted the interest of many collec-tors, mostly international, and there werenine telephone bidders. Discovered inCompiegne, the drawing was first mis-takenly attributed to the French Baroquesculptor Pierre Puget (1620-1694) beforebeing authenticated as a work byBernini. — AFP

AHungarian government plan toreinvigorate the local pop musicscene and promote Hungarian

culture at the same time has sparkedconcerns about political influence andcensorship. Details of the 62-million-europlan revealed Tuesday include fundingfor training and talent spotting, grants forcontent creation and marketing, andinfrastructure like studios and perform-ance venues. “It’s about producing quali-ty Hungarian pop and rock, and identity-building,” said the project’s frontmanSzilard Demeter, 44, appointed by PrimeMinister Viktor Orban’s government as acultural commissioner in 2019.

“Music can express what is different inHungarians’ character, vision, and histor-ical experience,” Demeter told AFP aftera draft of the plan was published lastyear. “Perhaps that’s not always under-standable when looked at by westernEuropeans, but that’s why it can be excit-ing and exotic,” he said.

‘110 percent Orbanista’ Government critics however fret that

the music plan opens a new front in anescalating culture war. The self-styled“illiberal” nationalist premier Orban, 57, inpower since 2010, declared in 2018 that“big changes” were coming forHungary’s cultural and academicscenes, seen in pro-government circlesas hotbeds of liberalism. Since then, thegovernment has tightened control overtheatres and universities while an anti-LGBT campaign has been launched. Auniversity founded by the liberal US bil-lionaire George Soros, a bete noire ofOrban, said it was forced from Budapestinto exile in Vienna.

Demeter, a writer and amateur bassguitarist who hails from the Hungarianminority in Romania, has also sparkedcontroversy by comparing Soros to AdolfHitler. “I totally support the PrimeMinister’s policies, I am 110 percent anOrbanista,” Demeter, who also heads aprestigious literary museum in Budapest,told AFP. “Yes there is a fierce culturewar going on, the big question is whetherHungarian culture will exist at all in 100years,” he said. “The guarantee of sur-vival is that we live in our own nationalculture, national identity has got weaker,and should be restored,” he said.

Although in another interview Demetersaid that he does not like pop singers“spluttering” about politics as “thatdivides the audience” he told AFP thatpolitical affiliation will be no bar to fund-ing under the new scheme. “Everyoneshould be involved, from left to liberal toright, far-right to Marxist, diversity is thesource of Hungarian culture’s strength,just as diversity of national cultures isEurope’s strength,” he said. “So if a bandis good quality, why shouldn’t it be sup-ported?” he added.

Censorship But according to Ferenc Megyeri, 55,

lead singer of punk group “UsualDisappointments”, the state is alreadycensoring musicians. Megyeri’s band,founded in 1990, has penned songs like“Viktor”, “Absurdistan”, and “Soros” thatcriticize or parody Orban’s policies. Thesongs were cut from the broadcast ver-sion of its concert last October during aseries of state-sponsored online gigs.

Organizers also asked Megyeri toremove a T-shirt he wore with “Soros”written on it. “I refused, so the broadcastfocused on close-ups of my face,” hetold AFP in his hometown of Pecs, southof Budapest. “It is a good idea to helpmusicians, after all it’s our money, tax-payer money, but not by censorship,” hesaid. “Most bands will take governmentfunding and stay silent. But we are notthat type,” he added.

Indoctrination Zoltan Czutor, an award-winning

songwriter, says “wonderful things canbe done” with the funding like teachingschoolkids how to play an instrument, buthe worries about the risk of “indoctrina-tion”. “I hope there won’t be mandatoryvisits to nationalist rock operas for kids,”he told AFP in a Budapest studio.

According to Czutor, 51, who teachesmusic as well as leading four projects-anacoustic guitar band, his own solo act, apop-rock group, and a kids’ music band-only a handful of stars can make a livingfrom pop music. “Most income comesfrom big state or municipality-sponsoredfestivals, and organizers don’t want trou-ble. Bands avoid politics for fear of beingblacklisted from gigs or radio airplay,” hesaid. Exclusion from the airwaves is afamiliar feeling for Zsuzsa Koncz, 75, aniconic pop singer whose career began inthe 1960s.

“I haven’t been invited to perform onstate media in the last decade,” Koncz,who has supported liberal causes in thepast, told AFP. For her, the new planrevives uncomfortable memories of acommunist-era cultural policy -“Tolerated, Forbidden, Supported” -where any artwork that questioned thesystem was banned. “The last 10 yearshave shown that the closer you are to theregime’s honey pot the easier it is to eatfrom it,” she said.— AFP

A handout photo made available by the Acteonauction house shows a drawing entitled“Academie d’homme” by Italian artist GianLorenzo Bernini aka Le Bernin.-AFP

Pupils of the Ecole Vivalys elementary school, wearing spacesuits cos-tumes, take part in their project “Mission to Mars”.

Pupils of the Ecole Vivalys elementary school, wearing spacesuits cos-tumes, plant a Swiss national flag in the ground during their project“Mission to Mars”.

Pupils of the Ecole Vivalys elementary school, wearing spacesuits cos-tumes, build paper rockets during their project “Mission to Mars”.

Pupils of the Ecole Vivalys elementary school, wearing spacesuits cos-tumes, take part in their project “Mission to Mars”.

Director of Petofi Literary Museum SzilardDemeter gives an interview in his office ofBudapest, Hungary. — AFP photos

An award-winning songwriter and musicanZoltan Czutor gives an interview in Budapest,Hungary.

Leo pulls on a shiny, silver suit andplaces the helmet gingerly over hishead before marching with the other

budding astronauts towards their space-ship. “Going to Mars is really my dream,”the eight-year-old said, jumping excitedlyfrom foot to foot. While the world hasbeen riveted by the escapades ofNASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, agroup of Swiss primary school childrenhas been eagerly preparing their ownmission to the red planet.

