baseball THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT

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THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020 / ZUL HIJJAH 9, 1441 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17446 20 PAGES 150 FILS

Amir, Deputy Amir congratulate citizens, residents on Eid

KUWAIT CITY, July 29,
(KUNA): His Highness the Amir

Twenty for flights

Schedules out soon
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Directorate-
General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) an-
nounced Wednesday that the airlines
operating from Kuwait International
Airport will begin operating com-
mercial flights initially to 20 countries
around the world, starting next Satur-
day, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
The Director of Air Transport Depart-
ment at the DGCA Abdullah Al-Rajhi said
in a statement the flights will operate to the
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, the Sultan-
ate of Oman, Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, Pakistan,
Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Iran,
Nepal, Switzerland, Germany, Azerbaijan, the
Philippines and India.
Al-Rajhi added the airlines operating from the
Kuwait International Airport will announce in
the coming period, their operating schedules and
Opinion
flight times in detail.
He called on all travelers to follow all health
procedures and guidelines to facilitate the process
of entering the airport and leaving it and complet-
ing all procedures easily and conveniently.
For its part, EgyptAir announced the resump-
tion of its direct flights between Cairo and Kuwait
will be at a rate of 15 flights per week, starting
from Aug 1. The company said, in a statement,
that it is planned that the company will operate
two daily flights to Kuwait, except on Tuesday
(three).
With regard to the preventive measures required
to travel to Kuwait, EgyptAir said passengers must
carry the PCR certificate issued by one of the ac-
credited laboratories in Egypt which should have
not been issued 96 hours before traveling from
Cairo until boarding passes were issued.
The company has called on all to adhere to other
health measures required by the authorities in the
State of Kuwait upon arrival, as part of the precau-
tionary measures taken by the competent authori-
ties to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-
Jaber Al-Sabah and His High-
ness the Deputy Amir and Crown
Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad
Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednes-
day congratulated citizens and
residents on Eid Al-Adha.
They also congratulated Arab
and Muslim nations on the occa-
sion, hoping for peace and secu-
rity and praying to His Almighty
to safeguard Kuwait and its peo-
ple against any harm.
Newswatch
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s top
lawmaker said on Wednesday
that his meeting with His High-
ness the Deputy Amir and Crown
Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ah-
mad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was
akin to a “family affair,” adding
he was honored that their paths
had crossed.
His Highness the Deputy Amir
and Crown Prince was eager to
offer his sage advice calling for
As the Kingdom of Morocco celebrates the 21st anniversary of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s executives to cooperate more, “as
ascension to the throne, the Moroccan Embassy in Kuwait highlights the path chosen by His Maj- is currently the case,” Marzouq
esty (above) in the area of human rights, democracy and overall development. – See Page 3 Al-Ghanim said in a statement
after his talks with His Highness
the Deputy Amir, where he was
joined by the Parliament’s office
staff.
“His Highness has urged
lawmakers to work together
and overcome existential chal-
lenges,” Al-Ghanim said, which

Malicious prudence system, exposure of Iranian weary
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
IT is not a secret that the strategies of
intimidation, fraud, and diplomatic de-
ception adopted by the Tehran regime
throughout the last 40 years have be-
come a joke that provokes laughter to
the point of tears.
The world no longer believes that a
system with such mold and weariness is
capable of dealing with its internal real-
ity or the sanctions imposed on it from
all sides due to its terroristic practices
and sponsorship of terrorism outside its
borders.
The peacock system established its
political strategy on malicious pru-
dence, and tried to hide its impotence
and disgrace; hence it keeps on facing
complicated problems one after the
other.
Its leaders believe that selling illu-
sions to its people is the cure for all its
crises. And they seek to amass huge
fortunes from the livelihood of the
devastated Iranians by deluding them
that they are fighting a near-eternal war
against several world powers.
The recent weeks witnessed the col-
lapse of the last masks of the Iranian
political prostitution after the explosion
that occurred in a very sensitive site –
the nuclear reactor in the Iranian city of
Natanz – and the bombings of Tehran
and Isfahan, as well as the burning of
paramilitary boats in the city of Bandar
Abbas.
In addition to that, there were exten-
sive explosions of seven fuel tankers
in Kermanshah a few days ago. Prior
to that, Iran sustained many painful
strikes that impacted its forces both at
home and abroad, but the response to
them were just empty slogans.
Political prudence of the system does
matter. All that they feel is their inabil-
ity to face the deliberate explosions that
their nuclear and strategic system is
exposed to, which reveals the extent of
the Mullahs regime’s weariness.
Almost all reports gathered in this re-
gard suggest this is a proper intelligence
work that was alluded to by Tel Aviv
and Washington. At the same time,
Tehran continues to evade and refuses
to acknowledge the bitter truth, which
makes all the talk about the strength
possessed by the Mullahs nothing but
a phonetic phenomenon, and the weap-
ons they display on certain occasions
are merely decorative.
What eludes the minds of this dilapi-
dated system in the modern era follow-
ing the boom of social media, which
has become a much stronger authority
than the powers of censorship, repres-
sion and empty tyranny, is the fact that
the Goebbels rule – with reference to
the Nazi propaganda minister Joseph
Goebbels – fell, which is, “Repeat a lie
often enough and it eventually becomes
the truth”.
Finance keen on inspections
Frankly, those who operate based on
the aforementioned Goebbels rule suf-
fer from political schizophrenia. That
is why the Mullahs persist on lying and
being stubborn, and continue to make
threats.
This is the proverbial trait of all the
gangs hired by Tehran, both in Yemen
where the Houthis dwell in the caves of
Sanaa and fight with the Yemeni blood
to carry out the Persian agenda, and in
Lebanon where Nasrallah comes out of
his hole from time to time to threaten
the United States of America and then
returns back to his hole in fear of the
Israeli reconnaissance plane over the
Lebanese airspace.
Nasrallah had promised the world in
2008 that he would respond to the as-
sassination of his military wing leader
Imad Mughniyeh, but his words went
with the wind exactly as it did after the
assassination of Mustafa Badr Al-Din,
the official of foreign operations Samir
Al-Quntar in Damascus, and many oth-
ers.
He instead resorted to his squeaks
and squawks of intimidation and threats
at a time when Israel is hovering over
Lebanese airspace or in Syria, killing
and bombarding its sites and fighters,
while he is unable to raise even a gun in
the face of an Israeli soldier.
After all these absurd policies, Iran
has today become more like a sick cam-
el from which everyone is trying to es-
cape. Neither China nor Russia, or even
Venezuela stood with it. The countries
that consider it as an ally are dealing
with it on the basis of it being sick.
In Syria, the regime and its people
are waiting for the perfect opportu-
nity to get rid of Iran’s authority. The
Russians are working on dismantling
its tools. Despite all this, we have a
bearded man telling us about the power
of Iran in the world, it being a force
that never gets defeated, and about its
divine victories.
The proverb “The worst disaster is
the one that brings laughter” applies
to the aging Iranian regime, especially
in this time of COVID-19 crisis. Some
cave dwellers have emerged to claim
that the aim of this viral outbreak in the
world is to kill Muslims, and that it is
a conspiracy against the regime of the
Iranian revolution.
They are forgetting that COVID-19
has afflicted about 16 million people
who are considered infidels. Therefore,
if the Iranian leadership has this kind
of mentality, all we can is, “May Allah
help the Iranian people over this ruling
junta.”
Email: ahmed@aljarallah.com
Follow me on:
ahmedaljarallah@gmail.com
Other Voices
This is Kuwaiti
By Ali Ahmed Al-Baghli
Former Minister of Oil
I WAS a little sick, and I praise my
Lord that I was in Kuwait which,
for the first time in my life, is af-
flicted with COVID-19. Praise be
to Almighty Allah, my PCR test
turned out negative. May the Al-
mighty heal the entire humanity
of this infamous pandemic.
Actually, this is not our topic
per se. We will focus on the room
and ward in the hospital where I
spent about a week for receiving
treatment.
The entire scene in the room
and the service I received in the
hospital would make you feel like
you are in a Mediterranean resort
instead of Kuwait. You might
need a GPS to navigate through
the corridors of the hospital that
I was admitted into. The hospital
was quite clean and neat; even the
X-ray rooms and others were the
kind that I have never seen out-
side Kuwait.
In fact, the X-ray room appears
majestic to you. As I entered it
for tests, it felt like I was inside
a space rocket control room at
the US base in Cape Canaveral
in Florida from where rockets are
launched to outer space.
The room service provided by
nurses was splendid; they treat
you as if they have known you for
decades.
This is exactly how the “coron-
ic” Ministry of Health makes us
feel. It is as if we are living in a
planet different from the COV-
ID-19 planet.
However, there is always a
“but”. There was a new TV set
in the new Amiri Hospital. Given
that the social media and the most
modern devices take up all of our
free and non-free time, we usu-
ally tend to come together when-
ever we watch the programmes
and series on our local television
station. They represent our nor-
mal lives, not the life that we see
on fictional stations and websites
like Netflix and its kind.
Visitors –
both relatives
and friends –
asked for the
TV remote
control, and
our expatriate
brothers who
supervise the
wards told
them the re-
Ali Al-Baghli
mote control
is available on
the ground floor with the accounts
department, and can be acquired
after making an insurance pay-
ment of KD 20.
So far, this story is normal;
however, the unusual thing about
this matter is that it took one of
our regular visiting brothers a to-
tal of six days in order for him to
get the TV remote control (‘rock-
et control’). It happened after he
complained to the hospital direc-
tor or the ministry about this re-
mote control issue.
The funny thing is that one of
the Kuwaiti officials told us that
we can get the remote control but
under one of the two scenarios –
either one of them leaves the hos-
pital or one of them dies!
This is a symbolic story that we
give to our Kuwaiti brothers, and
I say, “This is Kuwaiti.”
❑ ❑ ❑ modation and flight reservations
Email: ali-albaghli@hotmail.com
754 new cases
KUWAIT CITY, July 29, (Agen-
cies): Kuwait detected 754 new
cases of COVID-19, in the past
24 hours, raising the total to
65,903, with two people suc-
cumbing to the disease as the
death toll reached 444.
The ICU has 125 COVID-19
cases and 8,992 are still receiving
treatment, while the authorities
conducted 4,059 tests in the past 24
hours, bringing total to 498,357 ex-
aminations, said ministry’s Spokes-
man Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad.
He called on citizens and
residents to continue to take all
means of prevention and recom-
mended visiting the accounts of
the Ministry of Health as well as
authorities in the state to review
the instructions and recommen-
dations to contain the spread.
Earlier in the day, the ministry
announced 786 recovered cases
in the past 24 hours, bringing the
total to 56.467.
Also:
KUWAIT CITY: Since only one
laboratory was given permission
to issue the PCR certificate to
ensure the passenger is ‘corona-
free’ which cost the applicant
KD 40 and which is considered
high compared to neighboring
countries, the regional director of
‘Middle East Airlines’ in Kuwait
called for increasing the number
of PCR examination laboratories
to meet the requests of travelers,
reports Al-Seyassah daily.
He issued the call citing
crowding by citizens and expatri-
ates to obtain the document be-
fore traveling, stressing that the
only laboratory specified by the
Ministry Health is not sufficient
at all to provide the number of
PCR certificates.
The daily quoting sources, said
the company was forced to cancel
the reservations of a large number
of citizens and expatriates who
wanted to travel to Lebanon due to
the lack of ability to provide PCR
certificates and explained canceling
reservations was what he called an
option, especially for those wishing
to spend a vacation in hotels or tour-
ist resorts which depend on accom-
simultaneously.
were words of advice Kuwait’s
top lawmaker promised he would
“cherish,” given His Highness
the Deputy Amir’s wisdom.
On Parliament’s forthcoming
session slated for Tuesday, he
called on MPs to cooperate with
health authorities as they undergo
compulsory coronavirus tests pri-
or to the session, where Kuwait’s
finance and interior ministers will
be questioned by lawmakers, bar-
ring any delays.
Kuwait’s Parliament had post-
poned a scheduled session earlier
this month because of suspected
coronavirus cases among law-
makers and staff. (KUNA)
❑ ❑ ❑
KUWAIT CITY: His Highness
the Deputy Amir and Crown
Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ah-
mad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a
cable of condolences to Pakistani
President Arif Alvi on the casu-
alties of the torrential rains and
flash floods that swept northern
Karachi.
His Highness the Prime Min-
ister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-
Hamad Al-Sabah addressed a
cable of similar content to the
Pakistani president. (KUNA)
❑ ❑ ❑
KUWAIT CITY: Director Gen-
eral of Kuwait Municipality Ah-
mad Al-Manfouhi announced
on Wednesday opening shopping
malls from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm,
while parallel and retail food
markets are to open from 6:00 am
to 8:00 pm.
Changing the working hours
comes as the country is mov-
ing from the second stage to the
third phase to gradually go back
to normal life, in accordance with
the Council of Ministers’ deci-
sion issued last Thursday, effec-
tive as of Tuesday, Al-Manfouhi
added in a press conference.
Parallel markets, catering food
markets and food stores are al-
lowed to open from 6:00 am to
8:00 pm, he added. (KUNA)
❑ ❑ ❑
KUWAIT CITY: The consular
affairs section at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs announced the
reception for visitors at the main
center in Shuwaikh on the Stand-
ing of Arafat Day, the third and
fourth days of Eid Al-Adha pro-
vided they have made advance
reservations for reception at the
Shuwaikh center and the Libera-
tion Tower in downtown Kuwait
City and Sabhan from 09:30 am
until 1:00 pm and from 4:00 to
7:00 pm, reports Al-Qabas daily.
❑ ❑ ❑
KUWAIT CITY: Minister of
Education and Higher Education
Dr Saud Al-Harbi on Wednes-
day issued a decision relieving
families whose children study
in private Arab schools of some
fees.
The ministry said in a state-
ment that the decision covers
pre-school classes and all higher
classes until the 11th level class-
es.
Families whose children in
these classes in the private Arab
schools in Kuwait are relieved

Kuwait to modify terror funding law
KUWAIT CITY, July 29, (KUNA): The
Minister of Finance Barrak Al-Sheetan has
issued a ministerial resolution for forming
a panel to examine amendment of the Law
No. 106/2013 on money laundering and
terrorism financing as some of the tasks
undertaken by the financial inspection di-
vision.
Al-Sheetan, in a statement to Kuwait
News Agency (KUNA), said his decision
was intended to affirm his keenness and
continuous support for activating the in-
spection unit since he took office in Febru-
ary.
The division personnel have taken mea-
sures referring money laundering suspects
to the public prosecution, the minister said,
affirming its key role at this level.
The committee which he has ordered to
be formed will examine shortcomings in
existing legislations and propose adequate
modifications to enhance efficiency of the
financial inspection team personnel, back
up their independence, boost their jurisdic-
tions and tools for attaining the aspired ob-
jective, Al-Sheetan added.
This approach, he has continued, is
aimed at preserving Kuwait’s image with
respect to combating money laundering
and terrorism funding.
of school fees effective Feb 26,
2020. (KUNA)
❑ ❑ ❑
KUWAIT CITY: His Highness
the Deputy Amir and Crown
Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ah-
mad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah re-
ceived on Tuesday a cable from
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf
Ghani, who asked about health
of His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-
Sabah, wishing him good health
and well-being.
Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims circle the Ka’aba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they keep social His Highness the Deputy Amir
distancing to protect themselves against the coronavirus ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim Holy City of and Crown Prince expressed
Makkah, Saudi Arabia on July 29. During the first rites of Hajj, Muslims circle the Ka’aba counter-clockwise seven deep gratitude for the sincere ges-
times while reciting supplications to God, then walk between two hills where Ibrahim’s wife, Hagar, is believed to ture, wishing him good health.
have run as she searched for water for her dying son before God brought forth a well that runs to this day. (AP) (KUNA)

LOCAL
Taxis back on road ... drivers may
face difficulties and competition
New imposed conditions will reduce income: driver
Taxis back on the roads after a gap of nearly 4 months.
‘Network cannot handle current number of female students’
Weak Internet portends problems for
educational portal: female teachers
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Weak In-
ternet is the main cause of all prob-
lems of the educational portal. With
this statement, female teachers in the
secondary stage summarized the neg-
ative aspects of the distance educa-
tion program, which the Ministry of
Education will launch for the twelfth
grade on August 4, stressing “there is
no dust on the Teams Program cur-
rently applied by the ministry but the
main problem is poor network”, re-
ports Al-Rai daily.
The teachers who received training
courses on the program, which is still
under the supervision of computer
teachers, have assigned a computer
teacher for each department, and each
section in some schools has about 17
teachers. They affirmed that “things
went well and there are no problems
with the course, except for the weak
network that leads to frequent interrup-
tion of the meetings, as well as audio
hangs and some other malfunctions.”
One of the teachers mentioned
that “the training mechanism is via
voice only, from 10 in the morning
until 1:30 in the afternoon, while
the teachers are evaluated on a daily
basis through preparation of assign-
ments, submitting worksheets, and
sending them directly to the techni-
cal instructors.” She affirmed that the
trainee can interact with the trainer
(computer teacher) directly to inquire
about anything that is not clear.
She said “the most prominent
problem in the current training pro-
gram is in the low number of female
students entering the portal, where
some classes have 17 students out
of 25, while others do not have more
Photos by Iehab Qartal, Bassam Abu Shanab and Samer Shiqeer
Inventory of many other accounts eyed
MoCI closes 54 accounts dealing
in specialized electronic auctions
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: The
Ministry of Commerce and In-
dustry has closed 54 accounts
specialized in electronic auctions
for watches, precious items and
others in coordination with the
Public Authority for Communi-
cations and Information Tech-
nology, and at the request of the
committee formed by both sides
to deal with the issue, reports Al-
Jarida daily quoting sources.
Despite the large number of
accounts that were closed, the
ministry will once again inven-
tory many other account data on
social networking sites in coop-
eration with the authority to pre-
than 4 to 5 female students, and we
fear this situation will continue, even
with the beginning of the supplemen-
tary semester on August 9th.”
She pointed to minor technical
problems in the program that need
more clarification, including some
technical details, noting “whenever
the teacher wishes to use the phrase
‘being modified’ pops up. She wishes
that all obstacles will be removed and
that telecommunications companies
will be contracted to strengthen them
school networks.”
She argued that “this network can-
Panoramic view of Kuwait City skyline during the sunrise.
vent any future sale of watches
without oversight and subsequent
appearance, sources said.
Chairman and CEO of the au-
thority Eng Salem Al-Athaina
disclosed they received a state-
ment from the Ministry of Com-
merce and Industry about a num-
ber of electronic auction accounts
suspected of involvement in
money laundering.
Al-Athaina added in a state-
ment to Al-Jarida recently that the
authority, in coordination with the
ministry, has suspended a number
of these suspicious accounts. “We
will work hard to stop more of
them soon,” he concluded.
not handle the current number of fe-
male students, so what will happen if
the official working hours start and the
number of female students doubles?”
She also said the first step in the
distance education program in the
Arab Republic of Egypt was to sign
up the telecommunications compa-
nies to strengthen the school networks
to provide an opportunity for users
to enter easily at their convenience.
She warned of major problems that
will emerge with the beginning of the
school hours if the network problem is
not contained and overcome.
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
2
Photo by Bassam Abu Shanab
KUWAIT CITY, July
29: The taxis which
have been collect-
ing dust for over five
months following the
outbreak of the coro-
navirus were out on
First Deputy Governor of Taizz Abdul-Qawi Al-Mikhlafi opening the training pro-
the streets of Kuwait gramme.
in what appeared like
a desperate attempt
to get back to busi-
ness while most of the
commuters who have
become accustomed to
do without taxis looked
reluctant to hail a cab,
reports Al-Seyassah
daily.
For the taxi drivers, they
missed an important means
of livelihood, and this time
they are back to business un-
der new conditions and new
rules, the most prominent of
which is just one passenger
in each car, which may cause
some difficulties, especially if
the passengers are a husband KUNA photos
and wife or a girl and her Yemeni youths being trained in electrical supply and maintenance of solar energy,
brother or sister. and also to acquire skills of entrepreneurship and managing small projects.
Suffered
One of the taxi drivers Abu
KRC helps develop labor skills of 100 Yemenis
Kalam says he has already Kuwait Relief Society (KRC) launched young people’s life and turned them into
suffered much in the last pe- Tuesday technical and vocational youth productive self-reliant individuals to sup-
riod and was even threatened empowerment project, which aims to de- port their families and improve their living
with complete loss of his velop the capabilities of 100 young people conditions, pointing out that the authori-
source of livelihood after he
lost it temporarily during the
in Taizz Governorate in electrical supply
and maintenance of solar energy, within
the framework of the “Kuwait by your side”
ties provide all support and facilities to
establish such activities.
Director of Response Corporation, who
past months since the owner
of the taxi office had once
closed the entire office as a
campaign.
In his speech during the inauguration
ceremony, the First Deputy Governor of
implemented the project, Mohammed
Al-Katheeri, stated that 30 days training
comes within the interest of KRC and Re-
result of the losses incurred Taizz Abdul-Qawi Al-Mikhlafi praised Ku- sponse Foundation in rehabilitating youth
by him following the govern- wait’s humanitarian, relief interventions abilities to improve their living standards.
ment decision to pull the taxis
and the generous support towards relief He showed that the course also in-
organizations in Yemen, and its people, cludes another 10 days training to acquire
off the road. especially in the humanitarian, health, en- the skills of entrepreneurship and manag-
Another driver Mohsen
Awad said the losses are
vironmental and development projects for
more than five years.
ing small projects, so that they can raise
their ambitions to start their own projects.
double, as they are losses not
only in income, but they have
He added that these courses improved (KUNA)
to repay the taxis because
much damage has been done Water usage reaches 483 mln gallons
to the vehicles engines since
they were inactive for a long
period of time, which means Electricity load index soars due
most taxis will face problems
in maintenance in the coming
period.
to high temperature, humidity
He pointed out the new
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: The rise in tion exceeds current consumption, as it
conditions imposed on the temperature and humidity on Monday led has reached 19,000 megawatts of elec-
operation of taxi cars will to the increase in the electrical load index tricity and water stations can produce
reduce the income but at the to 14,768 thousand megawatts. The high- 3,782,181 imperial gallons per day, but
same time it is much better est load for this year was 14,778 thousand the current situation requires more aware-
than stopping plying the taxis megawatts on July 20, reports Al-Seyas- ness in the area of rationalization among
altogether. sah daily. citizens and residents to not put pressure
He hopes the passengers The Ministry of Electricity and Water on the electricity load.
will get used to the situation withdrew 25 million gallons of water On the other hand, the Ministry of
from the strategic reserve to cover the Electricity and Water has obtained the
with time as the physical
distancing rules ease and the difference between consumption that approval of the Central Agency for Pub-
reached 483 million gallons while the lic Tenders recently to amend the tender
number of passengers is lim-
ited to more than one. production that was recorded was 458 amount to conduct maintenance and re-
million imperial gallons. pair of the main transfer stations.
Some taxi drivers say the Informed sources at the ministry indi- The ministry sources indicated that
lack of movement in general
cated that the electricity loads and con- the ministry will be able to modern-
and the closure of schools, sumption of water are expected to rise ize and develop electrical transmission
as well as the restrictions im-
during the summer as temperatures rise, networks as one of the important ele-
posed on employees of gov- especially during the current conditions ments in the network, and responsible
ernment departments, will imposed by the corona pandemic and the for transferring energy from production
make it difficult for them to inability of a large number of citizens and stations to secondary distribution sta-
find customers and may lead residents to travel as is the practice dur- tions located within the regions and near
to great competition between ing each year. homes to ensure these stations are in full
taxi drivers. It is reassuring that electricity produc- readiness.
 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

LOCAL 3

King Mohammed VI delivering his speech on the 44th anniversary of the Green March in the presence of the Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and the King’s brother Prince Moulay Rachid – (MAB)

Monarch pillars democracy in the core of national identity

Morocco … fast-forward to a future that cradles the past

Press statement from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Kuwait

TTheheanniversary
Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Kuwait celebrates the 21st
of His Majesty King Mohammed VI ascension to the throne.
anniversary is a recurring occasion which gives us the opportunity to
assess the progress made by Morocco under the leadership of His Majesty
King Mohammed VI who is a symbol of unity. His Majesty has chosen the
path of cementing democratic pillars, honoring human rights and observing
the ingredients of national identity.
This is addition to His Majesty continuing to pursue a series of structural
reforms in various sectors of the economy and social development, to coin-
cide with economic and financial policies which help in creating conducive
atmospheres to always achieve proper and robust economic growth that will
guarantee Morocco remains in the forefront of fulfilling the aspirations and
ambitions of its youth and institutional dynamics.
Despite the difficult conditions and the unprecedented erratic changes
the world has been experiencing over the past few months due to the out-
break of the COVID-19 pandemic which has created deep economic and
social crisis, the Kingdom of Morocco with the wisdom of its leader and in
solidarity with his people and the efforts exerted by Moroccan youth, has
managed to stand the difficult test of time boldly and relentlessly. In fact,
Morocco has made major accomplishments at both the local and foreign
levels.
On the local level, due to the repercussions of this pandemic and the major
challenges faced by the Kingdom, similar to other countries, Morocco with all
its components was able to contain this pandemic and the Moroccans -- the
Monarch, the government and the people -- showed their high level of com-
petence and ability to combat this dangerous pandemic that has received wide
international admiration.
The Kingdom took a series of decisive, quick and bold but difficult meas-
ures in this regard, and mobilized all the state’s capabilities - civil, military,
health and financial -- to fight the challenge posed by COVID-19.
Accordingly, His Majesty King Mohammed VI established the COVID-19
Pandemic Fund to support the national effort in fighting the effects of this
pandemic, whether by providing logistic and medical support, or by support-
ing the deprived social sector which was majorly affected in terms of the
economy and livelihoods because of the curfew which was imposed by the
concerned authorities.
In the first phase, the Fund managed to collect, over several days, about 3.5
billion US dollars which enabled Morocco to purchase the necessary medical
equipment and medicines, and provided aid to about 4.3 million Moroccan
families whose lives were devastated due to the repercussion of the virus on
the economy.
Amidst this serious scourge, a series of industrial and scientific activities re-
vealed the ingenuity of Morocco, and the concerted efforts of the Moroccans
succeeded in building scores of factories for medical face mask production.
The current production rate is about 14 million masks per day.
This is in addition to the cooperation of contractors who work in the area
of aviation spare parts with university researchers. Morocco has been able to
produce 100 percent ‘Made in Morocco’ respirators and has provided 500 ma-
chines to health institutions to treat critically ill pandemic patients, in addition
to swabs to test for the virus .
At the external level, Morocco has continued to be consistent in defending
the issues of the Arab Ummah. At the forefront is the issue of Palestine. It
actively participates in finding peaceful and consensus solutions to crises in
the Arab region and the African continent, in addition to following up various
issues within the international community.
In short, the very mention of the most prominent issues distinguishes Mo-
roccan foreign policy during the extraordinary global situation. On April 13,
2020, His Majesty King Mohammad VI introduced a two-pronged initiative
for Africa to fight and contain the Corona pandemic. This initiative was laud-
ed at the global level.
In activating the initiative, the Kingdom of Morocco, in June 2020, estab-
lished an air-link with about 15 African countries to offer medical assistance
including material and products manufactured in Morocco by Moroccan con-
tractors that meet World Health Organization (WHO) specifications.
This was to assist African countries to fight the challenge posed by the Co-
rona pandemic. It supplied these countries with masks, gloves, head covers,
medical robes, sanitizers and medicines.
On Kuwaiti-Moroccan relations, we wish to reiterate the intention of Ku-
wait to comply with its consistent principled position in support of the united
Moroccan territories.
We commend the consistent, fruitful and constructive coordination and
cooperation in all perspectives, which we strongly strive to consolidate
and improve at various political, economic, cultural, scientific and social
levels.
This will be done in line with the sublime directives issued by leaders of
both countries -- His Majesty King Mohammad VI and his brother His High-
ness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. We pray to Al-
mighty Allah protect them.

Egyptian’s appointment as dept head queried

KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Circles
close to the charity work expressed
their surprise at the fact that a year
and a half ago, the International
Islamic Charitable Organization
placed an Egyptian expatriate at the
head of the Human Resources De-
velopment Department, reports Al-
Seyassah daily.
The same circles wondered about
the real motives and reasons behind
the appointment of Egyptian Ala’a
Mohammad Al-Mansi to this posi-
tion, at a time when all state agen-
cies and institutions are seeking to
replace national labor, and despite
the existence of competent citizen
who has proved his ability and su-
periority in all aspects, especially
with regard to business and human
resources management.
The informed sources confirmed
that the appointment of Al-Mansi is
only a step in the path to strength-
ening the roots of ‘brotherhood’ in
the organization, noting that the aim
of this step is “control and dominate
the joints of the institution.
The sources revealed that the au-
thority’s director, Bader Al-Sumait
and his deputy, Abdul Rahman
Al-Mutawa – both of whom are
from the ‘Brotherhood’ – brought
Al-Mansi to work in Kuwait after
lengthy negotiations with him dur-
ing one of his secret visits to Doha,
where he held the position of deputy
director of marketing and financial
resource development at the Qatari
RAF Foundation.
Specialized in humanitarian and
relief work, it was agreed upon with
the knowledge of the current Chair-
man of the Board of Directors of
the Commission, Dr Abdullah Al-
Ma’atouq to appoint.
In a report the sources revealed
that Mansi is wanted by the National
Security Agency in Egypt, noting
that his appointment to the sensitive
position with a monthly salary of
1,600 dinars falls in the context of
‘the Brotherhood’s pursuit of char-
ity organizations and their exploi-
tation in the implementation of the
suspect’s goals.’
AMBASSADOR of Japan to the
State of Kuwait, H.E. Masato Taka-
oka extends his warmest wishes
and sincerest congratulations to the
Kuwaiti people on the occasion of
Eid Al-Adha. Eid Mubarak.
H.E. Takaoka also prays for the
speed recovery of His Highness the
Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-
Sabah.
HE Masato Takaoka

Market opens 2nd day

‘Roving butchers’ face penalty

KUWAIT CITY, July 29: The director of Public Rela-
tions and Media Department and spokesperson for the
Public Authority for Manpower Aseel Al-Mazidi has said
slaughter of sheep during blessed Eid Al-Adha holiday
should not be carried outside the places authorized by the
concerned authorities, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
She clarified, in a statement yesterday, that PAM will
intensify inspection campaigns during the holiday to
control the violators and to eliminate the phenomenon of
what she called ‘roving butchers’.
She said the law will be applied strictly and the violators
will be punished according to the provisions of the labor and
residence laws and municipal requirements because of its
impact on public health, as well as it is a violation of health
measures taken by the state during the current period.
She emphasized violators will be subject to deporta-
tion and the files of their employers will be closed.
Meanwhile, Director of the Slaughterhouses Depart-
ment at the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition
(PAFN) Mohammad Al-Salem stressed the necessity to
bring the sacrifice on the first day of Eid Al-Adha, while
indicating that the sheep market will open its doors start-
ing from the second day, reports Al-Rai daily.
Al-Salem affirmed the availability of the service to
book appointments online through the government elec-
tronic platform — ‘Matta’ — from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm
with maximum of five sacrifices per reservation on the
first day provided the health regulations are strictly fol-
lowed.

