ISSUE NO: 18625

16 Pages 150 Fils Established 1961

The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf

JAMADA ALAWWAL 30, 1443 AH MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022

Embassy urges Kuwaitis in UK to return home4 South African parliament

entirely destroyed by fireRecord cargo shipped through Suez last year8 Qatar’s Attiyah wins

first Dakar special156

News in brief

Kuwait grinds to a halt amid torrential rainfall

MP blasts former minister • Dozens of people rescued • Schools closed today

By B Izzak & Agencies KUWAIT: Torrential rains hit Kuwait yesterday, bringing life to almost a standstill, flooding residen-tial areas and forcing the closure of several key highways. There was no reported loss of life, but authorities said they rescued as many as 106 peo-ple. Officials said that the amount of rainfall exceed-ed 60 mm in some areas, which is more than half of Kuwait’s average annual rainfall of 100 mm.

A number of lawmakers strongly lashed out at the government, blaming former senior officials for the

damage caused by the rains, which has happened several times already. MP Mubarak Al-Ajmi blamed former public works minister Rana Al-Fares and held her responsible “for what is happening on Kuwait’s roads”, adding that she had been given the opportu-nity to make the necessary repairs during the clo-sures because of the coronavirus pandemic, “but she failed”.

MP Abdulkarim Al-Kandari called on the govern-ment to declare today a public holiday because movement on roads will be extremely difficult. He said the damage from rains has happened again

because of accumulated corruption. He held the gov-ernment responsible.

Most residential areas were turned into lakes, while thousands of vehicles were stranded on sub-merged roads, as the interior ministry urged the pub-lic not to venture out except for emergencies. Teams from the army, the national guard, municipality and fire department, in addition to the public works min-istry and others were busy throughout the day trying to drain water that filled many underpasses.

The education ministry postponed exams sched-uled for today and the higher education ministry

closed schools and universities today. The Meteorological Department said heavy rains, caused by a deep depression over Africa, were expected to continue until after midnight yesterday and expected stability to return gradually today.

Authorities in several Gulf countries renewed weather warnings yesterday as several days of heavy rains battered the usually arid region. Gulf countries usually experience mild winters, with the exception of rare and brief episodes of flooding rains between November and January.

Continued on Page 2

KUWAIT: Emergency personnel use pumps to drain a flooded underpass following torrential rain yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat and Fouad Al-Shaikh (See Pages 2 & 3)

Kuwait reports 609 COVID cases KUWAIT: Kuwait yesterday said 609 more people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, taking the country’s total caseload to 418,332. Some 114 more people recovered from the virus, taking total recoveries to 411,902. The death toll from the pandemic remained unchanged at 2,468, while 27 people are hospi-talized, with five in intensive care. — KUNA

Messi tests positive for COVID PARIS: Lionel Messi has tested positive for COVID-19 and entered self-isolation, his club Paris Saint-Germain announced yesterday. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was one of four PSG players to test positive for the virus ahead of a French Cup match against Vannes. Messi tested positive while on holiday in his hometown of Rosario in Argentina. Meanwhile, Brazilian World Cup-winner Ronaldo tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, forcing him to cancel his appearance at celebrations for the 101st anniversary of his first-ever team, Cruzeiro, the club said. — AFP

9 killed in Iran shootout TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they killed six “armed bandits” in a shootout in the country’s southeast that also left three mem-bers of a Guards-linked paramilitary force dead. The latest clashes in Sistan-Baluchistan broke out around a hideout of militants near a village in the center of the province, the Guards said late Saturday on their Sepah News website. — AFP

DURA: Supporters and relatives of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Hisham Abu Hawash rally in his village west of Hebron yesterday to demand his release. — AFP

BASRA: In this file photo taken on March 8, 2021, demonstrators wearing crossed-out masks attend a rally on International Women’s Day. — AFP

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian prisoner languishing in hospital after an exten-sive hunger strike teetered close to death yesterday, sparking internation-al concern and Palestinian demands that the Zionist entity release him from detention without charges. Hisham Abu Hawash, a 40-year-old member of the Islamic Jihad militant movement, began refusing food in August to protest the Zionist entity holding him without charges or trial.

The married father of five from Dura in the south of the Zionist-occu-pied West Bank was being held under administrative detention, a practice of arresting suspects for renewable six-month terms without allowing them to view the charges or evidence against them. “His condition is difficult and complex,” Liad Aviel, spokesman of the Shamir Medical Centre where Abu Hawash is being held, told AFP.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said medical teams that visited Abu Hawash had found him “in critical condition requiring expert clinical monitoring”. According to the ICRC, Abu Hawash has been refusing food for around 140 days. It issued a statement warning of “potentially

Continued on Page 2

Concern over Palestinian on hunger strike

BAGHDAD: After a day’s work in an Iraq public sector job, Azhar offers legal support to women who are vic-tims of domestic abuse, something she knows well given her experience with a brutal husband. After she was forced into marriage by family pressure, Azhar, 56, battled in court for almost a decade to divorce the man who would beat her up. “I believed I was going to die,” she said, recalling one attack and showing pictures of purple bruises on her arms and legs. “That was the moment when I decided to break my chains.”

She eventually won her freedom,

and the ordeal prompted her to study law. “I felt I was weak in the face of the justice system,” recalled Azhar, who heads a non-government organi-zation that offers legal support to vic-tims of violence and is part of the Iraqi Women’s Network coalition. “I help any woman who is a victim of violence or in need of legal aid, so that these women become aware of their rights and can defend them-selves,” she said.

From marriage of minors to eco-nomic coercion, feminists and lawyers struggle to defend the rights of women in the overwhelmingly patriar-chal country. They cite regressive laws and the indifference of authori-ties as key obstacles. In a country of 40 million, about 17,000 complaints

Continued on Page 2

Iraqi women battle abuse

Monday, January 3, 2022

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Firemen rescue man trapped in floods

KUWAIT: Several photos showing a rescue operation carried out by Kuwait Fire Force men of a man who was trapped at the Ghazali underpass following heavy rains that hit Kuwait yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Continued from Page 1 Torrential rainfall has hit the United Arab

Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with official WAM news agency saying the bad weather was expected to last until Thursday. The rain has been exacerbated by cloud seeding, which author-ities use to increase usually low and rare rainfall, the national centre of meteorology told AFP. In the

UAE emirate of Sharjah, pedestrians and vehicles were caught up in brown-colored water. Authorities have not reported any casualties.

Heavy rain has been falling in the vast desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia, impacting pilgrims in the holy city of Makkah. The Saudi civil defense warned that moderate to heavy rain was expected to continue in several regions. Oman on Saturday had announced “stormy rains of varying intensi-ty” in several regions of the country, and state broadcaster Oman TV showed images of wet roads and rising waters. Authorities in Qatar urged residents to remain vigilant and forecast “stormy rains” and strong winds in several parts of the country from Sunday.

Kuwait grinds to a halt amid... Continued from Page 1

irreversible health consequences and possible

tragic loss of life”. His wife, Aisha Hrebat, told AFP yesterday he

was in a “very dangerous” situation, adding that “since yesterday he can’t talk at all and doesn’t know what’s going on around him”. “Even after he ends his strike, he will have difficult problems,” she said, adding their lawyer was submitting an urgent appeal against his detention to the Zionist entity’s supreme court.

“The way (the Zionist entity) has used adminis-

trative detention is arbitrary,” said Shawan Jabarin, head of the Al-Haq rights group based in Ramallah on the West Bank. He said Abu Hawash was one of about 550 Palestinians held by the Zionist entity in administrative detention. Abu Hawash’s plight has ignited Palestinian support. Palestinian civil affairs minister Hussein Al-Sheikh called on the Zionist entity via Twitter to “release Abu Hawash immedi-ately”, with his appeal echoed by protesters who gathered over the weekend in Ramallah.

At a rally in Gaza, Ismail Radwan, an official with the Islamist movement Hamas that rules the enclave, said the Zionist entity must understand that prisoners constitute a “red line” for the Palest inians. The Is lamic J ihad, the second largest militant group in Gaza, said it holds “the (Zionist) occupation fully responsible for the deteriorating health” of Abu Hawash, threatening revenge if he dies. — AFP

Concern over Palestinian on...

Continued from Page 1 of domestic violence were registered in 2021 by

the interior ministry’s family protection unit, said media official General Saad Maan.

The marriage of minors is on the rise in Iraq, according to a government survey. For females under 18 it jumped to 25.5 percent last year, up from 21.7 percent in 2011. Azhar, who did not wish her surname to be published for security reasons, was around 20 when she first got married. But she was soon widowed and forced again into marriage seven years later. She eventually left her abusive second husband with her eight children and filed for divorce.

The first judge knew the man and rejected the request, despite three medical certificates proving her injuries, she said. “‘I will not break up families on the basis of certificates’,” she recalled the judge telling her. “‘So what if a man beats his wife?’,” she quoted him as saying. In cases of domestic abuse, judges often push for “reconciliation”, said the head of the family protection unit, Brigadier Ali Mohamed.

But “it is the victim who pays the price,” said Hanaa Edwar who heads the Al-Amal organization and has worked for 50 years as a rights defender. “The justice system’s considerations for affairs involving women is much weaker than the machis-mo that dominates the minds of judges.” Iraq has no specific law dealing with violence against women, and the 1969 penal code contains an article

that allows rapists to escape punishment if they agree to marry their victims.

Rights groups are seeking parliament’s endorse-ment of a draft law on domestic abuse, but it has been blocked by Islamist parties since 2010. A key provision of the bill is the creation of shelters for victims of domestic violence, said lawyer Marwa Eleoui. Mobilizing public opinion is often the only way to make headway and score the smallest of victories in Iraq, as in the case of Mariam, 16.

The teenager was disfigured by a man who broke into her home and sprayed her with acid, after her family spurned his offer of marriage, media quoted her parents as saying. Mariam’s story drew sympathy nationwide when it was reported by Iraqi media in December, seven months after the acid attack. Authorities say two suspects have been arrested over the assault.

“If it weren’t for media pressure, Mariam’s case would have taken two years before it went to court,” said Eleoui. In the northern province of Kirkuk, Lina was among the young women for whom the Al-Amal organization became a critical lifeline. At just 13 years of age, she was married off against her will to a man she said was violent. “I was 25 when I told myself I’d had enough,” she said. “He would beat me up in a way I cannot describe.”

When she complained, her husband - and her father - tried to obtain a certificate from a doctor saying she was mentally unstable, eager to avoid a social scandal. “The doctor saw the bruises and put me in contact with the association,” said Lina, who uses a pseudonym, fearing for her safety. Now she works with Al-Amal and makes house calls to tell women about their rights. “Leaving the courtroom after I got my divorce was like leaving a prison,” she said. — AFP

Iraqi women battle...

WASHINGTON: In this file photo taken on Jan 6, 2021, Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol. — AFP

WASHINGTON: One year after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol and shut down Congress, Americans still await a reckoning on the unprecedented challenge to the country’s democracy. Was it a simple protest-turned-riot? An insurrection? A coup attempt plotted by Trump? Videos from Jan 6, 2021 bear witness to the violence wrought in the former president’s name.

Attackers are seen beating security officers with iron bars and clubs. A policeman is crushed in a doorway, howling in pain. Rioters clad in assault gear chant “Hang Mike Pence,” while the vice president and Democratic and Republican lawmakers flee. A woman is fatally shot in a Capitol hallway. Americans were stunned by the hours-long assault, and so was much of the world, accustomed to seeing the United States as a model of stable democracy.

One year later, the brazen attempt to prevent Democrat Joe Biden from taking office after his victory in the November 2020 presidential election needs an accounting. “Not even during the Civil War did insurrec-tionists breach our Capitol, the citadel of our democra-cy,” Biden said in July. “This was not dissent. It was dis-order. It posed an existential crisis and a test of whether our democracy could survive.”

Trump defiant

A year later, more than 700 people involved in the Jan 6 attack have been charged, for assaulting law enforcement officers and breaking into and desecrating the halls of Congress. Investigations have shown a con-certed effort by Trump and his allies to prevent Pence from leading Congress in certifying Biden as the lawfully elected president. The looming question is: How are the attack and Trump’s effort linked?

A special committee of the House of Representatives is investigating, but the deeper they get, the more sensi-tive it becomes. If they find evidence suggesting that Trump knowingly incited the attack, or plotted to illegal-ly keep power, should they risk more turmoil by seeking an unprecedented criminal prosecution of an ex-presi-dent? For the first anniversary of the attack on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered a “solemn observance” in Congress.

Trump, who remains the most powerful figure in the Republican Party, plans his own Jan 6 commemoration in Palm Beach, Florida, which he says will focus on the “rigged” presidential election of 2020. Although he has shown no evidence that the election was fraudulent, polls show that around two-thirds of Republican voters believe him. And Republican lawmakers, aware that Trump can make or break them politically, have almost uniformly fallen in line. Even Pence won’t speak against him. Instead, the party is seeking to regain power in the 2022 congressional elections and in 2024, when Trump could run again for president.

Concerted effort to nullify election The arc of events leading to Jan 6, 2021 has become

clearer. Months before the vote, Trump declared it would be fraudulent and he would not accept losing. On election night when Biden’s victory was clear, he refused to concede. For six weeks, Trump and his backers sought to reverse vote counts in key states by lawsuits and pressure on leaders.

When that effort failed, they set their sights on January 6, when Pence was to convene the two houses of Congress to certify Biden’s victory. One point of attack was to summon Trump supporters to Washington. “Big protest in DC on January 6th,” Trump tweeted. “Be there, will be wild!” Another was to pres-sure Pence to halt the certification, based on dubious legal justifications mapped out and circulated by Trump allies, his chief of staff Mark Meadows, and some Republican lawmakers.

Those two efforts merged on Jan 6. As Congress pre-pared to meet, Trump told followers at a White House rally that the election had been “rigged” and vowed to “never concede”. Pence was the key, he said. “If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.” He urged the crowd to descend on Congress and to “fight like hell”. Thousands marched to the Capitol, including members of militant groups called the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, many wearing combat-style body armor and helmets.

In a nearby hotel, Trump allies operated a “war room” in touch with people on the street, with Trump’s Oval Office, and with Republican lawmakers in Congress. The violent attack that came next shut down the Capitol, halting certification. It sent lawmakers flee-ing and left five people dead and scores injured. It took police and federal troops more than six hours to regain control and remove the attackers. Finally, in the early morning hours of Jan 7, Pence officially certified Biden as president-elect.

Rush to complete probe

Many thought the rapid-fire impeachment of Trump over the following two weeks, and Biden’s inauguration on Jan 20, would consign the whole episode to history. But Trump didn’t go away. He secured his power over the Republican Party, rejected all criticism, and pledged a comeback. Democrats, aghast, are demanding a public reckoning.

“Inaction - or just moving on - is simply not an option,” said Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, who leads the House investigation. The com-mittee, which has already interviewed around 300 peo-ple, needs to complete its work before the Nov 2022 midterm elections, when Republicans could retake con-trol of the House and snuff out the probe. — AFP

A year after Capitol siege, US democracy still faces test

Monday, January 3, 2022

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State departments join forces todeal with heavy rain’s aftermath

KUWAIT: Vehicles drive through heavy rain on a highway in Kuwait yesterday morning. — Photos byFouad Al-Shaikh, Yasser Al-Zayyat and KUNA Ministry of Public Works’ personnel look on as water is drained out of an underpass.

Public works ministry reopens roads after precautionary closure

KUWAIT: Personnel and workers of severalKuwaiti authorities and departments joined forcesto deal with problems caused by heavy torrentialrain witnessed throughout Kuwait yesterday.Kuwait Fire Forces said in a statement that its teamsresponded to 103 help calls and rescued up to 106persons who were stranded amid raging waters onroads and some houses due to the downpour. TheKFF said it had receivedmost of the calls fromthe governorates ofHawally and Farwaniya,urging people to abstainfrom emerging outdoorsexcept for necessities.