Some of Switzerland’s top spaceexperts, including the country’s onlyastronaut, Claude Nicollier, evaluated thedetailed mission plan the children haddeveloped over nine months. And onMarch 8, they gave it the all-clear for lift-off. The children “exploded with joy”when they heard, their teacher at theVivalys private school near Lausanne,Sebastien Roussel, told AFP. “It was likewatching the NASA engineers’ ecstaticreaction when Perseverance toucheddown.” This week, they finally blasted off.Their rocket is actually a bus, with imagesof astronauts astride a spaceship head-ing towards a bright red sphere coveringthe windows, flanked by the message:“Mission Vivalys. Direction Mars”.

Space station Their destination? A Mars space sta-

tion conveniently situated a bus-rideaway in a secluded wooded area on theoutskirts of Lausanne in westernSwitzerland. Here, the 16 eight- and nine-year-olds will spend three days carryingout experiments similar to some conduct-ed by actual astronauts, includingattempting to grow plants to sustain themon the long journey.

And while the idyllic, snow-sprinkledsurroundings are far less hostile than thewindswept, dusty surface of Mars, thechildren wear suits and helmets whenev-

er they step outside. Inside the base, withhis helmet-actually a face-covering scu-ba-diving mask-under his arm, Leo saysthis “analogue mission to Mars” madehim all the more eager to see the realthing. “But I don’t want to land wherePerseverance landed. It’s radioactive

there and very cold,” he said. In a bid tosimulate a true space mission, all the chil-dren’s meals consist of freeze-driedspace food.

Initial plans for them to sleep on sitewere meanwhile scrapped due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. “Our biggest con-cern is not bringing the virus to Mars,”Olivier Delamadeleine, head of theEducalis group that runs the school, toldAFP. The mission fits with the school’sgeneral approach aimed at deepeningthe students’ learning through “real life”experiences, he said. During the monthsof preparation, the children participatedin workshops on astronomy and rocketengineering hosted by students at theneighboring EPFL-among the most pres-tigious technical universities in Europe.

A motivation ‘win’ The mission required them to use

mathematics to calculate the distance toMars, and they have also sharpened theirlanguage skills, learning how to spell thenames of the planets. Roussel said themission was “a win” for a teacher seekingto motivate his students. The first experi-ment the team embarks upon after arriv-ing at the space station is launchinghome-made paper rockets into space.The children get to work rolling sheets ofpaper into tubes, before adding pointedpaper tips and fins.

Ewan, the project’s appointed leader,recommends using a lot of tape. “We aregoing to pump air into them, so it isimportant to close them tightly,” theyoungster explains. He pulls on his maskand heads out to help secure the launchsite with safety cones and tape. When the

other children arrive, he helps Rousselplace one rocket on a large metal con-traption attached to a pump. When theyflip a red lever on the valve, the paperrocket flies as high as the treetops amidwild applause.

Exploding rockets After all the rockets have been

launched, the children have a debriefZoom session with Jonas Morfin, knownas “Jupiter Jonas”, at EPFL’s SpaceInnovation unit. Lined up in front of thecamera, they detail the problems somerockets ran into, and he provides pointerson how to improve the structures for thenext launch. “Maybe reinforce the nextone with more tape?” Morfin tells a girlwhose rocket exploded in mid-air.

The preparation for the mission, andespecially the Zoom conversation earlierthis month with Nicollier, has left somechildren dreaming about becoming astro-nauts themselves. “That’s what I have inmind,” Leo said. “Now I want to be a sci-entist or an astronaut.” Perseverance’simages from Mars have also left somechildren eager to see humans walk onthe red planet. “It’s possible for robots,”said Nina, one of two children namedmission leaders. “I think it will be possiblefor us too, soon.”— AFP

A pupil of the Ecole Vivalyselementary school, wearinga spacesuit costume, runsholding a self-made paperrocket during their project“Mission to Mars”.

Pupils of the Ecole Vivalys elementary school, wearing spacesuits costumes, pose for a group pic-ture during their project “Mission to Mars” in Lausanne. — AFP photos

A pupil of the Ecole Vivalys elementary school,wearing a spacesuit costume, shows a self-made paper rocket during their project“Mission to Mars”.

Monday, March 22, 2021F e a t u r e s

Established 1961 13L i f e s t y l e

Owners Sophia and Jesse Sutton-Jones pose for a photograph at the Sourdough Sophia bakery innorth London. — AFP photos

Sophia Sutton-Jones (left) pours out the dough for shaping after bulk fermentation at SourdoughSophia bakery in north London.

Freshly baked sourdough loaves on sale at the SourdoughSophia bakery.

Staff remove freshly baked loaves at the Sourdough Sophiabakery.

Sophia Sutton-Jones shapes the dough after bulk fermentation.

When Britain first entered lock-down in March last year, SophiaSutton-Jones decided to try

making sourdough bread. A year later,she is running her own popular bakery.“I’d always thought about it, but I neverhad the courage to do it,” she told AFP.Now Sutton-Jones, 29, and her husband

Jesse, 28, work alongside half a dozenstaff members pulling hot loaves out ofthe oven, putting out flaky pastries andcutting slices of cakes topped withcream.

It all started when Sutton-Jones,whose father was also a baker, made aloaf of bread for a neighbor who wassheltering during the first national lock-down in March 2020. “He talked to hisfriends about it,” she says. “Very quickly,we had 12 people waiting in front of ourhouse.” The couple, who sold kitchen-ware online before the pandemic, beganto deliver orders by bicycle in their north

London neighborhood. Producing theloaves from home soon became imprac-tical as everything got coated in flour,Sutton-Jones recalls. “Our dining roomwas the bakery and our guestroom thestorage space. So you could come as aguest and sleep on flour bags.” Fired bytheir initial success, the couple turned to

crowd funding to launch their business.They were hoping for £25,000 ($35,000,30,000 euros) but ended up raising£33,000.