LOCAL
PAI’s refusal to reduce license
fees/rents confuses ind. sector
‘Private sector not yet benefited from any incentives’
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Despite recom-
mendations by the incentive committee
and the Cabinet’s decision to exempt ten-
ants from paying rents and license fees for
plots or markets, the industrial sector is
Ambassador of Bulgaria
Ambassador of Peru
FM receives outgoing Bulgaria, Peru envoys
The Minister of Foreign end of their tenures.
Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad The foreign minister
Nasser Al-Mohammad praised the efforts and
Al-Sabah received on contributions
Tuesday Ambassadors ambassadors in serving
of Bulgaria Boris Borisov the bilateral ties between
and Peru Francisco Kuwait and their respec-
Rivarola Rubio, on the tive nations.
Appointment booking system used
PAMA completes transfer of Eid
aid to beneficiaries, says Barjas
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Acting Director
General of the Public Authority for Minors
Affairs (PAMA), Engr Hamad Al-Barjas
confirmed completion of the transfer of Eid
Al-Adha aid to the rightful beneficiaries –
those who met the conditions in line with
the regulations, reports Al-Rai daily.
In a press statement, Al-Barjas affirmed
that as per the direct instructions of the
authority’s board of directors headed by
Minister of Justice Dr Fahd Al-Affassi, the
authority strived during the previous period
of the corona crisis to transfer this aid.
He affirmed the authority applied the
appointment booking system in compliance
with the decisions of the Cabinet and Civil
Service Commission (CSC) on how to deal
with visitors. He said this comes within the
stages approved by the Ministry of Health in
applying precautionary measures to deal
still in a confused state due to the refusal
of the Public Authority for Industry to
make amend or reduce dues of factories
and industrial plots, reports Al-Qabas
daily quoting informed sources.
KUNA photos
The meeting was
attended by Foreign
Minister Assistant for the
of the
Minister’s office Affairs
Ambassador Saleh
Salem Al-Loughani.
(KUNA)
with the corona crisis in order to ensure the
safety of visitors and employees.
He disclosed the authority exerted tre-
mendous efforts to address all the needs of
minors and communicate with them through
an integrated system to implement all their
transactions electronically using its website,
social media account and WhatsApp to
receive their inquiries and requests.
He asserted the authority is committed to
continue to provide its services to minors
and those under its responsibility, praising
the efforts of the employees in carrying out
the authority’s noble mission to serve the
minors and those covered by its services
under the patronage of His Highness the
Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown
Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber
Al-Sabah.
They explained that a
large number of factory
owners were surprised at
the end of last week by
the refusal of the Public
Authority for Industry to
reduce the fees pre-
scribed to them. When
the authority was asked
about the Cabinet’s deci-
sion to exempt tenants
from fees, it indicated
that it had not received
any decisions in this
regard. Therefore, the
beneficiaries must pay
these dues in full and on
time in order to avoid
any legal repercussions.
This position reveals many
governmental contradictions
about implementing incen-
tive plans that would help the
private sector to deal with the
negative repercussions of the
precautionary measures
adopted to confront the
COVID-19 crisis.
Stringent
Despite the fact that Kuwait
was ranked among the most
stringent countries in terms of
the preventive procedures
adopted to lock down the
country and the decisions that
negatively affected its eco-
nomic activities, it is also con-
sidered to be one of the least
countries providing incentives
in support of economic activi-
ties and sectors.
The sources said,
“Despite the announcement
about many incentive plans
and actions, the private sec-
tor has not yet benefited
from any of them, either
due to the difficult proce-
dures accompanying these
incentive benefits or
because none of them have
been applied on the ground.
“Perhaps the delay in
implementing the measures
is the main reason behind
the resignation of the
Governor of the Central
Bank of Kuwait from the
chairmanship of the com-
mittee formed to develop
incentive pillars for the
local economy.
The plans and procedures
were finalized and deliv-
ered to the relevant authori-
ties but no serious decisions
were taken to implement
them”.
It is worth mentioning that
the Cabinet had issued its
decision No. 615 earlier in
May to instruct ministries
and government agencies to
exempt the tenants from pay-
ing rents or fees for licensing
of public plots or markets
and other activities that were
suspended as a precautionary
measure to counter the spread
of the COVID-19 crisis
throughout the period such
procedures were enforced,
provided this does not extend
beyond that period and tak-
ing into account verification
by each authority of applying
the exemption terms and
conditions.
DIWANIYA
A DIGEST OF PUBLIC OPINION
‘Iran-China deal tops political scene’
‘Which axis will Gulf states support?’
“AS observers await the final chapters of the Deal of the
Century, news of the ‘Quarter of the Century deal’
between Iran and China topped the Gulf and Middle
Eastern political scene,” columnist and professor at
Kuwait University’s Political Science Department, Dr
Haila Hamad Al-Mekaimi wrote for Annahar daily.
“However, the medial appearance of this scene came
in the form of leaks and if the agreement was confirmed,
what was published is still considered not final, espe-
cially with regard to the amounts mentioned and which
the agreement did not explicitly stipulate.
“The agreement includes comprehensive cooperation
for 25 years and includes Chinese investment in all indus-
trial, economic and agricultural sectors including securi-
ty, military, commercial, financial and credit in Iran, in
exchange for buying Iranian crude oil at reduced prices.
“There were many aspects of investment in building
new cities, participating in marine infrastructure, ports
and ships, generating and transfer-
ring electricity between Iran and
neighboring countries, and build-
ing power stations and power
transmission lines to Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
“In return, Iran pledged to sup-
ply Pakistan and China with gas
using the China-Pakistan economic
corridor. This is in addition to
cooperation in the military, defense
and security fields, and it is
believed that the main focus of the Dr Al-Mekaimi
agreement will be on Chinese
investment worth $280 billion in Iran’s oil, gas and
petrochemical industry.
“In spite of the final version of this agreement, the
recent developments around the port of ‘Gebhardt’ con-
firm the new Iranian trends, the Indian media reported,
including the ‘Hindu’ website, which dealt with the
news of Iran’s announcement of stopping the partner-
ship with India to rehabilitate the Gebhardt port and
extending a road to ‘Zahedan’ on the Afghan border, to
form an Iranian-Indian-Afghan trade route for Central
Asia, but Iran recently announced, after a delay of four
years for Indian companies to finish its work, that it
would undertake to build the project at a cost of 400
million dollars, and the work would end in 2022.
“The American government had allowed those Indian
companies to cooperate with Iran to build the port as a
way to contain the Chinese-Pakistani port of Gawadar,
and the Indian website said that the Iranian govern-
ment’s decision came after the historic partnership
agreement between Iran and China at a cost of up to 400
billion dollars.
“However, under the accelerating developments
whose economic negative impacts have increased with
the spread of corona pandemic and the approaching of
the American elections, this pandemic, contributed to
broadening the gap of differences between Washington
and Beijing and it would have importance for the Gulf
states to deal with the events and eventually compre-
hend its impacts on the future of the Gulf region,
because the crisis, will not be confined to shifting the
Silk Road from the Arab Peninsula to Iran as some
media reported.
“In this connection, the Chinese are always ready to
cooperate, particularly in the economic and investments
fields, let alone that the Silk Road Project is ramified as
such it will not stop at specific vision, but the most
worse aspect will be represented by the shifting of
Al-Harir Road Project from the international partner-
ship to the policy of axis.
“In other words, the Indian-Iranian-Afghan Project
that enjoyed the American support in order to get the
said project parallel with the Chinese-Pakistani Road
Project, the latter falls within the US vision towards Silk
Road Project, let alone this is based on the international
partnership in nature.
“But it is needless to say that the recent development
placed us before the policy of axis, given the fact that Iran,
joined the Chinese-Pakistani axis, and Afghanistan is
likely to join the same, particularly following the American
exit, in a bid to confront the Indian-American axis.
“In light of the above, we wonder, what about the Gulf
states, particularly since we know that all of the above is
currently taking place on its banks. In other words, to
which axis, these states will bias while facing the chal-
lenge of the economic diversification, the Gulf-Gulf
conflict, the remote wars and the Deal of the Century?”
Also:
“At a time when the conflict between Egypt and Sudan
was ongoing over Halayeb, Ethiopia was building the
Renaissance Dam and investing this dispute in its favor,
for several years and Sudan had been standing gray in the
negotiations over this dam, even though it affected
Sudan’s security and even its existence,” columnist
Mohammed Hilal Al-Khaldi wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“Sudan’s positions were nothing but an attempt to put
pressure on Egypt. Today, after Ethiopia completed the
construction of the dam and started an actual process of
filling it with water, the Sudanese realized – suddenly –
that there is an existential danger threatening their coun-
try represented by the possibility of the collapse of the
dam on the earthquake zone, and thus the sinking of
Sudan, as well the threat of thirst that will afflict the
country due to the great shortage of water flow, espe-
cially as Ethiopia announced that it will increase the pace
of filling the dam, which means reducing the shares of
Egypt and Sudan from the water, which already suffers
from this shortage before filling the dam!
“The Renaissance Dam project is old, and construction
had started since 2011, yes it is the year that witnessed the
revolutions of the Arab Spring, the fall of the rule of
Hosni Mubarak and the entry of Egyptians into internal
conflicts that kept them occupied with their fateful issues.
“However, this cannot be blamed only, as construc-
tion of the dam continued since 2011 and in public, and
construction ended and the dam was completed a few
months ago, and now the operations of filling the dam
began without the consent of Egypt and Sudan as stipu-
lated in the 1959 agreement, and without even any
concern for what it will pass through.
“The people of Egypt and Sudan are thirsty. Ethiopia
has so far refused to fill the dam for 7 years, which can
alleviate the burden of the problem, and insists on filling
the reservoir within 3 years on the pretext of their coun-
try’s need for electricity and its returns on development
projects that they want to implement as soon as possi-
ble, thus and at the expense of thirst and starvation of
Egypt and Sudan.
“Thus, it is Ethiopia which is planning to carry out its
plans even at the expense of the thirst and the hunger of both
Egypt and Sudan, but such an Ethiopian stubbornness still
to be encountered by decisive Arab attitude, simply because
the Arab world seems to be quasi collapsed at the moment
to such an extent this part of the world, has been trans-
formed into an arena for the international interventions
where the latter’s armies are currently and moving freely
here and there within the Arab world and at the request of
the peoples and the regimes of the relevant states.
“For its part, Ethiopia still rejecting to fill the dam
throughout over seven years – the period that was likely
to ease the impact of the relevant problem, rather Ethiopia
still insists to fill the dam with water within a period of
three years on pretext that their country is need of elec-
tricity and the impacts of the latter revenues on the coun-
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
4
try development projects from those which the Ethiopians
would like to implement as swiftly as possible.
“Anyway, the situations, will not continue, as such
we call for a minimum limit of the Arab concord over
the essential issues at least, simply because it would be
absurd to see the Arab-Arab political differences reach-
ing a level of acuteness of not accepting any compro-
mise any type of postponement in favor of the Arab
essential issues.
“Such being the case, to stand idle while our Arab
world is collapsing and exposed to violations in a hor-
rible way. In this connection, we perceive scores of
foreign armies which are currently fighting each other in
some Arab countries some simple states are carelessly
challenging both Egypt and Sudan.
“Given the above, we wonder if all the above don’t
constitute danger against the existence of the relevant
counties – I do hereby repeat – the danger, and not ordi-
nary danger, then what is the nature of this horrible
silence.
“A few days ago I heard a former Sudanese minister
who was part of the negotiating team for the Renaissance
Dam was asked by the presenter, ‘What are your options
now, when Ethiopia has started to fill the dam?’ He
answered with naivety, superficiality, and refraction ‘The
important thing is that Egypt and Sudan do not sign any
new agreement with Ethiopia and keep the matter like
this because it is in violation of international law’!
“Ethiopia has been building the dam since 2011 with-
out an agreement, so where have you all these years in
which you did not file a complaint at the United Nations
or a lawsuit in the International Court of Justice, until
now you want to prove the illegality of the dam con-
struction?”
❑ ❑ ❑
“How long shall we remain in the circle of disagree-
ment and compromise between the government and the
parliament, while in both circles, there’s nothing bene-
ficial to the country and citizens. Neither disagreement
or consensus has ever benefited us in the past. Kuwait
has not gained anything from parliamentary-govern-
mental confrontations that emerge from groups of per-
sonalities in every period or at every stage. How long
shall we continue in the circle of political sophistry and
conflict without realizing that everyone will cease to
exist while Kuwait remains?,” Dr Munawer Bayan
Al-Rajhi wrote for Al-Anba daily.
“How long shall we remain in sectarian and tribal
circles without realizing that separation is the fire that
always lies under the ashes and threatens to burn soci-
ety! For how long shall we refuse to absorb all regional
and global changes surrounding us, which make us
worry more and more about the future of Kuwait and the
future generations? How long shall it remain the talk
about merchants’ control and seeking personal interests
without examining how to reconcile the public good
with personal interests?
“How long will the conversation continue to take
place without departing from the controversial points of
the policy of Kuwait merchants and their elders in vari-
ous fields, without specifying the direction their ships
are going or deciding what is good for the home ship?
“How long shall we continue to talk about the
Kuwaiti leadership and excellence and Kuwaiti prece-
dence, while we see Kuwait retreating in progress and
leadership? How long shall we dream of seeing Kuwait
as a world trade center without moving seriously to see
that happen? And, how long shall we continue to talk
about the Kuwaiti comprehensive development plan
while the indicators of reality point to the opposite
direction, with bureaucracy and administrative corrup-
tion as the main title of daily transactions.
“How long shall we continue to ask questions without
finding any answer. For how long shall we continue to
be distressed by the various media trumpets without see-
ing our flaw? How long shall we repeat the questions
and go into the maze of confusion without reaching a
solution, and guided on a path that could make us feel
fearless to reduce feelings of anxiety?
“How long shall we remain in the maze of repetitions
and questions on the similarity of positions without
achieving anything new or progress to exit from the
cycle of “not new” in Kuwait? How long shall we
remain in the swirls of political conflict? How long shall
we continue to talk about empowering young people
and relying on their skills or potential without seeing
any impact on the ground? And, how long shall we
come in the dreams and aspirations of our youth without
presenting them with new ones to help build their future
and that of the country? God help us, as we will never
learn from all the lessons and experiences we have had
throughout history.
“Finally: This article is to search for a solution, in
order to come out of the cycle of repetition, which I
hope my words will not become part of. O Allah, take
control of our situation”.
❑ ❑ ❑
“Some time ago, I remember coming across a warn-
ing from the World Health Organization (WHO) which
said people who use mobile phones while driving are
four times more likely to meet with a traffic accident as
a result of lack of necessary attention. It warned against
inattentiveness while driving, as it can lead to many
traffic problems”, columnist Abdulaziz Al-Kandari
wrote for Al-Rai daily.
“The WHO revealed that about 1.2 million people die
in road accidents annually, and there are about 20 mil-
lion to 50 million people who are exposed to non-fatal
injuries as a result of traffic accidents, many of which
cause disabilities. It stated that injuries sustained from
road accidents have been the main causes of death
among young people of the age group of 15-29 years.
“Driving cars on roads in this era has become difficult
because many motorists use their phones while driving.
They even use their phones in fuel stations, something
that is against the security and safety conditions.
“Frankly speaking, smart phones have made us their
prisoners; we simply cannot do without them. We always
look at them and move from one app to another. This can
distract a person while driving and has negative effects on
the body especially the eyes, and the level of focus.
“Previously, the entire family used to sit together and
have conversations, but now this has changed in every
home because of the presence of such phones. So what
about the streets?! If you notice the behavior of people
when they use their phones, you will find that it is the
first thing they see when they wake up and the last thing
before going to sleep.
“These modern smartphones have dominated every
aspect of our lives, wasting our time without us realiz-
ing, and make us miss many great opportunities that
could have been enjoyed in a better manner. Most peo-
ple of the current generation have become addicted to
these modern phones. However, those who use them
may suffer physical damages in the future especially in
the neck and the back, and it may lead to obesity due to
lack of physical movement.
“A report was broadcasted on Fox News about the
negative impacts of using smartphones. According to
this report, teens who spend five hours or more per day
on their smartphones are more likely to develop 71 per-
cent of the factors that motivate suicide such as depres-
sion and suicidal thoughts.”
— Compiled by Zaki Taleb
 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

LOCAL 5

Judge renews detention of top MoI official

Asphalt work in progress in one of the areas.
Asphalt laid on many roads
The Ministry of Public Works has fin-
ished asphalting 259,178 square meters
of internal roads in 15 areas of Kuwait
in all governorates during the ban period
in according with the plans, reports Al-
Seyassah daily.
The ministry said the work was carried
out in two weeks from July 11 to 24, in
Abdali Block 6, Old Jahra in several lo-
cations, Saad Al Abdullah Block 1, and
multiple locations in Andalus, Sabah
Al-Nasser, and Rumaithiya, Mubarak Al-
Money-laundering
‘We want to reach truth’
‘Boutiqaat’ pledges transparency
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Boutiqaat
Company affirmed its complete readi-
ness to cooperate with the Department
of Public Prosecution and the Kuwaiti
judiciary to reach the truth after the
company’s name surfaced in the inves-
tigation of money laundering related
case, reports Al-Anba daily.
The text of the statement said “we are
Boutiqaat, operating for 5 years in the
open with all transparency and clarity.
“We are proud to have put Kuwait on
the map of electronic commerce while
we wrote a success story that caught the
attention of the whole world with 100
percent Kuwaiti management that built
a team of up to 1,000 employees with
more than 1,500 suppliers.
“We made a station that connects
Kuwaiti companies to the external mar-
ket and we’re confirming our complete
readiness to cooperate with the Public
Prosecution, the Kuwaiti judiciary and
all government agencies in Kuwait to
reach the truth of the investigations, as
we understand and support the need for
scrutiny by our state agencies.
“We do not accept that Kuwait is
linked to money laundering. We are
the first to reject this matter and stand
against it”.
Meanwhile, over the past years, Bou-
tiqaat has delivered more than 3 million
orders to our customers in all Gulf coun-
tries, viewed more than 40,000 products
from 1,500 brands, many of which are
listed on global markets and subject to
strict financial laws and control of Digi-
tal Infrastructure Provider, Amazon and
AWS, which are subject to strict US in-
ternational and federal oversight.
The company adheres to all account-
ing, financial and supervisory standards
continuously and permanently through
its dealings with all parties amid obli-
gation to provide audited budgets to the
supervisory authorities in Kuwait, as
the financial auditor is one of the oldest
and largest audit firms in the world and
Kuwait.
Kabeer, and Al-Sabahiya, in addition to
Al-Daiya, Block “2”, Hittin, Block “3”, and
Sabah Al-Salem, Block “11”, in addition
to Block 1 in each of the palaces, Jaber
Al-Ali and Al-Mangaf.
In a related context, some citizens
have asked the Ministry to pay attention
to the streets of Jabriya, Hadiya, East
Al-Ahmadi, and Al-Ardiya, Barak Al-Haifi
Street, in addition to maintenance work
in Kaifan, Al-Faiha, Al-Khalidiya, and Al-
Shamiya.
Woman flees
Repair bill not paid
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Police
are looking for a Kuwaiti woman
who is said to have escaped without
paying phone repair bill, reports
Al-Rai daily.
It has been reported a phone
maintenance company offers home
service to customers and according
to a complaint filed with the Su-
laibikhat Police Station a Kuwaiti
woman contacted the company and
asked for phone repair service.
When the technicians reached
her home, she was seated in her
car and the technicians did the nec-
essary repair. She then allegedly
started the car, stepped on the gas
pedal and escaped.
The complainant has given po-
lice the woman’s phone number.
❑ ❑ ❑ the Lebanese, M.H. for 21
Suicide attempted: A case of sui-
cide attempt has been filed against
a young man who attempted sui-
cide by jumping from the roof of
his house in Jahra, reports Al-Rai
daily.
The victim has been referred to
the admitted to the intensive care
unit (ICU) of the hospital.
According to a security source
the youth’s condition is critical.
During interrogation the victim’s
father said his son suffers from a
mental disorder and was unaware
of the seriousness of the matter.
“From all of the above, and out of our
complete belief in the integrity of the
Public Prosecution and the just Kuwaiti
judiciary, we wrote this statement to let
everyone know that Boutiqaat does not
have any activities that are against the
law. May God protect Kuwait, its Amir
and its people from harm,” the company
reiterated.
in human peddling case; Fouad gang held
‘Banks played role in informing suspicious activities’
KUWAIT CITY, July
29 : The detention re-
newal judge decided
to continue the deten-
tion of the Assistant
Undersecretary for
Training Affairs at
the Ministry of Inte-
rior, Major-General
Sheikh Mazen Al-
Jarrah, until Aug
9, pending the case
of the Bangladeshi
Muhammad Shahid
Islam, a.k.a. as Pab-
lo, while the public
prosecutor decided to
detain 5 members of
the so-called Iranian
Fouad network for
21 days, reports Al- KUNA photo
Seyassah daily. The Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Lt Gen Mohammed Al-Khidr, received at his office the Qatari military
attaché to the country, Colonel Ahmad Al-Ma’adeed.
During yesterday’s
session, Al-Jarrah ap-
peared in court head Army chief receives Qatar military attache
shaved in handcuffs and
The Chief of the General Staff of strengthens and develops joint mili- the occasion of assuming his duties
from behind bars he de-
nied the charges against the Army, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Al- tary cooperation between the two in his new position.
Khidr, received, at his office, the brotherly countries. During the meeting, talks cen-
him -- bribery, money Qatari military attaché to the coun- The meeting was attended by tered on cordial ties and enhance-
laundering and the ex- try, Colonel Ahmad Al-Maadeed, Deputy Chief of the General Staff ment and development of joint mili-
ploitation of his position on the occasion of assuming his of the Army, Lt. Gen. Khaled Al- tary cooperation between the two
while in office.
The court then turned
duties in his new position, reports
Al-Seyassah daily.
Sabah.
Al-Khader also received at his of-
brotherly countries.
The meeting was attended by
down the request from his Lt Gen Al-Khidr welcomed the fice, yesterday, the Jordanian mili- Director of Military Missions Affairs,
defense team consisting of colonel and wished him success in tary attaché to the country, Briga- Brigadier General Musaed Khuzam
four attorneys to release him his new position, in a manner that dier General Abdullah Al-Da’jah, on Al-Hamdan.
on any guarantee citing lack
of evidence, stating that the
statements from the rest of KD 3,000 fine overruled
the suspects were taken under
duress some of whom had
retracted their earlier state- Expat woman acquitted of insulting colleague
ments which were taken dur-
ing investigations, while the KUWAIT CITY, July 29: The through which she sent persistent of the evidence presented by the re-
Misdemeanor Court of Appeal has offensive messages to the victim searcher, that his client committed
accused ‘Al-Jarrah’ did not
retract his statements and has overturned a previous verdict that in a public place within the sight the act.
imposed a fine of KD 3,000 on a of others. It claimed that she in- He argued that the writ of sum-
been saying the same thing
(denial) since the beginning female expatriate, and instead ac- sulted the victim in a manner that mons did not contain a technical
of the investigations. He par- quitted her of charges of insulting a violates her honor and published report indicating that the account
ticularly denied the charge of fellow female compatriot via social certain phrases in papers from her in question is related to his client,
bribery. media, reports Al-Seyassah daily. Facebook account. and what was mentioned in the tes-
In another development, The Public Prosecution had The defense counsel Lawyer timonies of the victim and the inves-
charged the defendant with inten- Abdullah Al-Qattan from Abdul tigation officer did not provide any
in the case of ‘Fouad Al-
Irani Network’, the Pub- tional misuse of a mobile phone Mohsen Al-Qattan Law Firm said it evidence that this account belonged
as means of communication is not possible to confirm, in light to his client.
lic Prosecution has issued
a decision to detain the
five accused -- the Iranian tigations, the sources ex- operations in exchange for and terrorist financing that ing any suspicions directly
‘Fouad’, and the bedoun, pected that the summonses sums of money, noting there are currently being raised, to the Financial Investiga-
identified only as K.J.; the would be sent to other are huge money transfers to in the years when those tion Unit.
Kuwaitis F.J. and S.A., and people connected with the celebrities during the summer events occurred, reports Al- As speculations intensify
five main accused, and ex- of last year while they were in Anba daily. about the involvement of lo-
days and referred them to plained the case includes Europe. In a statement it pub- cal personalities and compa-
the Central Prison. several charges -- money lished on its social media nies in huge money launder-
❑ ❑ ❑
Informed sources told the laundering, trading in alco- account, the association af- ing deals for years, an official
daily 8 new suspects are be- hol and forgery of official Banks played role: Ku- firmed that the current spot- source told the daily that local
ing investigated in the same documents. wait Banking Association light on these cases in the banks have reported to the
case, who have been detained The sources pointed out (KBA) says the local banks Public Prosecution and the Financial Investigation Unit
until investigations are com- that there are government em- had played its role in report- judiciary came as a result of of the Ministry Finance about
pleted, confirming that the ployees among the new sus- ing to the Financial Investi- the banks’ commitment to more than 16 bank accounts
number of accused in the case pects who might have helped gation Unit of the Ministry the directives of the Central that have witnessed huge
until yesterday was 13. the members of the network of Finance all suspicious Bank of Kuwait and to the inflation during the past two
Amid continuing inves- to complete their suspicious cases of money laundering law No. 106/2013 in report- years.
PAHW to handover phase 1 of Al-Mutla’a project
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Public Au- They affirmed that PAHW, after
thority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) is receiving the official work of the proj-
preparing to initiate procedures for the ect, will begin procedures to send the
initial handover of 12,177 plots in Al- citizens whose names are registered in
Mutla’a housing project in December Al-Mutlaa City project a letter of “To
after the contractor pledged to complete whom it may concern” addressed to the
the construction, completion and main- Kuwait Municipality and Kuwait Credit
tenance work of infrastructure and hand Bank in February 2021 at most, so that
over the first phase of the work by the they can start procedures for receiving
end of this year 2020, reports Al-Anba the building permit and construction
daily quoting informed sources. loans for building their plots.

Women’s Rights

Focus on discrepancy
in rights enforcement
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: A study prepared by the Kuwaiti
Society for Human Rights on “Women’s Rights in Kuwait
within the framework of the Convention on Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” states
that the Kuwaiti Constitution ensures justice for Kuwaiti
women, but the practical reality concerning the application
of laws does not reflect this fairness, as many laws do not
express the rights of women recognized by the Constitu-
tion, reports Al-Rai daily.
According to the study, the feminist movement in
Kuwait has a historical dimension. However, forming
an organized feminist movement that has collective
plans and strategies to enable women to obtain their
rights similar to men has not been possible.
It affirmed, “The Constitution meets the interna-
tional standards in the area of women’s rights, but the
practical reality suffers from the legislator’s inability to
activate and implement constitutional texts.”
The study stressed, “Many of Kuwait’s laws con-
tradict the provisions of the Kuwait Constitution. This
has led to the failure in activating the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women. Kuwaiti legislation reflect clear discrimina-
tion in many rights, such as the right to employment,
equality in public duties, the right to equality, the right
to work, the right to a nationality, the right to housing,
and the right to political participation.”
It stated that the Kuwait Constitution did not men-
tion women’s rights in particular or by name, as the
word “women” was not mentioned in all articles of
the Kuwait Constitution, due to which women’s rights
in Kuwait seem to stay within the general theoretical
framework for citizen rights and the rights of individu-
als and their general freedoms.
The study revealed that rate of women’s presence in
various jobs:
■ Minister: 13 percent
■ Undersecretary: 7 percent
■ Assistant undersecretary: 13 percent
■ Director of a body or organization: 19 percent
■ Deputy director of a body or organization: 9 percent
■ Assistant secretary-general: 21 percent
■ Ambassador: 2 percent
■ Member of Fatwa and Legislation Department: 42
percent

MIDEAST
Revolutionary Guard’s speed boats circle around a replica aircraft carrier during a military exercise. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard fired a missile from a helicopter targeting the mock-up aircraft carrier in the strategic Strait
of Hormuz according to footage aired on state television on Tuesday. Iranian commandos also fast-roped down from a helicopter onto the replica in the footage from the exercise called ‘Great Prophet 14.’ The drill appears aimed at
Yemen’s ‘separatists’ to give
up self-rule, push peace deal
UN seeks end of conflict
CAIRO, July 29, (Agen-
cies): Yemen’s leading
separatist group will aban-
don its aspirations for self-
rule to implement a stalled
peace deal brokered by
Saudi Arabia, the group
announced early Wednes-
day in a step toward closing
a dangerous rift between
nominal allies in the five-
year war.
Nizar Haitham, a spokesman for
the separatists’ Southern Transi-
tional Council, an umbrella group
of militias backed by the United
Arab Emirates, said the separatists
would give up their dreams of self-
administration over southern Yem-
en to pursue the Riyadh agreement.
The announcement comes after
months of infighting in a Saudi-led co-
alition that saw secessionists seize con-
trol of the southern port city of Aden,
the interim seat of the internationally
recognized government, igniting fierce
clashes across much of the south.
The group still believes in the res-
toration of an independent southern
Yemen, which existed from 1967-
1990. Its commitment to a final deal
remains unclear.
“We have achieved our goals,” said
Haitham, noting that the announce-
ment came under intense pressure from
Saudi Arabia and the UAE. “We af-
firm the continuing and deepening of
our strategic partnership with the Arab
coalition.”
The power-sharing deal, signed in
the Saudi capital of Riyadh last fall,
sets the stage to end a long-running ri-
valry between Yemen’s Saudi-backed
government and the Emirati-backed
southern separatists. The agreement
was never implemented.
Saudi Arabia declared early
Wednesday that it had proposed a plan
to “accelerate” the deal’s implementa-
tion, which calls for the creation of a
new government within 30 days and
the appointment of a new governor and
security director for Aden, according to
the official Saudi Press Agency.
Throughout the war, the two Sunni
Arab states, Saudi Arabia and the
UAE, have been partners in a military
coalition fighting to oust the Iran-allied
Shiite Houthi rebels, who seized north-
ern Yemen in 2014 and the capital of
Sanaa.
The standoff between their respec-
tive Yemeni allies has frequently
erupted into violent turmoil, threaten-
ing to shatter the Saudi-led coalition
and complicating broader peace efforts
to end the five-year civil war, which
has killed over 112,000 people and set
off the world’s worst humanitarian dis-
aster.
The new Saudi proposal lays out
commitments that have been obstacles
for months, such as the formation of a
government composed of 24 ministers
with equal representation for northern-
ers and southerners, including the sepa-
ratists. It also asks for the withdrawal
of rival forces from Aden and the flash-
point southern province of Abyan.
The blueprint gives Yemen’s current
prime minister, Maeen Abdulmalik
Saeed, the mandate to form a govern-
ment over the next month. Yemen’s
state-run SABA news agency named
threatening the US amid tensions between Tehran and Washington. (AP)
the newly appointed security director
and governor of Aden on Wednesday.
Yemen’s government spokesman
Rajih Badi welcomed the Saudi initia-
tive and expressed hope that the sepa-
ratists would make good on their prom-
ise to implement the agreement “out of
necessary and urgent national interest.”
Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s
vice minister of defense, said that
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sal-
man’s “efforts have succeeded” to im-
plement the Riyadh deal “and achieve
lasting peace, security, and prosperity
for Yemen.” He made no mention of
the fighting between the Saudi-led coa-
lition and the Houthis.
The rapprochement comes as
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates, the main partners in the
coalition, have sought to inch away
from their costly war with the Hou-
this, which has pushed millions to
the brink of famine and settled into a
bloody stalemate.
Saudi Arabia announced a uni-
lateral cease-fire earlier this year,
which swiftly collapsed but more
broadly reflected its growing unease
over the war. Last summer, the UAE
announced it was ending its role in
the conflict, although it continues to
wield influence through its proxies,
such as the separatist group.
Although the deal seems unlikely
to be a step toward lasting peace,
even a vague prospect of a settlement
was welcome, as Yemen’s devastated
health sector grapples with a major
coronavirus outbreak and the country
faces a drastic shortfall of humanitar-
ian aid that has forced 75% of UN pro-
grams for the country to end or reduce
operations.
On Tuesday, UN special envoy to
Yemen Martin Griffiths painted a bleak
picture of the country to the Security
Council.
UN-mediated peace negotiations
between the rebels and government
have failed to produce an agreement,
he said. The Houthis are pushing into
the oil-rich province of Marib and air-
strikes have killed multiple children
across the northwest.
The economy is collapsing, food
prices are surging, and, to make mat-
ters worse, an abandoned oil tanker
moored off Yemen’s Red Sea coast
loaded with more than 1 million bar-
rels of crude oil is at risk of rupture or
exploding.
“I do not wish to sugarcoat things,”
said Griffiths, warning that the coun-
try could plunge at any moment into
“a new phase of prolonged escalation,
uncontrolled spread of COVID-19, and
economic decline.”
Meanwhile, Special Envoy of UN
Secretary-General for Yemen Martin
Griffiths said Tuesday UN-brokered
negotiations between Yemeni govern-
ment and Ansar Allah aimed at signing
a ceasefire agreement to ultilately end
the conflict.
He said the ceasefire would pave
way for economic and humanitarian
measures, and resume the political pro-
cess to put an end to the conflict.
This came during a briefing by Grif-
fiths at the UN Security Council’s ses-
sion on Yemen.
He noted that the two sides made,
over four months, observations, and
submitted proposals and drafts.
However, the two parties didn’t
reach a final agreement, he said, de-
scribing the process as “long and dif-
ficult.”
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
6
Lebanon accuses Israel of provoking border escalation
Lebanese party leader blames Hezbollah
BEIRUT, July 29, (AP): The leader of
a major Christian group in Lebanon
on Tuesday blamed the militant group
interview. “Which Arab and foreign
countries want to deal with a govern-
ment that considers itself nonexistent at
major reforms are carried out within
state institutions. The state’s strategic
decisions are in Hezbollah’s hands,
Hezbollah and its local allies led by a time when there is a security danger leading to deteriorating Lebanon’s re-
President Michel Aoun for the rapidly along its border?” Hezbollah and its al- lations with Arab states, he also said.
In Brief deteriorating economy and worsening lies of the Free Patriotic Movement of Meanwhile, Lebanon’s prime minis-
relations with neighboring Arab coun- President Aoun control majority seats ter Tuesday accused Israel of provok-
tries, saying the only solution is for in parliament and are the main back- ing a “dangerous escalation” along
them to leave power. ers of the current government that took the border in an attempt to modify the
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia de- Samir Geagea, leader of the Leba- office earlier this year. Prime Minister mandate of a UN peacekeeping force
clared on Wednesday suffering nese Forces Party, told The Associated Hassan Diab replaced Western-backed in south Lebanon, cautioning against
27 deaths due to infection with Press that Monday’s military activity Saad Hariri who resigned in October, “a slide toward the worse” in coming
the higly contagious bug, the along the border with Israel was a clear following nationwide protests against days.
novel coronavirus (COVID-19), indication the current Lebanese gov- widespread corruption and misman- Hassan Diab’s comments came a
during past hours. ernment, which Hezbollah supports, agement by Lebanon’s rulers. day after the Israeli military said it
In addition to the new batch doesn’t have sovereignty in the south, thwarted an infiltration attempt by
of mortalities, there were up to along Israel’s border, where thousands Struggled Hezbollah militants - setting off one of
1,759 new infection cases during of UN peacekeepers are based. Since then, the government has strug- the heaviest exchanges of fire along the
the same period, said the Saudi The Israeli military said it thwarted gled to contain the escalating crisis, made volatile Israel-Lebanon frontier since a
ministry of health in a daily re- an infiltration attempt Monday by Hez- worse by the pandemic. The government 2006 war between the two enemies.
port about latest status of the bollah militants, setting off one of the defaulted on paying back its debt for Hezbollah denied its fighters had en-
pandemic in the kingdom. heaviest exchanges of fire along the the first time in March, and the past few gaged in any attack along the border, but
It added that caseload of volatile Israel-Lebanon frontier since a months have seen the Lebanese currency the Israeli military said it was sure the
the deaths from the contagion 2006 war between the bitter enemies. lose more than 80% of its value. Iranian-backed militant group had car-
reached 2,816 and that of the Hezbollah denied its members were in- The government has requested a ried out the operation, and Israeli forces
contaminations, 272,590. volved in any activity along the border bailout from the International Mon- in the area remained on heightened alert.
Total count of recoveries while the Lebanese government com- etary Fund but negotiations with the In a clear sign the Israeli military
climbed to 228,569 after record- mented only a day later. lender that started in mid-May have did not consider the episode to be over,
ing names of 2,945 patients who “Yesterday’s incident gives a clear stalled because of divisions within the the army said Tuesday that the north-
got cured of the panademic ail- idea about the state of sovereignty Lebanese leadership. Oil-rich gulf na- ern frontier would be “reinforced with
ment. (KUNA) for the Lebanese state. Is that accept- tions as well as international donors are advanced fire capabilities, intelligence
❑ ❑ ❑ able?” Geagea said in the telephone refusing to give Lebanon a hand before collection systems and special units.”
MANAMA: Bahrain sustained a
single death with the novel coro-
navirus over the past hours rais-
ing the toll of deaths to 142.
The ministry of health said in
a statement on Wednesday 439
new infection cases were re-
corded during the same period,
adding that the total of recover-
ies swelled to 36,531 after re-
cording 421 recuperated cases,
in addition to the existing cases,
3,248. (KUNA)
❑ ❑ ❑
DOHA: The Qatari Health Min-
istry declared on Tuesday start
of operating a national reference
laboratory next August to back
national efforts in tracking, and
being ready for, spread of pos-
sible infectious diseases.
The ministry said in a state-
ment the laboratory will coor-
dinate activities of laboratory
tests and experiments between
government, industrial and
academic bodies in the country
within three phases: the first
will witness the establishment
of a unit on (Covid-19), affili-
ated with the national labora-
tory. (KUNA)
❑ ❑ ❑
DUBAI: The United Arab
Emirates declared on Wednes-
day recording 375 new infection
cases with the novel coronavi-
rus (COVID-19) during past 24
hours raising tally of contamina-
tions with the germ to 59,921.
The health department re-
ported in a statement 297 ad-
ditional recovery cases, with
the overall count of patients
who recuperated and were
pronounced cured of the infec-
tion to 53,202. Death toll has
remained at 347 for no new
fatalities were reported during
the same period. (KUNA)
❑ ❑ ❑
MUSCAT: Omani Ministry of
Health declared on Wednesday
recording 665 new coronavirus
infection cases, with the whole
count standing at 78,569.
The ministry said in a state-
ment that 60,240 patients recov-
ered, while death toll remained
at 412. (KUNA)