Meanwhile, KuwaitArmy firemen took partin efforts to reopenroads that were heavilyaffected by torrentialrain that hit Kuwait yesterday. The director ofmorale guidance at the chairmanship of staff,Colonel Mohammad Al-Awadhi, said in a statementthat the army firemen have been pumping waterfrom several public places and roads in the gover-norate of Farwaniya and locations opposite toMessilah bridge where traffic has been jammed dueto the high levels of water.

Kuwait’s National Guard personnel also gave ahand in the efforts after the heavy rainfall thatcaused difficulties at some public locations androads. Colonel Dr Jedaan Fadhel, the Guard’s offi-cial spokesman, said yesterday that the Guard’spersonnel drained some spots near KuwaitInternational Airport to facilitate traffic flow, andsimultaneously, other teams carried out an identicaltask in Sabah Al-Ahmad district. Some of theGuard’s personnel also helped to remove wateraccumulation on Al-Ghazali road, rescued an indi-vidual who was trapped in the waters and easedthe traffic movement.

Underpasses reopenedEarlier yesterday, the Ministry of Public Works

(MPW) announced reopening several sites of rain-water accumulation after closing them down forprecautionary measures, amongst such sites are thesixth ring road, Al-Ghazali and Al-Mangaf under-passes. Ministry Spokesperson Abdullah Al-Ajmistated that the ministry’s emergency teams are

spread across the countryto face and deal with trou-bles caused by the heavyrainfall. He indicated that theteams were coordinatingwith other concerned min-istries and authorities.

Spokesperson Ajmi alsomentioned that the ministrypreviously distributed waterpumps to areas where rain-water was expected to pool

in order to avoid road closures. He also urged road-goers to avoid being on the road while rain is fallingas it might cause water pooling and hurdle traffic.

Airport unaffectedMeanwhile, the Kuwait Directorate General of

Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that air traffic at KuwaitInternational Airport proceeded normally, withdelays in some departing flights, despite the rainysituation. The Deputy Director General forPlanning and Projects Affairs and Spokesperson forDGCA Saad Al-Otaibi said that the movement ofaircraft was not affected by the weather, under-scoring that the emergency plan was activated inall operational sectors in DGCA to deal with thehuge amount of rain. The MeteorologicalDepartment stated that the country was affectedby scattered rain of medium intensity and some-times thunderstorms in some areas, with windspeeds that may reach over 50 kilometers per hour,and sea waves were over six feet. — KUNA

Firemen rescued103 people by

noon

Firemen present during a rescue mission.

Ministry of Public Works water pumps used to drain water out of an underpass.

A Ministry of Public Works’ worker operates a machine to pump water out of an underpass.

An army truck used to drain out the water.

Vehicles drive in the heavy rain yesterday. Police secure a road.Firemen are seen during a rescue operation.

Monday, January 3, 2022

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Established 1961

THE LEADING INDEPENDENTDAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

ESTABLISHED 1961

Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN

Editor-in-ChiefABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN

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P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait.Email: info@kuwaittimes.comWebsite: www.kuwaittimes.net

Established 1961 The First Daily in The Arabian Gulf

News in brief

Kuwait deported 18,221 in 2021

KUWAIT: Kuwait deported 18,221 people in2021, including 11,177 males and 7,044 females,for violations of laws and regulations, theInterior Ministry announced.

No decision on online learning

KUWAIT: No decision was made on switchingto online learning for the second semester, theMinistry of Education said. Refuting Social Mediaposts and rumors regarding the resumption ofonline learning, the ministry pointed out in a state-ment that any decision on the matter would becoordinated with the Ministry of Health throughthe joint ministerial committee tasked with curb-ing the spread of COVID-19. The alternatingstudy groups’ weekly system will continue as istaking into consideration the students’ academicneeds and health, added the ministry.

588 COVID cases on Saturday

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Health Ministry on Saturdaysaid that 588 people tested positive for COVID-19in the previous 24 hours, taking the total to 417,723.The recoveries rose by 108 to 411,788, while thedeath toll from the pandemic remained unchangedat 2,468, the Ministry’s Spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said. There were four ICU cases and 23patients at COVID-19 wards, while active casesstood at 3,467, he noted. Medical swabs conductedover the same period reached 17,338, raising thetotal to 5,984,074, Dr Sanad added.

MANAMA: Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah delivers a letter from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa. —KUNA photos

Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah deliv-ers a letter from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahto Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, received by Qatar’s ForeignMinister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

KUWAIT: Representative of His Highness the AmirSheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah,Foreign Minister and Minister of State for CabinetAffairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah delivered a letter from His Highness the Amirto Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Dr Ahmad handed a letterfrom His Highness the Amir to Qatar’s Amir SheikhTamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The letter was deliv-ered to Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.Each letter covered the deep-rooted relations

between the two sisterly countries and their peo-ples, as well as means of developing and promotingthem in all domains, Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry saidin a statement.

In other news, President Abdulfattah Al-Sisi saidthat Egypt is committed to preserving the securityand stability of Kuwait. President Sisi made hisstatements during talks with Kuwait’s outgoingambassador to Cairo Mohammad Al-Thuwaikh, cit-ing a desire for better bilateral ties. Conveying hisgreetings to His Highness the Amir Sheikh NawafAl-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Sisi attributed the

perpetual development in Kuwait to the shrewdnessof its political leaders, presidential spokesmanBassam Radhi said in a statement.

The Kuwaiti diplomat said he appreciated thehospitality and support he received in the Arabworld’s most populous nation, adding he workedtirelessly throughout his tenure towards improvingbilateral relations. He applauded Cairo’s pivotal roleand efforts to protect the security and stability ofthe wider Arab region, saying his talks with theEgyptian leader also touched on current develop-ments around the world. — KUNA

Kuwait Amir’s Representative handsletters to Bahrain’s King, Qatar’s AmirEgypt president says committed to Kuwait’s security

MARIB: Aid donated by ‘Al-Rahma’ Kuwaiti charitable organization is lined up to be distributed to internally displaced Yemenis, on the outskirts of the northeasterncity of Marib on Friday. — AFP photos

In my view

It’s 2022. And as we try to stick to our newlymade resolutions and continue to wish a hap-py new year to people, we tend to forget that

it is not a happy new year for many people. Ifeach of us in our individual communities focusedon resolutions which would transform ourrespective societies, then happiness would nolonger be a pipe dream. Unfortunately, we live ina world in which people with lofty ideals face redtape, bureaucracy, and in the case of Kuwait, anantiquated patriarchy that seems unwilling torelinquish its control.

Still, even in our country, there are diamondsin a mine. This honorific title goes to the ladies ofAbolish Article 153. For almost seven years, theyhave been pushing against a system which treatshonor killings as a misdemeanor, punishable by amaximum imprisonment of three years and/or afine of 3,000 rupees- circa KD 14. It is not justthe lenient jail term or embarrassingly paltry finewhich is disturbing, but the fact that there is an“or” in the article. In short, it is not a crime for aman to kill a woman caught in a sexual act. And ifher lover is killed as well, it is still a misdemeanor.Three years and/or a KD 14 fine.

At the t ime the init iat ive surfaced inNovember of 2014, nobody knew about thisarticle apart from legal experts and parliamen-tarians. But these ladies changed that. As soonas they launched their campaign, their effortswere lauded. And this praise culminated in thereceipt of the 2016 Chaillot Prize for HumanRights in the GCC.

By 2017, the Abolish 153 team even managedto persuade five MPs to sign a bill. Sadly, nothingcame out of it. It has been four years and Article153 remains stubbornly in place-an indicationthat there are men in power who still believe thatwomen are their property and deserve to bekilled, intimidated, abused, or harassed.

Many people have wondered aloud why aman’s honor is tied to the activities of the womenin their family. Wouldn’t it be more conducive toour society if people focused on the only honorthat matters: one’s own honor? And maybe weshould redefine honor as being kind and respect-ful to one another.

For now, let us remind everyone that thephrase “honor killing” is a misnomer. And in2022, let’s hope that the lovely ladies of AbolishArticle 153 finally achieve their goal. Then, it willbe a happy new year for women in our country.But the work won’t be over, as we have manyother initiatives which warrant our attention.Stay tuned!

Abolish Article 153

Nejoud Al-Yagout

Embassy urgesKuwaitis in UK toreturn homeKUWAIT: Kuwait’s embassy in the UnitedKingdom yesterday called on citizens to stick withForeign Ministry’s recommendations to postponecoming to the UK due to mounting Omicron cases.In a statement, the embassy advised Kuwaiti citi-zens in the UK to return home as a result of strongacceleration of Omicron cases’ spread daily, whichmay lead to partial or total lockdown. The embassyurged the citizens that in case of sudden emer-gency never hesitate to call the hot line02075902400.

The Kuwaiti ForeignMinistry had on Saturdayurged Kuwaiti nationalswishing to travel abroadto postpone their plansdue to growing numbersof COVID-19 infectionsworldwide. In a pressstatement, the ministrysaid that the surge invirus cases leads to ahigh risk of infection andforces countries to change health guidelines andmeasures to fight this increase, including loominglockdown and flight delay or cancellation, thusmaking it difficult for people to travel. — KUNA

Kuwait denouncesHouthi militias’continuing threats KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry yes-terday expressed in the strongest terms theState of Kuwait condemnat ion of theHouthi militias’ continuing threats to secu-r i ty of the s is ter ly Kingdom of SaudiArabia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs not-ed in a statement that the latest of theseongoing threats was the targeting of south-ern Saudi Arabia with three drones. Thesehostile actions and the escalation againstcivilians and civilian regions target not onlysecurity of Saudi Arabia but that of thewhole region. These attacks constitute fla-grant breach of the international laws. TheKuwaiti ministry urged the internationalcommunity to intervene in a rapid anddecisive manner to deter these threats andbring the culprits to account. It affirmedthe State of Kuwait full standing alongsidethe kingdom, supporting the measures itmay take to preserve its security, stabilityand sovereignty. —KUNA

InternationalAbused Afghanwomen findshelter dwindlingHuge fire completely destroys South Africa national assembly

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MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022

DUBAI: Fireworks erupt from Burj Khalifa as part of New Year’s festivities. —AFP

World ushers in 2022 under COVID cloudCelebrations either curtailed or canceled in face of infection surgeNEW YORK: The world ushered in 2022 withscaled-back celebrations from New York to Sydney,weighed down by restrictions aimed at slowing soar-ing COVID cases as Pope Francis delivered a mes-sage of peace Saturday. The Big Apple revived itsNew Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square in limitedform, Paris nixed its fireworks over Omicron andLondon’s pyrotechnic display was broadcast on TVto discourage crowds.

Under sunny skies at the Vatican on New Year’sDay, the head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholicsimplored the faithful to commit to ending war andviolence. “Getting depressed or complaining is use-less. We need to roll up our sleeves to build peace,”the 85-year-old pontiff told crowds gathered in SaintPeter’s Square.

The past 12 months saw a new US president in JoeBiden and the world’s first spectator-free Olympics,while in Afghanistan the Taleban recaptured Kabuland authoritarianism crushed dreams of democracyin Sudan and Hong Kong. But the pandemic - inwhich more than 5.4 million people have died andnow entering its third year - still dominated.

Countless more have been sickened or subjectedto lockdowns and virus tests since it was first report-ed in central China in Dec 2019. The year 2021 start-ed with hope as life-saving vaccines reached around60 percent of the world’s population, although manyof the poor still had limited access while others

refused to receive a shot. As the year drew to a close,the emergence of the Omicron variant pushed thenumber of daily new COVID-19 cases past one mil-lion for the first time, according to an AFP tally.

To party, or not?In Britain, France, the United States and even

Australia - long a refuge - Omicron is driving recordnumbers of new infections. As parties at midnightgave way to traditional New Year Day dips afterdaybreak, unseasonably warm weather in Romemade the plunge into the chilly Tiber River less intim-idating. In northeastern England, women donned fan-cy dress as they paddled in the North Sea, while rev-elers divided into the surf on the outskirts ofPortugal’s capital Lisbon.

Celebrations the night before, from Seoul to SanFrancisco were either curtailed or canceled in theface of the infection surge. New York’s annual NewYear’s Eve ball drop - cancelled last year - wasscaled-down, welcoming fewer revelers than in pre-vious years, with only about 15,000 people - allrequired to show proof of vaccination - allowed in.“This is a dream of ours. This is one of our bucketlists to see the ball drop on New Year’s, and we gotvaccinated because of this,” said Chroni Stokes, whotraveled all the way from Memphis, Tennessee.

In Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, about 7,000 people -half the usual capacity - rang in the new year by eat-

ing grapes, one for each time the clock chimed up to12. Dubai went ahead with its celebrations unde-terred, with 36 firework displays at 29 locations. Butauthorities warned they would fine anyone in atten-dance not wearing a mask.

Tragedy in IndiaPolice officers patrolled the Champs-Elysees in

Paris, which was lit with glittering red lights and fes-tooned with “2022” balloons, also on the lookout forpeople without masks. Most people were simplyasked to wear one, but some who argued were fined.Across France, 874 cars were torched, a ritual indeprived suburbs, albeit a fall on the 1,316 that werevandalized in 2019.

In Sydney, which normally bills itself as the “NewYear’s Eve capital of the world”, the vast harborwhere people gather to watch the city’s fireworkswas notably uncrowded. With tourists still unable toenter and many residents fearful of the rapid spreadof Omicron, tens of thousands were estimated tohave attended, rather than the usual one million-plus.

In South Africa - the first country to reportOmicron back in November - lifted a curfew lateThursday to allow festivities to go ahead. A new-yeartragedy struck in India, where at least 12 people diedand 13 were injured in a stampede at a religiousshrine early Saturday as pilgrims gathered to offernew year prayers, officials said. In Rio, celebrations

on Copacabana Beach went ahead in a scaled-backformat, although crowds still arrived at the traditionalparty spot. After last year’s festivities were canceleddue to COVID, there was a ban on musical perform-ances, traffic and public transport.

‘Kiss and cuddle’“I was expecting many more people, and stress,

but it’s calm, I like it,” said Colombian neuroscien-tist Alejandra Luna, 28, whose hope for 2022 is to“kiss and cuddle without thinking much about it”.In Mexico City, authorities canceled a number ofmass outdoor events, including a music concert.The World Health Organization has warned of try-ing times ahead, saying Omicron could lead to “atsunami of cases”.

Many Western leaders have been hesitant toreimpose the strict controls seen in 2020, for fearof sparking a new economic downturn. But on-again-off-again restrictions have still promptedfrequent, vocal and occasionally violent anti-lock-down, anti-vaccine and anti-government protests.Biden urged unity for the new year in a video mes-sage, during which he also praised “extraordinary”Americans. Hope remains that 2022 may bring anew, less deadly phase of the pandemic. “Hopefully2022 is going to be better for everyone,” saidOscar Ramirez, 31, in Sydney. “Everyone in theworld needs a big change.” — AFP

Sudan forces firetear gas at largeanti-coup rallyKHARTOUM: Thousands of Sudanese pro-democracy protesters rallied yesterday outside thepresidential palace in Khartoum, braving tear gas, amass deployment of armed soldiers and a telecom-munications blackout. They demonstrated againstan October 25 coup launched by military leaderGeneral Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, shouting “power tothe people” and demanding a return of the “militaryto the barracks”.

As with previous demonstrations, which havebecome regular since the coup, the authorities haveerected roadblocks, with shipping containers block-ing Nile River bridges between the capital and out-lying areas. Internet and cell phones have notworked since the morning and security forces wereperched on armored vehicles with heavy machineguns watching passers-by.