Sourdough success The distinctive pink-painted bakery-

”Sourdough Sophia”-opened in January.Their pains au chocolat, croissants andcruffins-a cross between croissant andmuffin-sell like hotcakes. But theirbiggest hit is sourdough bread, whichthe British have embraced enthusiasti-cally. Home-baked bread became amajor trend of lockdown, with enthusias-

tic amateurs posting pictures of theirefforts in pursuit of the perfect goldencrust.

The surge of interest led to shortagesof yeast and people “understood thatactually, there is another way to makebread and it’s actually much better,much healthier”, says Sutton-Jones.Sourdough bread is made using a fer-mented starter instead of yeast and itsenthusiasts believe it is more beneficialthan ordinary bread, causing blood sug-ar to rise more gradually and helping guthealth. It takes longer to rise but-thanksto stay-at-home protocols-people werefinally not in a rush. “It’s the oldest way ofmaking bread,” says Sutton-Jones.

‘A real kick’ “Sourdough Sophia” attracts a long

line of customers as soon as it openseven though it sits it a short distancefrom the local shopping street with manyother bakeries. “I’ve been to all of them.

The bread is much better here,” says 43-year-old Ben Claypole, waiting outsidewith his small dog. He adds that he iskeen to support small businesses. Thebakery opened while “non-essential”shops remain shuttered until April 12 andfinancial pressures mean some will neverreopen. Sutton-Jones, who has a babydaughter, says she realized the risk ofopening during the current situation andput in long 14-hour days. But she has noregrets.

Baking something and seeing a cus-tomer come in to enjoy it “gives me a realkick”, she says. “Lockdown made peoplethink about their priorities,” she says, withthe life-and-death situation promptingsome big questions. “What if somethingelse happens to us? Shouldn’t we followour dreams now? Because anythingcould happen.”— AFP

Once notorious for its blandfood and long, harsh winters,Finland’s repeated success

in the annual happiness rankingshas helped transform the country’sglobal reputation, boosting tourismand business. The UN-sponsoredWorld Happiness Report elicitedsome raised eyebrows when it firstplaced Finland at the top of its list-ings in 2018: many of the Nordiccountry’s 5.5 million people freelydescribe themselves as taciturnand prone to melancholy, andadmit to eyeing public displays ofjoyfulness with suspicion.

“When I first heard-and I’m notalone, I would say-I had a biglaugh,” television producer TonyIlmoni told AFP on the still-snowystreets of the capital Helsinki onFriday, when Finland was crownedthe happiest nation on earth for thefourth year running. But the world-wide survey in fact seeks to quantifyindividuals’ personal freedom andsatisfaction with their lives, usingsurvey data from 149 countriesalongside measures such as GDP,social support and perceptions ofcorruption. Finland excels with itsquietly world-class public services,low levels of crime and inequality,and high levels of trust in authority.

“The basics are really good here:we don’t have anyone living in thestreets, we do have unemploymentbut the health service works, the bigthings like that,” flower seller RiittaMatilainen told AFP. “But we couldbe a bit more outgoing and joyful!”The northern country’s long darkwinters were once reputed to bebehind high levels of alcoholismand suicide, but a decade-longpublic health drive has helped cutrates by more than half.

‘Who wouldn’t want to live here?’ For tourism and country-brand-

ing chiefs, the “world’s happiest”title has been a blessing they werequick to capitalize on. “It’s a reallypowerful, emotional, evocative thingto say you’re the happiest country inthe world. Why would anyone notwant to live in the happiest countryin the world?” said Joel Willans, aBritish digital marketer and creatorof the “Very Finnish Problems”social media page, who has lived inFinland since the early 2000s.“Awareness of Finland has grownduring the past few years,” PaavoVirkkunen, head of FinlandPromotion Services at BusinessFinland, told AFP. After four years,the happiness trope has been usedby countless Finnish businesses tomarket lifestyle products and to tryto attract workers to relocate andjoin the country’s tech sector.Finland’s unflashy cuisine was oncederided as something to “endure”by Italian then-president SilvioBerlusconi, and slammed by hisFrench counterpart JacquesChirac. But restaurateurs and prod-uct manufacturers now tout the sim-plicity and natural ingredients ofFinnish cooking, claiming it as keyto the country’s no-nonsenseapproach to wellbeing.

The happiness marketing drivehas been led, however, by the trav-el industry, with Finland’s touristoffice appointing Finnish ‘happinessambassadors’ tasked with introduc-ing visitors to the secrets of Finnishwellbeing. “People are curiousabout (our happiness) and theywant to learn about it,” Virkkunensaid. Key to the Finnish brand ofhappiness is going outdoors toenjoy the country’s vast forests andthousands of lakes, as well as thetraditional Finnish steam bath, thesauna.

By the start of 2020, tourism toLapland in northern Finland hadreached record levels and thecountry was attracting more foreigndirect investment projects than any-where else in the Nordics. Whilepausing international visitors, thepandemic has, if anything,increased overseas interest inFinland’s clean, sparsely populatednature, leading tourist providers tooffer virtual tours. “Even thoughpeople are not able to travel now,you are able to dream aboutFinland and the happiness of a trueconnection with nature, where youcan really unwind,” said Virkkunen.

Finland’s four-year dominance inthe happiness stakes leaves oneproblem, however-where to go fromhere? When this year’s resultswere announced, “it would’ve beenmore news if Finland had beenknocked off the top spot,” JoelWillans joked. —AFP

Tourists inMexico party like there’sno COVIDT

ourists writhe their bodies topumping techno beats on dancefloors along Mexico’s Caribbean

coast-a magnet for people from aroundthe world who want to party during apandemic. The Latin American countryis among those worst hit by COVID-19with a death toll fast approaching200,000. But such worries seem a worldaway in tourist resorts like Tulum andCancun, where visitors can dance lateinto the night at discos, electronicmusic festivals and invitation-only par-ties. Once a sleepy fishing village,Tulum now attracts international touristslured by its turquoise waters, Mayanruins and the chance to party next tolush jungle, freshwater sinkholes andgolden beaches.