INTERNATIONAL
Politics
Biden vows to fight racial inequality
As crime surges, Trump
warns of Biden’s America
WASHINGTON, July 29, (AP): Presi-
dent Donald Trump is painting a dysto-
pian portrait of what Joe Biden’s Amer-
ica might look like, asserting crime and
chaos would ravage communities should
the former vice-president win the White
House in November.
Left unsaid: A recent surge in violent
crime in several American cities has hap-
pened on his watch.
“Irony is way down the list of things
that President Trump worries about,”
said Robert Spitzer, a political scientist
at the State University of New York Col-
lege at Cortland whose research focuses
on gun politics and the American presi-
dency. “He’s
turning to the old
playbook – ap-
peal to the fears
of Americans and
then associate
those fears with
the Democratic
Party, specifi-
cally Joe Biden.”
Trump’s at-
tempt to cast
Biden in that Biden
light follows a pattern seen throughout
his presidency, where he attempts to shift
responsibility, often to President Barack
Obama, even more than three years after
taking office.
With echoes of Richard Nixon’s law-
and-order campaign in 1968, Trump is
trying to energize his conservative base
while also making an appeal to a small
patch of undecided voters by posing
the question: Which man will keep you
safer?
By leaning hard on select scenes of vi-
olence, Trump is banking on that unrest
continuing. But the protests could wane.
Violent crime around the US has been on
a downward trajectory for the better part
of the last three decades.
Playbook
Lanae Erickson, a senior vice-presi-
dent for social policy and politics at the
center-left think tank Third Way, said
Trump’s attempt to use the Nixon play-
book and tap into anxieties about crime
is odd given that, unlike Nixon in 1968,
Trump is already in the White House.
“Trump is the incumbent, so if bad
things are happening right now, they get
blamed on him,” Erickson said. “I don’t
know how he can persuade voters that
it’s Joe Biden’s fault.”
Trump has tried to paint Biden as cap-
tive of his party’s most liberal elements
who have called to dramatically reshape
policing in America.
His campaign has aired advertising in
battleground states that shows a woman
calling police for help as an intruder
breaks into her home and getting a voice
recording informing her that, because
the police have been defunded, no one is
available to take her call.
The Republican president recently
tweeted a warning to “Suburban House-
wives of America” that “Biden will
destroy your neighborhood and your
American dream.”
“No one will be SAFE in Joe Biden’s
America!” Trump declared.
Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia
and New York have seen spikes in vio-
lent crime and homicides this year. And
Trump has dispatched federal agents or
announced plans to send agents to Al-
buquerque, New Mexico, Chicago, and
Kansas City, Missouri, to try to stop the
unrest. He’s also sent federal agents to
Portland, Oregon, to try to forcibly quell
protests around the federal courthouse.
Trump has tried to argue that Biden,
at least implicitly, would condone un-
checked violence.
Last week, Trump said he’d like to
flood Chicago, which has seen a 51% in-
crease in homicides and a 47% increase
in shootings compared to the same time
last year, with “50,000 or 75,000 people”
and “solve it like you wouldn’t believe.”
But Trump said he wouldn’t do it be-
cause of a lack of cooperation from the
city’s leadership.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that Trump,
despite his tough talk, has shown little in-
terest in addressing a central issue driv-
ing the violence in the city: About 60%
of firearms recovered in crimes commit-
ted in Chicago were originally purchased
outside Illinois.
“We need you, as President, to take
a leadership role in enacting meaning-
ful and common-sense gun legislation,
which you so far have refused to do,”
Lightfoot, a Democrat, wrote in a letter
to Trump last week.
At the center of Trump’s attempts to
cast Biden as weak on crime is pushing
the unfounded notion that Biden wants to
defund the police.
In an interview with “Fox News Sun-
day” host Chris Wallace, Trump incor-
rectly cited a charter between Biden
and Sen Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, that was
signed as part of the Unity Task Force,
an effort to find common ground be-
tween the more moderate Biden backers
and Sanders’ liberal supporters.
But the task force’s recommendations
for the Democratic platform does not
mention defunding police. Trump was
unable to show Wallace language in the
task force document that said as much.
Still, Trump campaign spokesperson
Hogan Gidley hammered on the point
during a Monday call to update grass-
roots activists on strategy.
“He has consistently been silent in
the midst of communities devolving into
lawlessness,” Gidley said of the former
vice-president. “The only time he does
pop up out of his hidy-hole, he says
we’re going to defund the police.”
Peter Scharf, a criminologist at Loui-
siana State University School of Public
Health who has advised the New Orleans
Police Department’s reform efforts, said
Biden’s stance on policing is compli-
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
7
cated and one that Trump will look to
further muddy.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential
candidate Joe Biden promised Tuesday
that his economic agenda would combat
long-standing racial inequalities as he
sought to draw another sharp contrast
with President Donald Trump.
Biden said the Republican president
is exacerbating social discord across the
country, including by sending federal au-
thorities into major cities under the pre-
tense of addressing crime. And he said
Trump has little interest in addressing
the racism that Biden said has been laid
bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, which
disproportionately claims people of color
as its victims, or in an election-year reck-
oning with police violence against Black
men.
“He can’t turn the economy around.
He’s determined to stoke division and
chaos,” Biden said, speaking in a com-
munity center gymnasium in his home-
town of Wilmington, Delaware. “It’s not US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House on July 28, in Washington. (AP)
good for the country, but Donald Trump
doesn’t care. His campaign is failing and
he’s looking for a lifeline.”
Biden countered with a litany of pro-
Coronavirus
posals to steer federal money and tax
credits to small business and economic
development programs for minority-
owned firms and disadvantaged neigh-
borhoods. Biden also said he’d encour-
COVID-19 cases soaring
age home ownership to help close wealth
gaps among minority communities and
push the nation’s banking system, in-
cluding the Federal Reserve, to more di-
States resist mask rules as virus uptick stirs alarm
rectly address economic inequality. JACKSON, Miss, July 29, (AP): The baseball Florida, however, reported another one-day Hopkins University. Globally, more than 16.5
Many of his proposals – and the bil- season descended deeper into crisis Tuesday, high for COVID-19 deaths, with 191, while Ar- million people have been infected, and more
lions in federal spending needed to pay states like Mississippi and South Carolina cast izona recorded 104, and Arkansas had a daily than 655,000 have died. The numbers are
for it – had already been promised as about for more hospital beds, and governors record of 20. thought to be higher because of limits on test-
part of previous, larger Biden plans to in some of the hardest-hit places staunchly re- While the White House has begun to feel ing.
jump-start the economy when the coro- sisted calls to require masks, despite confirmed cautiously optimistic that the resurgence has Republican governors in Tennessee, Mis-
navirus outbreak begins to recede. But as cases of the coronavirus soaring. begun to stabilize in parts of the Southwest, sissippi, Missouri and South Carolina have all
protests against institutional racism and Major League Baseball suspended the Mi- fears are growing about the potential for a resisted calls to close bars and gyms or issue
police brutality have swept the country ami Marlins’ season through Sunday because significant uptick in the Midwest, including statewide mask requirements, though local of-
in recent months, the presumptive Dem- of an outbreak that has spread to at least 15 of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and Col- ficials have imposed some of their own restric-
ocratic presidential nominee is attempt- the team’s players, and a series of games this orado, according to a Trump administration of- tions.
ing to show voters that he’s committed week between the New York Yankees and ficial who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss “My reaction is that I’m disturbed. I’m
to implementing specific remedies that Philadelphia Phillies was called off as a pre- private conversations. disturbed by it,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the
can promote racial and economic equal- caution. It’s fueled largely by a rise in cases among nation’s top infectious-diseases expert. Those
ity should he win the White House in States like Florida, Arizona and Texas are young adults, who have been hitting bars, res- two efforts and other best practices would help
November. in dire condition, and the virus also has been taurants and health clubs again. “prevent the resurgence that we’ve seen in
Biden’s speech and his subsequent spreading farther north in recent days, causing Over the past two weeks, Wisconsin’s roll- some of the other Southern states.”
question-and-answer session with report-
alarm among public health officials who fear ing average number of new confirmed cases In Mississippi, nine of the state’s biggest
ers – just his third extended news confer- states are not doing enough to avoid catastroph- has increased by 31%. Minnesota reported its hospitals had no open intensive care beds as of
ence in four months – come as he nears a
decision on a running mate. Biden came ic outbreaks like those in the Sun Belt. largest one-day case count Sunday, with more Monday, and officials are considering opening
prepared to talk about at least one of the “We are watching very carefully California, than 860 cases. pop-up facilities. More than 24% of coronavi-
top contenders: California Sen Kamala Arizona, Texas, and most of Florida,” President The virus is blamed for over 4.3 million con- rus tests have come back positive in Missis-
Harris. Donald Trump said at a news conference. “It’s firmed infections and about 150,000 deaths in sippi over the past week, the highest rate in the
An Associated Press photographer starting to head down to the right direction.” the U.S., according to the tally kept by Johns nation and triple the national average.
captured Biden’s handwritten notes with
talking points on several issues. Topping
the list was Harris.
A recent Politico story alleged that
Biden’s longtime friend and vetting
committee leader Chris Dodd, a for-
mer Democratic senator like Biden,
had raised concerns about Harris going
after Biden last summer on the debate
stage and showing “no remorse” in con-
versations with Biden’s campaign. On
Biden’s notepad, he’d written below
Harris’ name: “Do not hold grudges” and
“Great respect for her.”
Biden did not field a question specifi-
cally about Harris. But he has praised her
extensively, and he’s confirmed in recent
weeks that his short list for vice-presi-
dent includes several women of color.
His decision is expected to have unusual
importance given his age, 77, and the fact
that he’s a white man leading a diverse
party.
Recent polls have shown Biden lead-
ing Trump nationally and in many com-
petitive states that determine the Elec-
toral College outcome. But Biden’s aides
are keenly aware that Hillary Clinton lost
key battleground states four years ago in
part because of a drop in turnout among
nonwhite voters from what President
Barack Obama drew in 2012.
Struggle
As part of his attacks on Trump’s ap-
proach to race, Biden blasted the presi-
dent for ordering federal authorities to
intervene against protesters in places like
Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, while
small businesses around the country con-
tinue to struggle or shut down because of
the coronavirus.
The president, Biden said, is trying to
distract and scare voters. Biden said most
demonstrators are “peaceful protesters”
who don’t require a response from the
federal government. “Arsonists and an-
archists should be prosecuted,” Biden
said, and “local law enforcement can do
that.” Still, Biden said, “This election
is not just about voting against Donald
Trump. It’s about rising to this moment
of crisis, understanding people’s struggle
and building a future worthy of their
courage and ambition to overcome.”
And he said that means thinking about
every policy debate in terms of structural
inequalities.
Maurice Mitchell, a prominent figure
in the Movement for Black Lives and na-
tional director of the Working Families
Party, said there are some “promising
items” in Biden’s proposals, but added,
“There’s more we need.” Looking be-
yond the campaign, Mitchell said, “It’s
not a matter of what’s in Biden’s plat-
form.” Instead, he said, “The power of
the movement in the streets will dictate
the results of a Biden administration.
Fortunately, the movement for racial jus-
tice has never been stronger.”
Specifically, the former vice-president
wants to take $30 billion, or 10% of the
federal investment he’s already promised
as part of larger economic plans, and fun-
nel it into a “Small Business Opportunity
Fund” designed to leverage $5 of private
investment for minority owned enterpris-
es for each $1 in public funds allocated.
He also plans to spend $50 billion to pro-
vide startup capital to help entrepreneurs
of color start businesses in disadvantaged
areas.
 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

INTERNATIONAL 8

Britain

New blow to Spain’s tourism

Judge holds hearing

in Meghan’s lawsuit
LONDON, July 29, (AP): A judge in London is hearing
the latest stage on Wednesday of the Duchess of Sussex’s
privacy-infringement lawsuit against a British newspaper,
as Meghan tries to keep the names of five of her friends
out of the public eye.
The former Meghan Markle is suing the publisher of the
Mail on Sunday newspaper and the MailOnline website
at Britain’s High Court over five articles that published
portions of a handwritten letter she wrote to her estranged
father, Thomas Markle, after her
marriage to Prince Harry in 2018.
Meghan, 38, is seeking dam-
ages from publisher Associated
Newspapers Ltd for alleged misuse
of private information, copyright
infringement and data protection
breaches. Associated Newspapers
has said it will strongly contest the
claim.
At a one-day pre-trial hearing,
Judge Mark Warby is considering
Meghan
an application by Meghan’s law-
yers to prohibit publishing the per-
sonal details of friends who spoke anonymously to People
magazine in early 2019 to condemn the alleged bullying
she had received at the hands of the UK press.
The newspaper’s lawyers say it was Meghan’s friends
who brought the letter into the public domain by describ-
ing it in the People article. Associated Newspapers says
the friends’ evidence “is at the heart of the case” and their
identities should be known.
The duchess’s lawyer, Justin Rushbrooke, argued that
the court had a duty to “protect the identity of confidential
journalistic sources”. In this undated photo issued on July 29, 2020 by Kensington Palace (from left), Britain’s Prince William, Peter Crouch, Tom Fordyce and Chris Stark record an episode
Associated Newspapers has argued that information about of BBC Radio Five Live’s ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’. (AP)
the letter to Thomas Markle revealed in the People article
must have come “directly or indirectly” from the duchess.
But Rushbrooke said Meghan did not know at the time
that her friends were speaking to the magazine. He said the
Migrants
anonymous interviews were arranged by one of the five
friends, who was concerned about the toll media criticism
was taking on the duchess, pregnant at the time with her
first child.
The lawyer said Meghan “had no knowledge in advance
Migrants face physical violence
that any reference would be made to the letter” and did not
even know the interviews would be taking place.
In a witness statement submitted in the case, the duch-
ess said “each of these women is a private citizen, young
Only 38% of illegal migrants return home
mother, and each has a basic right to privacy.” BRUSSELS, July 29, (Agencies): half of all cases of physical violence ‘We don’t know.’”
“These five women are not on trial, and nor am I,” she Every year since 2008, half a million against them. The report found 47 percent of in-
wrote. “The publisher of the Mail on Sunday is the one Camilla Duchess of Cornwall foreign nationals on average are or- The finding, which is bound to raise cidents of physical violence reported
on trial. It is this publisher that acted unlawfully and is wearing a face mask while vis- dered to leave the European Union be- calls for greater accountability, comes in by migrants along the entire route –
attempting to evade accountability; to create a circus and iting the Boots Piccadilly Store cause they have entered or are staying both east and west – were reportedly
distract from the point of this case – that the Mail on Sun- a report Wednesday from refugee agency
to hear about their support irregularly.
day unlawfully published my private letter.” of the charity Hestia’s Safe UNHCR and the Danish Refugee Coun- caused by security forces, police,
American actress Meghan Markle, former star of the Spaces programme for victims However, only 38 percent return to cil. It seeks to chronicle cases of violence military, immigration officers and
TV legal drama “Suits”, married Queen Elizabeth II’s of domestic violence, in Lon- their country of origin or to the country and death that have been hard to track border guards, compared to 29 per-
grandson Harry in a lavish ceremony at Windsor Castle in don on July 28, 2020. Camilla from which they travelled to the EU, along the often deserted routes to Libya cent by smugglers.
May 2018. Their son Archie was born the following year. received an update on the the European Court of Auditors said in – the top launch pad for Mediterranean The report divvies up much of Af-
In January the couple announced they were quitting Wash Bags project initiated a report published Tuesday. rica north of the Equator into three
by Her Royal Highness, and crossings toward Europe.
royal duties and moving to North America, citing what One of the reasons for the low re- The report, entitled “‘On this jour- sections, and lays out individual ac-
they said was unbearable intrusion from the British media. met store and pharmacy staff
to learn about the company’s turns is the difficulty of cooperating ney, no one cares if you live or die,” counts: Some spent a year detained
Neither Harry nor Meghan was in court for Wednes- with migrants countries of origin, say in warehouses; others faced physi-
day’s hearing. response to the coronavirus also warns that the COVID-19 pan-
Meanwhile, Britain’s effective ban on travel to Spain
crisis. (AP) the auditors. demic, which has led to border clo- cal abuse from traffickers to extract
following an upswing in coronavirus cases in that coun- “How to deal best with migration sures, could make such treks even payments; some faced sexual and
try’s northeast on Tuesday hammered home the lack of is a pressing issue for the EU and its more dangerous as human smugglers gender-based violence at the hands
a comprehensive, continent-wide approach to suppressing Member States,” said Leo Brincat, the try riskier techniques to evade detec- of officials.
the virus and giving hard-hit, tourism-reliant economies a Member in the court leading the audit. tion. “On the West African routes lead-
chance to rebound. “As the EUs external auditors, we ing to Libya, it’s mainly the security
The UK government’s recommendation against all but Collected
have recently carried out several audits forces, immigration officials, border
essential travel to the whole of Spain means that all travel- of the arrangements within the EU on Based on nearly 16,000 interviews officials involved in acts of sexual,
ers arriving in Britain from that country will have to un- asylum and relocation of migrants. We and data collected by the council’s gender-based violence,” Cochetel said
dergo a 14-day quarantine. Mixed Migration Center, the report
The move not only dashed British holidaymakers’ hopes for will now take a deeper look at their in an interview at UNHCR’s headquar-
a getaway this summer, but also fanned renewed uncertainty return and readmission to third coun- found at least 1,750 people died on ters. “Whereas if we look at other type
within Europe’s tourism industry over how to plan ahead amid tries,” said Brincat. the journeys across both east and of physical abuse along the routes, the
authorities’ responses to new COVID-19 outbreaks. To make it easier to implement re- west Africa in 2018 and 2019 - mak- majority of the perpetrators are smug-
Joachim Vucic ing the land route one of the deadli-
Indicative of this were decisions by holiday companies admission obligations, the EU has con- glers, traffickers or criminal gangs as-
TUI UK and Jet2 to suspend flights to Spain, which is tra- cluded 18 legally binding readmission est for migrants and refugees in the sociated with them.”
ditionally the most popular summer destination for British agreements with third countries (non- world. The authors say more work is
vacationers. Europe EU countries). UNHCR says the count is believed needed to boost protections for the
“The UK government must work closely with the travel in- However, third countries may be to fall far short of the actual death people on the move, and provide
dustry as this level of uncertainty and confusion is damaging toll.
for business and disappointing for those looking forward to a McCann probe continues: reluctant to engage in negotiations, better, legal alternatives for their
well-deserved break,” TUI UK said in a statement. German police investigating the mainly due to internal political consid- “We’ve learned report after report journeys, and cited “pockets of pro-
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday de- disappearance of British girl erations, since these agreements can that there were abuses along those gress” such as through arrests of
Madeleine McCann in Portugal in be a source of public hostility, says the roads, either committed by security some criminals responsible.
fended the decision, saying it was his government’s duty 2007 were searching a garden plot
to protect the UK from a fresh coronavirus spike. on the outskirts of Hannover in report forces, either committed by smug- “There has to be proper accountabil-
“Let’s be absolutely clear about what’s happening in northern Germany for a third day Meanwhile, a new U.N. refugee glers and traffickers,” said Vincent ity for those crimes. There do have to
Europe, amongst some of our European friends. I’m afraid in a row Wednesday. agency report on migrants who braved Cochetel, UNHCR’s Special En- be very accessible complaint mecha-
you are starting to see in some places the signs of a second Police were using excavators, long and often-deadly land routes to voy for the Central Mediterranean. nisms on access to justice for victims
wave of the pandemic,” Johnson said. sniffer dogs, shovels and rakes to Libya has found that government offi- “Now, we have much more detailed of trafficking once they have reached
“I’m afraid if we do see signs of a second wave in other investigate the plot. information as to where are the
countries, it is really our job, our duty, to act swiftly and cials, such as border guards, police and safety,” said Cochetel – adding that
Prosecutors did not say what
decisively.” exactly the investigators were soldiers, in the African countries they abuses committed, by whom they home, transit and destination countries
Johnson that there could be further changes to travel ad- looking for. A spokeswoman for crossed were responsible for nearly are committed. So no one can say: need to be involved in that.
vice down the line affecting all of Europe. the Braunschweig prosecutor’s
The UK has the highest official coronavirus death toll office only said Tuesday that widely used by the Russian mili- access to private bank data of Danish prince recovering: COVID-19, reports said Monday.
in Europe with more than 45,000 deaths. One of the rea- the investigation on the site was tary to fly from mainland Russia to several groups and individuals, is a Prince Joachim, the younger son Eva Merkacheva of the public
sons cited for that is that many travelers brought the virus connected to their investigation the nation’s Baltic Sea exclave of targeted attack on critics, saying it commission that monitors Russian
of Queen Margrethe of Denmark,
back during the February school break after skiing trips in regarding Madeleine. The prosecu- Kaliningrad, sandwiched between is part of regular proceedings. detainees’ human rights was quot-
tor’s office could not immediately who underwent emergency sur-
France, Italy and Spain. Poland and Lithuania. The route “These are regular activities gery for a blood clot in his brain ed by the Interfax news agency
Professor Keith Neal, an epidemiologist at the Univer- be reached for new information passes a narrow international air aimed at assessing the risk of as saying Ivan Safronov has been
Wednesday. won’t suffer any long-term effects,
sity of Nottingham said it makes sense to advise against corridor over the Gulf of Finland. terrorism financing,” said Zeljko the royal palace said Tuesday. placed in isolation at Moscow’s
travel to Spain amid the summer holiday season, Madeleine was 3 at the time of Russia’s Defense Ministry said Radovanovic, acting director of Lefortovo Prison.
her 2007 disappearance from an The 51-year-old prince, who
“Some people have criticized the lack of notice but with four Su-27 naval aviation aircraft the state authority against money had been on vacation in France, Safronov, a former journalist
apartment while her family vaca- had conducted a scheduled flight laundering. well-known for his coverage of
cases rising any delay would only increase cases in the tioned in the seaside town of Praia da was admitted to the Toulouse Uni-
UK,” Neal said. on Tuesday from the northwestern The civic groups have demand- versity Hospital late Friday and military issues for two major daily
Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region. Karelia region to Kaliningrad, ed that the Serbian government newspapers, became a Roscosmos
But Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the German authorities said last was operated on early Saturday.
without violating the airspace of immediately ceases what they say “The blood clot in the brain was adviser in May.
new recommendation “a mistake”, saying that the upsurge month they had identified a other countries. (AP) He was arrested in early July on
in new COVID-19 cases is only focused in the regions of is abuse of the mechanism against due to a sudden dissection of an
43-year-old German citizen as a ❑ ❑ ❑ money laundering and financing charges of passing sensitive informa-
Catalonia and Aragon and is much less severe than the suspect in the case and are investi- artery, and the hospital’s medical
terrorism to intimidate organiza- team assesses that the risk of tion to Czech intelligence about
number of cases reported in the UK itself. gating him on suspicion of murder. Crack down on govt critics: tions which act as checks and Russian arms sales to the Middle
Sanchez spoke as figures were released showing that his The suspect, who is currently Serbia’s finance ministry has recurrence is very small when the
balances for the executive. artery has healed,” Lene Balleby, a East and Africa in 2017. (AP)
country wiped out more than a million jobs in the second in prison in Germany, spent many launched a probe into possible
money laundering and financing of They have accused the populist spokeswoman for the royal house- ❑ ❑ ❑
quarter of this year. years in Portugal, including in
Praia da Luz around the time of terrorism against dozens of rights government of trying to silence hold, said in a statement. Poles split over govt plan:
Spain’s official statistics agency INE said on Tuesday critics amid mounting discontent
that most of the 1.07 million lost jobs were in the service Madeleine’s disappearance, and groups, independent journalists “It is the doctors’ assess- Poles are bitterly divided over
has two previous convictions and opposition politicians who over the increasingly autocratic ment that Prince Joachim will steps being taken by the right-
sector, with the worst-hit areas being Catalonia, Andalusia rule of President Aleksandar not have any physical effects or
and Madrid. for “sexual contact with girls,” have criticized alleged government wing government to leave a
authorities have said. (AP) corruption and anti-democratic Vucic and his government’s other injuries as a result of the European treaty against domestic
Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Ayala tried policies. handling of the COVID-19 crisis blood clot,” Balleby said. “Prince
❑ ❑ ❑ violence, claiming it promotes
to strike a conciliatory tone, saying that Madrid is trying to The ministry has denied that in the Balkan state. (AP) Joachim is expected to be moved gender “ideology” and links vio-
get the British government to concentrate on the scientific Russian aircraft suspected: the investigation, which sought ❑ ❑ ❑ out of the intensive care unit as lence to religion.
data since the outbreaks are contained in specific areas within Two Russian military aircraft are soon as possible but will continue Justice Minister Zbigniew Zio-
Spain, while coronavirus infection rates on the country’s vaca- suspected of having violated Fin- to be hospitalized for some time bro said Monday he has formally
tion islands are much lower than the UK. land’s airspace close to its capital to come.” asked the Ministry of Family to
Spain is still in talks with the British government, “try- city of Helsinki, Finland’s defense Joachim married Marie start preparations for Poland’s exit
ing to find a solution which meets epidemiological crite- ministry said Tuesday. Cavallier, with whom he has two from the Istanbul Convention – an
ria,” Ayala told a press conference in Athens during an The ministry said in a brief children, in 2008, and she became initiative of the Council of Europe,
official visit to Greece Tuesday. statement that two Russian Su-27 Princess Marie. He also has two the continent’s leading human
Meanwhile, Madrid’s regional government on Tuesday fighter jets allegedly violated children from his first marriage rights organization. It was not
made the use of face masks mandatory in all public areas Finland’s airspace over the Gulf of to Hong-Kong born Alexandra clear when an official withdrawal
and limited the number of people that can gather in one Finland, near Helsinki, at around Manley, who became Countess of notice would be filed.
place as part of a drive to curb new coronavirus outbreaks. 2 pm local time (1100 GMT), Frederiksborg after their divorce Ziobro, who is head of a small
Regional government head Isabel Díaz Ayuso said that Tuesday afternoon. in 2005, the first split in nearly grouping inside the ruling coali-
no more than 10 people can be present at private gather- The Finnish Border Guard is 160 years in Europe’s oldest tion, said he was taking the steps
ings, while nightlife venues must close their doors at 1 am investigating the incident. monarchy. of his own accord and was ready
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Joachim is sixth in the line to to discuss their timing with other
– early by Spanish standards. Nina Hyrsky told the Finnish Denmark’s throne after his elder government members.
Díaz Ayuso said an information campaign will focus news agency STT that Finnish Air “It is time to take decisions ....
on young people, who are largely blamed for spreading brother, Crown Prince Frederik,
Force F-18 jets were scrambled to and his brother’s four children. to protect women, children and
the coronavirus through their social life. She said young intercept the Russian aircraft. (AP) the family against violence but
people “have it in their hands to reverse the trend”. She told STT that the violation also time to give no consent to
Britain’s travel advice comes on the heels of similar ❑ ❑ ❑
is suspected to have lasted about them being demoralized by norms
decisions by other European governments, including Nor- two minutes, and that the planes Germany police officers search an allotment garden plot in Se- Treason suspect isolated: An that have been insidiously added
way, which ordered a 10-day quarantine for people return- crossed about half a kilometer (0.3 elze, near Hannover, Germany, July 29. Police have begun adviser to Russia’s space agency to the valid slogans and demands
ing from the entire Iberian peninsula, and France, which miles) into Finnish airspace. Fin- searching an allotment garden plot, believed to be in connec- jailed on suspicion of treason for protection against domestic
urged its citizens not to visit Catalonia. land is not a member of NATO. tion with the 2007 Portugal disappearance of missing British girl has been moved into isolation violence,” Ziobro said on Catholic
The Su-27 is a combat aircraft Madeleine McCann. (AP) because he has possibly contracted Radio Maryja. (AP)
 Visa’s profits shrink as virus stops consumers from spending
Credit card processing giant
Visa Inc. said its fiscal third
quarter profit fell by 23% from
a year ago, undercut by the
world’s consumers and busi-
nesses dramatically slowing
their spending as the corona-
virus pandemic took hold.
Visa said it earned a profit
of $2.37 billion last quarter,
down from $3.1 billion from a
year earlier. On a per-share
basis, the company earned
$1.07 a share in the latest
quarter.
Visa’s business model –
taking a small percentage of
every transaction that runs
on the Visa network – is
highly susceptible to fluctua-
tions in how consumers and
businesses spend money.
As economies shut down in
March, April and May due to
the pandemic, consumers
spent less money on gas, eat-
ing out for lunch and dinner,
movies or any other activities
that required being outside.
That was a direct hit to Visa’s
bottom line. Spending on Visa’s
network worldwide was down
10% on a constant-dollar basis
for the quarter ending June 30.
The total number of transac-
tions on the network was down
13% from a year earlier.
San Francisco-based Visa
did say it was starting to see
payment volumes tick up in
the later part of the quarter,
as many states reopened their
economies to allow people to In this file photo, the logo
eat out at restaurants, go to for Visa appears above a
bars, and shop again. How- trading post on the floor
of the New York Stock
ever, those re-openings have Exchange. (AP)
in turn led to spikes in the
number of coronavirus cases
in the US, which has caused
some states and cities to shut
down parts of their economies
again. (AP)

Market Movements 29-07-2020

Business
Change Closing pts Change Closing pts
CHINA - Shanghai SE +66.59 3,294.55 AUSTRALIA - All Ordinaries -18.82 6,127.98
HONG KONG - Hang Seng +110.38 24,883.14 INDIA - Sensex -421.82 38,071.13
S. KOREA - KRX 100 +19.32 4,858.11 JAPAN - Nikkei -260.27 22,397.11
PHILIPPINES - PSEi +39.16 5,966.27
PAKISTAN - KSE 100 +209.00 38,836.27

Cenbank wrestles with its next moves as virus stalls US economy

Fed extends lending programs as pandemic’s impact lengthens

WASHINGTON, July 29, (AP): The
Federal Reserve will extend seven
of its emergency lending programs
through the end of the year, an ac-
knowledgement that the programs
may be necessary for longer than
was first thought as the nation strug-
gles to control the coronavirus.
The Fed announced the extension
of the programs, past their origi-
nal expiration dates of Sept 30, at a
time when a spike in confirmed virus
cases has shown signs of slowing the
economy.
The “extension will facilitate plan-
ning ... and provide certainty that the
facilities will continue to be avail-
able to help the economy recover
from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the
Fed said Tuesday.
The extension applies to several
programs that lend to Wall Street
banks and other financial institutions
to ensure the flow of credit to busi-
nesses and households as well as to
the Fed’s corporate bond purchase
programs. The central bank has also
extended its Main Street Lending
Program, which is intended to sup-
port mid-sized companies but has
generated only a small amount of
borrowing so far.
Two of the Fed’s emergency lend-
ing programs – one that buys state
and local bonds and another that
purchases short-term corporate debt
“forward guidance,” and the Fed
used it extensively after the 2008-
2009 recession. The Fed probably
won’t provide such guidance un-
til its next meeting in September,
economists say. But given signs that
the economy is stalling in the face
of the pandemic and that several aid
programs have expired as Congress
debates another rescue package,
there’s a chance that Fed officials
could update their guidance as early
as Wednesday.
After its previous meeting last
month, the Fed had signaled that it ex-
pected to keep its key short-term rate
near zero through 2022. Since then,
the pandemic’s threat to the economy
has appeared to worsen. According
to the minutes of their June meeting,
In this file photo, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a “various” Fed officials felt it would
news conference to discuss an announcement from the Federal Open Mar- “be important in the coming months
ket Committee, in Washington. (AP) ... to provide greater clarity” about the
– weren’t included in the announce- No major changes are likely when future path of rates.
ment. The Fed’s Municipal Liquid- the Fed releases a statement after Some Fed watchers expect no
ity Facility is already scheduled to its two-day policy meeting ends rate increase until 2024 at the earli-
est given their bleak outlook for the
last through the end of the year, and and just before Chair Jerome Pow- economy and expectations of con-
the Commercial Paper Funding Fa- ell holds a news conference. But tinued ultra-low inflation. But more
cility will expire in March 2021. the central bank is working toward specificity from the Fed could pro-
Meanwhile, Federal Reserve offi- providing more specific guidance on vide further assurance to businesses
cials are grappling this week with the the conditions it would need to see and households of a low-rate envi-
timing and scope of their next policy before considering raising its bench- ronment for years to come.
moves at a time when the raging vi- mark short-term interest rate, which As the pandemic intensified in
ral pandemic has weakened the US is now pegged near zero. March, the central bank’s policy-
economy. Economists call such an approach makers slashed their key short-term
rate to nearly zero and directed that
the Fed buy roughly $2 trillion of
Treasury and mortgage-backed se-
curities. Those purchases were in-
tended to ensure that lower borrow-
ing rates would remain available for
households and businesses to help
spur spending and growth.
One potential form of forward
guidance would be for the Fed to
announce that it won’t raise rates
until annual inflation has reached or
exceeded its target of 2% for a spe-
cific period. This would be intended
to allow inflation to rise above 2%,
to offset inflation that has fallen be-
low that target nearly continuously
since 2012. (Inflation is now running
at just 0.5%, according to the Fed’s
preferred gauge.)
In recent speeches and appearanc-
es, Fed policymakers have sounded
largely pessimistic about the econ-
omy. Several, including Powell,
warned in late May, as many states
began allowing more businesses to
reopen, that a resurgent virus could
imperil any recovery.
Since then, confirmed case counts
have soared around the country, espe-
cially in such large Sun Belt states as
Florida, Texas, Arizona and Califor-
nia, though their case levels have gen-
erally flattened in the past week. The
outbreaks have led at least 22 states to
either pause or reverse their re-open-
ings, thereby forcing companies to im-
pose layoffs or to stop hiring.
The number of people apply-
ing for unemployment benefits has
exceeded 1 million for 18 straight
weeks. And other data, such as credit
card spending, point to a pullback in
spending.
Lael Brainard, a member of the
Fed Board of Governors, said ear-
lier this month that the resurgence
of the virus around the country has
underscored its severe threat to the
economy.
“The recent resurgence in COVID
cases is a sober reminder that the
pandemic remains the key driver of
the economy’s course,” she said in a
speech. “A thick fog of uncertainty
still surrounds us, and downside
risks predominate.”
At his news conference Wednes-
day, Powell is likely to call for Con-
gress to continue providing stimulus
for the economy, as he has done be-
fore. The chairman has repeatedly
stressed that the Fed has “lending
powers, not spending powers,” and
while he has usually avoided support-
ing specific policies, he has clearly
urged Congress to spend more.
“He’s really pivoted from being
the artful dodger to being quite di-
rect,” said Diane Swonk, chief econ-
omist at Grant Thornton, a tax and
accounting firm.