But thousands of Sudanese nonetheless came outto demonstrate “in memory of the martyrs”, with atleast 54 protesters killed in street violence since thecoup, according to medical sources. Web monitor-ing group NetBlocks said mobile Internet serviceswere cut from mid-morning ahead of the plannedprotests, the first of the year. Activists use theInternet for organizing demonstrations and broad-casting live footage of the rallies.

Sudan, with a long history of military coups, hasundergone a fragile journey toward civilian rulesince the 2019 ouster of autocrat Omar Al-Bashir

following mass popular protests. But the countryhas been plunged into turmoil since Burhan -Sudan’s de facto leader following the ouster ofBashir - launched his coup and detained PrimeMinister Abdalla Hamdok. Hamdok was reinstatedon Nov 21, but mass protests have continued asdemonstrators distrust veteran general Burhan andhis promises of seeking to guide the country towardfull democracy.

Activists have kept up a more than two-month-long campaign of street demonstrations againstthe army’s takeover, despite a crackdown that hasseen at least 54 people kil led and hundredsinjured, according to the pro-democracy Doctors’Committee group. The rallies have been repeated-ly broken up by security forces firing rounds oftear gas, as well as charges by police wieldingbatons. — AFP

Thousands rally inIraq to mark 2020killing of Iran generalBAGHDAD: Thousands of supporters of an Iraqialliance of armed groups Saturday marked theupcoming second anniversary of a US drone strikethat killed a revered Iranian commander and hisIraqi lieutenant. Chanting “Death to America”, theHashed al-Shaabi loyalists filled a Baghdad squareto honor Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, whoheaded the Quds Force, the foreign operations armof Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, until his death onJanuary 3, 2020.

The night-time drone strike near Baghdad air-port sent shock waves across the region andsparked fears that decades of arch enmity betweenWashington and regional Shiite power Tehranwould escalate into direct military confrontation.“US terrorism has to end,” read one sign at the rallyby backers of the pro-Iranian Hashed, a Shiite for-mer paramilitary alliance that has been integratedinto Iraq’s state security apparatus.

The strike against Soleimani, the architect ofIran’s Middle Eastern military strategy, was orderedby then US president Donald Trump, and it alsokilled his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis,the Hashed’s deputy chief. Hashed supporters, somewith their children, marched into a square in centralBaghdad that was closed off to traffic, an AFP cor-respondent said. Some unfurled huge white flagsemblazoned with the Hashed insignia, as well asIraq’s national flag, while others held pictures of

Soleimani and Muhandis.The US said at the time that Soleimani was plan-

ning imminent action against US personnel in Iraq, acountry long torn between the competing demandsof its principal allies Washington and Tehran, and theassassination came after a wave of attacks on USinterests in the country. Iran, which wields consider-able cross-border influence, warned it would avengeSoleimani’s death. Five days after his killing, it firedmissiles at an air base in Iraq housing US troops andanother near Arbil in the country’s north. Since thendozens of rockets and roadside bombs have target-ed US security, military and diplomatic sites acrossIraq. Iraqi and Western officials have blamed hard-line pro-Iran factions for the attacks, which havenever been claimed by any group. — AFP KHARTOUM: Sudanese demonstrators rally in the Al-

Daim neighborhood of the capital yesterday. —AFP

BAGHDAD: Members and supporters of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi ex-paramilitary alliance take part in a demon-stration and a symbolic funeral for slain top Iraniancommander Qasem Soleimani and slain Iraqi command-er Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis on Saturday. — AFP

CAPE TOWN: A massive fire in South Africa’s hous-es of parliament in Cape Town has completelydestroyed the National Assembly where parliamen-tarians sit, a spokesman said yesterday as the blazecontinued to rage. “The entire chamber where themembers sit... has burned down,” Moloto Mothaposaid, adding that the blaze had still not been extin-guished.

No casualties have been reported so far butPresident Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters at thescene an arrest had been made. “Someone has beenheld right now and is being questioned,” he said. Aninvestigation has been opened into the blaze whichstarted at around 0300GMT yesterday in theparliament complex’s old-est wing, which was com-pleted in 1884 and haswood-paneled rooms.

As day dawned,smoke could be seen bil-lowing from the buildingagainst a blue sky. “Theroof of the Old Assemblybuilding has collapsedand is gone,” Jean-PierreSmith, Cape Town’s mayoral committee memberfor safety and security, told reporters earlier. Thehistoric building houses a collection of rare booksand the original copy of the former Afrikaansnational anthem “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika”(“The Voice of South Africa”), which was alreadydamaged.

“The entire building has suffered extensivelysmoke and water damage,” Smith said, adding “thefire has not been contained”. After ravaging the old-er wing of the building, the flames spread to newerparts of the complex which are currently in use.

“Firefighters are currently trying to control the

fire in the New Wing, where the fire has affected theNational Assembly Chamber,” parliamentaryspokesman Mothapo told an online news conferenceearlier in the day. The imposing red and white build-ing was still shrouded in a thick cloud of black atmidday.

Meters from Tutu’s burialA team of firefighters who were first to arrive at

the scene battled the flames for several hours beforebeing forced to retreat and call for reinforcements.Around 70 firefighters were later deployed, someusing a crane to spray water on the blaze. Former

Cape Town mayor andcurrent minister Patricia deLille warned it would stillbe several hours before thefire was brought undercontrol.

Inside the rooms, fineshowers of grey ash fellfrom the ceiling to thefloor, which was alreadylittered with debris.Emergency services saidthey feared the fire could

spread swiftly through the old rooms, which aredecorated with wood, thick carpets and curtains.Images broadcast on television had earlier showngiant flames leaping from the roof.

The area around the fire in the upmarket neigh-borhood was quickly cordoned off. The cordonstretched to a square where flowers were still dis-played in front of the nearby St. George’s Cathedral,where anti-apartheid icon Archbishop DesmondTutu’s funeral took place on Saturday. After a simple,no-frills mass, with a cheap coffin - according to thefamously modest Tutu’s instructions - his ashes wereinterred in the cathedral yesterday.

Second fire in a yearCape Town has been home to South Africa’s

houses of parliament since 1910, when separateadministrations formed a union under Britishdominion and became a predecessor to the mod-ern South African republic. The site includes theNational Assembly and the upper house NationalCouncil of Provinces, while the government isbased in Pretoria.

It was in parliament where South Africa’s lastapartheid president FW de Klerk announced in 1990

plans to dismantle the brutal white-minority regime.The houses of parliament in Cape Town consist ofthree sections, with the newer additions constructed inthe 1920s and 1980s.

Another fire also broke out in the older wings ofparliament in March, but it was quickly contained.Cape Town suffered another major fire in April, when ablaze on the famed Table Mountain which overlooksthe city spread, ravaging part of The University ofCape Town’s library holding a unique collection ofAfrican archives. —AFP

President tells reporters an arrest has been made

Huge fire completely destroys South Africa national assembly

CAPE TOWN: A general view shows a building on fire at the South African parliament precinct yesterday. —AFP

France removesEU flag fromArc de TriomphePARIS: French authorities took downa temporary installation of theEuropean Union flag from the Arc deTriomphe monument in Paris yester-day, after rightwing opponents ofPresident Emmanuel Macron accusedhim of “erasing” French identity. Thegiant blue flag was raised in place of aFrench flag on New Year’s Eve tomark France’s turn at the rotatingpresidency of the EU Council, which itwill hold for the next six months.

The arch, a monument to war dead,and other landmarks including theEiffel Tower and the Pantheon are alsobeing illuminated with blue lights forthe remainder of this week. ButMacron’s rightwing rivals for thepresidential election four monthsaway seized on the removal of the tri-color flag, calling it an affront toFrance’s heritage and its veterans.

“Preside over Europe yes, erase

French identity no!” tweeted ValeriePecresse, the conservative candidatewho polls indicate could be the mainchallenger to Macron in the upcom-ing vote. She urged him to restorethe French flag, saying, “We owe itto our soldiers who spilled theirblood for it.”

Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen,who had vowed to file a complaintwith the State Council, France’s high-est court for administrative matters,also denounced the move, while EricZemmour, a far-right media punditwho is also running against Macron,called it “an insult”. Le Pen yesterdaycalled the overnight removal of the EUflag “a great patriotic victory,” claim-ing on Twitter that a “massive mobi-lization” had forced Macron tobackpedal.

But an official in the French presi-dency said the flag’s removal beforedawn was “in line with the plannedschedule”, insisting that unlike theblue lights for monuments, it was onlysupposed to be at the Arc for twodays. Europe Minister ClementBeaune, who on Saturday accusedMacron’s opponents of “desperately

chasing after the sterile controversiesof the far right,” also denied any“retreat”.

“We embrace Europe, but thatdoesn’t take anything away from ourFrench identity,” Beaune told FranceInter radio. He said the decision toremove the flag during the night

was made by officials at the agencyin charge of national monuments.The presidency official, who askednot to be named, could not saywhen the massive French flag wouldfly again under the Arc, but noted itwas not a permanent feature for themonument. —AFP

PARIS: People gather at the Arc de Triomphe lit up in blue to mark theFrench presidency of the European Union on Saturday. —AFP

Calls mount forword on detainedTunisia politicianTUNIS: Appeals mounted Saturday for word on thewhereabouts of detained Tunisian politicianNoureddine Bhiri, a leader of the Islamist-inspiredEnnahdha party, the largest in the North African coun-try’s suspended parliament. Plainclothes officers arrest-ed Bhiri, a former justice minister and deputy presidentof Ennahdha, in the capital Tunis on Friday. Ennahdhahad played a central role in the country’s politics until apower grab by President Kais Saied in July.

Tunisia’s independent national body for the preventionof torture (INPT) said in a statement that authorities hadprovided no information on Bhiri nor on Fathi Baldi, a for-mer interior ministry official who was also taken in forquestioning on Friday. The body’s president, Fathi al-Jarray, said there had been “no response” from the interiorministry to its requests for information about the two men.

Tunisia was the only democracy to emerge from the

Arab Spring revolts of a decade ago, but civil societygroups and Saied’s opponents have expressed fear of aslide back to authoritarianism a decade after the revolu-tion that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine BenAli. Lawyer and INPT official Lotfi Ezzedine told AFPthat some individuals had been placed under housearrest over the summer, but “this is even worse becausewe don’t even know where they are detained”.

Bhiri and Baldi were “neither in an official detentionfacility, nor at their homes, nor at a police station”, hesaid, charging that the pair’s location was being “keptsecret”. Saied on July 25 sacked the Ennahdha-sup-ported government and suspended parliament, pre-senting himself as the ultimate interpreter of the consti-tution. He later took steps to rule by decree, and in ear-ly December vowed to press on with reforms to thepolitical system.

Ennahdha said Friday that authorities were ques-tioning Bhiri and denounced “a kidnapping and dan-gerous precedent marking the country’s entry into atunnel to dictatorship”. Ezzedine said the interior min-istry had ordered the pair under preventive detentionwithout legal proceedings because they allegedly pre-sented “‘a danger to public order’.” They have beenunable to communicate with their families or lawyers or

receive visits, he said, branding their detention “uncon-stitutional”.

Ennahdha party lawmaker Habib Khedher saidInterior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine had refusedSaturday to meet with representatives of Bhiri’sdefense committee. He said Bhiri’s wife Saida Akremiand the head of the national order of lawyers hadrequested a meeting to check on the health of Bhiri,who suffers from several chronic illnesses. —AFP

Tutu’s ashesburied in CapeTown cathedralCAPE TOWN: South Africa’s spiritual fatherArchbishop Desmond Tutu, hero of the anti-apartheidstruggle, was laid to rest at dawn yesterday in theCape Town cathedral where he once preached againstthe brutal white-minority regime. Nobel Peace Prizewinner Tutu died a week ago, aged 90, after a lifespent fighting injustice. His ashes were “interred at StGeorge’s Cathedral in a private family service earlytoday”, an Anglican Church statement said.

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba placed his remainsunder an inscribed memorial stone before the highaltar. He urged South Africans to “use this opportuni-ty to turn a new page. “Let us commit ourselves... tothe radical, the revolutionary change that he advocat-ed,” Makgoba said. “Let us live as simply as he lived,exemplified by his pine coffin with rope handles.”

Some 20 members of Tutu’s family, led by his wid-ow “Mama Leah” were present. Famed for his mod-esty, Tutu had left instructions for a simple, no-frillsfuneral with a cheap coffin, followed by an eco-friend-ly flameless cremation. Family, friends, clergy andpoliticians had attended a requiem mass on Saturdaywith President Cyril Ramaphosa leading the tributes.

“Our departed father was a crusader in the strug-gle for freedom, for justice, for equality and for peace,not just in South Africa... but around the world aswell,” said Ramaphosa. “While our beloved (NelsonMandela) was the father of our democracy,Archbishop Tutu was the spiritual father of our newnation”, lauding him as “our moral compass andnational conscience”.

Under apartheid, the white-minority governmentcemented its grip imposing laws based on the notionof race and racial segregation, and the police ruthless-ly hunted down opponents, killing or jailing them. WithMandela and other leaders in prison for decades, Tutuin the 1970s became the emblem of the anti-apartheidstruggle. He campaigned relentlessly abroad, adminis-tering public lashings to the Western world for failingto slap sanctions on the apartheid regime.

After apartheid was dismantled and SouthAfrica ushered in the first free elections in 1994,Tutu chaired the Truth and ReconciliationCommission, which exposed the horrors of the pastin grim detail. —AFP

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Noureddine Bhiri

The fire hasnot beencontained

‘Incredible’: Trumpsupporters recallCapitol siegeWASHINGTON: They descended upon Washingtonin the thousands, gathering to protest the result of apresidential election they still claim was “rigged”.The US Capitol came under attack, leaving thecountry wounded. One year after January 6, 2021,three participants recall the events of a day thatshocked the world.

‘Euphoria’“January 6 was incredible,” says Samson

Racioppi, a 40-year-old Republican Party stalwartwho rented several buses to drive people toWashington from his home state of Massachusetts.The day began with outgoing Republican president

Donald Trump addressing a sea of supporters wav-ing “Trump 2020” flags in the biting cold near theWhite House. Trump fired up the crowd with a defi-ant speech, repeating his false claims that he wonthe November election over Democrat Joe Biden.

“I remember the actual feeling of that day of eupho-ria,” said Jim Wood, who came to Washington fromNew Hampshire. “Seeing all the people.” Before Trumpfinished speaking, Wood, who is in his 60s, headedtowards the Capitol, where Congress was certifyingBiden’s election victory. Thousands of others did thesame and an enormous crowd quickly assembledaround the brilliant white dome of the Capitol building.

‘Let’s go!’“Then all of a sudden, you heard, I guess, from

my remembrance, screams of, you know, ‘Let’s go,let’s go, let’s go,’” said Glen Montfalcone, who alsocame to Washington from Massachusetts. “And thenkind of anarchy started happening,” Montfalconeadded. “People were pushing, pushing, pushing. ‘Gogo, forge forward, forge forward,’” he said. “And so

we all did, we all forged forward and just startedentering into the area, and then up the stairs.”

All three men insist they did not enter the Capitolitself. They could be risking prison if they admittedthey did. Hundreds of people did swarm the building,however, including a tattooed, half-naked man wear-ing horns and a fur hat. One protestor was shot deadby police. The world watched live, aghast, as thecitadel of American democracy came under assault.

Wood said the televised images he saw broadcastthe next day at breakfast were “demonizing” andthat the vast majority of the protestors remainedoutside the Capitol. During the next few months, twocompeting narratives would arise. Trump supportersclaim it was a peaceful protest against a “stolen”election. Police officers who fought with the mob,Democratic lawmakers and even some Republicanscalled it “terrorism”.

FBI at the doorIn the wake of Jan 6, law enforcement launched a

nationwide sweep for participants in the assault on

the Capitol. Montfalcone has had FBI agents turn upat his door. Several friends have been arrested. At hislaw school, students unsuccessfully attempted tohave Racioppi thrown out. In Washington, a House ofRepresentatives committee is investigating what hasbeen described as an insurrection or a coup attempt.