“The coronavirus thing is nonsense.Life must go on,” said Greta from Spainwho described the rave she attended inDecember as “amazing.” “The party inTulum was magical-a combination of thejungle, rituals, the sea breeze,” shesaid. But what is a dream for Greta is anightmare for many others, leaving thetown facing accusations that it is puttinglives at risk by allowing mass gatheringswith lax sanitary measures.

Mexico is one of the few major touristdestinations not to have closed its bor-ders or demanded a negative coron-avirus test result on arrival. That hasensured that the plane-loads of visitorskeep coming, making Mexico the third-most visited country in the world lastyear. In destinations like Cancun, hotelsoffer incentives such as free COVID-19tests and discounts for guests if theyare infected and forced to extend theirstay in order to quarantine.

‘Super-spreader event’ Tulum made international headlines

in November when 50 attendees wereinfected at Art With Me, Mexico’s ver-sion of the Burning Man festival thatwas quickly dubbed a super spreaderevent. As a result, organizers of theZamna electronic music festival wereforced to pull the plug on the 16-dayseries of events that was supposed tostart in December. Ticket holders whopaid up to $300 for a night dancing to

international DJs and techno music actswill now have to wait until April-andbring a mask.

“Sadly, the image of Tulum is beingaffected, in the eyes of the world, by thenegligence of some entrepreneurs toorganize events without respectinghealth and safety protocols,” the organ-izers said. Lower-key events continue togo ahead, with more than 20 privateparties organized in the past two weeks,according to messages in WhatsAppgroups promoting them.

Quintana Roo, the southeastern statehome to Tulum, Cancun and the RivieraMaya, is now at yellow status-the sec-ond highest of four under the country’straffic-light system. Bars, discos andmass events are-in theory-forbiddenfrom operating in the area, where hun-dreds of thousands of visitors areexpected during the Easter period. Thehotel industry is unhappy that partiescontinue to be held in secret. Suchevents are a “stain” on the area’s image,said David Ortiz, president of the TulumHotel Association. An agreement hasbeen signed with the municipal counciland a “citizens’ initiative” will be pre-sented to the local Congress to toughenpunishments for anyone flouting therules.

‘Real battle’ That does not seem to worry the

members of the WhatsApp group

Eddy’s Tulum Party Squad where peo-ple can keep up to date with thenightlife events calendar. Social mediausers share videos and photos of par-ties, with little sign of social distancingor face masks. In Cancun’s nightlife dis-trict, the music from the discos is deaf-ening even during a pandemic,although there are fewer customers thanbefore. Venues have found a wayaround the restrictions by reinventingthemselves as “restaurant-bars.”

Ecuadorian tourist Alexandra Freirewas astonished when the restaurantwhere she was dining one night sud-denly turned up the music and cus-tomers began dancing without masks.“It is the most shocking thing I’ve seenin the pandemic. It’s as if COVID neverreached Cancun,” said the 35-year-oldengineer. Stopping big parties is a“real battle” that sometimes ends indefeat, said Dario Flota, a representa-tive of Quintana Roo’s tourism promo-tion board.

Some visitors even fly home unawarethey have the coronavirus. This month44 Argentine high school students test-ed positive for COVID-19 after returningfrom Cancun. They had boarded theplane to Buenos Aires with negative testresults from a clinic that turned out to beunlicensed and has since been shutdown. — AFP

Staff deliver orders at the Sourdough Sophia bakery.

Sophia Sutton-Jones (right) shapes the dough after bulk fermentation at Sourdough Sophia bak-ery in north London.

LOS ANGELES: LeBron James crashedout of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 99-94loss to the Atlanta Hawks Saturday witha right ankle injury that will sideline theNBA superstar indefinitely. The Lakerssuperstar collapsed to the StaplesCenter court in agony after a collisionwith Atlanta’s Solomon Hill in the secondquarter, crying out in pain and clutchinghis right ankle.

The 36-year-old returned briefly tohit a three-pointer before limping backto the locker room, knocking over a chairin frustration. ESPN later reported thatan MRI scan revealed a high ankle sprainand that James faced an “indefinite”injury layoff. Depending on the severity,high ankle sprains can take anywherefrom a few weeks up to several monthsto recover from.

James did not speak to reporters, buttweeted later that he would return assoon as possible. “Nothing angers andsaddens me more than not being avail-able to and for my teammates!” Jameswrote. “I’m hurt inside and out right now.The road back from recovery beginsnow. Back soon like I never left.”

A lengthy layoff for James would be adevastating blow to the reigning champi-on Lakers, who are already without starAnthony Davis as he recovers from

Achilles tendon trouble. “It’s certainlygoing to be a challenge any time you’reundermanned,” Lakers coach FrankVogel said. “But if you play team firstbasketball and you defend at our levelyou’ll have a chance to win and that’ll beour mindset.”

Lakers team-mates Kyle Kuzma andMontrezl Harrell admitted that the sightof James leaving the arena was unnerv-ing. “We do forget he’s human some-times, to see him in pain like that,” saidHarrell, who was unhappy with Hill’s divefor the ball that led to James’s injury. Wedon’t feel like it was one of those basket-ball-type plays,” Harrell said. “He had togo through his leg to get the ball.”

With James missing, the Lakersoffense struggled to get in the grooveas the Hawks — fueled by 27 pointsand 16 rebounds from John Collins —notched their eighth straight victory,the longest active streak in the league.The Lakers fell to 28-14 to remain insecond place in the WesternConference behind the Utah Jazz.