Pfizer sales, profit

hurt by ‘pandemic’ U. S. HOME PRICES ROSE 3.7% IN MAY
FAIRLESS HILLS, July 29, (AP):

US consumer confidence falls

Pfizer Inc. reported a 32% plunge in
second-quarter profit, mainly due to the
global coronavirus pandemic limiting
marketing of and new prescriptions for
its medicines, even as the drugmaker
races to develop a vaccine.
Still, the biggest U.S. drugmaker by
revenue posted a solid profit, nudged up
parts of its 2020 financial forecast and re-
affirmed the rest. Wall Street responded
by driving Pfizer shares up 4%.
“Our continued strong performance
speaks to the resilience of our busi-
ness even during the most challeng-
ing of times,” CEO Albert Bourla told
analysts on a conference call Tuesday.
“We continue to believe that the second
quarter, and particularly April, will be
the worst” for us.
The maker of the world’s top-selling
vaccine, Prevnar 13 for preventing
pneumonia and related bacterial dis-
eases, noted that as it had predicted,
the pandemic restricted doctor visits by
patients and company sales representa-
tives, reducing prescriptions for new
medicines and vaccination rates for
many of its shots. However, sales rose
for its medicines used to treat patients
hospitalized with COVID-19.
Pfizer is among the drugmakers lead-
ing the race to develop a safe, effective
vaccine against the coronavirus. It’s
one of several drugmakers included in
Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. gov-
ernment’s effort to accelerate develop-
ment of multiple vaccines.
The world’s biggest maker of inject-
ible sterile medicines on Monday began
the crucial patient study of an experimen-
tal COVID-19 vaccine that it’s develop-
ing with German partner BioNTech.
The first participants, in the U.S., re-
ceived either dummy shots or the first
of two planned doses of the experimen-
tal vaccine chosen as the best candidate
based on the partners’ small early tests
in people and animals. Pfizer execu-
tives said the companies plan to enroll
up to 30,000 adult participants at about
120 sites in the United States and other
countries, all by late August.
Research head Mikael Dolsten said
in an interview that because the virus is
spreading so much in many states and
other countries, “it’s very feasible” to
have enough participants become infect-
ed with COVID-19 by late summer to
see how well the vaccine protected those
who got it, compared with the infection
rate in those given dummy shots.
WASHINGTON, July 29,
(AP): U.S. consumer confi-
dence tumbled in July to a
reading of 92.6 as corona-
virus infections spread in
many parts of the country.
The Conference Board, a New
York research organization, re-
ported Tuesday that its Consumer
Confidence Index fell from a June
reading of 98.3. The weakness
came from a drop in the expecta-
tions index, which measures con-
sumer views about the short-term
outlook for income, business and
labor market conditions.
The consumer confidence index
is closely watched for signals it can
send about future consumer spend-
ing, which accounts for 70% of
economic activity.
The Conference Board said that
the large decline in the expectations
index reflected big drops in senti-
ment in Michigan, Forida, Texas
and California, all states that have
seen a resurgence in coronavirus
cases.
About 4.2 million confirmed
COVID-19 cases have been report-
ed in the United States, according to
Johns Hopkins University, and
there have been more than 146,000
deaths.
“Consumers have grown less
optimistic about the short-term
outlook for the economy and labor
market and remain subdued about
their financial prospects,” said
Lynn Franco, senior director of
economic indicators at the
Conference Board.
“Such uncertainty about the
short-term future does not bode well
‘Consumers less optimistic’
for the recovery, nor for consumer
spending,” he said.
Robert Frick, an economist at
Navy Federal Credit Union, said the
big drop in consumer expectations
could reflect the fact that many
Americans see a fiscal cliff loom-
ing.
“More consumers see drops in
business conditions and more see
fewer jobs ahead,” he said. “The
jobs market is slowing, and may be
stalling due to the rise in COVID-19
infections and bankruptcies.”
The overall index stood at a high
for this year of 132.6 in February
before the pandemic forced shut-
downs across the country in March
and April.
In a separate report, U.S. home
prices grew more slowly in May,
but continued to show resilience in
the face of the coronavirus out-
break.
The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller
20-city home price index rose 3.7%
in from a year earlier. That’s a drop
from the 3.9% increase in April and
it was a smaller gain than econo-
mists had expected. Still, home
prices have risen steadily despite
the pandemic and lockdowns that In this file photo, shoppers move about in Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J. US consumer confidence rose in
June, reflecting the partial re-opening of the country but the concern is that rising coronavirus cases in many states
have badly damaged the American
economy. could jeopardize future gains. The Conference Board, a New York-based research organization, said that its Con-
sumer Confidence Index rose to 98.1 in June after virtually no change at 85.9 in May. (AP)
Phoenix led the way with a 9%
annual gain in home prices, fol- deviation from an otherwise intact the pandemic right in the eye and The 20-city index released
lowed by Seattle (up 6.8%) and trend.’’ hasn’t blinked,” said Matthew Tuesday excluded prices from the
Tampa (up 6%). Chicago registered The National Association of Speakman, economist at the real Detroit metropolitan area index
the smallest increase: 1.3%. Realtors reported last week that estate firm Zillow. “Record-low because of delays at the recording
The May slowdown, however, sales of existing U.S. homes shot up mortgage rates and a shortage of office in Wayne County, which
broke a streak in rising sales that available homes have fueled com- includes Detroit.
20.7% last month, snapping a three-
stretched back to September. month streak of falling sales. petition amongst buyers in the The Case-Shiller index is com-
Craig Lazzara of S&P Dow Jones Mortgage rates are near historic spring and early summer, leading to posed of a three-month average of
Indices said it was too soon to lows. homes flying off the market at their home prices, so this month’s data
know if April was a high water “In a remarkable show of resil- fastest pace in years and home pric- includes figures from March, April
mark, or if May was “a slight ience, the housing market has stared es to continue to rise.’’ and May.

Virus & grounded plane send Deutsche Bank reports

Boeing to $2.4 billion 2Q loss
CHICAGO, July 29, (AP): Boeing
is reporting a $2.4 billion loss for the
second quarter due to the grounding
of its 737 Max jet and the coronavirus
pandemic, which is expected to depress
airline travel even longer than previ-
ously expected.
The company said Wednesday that
revenue fell 25%, which is worse than
analysts had expected.
The results would have been worse
for Chicago company if not for its de-
fense and space business, which de-
pends on contracts with governments
and has been largely insulated from the
pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has trig-
gered a plunge in air travel has killed
airlines’ appetite for new planes. So far
this year Boeing has recorded 59 orders
but 382 cancellations - mostly for the
Max. Another 323 orders, also mostly
for Max planes, were removed from
Boeing’s backlog because uncertainty
about the deals going through.
Boeing’s report came a day after an
airline industry trade group said air
travel won’t recover to pre-pandemic
levels until at least 2024, a year longer
than its previous forecast. The Interna-
tional Air Transport Association cited
the inability of the United States and
developing countries to contain the
new coronavirus.
second-quarter ‘profit’
FRANKFURT, Germany, July 29,
(AP): Deutsche Bank reported a
small net profit of 61 million euros
($71 million) in the second quarter as
cost-cutting and revenue growth out-
weighed increased loan losses due to
the virus outbreak.
The gain compared with a loss of
3.1 billion euros in the year-earlier
quarter, when the bank had large ex-
penses related to its ongoing restruc-
turing.
The bank based in Frankfurt, Ger-
In this file photo, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane being built for India-based many, said Wednesday it had cut its
Jet Airways lands following a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. (AP) cost base by 10% to 4.8 billion euros
as it presses ahead with a drawn-out
transformation aimed at improving
profitability by reducing costs and
riskier investments and activities.
The bank said that set-asides for
loans that aren’t being repaid rose
to 761 million euros in the quarter,
from 161 million euros in the same
quarter a year ago. Revenues rose 1
percent to 6.29 billion euros.
Chief Financial Officer James von
Moltke said that the bank is “fully
on track” with a restructuring that
is shedding employees and reducing
costs.
 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

BUSINESS 10

Remington seeks bankruptcy for 2nd time in as many years

Remington Arms, weighed down by lawsuits
and retail sales restrictions following the
Sandy Hook school massacre, is seeking
bankruptcy protection for the second time in
In this file photo, a man as many years.
walks past the Remington In a Chapter 11 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy
Arms Company in Ilion, New court for Northern District of Alabama this
York. (AP) week, the nation’s oldest gunmaker listed as-
sets and liabilities of between $100 million and
$500 million, and between 1,000 and 5,000
creditors.
In the most recent legal action this year
against the Madison, North Carolina, compa-
ny, families of those killed in the 2012 Sandy
Hook school shooting were granted access to
the computer of the shooter.
The families are looking for evidence of
the shooter’s exposure to advertisements for
weapons.
They say Remington violated the Connecti-
cut Unfair Trade Practices Act by marketing
its Bushmaster XM15-E2S, an AR-15 style
weapon, to civilians.
The weapon was used to kill 20 children
and six adult staff at the school.
Remington sought bankruptcy protection in
2018. It exited court protection the same year,
owned by creditors.
Gun sales have slumped, as they typically
do, under a Republican administration, be-
cause gun owners are not as compelled to
stockpile weapons out of fear that Congress
will create tougher gun-control laws.
But the past three years under President
Donald Trump have been particularly volatile,
fueled in part by a mass shooting in Las Ve-
gas and other high-profile mass killings that
have led retail chains to restrict sales, or re-
moved guns completely from stores. (AP)

This photo provided by BMW shows the 2020 X3 M Competition, a performance variant of the popular luxury This photo provided by Mercedes-Benz USA shows the 2020 GLC 300, which adds the automaker’s excellent
crossover known for engaging handling and class-leading cargo space. (AP) MBUX infotainment system as newly standard equipment, rounding out an already stellar interior that elevates the
GLC to the top of its class. (AP)

Automakers introduce new performance-focused versions

Air travel not expected to
recover until 2024 – IATA
‘China bouncing back more than other places’
FRANKFURT, Germany,
July 29, (AP): Global air
travel is recovering more
slowly than expected and
it will take until 2024 to
return to pre-pandemic
levels, the trade association
for the airline industry said
Tuesday.
The International Air Transport
Association pushed back its pre-
diction by one year due to the slow
containment of the outbreak in the
US and in developing countries.
The industry is seeing a rebound
from the depths of the shutdowns
in April, but the bad news is that
any increase “is barely visible,”
IATA chief economist Brian
Pearce said during an online brief-
ing for journalists.
Pearce said that air travel is not
rebounding along with rising lev-
els of business confidence in
Europe, the US and China. Traffic
was down 86.5% in June from the
same month a year ago, compared
with a drop of 94.1% in April,
measured as revenue passenger
kilometers, or the distance traveled
by all revenue-generating passen-
gers.
That improvement is “nowhere
near the increase in business confi-
dence,” Pearce said. China is
bouncing back more than some
other places, while an upturn in the
US has been knocked back by the
recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases
in a number of states.
Besides renewed outbreaks,
travel is also being held back by
weak consumer confidence and
constrained travel budgets at com-
panies that are struggling.
“Furthermore, there is little sign
of virus containment in many
important emerging economies,
which in combination with the US,
represent around 40% of global air
travel markets,” IATA said in a
statement. “Their continued clo-
sure, particularly to international
travel, is a significant drag on
recovery.”
Despite parking many of their
planes, airlines are struggling to
fill seats with enough people to
make money. Planes were only
62.9% full on domestic flights
around the world, well below lev-
els at which airlines make money,
and an abysmal 38.9% for interna-
tional travel.
The US is seeing more coronavi-
rus cases after some states moved
to lift restrictions on public life
and business. The summer vaca-
tion season in Europe has seen
more people move around. There
has been a rise in cases in Germany,
which had earlier done better than
many other countries in mitigating
the outbreak.
Germany has issued a travel
warning for three regions in Spain
and the UK has imposed a 14-day
quarantine for travelers returning
from Spain, a popular holiday des-
tination.
Travellers walk at the airport in front of a board reading ‘Free tests for
returnees from countries designated as risk areas’ in Cologne, Germany,
July 28. (AP)
bottomline
the
NEW YORK: The owner of
Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body
Works said Tuesday that it is cut-
ting 850 office jobs, or about 15%
of its corporate workforce.
L Brands, like other retailers,
has been dealing with a sharp drop
in sales after temporarily closing
stores due to the coronavirus pan-
demic. Levi’s, for example, said
earlier this month that it would cut
700 office jobs, also adding up to
15% of its corporate workers.
L Brands, based in Columbus,
Ohio, said it expects second-quarter
revenue to have fallen 20% from a
year ago.
The company is in the midst
spinning off Victoria’s Secret into a
separate company after a deal to sel
l it this year was scrapped. It plans
to focus on running Bath & Body
Works on its own. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ Kodak has branched out to offset
PHOENIX: Nike said Tuesday it’s
withdrawing plans to make soles
for its Nike Air shoes in a Phoenix
suburb because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
The company had planned to
invest $184 million in its third U.S.
manufacturing line for Nike Air
sneakers in Goodyear, Arizona.
“We are experiencing unprece-
dented times and due to the
COVID-19 impact we will no lon-
ger be investing in our Goodyear
facility,” said Greg Rossiter, a Nike
spokesman.
Nike said last year it planned to
open the plant in 2020. Rossiter did
not say whether the plant had
begun operating.
Nike lost $790 million in the
fourth quarter, as soaring digital
sales couldn’t make up for the loss
of revenue from shuttered stores in
most of the world. The world’s
largest sports apparel maker said
last month that its revenue fell 38%
to $6.31 billion in the three-month
period ending May 31.
The company grappled with
costs associated with reducing
built-up inventory, including
wholesale markdowns and factory
order cancellations. Product ship-
ments to wholesale customers fell
50% during the period. Chief
Financial Officer Matthew Friend
said the company expects its inven-
tory, which rose 30% in the fourth
quarter, to be right-sized by the end
of the second quarter.
Nike’s Goodyear facility was the
subject of controversy last year
when Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey
threatened to pull state incentives
because of the company’s decision
not to sell the Nike Air Max 1 USA
shoe, which included a
Revolutionary-era emblem known
as the Betsy Ross flag. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ power. The top performance model is
NEW YORK: Eastman Kodak will
receive a federal loan of $765 mil-
lion to help reduce the country’s
reliance on other countries for
ingredients used in generic drugs.
Shares of the one-time photogra-
phy giant, based in Rochester, New
York, more than tripled on the
announcement by the US
International Development Finance
Corp.
the large scale loss of its film busi-
ness. Adam Boehler, who heads the
IDF, said he learned that the com-
pany was interested in creating a
start-up that could supply ingredi-
ents for pharmaceuticals.
“If you look at drugs, 90% of the
drugs that we take today are gener-
ics, and they are almost all made
overseas,” Boehler said in an inter-
view on CNBC. “The dominant
manufacturer of ingredients for
generics is China, and number two
is India. And so, we said if we’re
going to re-shore and bring things
back and we’re going to have safe-
ty and security going forward, we
need to change that.”
Boehler said the agreement will
create 360 jobs in Rochester, and
1,200 jobs in the construction and
revamping of facilities in the area.
Kodak Pharmaceuticals will
make critical pharmaceutical ingre-
dients that have been identified as
essential but have lapsed into
chronic national shortage, as
defined by the Food and Drug
Administration.
The Kodak unit will have the
capacity to produce up to 25% of
active pharmaceutical ingredients
used in non-biologic, non-antibac-
terial, generic pharmaceuticals.
(AP)
5 fast and luxurious small SUVs
S
By Ryan Zummallen Edmunds
mall luxury SUVs have tradition-
ally offered an appealing mix of
practicality, refinement and upscale
features. Now they’re also offering
something else: high performance.
Many luxury automakers have
recently introduced new performance-
focused versions of their small SUVs
that can rival top-end sport sedans for
power and thrills.
Edmunds’ experts tested the recent
crop of luxury SUVs to find five
examples that best mix everyday
usability and performance. They also
factored in value in the name of get-
ting the most SUV for your money.
All prices below include the destina-
tion charge.
2020 ALFA ROMEO STELVIO This photo provided by Audi AG shows the 2021 Audi Q5, sporting a new
The Alfa Romeo Stelvio is one look that the automaker hopes will draw in people looking for a little more
SUV that’s big on personality. The excitement from their luxury crossover. (AP)
Stelvio is defined by lively handling
and arresting looks, but it also pro-
vides a comfortable ride. A 280-horse-
power four-cylinder engine is stan-
dard, but you can also go for the top
performance version called the
Stelvio Quadrifoglio. It features a
Ferrari-developed turbocharged V6
engine that cranks out 505 horse-
power.
There are some drawbacks to the
Stelvio. There is not much cargo space,
and despite recent updates to the info-
tainment system, it has more tech
glitches than a luxury vehicle should.
Still, the Stelvio is an SUV with soul in
abundance. Starting manufacturer’s
suggested retail price: $42,695.
2021 AUDI Q5
Maybe you’re looking for some-
thing a little more buttoned-up. If so,
the Audi Q5 is a great option. We’re This photo provided by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles shows the 2020 Alfa Ro-
especially fond of its high-quality meo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, a high-powered luxury compact crossover with a
unique design and comfortable ride. (AP)
interior and standard all-wheel drive.
For 2021, the Q5 has a base four-cyl-
inder engine that makes 261 horse-
the SQ5, which uses a 349-horse-
power V6. This isn’t as much power
as the other SUVs listed here, but it’s
still plenty for most drivers.
Audi has also updated the Q5’s
styling for 2021, and the new look
certainly injects the Q5 with more
flair. But at its heart, this remains a
luxury SUV that puts practicality
ahead of flash. If excellent ergonom-
ics and road manners top your list, the
Q5 certainly deserves consideration.
Starting price: $44,295 (Edmunds
estimate)
2020 BMW X3
BMW’s X3 checks all the boxes
you’d expect from a BMW, from
thoughtful interior design to sharp
handling that delivers an enhanced
This photo provided by Edmunds shows the Tesla Model Y Performance,
sense of control behind the wheel. A an all-electric crossover with impressive range and stunning acceleration
248-horsepower four-cylinder and a
that brings an exciting new flavor to the SUV segment. (AP)
382-horsepower six-cylinder serve as
the X3 s main engine options, but balances comfort and performance on apart are performance, value and
there’s also an all-new 2020 X3 M. the road. A 255-horsepower four-cyl- access to Tesla’s vast network of pro-
inder and a 385-horsepower six-cylin- prietary Supercharger stations.
This top-of-the-line performance
model pumps out up to 503 horse- der engine are on tap, or you can go The Model Y comes in two ver-
power from its turbocharged six-cyl- for the AMG GLC 63, which puts a sions: the Long Range and the
inder engine and is predictably riot- 469-horsepower turbocharged V8 at Performance. You get 316 miles of
ous on back roads. your disposal. range from the Long Range on a full
The GLC’s infotainment system, battery. The Performance has nearly
You’ll find the X3 enjoyable to
drive even if you stick with a more which is easy to use and feature- the same range but quickens the
mild-mannered version. The X3 can packed, complements the high-quality SUV’s pace considerably. In
also haul an impressive amount of interior. We also like the GLC’s Edmunds’ testing, it blasted from 0 to
stuff thanks to generous cargo space roomy rear seating and smartly shaped 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, which is
and rear seats that fold down com- cargo area. Mercedes offers a wealth equivalent to the acceleration of the
pletely flat. You get a lot of technol- of upgrades and options, so beware BMW X3 M and the Mercedes-AMG
ogy with the X3, though its infotain- the final price tag. Starting MSRP: GLC 63. In any variation, the Model
ment system and some of the $43,495. Y is a game-changer. Starting MSRP:
2020 TESLA MODEL Y $51,990.
advanced safety features are a little
disappointing in their operation. The newest vehicle from Tesla, the Edmunds says: Just about any luxu-
Starting MSRP: $42,945. Model Y, is a fully electric SUV ry SUV offers an appealing mix of
2020 MERCEDES-BENZ GLC packed with star power and clever practicality and style. But only a
From the moment you look at it, features. Audi and Jaguar currently handful of these models are also
the Mercedes-Benz GLC exudes ele- offer impressive electric SUVs of enjoyable to drive whether you’re
gance. It has striking exterior design their own, and other automakers are driving a base or a high-performance
and a refined interior, and it expertly close behind. What sets the Model Y version. (AP)
 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

BUSINESS 11

Ozow paves way for open banking in Africa

“In a constantly changing global
economy, traditionally dominat-
ed by large banks since 1472,
(something which is unlikely to
change in the coming decades),
Ozow is positioned as a disrup-
tor to challenge the status quo.
Ozow is leading the way with
an Open Banking platform in
Africa, and the startling growth
of the business over the past
6 years tells the story of a fast
growing start up on the verge
of taking the African continent
by storm,” says Ozow CEO and
co-founder, Thomas Pays. “As
a market led company Ozow’s
success has grown to see
them capturing an entire mar-
ket (representing over 70% of
the instant EFT market in South
Africa), from the heart of under-
privileged townships and rural
areas to the highest LSM.
Users all note that the payment
platform is a better, safer, and
easier alternative to cards or a make payments,” says Pays. “As in increased growth of the busi- tion.
manual EFT payment ”. most people in the region go on- ness. This technology empowers “As a market leading pay-
There are over 49 million bank line mainly through their mobile a user to tokenize payment and ments company in Africa, we
accounts in South Africa alone - devices (the same rings true for make any repeat purchases with have put the needs of our clients
users just need a convenient way the rest of Africa) - and often pre- the simple entry of a 4-digit PIN. first, resulting in an increase of
to pay from them. This is where pay for airtime/data - transaction This world first innovation is over 50% in recurring payments
Ozow’s secure online payments speed is essential. We commit to already aggressively taking the since the introduction of this
platform is leading payment in- enabling payments in a few sec- lion’s share of the cash, card, new technology,’’ says Pays.
novation. onds.” and alternative payment options Ozow can also be used for e-
“Consumers, merchants, and Ozow’s latest product release market by empowering users to billing in partnership with SAGE
banks in South Africa and Na- in the form of a world first, pat- transact anytime, anywhere on- and Xero, SMS payments via all
mibia now recognize Ozow as ent-pending innovation called line, or at point of sale, without major networks, and QR codes.
the quick and trusted way to the Ozow PIN has also resulted the need for an app or registra- (Agencies)

Asia mixed amid dismal earnings, Wall St drop

TOKYO, July 29, (AP):
Asian shares were mixed
Wednesday as reports of
dismal company earnings
add to pessimism over the
widespread economic fall-
out from the coronavirus
pandemic.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index lost
0.9% after Fitch Ratings down-
graded its outlook for Japan to
“negative” from “stable.”
“The coronavirus pandemic has
caused a sharp economic contraction
in Japan, despite the country’s early
success in containing the virus,” Fitch
said in announcing its decision.
Japanese automaker Nissan Motor
Co. reported a loss for the fiscal first
quarter and projected to remain in the
red for the second year straight. Other
big-name Japanese companies such
as camera company Canon and ro-
bot manufacturer Fanuc also reported
weak results.
Earnings reports overnight also
discouraged investors, pulling shares
lower on Wall Street. Market players
are awaiting the outcome of a U.S.
Federal Reserve policy meeting that
began Tuesday. Gold prices moder-
ated their steep climb, adding 0.3% to
1,949.70 by midday Asia time.
The Nikkei 225 gave up 218.83
points to 22,438.55 while South Ko-
rea’s Kospi added 0.3% to 2,263.35.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 slipped
0.3% to 6,001.90. Hong Kong’s Hang
Seng was little changed at 24,773.44,
while the Shanghai Composite jumped
1.1% to 3,261.76.
Jingyi Pan, market strategist with
IG in Singapore, said market players
also were watching for Hong Kong’s
second quarter economic growth
data.
Benchmark U.S. crude oil added 1
cent to $41.05 a barrel in electronic
trading on the New York Mercantile
Exchange. It lost 56 cents to $41.04
per barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the
international standard, gained 11 cents
to $43.33 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar slipped to 105.04
Japanese yen from 105.07 yen on
Tuesday. The euro cost $1.1728, up
Western Union expands in Philippines with Cebuana Lhuillier
MANILA, July 29, (Agencies): West-
ern Union, a global leader in cross-
border, cross-currency money move-
ment and payments, and Cebuana
Lhuillier, the largest and long-tenured
microfinancial service provider in the
Philippines, have come together to
enable customers in the Philippines
to send and receive Western Union
money transfers.
The significant collaboration with
Cebuana Lhuillier adds 2,500 more
locations to Western Union’s global
network and will provide greater
access to customers in the world’s
fourth largest remittance receiving
country. Money transfer customers
accessing Cebuana Lhuillier’s nation-
wide branch network will be able to
Nikkei 225 index falls after Fitch downgrades Japan outlook
KFH dips 14 fils, Zain gains
Kuwait market swings
into red, volume rises
By John Mathews 8.3 pct, the steepest decliner of
Arab Times Staff the day and ALOLA topped the
volume with 38.4 million shares.
KUWAIT CITY, July 29: Ku- Mirroring the day’s drop, the
wait stocks swung lower on
losers outnumbered the winners.
Wednesday, snapping the two- 42 stocks advanced whereas 54
day rebound. The All Shares
closed lower. Of the 111 coun-
Index slid 50.14 points in a ters active on Wednesday, 15
volatile session to 4968.23 pts
closed flat. 7172 deals worth
dragged by profit booking in KD 29.72 million were trans-
most of the heavyweights. acted during the session.
The Premier Market skidded National Industries Group fell
73.55 points to 5415.27 pts tak- 3 fils to 156 fils while Mezzan
ing the month’s losses to 192 Holding inched 1 fil lower to
pts while Main Market fell 3.23 580 fils. Boubyan Petrochemi-
points. The BK 50 Main Index cal Co climbed 13 fils to 538
dropped 16 points to 4047.6 fils and Al Qurain Petrochemi-
pts. The volume turnover mean- cal was down 4 fils at 270 fils.
while rose for the third straight Integrated Holding eased 1 fil
A woman wearing a face mask stands beneath a bank’s electronic board showing the Hong Kong share index at Hong session. Over 133 million shares to 378 fils and Energy Holding
changed hands – a 7 pct increase
Kong Stock Exchange in Hong Kong on July 28. The Hong Kong market was little changed on Wednesday. (AP) ticked 0.6 fil up to 22 fils.
from the day before. Jazeera Airways extended
slightly from $1.1718. products for consumers and businesses Losses for big technology stocks The sectors closed mixed.
last session’s gains with 15 fils
Stocks pulled lower on Wall Street reported a profit for the latest quarter also helped to drag the market lower. Consumer Services outshone the jump to 620 fils and ALAFCO
Tuesday following a mixed set of earn- that fell shy of analysts’ expectations. The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Face-
rest with 1.26 pct gain whereas tripped 1 fil. Oula Fuel dialed up
ings reports from dozens of big U.S. It said sales trends have been improv- book and Google’s parent company are Banking sector shed 1.71 per-
companies. The S&P 500 fell 20.97 ing this month, but it also said there’s all set to give testimony Wednesday to 2 fils and Soor Fuel rose 3 fils
cent, the worst perfumer of the to 110 fils. Inovest added 1.7
points, or 0.6%, to 3,218.44 after a last- still too much uncertainty to offer fore- a House of Representatives committee
hour slide erased a small gain from ear- casts for future performance. investigating Big Tech’s market domi- day. Banking also dominated fils and Thuraya climbed 4 fils to
lier in the day. Caution across markets McDonald’s lost 2.5% after its earn- nance. in both volume and value with 140 fils. Mashaer Holding crept
also helped send Treasury yields a bit ings during the spring plunged by more On the winning side was Pfizer, 55.8 million shares worth KD 0.3 fil higher.
lower and gold a bit further into record than two-thirds from a year earlier as which climbed 3.9%. It reported a 20.2 million. Kuwait Cement Co fell 2 fils
heights. the pandemic kept customers away. profit for the latest quarter that topped Among the notable losers, to 164 fils and Kuwait Port-
The Dow Jones Industrial Average The results were weaker than Wall analysts’ expectations, even though sector bellwether National Bank land Cement skidded 32 fils.
dropped 205.49 points, or 0.8%, to Street was expecting. it was down by nearly a third from a of Kuwait dipped 11 fils to 789 Kuwait Hotels clipped 1.1 fils
26,379.28, and the Nasdaq composite Ecolab slumped 8.6% for one of year earlier. It also nudged up its profit fils after trading 8.2 million and OSOS eased 0.1 fil to 97.5
lost 134.18, or 1.3%, to 10,402.09. the largest losses in the S&P 500 af- forecast for the full year after announc- shares while Gulf Bank was fils. Gulf Petroleum Investment
This week marks the heart of earn- ter it said its profit fell more steeply ing the start of a late-stage trial of an down 10 fils at 190 fils with inched 0.1 fil up to 14.7 fils and
ings reporting season for the S&P 500, last quarter than analysts expected. experimental COVID-19 vaccine that heavy trading. Kuwait Finance
IFA Hotels and Resorts trimmed
and several big companies gave results The company sells sanitizing and it’s developing with German partner House was down 14 fils at 578
that fell short of analysts’ already low- other products to food service com- BioNTech. 0.3 fil. Heavy Engineering In-
fils with a volume of 10.7 mil- dustries and Shipbuilding Co
ered expectations as the pandemic stole panies and other customers, and it “Most investors are looking through
customers away and increased some was hurt by shutdowns in travel and 2021 calendar year earnings, as op- lion and has shed 34 fils from took in 1 fil.
costs. dining due to the pandemic. It also posed to paying too much attention to start of the month. Kuwait Foundry Co inched
3M was a particularly heavy weight said, though, that it expects the latest the rest of this year,” Eric Freedman, Zain rose 5 fils to 550 fils on 1 fil up to 226 fils and Gulf Ca-
on the Dow after dropping 4.8%. The quarter to mark the low point for the chief investment officer at U.S. Bank back of 5.3 million shares ex- ble sprinted 17 fils to 565 fils.
maker of N95 masks and various other company. Wealth Management tending Wednesday’s upswing KCPC added 2 fils and Com-
while Ooredoo slipped 4 fils to bined Group Contracting Co
574 fils. STC dropped 10 fils to dialed up 2 fils. Kuwait and
830 fils while logistics major
Agility gave up 5 fils before set-
Gulf Links Transport Co paused
at 46.9 fils and KGL Logis-
tling at 640 fils after pushing 2.9 tics trimmed 0.5 fil. FutureKid
send or receive money via Western customers can access our services and nies also puts forward Cebuana Lhuil- million shares.
Union’s global network in more than connect with their loved ones around lier’s vision of empowering Filipinos edged 0.9 fil up to 87.9 fils.
200 countries and territories. The ser- the world. We welcome Cebuana through financial services. The market opened weak In the banking sector, Burgan
vices are expected to be rolled out in Lhuillier to the Western Union family “This partnership with Western and edged lower in early trade. Bank slipped 5 fils to 180 fils and
the coming weeks. and are proud and excited to work col- Union is a prudent step in ensuring The main index scraped the Kuwait International Bank gave
“Western Union and Cebuana Lhu- laboratively to reach more customers accessibility for the millions of Fili- day’s lowest level of 4966 pts up 3 fils. Boubyan Bank clipped
illier understand the importance of together.” pinos around the world and in paving and clawed back into green. It 2 fils while Al Ahli Bank and
connectivity and building relation- After successfully serving Filipi- the way for a future-proof network rose steadily to peak at 4999 Warba Bank were down 4 fils
ships, while keeping customers at their nos for decades offering vital finan- with presence in almost all parts of points half way into the session each. Al Ahli Bank dialed down
core. This strategic collaboration and cial services, the two companies have the globe,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, and headed south thereafter as 2 fils and Al Mutahed closed 3
integration of capabilities of two lead- joined forces to advance cross-border President and CEO of Cebuana Lhuil- selling roiled the sentiment. It fils in red.
ers highlights the power of combined money movement for customers in lier. continued to erode in the second The market has largely posi-
assets to meet customer’s needs,” said the Philippines. This alliance supports “We are more than thrilled to col- half before closing with moder- tive so far during the week and
Jean Claude Farah, President, Global Western Union’s strategy to leverage laborate with Western Union as their ate losses. has gained 94 points in last four
Network, Western Union. its platform and portfolio of capabili- company values line up perfectly with Top gainer of the day, KPPC sessions. It has tumbled 351
Farah added, “In an age when ties, enabling other businesses look- our core of facilitating financial inclu- climbed 6.2 pct to 42.2 fils and points from start of the month
speed, reliability and convenience ing to expand their global reach and sion for the underserved Filipinos and Warbacap scaled 5.26 percent and is down 1403 points year-
mean everything, we are increasing build upon a robust partnership. The expanding our reach makes that all to stand next. ERESCO skidded to-date.
the number of touchpoints where our cooperation between the two compa- the more possible,” added Lhuillier.