The Jan 6 participants reject this characterizationof the day. On the contrary, Racioppi says proudly,“this is something I’m going to tell my grandkidsabout.” He remains convinced, l ike manyRepublicans, that the 2020 election was “stolen”from Trump, despite the absence of any credibleevidence this occurred. The law student said Jan 6was just a skirmish in an ongoing conflict.

“We’re looking at it as if it ’s a war, right?”Racioppi said. “And the war is the elections inNovember. “And leading up to that war, we’regoing to create a series of battles,” he said. “We’regoing to cause as much political damage to the leftand the people who support tyranny as possible.”Would he do it again? “Of course I would do itagain,” he said. —AFP

KABUL: Married off at seven to a manold enough to be her great-grandfather,Fatema endured rapes, beatings and star-vation until she could take no more andtried to kill herself. Through tears sherecalls the beatings she received - likethe time, aged 10, she was flung against awall and “my head crashed against anail... I almost died”.

Today the 22-year-old is living in oneof the few shelters for battered womenstill open in Afghanistan since theTaleban’s August return to power, but isfearful she could lose her place at anytime. If the refuge closes, Fatema will havenowhere to go. She has lost touch withher own family, while in-laws have vowedto kill her for dishonoring their name.

Fatema’s plight is shared by millions inAfghanistan, where patriarchal tradition,poverty and a lack of education haveheld back women’s rights for decades.According to the United Nations, 87 per-cent of Afghan women have experiencedsome form of physical, sexual or psycho-logical violence. Despite this, the countryof 38 million had only 24 shelters dedi-cated to their care before the Taleban’sreturn - almost all financed by the inter-national community and frowned uponby many locals.

‘Start from scratch’Some NGOs running shelters

stepped up their work long before theTaleban takeover. The director of oneorganization told AFP she began movingwomen away from shelters in unstableprovinces in advance of the US troopwithdrawal. Some were sent back totheir blood relatives in the hope theywould be offered protection fromvengeful in-laws. Others were sent toshelters in bigger provincial capitals.

As the Taleban onslaught continuedthe situation became desperate, and

around 100 women were transferred toKabul - only for the capital to fall. “Wehave to start from scratch,” says thedirector, who asked not to be named orthe organization identified while theynavigated how to operate under thenew regime. The Taleban insist theirstrict interpretation of the Holy Quranprovides women with rights and pro-tection, but the reality is very differentand they are slowly being squeezedout of public life.

Most secondary schools for girlsare shut, women are barred from gov-ernment employment apart fromselect specialized areas, and this weeknew guidelines stated they cannotundertake long journeys unless accom-panied by a male relative. There has beensome glimmer of light.

Earlier this month supreme leaderHibatullah Akhundzada denounced

forced marriage, while Suhail Shaheen -the Taleban’s would-be ambassador tothe UN - told Amnesty International thatwomen could go to court if they werevictims of violence. The regime has not

made any formal pronouncement on thefuture of shelters, although the refugeshave not escaped their notice.

Taleban fighters and officials havepaid several visits to the one housing

Fatema and around 20 other women,according to employees. “They came in,looked at the rooms, checked there wereno men,” said one worker. “They said thisis not a safe place for women, that their

place is at home,” said another. Still, itgave one woman hope. “It was muchbetter than we expected,” the firstworker told AFP.

‘Accused of lying’Even before the Taleban takeover

many women in abusive householdshad little recourse. Zakia approachedthe Ministry of Women’s Affairs -since shut down by the Taleban - foradvice on how to escape a father-in-

law who had threatened to kill her. “Theydidn’t even listen to me,” she said, andtold her that her situation was not thatbad. Mina, 17, who ran away from anabusive uncle seven years ago with her

younger sister, had a similar reception.“The ministry accused me of lying,” shetold AFP.

And it is not just the women seekingshelter who are vulnerable, with AmnestyInternational saying shelter workers also“risk violence and death”. Several stafferssaid they had been threatened over thephone by people claiming to be Talebanseeking the whereabouts of women whohad fled their households.

Cases of abuse are likely to rise withthe virtual collapse of the economybringing soaring unemployment, a cash-flow crisis and mounting hunger. “Whenthe economic situation worsens, men areout of work, and cases of violenceincrease,” one shelter worker said. “Thesituation has probably worsened... serv-ices have generally decreased,” saidAlison Davidian, interim representativefor UN Women in Afghanistan. — AFP

Monday, January 3, 2022

7I n t e r n a t i o n a l

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87% of Afghan women have experienced some form of violence

Nowhere to hide: Abused Afghanwomen find shelter dwindling

We haveto start from

scratch

KABUL: (Left) In this picture taken on Dec 11, 2021, women and girls attend a drawing class in a shelter for victims of gender violence. (Right) A survivor watches TV at theshelter. — AFP photos

Runaway elephantherd breaks intoBangladesh parkCOX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: A herd of endan-gered wild elephants are rampaging through asafari park in Bangladesh, with officials warningyesterday the creatures were acting aggressivelyand posed a serious safety threat. The herd of atleast 13 elephants knocked down a seven-foot(two-meter) concrete wall to break into theBangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, north ofthe resort city of Cox’s Bazar, earlier this week.

“They are very restless, frightened and actingas if they are cornered. They are now very dan-gerous for other animals and our visitors,” saidpark official Mazharul Islam. The reserve is hometo over 1,300 animals - including Bengal tigers,hippos and other threatened species - and seesaround 5,000 visitors each day in winter. “We areworried for the park’s visitors,” Islam said. “Nightpatrolling is getting difficult as the elephants arevery agitated and they go wild very easily.”

Fewer than 100 elephants remain in the SouthAsian country, where shrinking habitats anddwindling food supplies have resulted in growingconflict with humans. Another official said theelephants were frightened because of increasingencroachment on their land by farmers and thekilling of a dozen members of their herd in thepast two years. Scarcity of food has driven ele-phants to invade rice fields where they wereoften killed by electric fences, he added. — AFP

Stampede atIndia religiousshrine kills 12KATRA/SRINAGAR: Twelve peoplewere crushed to death in a stampedeat an Indian religious shrine in theearly hours of Saturday as tens ofthousands of pilgrims massed to offerprayers, officials said. The disasterunfolded in darkness at around 3:00am (2130 GMT) on the packed routeto the Vaishno Devi shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir, visited by mil-lions every year as one of Hinduism’smost revered sites.

“People fell over each other... Itwas difficult to figure out whose legor arms were tangled with whose,”survivor Ravinder told AFP by phone.“I helped pick up eight bodies by thetime ambulances arrived after abouthalf an hour. I feel lucky to be alivebut am still shaking with memory ofwhat I saw,” he said. Video footageshowed terrified pilgrims clingingonto metal rafters to escape the rushand the blue lights of small minivanambulances flashing in the darknessas they tried to rush to hospitalsthrough huge crowds.

Officials sought to blame analleged altercation between twogroups of youths and a rush of people

for New Year’s Day. “Police and offi-cials... were quick to respond (afterthe altercation), and the order withinthe crowd was immediately restored,”local police chief Dilbag Singh toldthe Press Trust of India news agency.“But by that time, the damage hadbeen done,” he said. But witnessessaid that the authorities were badlyorganized, something denied by theshrine’s management. Around a dozenpeople were also injured.

Holy sitesMillions of shrines dot Hindu-

majority India’s cities, towns and vil-lages as well as remote sites in theHimalayas and jungles in the south.Some are hugely important pilgrim-age sites, and Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s Hindu nationalistgovernment has invested heavily inimproving infrastructure to easeaccess. Before the pandemic, everyday about 100,000 devotees wouldtrek up a steep winding track to thenarrow cave containing the shrine toVaishno Devi.

Authorities had capped the dailynumber to 25,000 but witnesses and

press reports said that this may havebeen exceeded several times over.“There were at least 100,000 peoplethere. No one was checking registra-tion slips of the devotees,” saidRavinder, who only gave one name. “Ihave been there many times but (Ihave) never seen such a rush of peo-ple,” he said. “It was only when someof us managed to lift a dead body upwith our hands that people could see(what was happening) and madespace for moving the bodies out.”

Another witness who came fromGhaziabad outside New Delhi with agroup of around 10 people said therewas clearly “mismanagement”. “If(they had known) that so muchcrowding was happening, they shouldhave stopped the people,” the mansaid without giving his name.

Horse or helicopterIn 2008, two stampedes in as many

months in India left more than 370Hindus dead. Others in Kerala in 2011and in Madhya Pradesh two years lat-er each killed more than 100. Theshrine to Vaishno Devi, a manifesta-tion of Hindu goddess Vaishnavi, is inthe hills some 60 km from the city ofJammu. It saw 8.5 million visitors in2018. People travel to the nearby busytown of Katra and then trek upwardsfor around 15 km on foot or by pony -there is also a helicopter service -along a winding track lined with stallsas well as monkeys. — AFP

KATRA: This frame grab from a video taken on Saturday shows a packed crowdof devotees at the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. — AFP

China: ‘Positive’signs as Xi’anCOVID cases easeBEIJING: New COVID-19 cases in the locked-down Chinese city of Xi’an fell to their lowest in aweek, health officials said yesterday, as residents facetheir eleventh day under strict home confinement.China has followed a “zero Covid” approach involv-ing tight border restrictions and swift, targeted lock-downs since the virus first surfaced in a central cityin late 2019 - but this strategy has been put underpressure in recent weeks with a number of local out-breaks and cases remaining stubbornly high.

There were 122 fresh infections reported yester-day in the historic northern city - the lowest sinceDec 25, and down from 174 on Saturday. ZhangCanyou, from China’s disease control agency, toldstate broadcaster CCTV that after several rounds oftesting in Xi’an and the impact of the lockdown, theyhad started to see “some positive changes”. “We willalso make some adjustments to the prevention andcontrol measures in a timely way,” he said.

However, there are 16 patients in a “severe” con-dition, according to the National Health Commission.While low compared to numbers elsewhere, newinfections in recent days have reached a high notseen in China since March 2020. Since December 9there have been more than 1,500 cases of the Delta

strain reported in Xi’an, and health officials said at apress conference on Saturday that two patients arein a critical condition.

China has not recorded any deaths from COVID-19 since Jan 2021. Yang Yi, director of Critical CareMedicine of Zhongda Hospital, told CCTV therewere adequate medical resources. “We have desig-nated three hospitals for exclusively dealing with theCovid-19 patients in the province, and a fourth oneis ready for use,” she said. Patients in Xi’an rangefrom two months to ninety years old. CCTV footage

showed masked patients being led in exercises inhospital wards by a doctor in a hazmat suit.Residents in the locked-down city said this weekthey were struggling to find enough food, and localofficials have asked residents to exercise “under-standing and tolerance” as they smooth out supply.

There were also seven cases reported in easternNingbo city yesterday, where a small cluster hasbeen linked to a garment factory. All flights out ofthe city to the capital Beijing were cancelled, statemedia said. — AFP

XI’AN, China: People cross a road in this city in northern Shaanxi province on Dec 31, 2021, amid a COVID-19lockdown. — AFP

22 injured inChina quakeBEIJING: Twenty-two people were injured when ashallow earthquake hit southwestern China yesterdayafternoon and shook the popular tourist city ofLijiang, local authorities said. The quake struck nearthe border between Yunnan and Sichuan provinces,according to the US Geological Survey (USGS),which put the magnitude at 5.4 and depth at 38 km.

The Yunnan Seismological Bureau said 22 peoplehad been injured in the quake, two severely, inNinglang county. The provincial seismological admin-istration said there were no reports yet of damage tohouses, but state news agency Xinhua said a 60-strong search and rescue team had been dispatchedto the epicenter.

The China Earthquake Networks Centre latermeasured the magnitude at 5.5 with a depth of 10 km.The epicenter was 115 km away from Lijiang inYunnan province, the USGS said. China is regularly hitby earthquakes, especially in its mountainous westernand southwestern regions. In September three peoplewere killed and dozens injured when a shallow quakehit Sichuan province, and tens of thousands of homeswere damaged. A 7.9-magnitude quake in Sichuan in2008 left more than 80,000 people dead. Amongthem were thousands of children, killed when poorlyconstructed school buildings collapsed, but the gov-ernment failed to release an exact number of dead asthe issue took on a political dimension. — AFP

WASHINGTON: US authorities have asked tele-com operators AT&T and Verizon to delay for up totwo weeks their already postponed rollout of 5Gnetworks amid uncertainty about interference withvital flight safety equipment. The two companiessaid they are reviewing the request.

The US rollout of the high-speed mobile broad-band technology had been set for December 5, butwas delayed to January 5 after aerospace giantsAirbus and Boeing raised concerns about potentialinterference with the devices planes use to measurealtitude.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg andthe head of the Federal Aviation Administration,Steve Dickson, asked for the latest delay in a lettersent Friday to AT&T and Verizon, two of the coun-try’s biggest telecom operators. The US letter askedthe companies to “continue to pause introducingcommercial C-Band service”-the frequency rangeused for 5G-”for an additional short period of nomore than two weeks beyond the currently sched-uled deployment date of January 5.”

Asked by AFP for comment, Verizon spokesmanRich Young replied, “We’ve received the govern-ment’s letter after 6 pm on New Year’s Eve. We’re inthe process of reviewing it.” AT&T also said it wasreviewing the government request. In the letter, theUS officials assure the companies that 5G servicewill be able to begin “as planned in January with

certain exceptions around priority airports.” Theofficials say their priority has been “to protect flightsafety, while ensuring that 5G deployment and avia-tion operations can co-exist.”

Last February, Verizon and AT&T were author-ized to start using 3.7-3.8 GHz frequency bands asof December 5, after obtaining licenses worth tensof billions of dollars. But when Airbus and Boeingraised their concerns about possible interferencewith airplanes’ radio altimeters-which can operateat the same frequencies-the launch date waspushed back to January.

The FAA requested further information aboutthe instruments, and it issued directives limitingthe use of altimeters in certain situations, whichsparked airline fears over the potential costs.When Verizon and AT&T wrote to federal authori-ties in November to confirm their intention to startdeploying 5G in January, they said they would takeextra precautions beyond those required by USlaw until July 2022 while the FAA completes itsinvestigation.

The conflict between 5G networks and aircraftequipment led French authorities to recommendswitching off mobile phones with 5G on planes inFebruary. France’s civil aviation authority saidinterference from a signal on a nearby frequencyto the radio altimeter could cause “critical” errorsduring landing. — AFP

Established 1961

MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022

Record cargoshipped throughSuez Canal CAIRO: Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority saidthe key waterway netted record revenueslast year, despite the coronavirus pandemicand a six-day blockage by giant cargo shipthe Ever Given.

Connecting the Red Sea and theMediterranean, the canal accounts forroughly 10 percent of global maritime tradeand is a source of much-needed foreign cur-rency for Egypt. In 2021, some 1.27 billiontons of cargo were shipped through thecanal, earning $6.3 billion dollars (5.5 billioneuros) in transit fees, 13 percent more thanthe previous year and the highest figuresever recorded, Suez Canal Authority (SCA)chief Osama Rabie said.

The number of ships using the canal rosefrom 18,830 in 2020 to 20,694 in 2021, ormore than 56 ships per day, the SCA said ina statement. In March, the Ever Given supertanker — a behemoth with deadweight ton-nage of 199,000 — got stuck diagonallyacross the canal during a sandstorm.