Tied for fourth The Hawks improved to 22-20, tied

for fourth with the Miami Heat in theEastern Conference led by thePhiladelphia 76ers — who beat the

Sacramento Kings 129-105 despite theabsences of three injured starters.

Shortly before tipoff, the Sixersannounced that Ben Simmons would besidelined with a sore left knee. Joel Embiidmissed his fourth straight game with abone bruise in his left knee and Seth Currywas out with a sprained left ankle.

Tobias Harris led the Sixers with 29points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.Shake Milton added 28 points andDanny Green chipped in 18. Despite thelack of star-power, the 76ers set an earlytone, scoring 42 points in the first quar-ter. They led wire-to-wire, pushing theiradvantage to as many as 36 points.

The Milwaukee Bucks kept the accel-erator down, notching their sixth straightvictory 120-113 over the San AntonioSpurs. Two-time reigning NBA MostValuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpohad 26 points and a season-high 15assists to go with eight rebounds forMilwaukee. Khris Middleton scored 23points and Jrue Holiday added 21.

Grizzlies bounce backIn Memphis, the Grizzlies got the bet-

ter of short-handed Golden State, turn-ing the tables on the Warriors a nightafter losing to them with a 111-103 victo-ry. Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 points

and pulled down 15 rebounds. DillonBrooks scored 19, Brandon Clarkescored 16, Ja Morant chipped in 14 witheight assists and the Grizzlies clampeddown defensively in a tight fourth quar-ter to get the win.

The Warriors were without StephenCurry for a second straight game as herecovers from a bruised tailbone. KevonLooney, James Wiseman and EricPaschall were all sidelined by coron-avirus contact tracing. —AFP

S p o r t s Monday, March 22, 2021

14

James injury rocks Lakers in loss toHawks, depleted 76ers cruise past Kings

Match-winnerKohli to stay asT20 opener afterIndia successAHMEDABAD: Skipper Virat Kohli said he willcontinue to open the batting in Twenty20 cricketafter his unbeaten 80 set up India’s series-clinching win over England. Kohli was promotedup the order to partner Rohit Sharma for thefirst time in the shortest format and the moveproved key as they put on a blazing stand of 94to lay the foundation of India’s 224-2, their high-est Twenty20 score against England.

Sharma blasted 64 before departing andKohli, who started cautiously, finished with aflourish in his 52-ball knock in Ahmedabad. “Iam going to open in the IPL as well,” said Kohli,who captains Royal Challengers Bangalore in theIndian Premier League, after India’s 36-run winon Saturday gave them a 3-2 series victory.“Look I have batted at different positions, but Ifeel we do have a very solid middle-order now.And now it’s about your two best players gettingmaximum number of balls in T20 cricket. So Iwould definitely like to partner Rohit at the top.”

Kohli anchored the innings after being invitedto bat first by England captain Eoin Morgan,while Sharma blazed away with four fours andfive sixes in his 34-ball blitz. Once Sharma fell toBen Stokes, Kohli took the lead and finished withseven fours and two sixes.

“As I rightly said, if we have a partnership andwe both are set then you know that one of us isgoing to cause some serious damage,” saidKohli. “And the other guy feels much more confi-dent when one of us is still in and they know thatthey can play freely. So it augers well for theteam. I would like this to continue and hopefullycontinue this form through to the World Cup.”

India are scheduled to host the T20 WorldCup in October and November. Kohli finished asthe leading scorer over the five matches with 231runs, including three half-centuries, and wasnamed player of the series. The teams will nowcontest a three-match one-day internationalseries next week before the IPL starts on April 9.

Morgan said he wants his players to improveand shine in the IPL with the T20 World Cuplooming later this year. “Taking advantage of theup-and-coming IPL is going to be huge. As a teamand individuals we don’t want to stand still but moveforward,” said Morgan, who captains KolkataKnight Riders. “Any opportunity guys get at theIPL you want to try to make the most of it, becausewe are going to be playing at home all summer andthen we go to Bangladesh and Pakistan.” — AFP

LOS ANGELES: LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to an apparent injury during thesecond period of a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center on Saturday in LosAngeles, California. — AFP

Bayern CEORummeniggerules out FlickdepartureBERLIN: Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Germanmedia yesterday he had made it“unmistakably clear” to Hansi Flickthat the coach would not be freedfrom his contract to succeed JoachimLoew in charge of Germany. “This hasnothing to do with probability, it’s afact,” said Rummenigge in an inter-view with Welt am Sonntag newspa-per, when asked whether Flick wouldstay beyond the end of the season.

Flick, 56, has been named amongthe favorites to take over fromdeparting Germany boss Loew whenthe 61-year-old ends a 15-year spellin charge of the national team afterthis summer’s EuropeanChampionships. The Bayern coachwas Loew’s assistant coach whenGermany won the World Cup in2014, before serving as German FA(DFB) sporting director between2014 and 2017.

Yet on yesterday, Rummeniggesaid that the DFB had assured himthey would not make an offer to lurethe Bayern coach back into thenational team set-up. “DFB president

Fritz Keller confirmed that to me againin a phone call,” said the Bayern CEO,adding that he expected Flick to seeout his contract, which runs until 2023.

“I told Hansi that we are very hap-py with him, and that we would bewell advised to fulfill our contractualagreement. I made that unmistakablyclear,” said Rummenigge. Bayern arekeen to hold onto Flick, who tookover with the club in crisis in 2019and led them to a league, cup andChampions League treble in his firstseason in charge.

Yet speculation over his future hasbeen fuelled in recent weeks by ten-sions between Flick and sportingdirector Hasan Salihamidzic. Flick

spoke publicly about the differencesbetween the pair, before finally apolo-gizing a few days ago for some harshwords spoken to his sporting directoron the team bus, which had beenleaked to the press.