exchange rates – July 29

US dollar Sterling pound Euro Japanese yen Swiss franc Canadian dollar Swedish krona Saudi riyal UAE dirham Bahraini dinar Omani riyal
Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer
BEC Buy .302600 .304350 .304350 .389005 .388443 .388443 .352213 .353968 .353968 .002834 .002833 .002833 .327733 .328696 .328696 .223905 .221870 .221870 .030900 .030858 .030858 .080700 .081200 .081200 .082867 .082083 .082083 .807349 .806391 .806391 .791473 .785888 .785888
Sell .307800 .306700 .306700 .400290 .400443 .400443 .365913 .363968 .363968 .003014 .003013 .003013 .338733 .335696 .335696 .232905 .234870 .234870 .035900 .035858 .035858 .082000 .081880 .081880 .083699 .083584 .083584 .815463 .814891 .814891 .799427 .798638 .798638
Muzaini Buy — .301400 .301400 — — — — — — — — — — .331650 .331650 — .228730 .228730 — — — — .082353 .082353 — .084038 .084038 — .821330 .821330 — .802606 .802606
Sell — .308000 .308000 — .391010 .391010 — .354660 .354660 — .008750 .008750 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Commercial Bank Buy .299000 .304550 .304550 .393000 .395275 .395275 .357000 .357938 .357938 — .002902 .002902 .332000 .332496 .332496 .227000 .228213 .228213 — .034801 .034801 .081165 .081205 .081205 .082867 .082912 .082912 .807349 .807814 .807814 .791473 .792068 .792068
Sell .307650 .308150 .308150 .401000 .399948 .399948 .365000 .362169 .362169 — .002936 .002936 .340000 .336427 .336427 .235000 .230910 .230910 — .035213 .035213 .081981 .082165 .082165 .083699 .083893 .083893 .815463 .817363 .817363 .799427 .801430 .801430
Gulf Bank Buy — .305300 .305300 — .392197 .392197 — .356068 .356068 — .002894 .002894 — .330858 .330858 — .226961 .226961 — .034697 .034697 — .081252 .081252 — .082928 .082928 — .806030 .806030 — .791600 .791600
Sell — .307400 .307400 — .400078 .400078 — .363316 .363316 — .002938 .002938 — .337516 .337516 — .231538 .231538 — .035093 .035093 — .082370 .082370 — .083947 .083947 — .817422 .817422 — .802485 .802485
NBK Buy — .305300 .305300 — .394170 .394170 — .357810 .357810 — .002901 .002901 — .332320 .332320 — .227970 .227970 — .034720 .034720 — .081340 .081340 — .083060 .083060 — .808630 .808630 — .792470 .792470
Sell — .307400 .307400 — .398570 .398570 — .361960 .361960 — .002936 .002936 — .336620 .336620 — .230490 .230490 — .035070 .035070 — .082100 .082100 — .083830 .083830 — .816680 .816680 — .799690 .799690
Burgan Bank Buy — — — — .404920 .404920 — .338430 .338430 — .338430 .338430 — — — — — — — — — — .081460 .081460 — — — — — — — — —
Sell — .303400 .303400 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
ABK Buy .305300 .302800 .302800 .393210 .389690 .389690 .356820 .353620 .353620 — .002890 .002890 — .331260 .331260 — .227460 .227460 — — — — .080670 .080670 — .082650 .082650 — .802100 .802100 — .789000 .789000
Sell .307400 .308900 .308900 .398430 .400720 .400720 .361910 .364000 .364000 — .002930 .002930 — .336610 .336610 — .230570 .230570 — — — — .082220 .082220 — .084370 .084370 — .818030 .818030 — .801860 .801860
KFH Buy .303590 .304300 .304300 .391692 .383935 .383935 .354654 .352897 .352897 — .002832 .002832 — .324933 .324933 — .224625 .224625 — .034600 .034600 .080974 .080974 .080974 .082668 .082668 .082668 .805602 .805602 .805602 .789979 .789979 .789979
Sell .309120 .307400 .307400 .403278 .409488 .409488 .365473 .365745 .365745 — .003001 .003001 — .343080 .343080 — .233889 .233889 — .035290 .035290 .082131 .082131 .082131 .083868 .083868 .083868 .816945 .816945 .816945 .800834 .800834 .800834
KBE Buy — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Danish krone Indian rupee Pakistani rupee Sri Lankan rupee Bangladesh taka Philippine peso Australian dollar Hong Kong dollar Singapore dollar Jordanian dinar Egyptian pound
Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer
BEC Buy .044252 .044222 .044222 .004350 .004033 .004033 .001417 .001811 .001811 .001327 .001608 .001608 .002974 .003596 .003596 .005889 .005770 .005770 .211341 .209249 .209249 .037483 .036982 .036982 .217109 .218069 .218069 .427684 .426814 .426814 .018308 .018513 .018513
Sell .049252 .049222 .049222 .005250 .004135 .004135 .002187 .001875 .001875 .001907 .001685 .001685 .003775 .003635 .003635 .006189 .006260 .006260 .223341 .225249 .225249 .040233 .040082 .040082 .227109 .224569 .224569 .436684 .434314 .434314 .021989 .019400 .019400
Muzaini Buy — — — — .041150 .041150 — .001875 .001875 — .001685 .001685 — .003645 .003645 — .006250 .006250 — — — — .039742 .039742 — .222950 .222950 — .435030 .435030 .021200 .195000 .195000
Sell — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — .019730 — —
Commercial Bank Buy — .048093 .048093 .004000 — — — — — .002000 — — — — — .005000 — — .217000 .218773 .218773 — .039296 .039296 — .221491 .221491 .420000 — — .012000 — —
Sell — .048661 .048661 .007000 .004134 .004134 — .001851 .001851 .003600 .001661 .001661 — .003641 .003641 .008000 .006300 .006300 .225000 .221360 .221360 — .039761 .039761 — .224109 .224109 .440000 .435763 .435763 .023000 .020010 .020010
Gulf Bank Buy — .047986 .047986 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — .218017 .218017 — .039176 .039176 — .221030 .221030 — .437436 .437436 — — —
Sell — .048598 .048598 — .004160 .004160 — .001872 .001872 — .001676 .001676 — .003677 .003677 — .006326 .006326 — .220869 .220869 — .039960 .039960 — .223474 .223474 — — — — .019513 .019513
NBK Buy — .048030 .048030 — .004061 .004061 — — — — .001636 .001636 — — — — .006060 .006060 — .218350 .218350 — — — — — — — .428490 .428490 — .018590 .018590
Sell — .048550 .048550 — .004122 .004122 — .001855 .001855 — .001662 .001662 — — — — .006270 .006270 — .221540 .221540 — — — — — — — .436960 .436960 — .019430 .019430
Burgan Bank Buy — — — — .004304 .004304 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Sell — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — .017300 .017300
ABK Buy — — — — .004050 .004050 — — — — — — — — — — — — — .217650 .217650 — — — — .220710 .220710 — .429360 .429360 — .018070 .018070
Sell — — — — .004150 .004150 — — — — — — — — — — — — — .220940 .220940 — — — — .223640 .223640 — .436700 .436700 — .019840 .019840
KFH Buy — .047730 .047730 — .004030 .004030 — .001810 .001810 — .001632 .001632 — .003547 .003547 — .006106 .006106 — .212371 .212371 — — — — .219679 .219679 — .428109 .428109 — .018623 .018623
Sell — .048832 .048832 — .004157 .004157 — .001853 .001853 — .001663 .001663 — .003669 .003669 — .006362 .006362 — .226861 .226861 — — — — .225234 .225234 — .434672 .434672 — .019845 .019845
KBE Buy — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Cyprus pound Yemeni riyal Thai baht South African rand Korean won Syrian pound Iranian Riyal Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Indonesian rupiah New Zealand dollar
Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer Cash Draft Transfer
BEC Buy — — — .000997 .0011732.0011732 .009423 .009314 .009314 — — — .000246 — — .001301 .000153 .000153 — — — .000058 .000187 .000187 .068170 .067025 .067025 .000017 .000016 .000016 .197735 .195535 .195535
Sell — — — .001077 .001273 .001273 .009973 .009805 .009805 — — — .000261 — — .001521 .000373 .000373 — — — .000252 .000207 .000207 .074170 .074025 .074025 .000023 .000022 .000022 .207235 .209535 .209535
Muzaini Buy — — — — .001237 .001237 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — .002050 .002050 — .080000 .080000 — — — — — —
Sell — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Gulf Bank Buy — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — .201913 .201913
Sell — — — — — — — — — — .018862 .018862 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 2.11E-5 2.11E-5 — .206016 .206016
ABK Buy — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Sell — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
KFH Buy — — — — — — — .009521 .009521 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — .070982 .070982 — — — — — —
Sell — — — — — — — .009935 .009935 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — .073173 .073173 — — — — — —
KBE Buy — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
travellers cheques local gold —
US dollar Sterling Euro Gold 999 kg Gold 999 10 tola Gold ounce Gold gm 22k Gold gm 21k Gold gm 18k 100 gm 999 10 gm 999
BEC .305050 .383858 .350373 BEC — — — — — — — — All rates in KD per unit of
Commercial Bank .306000 .354394 .354394 Muzaini Exchange — — — — — — — —
.306000 .387741 .352411
foreign currency
Gulf Bank
Al-Ahli Bank — — —

This file photo
shows a sign for a
Starbucks Coffee
shop in Harvard
Square in Cam-
bridge, Massachu-
setts. (AP)
Business Plus Critics question whether cos raise prices for consumers and pose a danger to society
Big Tech CEOs getting heat from Congress on competition
This file photo shows Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos arriving to a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. Bezos is willing to testify to the congressional panel investigating the
market dominance of Big Tech, but along with other tech industry CEOs, lawyers for the company say, according to a published report. (Inset): This combination photos shows Apple CEO Tim
Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. (AP)
By Marcy Gordon
F our Big Tech CEOs – Fa-
cebook’s Mark Zuckerberg,
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Sundar
Pichai of Google and Tim Cook
of Apple – are set to answer for
their companies’ practices before
Congress as a House panel caps its
‘
We believe in val- yearlong investigation of market
dominance in the industry.
ues – democracy, The four command corporations
with gold-plated brands, millions
competition, inclu- or even billions of customers, and
a combined value greater than the
sion and free expres- entire German economy. One of
them is the world’s richest individ-
sion – that the ual (Bezos); another is the fourth-
ranked billionaire (Zuckerberg).
American economy Their industry has transformed
was built on
’ society, linked people around the
globe, mined and commercialized
users’ personal data, and infuriated
critics on both the left and right
over speech.
Critics question whether the
companies, grown increas-
ingly powerful after gobbling up
scores of rivals, stifle competi-
Transition from work-at-home novice to pro
By Sean Pyles
NerdWallet
M onths into working from
home, it’s time to check in
with yourself. How is your work-
life balance? Have you figured out
‘entEveryanddayyouishave
when and how you work best? And
differ- when did you last shower?
As work and home life meld,
to it’s difficult to maintain bounda-
ries, stay productive and take care
go with the flow. of your mental health amid the
pandemic.
You just have to Since work from home orders
know who you are
’ are likely to stick around for those
lucky enough to do their jobs
away from their workplace, now
is a good opportunity to profes-
sionalize your work habits and
find a sustainable setup for the
coming months.
You may instinctively know
when you’re at your peak perfor-
mance and what conditions you
need to achieve it. Some people are
at their best right after they’ve had
their morning coffee and settled in
at a desk. Others might sleep in and
Starbucks’ revenue shrank 38% in its most
recent quarter but the coffee giant says it’s
recovering faster than expected as its stores
reopen from coronavirus lockdowns.
The Seattle-based company said Tuesday
that it expects coronavirus-related losses to
ease through the rest of this year.
“We believe the worst is behind us,” Chief
Financial Officer Patrick Grismer said.
Starbucks said 97% of its company-oper-
ated stores around the world are now open,
including 99% of stores in China and 96% in
the U.S. However, some franchised locations
tion and innovation, raise prices
for consumers and pose a danger
to society.
The four CEOs are testify-
ing remotely for a hearing late
Wednesday by the House Judici-
ary subcommittee on antitrust.
In its bipartisan investigation,
the panel collected testimony
from mid-level executives of the
four firms, competitors and legal
experts, and pored over more than
a million internal documents from
the companies. A key question:
whether existing competition
policies and century-old antitrust
laws are adequate for overseeing
the tech giants, or if new legisla-
tion and enforcement funding is
needed.
Subcommittee chairman Rep
David Cicilline, a Rhode Island
Democrat, has called the four
companies monopolies, although
he says breaking them up should
be a last resort. While forced
breakups may appear unlikely, the
wide scrutiny of Big Tech points
toward possible new restrictions
then start work while still in bed.
Clearly defining when and how
you work best helps you set clear
expectations for yourself and your
colleagues.
To understand when you’re
most productive, career coach and
entrepreneur Felecia Hatcher rec-
ommends conducting a time audit.
Track your workday in 15-minute
increments for one week. “A time
audit is going to radically change
your life personally, and then you
get to showcase to your boss when
your most productive times of day
are,” Hatcher says.
Keep track of your audit in a
spreadsheet or a notebook, detailing
meetings, lunch breaks, blocks of
time dedicated to heads-down work,
and stretches when you don’t get
much done.
This will reveal when you’re
productive and when you might be
better served taking a break, going
for a walk or taking a power nap.
Next, think about conditions that
help you focus.
Some need to sit in a specific
Starbucks says it sees better times ahead as stores reopen
remain closed, especially at airports and on
college campuses.
The company ended its fiscal third quarter
on June 28 with 32,180 stores; a little less than
half of those are in the U.S.
Starbucks President and CEO Kevin John-
son said quick pivots have helped increase
sales. In the U.S. - where 70% of its stores are
still offering no interior seating - the company
introduced curbside service. It proved so popu-
lar that by the end of September as many as
1,000 locations will offer curbside service.
U.S. same-store sales - or sales at locations
on its power.
The companies face legal and
political offensives on multiplying
fronts, from Congress, the Trump
administration, federal and state
regulators and European watch-
dogs.
The Justice Department and the
Federal Trade Commission have
been investigating the four compa-
nies’ practices.
Each company has a distinct
profile and sets its widening foot-
print in specific markets, and each
tech titan has his own approach
and story to tell.
For Bezos, who presides over an
e-commerce empire and ventures
in cloud computing, personal
“smart” tech and beyond, it will
be his first-ever appearance before
Congress.
Bezos is introducing himself, in
a way, in his hearing testimony,
unusual for the occasion. He lays
out his challenging life story grow-
ing up in New Mexico as the son
of a single mother in high school,
and later with an adoptive father
spot to accomplish anything. Others
might just need an internet connec-
tion, wherever that may be. Bari
Tessler, a financial therapist who
has worked from home for two
decades, says that only you know
how you work best.
“Every day is different and you
have to go with the flow,” says
Tessler. “You just have to know
who you are.” Ignore prescriptive
guidance about not working from
bed or getting dressed like you’re
going into the office. Create the
conditions you feel most comfort-
able with.
Use your insights about how and
when you work best to flesh out
your idea of work-life balance or
something close to it. Then bring
that plan to your colleagues for a
candid conversation.
“I always look at the equation of
time, money, energy, family and
health, and I make all my decisions
from that,” Tessler says.
Finding your personal balance
might mean being more deliberate
about what you’ve already been
open at least a year - hit their low point in mid-
April, when they were down 65% compared to
the prior year. But by June, U.S. same-store
sales were down 16%.
Barring new virus surges or economic dis-
ruptions, Starbucks said its U.S. same-store
sales could substantially recover by the end of
the company’s fiscal second quarter in March.
Similarly, Starbucks says it believes the
company’s same-store sales in China could
recover by the end of its fiscal first quarter in
December. Starbucks’ China same-store sales
were down 19% in the third quarter. (AP)
who emigrated from Cuba at 16.
Previewing his written testimony
in a blog post Tuesday, Bezos
traces his origins as a “garage
inventor” who came up with the
concept of an online bookstore in
1994. He addresses the issue of
Amazon’s power in what he de-
scribes as a huge and competitive
global retail market.
The company accounts for
less than 4% of retail in the US,
Bezos maintains. He affirms
his rebuff to critics who call
for the company to be broken
up: Walmart is more than twice
Amazon’s size, he says.
Bezos initially declined to
testify unless he could appear with
the other CEOs. He’ll likely face
questioning over a Wall Street
Journal report that found Amazon
employees used confidential data
collected from sellers on its online
marketplace to develop competing
products. At a previous hearing,
an Amazon executive denied such
accusation
In the wake of George Floyd’s
doing, or making changes.
For example, if you found
you’re not particularly productive
during regular working hours,
think of ways to mix it up.
You might want to block out
time midday to run errands or
meditate. Or maybe you can work
alternative hours, outside of the
typical 9-to-5. This might be a ne-
cessity for parents as some school
districts plan to start the school
year with virtual learning.
If you haven’t already, establish
an ongoing dialogue with your
manager and colleagues. Hatcher
advises using what you learned
during your evaluation to guide the
conversation.
“Structuring your time is about
setting healthy boundaries person-
ally and setting work boundaries,”
Hatcher says. “And using what you
learned from your time audit can
help you have a data-driven con-
versation with your boss rather than
anecdotal conversation.”
You might have to make compro-
mises, depending on job require-
death and protests against racial
injustice, Facebook’s handling of
hate speech has recently drawn
more fire than issues of com-
petition and privacy, especially
after Facebook’s refusal to take
action on inflammatory Trump
posts that spread misinformation
about voting by mail and, critics
said, encouraged violence against
protesters.
Zuckerberg has said the com-
pany aims to allow as much free
expression as possible unless it
causes imminent risk of specific
harms or damage. “We believe in
values – democracy, competition,
inclusion and free expression –
that the American economy was
built on,” he says in his testimony
prepared for the hearing.
“I understand that people have
concerns about the size and per-
ceived power that tech companies
have,” Zuckerberg’s statement
says. “Ultimately, I believe
companies shouldn’t be making so
many judgments about important
issues like harmful content, pri-
vacy and election integrity on their
own. That’s why I’ve called for a
more active role for governments
and regulators, and updated rules
for the internet.”
European regulators have
concluded that Google manipu-
lated its search engine to gain an
unfair advantage over other online
shopping sites in the e-commerce
market, and fined Google, whose
parent is Alphabet Inc, a record
$2.7 billion. Google has disputed
the findings and is appealing.
Attorneys general from both
parties in 50 states and territories,
led by Texas, launched an antitrust
investigation of Google in Septem-
ber, focused on its online advertis-
ing business.
“Google operates in highly
competitive and dynamic global
markets, in which prices are
free or falling, and products are
constantly improving,” Pichai says
in his written testimony. “Com-
petition in ads – from Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest, Comcast and
others – has helped lower online
advertising costs by 40% over the
last 10 years, with these savings
passed down to consumers through
lower prices.”
Apple, whose iPhone is the
third-largest seller in the world,
faces EU investigations over the
fees charged by its App Store
and technical limitations that
allegedly shut out competitors to
Apple Pay.
“Apple does not have a domi-
nant market share in any market
where we do business,” Cook says.
He is making the case that
the fees Apple charges apps to
sell services and other goods are
reasonable, especially compared
with what other tech companies
collect. In over a decade since the
App Store launched, “we have
never raised the commission or
added a single fee,” Cook says in
his testimony. (AP)
ments, but you’ll be working from a
good starting point.
You may have seen social media
posts saying, “You’re not just
working from home, you’re work-
ing from home in the middle of a
global pandemic.” While that might
come across as a little melodra-
matic, it’s true.
Between managing personal and
financial fears around the corona-
virus pandemic and grappling with
the national conversation around
racial inequity, having to face your
job as if everything is normal can
be exhausting.
Hatcher says: “Things are so
weighty right now. ... We’re so
quick to say, ‘My life is falling
apart but I gotta show up tomor-
row,’ but no, don’t do that. Take a
break.”
If you’re feeling burned out by
work or overwhelmed by the news,
look into taking time off if your
work situation allows. An internet-
free staycation can help you unplug,
center yourself and return to work
refreshed. (AP)

HEALTH
Coronavirus
Virus vanguard
Cape Town ‘learned’
painful lessons early
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 29, (AP): When Cape
Town emerged as Africa’s first coronavirus hot spot, Dr.
Abu Mowlana was surprised by the fear that broke out
among his colleagues.
Morale was crashing among doctors and nurses at
Tygerberg Hospital even as infections surged in May and
June, recalled Mowlana, one of the senior doctors lead-
ing the COVID-19 response there. The staff at the city’s
largest hospital soon was fighting two battles: one against
their own fear and another against the new disease that
was killing their patients.
“It’s scary for the public but it’s scary for all of us,”
he said. “Everybody is scared. The critical-care physician.
The guy in the wards. The guy cleaning. Everybody.”
By the end of June, when the virus
was reaching its peak in Cape Town
and the surrounding Western Cape
province, the area had 62,481 of
South Africa’s 151,209 total cases,
more than 40 percent, according to
government figures. And 1,859 of
South Africa’s 2,657 total deaths at
the time from COVID-19 were in the
province.
Now, as the situation begins to
Nkengasong ease in the continent’s southernmost
tip and the focus shifts to South Af-
rica’s most densely populated province, the doctors in Cape
Town hope their experience can serve as a blueprint for the
rest of their country, as well as Africa’s 1.3 billion people.
Gauteng province, home to Johannesburg, is now Afri-
ca’s worst-affected region. It officially overtook the West-
ern Cape for total virus cases on July 8, and in just three
weeks its caseload has more than doubled to over 160,000
of the country’s 450,000 confirmed infections.
John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, said last week that local trans-
mission has begun in many countries, and once it is seeded
in vulnerable communities such as slums, it “spreads like
wildfire, which is what we’re seeing in South Africa now.”
Admissions
For Tygerberg and other hospitals in Cape Town, how-
ever, there is a decrease in admissions for the first time in
four months, and Mowlana has entertained a thought: “It’s
felt like, yes, we have got this under control.”
That was not the case earlier this year, when sun-seek-
ing tourists from Europe and North America brought the
virus to Cape Town.
Mowlana distinctly remembers two of the first ICU pa-
tients in March were an Uber driver who had ferried tour-
ists to and from the airport and a receptionist at a private
hospital where out-of-towners were treated.
The most important lessons he and other doctors learned
came through tragedy: The first six COVID-19 patients
they put on ventilators died.
“It was tough,” Mowlana said. “People were dying. We
didn’t know what to do. So we tried something else. If A
didn’t work, we tried B.”
Fewer than than 30% of COVID-19 patients put on a
ventilator at Tygerberg survived, he said.
Those early experiences were similar to what was hap-
pening in Italy, Spain and New York, where ventilators
were thought to be the key to saving lives.
They later learned, through trial and error, as did doc-
tors elsewhere, that high-flow oxygen given early through
noninvasive masks and nasal tubes produced much better
results.
Once they had high-flow oxygen, only four out of every
10 seriously ill patients went on ventilators.
In the meantime, workers at the hospital also were get-
ting sick - 600 staff members contracted COVID-19 and
four of them died.
Through July 15, the hospital treated 1,099 patients
with the virus, and 310 died, Mowlana said.
It was a heavy burden for everyone who worked at
Tygerberg, and there was no time to prepare the staff
properly in terms of counseling, Mowlana said, calling it
their biggest non-clinical mistake.
Tygerberg was near the breaking point with 30-40 se-
riously ill COVID-19 patients coming in every day at
the start of July. Hospital officials feared they would be
“overrun,” Mowlana said. The turnaround started, he said,
when staff members who had been quarantined after fall-
ing sick were mentally ready to come back to work.
“Look after your staff,” Mowlana advised hospital ad-
ministrators in places where the virus has yet to hit.
For another Cape Town doctor, learning lessons early
was critical in saving lives.
Vulnerable
A field hospital was opened in June in Khayelitsha, a
poor township of nearly a half-million people on the city’s
neglected outskirts. The residents are among South Af-
rica’s most vulnerable - the poor, the elderly and those
with preexisting health conditions
Dr. Celeste Jonker was the clinical manager of the facil-
ity, where a total of three doctors and eight nurses worked
in around-the-clock shifts to care for as many as 55 pa-
tients at a time at the height of the outbreak. They kept
going even when a storm ripped off part of the roof.
They had already learned about using oxygen, even
with the less-technical breathing machines they had, as
well as how blood-thinning drugs would reduce compli-
cations, Jonker said.
They also learned that turning patients onto their stom-
achs made a difference, even if the procedure was difficult
with their limited staffing because it took several workers
to safely turn a patient struggling to breathe, she said.
“We were able to pick up that this worked, this worked,
this worked,” Jonker said.
Their motto was simple, she said: “Let’s put it all to-
gether in combination and pull our patients through.”
Although 28 people died in the field hospital, at least
138 survived the virus under her watch.
Also:
JOHANNESBURG: A major South African labor union is
threatening to strike after it reported widespread shortages
of personal protective equipment for health workers and
said some were even using garbage bags to protect them-
selves.
This comes as South Africa now has more than
459,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, the world’s fifth
largest caseload.
South Africa’s health ministry in response says it will
improve reporting on shortages and continue efforts to
recruit more health workers. More than 5,000 have been
infected across the country.
“No health worker should be exposed to a work en-
vironment where they have not been provided with suf-
ficient PPE,” the ministry says in response to the report
by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers
Union.
South Africa makes up over half of the reported cases
on the African continent.
In this June 14, 2020 file photo, medical workers attend to a COVID-19 patient in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen. A new snapshot of the frantic
global response to the coronavirus pandemic shows some of the world’s largest government donors of humanitarian assistance are buckling under the strain and
overall aid commitments have dropped by a third from the same period last year. (AP)
This March 16, 2020 file photo shows
vials used by pharmacists to prepare
syringes used on the first day of a
first-stage safety study clinical trial of
the potential vaccine for COVID-19,
the disease caused by the new coro-
navirus, at the Kaiser Permanente
Washington Health Research Institute
in Seattle. The world’s biggest COV-
ID-19 vaccine test got underway Mon-
day, July 27 with the first of 30,000
planned volunteers. (AP)
Reeves Dobbs
Health
‘Distribute 500K masks’: Wyoming
officials plan to distribute 500,000 face
masks to school districts around the state to
help schools reopen during the coronavirus
pandemic.
The cloth face coverings will be wash-
able and help school districts to meet safety
standards for reopening schools this fall,
state officials has said.
The Wyoming Department of Health and
Wyoming Office of Homeland Security ob-
tained the face masks through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. Schools
will get the face masks in early August.
State health officials urge people to use
face masks in public where it’s not possible
or reasonable for people to stay at least 6
feet (2 meters) apart. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ and the US, all bracing their own ICUs
Germany advises on trips: German
authorities are advising against tourist trips
to Catalonia and two other Spanish regions
in light of rising coronavirus infections.
A note posted by the foreign ministry
on Tuesday advises against “nonessential
tourist travel” to Catalonia, its western
neighbor, Aragón, and Navarra in northern
Spain. It cites a rise in infection figures and
“local closures”.
Germany’s advice comes after moves of
varying severity by other European coun-
tries. Over the weekend, Britain imposed
a 14-day quarantine on travelers arriving
from Spain, Norway ordered a 10-day
quarantine for people returning from the
entire Iberian peninsula, and France urged
its citizens not to visit Catalonia. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
COVID-19 closes youth camp: The
coronavirus has shut down a popular youth
summer camp in the Black Hills.
The South Dakota Department of Health
confirms several cases of COVID-19 linked
to Camp Judson, west of Keystone, caused
it to cancel camps.
Health department spokesman Derrick
Haskins said they will continue to inves-
tigate the outbreak and notify people who
had close contact with those who tested
positive.
The First Baptist Church in Sioux Falls,
which has ties to Camp Judson, said in a
Facebook post that three campers, three
counselors and the camp director had tested
positive for COVID-19, the Argus Leader
reported. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ Jakarta, Indonesia on July 29. (AP)
Coronavirus
Early in pandemic, doctors tried to save lives in the dark
Frantic docs traded tips across oceans
By Lauran Neergaard and
Nicole Winfield
A mid the chaos of the pandemic’s
early days, doctors who faced the
first coronavirus onslaught reached
across oceans and language barriers in
an unprecedented effort to advise col-
leagues trying to save lives in the dark.
With no playbook to follow and no
time to wait for research, YouTube
videos describing autopsy findings and
X-rays swapped on Twitter and What-
sApp spontaneously filled the gap.
When Stephen Donelson arrived at
the University of Texas Southwest-
ern Medical Center in mid-March, Dr
Kristina Goff was among those who
turned to what she called “the stories
out of other places that were hit be-
fore.”
Donelson’s family hadn’t left the
house in two weeks after COVID-19
started spreading in Texas, hoping to
shield the organ transplant recipient.
Yet one night, his wife found him
barely breathing, his skin turning blue,
and called 911.
In the overflowing hospitals in New
York or Italy, Goff thinks Donelson
wouldn’t even have qualified for a
then-precious ventilator. But in Dallas,
“we pretty much threw everything we
could at him,” she said.
Like doctors everywhere, Goff was
at the beginning of a huge learning
curve.
“It’s a tsunami. Something that if
you don’t experience it directly, you
can’t understand,” Italian Dr Pier Gior-
gio Villani said in the first of a series
of webinars organized to alert other in-
tensive care units what to expect – just
two weeks after Italy’s first hospital-
ized patient arrived in his ICU, and 10
days before Donelson fell ill in Texas.
The video sessions, organized by an
Italian association of ICUs, GiViTI,
and the nonprofit Mario Negri Institute
and later posted on YouTube, consti-
tute an oral history of Italy’s outbreak
as it unfolded, narrated by the first doc-
tors in Europe to fight the coronavirus.
Italian friends spread the word to
doctors abroad and translations began
for colleagues in Spain, France, Russia
Pop-up facilities eyed: As intensive
care units fill up at hospitals in Mississippi,
state health officials are considering open-
ing pop-up facilities to provide more beds
for coronavirus patients. However, they say
the quality of care at those facilities won’t
be what people are used to.
“If we need sort of a mash-style hundred-
bed facility, where we are putting patients,
An employee checks the body temperature of students before they use free wi-fi
on their mobile phones at Jatirahayu village office in Bekasi on the outskirts of
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
for a flood of patients.
They offered “a privileged window
into the future,” said Dr Diego Casali
of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles, who was directed to the we-
binars when he sought advice from an
Italian front-line friend about how to
prepare.
Every tidbit about the newest baf-
fling symptom, every trick to try,
served as clues as the virus bore down
on the next city, the next country. By
the time Donelson arrived, Goff’s
hospital was adjusting ventilator care
based on that early advice.
But while grateful for the global
swirl of information, Goff also strug-
gled to make sense of conflicting ex-
periences.
“You have no idea how to interpret
what went right or what went wrong,”
she said, “or was it just the native
course of the disease?”
Doctors in Italy were confused: Re-
ports from China were suggesting a
death rate of about 3% among those
infected. But for the first 18 days, only
the dead left the ICU at Bergamo’s
Pope John XXIII Hospital.
Practice
While the toll eventually dropped,
30% of the hospital’s initial 510 COV-
ID-19 patients died.
After decades in practice, ICU chief
Dr Luca Lorini thought he knew how
to treat the dangerous kind of respira-
tory failure – called ARDS, or acute
respiratory distress syndrome – first
thought to be the main threat.
“Every night, I would go home
and I had the doubt that I had gotten
something wrong,” Lorini said. “Try
to imagine: I am all alone and I can’t
compare it with France because the vi-
rus wasn’t there, or Spain or the UK or
America, or with anyone who is closer
to me than China.”
By February, China had filed only
a limited number of medical journal
reports on how patients were faring.
Lorini’s hospital tried to fill the gap by
dividing patients into small groups to
receive different forms of supportive
care and comparing them – not a sci-
entific study, but some real-time infor-
mation to share.
we will take the necessary steps to do that,”
Gov Tate Reeves said last week. “Keep in
mind, the quality of care in those facilities is
not going to be the same level as if you go to
a level one facility in Mississippi today.”
Nine of Mississippi’s largest hospitals
did not have any intensive care beds. At the
peak of the virus, states like New York and
New Jersey opened up additional facili-
13
The first lessons: The coronavirus
wasn’t causing typical ARDS, and
patients consequently needed gentler
ventilation than normal, for longer
than usual.
Mid-March brought a startling sur-
prise: In a training video for US car-
diologists, Chinese doctors warned
that the virus causes dangerous blood
clots, and not just in the lungs. They
urged American doctors to use blood
thinners protectively in the severely ill.
“We’re learning as we go,” said Dr
Tiffany Osborn, a critical care physi-
cian at Washington University School
of Medicine in St Louis. “You could
talk to me in two weeks and I might
be telling you something that’s really
different.”
When Stephen Donelson arrived in
the Dallas hospital, “we had very little
hope for him,” Goff said. He was bat-
tling against the ventilator’s artificial
breaths, so Goff deeply sedated him to
let the machine do all the work.
Hospital after hospital had struggled
with balancing how to get enough air
into oxygen-starved coronavirus pa-
tients without further damaging fragile
lungs. One procedure that helped is
proning – turning patients from their
backs to their stomachs to take pres-
sure off the lungs.
Donelson stayed on his belly about
16 hours a day early on, as his doctors
watched his oxygen levels improve.
Hospitals that specialize in treat-
ing ARDS knew how to prone before
COVID-19 hit. For many others, it was
a brand-new skill.
“We’ve never had to prone anyone
here before the pandemic, but now it’s
like second nature,” said Kevin Cole,
a respiratory therapist at Maryland’s
Fort Washington Medical Center.
Even now, months into the pan-
demic first wave, Goff is humbled at
how difficult it remains to predict who
will live and who will die. She can’t
explain why Donelson, who finally
went home after a 90-day ordeal, was
ultimately one of the lucky ones.
“Until we have large, population-
based studies of actual outcomes, it’s
really hard to know what’s real and
what’s not real,” Goff said. (AP)
ties to house patients. Nearby, Georgia is
looking to a convention center in Atlanta to
house overflow patients.
State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said
Monday numbers of hospitalizations —
961 coronavirus patients in ICUs, as of last
week — were “stable” for now. He attrib-
uted much of that to a 300-patient decrease
in non-coronavirus patients statewide in
Mississippi hospitals in the last week.
Health officials in Mississippi said
they are going to try to find open space in
hospitals for additional beds before moving
patients elsewhere. The challenges of open-
ing pop-up facilities would be addressing
equipment and staffing logistics, among
other things. (AP)
❑ ❑
Virus hits detention center: Authori-
ties in Iowa reported an outbreak of corona-
virus at Iowa’s detention center and school
for male juvenile offenders in Eldora.
Twelve students and five staff members
at Eldora Boys State Training School have
tested positive for the virus, television
station KCCI reported. The first case at the
facility was reported last week.
All students and staff at the center are
now being tested, officials said. The school
holds about 70 youth from across the state.
News of the outbreak comes as state
health data released Tuesday showed seven
more COVID-19 deaths and another 253
confirmed cases from the day before. The
latest figures bring the state’s totals to 836
deaths and 42,738 confirmed cases since
the outbreak began. (AP)