A round-the-clock salvage operationtook six days to dislodge it, and one employ-ee of the SCA died during the rescue opera-tion. Egypt lost some $12 million to $15 mil-lion each day during the canal closure,according to the SCA. — AFP

BLAGNAC, France: File photo shows a Airbus A320neo taking off for its first test flight, in Blagnac nearToulouse, southwestern France. —AFP

US seeks new 5G delay to study interference with planes

Airbus, Boeing raise concerns about potential interference with devices

Euro marks 20 eventful years PARIS: The euro on Saturday marked 20 yearssince people began to use the single European cur-rency, overcoming initial doubts, price concerns anda debt crisis to spread across the region. EuropeanCommission chief Ursula von der Leyen called theeuro “a true symbol for the strength of Europe”while European Central Bank President ChristineLagarde described it as “a beacon of stability andsolidity around the world”.

Euro banknotes and coins came into circulationin 12 countries on January 1, 2002, greeted by amix of enthusiasm and scepticism from citizenswho had to trade in their Deutsche marks, Frenchfrancs, pesetas and liras. The euro is now used by340 million people in 19 nations, from Ireland toGermany to Slovakia. Bulgaria, Croatia andRomania are next in line to join the eurozone-though people are divided over the benefits ofabandoning their national currencies. EuropeanCouncil President Charles Michel argued it wasnecessary to leverage the euro to back up theEU’s goals of fighting climate change and leadingon digital innovation.

He added that it was “vital” work on a bankingunion and a capital markets union be completed.The idea of creating the euro first emerged in the1970s as a way to deepen European integration,make trade simpler between member nations andgive the continent a currency to compete with themighty US dollar.

Officials credit the euro with helping Europeavoid economic catastrophe during the coronaviruspandemic. “Clearly, Europe and the euro havebecome inseparable,” Lagarde wrote in a blog post.“For young Europeans... it must be almost impossi-ble to imagine Europe without it.”

In the euro’s initial days, consumers were con-cerned it caused prices to rise as countries convert-ed to the new currency. Though some products-such as coffee at cafes-slightly increased as busi-nesses rounded up their conversions, official statis-tics have shown that the euro has brought more sta-ble inflation. Dearer goods have not increased inprice, and even dropped in some cases.

Nevertheless, the belief that the euro has madeeverything more expensive persists.

New look The red, blue and orange banknotes were

designed to look the same everywhere, with illus-trations of generic Gothic, Romanesque andRenaissance architecture to ensure no country wasrepresented over the others. In December, the ECBsaid the bills were ready for a makeover, announc-ing a design and consultation process with helpfrom the public. A decision is expected in 2024.

“After 20 years, it’s time to review the look ofour banknotes to make them more relatable toEuropeans of all ages and backgrounds,” Lagardesaid. Euro banknotes are “here to stay”, she said,although the ECB is also considering creating adigital euro in step with other central banksaround the globe.

While the dollar still reigns supreme across theglobe, the euro is now the world’s second most-used currency, accounting for 20 percent of globalforeign exchange reserves compared to 60 per-cent for the US greenback. Von der Leyen, in avideo statement, said: “We are the biggest playerin the world trade and nearly half of this tradetakes place in euros.”

‘Valuable lessons’ The eurozone faced an existential threat a

decade ago when it was rocked by a debt crisis thatbegan in Greece and spread to other countries.Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus weresaved through bailouts in return for austerity meas-ures, and the euro stepped back from the brink.

Members of the Eurogroup of finance ministerssaid in a joint article they learned “valuable les-sons” from that experience that enabled theireuro-using nations to swiftly respond to fall-outfrom the coronavirus pandemic.

As the COVID crisis savaged economies, EUcountries rolled out huge stimulus programmeswhile the ECB deployed a huge bond-buyingscheme to keep borrowing costs low. YanisVaroufakis, now leader of the DiEM 25 party whoresigned as Greek finance minister during the debtcrisis, remains a sharp critic of the euro.

Varoufakis told the Democracy in EuropeMovement 25 website that the euro may seem tomake sense in calm periods because borrowing costsare lower and there are no exchange rates. Butretaining a nation’s currency is like “automobileassurance,” he said, as people do not know its valueuntil there is a road accident. In fact, he charged, theeuro increases the risk of having an accident. — AFP

FRANKFURT, Hessen: The tower of the European Central Bank (ECB) main building is pictured by nightshowing the illuminated euro currency symbol in Frankfurt/Main, western Germany. —AFP

US airport chaos as more than 2,700 flights cancelled WASHINGTON: Air travel continued to beseverely disrupted in the United States onSaturday, with bad weather in parts of the countryadding to the impact of a massive spike inCOVID-19 infections fuelled by the Omicron vari-ant. The United States had 2,723 cancelled flights,more than half of the 4,698 cancelled worldwide,around 11:00 pm (0400 GMT Sunday), accordingto tracking website FlightAware.

In addition, 5,993 domestic flights weredelayed on Saturday, out of a total of 11.043worldwide for the day. The worst affected USairline was SkyWest, which had to cancel 23 per-cent of its flight schedule, according to the site.In the United States, airports in Chicago wereparticularly hard-hit because of bad weather,with a snowstorm expected in the area onSaturday afternoon and into the night. The globalair travel industry is still reeling from the highlycontagious Omicron variant. Many pilots, flightattendants and other staff are absent from workafter contracting COVID-19, or because they arequarantining after coming in contact with some-one who has the infection. — AFP

China factory activity edges up in December BEIJING: Manufacturing activity in China edgedup in December, official data showed Friday, beatingexpectations as the price of commodities eased anddespite sporadic closures due to COVID outbreaks.The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) — a keygauge of manufacturing activity-in the world’s sec-ond-biggest economy rose to 50.3, remainingabove the 50-point mark separating growth fromcontraction.

The data from the National Bureau of Statisticsmarks a slight increase from last month’s reading of50.1 and beats expectations from analysts who hadbroadly predicted a slight decline. “With the inten-sification of efforts to stabilize the economy, such assecuring supply and stabilizing prices... the prices ofsome commodities have fallen significantly, and thecost pressure on companies has eased,” said NBS

statistician Zhao Qinghe.Factory activity returned to expansion in

November after seven months of decline due topower shortages and high raw material prices. ThePMI reading contracted below 50 for two months inSeptember and October as the power crunch hitbusiness operations.

Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing businessactivity index was 52.7 percent in December, anincrease of 0.4 percentage points from the previousmonth. The recovery was driven in part by the recu-perating air transport sector and hospitality.Analysts have warned that China’s domestic coron-avirus outbreaks will likely continue to weigh on thecountry’s economy, with sporadic outbreaks-includ-ing the ongoing lockdown in the city of Xi’an-hittingconsumer confidence and shutting businesses.

The historic northern city of 13 million is a keydestination for tourists. A separate flare-up of casesin late October spread to 21 provinces and prompt-ed sweeping travel restrictions and closures. TheNBS data also showed a 2.8 percent decrease in thebusiness activity index of the construction industryto 56.3 percent, over Beijing’s deleveraging crack-down on the bloated property sector. — AFP

FUYANG, China: File photo shows women work-ing on an assembly line producing speakers ata factory in Fuyang, in China’s eastern Anhuiprovince. — AFP

Monday, January 3, 2022

9B u s i n e s s

Established 1961

BRUSSELS: The European Union is planning to labelenergy from nuclear power and natural gas as“green” sources for investment despite internal dis-agreement over whether they truly qualify as sustain-able options. The proposal, seen by AFP on Saturday,aims to support the 27-nation bloc’s shift towards acarbon-neutral future and gild its credentials as aglobal standard-setter for fighting climate change.

But the fact the European Commission quietlydistributed the text to member states late Friday, inthe final hours of 2021 after the much-delayed doc-ument had been twice promised earlier in the year,highlighted the rocky road to draft it. If a majorityof member states back it, it will become EU law,coming into effect from 2023.

The commission confirmed on Saturday that ithas started consulting with member states on theproposal where it covers nuclear and gas energy.“The activities covered in this complementaryDelegated Act would accelerate the phase out ofmore harmful sources, such as coal, and in movingus towards a more low-carbon greener energymix,” it said.

It said it “considers there is a role for natural gasand nuclear as a means to facilitate the transitiontowards a predominantly renewable-based future”.France has led the charge for nuclear power-itsmain energy source-to be included, despite robustopposition from Austria and scepticism fromGermany, which is in the process of shutting all itsnuclear plants.

Germany’s Environment Minister Steffi Lemketold German media group Funke on Saturday thatincluding gas and nuclear would be “a mistake”,arguing that atomic power “can lead to devastatingenvironmental catastrophes”. Austrian EnvironmentMinister Leonore Gewessler also criticised theproject, denouncing nuclear power as “an energy of

the past” that was “too expensive and too slow” tocombat climate change.

Conditions attached Fossil-reliant countries in the EU’s east and south

have defended the use of natural gas, at least as atransitional source, even though it still producessignificant greenhouse emissions. “It is necessary torecognise that the fossil gas and nuclear energysectors can contribute to the decarbonisation of theUnion’s economy,” the commission proposal says.

It added that, for nuclear power, appropriatemeasures should be put in place for radioactivewaste management and disposal. Its proposal callsfor the building of new nuclear power plants to beconditioned on permits given out before 2045, andwork to extend the functioning of existing plantswould need to be authorised before 2040.

For gas, it said that carbon-emission limits shouldbe set to well below those produced by coal-burn-ing plants, and it should only be a transitionarysource with plants needing building permits givenbefore 2031. The member states and experts con-sulted by the commission have two weeks todemand revisions to the proposal before a finaldraft is published in mid-January. The EuropeanParliament would then have four months to eitherapprove or reject the text with a simple vote.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s government has set anambitious target of making all Danish domesticflights green by 2030, Prime Minister MetteFrederiksen said Saturday. “Will it be difficult? Yes.Can it be done? Yes, I think so. We’re already on it.Talented researchers and businesses are workingon solutions,” Frederiksen said in her New Year’sDay address to the nation.

“If we succeed, it will be a green breakthrough.Not just for Denmark, but the whole world. If there’s

anything we have learned in recent years when itcomes to handling big crises, it’s that we must neverhesitate,” she said.

Frederiksen provided no details about how thelofty goal would be accomplished, but did say hergovernment was open to the introduction of a taxon carbon dioxide gas emissions, after having pre-viously been opposed.

The aviation industry is one of the biggest emit-ters of greenhouse gases, and airlines are developingnew and cleaner technologies, including those thatreduce fuel use and emissions. The International AirTransport Association (IATA), which represents 290airlines accounting for 83 percent of global air traf-fic, in October made a pledge of net zero carbonemissions by 2050. —AFP

Denmark aims for all domestic flights to be green by 2030

EU moves to label nuclear, gas energy as ‘green’

GUNDREMMINGEN, Germany: File photo shows the nuclear powerplant Gundremmingen, southern Germany.Germany will shut down three nuclear power plants - Brokdorf, Grohnde and Gundremmingen - amid one of theworst European energy crises in history. —AFP

S Lanka food prices hit record highs as shortages bite COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s food prices rose by arecord 22.1 percent in December, official figuresshowed Saturday, as the country struggles tofinance urgent imports to tackle an acute shortageof essentials. The census and statistics departmentsaid food inflation hit an all-time high last month ona year-on-year basis since the Colombo ConsumerPrice Index (CCPI) was launched in 2013.

The price increases in December compared to afigure of 17.5 percent in November, the previousrecord, the department said. It added that overallinflation was also at a record 12.01 percent inDecember, the highest since the CCPI index waslaunched.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his New Yearmessage expressed hope of reviving the cash-strapped economy but did not announce measuresto address the crippling foreign exchange crisis. “Iam confident that the new year will provide an

opportunity to further the steps taken by the gov-ernment to pursue and overcome challenges andstrengthen the people-centric economy,” he said.

International rating agencies have downgradedSri Lanka and raised concerns about its ability toservice its debt of $26 billion. The latest inflationfigures were released a day after the governmentincreased the price of milk powder by 12.5 percentfollowing a similar rise in fuel prices last month.

The island’s tourism-dependent economy hasbeen hammered by the pandemic and the govern-ment was forced to impose a broad import ban toshore up foreign exchange reserves. Supermarketshave for months been rationing milk powder, sugar,lentils and other essentials as commercial banks ranout of dollars to pay for imports.

A top agricultural official warned last month ofan impending famine and asked the government toimplement an orderly food rationing scheme toavoid such a scenario. He was fired within hours ofmaking the appeal.

Food shortages have been worsened by the gov-ernment’s ban on agrochemical imports, which waslifted in November after widespread crop failuresand intense farmer protests. Sri Lanka had foreignreserves of just $1.58 bil l ion at the end ofNovember, down from $7.5 billion when Rajapaksa

took office in 2019.This week the government drew down a $1.5 bil-

lion Chinese loan and claimed reserves had nearlydoubled to $3.1 billion by the end of 2021. The cen-tral bank has appealed for foreign currency-evenloose change that people may have after returningfrom overseas trips. —AFP

COLOMBO: People queue to buy Liquefied PetroleumGas (LPG) cylinders in Colombo, as shortages ofessentials gripped the island following a severe short-age of foreign exchange to finance imports. —AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia, the world’sbiggest exporter of coal used in elec-tricity generation, on Saturday said ithas banned January exports of thefuel in a move aimed at safeguardingits domestic power supply.

Rising demand for electricity in thecountry risks widespread blackoutsunless more supplies are diverted topower stations, the Ministry of Energyand Mineral Resources said in a state-ment. Indonesia exports the majorityof its coal but mandates that produc-ers must set aside minimum amountsto supply the nation’s power plants.

The decision comes against abackdrop of surging demand, as post-pandemic economic growth acrossthe world drives electricity needs thatcannot be met from less-pollutingalternatives.

The International Energy Agencylast month said global demand forcoal, the world’s biggest source ofgreenhouse gases, hit a record in 2021

and would be sustained into 2022,threatening plans set out at last year’sCOP26 climate change conference tocut emissions. Last January, Indonesiaexported almost 30 million tonnes ofcoal, according to the CentralStatistics Bureau.

The export ban was imposed aftercoal miners failed to meet the so-called Domestic Market Obligation,under which they are obliged to sup-ply at least 25 percent of a mine’sapproved production plan at a maxi-mum sales price of US$70 per metrictonne — less than half the globalbenchmark price.

The temporary export ban wouldprevent almost 20 power plants pro-viding a total of 10.9 gigawatts ofpower from shutting down, a seniorofficial at the ministry, RidwanJamaludin, said in a statementSaturday.

The government would re-evaluatethe policy after January 5, he said.

“We can’t let the companies’ dis-obedience to comply with the DMOdisrupt the investment climate and thenational economy,” he said.

Indonesia has pledged to stopbuilding new coal-fired power plantsfrom 2023 and to be carbon neutralby 2060.

However, despite an outcry fromenvironmental activists, the currentdevelopment of the Suralaya coalplant on Java island is still ongoing.

The enormous plant is one of thebiggest in Southeast Asia and canpower about 14 mil l ion homes ayear. —AFP

CILEGON, Indonesia: File photo shows coal being unloaded from a barge at theSuralaya coal power plant in Cilegon. Indonesia, the world’s biggest exporter of coalused in electricity generation, on January 1, 2022 said it has banned exports of thefuel for January in a move aimed at ensuring domestic power supply. —AFP

Global stocks end strong NEW YORK: Global stock markets closed lowerFriday, the final trading session of 2021 — a year ofstrong gains overall as economies recovered despiteongoing restrictions caused by the coronaviruspandemic. On Wall Street, the broad-based S&P500 had its best December in over a decade, andscored a third straight year of double-digit gainswith a 27.1 percent jump.

The index notched records 70 times this year,“second only to 1954,” said analyst Sam Stovall. “2021was a very good year.” The benchmark Dow JonesIndustrial Average won 18.7 percent, while high-flyingtech stocks pushed the Nasdaq up 21.4 percent.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.3percent in a shortened trading session ahead of theNew Year, posting an increase of 14 percent for theyear. The Paris CAC 40 index rocketed almost 29percent this year, its best showing for more than 20years. Germany’s DAX had ended its year Thursday,having surged nearly 16 percent in 2021.