Rummenigge sought to play downthe spat on Sunday, likening it torecent tensions inside the British royalfamily over an interview with PrinceHarry and his wife Meghan Markle. “Icall it family affairs, and we have to becareful not to be even worse than theroyal family in England,” joked theBayern CEO. “Bayern is a big family,and things that happen inside thefamily should stay inside the family,”he added.

Lewandowski stays patientMeanwhile, Robert Lewandowski

said he will “stay patient” in his bid tobreak Gerd Mueller’s Bundesligarecord of 40 goals in a single seasonafter the Bayern Munich striker netteda hat-trick on Saturday. Lewandowskiis on 35 league goals this season andclosing on Mueller’s record set in1971/72 for Bayern, after scoring threetimes in 21 minutes during a 4-0thrashing of Stuttgart in Munich.

“It’s a big challenge to always beready in the head and always be hun-gry for goals,” said Lewandowski, whohas netted 42 times in all competitionsthis term. All four goals came afterBayern left-back Alphonso Davies wasshown a red card in only the 12thminute. Poland striker Lewandowskihas eight Bundesliga games left toequal Mueller’s record, which manythought would never be broken.

“I think from game to game, notabout how many more goals I need. Idon’t want to think about it (therecord) too much,” addedLewandowski. He is set to be theBundesliga’s top-scorer this season forthe fourth straight season and the sixthtime in total. “The strain is high, play-ing every three days,” he added. “Nowcomes the national team and then weare also in the Champions League.That is important. I have to staypatient.” Holders Bayern will face ParisSaint-Germain in the ChampionsLeague last eight in a repeat of lastyear’s final. — AFP

MUNICH: Bayern Munich’s German head coach Hans-Dieter Flick reacts during theGerman first division Bundesliga football match between FC Bayern Munich and VfBStuttgart in Munich, southern Germany, on Saturday. — AFP

MOTERA: India’s captain Virat Kohli holds the tro-phy after winning the Twenty20 series againstEngland at the end of their fifth and final Twenty20international cricket match at the Narendra ModiStadium in Motera on Saturday. — AFP

LeBron out indefinitely high ankle sprain

Feller wins season-endingslalomLENZERHEIDE: Austrian Manuel Feller edgedtwo Frenchmen to win the slalom which broughtto an end the World Cup season in Lenzerheide,Switzerland, yesterday. Feller jumped from sixthto first on the final run and recorded a com-bined time of 1min 47.24 sec to beat ClementNoel by 0.08sec with Alexis Pinturault, whoclinched the overall title on Saturday, by 0.11.Austrian Marco Schwarz, who had alreadyclinched the small globe for slalom champion,was fastest after the first run but was 15th on

the second run to end up sixth. Meanwhile, New Zealand teenager Alice

Robinson won the season-ending giant slalom inLenzerheide, yesterday, beating AmericanMikaela Shiffrin who had set the fastest time inthe first run. The 19-year-old recorded a com-bined time of 2min 19.48sec to beat Shiffrin by0.28sec with Slovakian Meta Hrovat third.Italian Marta Bassino who had already securedthe discipline title was seventh and SlovakianPetra Vlhova, who took the overall title onSaturday, was 11th.

“I wasn’t happy at all with my first run,” saidRobinson. “So I just thought I have to go fullgas any give it all my energy in the second run,since it was the last of the season I gave everybit of energy and power that I had.” This wasRobinson’s third World Cup victory. She wontwo giant slaloms last season, the first whilestill 17. — AFP

LENZERHEIDE: (From left) Second-placed France’s Clement Noel, first-placed Austria’s Manuel Feller and third-placed France’s Alexis Pinturault pose for pictures in the finishing area after competing in the second run of theMen’s Slalom event during the FIS Alpine ski World Cup in Lenzerheide yesterday. —AFP

Ducks advance asCOVID-19 cancelsMarch Madness gameWASHINGTON: COVID-19 issues knocked VirginiaCommonwealth University out of the US national col-lege basketball tournament on Saturday, serving noticethat March Madness would not be immune from thedeadly virus.

The seventh-seeded University of Oregon Ducksadvanced to the second round of the National CollegiateAthletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball champi-onship over the 10th-seeded Rams after the cancellation.

“The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committeehas declared the VCU-Oregon game scheduled forSaturday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum a no-contestbecause of COVID-19 protocols,” the NCAA said in astatement.

An outbreak involving Richmond-based VCU’s teamahead of their tournament opener at Indianapolis,Indiana, forced the decision, made in consultation withlocal health department officials. “As a result, Oregon willadvance to the next round of the tournament. The NCAAand the committee regret that VCU’s student-athletesand coaching staff will not be able to play in a tourna-ment in which they earned the right to participate.”

VCU coach Mike Rhoades’s team went 19-7 this sea-son, finishing second in the Atlantic 10 Conference.Remaining unknown was exactly who or how many VCUplayers were involved. “Because of privacy issues wecannot provide further details,” the NCAA said.

Last year’s tournament was called off due to theCOVID-19 pandemic but safety measures were estab-lished this year with the intention of playing a completetournament in a “bubble” atmosphere in and aroundIndianapolis rather than at venues around the nation asusual. Teams had to show seven consecutive days of neg-ative COVID-19 tests before being allowed into the con-trolled environment in Indiana, where teams undergo dai-ly testing. There was a Tuesday night deadline to allow forsubstitute teams to replace any who had COVID-19issues but it came and went with no teams struck. — AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s quest for anunprecedented quadruple of trophies remains intactafter seeing off Everton 2-0 to reach the FA Cupsemi-finals on Saturday as Southampton alsobooked their place in the last four.

City were far from their flowing best at GoodisonPark, but goals in the final six minutes from IlkayGundogan and Kevin De Bruyne booked City’s placein the semi-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.Pep Guardiola described the clash as the toughesthis side have had since November as they recordeda 25th win in 26 matches in all competitions.