SCIENCE
Space
Space Camp in danger
Virgin Galactic shows
off cabin ‘amenities’
LOS ANGELES, July 29, (Agencies): Passengers flying
Virgin Galactic on suborbital trips into space will be able
to see themselves floating weightless against the backdrop
of the Earth below while 16 cameras document the adven-
tures, the company said Tuesday.
Highly detailed amenities to enhance the customer flight
experience were shown in an online event revealing the
cabin of the company’s rocket plane, a type called Space-
ShipTwo, which is undergoing testing in preparation for
commercial service.
There are a dozen windows for viewing, seats that will be
customized for each flight’s six passengers and capable of
adjusting for G forces, and, naturally, mood lighting.
Yet designer Jeremy Brown said the passengers’ most
lasting impression may come from a
large mirror at the rear of the cabin.
“We think that there’s a real mem-
ory burn that customers are going to
have when they see that analog re-
flection of themselves in the back of
the cabin, seeing themselves floating
freely in space ... that very personal
interaction that they’ll have with the
experience,” he said.
Virgin Galactic was founded by
British billionaire Richard Branson
Branson after the prize-winning flights of the
experimental SpaceShipOne in 2004.
Branson plans to be the first passenger when commercial
flights begin.
Like its predecessor, SpaceShipTwo is a rocket plane
that is slung beneath a special jet airplane and released at
high altitude.
After a moment of free fall, the two pilots ignite the
rocket and the craft pitches up and accelerates vertically at
supersonic speed.
The rocket shuts down but momentum carries the craft
into the lower reaches of space where it flips upside down
so that the windows on the roof of the cabin give a view of
the Earth far below.
The passengers, clad in space suits designed by the Un-
der Armour company, will be able to leave their seats and
float about the cabin, using handholds tested by chief astro-
naut trainer Beth Moses during Virgin Galactic’s second
flight into space last year.
The test was aimed at helping finalize the design and at
learning how to train passenger astronauts for what they
will experience as they become weightless and reach the
top of the flight profile, known as its apogee, before the
descent begins.
Moses said she tested different ways of getting in and
out of the seats, moved around the cabin and waved at the
mirror, concluding that it was not disorienting.
“I also purposely went to a point in the cabin to most
dramatically try to enjoy apogee and a view of Earth from
the stillness of space,” she said.
Unpowered
The passengers will need to return to their seats after a
few minutes as the craft reorients and begins to interact
with the increasing density of the atmosphere and then
glides to an unpowered landing.
SpaceShipTwo was developed at Virgin Galactic facili-
ties in Mojave, California, and will operate commercially
from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico, where
passengers will undergo several days of training before
their flights.
George Whitesides, the former longtime company CEO
who is now its chief space officer, said upcoming test
flights will include four crew members playing the role of
passengers.
Whitesides, who will now focus on future technology,
recently handed the CEO role to Michael Colglazier, a
former president and managing director of Disney Parks
International.
The company has yet to set a date for flights with paying
passengers.
The company has said more than 600 people have put
down deposits. The initial seats were sold at $250,000
apiece. Whitesides said the cost may increase for a while
but the long-term goal is to make the adventure more ac-
cessible, possibly at a lower cost.
Virgin Galactic’s founder, Richard Branson, had initially
suggested that he hoped to see a maiden flight by the end of
2009, but this date was delayed for several years, most seri-
ously by the October 2014 in-flight loss of SpaceShipTwo
VSS Enterprise. Branson stated that Virgin Galactic was “in
the best position in the world” to provide rocket-powered,
point-to-point 3000 mph air travel on Earth. Finally, on Dec
13 2018, VSS Unity achieved the project’s first suborbital
space flight, VSS Unity VP-03, with two pilots, reaching an
altitude of 82.7 kilometres (51.4 mi), and officially entering
outer space by US standards. The project carried three peo-
ple including a passenger in February 2019 on VSS Unity
VF-01, with a member of the team floating within the cabin
during a spaceflight that reached 89.9 kilometres (55.9 mi).
Also:
BIRMINGHAM, Ala: Space Camp, an educational program
attended by nearly 1 million people, including a dozen who
went on to become astronauts or cosmonauts, said Tuesday
it’s in danger of closing without a cash infusion because of
the coronavirus pandemic.
Part of the state-owned US Space and Rocket Center in
Huntsville, Space Camp was shut down for weeks earlier
this year and has been hampered by low attendance since
reopening in June with limited capacity, officials said.
With most of its typical staff slashed and the normal flow
of international students and school groups down to noth-
ing for the fall because of the virus, leaders held a news
conference announcing a “Save Space Camp” drive.
Officials hope to raise at least $1.5 million in donations
they said were needed to keep the museum open through
October, the end of the fiscal year, and to reopen Space
Camp in April.
“We are now struggling for our very survival,” said John
Nerger, chair of a state board that oversees the center. Do-
nors gave nearly $100,000 within a couple hours of the an-
nouncement.
Located near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the
museum features exhibits including an authentic Saturn V
rocket, the Apollo 16 command module and a full-sized
model of a space shuttle. Space Camp students have access
to that area plus classes and mockups where they partici-
pate in simulated space missions.
Since opening in 1982, Space Camp has had almost 1
million youth and adult attendees, and it was the inspiration
for a 1986 movie of the same name. Ten people selected
as astronauts and two who went on to become cosmonauts
attended the camp, promoters said.
“Space Camp is Huntsville’s most visible calling card,”
said Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell, who worked
as marketing director for the attraction in its early days.
With government coffers lean because of decreased tax
revenues, leaders hope corporations that are part of north
Alabama’s aerospace industry will donate to the fundrais-
ing drive. But Nerger said the center, which is self-sustain-
ing and doesn’t receive government money for operations,
also is counting on private donations.
This undated photo released by Virgin Galactic shows the interior of their SpaceshipTwo Cabin during a flight. Highly detailed amenities to enhance the customer
experience were shown in an online event Tuesday, July 28, revealing the cabin of the company’s rocket plane, a type called SpaceShipTwo, which is undergo-
ing testing in preparation for commercial service. There are a dozen windows for viewing, seats capable of being customized to each of six passengers and mood
A bumblebee flies near a laven-
der bush in the International Peace
Gardens in Salt Lake City, Utah on
July 17. A federal review of existing
data unveils an alarming trend for
the western bumblebee population,
which has seen its numbers dwindle
by as much as 93% in the last two
decades. The Deseret News reports
the find by the US Geological Sur-
vey will help inform a species status
assessment to begin this fall by the
US Fish and Wildlife Service, which
may ultimately add the insect to its
endangered species list. (AP)
Raimondo Grisham
Discovery
Testing supplies run short: Officials
with major health care providers in Albu-
querque, New Mexico, has said they are
having to temporarily stop COVID-19
testing for people who are asymptomatic
as the number of confirmed cases in the
state rise.
An unanticipated disruption in testing
supplies has forced University of New
Mexico Hospital, Presbyterian and
Lovelace health system locations to limit
testing to only people who show symp-
toms. Presbyterian also will continue
testing for those who have been exposed
to someone with a confirmed infection.
Statewide, New Mexico has been
ramping up testing over recent weeks,
building up the capacity to test several
thousand people a day. Nearly 490,000
tests have been done since the pandemic
began.
The health care systems in Albuquer-
que are telling people without symptoms
or known exposure, as well as workers
looking for clearance by their employers,
to check the New Mexico Department
of Health website for alternative testing
locations. Governor of New Mexico is
Michelle Lujan Grisham.
For most people, the new coronavirus
causes mild or moderate symptoms such
as fever and cough. For some, especially
older adults and people with existing
health problems, it can cause more severe
illness, including pneumonia, and death.
The number of infections is thought to
be far higher because many people have
not been tested. Studies suggest people
can be infected with the virus without
feeling sick. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑
Restaurant bans emus: An Austral-
ian Outback restaurant has banned emus
for “bad behavior,” and erected barriers
to prevent the large, flightless birds from
creating havoc inside.
Locals and tourists have been bemused
by the antics of the emus eager to steal
lighting. (AP)
Health
Experimental test highly accurate
Experts get closer to blood test for Alz’s
NEW YORK, July 29, (AP): An
experimental blood test was highly
accurate at distinguishing people
with Alzheimer’s disease from those
without it in several studies, boost-
ing hopes that there soon may be
a simple way to help diagnose this
most common form of dementia.
Developing such a test has been
a long-sought goal, and scientists
warn that the new approach still
needs more validation and is not yet
ready for wide use.
But Tuesday’s results suggest
they’re on the right track. The testing
identified people with Alzheimer’s
vs. no dementia or other types of it
with accuracy ranging from 89% to
98%.
“That’s pretty good. We’ve never
seen that” much precision in previ-
ous efforts, said Maria Carrillo, the
Alzheimer’s Association’s chief sci-
ence officer.
Dr. Eliezer Masliah, neuroscience
chief at the US National Institute on
Aging, agreed.
“The data looks very encourag-
ing,” he said. The new testing “ap-
pears to be even more sensitive and
more reliable” than earlier methods,
but it needs to be tried in larger, more
diverse populations, he said.
The institute had no role in these
studies but financed earlier, basic
research toward blood test develop-
ment.
Results were discussed at the Al-
zheimer’s Association International
Conference taking place online be-
cause of the coronavirus pandemic.
Some results also were published in
the Journal of the American Medical
Association.
More than 5 million people in the
United States and many more world-
wide have Alzheimer’s. Current
food from people in Yaraka, a remote
Queensland state outpost with a perma-
nent population of 18.
But things took an intolerable turn last
week when two of the birds, Carol and
Kevin, discovered they could climb the
front stairs of the Yaraka Hotel, publican
Chris Gimblett said Tuesday.
“They’re learnt to walk up the front
steps of the hotel, which has been caus-
ing just a few issues,” especially with the
amount of their waste, he said.
Gimblett solved the problem by string-
ing a rope across the top of the stairs.
In this image from video provided by Washington University, researcher Nicolas
Barthelemy works on a p-tau217 test for Alzheimer’s disease at a laboratory in
St. Louis, Mo, on July 27. (AP)
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
drugs only temporarily ease symp-
toms and do not slow mental decline.
The disease is usually diagnosed
through tests of memory and think-
ing skills, but that’s very imprecise
and usually involves a referral to a
neurologist. More reliable methods
such as spinal fluid tests and brain
scans are invasive or expensive, so a
simple blood test that could be done
in a family doctor’s office would be
a big advance.
Last year, scientists reported en-
couraging results from experimental
blood tests that measure abnormal
versions of amyloid, one of two
proteins that build up and damage
Alzheimer’s patients’ brains. The
new work focuses on the other pro-
tein - tau - and finds that one form of
it called p-tau217 is a more reliable
indicator. Several companies and
universities have developed experi-
mental p-tau217 tests.
Outperformed
Dr Oskar Hansson of Lund Uni-
versity in Sweden led a study of
Eli Lilly’s test on more than 1,400
people already enrolled in dementia
studies in Sweden, Arizona and Co-
lombia. They included people with
no impairment, mild impairment,
Alzheimer’s and other neurological
diseases.
The p-tau217 test outperformed a
host of other measures for indicating
which patients had Alzheimer’s as
verified by brain scans. It also was
comparable to the brain scans and
some spinal tests in accuracy.
The Arizona portion of the study
included 81 people who had donated
their brains upon death, so research-
ers were able to show that blood
testing while they were alive closely
matched evidence of disease later.
A sign advises customers to replace the
rope once they enter because “emus have
been banned from this establishment for
bad behavior.”
The inquisitive emus are not yet clever
enough to duck under the rope to get
inside the restaurant.
While Australian occasionally have
a parrot in the bar, emus are not indoor
birds.
“When emus get a fright, they head
in a forward direction but are normally
looking behind so they can’t see where
they’re going and this is where chaos can
14
The Colombia part of the study in-
cluded people with a rare gene that
virtually destines them to develop
Alzheimer’s at a young age, typi-
cally in their 40s. In those with the
gene, p-tau217 blood levels started
to rise “around 20 years before
symptoms,” Hansson said.
The study’s sponsors include the
US National Institutes of Health,
Swedish government health groups,
the Alzheimer’s Association, many
foundations and several companies.
Some study leaders work for Lilly or
consult for the company.
Two other research groups inde-
pendently reported evidence for p-
tau217 testing at the conference.
Scientists at the University of
California, San Francisco, found it
helped distinguish people with Al-
zheimer’s from those with another
neurological disease - frontotempo-
ral lobar degeneration – with 96%
accuracy in a study of 617 people.
Dr Suzanne Schindler of Washing-
ton University in St Louis, Missouri,
also found p-tau217 better than some
other indicators for revealing which
patients had plaques in the brain –
the hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
“When patients come to me with
changes in their memory and think-
ing, one of the major questions is,
what’s the cause? Is it Alzheimer’s
disease or is it something else?”
she said. If tau testing bears out, “it
would help us diagnose people ear-
lier and more accurately.”
Schindler has already launched a
larger study in a diverse population
in St Louis. Researchers have done
the same in Sweden.
If benefits are confirmed, Masliah,
Carrillo and others say they hope a
commercial test would be ready for
wide use in about two years.
happen,” Gimblett said. “They bump into
everything.” (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑
Report questions program: A
Rhode Island college-debt tax-credit
program that will end this year unless it’s
extended in the state budget received a
questionable review from the state Office
of Revenue Analysis.
Gov Gina Raimondo has proposed
extending the Wavemaker Fellowship for
three years and granting access to math
and science teachers, the Providence
Journal reported.
However, it is unclear if the fellowship
has incentivized hiring or convinced peo-
ple to work in Rhode Island, according to
a 61-page report by the state office.
The Wavemaker program provides
yearly refundable tax credits for four
years to full-time Rhode Island employ-
ees with a degree in science, technology,
engineering or math. Associate-degree
holders are eligible for $1,000, bachelor-
degree holders are eligible for $4,000,
and master-degree holders are eligible
for $6,000.
“In the case of the Wavemaker
Fellowship program, it is difficult to
determine how much the program af-
fects an individual’s decision to work
in Rhode Island,” the report stated. “It
is not unreasonable to think that this tax
incentive is large enough to impact such
a decision, given the maximum credit/
refund allowed over a 4-year period.”
The report analyzed $1.5 million
in Wavemaker tax credits awarded to
participants in 2017 and 2018. Of the 395
participants in those two years, 8% lived
out of state and worked in the state, and
11% in 2018. (AP)
 Less packed with star-studded H’wood features

Venice Film Fest unveils selections for September fete

LOS ANGELES, July 29, (AP): The American frontier drama “The
World to Come,” the Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren comedy-drama
“The Duke,” Gia Coppola’s “Mainstream,” and the Shia LaBeouf and
Vanessa Kirby drama “Pieces of a Woman” are among the films set to
premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September, the
first major event of its kind since the coronavirus pandemic forced the
cancellation of large gatherings worldwide, organizers said Tuesday.
The selections for the 77th edition, which launches Sept 2 on the
Venice Lido, are more global and less packed with star-studded Hol-
lywood features than in years past as a result of the ongoing virus out-
break, festival director Alberto Barbera acknowledged.
“This year, to borrow Bob Dylan’s words, the program contains
Film
der parity in the past.
The films this year, Barbera said, “were selected exclusively on the
basis of their quality and not as a result of gender protocols. This is an
unprecedented percentile which we hope augurs well for a future cin-
ema that is free of any sort of prejudice and discrimination.”
Competition
Competition films hail from Japan (Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Wife of a
Spy”), Russia (Andrei Konchalovsky’s “Dear Comrades”) Iran (Majid
Majidi’s “Sun Child”), Poland (Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal
Englert’s “Never Gonna Snow Again”) and Israel (Amos Gitai’s “Laila
in Haifa”).
The festival will implement various modifications due to ongoing
concerns about COVID-19, including a slightly slimmed-down official
competition, a reduced number of sections and the addition of two out-
door screening venues, in addition to its traditional venues. Organizers
said they will also be adhering to safety measures established by local
authorities. “Until a short while ago, even the certainty of maintaining
the late-summer appointment with Venice’s Festival was anything but
a given,” Barbera said.
And it will be a decidedly different festival than in the past couple of
years, where A-List stars from Brad Pitt to Lady Gaga have put on their
finest for red carpet premieres. Netflix, which had a major presence last
year with “Marriage Story,” “The Laundromat” and “The King,” is

multitudes: of movies, of genres, of points of view,” Barbera said at a
Tuesday morning news conference. “There will be auteur films, com-
edies, documentaries, horror flicks, gangster movies, and so on.”
Films premiering in competition include Chloe Zhao’s “Nomad-
land;” Nicole Garcia’s “Lovers,” with Stacy Martin; Susanna Nicchi-
arelli’s “Miss Marx,” with Romola Garai as Karl Marx’s daughter El-
eanor; and Mona Fastvold’s “The World to Come,” about two women
who forge a connection in isolation in the mid-19th century. Based on
Jim Shepard’s short story, it also stars Kirby, best known for playing
Princess Margaret in “The Crown,” Katherine Waterston and Casey
Affleck.
Barbera noted that almost half of the competition film selections this
year are directed by women. The festival has had notoriously poor gen-
Cate Blanchett will be presiding over the main competition jury
alongside filmmakers Joanna Hogg, Veronika Franz, Christian Pet-
zold and Cristi Puiu, actor Ludivine Sagnier and writer Nicola Lagioia.
They will together decide on the coveted Golden Lion award, which
last went to Todd Phillips’ “Joker.”
Out-of-competition selections include Luca Guadagnino’s Salvatore
Ferragamo documentary “The Shoemaker of Dreams,” Nathan Gross-
man’s “Greta,” about climate activist Greta Thunberg and Alex Gib-
ney’s “Crazy, Not Insane,” about a psychiatrist who works with serial
killers like Ted Bundy.
Gia Coppola’s “Mainstream,” with Andrew Garfield and Maya
Hawke, will debut in the Horizons section, which spotlights newcom-
ers.
also absent this year.
“A few spectacular movies will be missing, blocked by the lock-
down which still affects the programming of the most-awaited Hol-
lywood releases. A few cast members of the invited movies won’t be
able to attend because of the ongoing limitations on intercontinental
travel,” Barbera said.
“The decision to hold the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival is
experienced like a sign of confidence in - and concrete support of - the
world of film and the audiovisual industry,” Barbera said.
The festival will open with an Italian film for the first time in over a
decade: the marital drama “The Ties,” from director Daniele Luchetti
and starring Alba Rohrwacher will premiere on the Lido on Sept. 2. It
runs through Sept. 12.

Variety
Features

This image released by HBO shows Jeremy Irons in a scene from ‘Watchmen.’ Irons was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie on July 28. (AP)

Television

Netflix bags a record-setting 160 nods

LONDON: Some Twitter users
are staging a 48-hour boycott of
the platform over its handling of a
stream of anti-Semitic comments
that were posted on British rapper
‘Watchmen’ leads Emmy nominations
Wiley’s social media accounts. LOS ANGELES, July 29, (AP): “Watchmen,” cloaked supporting and guest performances in drama, comedy other than the reality - and a distraction,” she said. “Also,
The boycott, under the hashtag in superhero mythology and grounded in real-world rac- and limited series or TV movie. At slightly more than it’s given some optimism to people and some hope.”
#NoSafeSpaceForHate, followed ism, received a leading 26 nominations Tuesday for the 34 percent of nominees, that bettered the 2018 record of “The Good Place,” which also came to an end, earned
complaints that Twitter was too prime-time Emmy Awards. just under 28 percent of Black actors in those categories. a best comedy bid and, for Ted Danson, a best comedy
slow to remove offensive material. The HBO series, which captured America’s deep un- In sharp contrast, few other people of color were rec- actor nomination. Danson was a two-time Emmy winner
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

Some offensive material was also
posted on Instagram.
UK Home Secretary Priti Patel
has written to the social media com-
panies demanding an explanation
as to the speed of their response.
Some of Wiley’s posts were visible
for more than 12 hours before being
removed.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson
did not take part in the boycott, as he
needed to communicate “important
public health messages,” his Down-
ing Street office said.
“But at the same time we have set
out very clearly that Twitter’s per-
formance has not been good enough
in response to the anti-Semitic com-
ments made by Wiley and it needs
to do much better,” his spokesman
James Slack said.
London’s Metropolitan Police are
investigating.
Twitter banned the grime artist
for seven days after posts Friday and
Saturday. He was also dropped by
his management company.
The 41-year-old artist, whose
real name is Richard Cowie, is
known as the Godfather of Grime.
He received an MBE for services
to music in 2018. Wiley first tasted
success as a member of UK garage
crew Pay As U Go, with whom he
had a top 40 hit, “Dance” in 2001.
Wiley has continued to make
grime music while also releas-
ing mainstream singles, such as
the UK Singles Chart top 10 hits
“Wearing My Rolex”, “Never
Be Your Woman”, and his UK
number-one “Heatwave”. Wiley’s
eleventh album, Godfather (2017),
peaked at number nine on the
UK Albums Chart, becoming
his highest-charting album of his
career, and also won an “Outstand-
ing Contribution to Music” award
by NME.
Regarded as a pioneer in the Brit-
ish underground music scene with
a prolific work rate and a versatile
music artist with many crossover
hits.
Neither Twitter nor Facebook,
the parent company of Instagram,
ease as it faces racial and political discord amid a pan-
demic, was nominated as best limited series and received
bids for cast members including Regina King and Jeremy
Irons.
King was part of a vanguard of actors of color indi-
cating that TV academy voters took heed of the social
climate.
“Zendaya!” exclaimed Emmy announcement host
Leslie Jones, her gleeful reaction to the “Euphoria” star’s
nomination as best actress in a drama. “This is a great
day,” Jones said.
She was part of a socially distanced, virtual release of
nominees that was online, not on television as is usual.
But nothing is usual during a coronavirus era that has
brought Hollywood production to a virtual standstill and
is making the Emmys and other awards grasp for alterna-
tives.
The strong showing by Netflix’s “Ozark” helped the
streaming service achieve a record-setting 160 nomina-
tions that bested onetime perennial leader HBO, which
earned 107 nods. Netflix, although the Emmy veteran
among streamers, has yet to win a best comedy or drama
series trophy.
Streaming newcomer Apple TV+ earned attention in
its first season with Jennifer Aniston’s best drama actress
bid for “The Morning Show.” Another streaming new-
bie, Disney+, saw its Star Wars franchise spinoff, “The
Mandalorian,” claim a best drama nomination among its
hefty 15 total nods.
The Amazon comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is
the second most-nominated series with 20, followed by
Netflix’s “Ozark” with 18.
“This year, we are also bearing witness to one of the
greatest fights for social justice in history. And it is our
duty to use this medium for change,” Frank Scherma,
chairman and CEO of the Television Academy said at
the outset of the presentation.
The acting categories included a record number of
Black nominees, 35, among the 102 contenders for lead,
could immediately be reached for
comment. (Agencies)
❑ ❑ ❑ has not kept in touch with prosecu-
NEW ORLEANS: A man arrested
last year in an alleged assault on
comedian Andy Dick won’t be
prosecuted, a spokesman for New
Orleans’ district attorney said
Tuesday.
Ken Daley, spokesman for Dis- Dick
ognized. Among them: Sandra Oh, repeating as a best in the 1990s for “Cheers.”
actress nominee for “Killing Eve,” and Dev Patel, who
received a comedy guest actor nod for “Modern Love.” The farewell was less fond for other shows that
Kerry Washington’s four nominations covered a wide wrapped last season, with no major bids for “Modern
range, including lead actress for “Little Fires Every- Family,” “Homeland” or “Silicon Valley.”
where” and for her production company’s work on the But the late Fred Willard received a nomination for his
limited series and other programs. “Modern Family” guest appearance, his fifth prime-time
Washington said she was most emotional about the Emmy nod during his long and admired career.
posthumous nomination for “Little Fires Everywhere” The eight nods for “Unorthodox,” a limited series
director Lynn Shelton, who died from a blood disorder about a dissatisfied Orthodox Jewish woman, may reflect
in May.
the virus-quarantine downtime that drew Emmy voters
“For the academy to acknowledge her in her pass- to shows they might otherwise overlooked, said Daniel
ing, deservedly so, it’s really moving. We’re at a moment
Fienberg, chief TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter.
where we so desperately need the voices of storytellers
from marginalized communities: women directors, peo- A far different pop-culture phenomenon also was a
likely beneficiary.
ple of color,” Washington said.
“A show like ‘Tiger King,’ for example, which got a
Diversity handful of nominations, It’s not really all that great, but it
Billy Porter, who last year became the first openly gay
absolutely was the junk food that people were craving at
man to win the top drama series acting prize, was nomi- the beginning of this quarantine period,” Fienberg said.
nated again this year for “Pose.”
Joining Jones on Tuesday were presenters Laverne
Diversity was especially notable in the comedy cat- Cox (“Orange is the New Black”), Josh Gad (“Frozen”)
egories after being nearly absent last year.
and Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”). Cox, Gad and
“Ramy,” which finds nuanced humor in a young Mus-
lim American’s crisis of identity and faith, earned a best Maslany appeared on by video feeds.
actor bid for its star and co-creator, Ramy Youssef. Issa Among the honorees whose nomination collided with
Rae returned to the best comedy actress category for her current events: Brad Pitt earned a nod for a guest ap-
series “Insecure,” which earned a best comedy bid. pearance playing Dr. Anthony Fauci on “Saturday Night
“Schitt’s Creek,” the quirky little show that went with- Live.”
out Emmy recognition until last year, received 15 nomi- Other shows competing for best comedy series are:
nations for its final season, including for best comedy se- “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; Dead to Me”; “The Good
ries and lead acting nods for Eugene Levy and Catherine Place”; “Insecure”; “The Kominsky Method” and “What
O’Hara.
We Do in the Shadows.”
“You just don’t expect it. You cant expect it, so what
a great surprise,” said O’Hara, who spoke from Canada, The nominees for best drama series are: “Better Call
where she and her family are living lakeside. She cred- Saul”; “The Crown”; “Killing Eve”; “The Handmaid’s
ited TV for its role during the pandemic. Tale”; “The Mandalorian”; “Ozark”; “Stranger Things”;
“I think all the streaming and broadcasting that we “Succession.”
have watched in these last months has brought a lot of The Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be
much needed laughter, a chance to cry - about something presented Sept. 20 on ABC.
trict Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s case could be revived if Dick re- There was not an immedi-
office, said in a statement that Dick establishes contact with the district ate response Tuesday evening to
attorney’s office. messages seeking comment that
tors and hasn’t been cooperative, “We have long believed that the news outlet submitted through
The Times-Picayune/The New this matter was only a case due to Dick’s website and by email to a
Orleans Advocate reported. the infamy of the alleged victim,” management agency.
Video recorded outside a attorneys Michael Kennedy and Dick is best known as a comic,
French Quarter night club last Miles Swanson said in a statement he is also known for his eccentric
August showed the comedian being on behalf of Hale. “For the first time behavior, drug addiction, and
knocked unconscious. in almost 12 months, Mr Hale will sexual misconduct allegations and
Wiley Daley’s statement said the be able to rest easy tonight.” arrests. (Agencies)