While markets soared in 2021, they seesawed inrecent months as investors worried about resurginginflation, the prospect of an end to central banklargesse and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.The Federal Reserve has flagged its concerns aboutrising prices, and is expected to begin to raise inter-est rates off zero in the early months of next yearafter starting to draw down its stimulus bond buy-ing program.

“As we look ahead into 2022, the questionsaround inflation, growth and the... pandemic remain

with us, while the monetary policy outlook is cloud-ed by the potential for more (central bank) ratehikes throughout the coming months,” noted ChrisBeauchamp, chief market analyst at IG tradinggroup. “Overall it still seems sensible to expect fur-ther gains for stocks, but with perhaps less of theexuberance we saw in 2021.” Oil prices droppedtwo percent Friday, having surged more than 50percent this year on a strong rebound in crudedemand after a dismal pandemic-hit 2020.

In Asia, Hong Kong’s main stocks index finishedwith gains Friday, on surging Chinese tech shares.The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed up bymore than one percent, on a day when many Asianbourses-Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan andThailand-were closed for public holidays. The HangSeng has been the world’s poorest-performingmajor gauge in 2021, down about 14 percent. It fol-

lows a tough year for many Chinese tech giants,which have been battered by Beijing’s drive to reinin their influence.

Omicron worries Global stocks struggled to make gains in the final

week of the year as markets weighed governmentefforts to limit the health and economic effects of thelatest fast-spreading COVID-19 wave. The Omicronvariant has led to record new infections worldwide,but markets have remained sanguine in light ofresearch suggesting the health effects will be milderthan with earlier variants. But positive cases still meanemployees must miss work, and that has reverberated,canceling events and flights during a busy travel sea-son. “Worries about the Omicron variant have reced-ed, but the speed of its spread is tempering senti-ment,” analysts at Charles Schwab wrote. —AFP

News in brief

Gas platform out of service

TEHRAN: A platform in Iran’s largest natural gas fieldis out of service following a pipeline leak in Gulfwaters, the Pars Oil and Gas Company reported onSaturday. Gas leaking to the surface some 15 kilome-tres (nine miles) away from the platform had caughtfire after a lightning strike, but the blaze was extin-guished, it said. “The gas transmission pipeline of plat-form 16 of South Pars gas field started leaking on theseabed on Friday,” said a company statement pub-lished by Shana news agency, which is affiliated withIran’s oil ministry. “The location of the leak was found,all the outlets of the platform were closed, and the leakwas completely contained.” The platform was now “notoperational”, the statement said, adding that repairswere underway. — AFP

PAL exits US bankruptcy

MANILA: Philippine Airlines has said it has emergedfrom bankruptcy after a US court approved its plan toslash up to $2 billion in debt and obtain additional capi-tal. The national carrier of the Philippines had filed forbankruptcy in the United States in September, seekingrelief from creditors as it tried to survive the devasta-tion unleashed on the airline industry by the coron-avirus pandemic. Its court-approved reorganisationplan includes a $2 billion debt reduction and additionalliquidity of $505 million from its main shareholder, PALsaid in a statement Friday. It also has the option toobtain up to $150 million in additional financing fromnew investors. “PAL has streamlined operations with areorganised fleet and is now better capitalised forfuture growth,” the airline added. Air travel in thePhilippines collapsed by more than 75 percent in 2020due to travel restrictions imposed to contain the coron-avirus, according to government data.From 60 milliondomestic and international passengers in 2019, trafficplunged to just over 13 million in 2020. —AFP

Didi reports $4.7bn Q3 loss

BEIJING: Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global report-ed a $4.7 billion loss in the third quarter, as its revenuesplummeted because of a regulatory crackdown byBeijing. The troubles for the firm — once called China’sUber — began after it listed in New York in June, seem-ingly against the wishes of Beijing. China then shockedinvestors by launching cybersecurity investigations intothe company. Didi was removed from app stores, and itsstock has since fallen almost two-thirds in value. Thefirm announced this month it would delist from the NewYork Stock Exchange and prepare to shift to HongKong. It reported a third-quarter loss of $4.7 billion, thebulk of the company’s losses for the year to date, in aregulatory filing to the US Securities and ExchangeCommission on Thursday. —AFP

Indonesia bans coal exportsover domestic supply worries

B u s i n e s s Monday, January 3, 2022

10

PARIS: A ban on the use of plastic to package arange of fruit and vegetables came into force inFrance on Saturday, to the dismay of the sector’spackaging industry. Environmentalists have longcampaigned against single-use plastics as pollutionworsens globally while President Emmanuel Macronhas backed the move defending a “pragmatic”approach.

The October decree covers for example the saleof under 1.5 kilos (3.3 lbs) of apples. However, thefull legislation will not be applied until 2026, allow-ing firms to adapt, including on the sale of red fruitsconsidered fragile.

Six months has also been granted to use upexisting plastic packaging stocks. “We were neverconsulted,” complained Laurent Grandin, head ofthe fruit and vegetable sector’s Interfel association.He told AFP the costs were “insurmountable” forsmall companies who would have to keep usingplastic to protect exports, notably to Britain, amajor client for apples.

Pomanjou produces up to 40,000 tonnes ofapples annually in the Loire valley and has over thelast three years introduced 100 percent cardboardpacking. However packing costs have as a resultsoared 20 to30 percent, said company representa-tive Arnaud de Puineuf. Big supermarket groupCasino said it will now sell tomatoes in cardboard

packaging and provide customers with paper orcellulose bags. The packaging companies say theOctober 8 decree caught them by surprise, particu-larly the ban on recycled plastics.

“We have client firms ... who will have to stoptheir fruit and vegetable packing activity, eventhough they have been working on alternativesusing less plastic or recycled plastic for severalyears,” said a statement from the Elipso associationthat represents manufacturers.

‘Market distortion’ Elipso and Polyvia, a union covering 3,500 firms

making packaging, have appealed to France’s StateCouncil, which has jurisdiction over administrativedisputes, against what they say is a distortion ofEuropean markets as the ban applies solely toFrance.

But Armand Chaigne, director of industrial mar-kets at packaging firm DS Smith, sees the benefits,notably for cardboard manufacturers. “It is estimat-ed that in Europe, out of the eight million tonnes ofplastic produced per year for single-use packaging,1.5 million tonnes could already be removed,” hesaid. “That represents about 70 billion units of sin-gle-use plastic packaging”, or “about seven billioneuros ($7.9 billion) of additional turnover potentialfor cardboard.” — AFP

PARIS: File photo shows, a produce vendor holds a plastic bag containing potatoes as she serves clientsbehind a plastic sheet at a street market on the Saxe Avenue in Paris. —AFP

France bans plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables

Six months granted to use up existing plastic packaging stocks

NBK social media platforms are exquisite, unique KUWAIT: In 2021, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)Social Media Platform was a key tool to stay closerto its customers, thanks to its widespread channelsas the bank managed to effectively interact withcustomers and was able to promptly respond to alltheir inquiries, meet their needs and provide themwith the latest news and developmentsrelated to the bank and its activities.

In 2021, NBK’s social media pagessaw a significant growth in followers,up by 8.8%, with about 150,000 newfollowers, bringing the total number offollowers to 1.85 million, a testamentthat NBK always keeps pace with allits customers’ needs, providing inno-vative solutions and constantly open-ing all channels of communicationaround the clock.

The content of NBK social mediapages witnessed remarkable interac-tion all year round, as the number of interactionsgrew by 12.5% YoY, reaching 4.5 million, comparedto 4 million the previous year, thus maintain ourleading ranking among our peers.

As for NBK’s website, which is one of the keychannels of communication with the bank’s cus-tomers and a vital means for them to carry out theirtransactions, it witnessed growing interest duringthe year, as site visits increased by 16% comparedto last year, bringing total visits to 5.8 million visits,with a daily average of about 30,000 visits.

Commenting on the accomplishments madethroughout the year, Abdul-Mohsen Al-Rushaid,Assistant General Manager of CommunicationsDepartment at National Bank of Kuwait said, “OurSocial media platform is a key element of our successas it positively contributes to increasing our cus-tomers satisfaction rates as we effectively andpromptly respond to their queries and help speed upmanaging their banking needs anytime, anywhere.”

“At NBK, we successfully managed over the pastyears to establish a comprehensive digital mindsetin which social media pages play a key role in rais-ing awareness about our products and presentingnew opportunities to attract more customers. This

also allows us to analyze their feed-back, leading to the development ofour banking products and services”.Al-Rushaid added.

He explained that over the last cou-ple of years, followers of the bank’ssocial media sites grew by about 25%,pointing out that this steady growthand the large amount of interactionwith NBK’s content reflect our leadingposition on social media and our keen-ness to present engaging content thatmanifests NBK’s leading role.

Al- Rushaid highlighted that NBK’ssocial media pages provide its followers with thelatest news, answer their inquiries, and inform themof the latest offers and exclusive discounts. It is alsoa key platform to launch innovative challenges andcompetitions to reward its customers and encour-age them to constantly communicate with the bank.

He stressed that NBK social media platformsplay a major role in supporting various initiativespromoted by the regulatory authorities in Kuwait,as it partnered up with the Central Bank of Kuwait(CBK) in launching its awareness campaigns

including “Let’s Be Aware”, in an effort to increasefinancial inclusiveness and disseminate educationalmaterials and informative content through all socialmedia platforms and other electronic channels.NBK is always keen on fostering a culture thatpromotes financial and banking awareness as partof its mission to further develop and promote cus-tomers’ skills and assist them to make informedfinancial decision.

Al-Rushaid added that the popularity of NBK’sofficial pages reflects that we are on the right pathin term of the content we offer to our customers, aswe successfully managed to maintain a stablegrowth rate in the banking sector. Our platformproved to be an effective tool to supporting numer-ous campaigns, especially in presenting distinctivecompetitions and exceptional prizes that arecatered to our younger audience.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NBK’s socialmedia accounts constantly provided comprehensiveand integrated content for all segments of its fol-lowers, directed to raising their awareness towardthe health impacts of the virus and encourage themto get vaccinated to do their part, so we can all goback to live a normal life.

NBK continuously updates the content of itspages on social media sites, including educationaland media awareness campaigns, in addition toentertainment content and challenging competi-tions that offers NBK followers the opportunity toenter draws for valuable prizes and exceptionalrewards. NBK pages span across a wide range ofsocial media platforms including Facebook,Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, andYouTube, underscoring its keenness to keep pacewith all developments to meet its customers’ needsand wishes, in addition to its constant endeavorsto optimize its communication with followers onthese platforms.

Abdul-Mohsen Al-Rushaid

US removes Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from trade pact WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden’sadministration announced on Saturday that ithad excluded Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea froma US-Africa trade agreement, saying theactions of the three governments violated itsprinciples.

“The United States today terminatedEthiopia, Mali and Guinea from the AGOAtrade preference program due to actions takenby each of their governments in violation ofthe AGOA Statute,” the US TradeRepresentative (USTR) said in a statement.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act(AGOA) was put in place in 2000 under theadministration of former president Bill Clintonto facilitate and regulate trade between theUnited States and Africa. But the United Statesis “deeply concerned by the unconstitutionalchange in governments in both Guinea andMali,” the statement said.

It also voiced concern about “gross viola-tions of internationally recognized humanrights being perpetrated by the government ofEthiopia and other parties amid the wideningconflict in northern Ethiopia.” “Each countryhas clear benchmarks for a pathway towardreinstatement and the administration will workwith their governments to achieve that objec-tive,” the USTR said.

Under the AGOA agreement, thousands ofAfrican products can benefit from reducedimport taxes, subject to conditions being metregarding human rights, good governance andworker protection, as well as not applying acustoms ban on American products on theirterritory. By 2020, 38 countries were eligiblefor AGOA, according to the USTR website.The agreement was modernized in 2015 by theUS Congress, which also extended the pro-gramme until 2025. — AFP

KIB’s Manal Al-Rubaian rankedamong the ‘300 mostinfluential women’KUWAIT: Celebrating its employees’ dedicationand outstanding performance, as well as their driveto enhance their skills and continue progressing inthe banking and financial sector, KuwaitInternational Bank (KIB) congratulated its DeputyGeneral Manager - Internal Audit Department,Manal Al-Rubaian, on being ranked No 48 among“The 300 Most Influential Women in IslamicBusiness and Finance” for the year 2021.

Under the umbrella of the Islamic Retail BankingAwards (IRBA 2021), itself part of the CambridgeIFA’s annual awards program, Al-Rubaian was cele-brated as the first Kuwaiti woman to be rankedamong a group of prominent female business lead-ers in the Islamic financial sector.

Congratulating Al-Rubaian on this outstanding

achievement, Vice Chairman and CEO of KIB,Raed Jawad Bukhamseen lauded her diligence anddedicated efforts over the years within her field.He also noted that her remarkable accomplish-ments qualified her to be honored among the mostinfluential female figures in the Islamic financialindustry today - becoming the first Kuwaitiwoman to receive that honor.

“As an organization, we strive to ensure that ourfemale employees are empowered and enjoy fullsupport along their own career paths within ourorganization. Which is why we consider this rankingto be an impressive addition to the achievementsgarnered by Kuwait’s female business leadersacross the economic spectrum, and a testament tothe progress made by Kuwaiti women within thebusiness fields; garnering notable recognition byreputable international organizations” addedBukhamseen

It is worth noting that KIB has been committedthroughout the years to supporting its female teammembers by providing the necessary training,granting them equal opportunities, and celebratingtheir success and hard work. The Bank firmlybelieves in its female employees and their out-standing abilities and exceptional talents in all dif-ferent fields.

Manal Al-Rubaian receives the award

UN urges Yemengovt to allow new equipment for Sanaa airport DUBAI: The United Nations has called on Yemen’sinternationally recognised government to allow theentry of communications equipment to the airport inthe rebel-held capital Sanaa. Yemen has beenwracked by civil war since 2014, pitting the govern-ment, which is supported by a Saudi-led coalition,against the Iran-backed Huthis, who control much ofthe north.

Flights into the rebel-held capital have beenlargely halted by a Saudi-led blockade since August2016, but there have been exemptions for aid flightsthat are a key lifeline for the population. But Sanaaairport was closed for several days in Decemberafter the coalition pounded it with air strikes, accus-ing the Huthis of using it to launch missiles anddrones at Saudi Arabia.

The Huthis reopened it on December 27. “Closureof the airport to humanitarian flights severely under-mines aid operations,” the UN humanitarian coordi-nator for Yemen, David Gressly, said in a statement onFriday. “I remain deeply concerned about any furtherdisruptions.” Gressly welcomed the airport’s reopen-ing, but said communications equipment there hadbeen found to be faulty. “The Civil Aviation andMeteorology Authority (CAMA) in Sanaa deems theequipment obsolete,” he said.

According to Gressly, “UN humanitarian flightcrews have reported at least 10 instances in whichthey were unable to contact the air control tower... orhad unclear communications”. In order to rectify “apotentially dangerous situation”, he urged Yemen’sgovernment to allow the import of new equipment.

He said the Saudi-led coalition “has not authorisedthe transfer, despite several requests from the UnitedNations, citing the need for Government of Yemenapproval”. “The equipment is needed to ensure thesafe use of Sanaa airport for humanitarian flights and,by extension, the continuation of the aid operation inYemen,” Gressly said. — AFP

Nigeria president approves record budget for 2022 ABUJA: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buharion Friday signed off on his government’s 2022budget of a record 17 trillion naira ($41 billion, 37billion euros), as Africa’s largest economy struggleswith soaring inflation. Last year’s slump in oil pricestriggered by the coronavirus pandemic was hard onthe continent’s top producer, where activity shrankby 1.8 percent according to the World Bank.

Although Nigeria has returned to growth this year,criminal attacks and kidnappings in the northwesternand central states have held it back, along with stronginflation in food prices. Government spending plansfor next year are 26 percent higher than 2021. But thereal-terms increase will be far smaller when com-pared with forecasts for 17 percent inflation.