“It was the toughest game since the last interna-tional break we had. We have been incredible interms of results and performances (over that peri-od),” said Guardiola. “Tonight was so difficult, theyhave experienced players behind the ball with twoup for the counter-attack. It was incredible commit-ment from my players. An incredible victory.”

City won the domestic treble of Premier League,FA Cup and League Cup for the first time in Englishfootball history two seasons ago and are firmfavorites to repeat that feat. Guardiola’s men are 14points clear at the top of the Premier League, facestruggling Tottenham in the League Cup final nextmonth and were drawn against Borussia Dortmund inthe quarter-finals of the Champions League on Friday.

Oleksandr Zinchenko cleared Everton defenderYerry Mina’s header off the line with the best efforteither side mustered before half-time. Joao Virginiastarted in goal for The Toffees for just the second

time due to injuries to regular goalkeepers JordanPickford and Robin Olsen.

However, the 21-year-old Portuguese stopperproduced a brilliant save early in the second-half toprevent Raheem Sterling converting Fernandinho’spinpoint low cross. Guardiola was forced to intro-duce Riyad Mahrez and De Bruyne off the bench inthe final quarter.

But it was Aymeric Laporte who opened Evertonup as he broke forward from center-back beforeVirginia brilliantly turned the Frenchman’s initialeffort onto the crossbar. Gundogan was followingup, though, to head into an empty net and end theresistance from Carlo Ancelotti’s men. De Bruynethen wrapped up the tie with a thundering finish instoppage time as Everton appealed in vain for a highboot by Mahrez on Mina.

Chance to ‘write history’Southampton cast aside their Premier League

struggles to ease past Bournemouth 3-0 to reach thesemi-finals. Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have slumpedinto the Premier League relegation battle after los-ing 10 of their last 12 top-flight matches.

But the Saints have been immune to those woes inthe FA Cup and booked a place in the Wembleysemi-finals thanks to Nathan Redmond’s doubleafter Moussa Djenepo’s opener. While PremierLeague survival is the priority, Hasenhuttl insistedthe FA Cup was a “big target” and he made just twochanges against a Bournemouth team who sat sev-

enth in the Championship.“I’m definitely happy, not only for coming to the

next round but also for seeing a performance frommy team that was very lively and by far one of the

better ones in the (recent) past,” said Hasenhuttl. “Isaid in January that now is the time to take thischance because it’s always a good chance for asmaller club like we are to write history.” — AFP

S p o r t s Monday, March 22, 2021

15

Man City late shows booksplace in FA Cup semi-finals

Southampton ease past Bournemouth to reach last four

Established 1961

LIVERPOOL: Manchester City’s German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan (center) celebrates scoring his team’s first goalwith teammates during the English FA Cup quarter final football match between Everton and Manchester City atGoodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on Saturday. — AFP

MADRID: Zinedine Zidane admitted heis still baffled by Karim Benzema’s exclu-sion from the French national team afterthe striker starred again in Real Madrid’s3-1 victory over Celta Vigo on Saturday.Benzema continued his scintillating format Balaidos by scoring twice to make it10 goals in his last 10 games, before heset up Marco Asensio to add a third ininjury-time.

Many in Zidane’s squad will now joinup with their national teams on Mondaybut Benzema will remain in Madrid, withthe 33-year-old still sidelined by Franceafter his alleged role in a plot to blackmailMathieu Valbuena in 2015. “How can youunderstand it? I don’t understand it, youdon’t understand it, there are many peo-ple who don’t understand it,” Zidane said

after the game. “What he did today wasspectacular.” Zidane confirmed SergioRamos will join up with Spain, despite thedefender missing the Celta win with abruised tibia. Benzema’s latest contribu-tion came in the same week Zidaneadmitted a Madrid return could be “pos-sible” for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.

But speculation around Ronaldomakes light of Benzema’s superb show-ings in recent weeks, with his five goalsin Madrid’s last three league gamesearning a crucial draw at Atletico, victo-ry over Elche and now a win at Celta.

His hot streak appears to be Madrid’sbest chance of catching Atleti, who arestill three points clear but look increas-ingly vulnerable to the momentum oftheir nearest rivals. “We’re entering the

final stretch and we’re happy with howwe’re playing and how we are physical-ly,” said Zidane.

Kroos’ persistence pays offBenzema had two early chances, the

first after Vinicius Junior skipped aroundCelta goalkeeper Ivan Villar and the sec-ond when the ball spilled loose in thearea, but both shots were blocked. Histwo goals both owed a lot to Toni Kroos,who glided past three Celta shirts on theedge of the area in the 20th minutebefore feeding Benzema, who swivelledand shot crisply into the far corner.

Kroos’ incision set up the first and hispersistence created the second 10 min-utes later, as he robbed Renato Tapiaand Benzema profited by curling in withhis left foot. Celta grew stronger towardsthe end of the half, Santi Mina flickingwide and then heading in after being leftcompletely unmarked from a free-kick,conceded by Kroos.

Madrid lost some control in the sec-

ond half and needed Thibaut Courtois tosave an Iago Aspas header, even ifVinicius and Benzema might haveextended the advantage on the counter-attack. Aspas’ free-kick late on might

have flown in had the ball not grazedCasemiro’s fringe on its way onto thepost but Madrid breathed a sigh of reliefand then celebrated, Asensio tapping inBenzema’s cross in injury-time. — AFP

VIGO: Real Madrid’s French forward Karim Benzema celebrates with Real Madrid’sBrazilian forward Vinicius Junior after scoring a goal during the Spanish League foot-ball match between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid at the Balaidos stadium in Vigo onSaturday. — AFP

Zidane mystified by France continuing to exclude Benzema

MADRID: Sevilla’s goalkeeper Bono scored anincredible 94th-minute equalizer to rescue a 1-1draw against Real Valladolid on Saturday. Bonowent up for a corner in injury-time and finishedbrilliantly with his left foot at the end of a madscramble in the area to earn Sevilla a point. Theresult damages Sevilla’s hopes of rejoining LaLiga’s title race, but the team and staff were cel-ebrating at the end, ecstatic at avoiding defeatin the most unlikely of fashions.