NEWS/FEATURES
People & Places
Emmys
Quibi showered love
‘Homeland’ gets a
low-key send-off
By Mark Kennedy
T he Emmy Award nominations announced Tues-
day included some snubs and surprises.
“The Mandalorian” – maybe thanks to Baby Yoda
– snagged a surprising 15 nominations, mostly techni-
cal nods for things like production design, costumes,
stunts, makeup and cinematography.
But it also earned Disney+ a nod for guest actor in
a drama series for Giancarlo Esposito and a spot in the
best drama race. It had gotten no nominations at the
Golden Globes.
“The Mandalorian” stars Pedro Pascal as the mys-
terious title character, navigating his way through the
Star Wars galaxy. The show has helped boost Disney
and proven that there is a lot
more life in the Star Wars fran-
chise outside of the Skywalker
Saga.
One of the hit characters
from the show resembles a
baby version of Yoda. A sec-
ond season for “The Mandalo-
rian” is coming in October
HBO’s “Watchmen”, an
adaptation of one of the most
acclaimed graphic novels of
Pascal all time, was ignored by the
Golden Globe voters but not
by the Emmys.
The dark superhero tale earned a leading 26 nomi-
nations, including for cinematography, costumes,
original music, three for directing and three for edit-
ing.
Jeremy Irons and Regina King got lead actor nods,
while Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Jovan Adepo, Jean Smart
and Louis Gossett Jr earned supporting nods. “Watch-
men” was also nominated for outstanding limited se-
ries.
The show follows a group of masked vigilantes
with no real superpowers and addresses race relations
in a way that proved to be extremely timely.
Despite glowing reviews from critics, HBO’s adap-
tation proved to be divisive among some comic book
fans. Some disdainful viewers were frustrated that
showrunner Damon Lindelof’s “Watchmen” was too
political.
Installments
Quibi, the mobile phone-only platform that offers
installments of movies and TV shows in 10 minutes or
less, found itself long on Emmy admiration.
The platform was launched at the beginning of the
coronavirus pandemic and has endured a rocky start,
with fewer subscribers than hoped. The company
submitted more than a dozen shows for Emmy con-
sideration and got a healthy 10 nods, mostly in the
short form comedy or drama categories. Laurence
Fishburne, Jasmine Cephas Jones and Stephan James
all got nominations for the police drama “#FreeRay-
shawn”, while Christoph Waltz got a nod for “Most
Dangerous Game” and Corey Hawkins for “Survive”.
Anna Kendrick earned a nomination for “Dummy”,
Kaitlin Olson for “Flipped” and Kerri Kenney-Silver for
a reboot of “Reno 911!” In addition, “Most Dangerous
Game” and “Reno 911!” also earned outstanding short
form comedy or drama nods. Quibi earned as many nom-
inations as Comedy Central and BBC America.
That represents a success for Quibi’s creators Jef-
frey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, who have been
pushing for the platform to finally get some buzz and
recognition. In its first year, that’s no small accom-
plishment. Rising star Zendaya has gotten her first
Emmy Award nomination and now she gets to hang
with royalty – well, at least fellow nominee Olivia
Colman as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Crown”.
The star of HBO’s teenage drama “Euphoria” had
previously won Teen Choice Awards and a Nickelo-
deon Kids’ Choice Award for roles in “Spider-Man:
Homecoming”, “Rewrite the Stars” and “The Greatest
Showman”. Now the 23-year-old has an outstanding
lead actress Emmy nod.
“Euphoria” follows a group of suburban high school
students as they try to construct an identity amid shift-
ing allegiances and a backdrop saturated with social
media. The show stars former Disney Channel star
Zendaya as Rue, an on-and-off recovering drug addict
who narrates her life.
“I’m honestly speechless,” Zendaya said on Twitter.
“My heart is just overflowing with love and gratitude.
I’m so incredibly honored to work beside the talented
people that I get to call family. I am a small piece of a
big beautiful puzzle and I’m so proud of all of you.”
Quantum mechanics is not often the subject of a TV
series, and Emmy voters chose to largely ignore the
cerebral FX series “Devs”.
The show starring Nick Offerman earned only four
nominations, including for sound editing, special visu-
al effects, cinematography and sound mixing.
Alex Garland, who wrote and directed each epi-
sode, created an absorbing meditation on the very es-
sence of human existence and free will, all hidden in
an elegant techno-thriller. But it got no cheers in the
best limited series category.
Fans of Garland’s breakthrough film “Ex Machina”
found familiar stylish fingerprints: Unrushed story-
telling, cool menace, elegant doses of philosophy, an
affinity with darkness and stillness, profound musical
choices and striking visual effects. But some critics
were put off by its pretense and air of detachment.
Documentary
Michael Jordan proved his competitive pull once
more as the ESPN documentary “The Last Dance”
earned three Emmy nominations.
The documentary won nominations for outstanding
documentary, documentary directing and editing.
The 10-part docuseries, airing on ESPN in the Unit-
ed States and on Netflix elsewhere, details the 1998
Bulls’ season, Jordan’s final year with the team and
the organization’s last championship.
It was ESPN’s most watched documentary ever.
The series was also a hit on social media. It was the
trending topic on Twitter for five straight Sundays.
The network moved up the docuseries to April from
June in order to fill the void left after most sports were
shut down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Homeland” ended its eight-season run on Show-
time this April, but the Emmys didn’t give it much of
a goodbye gift.
The show earned just one nomination – for direct-
ing. Star Claire Danes will not win a third Emmy in
her role as CIA analyst Carrie Mathison, nor will
Mandy Patinkin get a statuette for his Saul Berenson.
“Homeland” over its run has won eight Emmy
awards – for outstanding drama series, writing, editing
and casting, among the trophies. Danes won back-to-
back awards for best actress in a drama from 2012-13
and co-star Damian Lewis won once. (AP)
Shakira (left), and Jennifer Lopez perform during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 54 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers in
Miami Gardens, Fla on Feb 2, 2020. Lopez and Shakira’s show-stopping Super Bowl halftime performance is nominated for four Emmy Awards. (AP)
This image released by BBC America
shows Jodie Comer as Villanelle in a
scene from ‘Killing Eve’. Comer was
nominated for an Emmy Award for
outstanding lead actress in a drama
series on July 28. (AP)
Variety
ALBANY, NY: New York’s governor says
he is “appalled” by videos showing crowds
standing close together at a Hamptons
concert featuring electronic music duo The
Chainsmokers over the weekend.
Gov Andrew Cuomo said the state
Department of Health will conduct an in-
vestigation into “egregious social distancing
violations.” Cuomo warned in a Tuesday
call with reporters that violations of public
health law can result in civil fines and a
potential for criminal liability.
“We have no tolerance for the illegal
reckless endangerment of public health,”
reads the governor’s Monday night tweet.
The Saturday night concert - called “Safe
& Sound” - was billed as a charity drive-in
show in Southampton where Goldman
Sachs CEO David Solomon and Southamp-
ton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman’s
band also performed.
Cuomo shared a social media video,
which has over 6 million views, that showed
crowds of people standing and swaying near
the stage. The video shows attendees who
appeared to be wearing masks, but many
individuals were standing closer than 6 feet
(2 meters). Cuomo questioned why local
law enforcement didn’t break up that was
“out of control and all the rules were being
violated.”
He said the state’s investigation will look
at the role of local leaders and reports of
“ongoing” violations in the village of South-
ampton. The governor’s criticism comes
as he argues local governments largely in
downstate New York have failed to enforce
social distancing and mask rules. State
Health Commissioner Howard Zucker
chided Schneiderman in a Monday letter and
questioned how Southampton could have
issued a permit for an event that posed a
public health threat.
In response, Schneiderman said the town
is also investigating the concert, vowed to
hold organizers accountable and defended
the town’s decision to permit the concert.
“The town is greatly disturbed by reports
of what occurred at the event and are inves-
tigating this matter and will hold the organ-
izers accountable,” he said in a Tuesday
letter to Zucker.
Schneiderman said the concert’s special
event permit didn’t approve any place for
attendees to gather, and instead required
organizers to follow federal, state and lo-
cal social distancing and health protocols.
(AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ in London over an April 2018 article that
LONDON: Johnny Depp’s high-stakes libel
case against a British tabloid that accused
him of assaulting ex-wife Amber Heard
wrapped up Tuesday in a London court,
with the star’s lawyer calling Heard “a com-
pulsive liar” and claiming that Depp was the
real victim of abuse in the relationship.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star is
Television
Halftime show earns multiple nominations
Pharrell, Beastie Boys score Emmy nods
NEW YORK, July 29, (AP): Gram-
my-winners including Pharrell Wil-
liams, the Beastie Boys and Nine Inch
Nails’ Trent Reznor have a chance of
winning their first-ever honors at the
Emmy Awards, where Jennifer Lopez
and Shakira’s show-stopping halftime
show performance also earned multi-
ple nominations.
“Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show
Starring Jennifer Lopez And Shakira”
picked up four nominations, includ-
ing outstanding variety special (live).
It was not clear if Lopez and Shakira
were specifically nominated, though
Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
have earned Emmy nominations as
halftime show performers in the past.
A Television Academy spokes-
person told The Associated Press on
Tuesday that “the final list of eligible
entrants on the program ballots won’t
be determined for a few weeks. Until
that time, we cannot confirm their in-
clusion in the nomination.”
It was also unclear if Jay-Z would
earn a nomination as a producer since
his Roc Nation entertainment company
came onboard to produce this year’s
halftime show, which also picked up
nods for its direction, lighting design
and musical direction.
Williams, who has 13 Grammys,
is a two-time Oscar nominee and has
also competed for a Golden Globe
and Daytime Emmy, is nominated for
outstanding original music and lyrics
for “Letter to My Godfather” from
“The Black Godfather”, the Netflix
documentary about music executive
Clarence Avant. Williams shares the
nomination with his longtime Nep-
tunes producing partner Chad Hugo.
Honor
“It’s an honor to share the legend of
Clarence Avant, a man who has never
stopped fighting for social justice in
entertainment, athletics and politics.
His impact on culture connects us all,”
Williams said in a statement.
Others battling Williams and Hugo
for the Emmy include Reznor and At-
ticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails (“Watch-
men”), producer-singer Labrinth
(“Euphoria”) and singer-songwriter
Ingrid Michaelson (“Little Fires Eve-
rywhere”).
Reznor and Ross have both won the
Oscar and Grammy. For their work on
“Watchmen”, they scored a second
Emmy nomination for outstanding
music composition for a limited se-
ries, movie or special. In a statement,
the duo thanked the Television Acad-
emy, adding: “Making Watchmen
was daunting, terrifying, intimidating,
ecstatic and incredibly rewarding. We
emerge inspired, smarter, momentarily
more confident and very proud to have
been a part of it.”
suing News Group Newspapers, publisher
of The Sun, and the newspaper’s executive
editor, Dan Wootton, at the High Court
called him a “wife-beater.”
In closing arguments at the three-week
trial, Depp’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said
the actor strongly denied “this reputation-
destroying, career-ending allegation.”
“He has never hit a woman in his entire
life - period, full stop, nada,” Sherborne
said. Judge Andrew Nicol has retired to
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
Emmy nominees in top categories
LOS ANGELES, July 29, (AP): Partial
list of nominees for the annual prime-
time Emmy Awards, announced Tues-
day by the Academy of Television Arts
& Sciences. For the complete list, visit
Emmys.com:
■ Comedy Series: “Curb Your Enthusi-
asm”; “Dead to Me”; “The Good Place”;
“Insecure”; “The Kominsky Method”;
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; “Schitt’s
Creek”; “What We Do in the Shadows.”
■ Actor, Comedy Series: Anthony
Anderson, “black-ish”; Don Cheadle,
“Black Monday”; Ted Danson, “The
Good Place”; Michael Douglas, “The
Kominsky Method”; Eugene Levy,
“Schitt’s Creek”; Ramy Youssef,
“Ramy.”
■ Actress, Comedy Series: Christina
Applegate, “Dead to Me”; Rachel Bro-
snahan, “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”;
Linda Cardellini, “Dead to Me”; Catherine
O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”; Issa Rae, “Inse-
cure”; Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish.”
■ Supporting Actress, Comedy Series:
Yvonne Orji, “Insecure”; Alex Borstein,
“The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”; Betty
Gilpin, “GLOW”; Marin Hinkle, “The
Marvelous Mrs Maisel”; Kate McKin-
non, “Saturday Night Live”; Cecily
Strong, “Saturday Night Live”; D’Arcy
Carden, “The Good Place”; Annie Mur-
phy, “Schitt’s Creek.”
■ Supporting Actor, Comedy Series:
Mahershala Ali, “Ramy”; Alan Arkin,
“The Kominsky Method”; Sterling K.
Brown, “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”;
Daniel Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”; Tony
Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs Maisel”;
Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night
Live”; William Jackson Harper, “The
Good Place”; Andre Braugher, “Brook-
lyn Nine-Nine.”
■ Drama Series: “Better Call Saul”;
“The Crown”; “Killing Eve”; “The Hand-
maid’s Tale”; “The Mandalorian”;
Grammy-nominated Labrinth, who
has produced for Beyoncé, the Weeknd
and Ed Sheeran and collaborated with
Sia and Diplo in the supergroup LSD,
earned a second nod for outstanding
music composition for a series for
“Euphoria”. Actress-singer Zendaya
earned a lead drama actress nod for the
hit HBO series.
The Apple TV+ documentary
“Beastie Boys Story” picked up five
nominations, including two specific
bids for band members Mike “Mike
D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock”
Horovitz. They earned nominations as
producers for outstanding documenta-
ry or nonfiction special and as writers
for outstanding writing for a nonfiction
program.
Bette Midler, a two-time Oscar
nominee and an Emmy, Grammy and
Tony winner, is up for outstanding
guest actress in a comedy series for
“The Politician”. Netflix’s “Dolly Par-
Cuomo Heard
16
“Ozark”; “Stranger Things”; “Succes-
sion.”
■ Actor, Drama Series: Jason Bate-
man, “Ozark”; Sterling K. Brown, “This
is Us”; Billy Porter, “Pose”; Jeremy
Strong, “Succession”; Brian Cox, “Suc-
cession”; Steve Carell, “The Morning
Show.”
■ Actress, Drama Series: Jennifer
Aniston, “The Morning Show”; Olivia
Colman, “The Crown”; Jodie Comer,
“Killing Eve”; Laura Linney, “Ozark”;
Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”; Zendaya,
“Euphoria.”
■ Supporting Actor, Drama Series:
Kieran Culkin, “Succession”; Billy
Crudup, “The Morning Show”; Giancar-
lo Esposito, “Better Call Saul”; Bradley
Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Mark
Duplass, “The Morning Show”; Nicho-
las Braun, “Succession”; Matthew Mac-
fadyen, “Succession”; Jeffrey Wright,
“Westworld.”
■ Supporting Actress, Drama Series:
Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown”;
Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”; Julia Gar-
ner, “Ozark”; Thandie Newton, “West-
world”; Fiona Shaw, “Killing Eve”; Sa-
rah Snook, “Succession”; Meryl Streep,
“Big Little Lies”; Samira Wiley, “The
Handmaid’s Tale.”
■ Limited Series: “Little Fires Every-
where”; “Mrs. America”; “Unbelievable”;
”Unorthodox”; “Watchmen.”
■ Actor in a Limited Series or TV Mov-
ie: Jeremy Irons, “Watchmen”; Mark
Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True”;
Hugh Jackman, “Bad Education”; Paul
Mescal, “Normal People”; Jeremy
Pope, “Hollywood.”
■ Supporting Actress, Limited Series
or Movie: Toni Collette, “Unbelievable”;
Jean Smart, “Watchmen”; Tracey Ull-
man, “Mrs America”; Uzo Aduba, “Mrs
America”; Margo Martindale, “Mrs.
America”; Holland Taylor, “Hollywood.”
ton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones”,
which the country music icon execu-
tive produced, is nominated for out-
standing television movie.
Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA scored a
nomination for outstanding original
main title theme music for the Hulu se-
ries “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”,
while frequent Childish Gambino col-
laborator Ludwig Göransson – who
has won three Grammys as well as
an Oscar for scoring “Black Panther”
– is nominated for outstanding music
composition for a series for Disney+’s
“The Mandalorian”.
Sheila E. and production duo Jimmy
Jam & Terry Lewis picked up nomi-
nations for outstanding music direc-
tion for their work on the TV special
“Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute
to Prince”. The 2020 Grammy Awards
earned four nominations for its direc-
tion, lighting design, sound mixing and
production design.
consider his verdict, expected in a few
weeks.
Neither Depp nor Heard is on trial,
though it has been easy to forget that during
a case that dissected their toxic celebrity
love affair.
Depp is the claimant in the civil case,
NGN and Wootton are the defendants and
Heard is their main witness. To defeat
Depp’s libel claim, the newspaper must
persuade the judge that, on the balance of
probabilities, its story was accurate. (AP)
 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

SPORTS 17

Davis’ status uncertain

Game on: NBA finally set to

see games that count again
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida,
July 29, (AP): Games were canceled.
Practice facilities were shuttered.
A season ended unceremoniously
for eight teams. The draft process
was delayed, as was free agency.
Some players tested positive for the
coronavirus. Many more took to the
streets and used their voices to de-
mand justice and equality as racism
and police brutality sparked a nation-
wide conversation.
The world has changed since the
NBA stopped on March 11.
For 22 franchises, however,
there is a goal that remains in place.
The NBA, at long last, is offi-
cially back.
A re-opening
night double-
header inside
the bubble at
Walt Disney
World awaits
Thursday,
when New
Orleans takes
on Utah be-
fore a match-
up of the
Davis
two teams in
the Western Conference – the Los
Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles
Clippers.
There won’t be any fans in at-
tendance, health and safety proto-
cols that were painstakingly writ-
ten in response to the coronavirus
pandemic will be paramount, and
teams can’t even shower in the
arena after games.
But after 20 weeks of waiting,
wondering and worrying, the 2019-
20 NBA season is ready to hit the
restart button with a champion
scheduled to be crowned in Octo-
ber.
“Nobody’s life is pretty much
how they planned it to be at this
point with the pandemic, so you
take it for what it is,” Clippers
forward and reigning NBA Finals
MVP Kawhi Leonard said. “Eve-
rybody is happy that a champion
will be crowned this year, and if
that’s the 2020 championship, then
we want it. You know, that’s how
I look at it. This is what the layout
is, as far as to go out there and com-
plete this journey.”
The field for the 16-team playoff
bracket that will be finalized next
month is already largely filled –
12 of the 22 teams at Disney have
clinched spots and Dallas is on the
brink of another one. It leaves three
teams vying for two spots in the
Eastern Conference, and six teams
for one spot in the Western Confer-
ence.
For the front-runners like the
NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks
and West-leading Lakers, the
eight remaining games before the
playoffs are about tuning up their
games. For most of the other teams
In this March 10, 2020 file photo, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Mo-
rant (right), passes the ball as Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba (5)
defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Mem-
phis, Tennessee. (AP)
Knights were on a roll and Stars struggled before NHL halted
that have clinched berths, it’s about
securing the best possible playoff
seed. And for the hopefuls, it’s
about finding a way to get into the
field and stay at Disney at least a
couple weeks longer than planned.
Starting Friday and running
through Aug 14, there will be at
least four and sometimes as many
as seven games per day, spread
out over a three-arena corner of
the Disney complex. There will be
many instances where three games
are happening at once. And there
will be days that have games run-
ning for more than 10 consecutive
hours.
After no basketball for what
seemed like forever, a hoops smor-
gasbord awaits.
The biggest names are here:
reigning MVP Giannis Antetok-
BASKETBALL
ounmpo of the Bucks, LeBron
James of the Lakers, scoring cham-
pion James Harden of Houston,
plus the reigning Finals MVP and
All-Star Game MVP in Leonard.
Of the 25 players on this season’s
All-Star rosters, 23 are at Disney
and a 24th – Indiana’s Domantas
Sabonis – may return if his injured
left foot heals.
Also here: the defending cham-
pions. Toronto lost Leonard and
Danny Green to the Clippers in free
agency this past offseason – more
than a year ago now. And then the
Raptors laughed off suggestions
that they wouldn’t be good enough
to make the playoffs. They enter
the restart holding the No. 2 seed
in the East, looking every bit like a
team capable of another very deep
run.
There are eight teams not here
– Golden State, which went to the
NBA Finals in each of the last five
seasons before sputtering through
an injury-plagued year this season,
among them.
The others whose seasons ended
March 11: Minnesota, Cleveland,
Detroit, Atlanta, New York, Char-
lotte and Chicago.
Ratings for the games at Disney
are expected to be big. Every game
will be televised, as usual. A sprint
to the playoffs is about to begin.
The longest timeout in NBA
history is finally over. Game on,
again. Re-opening night is fast ap-
proaching, and Anthony Davis’
status is uncertain.
Davis, who left the Los Angeles
Lakers’ second scrimmage after
getting poked in the eye and didn’t
play in the team’s exhibition fi-
nale at Walt Disney World, didn’t
practice on Tuesday. The All-Star
forward is still being listed as day-
to-day.
Powers nets 27, Mystics top
Sun in WNBA Finals rematch
Fowles breaks rebounding record but Storm beat Lynx 90-66
BRADENTON, Florida,
July 29, (AP): Aerial
Powers scored a career-
high 27 points on 10-
of-14 shooting and the
Washington Mystics beat
the Connecticut Sun 94-
89 in a rematch of the
2019 Finals.
Ariel Atkins and Myisha
Hines-Allen each scored 16
points for the defending cham-
pion Mystics (2-0) and Emma
Meesseman added 12 points and
a career-best tying eight assists.
Alyssa Thomas scored 28 points
and grabbed 11 rebounds and De-
Wanna Bonner had 29 points, nine
boards and five assists for Con-
necticut (0-2). Bonner also had
two steals to become one of six ac-
tive players with at least 400 career
steals (401).
Jacki Gemelos checked in for
Connecticut midway through the
fourth quarter and the Sun trailing
BASKETBALL
by 13. She hit two 3s, and Bonner
added a third, in a 16-3 spurt that
cut the deficit to 91-89 with 1:39
left but they got no closer. It was
Gemelos’ first appearance in a
WNBA game since Sept 13, 2015,
a span of 1,780 days.
Storm 90, Lynx 66
Breanna Stewart had 18 points
and 10 rebounds and Seattle beat
Minnesota to spoil a record-break-
ing night by Sylvia Fowles.
Fowles, who went into the game
needing seven rebounds to be-
come the WNBA’s all-time leader,
grabbed a missed 3-point shot by
Stewart in the closing seconds of
the first half to move past former
teammate and current Lynx as-
sistant coach Rebekkah Brunson
into first on the career rebounds
list with 3,357. Damiris Dantas led
Minnesota (1-1) with 18 points.
Fowles finished with 15 points and
11 rebounds.
Rachel Banham made a 3 to trim
Minnesota’s deficit to 48-45 about
four minutes into the third but was
called for a technical foul several Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles (right), deflects a shot by Connecticut Sun guard Jasmine Thomas (5) during
seconds later. Jewell Loyd hit the the second half of a WNBA basketball game on July 26, in Bradenton, Florida. (AP)
ensuing free throw, sparking a
15-2 run that gave Seattle (2-0) a rebounds. Brittney Sykes led the
16-point lead with two minutes left
in the period. The Lynx trailed by
Sparks (1-1) with 16 points. Ex-All Blacks lock Haden dies
Parker and Williams made back-
double figures the rest of the way. to-back 3-pointers to give Chicago a
Sky 96, Sparks 78
Kahleah Copper and Azura Ste-
40-36 halftime lead and then the sky
scored 15 of the first 17 third-quarter Bill Williams ‘set’ to return
vens had 21 points apiece and the points, pushing their lead to 17 when
Chicago Sky beat the Los Angeles
Sparks 96-78.
Vandersloot made a two free throws
midway through the period.
to Australian rugby league
Cheyenne Parker added 12 Sydney Wiese hit two 3s in an SYDNEY, July 29, (AP): Ex-New
points and Allie Quigley, Court- 11-0 run that cut LA’s deficit to Zealand All Blacks star Sonny Bill
ney Vandersloot and Gabby Wil- 66-57 early in the fourth quarter, Williams is set to return to the National
liams scored 11 apiece for Chicago but Chicago answered with a 10-2 Rugby League after last appearing in
the Australian competition in 2014.
(2-0). Vandersloot finished with spurt – including six points by Williams plans to sign a short-term
10 assists. Stevens and Copper Copper – and the Sparks trailed by deal with the Sydney Roosters after his
each grabbed a career-high nine double figures the rest of the way. current club, the Toronto Wolfpack,
had to withdraw from the England-
based Super League season amid the
coronavirus pandemic.
The NRL is yet to formally ratify the
deal, but Williams and the Roosters are

Capitals, Lightning resume rivalry after different seasons
WASHINGTON, July 29, (AP): When Todd Reirden
and Jon Cooper spent four months looking over video
of the teams they coached this season, they saw al-
most polar opposites.
Reirden’s Washington Capitals started hot before
their defensive game slipped. Cooper’s Tampa Bay
Lightning took a while to warm up, then won 14 of
21 games before the NHL season was halted in mid-
March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We played pretty darn well,” Cooper said. “We
were pretty happy with a lot of our game, and so now
you have a chance to kind of tweak, investigate what
went wrong and get better at it.”
Washington and Tampa Bay did enough to earn
top four seeds in the Eastern Conference. When they
face off Monday in Toronto in each team’s round-
robin opener, the race for seeding will be on, with the
Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers also vying for
the top spot in the East.
ICE HOCKEY
“We’re a team that has been battle-tested, and
we’ve gone through adversity,” Reirden said. “I like
our team for a number of reasons, and one of them’s
because of the experience that we have, and the fact
that it is a much different scenario where we’re going
right into playoff hockey.”
The Capitals won all three meetings this season,
though they haven’t played the Lightning since Dec
21. That was before Washington traded for Ilya Ko-
valchuk and Brenden Dillon and Tampa Bay load-
ed up with deadline additions Blake Coleman and
Barclay Goodrow.
Since the Christmas break, the Lightning have the
league’s top points percentage, and they take plenty
of confidence into the restart.
“It’s really important to get our game on track right
away,” forward Tyler Johnson said. “We have to be
feeling good about our game going into our playoff
series.”
The last playoff series between these teams was
an epic East finals showdown in 2018. The Capitals
came back from a 3-2 deficit to win Game 7 in Tampa
on the way to their first Stanley Cup.
“We’ve had our battles over the years,” Wash-
ington center Nicklas Backstrom said. “Very skilled
team. Seems like we’ve been matching up with them
pretty good lately.”
Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars were in a miserable
stretch when the NHL season came to a sudden and
unexpected stop 4-1/2 months ago. Vegas was play-
ing some of its best hockey after a coaching change.
Both now have the same chance of being the No. 1
seed in the Western Conference playoffs when plays
resumes in an unprecedented season interrupted by
the coronavirus pandemic.
In this Feb 25, 2020 file photo, Dallas Stars’ Joe Pavelski (16) drives against Carolina Hurricanes’
Sebastian Aho (20) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, NC. (AP)
“You definitely have to change your mindset. I like
the fact that we’re starting with a round robin and
moving into a four out of seven,” Golden Knights
coach Peter DeBoer said. “That feels like more of a
normal transition to me. We’re excited to get some
games going here.”
As two of the top four teams in the Western Con-
ference standings, Vegas and Dallas play Monday to
start their part in a week-long round robin with St
Louis and Colorado to determine the seedings of
those teams when the regular 16-team playoff brack-
et gets started. Also in Edmonton, eight other teams
have to jump right into best-of-five series to deter-
mine who advances.
confident the dual-code player will re-
join the competition next month.
Williams, who will turn 35 next
week, said he had booked flights to
go on a European family holiday be-
fore the Roosters offered a short-term
contract to return to the NRL. Wil-
liams and his family expect to spend
two weeks in quarantine upon arrival
in Australia, and he likely won’t play
before the 15th round when the Roost-
RUGBY
ers take on Wests Tigers on Aug 22.
“It’s no secret that I’m pretty close
with the lads at the Roosters, Nick
(chairman Nick Politis) and Trent
(coach Trent Robinson) and I stay in
contact with,” Williams told Austral-
ia’s Nine Network. “Trent just gave
me a call and inquired about what
was happening over here and Nick hit
me up and asked if I had a couple of
months in me to come back.
“To be honest, I hadn’t trained for a
bit and I’d been in holiday mode – we
actually booked flights for a little fam-
ily European holiday.”
The New Zealand-born Williams
forged a reputation as a hard-hitting,
hard-running forward for Canterbury
Bulldogs in the NRL before switching
to the 15-a-side rugby union with the
aim of qualifying for the All Blacks
and bidding for a a World Cup.
He played 58 Tests for New Zea-
land and was part of teams that won
the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup,
spending two seasons in the NRL with
the Roosters in between the tourna-
ments. He has also played rugby sev-
ens for New Zealand, competing in the
2015-16 World Rugby Sevens Series
and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Williams said he’s motivated by
the challenge of testing himself in the
In this Sept 14, 1985 file photo,
Auckland captain Andy Haden
holds aloft the Ranfurly Shield after
defeating Canterbury at Lancaster
Park in Christchurch, New Zealand.
(AP)
NRL again – “it’s the challenge that I
just get so excited about. It lights that
fire inside of you.”
Roosters’ veteran back Josh Morris
said Williams was a very tough player
to play against, “and any team with
Sonny in it was a better team.”
Williams’ time away from the club
and in a different game would be a
boost for the Sydney club, Roosters
co-captain Jake Friend said.
“He’s been part of that All Blacks
system which has been such a great
system for so long,” Friend said in a
video posted on the NRL’s website.
“I’m sure there’s plenty to learn off
Sonny. I’m sure that Sonny is coming
to learn plenty of stuff from us.”
Meanwhile, Andy Haden, whose
feigned fall from a lineout earned the
All Blacks a match-winning penalty
against Wales in 1978 and lasting no-
toriety for himself, has died. He was
69.
Haden was diagnosed with chronic
lymphocytic leukemia in 2003 and
his condition, which had been stable,
recently worsened. He died at home
Wednesday surrounded by family,
New Zealand Rugby said.
“Andy’s stature and influence as a
player was huge. Not only was he an
immense physical presence, there was
also immense respect from his team-
mates,” Bill Osborne, NZR President
and a former All Blacks teammate of
Haden’s, said in a statement.