Even as he signed the budget, Buhari attacked“worrisome changes” by lawmakers, who had addedan extra 550 billion naira of outlays for the comingyear. “I will revert to the National Assembly with arequest for amendment and/or virement (moneytransfer)... to ensure that critical ongoing projects...and those nearing completion do not suffer a set-back due to reducing funding,” the president said.

The spending plan assumes that the economywill expand 4.2 percent next year, after 2.7 percentin 2021, and calls for a deficit of more than six tril-lion naira, to be financed with new borrowing.“Effective implementation is very critical for deliv-ering our legacy projects, promoting social inclu-sion and strengthening the resilience of the econo-my,” said Buhari, who does not plan to stand for re-election in a 2023 presidential poll. — AFP

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Relatives gather to eat a traditional soup in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. —AFP photos A cooking pot whit traditional soup is seen in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A mix of meat, vegetables, pasta andthe squash for which it is named, Haitians enjoy joumou soup every January 1 to celebrate the new yearand their country’s independence.

Relatives gather for a traditional lunch in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Smith carries a cooking pot whit a soup in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Rosemene Dorceus cooks a soup in Port-au-Prince.

Amix of meat, vegetables, pasta andthe squash for which it is named,Haitians enjoy joumou soup every

January 1 to celebrate the new year andtheir country’s independence. Before itbecame a symbol of Haiti’s freedom, thesoup was one of oppression. Theenslaved Haitians who grew the ‘girau-mon’ or turban squash, the key ingredi-ent, were forbidden from eating the dish.It was reserved solely for the Frenchplantation masters.

But on January 1, 1804, when the firstblack-led republic was born, Marie-Claire Heureuse Felicite - the wife ofJean-Jacques Dessalines, a leader ofHaiti’s revolution and the independentnation’s first ruler - chose to serve thesoup. Cooking joumou soup “was a wayto mark those years of deprivation andoppression, and to claim victory over the

colonizers,” says Port-au-Prince residentNathalie Cardichon as she buys ingredi-ents for the national dish at the market.“That’s the meaning of this soup,” sheadds. Traditionally, serving the dish isalso a time of reunion for families. But formany, 2022 will be different.

Rise of gangs In 2021, not long after Haiti’s presi-

dent was assassinated, the country suf-fered a devastating earthquake. Politicalturmoil and poverty have intensified, ashave violence and kidnappings by gangsthat have become all-powerful. A lack ofsecurity and inability to travel on roadsguarded by armed gangs have forcedmany Haitians to spend the symbolic dayfar from their loved ones. “I have friendsat university whose parents don’t live inPort-au-Prince and who can’t go home

to the provinces because of the securitysituation, so I invited them” to my house,says Stephanie Smith, a student in theHaitian capital.

Her mother, Rosemene Dorceus, oftenmakes joumou soup for their family. Butfor the national holiday, she makes wholepots of it. It’s enough to feed “about 20people,” the 54-year-old estimates mod-estly - but her daughter thinks it all couldeasily feed at least 30. “We are eight inmy family but unfortunately, in the neigh-borhood, there are people who can’tafford to make the soup, so we think ofthem,” explains the 27-year-old Smith.

The work in the kitchen starts onDecember 31. Before the sun has evenrisen on January 1, the women in the familyare busy around the stove. Dorceus recallsa time when she and her husband wouldmake the soup together, when the children

were small. “Now that my daughters aregrown, they help me,” she says. Delightedwith the family time spent preparing thefeast, Smith says her younger brothers dohelp a little, “but they mostly come by toeat, especially the meat.”

‘Tradition of our ancestors’ The richly historied soup has just

received international recognition, withUNESCO designating it as part of the“intangible cultural heritage of humani-ty.” “Haiti’s struggle and its voice havebeen made invisible, and this is now away to record it,” said DominiqueDupuy, Haiti’s ambassador to the UNcultural agency.

She noted Haiti’s “fundamental andcrucial role in humanity’s history,” as thefirst country to have abolished slavery.The designation of joumou soup consti-

tutes a “just historical rectification,”according to Dupuy. Her delegation dideverything possible to obtain the listing,requesting accelerated processing forthe request in August. On December 16,the designation was granted.

With 2021 having been an “excep-tionally painful year,” it was necessary tohave “systems to help us keep our headshigh,” said Dupuy, a native of Cap-Haitien, which suffered a tragedy onDecember 14 when a gas truck exploded,killing dozens. In Haiti, cooking joumousoup, a custom that dates back morethan two centuries, is a way to honor thecountry and its past. For Cardichon, themarket-goer, it’s a way of inviting theworld to “discover Haiti’s history” - anda way to show “how proud we are as apeople, that we take and continue thetradition of our ancestors.”—AFP

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth IIsaid she was appointing herdaughter-in-law Camilla, a

member of the ancient Order ofthe Garter, in an apparent boost toher royal standing. The monarchannounced she was addingCamilla, the wife of the heir to thethrone Prince Charles, to the royalmembers of the Order, who cur-rently include her children Charles,Anne, Andrew and Edward andher eldest grandson Prince William- but not their spouses.

The inclusion of Camilla, whomarried Charles in 2005, comesas she has taken on more promi-nent royal duties in recent yearsand has seen her public approvalrating grow. The Most NobleOrder of the Garter is the oldestorder of chivalry in the world,established in 1348 by the queen’s

ancestor King Edward III. Itsmembers are called knights andladies. They attend an annualservice at St George’s Chapel inWindsor Castle, walking in pro-cession wearing white ostrichplumes, blue velvet robes andblack velvet hats.

The order includes a maximumof 24 non-royals personally cho-sen by the monarch. It is Britain’shighest honor and is awarded foroutstanding public service andachievement. The Queen on Fridayalso appointed former Laborprime minister Tony Blair as aKnight Companion of the MostNoble Order of the Garter, thehighest British civil honor obtain-able. He will join formerConservative prime minister JohnMajor who was awarded the hon-or in 2005. —AFP

Queen Elizabeth II on Fridayannounced a knighthood for formerprime minister Tony Blair, while the

traditional New Year’s Honors also deco-rated officials who spearheaded Britain’sfight against COVID-19. The Queen per-sonally appointed Blair as KnightCompanion of the Most Noble Order ofthe Garter, the most senior order ofknighthood. She previously knighted for-mer Conservative prime minister JohnMajor in this way in 2005. Blair, now 68,defeated Major with a landslide Labor vic-tory in 1997 and spent a decade in office.His successes included securing peace inNorthern Ireland and massively expandinggay rights. But he was widely reviled athome for his support for the 2003 US-ledwar in Iraq.

Blair said “It is an immense honor to beappointed Knight Companion of the MostNoble Order of the Garter, and I am deeplygrateful to Her Majesty the Queen.” Themain New Year’s Honors list gave knight-hoods to Chris Whitty, the UK govern-ment’s chief medical adviser, and England’sdeputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam. Van-Tam in particular has gained acult following over his colorful use ofmetaphors involving football and trains atDowning Street news conferences.

The Queen’s traditional annual honorsrecognize the achievements and contribu-tions of people across Britain, including aminority from the worlds of showbiz, sportand politics. Prime Minister Boris Johnsonthen signs off on the choices, before theQueen awards the honor at ceremoniesduring the year. This time nearly one in fivehonors were virus-related, the CabinetOffice said. The recipients “have inspiredand entertained us and given so much totheir communities in the UK or in manycases around the world,” Johnson said.

The chief scientific advisor to the gov-ernment, Patrick Vallance, became a

Knight Commander of the Order of theBath after receiving a knighthood in 2019.His counterparts in Scotland and Waleswere also knighted Friday. Vallance said hewas “really pleased” honors were going to“those that have been working tirelessly aspart of the response to the COVID-19pandemic”. There was a damehood forJenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHealth Security Agency, a government

agency created during the pandemic.The UK’s medicine regulator, the

Medicines and the Healthcare ProductsRegulatory Agency, in December 2020became the world’s first to approve thePfizer vaccine. Its chief executive, JuneRaine, also becomes a dame. Daniel Craig,53, who played James Bond for the fifthand final time in “No Time To Die”,released September, was made a

Companion of the Order of St Michael andSt George, a rare honor that author IanFleming bestowed on his fictional Bond.

The US producer of the Bond films forover two decades, Barbara Broccoli, hasbeen made a CBE, or Commander of theBritish Empire for services to film, dramaand philanthropy. Actress Joanna Lumley,75, who played champagne-quaffing Patsyin the BBC series “Absolutely Fabulous”,

said she was “thrilled and touched beyondwords” at becoming a dame. SongwriterBernie Taupin, 71, who together with EltonJohn composed hits such as “Rocket Man”and “Candle In The Wind” was made anOBE (Officer of the British Empire).Former Spice Girls star Melanie Brownwas made an MBE (Member of the BritishEmpire) for her work with domestic vio-lence charity Women’s Aid.—AFP

In this file photo, Britain’s Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (left) and Britain’sCatherine, Duchess of Cambridge, travel in a carriage to Horseguards paradein London. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has appointed her daughter-in-lawCamilla, a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, in an apparentboost to her royal standing. —AFP

Queen promotes Camilla to ‘Order of Garter’

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

Monday, January 3, 2022L i f e s t y l e Fe a t u r e s

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Handout file picture shows a yaguarete, or jaguar, (Panthera onca), later named Jatobazinho, after it was found inthe Brazilian Pantanal, in the state of Mato Grosso, with signs of dehydration and extremely skinny. —AFP photos

Photo shows a five-year-old yaguarete, or jaguar, (Panthera onca), named Jatobazinho, after it was released backinto the wild at Ibera National Park.

Elderly pedestrians walk in a street of the North Macedonian town of Valandovo, from where young people arefleeing in large numbers hoping to find a better life abroad. —AFP photos

This general view shows fencing surrounding empty fields near Valandovo. A farmer returns from the fields with his tractor in the North Macedonian town of Valandovo.

Ajaguar named Jatobazinho wasreleased into a national park inArgentina Friday as part of a pro-

gram to boost the numbers of thisendangered species. This was the eighthjaguar freed this year into IberaNational Park but the first adult male,said the environmental group RewildingArgentina, which is behind the project.

Jatobazinho weighs about 90 kilos

(200 pounds) and has brown fur pep-pered with black spots. He firstappeared at a rural school in 2018 inBrazil, looking skinny and weak aftercrossing a river from Paraguay. The bigcat spent a year in an animal refuge inBrazil until he was sent to a jaguar rein-troduction center operating since 2012in Argentina’s northeast Corrientesprovince, where the species had been

extinct for 70 years.Sebastian Di Martino, a biologist

with Rewilding Argentina, said that asthe jaguar needed to be nice andrelaxed as it left its enclosure andentered the wild. “If the animal isstressed it can become disoriented andend up anywhere,” he said. He saidthese jaguars were fed live prey whilein captivity because they have to know

how to hunt. In the Ibera park, there isplenty of wildlife for them to feed onsuch as deer. The jaguars are trackedwith a GPS device they wear. There areplans now to release a female that wasborn at the reintroduction center.

The park is also awaiting the arrivalof three wild jaguars from Paraguay, andtwo more raised in captivity in Uruguayand Brazil. Jaguars are native to the

Americas. It is estimated there weremore than 100,000 jaguars whenEuropeans arrived in the 15th century,their habitat ranging from semi-desertareas of North America to the tropicalforests of South America. Conservationgroups say the jaguar population ofSouth America has fallen by up to 25percent over the past 20 years as defor-estation eats up their habitat. —AFP

Abandoned shops and mostly empty streetsoffer few signs of life in North Macedonia’sValandovo, where young people are fleeing in

large numbers hoping to find a better life abroad.Like much of this impoverished corner of southeast-ern Europe, this tiny Balkan nation is sitting on ademographic time bomb fuelled by an ageing popu-lation, sinking birth rate and mass migration. NorthMacedonia has shed 10 percent of its population inthe last 20 years. Around 600,000 Macedonian citi-zens now live abroad, according to World Bank andgovernment data.

Abysmal economic growth and a lack of invest-ment have clobbered the country, now home to just1.8 million people, in its 30 years of independence.“If you have a little over 2.4 million citizens and morethan a quarter have left, then you have to seriouslybe worried about what is happening,” says ApostolSimovski, director of the country’s statistics office.Villages and small towns such as Valandovo, 146kilometers from the capital, offer few jobs, pushingthe ambitious and able to search elsewhere.

“The spirit of young people has been systemati-cally destroyed,” Pero Kostadinov, the newly elect-

ed 33-year-old mayor tells AFP. “The enthusiasm tofight and stay home has been lost.” In Valandovoalone, nearly 90 percent of people’s income islinked to agriculture, a common denominator acrossNorth Macedonia. “Five of my friends from ourclass of 20 students have already moved abroadwith their families,” said Bojan Nikolov, 24, a mem-ber of the youth municipal council in Valandovo. Theanecdote offers a stark picture of where the coun-try’s future is headed.

‘Better to slave abroad’ Initial results from North Macedonia’s most

recent census conducted in September estimate thatthe population has declined by more than 200,000since 2002. Since independence and the dissolutionof Yugoslavia in 1991, many hoped integration intothe European Union would provide a life raft andpromises of a brighter future.

But North Macedonia’s path to EU membershiphas been repeatedly blocked, first by Greece andlater Bulgaria, ushering in fresh doubts that thecountry will ever join and pushing many to jumpship. For those who stay, monthly salaries average

470 euros ($530). “It is better to be a slave for2,000 euros in some foreign country, than to be aslave with 300 euros at home,” goes a popularrefrain in North Macedonia. It is a picture replicatedacross the Balkans.

In Albania, about 1.7 million people, or roughly 37percent of the population, have left the country inthe past three decades, according to governmentfigures. Hundreds of thousands left Serbia to resettleabroad after wars in the 1990s that pummelled theeconomy, with estimates suggesting up to 10,000doctors left in the last 20 years. “All the countries ofthe Western Balkans are affected to varying degreesby emigration,” said Ilir Gedeshi, a professor of eco-nomics based in Albanian capital Tirana. “The mainreasons are economic, but apart from that, socialreasons occupy an increasingly important place.”

‘Last train leaving’But for Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North

Macedonia and Serbia - all hoping that EU member-ship will reverse their fortunes - Croatia provides astern warning. Since joining the bloc in 2013, itspopulation of just over four million has shrunk nearly

10 percent in a decade, according to preliminarycensus findings. The United Nations projects thatCroatia will have just 2.5 million people by the endof the century.

Demographers warn that the country’s tiny popu-lation may lack the resilience to weather furtherlosses. In December, Zagreb sought to reverse someof the brain drain by promising Croatian expatriatesin the European Union up to 26,000 euros($29,000) to return and start a business. But forsome areas, it may already be too late. “For sale”signs litter the eastern region of Pozega, one ofthose hardest-hit by war in the 1990s. More than 16percent of the area’s population of nearly 80,000have left in the past decade, official figures show.

“In my street one-third of the houses are empty,”said Igor Cancar, 39, from nearby Brestovac. Theyinclude his sister who moved to Austria with herhusband and two children, along with most of hisclose friends. “If we want young people to stay, weneed a kindergarten and help them build a house,”Cancar added. “The last train is leaving, and we aredoing nothing but standing on the platform andwaving.”—AFP

This general view shows customers sitting at a cafe terrace in Valandovo. Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia andindependence in 1991, North Macedonia has been clobbered for decades by abysmal economic growth and a lack ofinvestment.

Monday, January 3, 2022L i f e s t y l e Fe a t u r e

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Photo shows the wall decoration of the bar or theHotel Nacional de Cuba, in Havana.