Bono is the first Sevilla goalkeeper to score agoal in La Liga but the second goalkeeper to

score in the Spanish top flight this season, afterEibar’s Marko Dmitrovic successfully took apenalty against Atletico Madrid in January. “Itwas the last play of the game and it gives us ataste of happiness,” Sevilla coach JulenLopetegui said. “A goal from a goalkeeper isnothing normal.”

Bono was in the right place at the righttime after Luuk de Jong’s header was keptalive by Oscar Rodriguez, only for his cross tohit the outside of the post. But the ball wascut back again by Youssef En-Nesyri andwhile Jules Kounde was unable to shoot, hepoked it into the path of Bono, who struckhard with his left foot through the crowd ofplayers and into the net.

The Moroccan swung his shirt around hishead, for which he was shown a yellow card, andran towards the Sevilla bench, where he wasmobbed by teammates and staff. Valladolid hadearlier taken the lead just before half-time,Fabian Orellana scoring a penalty for the hosts,who stay 16th in the table. — AFP

VALLADOLID: Sevilla’s Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou Bono scores during the Spanish League football matchbetween Real Valladolid and Sevilla at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid on Saturday. — AFP

Sevilla goalkeeperscores dramaticequalizer againstValladolid

SportEstablished 1961

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

LONDON: Arsenal came from 3-0 down to claim a 3-3 draw at West Ham yesterday, but a share of the points from a thrilling encounter did little for either side’s hopes of a top-four Premier League finish. A blistering start from the Hammers had them three goals up inside 32 minutes thanks to goals from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek.

But own goals from Soucek and Craig Dawson cut Arsenal’s deficit before Alexandre Lacazette’s header rescued a point eight minutes from time. West Ham remain in fifth, but are two points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea. Arsenal’s realistic hopes of Champions League football next season now hinge on success in the Europa League as they are nine points adrift of the top four down in ninth.

Mikel Arteta’s men suffered a hangover from their European exertions in midweek as they progressed to the quarter-finals despite a 1-0 home defeat by Olympiakos. West Ham took full advantage of a sluggish start from the visitors. Lingard was recalled to the England squad by Gareth Southgate for his fine form since joining on loan from Manchester United in January. The midfielder smashed into the top corner from just outside the box for his fifth goal in seven games for the Hammers.

Two minutes later, Lingard’s quick thinking cre-ated the second for David Moyes’s men as his free-kick caught Arsenal napping and Bowen beat Bernd Leno at his near post. The Gunners were all over the place defensively in the opening half-hour and were caught out again when Michail Antonio’s header was deflected in by Soucek. West Ham were cruising towards three points which would have brought them level on points with Chelsea at that stage.

However, Arsenal awakened from their slumber before the break. Soucek was credited with a deflected goal at both ends as Lacazette’s fierce strike flicked off the Czech and high beyond for-mer Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. Bukayo

Saka then fired too close to the Polish internation-al moments later with the chance to pull back another goal.

Instead, it was another West Ham mistake which got Arsenal right back in the game just after the hour mark as Dawson diverted Calum Chambers’ driven cross into his own net. The home side were penned back inside their own box for much of the second period, but still had two clear chances to seal victory on the break. Kieran Tierney made two brilliant blocks to deny Bowen and Antonio before Antonio hit the post form point-blank range as he stretched to reach Said Benrahma’s cross.

A week on from being dropped for ill-discipline prior to the north London derby, Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was hauled off by Arteta 10 minutes from time as he chased an equalizer. But Aubameyang was still making his way back to the bench when Lacazette headed home another brilliant cross from the Arsenal right, this time by Nicolas Pepe.

Meanwhile, Chelsea moved into the FA Cup semifinals as Oliver Norwood’s own goal and a late Hakim Ziyech strike sealed a 2-0 win against Sheffield United yesterday. Thomas Tuchel’s much-changed side were below their best at Stamford Bridge, but Norwood’s first half mis-take put them on course to win a hard-fought quarter-final.

Hakim Ziyech netted in stoppage t ime as Chelsea joined Manchester City and Southampton in the April semifinals at Wembley. Leicester host-ed Manchester United in the last quarterfinal later yesterday. The Blues are back in the FA Cup semi-finals for a fourth time in the last five seasons after losing last year’s final against Arsenal. Chelsea won the last of the club’s eight FA Cups under Antonio Conte in 2018.

Despite their uncertain start, Chelsea took the lead in fortuitous fashion in the 24th minute. Aaron Ramsdale couldn’t hold Callum Hudson-

Odoi’s cross and Phil Jagielka scrambled it clear for a corner. When the corner curled out to Ben Chilwell on the edge of the area, the Chelsea left-back hit a low shot that Norwood turned into his own net as he stretched in a fai led attempt to block it.

The moribund Blades are bottom of the Premier League and look destined for relegation following the recent departure of boss Chris Wilder. Christian Pulisic should have put them out of their misery when he jinked past three defend-

ers, only to shoot straight at Ramsdale and scuff the rebound over the bar.

Picked out by John Lundstram’s cross, David McGoldrick wasted a golden opportunity to equalize when the United forward sent his diving header wide from just four yards. Oli McBurnie’s long-range drive was pushed away by Kepa before United substitute Rhian Brewster shot just wide. But United’s late flourish wasn’t enough to force extra-time as Ziyech came off the bench to fire home from Chilwell’s pass. — AFP

Arsenal fightback denies West Ham Chelsea beat Sheffield Utd to reach FA Cup semi-finals

LONDON: Arsenal’s French striker Alexandre Lacazette scores his team’s third goal during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Arsenal at The London Stadium yesterday. — AFP