SPORTS
‘UEFA’s claim that City’s funding was ‘channelled through unidentified third parties is based on innuendo’
CAS condemns City for conduct while overturning ban
LAUSANNE, July 29, (AP): Man-
chester City was “strongly con-
demned” by a Court of Arbitration
for Sport panel for obstructing the
investigation into its finances that
led to the club being fined 10 million
($12 million).
The full 93-page document pub-
lished by CAS provides fuller detail
on the verdict delivered two weeks
ago that overturned City’s two-year
ban from European competitions
when findings of financial wrongdo-
ing by UEFA were either rejected or
found to have happened too long ago
to be investigated.
CAS did not back up UEFA’s ver-
dict that City disguised the source
of at least 204 million of income as
sponsorships from companies linked
to its Abu Dhabi ownership in order
to comply with Financial Fair Play
rules to enter the Champions League
and Europa League. But the court
imposed one of the biggest fines in
football history, albeit reduced by
two thirds from UEFA’s original
penalty.
The case was sparked by City’s
internal correspondence that the club
said was illegally obtained by a Por-
tuguese man, Rui Pinto, before being
published by German magazine Der
Spiegel and published in 2018. CAS
said the leaked emails were “admis-
sible evidence.”
City’s “blatant disregard” for
cooperating with the investigation
should be “strongly condemned,”
CAS found, expressing hope the
large fine would be a “sufficiently
strong deterrent” to other clubs.
“The majority of the panel finds
that MCFC’s failure to cooperate
with the CFCB’s investigation is a
severe breach and that MCFC is to
be seriously reproached for obstruct-
ing the CFCB’s investigations,”
CAS said referencing UEFA’s Club
SOCCER
Financial Control Body.
CAS stressed that UEFA did not
instigate “frivolous charges” and
had a “legitimate basis to prosecute”
City based on leaked emails appear-
ing to show the Abu Dhabi-owned
club deceived the governing body by
overstating sponsorship deals from
2012-16 and hid the source of rev-
enue linked to state-backed compa-
nies in the emirate.
But CAS said UEFA’s claim that
City’s funding was “channelled
through unidentified third parties is
based on innuendo and does not meet
the requisite standard of proof.”
City was cleared over its sponsor-
ship contributions from the the air-
line Etihad, with CAS saying it was
“not comfortably satisfied” the the
club used the sponsorship to hide the
true source of funding.
But CAS found alleged breaches
relating to Abu Dhabi communica-
tions firm Etisalat fell outside their
statute of limitations to be investi-
gated because the payments were
received in June 2012 and January
2013.
“The evidence clearly demon-
strates that Etisalat and Etihad met
their sponsorship obligations in full
in return for valuable rights and that
the sponsorship payments were not
funded” by City’s parent company,
Abu Dhabi United Group, CAS
said.
City was bought in 2008 by
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, a deputy prime minister
of the United Arab Emirates and a
member of Abu Dhabi’s royal fam-
ily. His wealth transformed City into
Premier League champions, with
four titles won over the last decade.
In a letter provided by City to
CAS, Sheikh Mansour said he had
“authorized or arranged” payments
to Etihad or Etisalat linked to their
sponsorship of the club.
But City was criticized for making
new witnesses available and present-
ing evidence to the CAS panel that
was not given to UEFA’s investiga-
tors.
“Allowing clubs to hold onto rel-
evant evidence until the proceedings
before CAS would seriously risk
turning the proceedings before the
CFCB (Club Financial Control Body)
into a farce and would render the en-
tire CFCB process very inefficient,”
CAS said. “This cannot be tolerated
or endorsed.”
But the fresh evidence convinced
the panel to allow City back into
the Champions League, with CAS
saying UEFA might have reached
the same conclusion if they had the
same information.
But the heavy fine for obstruc-
tion meant City was not completely
exonerated after the most damaging
period to its reputation in the 12-year
ownership under Sheikh Mansour.
“The decision shows how it is
possible to tie a governing body up
in the knots of its own procedural
rules,” said sports lawyer Peter Nunn
of London-based Mishcon de Reya.
“There will always be loopholes in
those rules which a well-resourced
legal team can exploit.
“Manchester City arguably adopt-
ed an attritional approach to the orig-
inal UEFA investigation — refus-
ing to fully comply with numerous
UEFA requests for information and
not making witnesses available until
this got to the Court of Arbitration
for Sport. That approach resulted in
a 10m fine for failing to cooperate
with UEFA’s investigation, but may
well have helped it avoid more seri-
ous censure.”
UEFA decided to create the FFP
Minnesota Utd reach quarters
LAKE BUENA VISTA,
Fla, July 29, (AP): Tyler
Miller made a key save in
the third round of the pen-
alty shootout, Chase Gasp-
er scored the winning shot
in the fifth round and Min-
nesota United advanced
past the Columbus Crew
in the MLS is Back tourna-
ment Tuesday night.
Minnesota and Columbus played
to a 1-1 draw in regulation, but the
Loons were a perfect 5-for-5 in the
shootout and Miller came up with
the one big save needed.
Minnesota United will face San
Jose in the quarter-finals of the tour-
nament on Saturday.
“I think we’ve played our way into
the tournament. And I think we’ve
got progressively better, every game.
And we had to be better tonight, we
played a really good team,” Minne-
sota coach Adrian Heath said.
Osvaldo Alonso, Jan Gregus, Aar-
on Schoenfeld and Raheem Edwards
scored for Minnesota in the shootout
before Gasper’s clinching goal.
Columbus was without Gyasi
Zardes and Darlington Nagbe for the
shootout after they were subbed out
earlier in the match. Miller guessed
correctly on Chris Cadden’s attempt
in the third round, diving to his right
and giving Minnesota the advantage.
It was Miller’s second save of the
match from the penalty spot. He de-
nied Zardes in the 79th minute with a
terrific diving save, but the rebound
bounced right back to Zardes and he
scored into the open net to pull the
Crew even. The penalty came after
a careless challenge by Jose Aja in
the penalty area. Aja was late and
clipped the foot of Derrick Etienne
Jr., giving the Crew a clear penalty
kick.
But the rebound off the saved
penalty was the only great scoring
chance for Columbus as the Crew
struggled to break down the Minne-
sota defense all night.
Robin Lod scored in the 17th
minute to give Minnesota the early
advantage and the Loons nearly
made it stand up for the entire match.
It was the first goal allowed by Co-
lumbus during the Florida tourna-
ment and just the second surrendered
SOCCER
all season.
“It’s been just a matter of time
to get on the scoresheet,” said Lod,
who scored his first goal of the tour-
nament. “Of course it’s nice that it
came at this point and brings some
more confidence for sure.”
Columbus was viewed as a fa-
vorite after a dominant performance
in the group stage as the only team
to win all three group matches in the
tournament. The Crew had convinc-
ing wins over FC Cincinnati and the
New York Red Bulls before capping
the group stage with a 1-0 win over
Atlanta United.
“We leave here with our heads
high,” Columbus coach Caleb Porter
said. “You can’t take away what this
group has done in those first three
games.”
Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark
made up for his mistake late in the
second half with a key save in the
penalty shootout, and the Timbers
advanced past FC Cincinnati into
the quarterfinals of the MLS is Back
tournament .
Portland beat Cincinnati 4-2 in the
shootout after the sides played to a
1-1 draw in regulation.
Clark’s blunder led to a penalty
and Cincinnati’s tying goal in the
81st minute from Jürgen Locadia.
But in the penalty shootout, Clark
smothered Locadia’s attempt in the
third round to give the Timbers the
advantage.
Cincinnati’s Kendall Waston hit
his shot over the crossbar in the
fourth round and Jaroslaw Niezgoda
scored to close out the victory. “If
you knew Steve Clark, you would
know he doesn’t need support.
I love his personality,” Portland’s
Sebastian Blanco said through an
interpreter. “Steve knew about his
mistake and he knew that he would
save us.”
Diego Valeri, Felipe Mora and
Blanco also scored in the shootout
for Portland. The Timbers became
the fifth Western Conference team
to reach the final eight of the tourna-
ment and will face New York City
FC in the quarter-finals on Saturday
night.
“It wasn’t easy. The last few min-
utes were tough,” Portland coach
Giovanni Savarese said. “But we
were able to go through and against
system 11 years ago to stabilize the
soccer economy by monitoring fi-
nances of 200-plus clubs that qualify
each year for its competitions. Clubs
must approach break-even on com-
mercial income and spending on
transfers and salaries. Sponsor deals
linked to wealthy owners must be set
Portland overcome miscues, get past Cincinnati in SO
Minnesota United goalkeeper Tyler Miller (1) makes the game winning save on a penalty kick against the Columbus Crew during the second half of an
FC Cincinnati defender Andrew
Gutman attempts a header on goal
between Portland Timbers defend-
er Chris Duvall (15) and forward
Yimmi Chara (right), during the first
half of an MLS soccer match on
July 28 in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP)
a difficult team in a match that we
knew was going to be very tough.”
Niezgoda gave Portland a 1-0 lead
in the 67th minute. Blanco found
Niezgoda open in the middle of the
penalty area.
Niezgoda controlled the pass with
his right foot and poked the shot with
his left past Cincinnati goalkeeper
Przemyslaw Tyton.
It was the first goal allowed by
Cincinnati since the opening match
of the tournament.
Portland’s goal came only a few
minutes after Cincinnati appeared to
take the lead. Mathieu Deplagne’s
goal off a free kick was disallowed
after a video review determined De-
plagne was offside.
But Clark’s mistake gave Cincin-
nati a chance. Rather than picking
up a loose Cincinnati pass, Clark at-
tempted to play it with his feet. The
ball bounced too far away and he
clipped Allan Cruz while diving for
the ball. Locadia converted the pen-
alty to pull Cincinnati even.
Clark nearly gifted another goal
five minutes later when he mishan-
dled Siem De Jong’s shot from dis-
tance.
But Locadia made an equally aw-
ful mistake in the 88th minute when
he missed a wide-open attempt from
inside the 6-yard box, sending his
shot over the crossbar.
Cincinnati coach Jaap Stam
thought his club was the dominant
side in the latter stages of the match.
“I think we were the better team.
We created.
We dominated. And then we got
the equalizer eventually by getting
the penalty,” Stam said.
“And then after that we had a very
big opportunity with Locadia to
make the second one. Unfortunately,
the ball didn’t go in and then you go
to the penalties. Penalties, it’s al-
ways a gamble.”
at fair market rates.
“Going forwards,” Nunn said,
“football’s rule makers will un-
doubtedly seek to close ... loopholes
in order to try to reassert their cred-
ibility and authority over participat-
ing clubs, which has been damaged
by the whole affair.”
MLS soccer match in Kissimmee, Fla on July 28. (AP)
Real forward Mariano tests positive for virus
Inter, Atalanta win in race for 2nd
MILAN, July 29, (AP): Atalanta main-
tained their hopes of finishing second
in Serie A as they came from behind to
win 2-1 at Parma in the penultimate
round of the season.
Ruslan Malinovskyi and Alejandro
“Papu” Gomez scored in the second
half after former Atalanta midfielder
Dejan Kulusevski had given Parma the
lead.
Atalanta remained a point behind
second-place Inter, which beat Napoli
2-0. Inter visit Atalanta in their last
match on Saturday.
Juventus clinched a record-ex-
tending ninth successive Serie A title
on Sunday but high-scoring Atalanta
were targeting second spot and aiming
to reach 100 league goals this season.
However, it was a lackluster start
from the visitors and Kulusevski fired
Parma in front two minutes from half-
time, following a through-ball from
Gervinho. The 20-year-old had earlier
hit the post.
Kulusevski made only three substi-
tute appearances for Atalanta before
SOCCER
moving to Parma on loan last year.
The Sweden international impressed
so much that Juventus signed him in
January but loaned him back to Parma
for the rest of the season.
Atalanta were unbeaten since the
restart of Serie A and it leveled in the
70th minute with a free kick from Ma-
linovskyi.
Gomez scored what was to prove
the winner six minutes from time, nut-
megging Jasmin Kurtić and driving
into the bottom left corner. It was the
Atalanta captain’s first goal since the
two sides met in January.
It was a frantic final few minutes
that included Atalanta defender Hans
Hateboer clearing a shot off the line.
Inter also enhanced their chances of
claiming second spot and avenged last
month’s Italian Cup semifinal defeat to
Napoli, which went on to lift the tro-
phy.
Inter were aggressive from the start
and took the lead in the 11th minute.
Marcelo Brozović’s cross went over
the head of Romelu Lukaku but was
put back into the center by Cristiano
Biraghi for Danilo D’Ambrosio to slot
home.
Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez celebrates after scoring his side’s second
goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Napoli at the
San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy on July 28. (AP)
ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020
Akmal’s ban reduced to 18 months
ISLAMABAD, July 29, (AP):
An independent adjudicator has
halved batsman Umar Akmal’s
ban to 18 months for failing to
report corrupt approaches before
this year’s Pakistan Super League.
Adjudicator Faqir Mohammad
Khokhar, a retired supreme court
judge, announced the judgement
Wednesday after Akmal had ap-
pealed the duration of the original
three-year band.
“I am not happy with the year-
and-a-half suspension and I will
appeal after consulting my law-
yers,” Akmal told reporters in
Lahore soon after Khokhar an-
nounced the judgement.
The 30-year-old Akmal was
banned after the Pakistan Cricket
Board’s disciplinary committee
Napoli forced Inter goalkeeper
Samir Handanović into a series of good
saves before Inter all but sealed the re-
sult with a stunning goal from Lautaro
Martínez. The Argentina forward gath-
ered the ball in midfield, raced forward
and curled into the bottom right corner
from 20 yards out.
❑ ❑ ❑
Real Madrid forward Mariano has
tested positive for the coronavirus, the
club said.
The announcement came as the
team returned to practice ahead of
their Champions League match against
Manchester City on Aug. 7. Real Ma-
drid lost at home 2-1 in the first leg of
the round-of-16 series.
Madrid said Mariano was in “per-
fect health condition” and was follow-
ing health protocols. He was confined
at his home.
The club did not say how long Mari-
ano would be sidelined, but he was not
expected to make the trip to England
to play City.
The Dominican Republic player ap-
peared in only a few matches with Ma-
drid this season. His last was on July 2.
The entire Madrid squad was tested
for COVID-19 on Monday. The play-
ers had been on a break of almost 10
18
found him guilty of two charges
of violating the anti-corruption
code just before the start of Paki-
stan’s premier domestic Twenty20
league. Akmal’s ban is now set to
Aug 19, 2021.
Earlier this month, Khokhar had
reserved his judgment after listen-
ing to arguments from both the
Pakistan Cricket Board and Ak-
mal during a three-hour hearing in
Lahore.
The chairman of the discipli-
nary committee, retired Justice
Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, said in
his ruling that it appeared Ak-
mal showed no remorse and had
“tried to take refuge under the
pretext that in the past whenever
any such approaches were made,
the matter was reported by him.”
days after winning the Spanish league.
Spain has seen a spike in corona-
virus cases recently, raising concerns
from local authorities after the pan-
demic appeared to be under control.
The club said players “returned to
work under strict health safety guide-
lines.”
Spanish clubs involved in European
competitions asked the Spanish league
to keep testing players weekly in the
lead-up to the tournaments. They also
asked the league inspectors to remain
with the teams.
❑ ❑ ❑
Kylian Mbappé’s absence is going
to make things a lot harder for Paris
Saint-Germain in the Champions
League quarterfinals.
The 21-year-old forward has been
ruled out for about three weeks after
sustaining an ankle ligament injury on
Friday against Saint-Étienne in the
French Cup final.
That makes the prolific Mbappé,
who has 30 goals in 34 appearances
this season, highly doubtful to face
Italian club Atalanta on Aug. 12 in
Lisbon.
Even if he does play, Mbappé will
not be fully fit or match sharp in a team
also without Edinson Cavani and Án-
gel Di María.
Di María is suspended while Ca-
vani — PSG’s all-time leading scorer
with 200 goals — left at the end of his
contract in June. So did attack-minded
right back Thomas Meunier, who
joined Borussia Dortmund. Neither
player chose to sign a short extension
the way other players in European
leagues did.
Mbappé also missed PSG’s return
leg against Dortmund in the last 16 on
March 11 because of a throat infection.
Di María was given a yellow card
late in that match and has been sus-
pended for the quarter-finals. After be-
ing substituted, the winger rushed off
the bench to join a scuffle after Dort-
mund midfielder Emre Can’s foul on
Neymar prompted some shoving be-
tween the two teams.
PSG coach Thomas Tuchel has
found himself in somewhat of a similar
position before.
 ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2020

SPORTS 19

Benches clear as Dodgers beat Astros

MLB Results/Standings

WASHINGTON, July 29, (AP): Results and standing from

the MLB games on Tuesday.
Cleveland 4 Chic W. Sox (Game 1) 3
Toronto 5 Washington 1
Detroit 4 KC Chiefs 3
TB Rays 5 Atlanta 2
Cleveland 5 Chic W. Sox (Game 2) 3
NY Mets 8 Boston 3
Minnesota 6 St Louis 3
Arizona 4 Texas 1
LA Dodgers 5 Houston 2
Colorado 8 Oakland 3
LA Angels 10 Seattle 2
Chic Cubs 8 Cincinnati 5
Pittsburgh 8 Milwaukee 6
SD Padres 5 SF Giants 3
American League
East Division
W L Pct GB
Tampa Bay 4 1 .800 –
Baltimore 2 1 .667 1
New York 2 1 .667 1
Toronto 3 2 .600 1
Boston 1 4 .200 3
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Cleveland 4 1 .800 –
Minnesota 3 1 .750 ½
Detroit 3 2 .600 1
Kansas City 2 3 .400 2
Chicago 1 4 .200 3
West Division
W L Pct GB
Houston 3 2 .600 –
Oakland 3 2 .600 –
Los Angeles 2 3 .400 1
Texas 1 3 .250 1½
Seattle 1 4 .200 2
National League
East Division
W L Pct GB
Miami 2 1 .667 –
New York 3 2 .600 –
Atlanta 2 3 .400 1
Philadelphia 1 2 .333 1
Washington 1 4 .200 2
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Chicago 4 1 .800 –
St Louis 2 2 .500 1½
Milwaukee 2 3 .400 2
Pittsburgh 2 3 .400 2
Cincinnati 1 4 .200 3
West Division
W L Pct GB
San Diego 4 1 .800 –
Colorado 3 1 .750 ½
Los Angeles 3 2 .600 1
Arizona 2 3 .400 2 Chicago Cubs’ Javier Baez (9) scores a run at home plate under the tag from Cincinnati Reds’ Curt Casali (12) in the fifth inning during a baseball game in Cincinnati, on July
San Francisco 2 3 .400 2 28. (AP)

Bosa gets $135 mln extension
NFL training camps opening with
eye on baseball and babysitting
MIAMI, July 29, (AP): Brady and
Brees aren’t the B words dominating
the opening of NFL training camps.
Try baseball and babysitting.
As veterans report Tuesday for CO-
VID-19 testing, with on-field work far
on the horizon for now, eyeballs are
focused on the pandemic issues in Ma-
jor League Baseball. The coronavirus
outbreak with the Miami Marlins, who
won’t be playing any games the rest of
this week, is foremost in the football
world.
“You know, for what’s going on in
baseball right now, it affects every-
one,” Jets quarterback Sam Darnold
said. “I mean, because you look at the
game the Marlins had and, you know,
they affect the players on the other
team. ... There’s no good way of really
going about it. And you’ve got to start
canceling games.
“So it’s just a matter of what the
league wants to do. And, if people start
getting or contracting the virus within
the NFL, it’ll be interesting to see how
the NFL wants to handle it.”
Titans coach Mike Vrabel said he
is not using the word worried, but
“obviously, (we’re) always very con-
cerned about the health and safety of
our players and their family and the
coaches and our staff in this building.
But until we see how our protocols and
our plan that the NFL and the players
association worked so hard to put into
place, till we see how those are going
to function and work, we can’t make
any changes. We
have to to follow
the plan.”
Nobody knows
if the plan will
work, of course.
Falcons coach
Dan Quinn said
baseball players
having positive
tests led to the
question of “How
does travel affect Bosa
that and the testing when you go on the
road and when you don’t?”
Quinn said he was enjoying base-
ball’s return, “so I was disappointed
to see the outbreak had affected games
being played. So, it’s definitely some-
thing we all discuss for sure.”
What Broncos President Joe Ellis
won’t be discussing is keeping tabs of
where his players go and what they do.
At least not yet.
“We can’t control what happens
when they go home. We’re not going
to babysit them and spy on them or
anything like that,” he said. “They’re
grownups. We’ll just ask them to con-
duct themselves appropriately to take
care of themselves such as they’ll be
taking care of the whole organization,
their teammates specifically, and their
coaches. And we’ve got some good
guys on the team I think that can help
get that message through to them.”
The biggest news from NFL teams
Tuesday dealt with opt-outs. Any play-
er who decides not to play this season
will get a $150,000 stipend if it is a
voluntary move, and $350,000 if it is
for pre-existing medical reasons.
Opting out were several key mem-
bers of the New England Patriots: line-
backer Dont’a Hightower, a defensive
leader; safety Patrick Chung; offensive
tackle Marcus Cannon; running back
Brandon Bolden; and fullback Dan Vi-
tale. Chung’s decision was confirmed
by a person familiar with the situation
who spoke to The Associated Press on
the condition of anonymity because it
had not been announced.
Defensive tackles Star Lotulelei
of Buffalo and Kyle Peko of Denver,
Eagles receiver Marquise Goodwin,
Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-
Tardif, Vikings defensive tackle Mi-
chael Pierce, and Ravens kick returner
De’Anthony Thomas also have opted
out.
In one of the biggest moves of the
day, defensive end Joey Bosa agreed
to a contract extension with the Los
Angeles Chargers that two people fa-
miliar with the deal said is worth $135
million over five years.
The people spoke to The Associated
Press on condition of anonymity Tues-
day night because the contract has not
been finalized. ESPN was the first to
report on the deal.
The Chargers confirmed Bosa has
agreed to the extension but did not dis-
close financial terms.
Bosa was entering the fifth and final
season of his rookie contract. There
was some thought that he would hold
out if an agreement had not been
reached, but he reported to camp on
Tuesday.
Running back Dalvin Cook arrived
at Minnesota’s facility for coronavirus
testing as scheduled with the rest of the
team’s veterans, according to a per-
son with knowledge of the situation,
speaking on condition of anonymity
because the team did not make the re-
porting process public.
Cook, who has begun the fourth and
final year of his rookie contract with
a base salary of slightly more than
$1.3 million, is seeking a new deal.
He backed out of the virtual offseason
program last month after negotiations
stalled.
FOOTBALL
Whether Cook will choose to take
part in practice without a contract ex-
tension is unknown. With the first on-
field workout not until Aug. 12, there’s
time for the team and his camp to come
to an agreement. Simply showing up
on Tuesday was critical for Cook, re-
gardless of what his feelings might be
about how the front office is approach-
ing his status and value. According to
the new collective bargaining agree-
ment, Cook would have been subject
to a maximum $50,000 fine per daily
absence and forfeited a season of ac-
crual toward unrestricted free agency
had he held out.
The Titans placed their top draft
pick, offensive lineman Isaiah Wil-
son of Georgia, on the COVID-19/
reserve list. Wilson remains the one
member of their six-man draft class
who hasn’t agreed to a contract.
Linebacker Jayon Brown will start
training camp on the physically un-
able to perform list.
In this Dec 15, 2019 file photo, Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin
Cook runs with the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against
the Los Angeles Chargers in Carson, California. (AP)
Báez, Cubs continue early surge, top Reds 8-5
HOUSTON, July 29, (AP):
Benches cleared during the
Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over
the Astros in the first game
between the teams since it
was revealed that Houston
illegally stole signs en route
to a 2017 championship
that came at Los Angeles’
expense in the World Se-
ries.
The fracas occurred after Dodg-
ers reliever Joe Kelly threw high-
and-tight pitches to Astros stars
Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa
in the sixth inning.
Kelly threw an errant breaking ball
over Correa’s head. Correa, who hom-
ered and finished with three hits, took
off his batting helmet and stared Kelly
down before continuing the at-bat.
Kelly struck out Correa, then stuck
out his tongue and made a face in his
direction. Correa started walking to-
ward him and the players exchanged
words, prompting the benches to
clear in the first such incident of this
pandemic-delayed season. There was
plenty of yelling and crowding - out-
lawed as MLB tries to play a 60-game
season amid the pandemic - but no
pushing or punches thrown.
Order was restored after a couple of
minutes and there were no ejections,
but Houston manager Dusty Baker was
still upset before play resumed and got
in the face of an umpire.
Brusdar Graterol (1-1) worked a
scoreless fifth and Kenley Jansen
earned the save.
Cubs 8, Reds 5
In Cincinnati, Javier Báez homered
twice, doubled and scored on a deft
dive to the plate as Chicago extended
its opening surge by beating Cincin-
nati.
Alec Mills pitched six solid innings
for the Cubs, who have won four of
their first five games and scored first in
each one. Jason Kipnis’ triple - Shogo
Akiyama lost it in the sun – got Chi-
cago going again.
Mills (1-0) added to Chicago’s
stretch of impressive starts, holding the
Reds to two hits in six innings. Cubs
starters have a 1.80 ERA and a .131
opponent batting average this season.
The Reds got two-run homers by
Nick Castellanos – his first since sign-
ing a $64 million deal – and Freddy
Galvis but fell to 1-4, tied for the worst
start in the majors.
Diamondbacks 4, Rangers 1
In Arlington, Texas, Merrill Kelly
took a no-hitter into the seventh in-
ning before giving up a home run as
Arizona beat Texas.
Rougned Odor’s one-out homer in
Los Angeles Dodgers starting
pitcher Walker Buehler throws
against the Houston Astros during
the first inning of a baseball game
on July 28, in Houston. (AP)
the seventh was the first of three hits
off Kelly (1-0), who struck out seven
and walked one in 7-2/3 innings.
After winning the season opener in
their new $1.2 billion stadium with a
retractable roof, the Rangers have lost
three in a row. They are last in the ma-
jors with a .156 team batting average
and only six runs.
Archie Bradley worked a perfect
ninth for his first save.
Angels 10, Mariners 2
In Anaheim, California, Anthony
Rendon hit a two-run homer and
reached base three times in his Angels
debut, and Albert Pujols added his
657th career homer in Los Angeles’
victory over Seattle.
Max Stassi hit a three-run homer,
Shohei Ohtani had a long RBI double
and Justin Upton drove in two runs as
the Angels won their home opener for
only the second time in eight years.
The 40-year-old Pujols has homered
in 20 consecutive seasons.
Tim Lopes went deep for the Mari-
ners. Justus Sheffield (0-1) allowed
four runs and four hits in three-plus
innings.
Blue Jays 5, Nationals 1
In Washington, the reigning World
Series champions dropped to 1-4 in
the pandemic-shortened season with
a 5-1 loss to Toronto that included
two outfielders colliding on a homer
by Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr,
two errors by Starlin Castro that led to
three unearned runs, and just one hit
for Washington after the third inning.
Washington has lost three consecu-
tive games – scoring a grand total of
four runs – which looms larger when
there are only 60 games to play.
Former Nationals pitcher Tanner
Roark (1-0) got a win in his Blue Jays
debut, allowing one run and three hits
in five innings.
Rays 5, Braves 2
In St Petersburg, Florida, Yoshi
Tsutsugo hit a two-run single during a
five-run third inning, and Tampa Bay
beat Atlanta for its fourth straight win.
Yonny Chirinos pitched four effec-
tive innings for Tampa Bay after miss-
ing part of summer camp following a
positive coronavirus test. He allowed
one run and four hits.
Pete Fairbanks (1-0) struck out three
Ex-Oly cyclist Lienhart banned for helping son dope
VIENNA, July 29, (AP): Former
three-time Olympic cyclist Johann
Lienhart has been banned for 10 years
for providing his son, a professional
triathlete, with illegal performance-
enhancing substances.
The Austrian Anti-Doping Legal
Committee said Tuesday that the 60-year-
old Lienhart supplied his son with EPO,
during a perfect fifth. Oliver Drake, the
fifth Tampa Bay reliever, worked the
ninth for his second save.
Pirates 8, Brewers 6
In Pittsburgh, Adam Frazier hit a
tie-breaking two-run homer in the
eighth inning and Pittsburgh rallied
past Milwaukee.
A day after blowing a four-run lead
in the ninth in what became an 11-in-
ning loss, Pittsburgh delivered a bit
of payback thanks to a shaky perfor-
mance by the Milwaukee bullpen.
Cole Tucker went 2 for 4 for the
Pirates, including a double leading off
the eighth against Bobby Wahl (0-1).
With one out and Tucker on third, Fra-
zier sent the second pitch he saw from
Wahl halfway up one of the tarps cov-
ering the seats in right field at empty
PNC Park.
Mets 8, Red Sox 3
In Boston, J.D. Davis banged a two-
run homer off the Pesky Pole, and left-
hander David Peterson pitched 5-2/3
innings to win his major league debut
and lead New York past Boston.
The Mets swept the two-game series
and sent the Red Sox to their fourth
consecutive loss.
BASEBALL
Peterson (1-0) allowed two runs on
seven hits and two walks, striking out
three on the day he was called up from
the team’s alternate training site.
The Mets took a 3-0 lead in the sec-
ond when Matt Hall (0-1), making his
2020 debut, gave up an RBI double to
Robinson Canó and a two-run single to
Amed Rosario. Hall allowed three runs
on three hits and two walks, striking
out three in 2-2/3 innings.
Indians 4, White Sox 3, Game 1
In Cleveland, Francisco Lindor
and Bradley Zimmer each homered
and drove in two runs, propelling the
Cleveland past Chicago in the first
game of a doubleheader.
Aaron Civale (1-0) struck out a
career-high nine and allowed two runs
over six innings in his first start of the
season. Brad Hand gave up an RBI
single to Yasmani Grandal in the ninth
before picking up his second save for
the Indians, who never trailed.
Arizona Diamondbacks Stephen
Vogt hits an RBI double against the
Texas Rangers in the sixth inning
of a baseball game on July 28, in
Arlington, Texas. (AP)
genotropine and testosterone between
December 2018 and March 2019.
The committee also said that Lien-
hart “encouraged, instructed and sup-
ported” his son in using doping.
His son, two-time Austrian national
triathlon champion Florian Lienhart,
was caught doping and provision-
ally suspended in 2019, before being
Indians 5, White Sox 3, Game 2
In Cleveland, Carlos Santana hit a
three-run homer, Oscar Mercado had a
two-run single and Cleveland compet-
ed a doubleheader sweep of Chicago.
Santana’s first inning blast helped
spoil the return of White Sox pitcher
Carlos Rodón (0-1) from Tommy John
surgery. The left-hander gave up five
runs in 3 2/3 innings in his first appear-
ance since May 1, 2019.
Mercado drove in Franmil Reyes and
Domingo Santana in the fourth, extend-
ing Cleveland’s lead to 5-1. James Mc-
Cann hit a solo homer for Chicago in the
second, and Jose Abreu added another in
the sixth off Adam Plutko (1-0).
Rookie Cam Hill earned his first
save with a perfect ninth. Plutko struck
out four over six innings in his season
debut.
Twins 6, Cardinals 3
In Minneapolis, Josh Donaldson
homered and drove in two runs in his
Target Field debut with Minnesota,
Jorge Polanco hit a two-run shot and
the Twins beat St Louis.
Homer Bailey (1-0) pitched five in-
nings in his first start for the Twins,
allowing a two-run homer to Tyler
O’Neill in the fifth.
Cardinals starter Carlos Martínez (0-
1) was pulled after 3-2/3 innings, when
the homer by Donaldson ended his night.
Polanco’s drive capped a five-run second
for the Twins, with Max Kepler pitching
in an RBI single and Donaldson contrib-
uting a sacrifice fly.
Tigers 4, Royals 3
In Detroit, Jonathan Schoop and
Christin Stewart each hit a two-run
homer in the third inning to lift Detroit
over Kansas City.
Whit Merrifield hit a three-run shot
in the top of the third for Kansas City,
but the Tigers answered quickly and
held on from there. Tyler Alexander
(1-0) and four other relievers kept the
Royals scoreless for the final six in-
nings, with Joe Jimenez pitching the
ninth for his third save.
Kansas City starter Kyle Zimmer
pitched two scoreless innings, then
hit JaCoby Jones with a pitch to start
the Detroit third. Tyler Zuber (0-1)
relieved and allowed the homers to
Schoop and Stewart.
Padres 5, Giants 3
In San Francisco, Fernando Tatis
Jr hit a three-run homer, Wil Myers
added a two-run drive and San Diego
spoiled San Francisco’s home opener.
Zach Davies (1-0) struck out five
over five innings to win his Padres de-
but, allowing five hits and three runs –
two earned – as San Diego won for the
fourth time in five games this season.
The right-hander came over in a trade
with Milwaukee last November.
Drew Pomeranz, the Padres’ fourth
reliever, finished for his first save.
Rockies 8, Athletics 3
In Oakland, California, Sam Hilliard
homered for the first time this season
and Antonio Senzatela pitched out of
an early jam on his way to a rare road
win as Colorado beat Oakland.
Charlie Blackmon had two hits, Da-
vid Dahl drove in a pair of runs and
Nolan Arenado made up for an unchar-
acteristic fielding error with a single
and sacrifice fly to help the Rockies to
their third straight victory following an
opening day loss to Texas.
banned for four years last February.
Johann Lienhart was one of Aus-
tria’s leading cyclists in the 1980s and
competed at three Olympics between
1980 and 1988. He won the national
road title in 1983 and was part of the
Austrian team that won bronze at the
time trial of the 1987 world champion-
ships.

Broad leads England to series win
West Indies beaten in the decider by 269 runs
MANCHESTER, England,
July 29, (AP): England
won the first cricket series
in four months when it
defeated the West Indies in
the deciding third test by
269 runs on the last day at
Old Trafford.
England snatched the bio-secure
series 2-1 despite losing the first
test by 113 runs in Southampton.
The West Indies, resuming the fifth
and last day on 10-2, had a tall order to
bat out the day to force a series-saving
draw, any hope of making 399 to win
long gone. The weather wasn’t going
to save the tourists, either, though they
stopped for passing showers three
times.
The visitors lost three wickets in the
morning session, and the rest within 90
minutes after lunch to be all out for
129.
Fast bowler Stuart Broad’s only two
wickets on the day marked major mile-
stones. The first in the morning made
him the seventh man in test history to
claim 500 test wickets. The series-
clinching last wicket gave Broad 4-36
in the innings and 10 for the match, his
first 10-for since 2013.
“You want performances to lead to
wins so to get to 500 on a day that we
won a test match and a series feels
very special,” Broad said. “I feel so
fresh and excited to play the game
and I’ve done some technical work
that makes me feel in great rhythm.
Looking forward to getting back and
playing against Pakistan (next
week).”
Between Broad’s milestones, Chris
Woakes bowled 11 straight overs and
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England’s Stuart Broad celebrates
the dismissal of West Indies’ Kraigg
Brathwaite during the fifth day of
the third cricket Test match
between England and West Indies
at Old Trafford in Manchester,
England on July 28. (AP)
took 5-50.
“Scoreboard pressure means so
much to the bowling unit. We were
relentless,” Broad said.
Despite the bad ending, the West
Indies deserved kudos for agreeing to
travel to one of the world’s worst pan-
demic hotspots and contributed to a
gripping contest.
Cricket’s first international action
since March saw the West Indies win
the first test and England the second.
Both went down to the last day.
For this third test, England chose a
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Sports
Oakland Athletics pitcher
Daniel Mengden works
against the Colorado
Rockies in the first inning
of a baseball game
Tuesday, July 28 in
Oakland, California. (AP)
four-man pace attack and the West
Indies vulnerable lineup couldn’t
resist, falling for 197 and 129 against
England’s 369 and 226 declared.
For the first time since 1912
England pacers took 50 wickets in a
three-match series.
Broad set up this victory on Sunday.
He took four wickets to finish off the
West Indies first innings, then the first
two of the second innings in the eve-
ning to end West Indies’ slim hopes of
batting to win.
“Those big moments in series, he
grabs them,” captain Joe Root said.
CRICKET
“He wants to take the ball when you’re
up against it.”
The washout on Monday merely
delayed England’s march to victory,
and the last day had an air of inevita-
bility.
Broad’s wait for his 500th was less
than an hour, as he trapped West
Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite low
England’s captain Joe Root poses with the winners trophy after their win on the fifth day of the third cricket Test
on the back leg on 19. By a strange match between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, July 28. (AP)
coincidence, Brathwaite was also
Broad’s fellow pacer James
that edged behind. seamers like England did, but captain “Mentally, some of the guys are a
Anderson’s 500th in 2017.
“How funny, that stat of Jimmy After lunch, Roston Chase hesitated Holder, who bowled in all three tests, bit worn out,” he said. “Same place,
(Anderson) and I with Brathwaite,” twice running a single and was well didn’t think they tired. same rooms ... it could be this way for
Broad said. “He said to me, ‘You short when Dom Bess, who was picked “We won the first test with our best a little while. We’ve got to find ways
know who it’s going to be, don’t you?’ as a spinner but didn’t bowl, brilliantly team. Trying to clinch the series, you to make it work.”
That’ll be a quiz question in a few ran him out with a direct throw. try to put up your best team. You’re Broad was rested for the first test
years.” Woakes dismissed Jason Holder, trying to back the best team to do the and made his frustration with the deci-
Shai Hope moved to a team-high 31, Shane Dowrich and Rahkeem job for you,” Holder said. ”I can’t ask sion public. He made his point with
his best test score since January 2019, Cornwall with three consecutive leg the bowlers to do much more.” starring roles in both Manchester tests.
but gave away his wicket trying to pull befores, and Broad finished the series The squad arrived in England seven But he suggested he won’t be com-
Woakes. by dismissing Jermaine Backwood weeks ago and spent all of it by neces- plaining again if he’s rested during the
Shamarh Brooks also gifted his to with the first ball of his new spell. sity in a bio-secure bubble that Holder three-test Pakistan series that starts
Woakes with a waft off his back foot The West Indies didn’t rotate its described as challenging. next week on Wednesday.
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