View of the former casino of the Hotel Nacional deCuba, which is under restoration, in Havana. —AFP

Betty White, doyenne of US television, dies at 99

Actress Betty White, who made US televisionaudiences laugh for more than sevendecades, starring on popular sitcoms “The

Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,”died Friday at age 99. The pioneering Emmy-win-ning comedienne enjoyed one of the longestcareers in showbiz history: she began regularlyappearing on television in 1949 and had a voicerole in “Toy Story 4” in 2019. “Even though Bettywas about to be 100, I thought she would live for-ever,” her agent Jeff Witjas told People magazine ina statement. “I will miss her terribly.”

TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, said shedied at her home on Friday. The cause of death wasnot immediately revealed. The news sparked anoutpouring of tributes, with President Joe Bidentweeting, “Betty White brought a smile to the lipsof generations of Americans. She’s a cultural iconwho will be sorely missed.” The Academy ofMotion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands outthe Oscars, said White was “a legend, trailblazerand cultural icon who blessed generations with hertalent and humor. She will be truly missed.”

White was one of the first woman producers onthe 1950s sitcom “Life With Elizabeth,” in whichshe also starred. Later, as a nonagenarian, sheinteracted with much younger fans on Instagram.“It’s incredible that I’m still in this business - andyou are still putting up with me!” White said at the2018 Emmys. In all, she won five primetime Emmys,two daytime awards including one for lifetimeachievement, and a regional Emmy in Los Angeles.

White, whose signature halo of white-blondehair and clear blue eyes were instantly recogniz-able, adopted a variety of on-screen personas.She went from playing a 1950s housewife on“Elizabeth” to a man-hungry 1970s TV personal-ity on “Moore” to a doe-eyed 1980s “GoldenGirl” retiree. In real life, she loved deliveringirreverent one-liners. When asked by late-nighthost David Letterman about her favorite pas-times, the long-time animal welfare advocatereplied: “(I like to) play with animals, mostly. Andvodka’s kind of a hobby.”

Golden girlBetty Marion White was born on January 17,

1922 in the outskirts of Chicago. The family movedto California during the Great Depression. Whitesaid her love of acting started with a school pro-duction, but she credited her parents - a home-maker and a lighting company executive — as hercomedic inspiration. After a few years of modeling,she did a stint in the American Women’s VoluntaryServices during World War II. That service drew atweet Friday from the official US Army Twitteraccount, saying, “We are saddened by the passingof Betty White... a true legend on and off thescreen.” After the war, White segued to radio gigs,reading commercials and playing small roles.

Her first regular television work came in 1949on the variety show “Hollywood on Television.” Afew years later, she co-created “Life withElizabeth.” It was through her early televisioncareer that White met Allen Ludden, her third andlast husband, who hosted the game show“Password,” on which she appeared frequently.She became a game show staple in the 1960s and1970s, before Mary Tyler Moore came calling.White would go on to win two Emmys for her por-trayal of Sue Ann Nivens on the newsroom sitcom.

Career lightning struck again in the mid-1980swith “The Golden Girls,” about four older womensharing a house in Miami. White was Rose Nylund,the ditzy Minnesota native who was the foil to themore sophisticated characters played by BeaArthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. “Beawas not that fond of me,” White said in an inter-view with HLN in 2011. “But I loved Bea and Iadmired her.” White won another Emmy for therole of Rose.

Late successAs White aged, she won over an entirely new

generation of viewers - millennials who watched“Golden Girls” reruns - with her snarky, sometimesbawdy wit. She also starred on TV Land’s “Hot inCleveland” and hosted the hidden camera prankshow “Off Their Rockers.” She even returned togame shows on a revamped “To Tell The Truth.” In2010, at age 88, White became the oldest-everhost of long-running comedy sketch show“Saturday Night Live” - an experience she called“probably the most fun I’ve ever had, and thescariest.” SNL veteran and late-night TV host SethMeyers tweeted Sunday that White was “the onlySNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at theafter party. A party at which she ordered a vodkaand a hotdog and stayed till the bitter end.”

White chalked up her long career to being“blessed.” In addition to her multiple Emmys,White was inducted into the Television AcademyHall of Fame in 1995. She won three Screen ActorsGuild awards, including a lifetime achievement tro-phy in 2010. In 2011, she took home a Grammy forthe audio version of one of her books. White andLudden were married from 1963 until his death in1981. The actress never remarried and had no chil-dren of her own.—AFP

Betty WhiteIn its 91 years, Havana’s majestic Hotel

Nacional has borne witness to someof the biggest events of Cuban history.

It was once bombed as part of a conflictbetween rival units of Cuba’s military,hosted a summit of mafia dons, was a keysite of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and a hol-iday jaunt for Hollywood’s most eccentricfigures.

Yet for 20 months ending in mid-November, this building that mixes ArtDeco and neoclassical elements alongwith Moorish tiles was deserted becauseof the coronavirus pandemic. Far from adeath knell for the hotel, it was anopportunity to restore the facade, andput in new floors and windows in therooms. “A lot of work was done so thatwhen the tourists returned they wouldfind the 1930s hotel, although withgreater comfort ... reliving the past,” saidArleen Ortiz, a specialist in the hotel’shistory.

Now guests will often specificallyrequest to stay in certain rooms, likenumber 211 where the Italian-born gang-ster Lucky Luciano sojourned inDecember 1946 during the mafia bossessummit. That was an incident immortal-ized in the 1974 film by Francis FordCoppola, “The Godfather II.” As themobsters meet on a terrace at the hotel,they divide up a cake in the shape of theisland nation — a metaphor for theirsharing out control of lucrative illicitbusinesses.

The real summit opened onDecember 22, 1946, with Luciano seatedat the head of a large rectangular table.“Las Vegas didn’t exist and Cuba wasthe perfect place for gambling due to itsproximity to the United States, the cli-mate, the beaches, the rum,” said Ortiz.Havana was ideally placed to becomethe gambling capital of the world. Theentire hotel had been booked by thedons for their families to spendChristmas in the city, with Frank Sinatraa special guest for the occasion.

Peasant dormitory Perched on a hill overlooking the

Straits of Florida, the Hotel Nacional -with its brand new English china, clocksimported from Germany and chandeliershanging from the ceilings — was openedon December 30, 1930, allegedlyfinanced partly with mob money. Justthree years later, 400 army officers loyalto the deposed president GerardoMachado hunkered down in the hotel asgovernment troops bombarded it fromland and sea. Outnumbered and withammunition running out, they were soonforced to surrender.

The hotel survived, bearing thepockmarked signs of the siege, butwould soon be attracting a very differ-ent kind of attention. The halls androoms are filled with photos, objectsand letters of the celebrities that havestayed at the hotel. Five-time Olympicswimming champion and former Tarzanactor Johnny Weissmuller was one suchguest, impressing staff by jumping froma second floor window into the swim-ming pool below. In the 1950s, Ava

Gardner drank daiquiris for breakfast atthe hotel after a night of partying inHavana’s cabarets alongside the likes ofErnest Hemingway.

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor,Winston Churchill, Marlon Brando, ErrolFlyn, Rita Hayworth and Nat King Coleall stayed at the hotel. But followingFidel Castro’s communist revolution of1959, the hotel was converted into adormitory for 900 peasant women whowent to the capital to learn to sew.“Those young women, who had neverbefore left their homes with no electrici-ty and dirt floors,” suddenly foundthemselves in the plush hotel’s elegantrooms, said Ortiz.

‘Beautiful, magical’ Tensions would soon mount again

with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, whensoldiers dug trenches and tunnels under-neath the hotel grounds as the UnitedStates and Soviet Union teetered on thebrink of nuclear war. But it is for star-gazing that it is best known. “The for-eigners know this place and what theywant is to sit where so many celebritiesdid before them,” said Tania Fernandez, aCuban doctor from Sancti Espiritusprovince who brought her children toexplore the tunnels. The hotel underwentanother makeover in the 1990s, a timewhen the hardline communist regimebarred locals from staying there. “It’sbeautiful, it’s magical being here. I lovethe Cuban people and I love the energy.It’s incredible,” Sierra, 39, an Americanteacher, said while sipping wine with herboyfriend and looking out to sea.—AFP

View of the gardens of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, in Havana. Inaugurated in 1930, it is one of Cuba’s historic buildingsin eclectic style, where American mafia figures of the 50’s, Hollywood actors and actresses, as well as presidents ofmany countries stayed. —AFP photos

Astatue of Portuguese footballerCristiano Ronaldo has caused astir in the southern Indian state

of Goa, with locals accusing officialsof insensitivity for honoring a sportsstar from the region’s former colonialpower. Protesters with black flagsgathered at the site after the statuewas unveiled this week in the town ofCalangute. They expressed anger thatauthorities had shunned Indian sportsstars and chosen a player fromPortugal, which granted Goa inde-pendence in 1961.

Micky Fernandes, a former Indianinternational player who is from Goa,said the choice was “hurtful” and a“hangover” from Portuguese rule.“Ronaldo is the best player in theworld but still we should have a statueof a football player from Goa,”Fernandes told AFP. Michael Lobo, alocal minister with India’s rulingBharatiya Janata Party, told AFP theaim was to inspire young people toexcel not just inside the country but

internationally.“All the boys and girls who want to

make football a career will get

inspired by people like CristianoRonaldo,” Lobo said. “If you pursueyour dream and you’re passionate

about it then you can reach a highergoal. This is what we have written onthe plaque.” Most of present-dayIndia gained independence in 1947.But Portugal’s then military dictator-ship only relinquished Goa followingan invasion by the Indian army and atwo-day war in 1961.

Portugal’s centuries-long influenceremains visible in local architecture,particularly the many churches. Manypeople in Goa have Portuguese-ori-gin surnames. Unlike in most of India,many Goans prefer football to cricket- and many support Portugal in inter-national tournaments such as theWorld Cup. “I follow (Portugal) toobut when we have our own playerswe cannot put up a statue of some-one from outside,” Fernandes said. Itis not the first time a statue ofRonaldo, 36, has caused an upset. Agrinning bust unveiled at Madeiraairport in Portugal in 2017 was wide-ly ridiculed as looking little like itssubject.—AFP

Photo shows a newly installed statue of Portuguese footballer CristianoRonaldo in Calangute after the statue has caused a stir, this time in Goa, thesouthern Indian state that was a Portuguese colony until 60 years ago. —AFP

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: An unbeaten 70 byMahmudul Hasan Joy, backed by 64 from NajmanHossain Shanto, put Bangladesh in a strong positionat stumps on day two of the first Test against NewZealand at Mount Maunganui yesterday. Thetourists were 175 for two at the close of play, trail-ing New Zealand by 153 with eight wickets in handand the pitch playing true. It was only the thirdinnings in Tests for the 21-year-old Joy, who wasdismissed for nought and six in his one previousouting against Pakistan last month.

But he played with plenty of maturity on a daythat belonged to the tourists, facing 211 deliveriesfor his unbeaten 70 andforging a 104-run partner-ship with 23-year-oldShanto which impressedNew Zealand’s only suc-cessful bowler NeilWagner. “The youngerguys that played todayplayed phenomenally,”Wagner said. “They playedquite patiently, they didn’tgive many opportunitiesand they sort of hung inthere. “When the ball was there to score, theyscored and when we looked like trying to get themout they left well and defended well.”

But Wagner said the Test outcome was still farfrom clear with three days remaining. “There’s still alot of cricket left and that’s the beauty of Test crick-et going five days. “The wicket might take turn butalso create opportunities later down the track if

those cracks do come into play.” New Zealandresumed the second morning at 258 for five andwere all out before lunch for 328, their lowest scoreon a home wicket in nine Tests against Bangladesh.Bangladesh then enjoyed ideal batting conditions asthey made a solid reply.

Free-flowing shotsThey survived several near misses early in a test

of concentration, but what began as a fight to sur-vive gave way to an abundance of free-flowingshots by Shanto and Joy. They put on 104 for thesecond wicket with Shanto bringing up his 50 with

a huge six over the long-leg boundary. He thenplayed an audacious one-day stroke when hestepped away from ashort Neil Wagner deliv-ery, exposing all threestumps, and guided theball past the close-catch-ing cordon for four.

Wagner proved themost dangerous of theNew Zealand bowlers

and claimed the wicket of opener Shadman Islamfor 22 with a diving catch after a low full toss waschipped back. He then saw off Shanto with a suc-cession of short deliveries before pitching up anoutswinger which the batsman edged to Will Youngin the gully. He had struck Shanto on the body withhis first ball to the new batsman and, when Joy wason 20, was frustrated by having an appeal for lbw

turned down. New Zealand decided not to reviewand ball-tracking technology indicated the ballwould have hit the stumps.

New Zealand, having made a promising start tobe 139 for one on day one, fell apart on the secondmorning to be all out for 328 with only last man outHenry Nicholls (75) showing any resistance as the

Bangladesh spinners did the damage. Mehidy Hasantook three for three in the space of 21 deliverieswhile Mominul, a part-time spinner, removedNicholls to go with the dismissal of Conway to lifthis total career scalps to six in 48 Tests. Of the rec-ognized bowlers, Shoriful Islam finished with threefor 69 and Mehidy took three for 86. — AFP

S p o r t s Monday, January 3, 2022

14

New Zealand toil; Novice Joy inspires Bangladesh to 175-2

An unbeaten 70 put Bangladesh in a strong position

MOUNT MAUNGANUI: Bangladesh batsman Shadman Islam plays a shot during the second day of the first cricketTest match between New Zealand and Bangladesh at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui yesterday. — AFP

The younger guys played

phenomenally

NFL legend Reeves, twice a Super Bowl champ, dies at 77NEW YORK: Dan Reeves, the only person toappear in multiple Super Bowls as a player and acoach, has died aged 77 at his home in Atlanta, hisfamily said on Saturday. Reeves, who died after com-plications from a long illness, played eight seasonsfor the Dallas Cowboys from 1965-1972, helpingthem win the 1972 Super Bowl, and was an assistantcoach on the Dallas squad that captured the 1978Super Bowl.

He went on to be the head coach of the DenverBroncos, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, los-ing three Super Bowls with Denver and another byguiding Atlanta in the 1999 Super Bowl. In all, Reevestook part in the NFL championship spectacle ninetimes, twice as a Dallas running back, four times as acoach and three as a Dallas assistant coach. “Hislegacy will continue through his many friends, play-ers and fans as well as the rest of the NFL communi-ty,” the Reeves family said in a statement.

Reeves guided the Broncos for 12 seasons from1981-1992, masterminding John Elway’s growth intoan NFL star quarterback. “The football world lost aheckuva coach and a man today in Dan Reeves,”Elway said in a statement. “I am grateful for Dan andknow that his legacy in this game will continue to liveon.” Reeves coached the Giants from 1993-1996 andAtlanta from 1997-2003, compiling an NFL recordof 190-165 with two drawn in 23 seasons as an NFLhead coach. His teams reached the playoffs ninetimes. “He made an indelible mark on the league andall the people he played with, coached and workedalongside,” Giants owner John Mara said. “He wasone of the finest men I’ve ever been around in thisbusiness.” — AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Indian captainVirat Kohli has every reason to beconfident his team can seal an his-toric Test series win in South Africawhen they face the hosts in the sec-ond Test at the Wanderers Stadiumtoday. “It’s a ground we all lovingplaying on and we are looking for-ward to it,” said Kohli after Indiawon the first Test at Centurion by 113runs on Thursday. The numbers bearout Kohli’s optimism.

India have yet to be beaten in aTest match at South Africa’s premiercricket stadium and have a record oftwo wins and three draws since theirfirst tour of South Africa in 1992/93.Despite the Wanderers beingrenowned as a ground favoring fastbowlers - which should have put Indiaat a disadvantage on some of theirearlier tours, before the emergence oftheir potent current pace bowlingattack - India have performed consis-tently well in Johannesburg. Theground holds particularly happymemories for some of the Indian tour-ing party.

New coach Rahul Dravid made hisfirst Test century in a drawn match in1996/97 and ten years later captainedIndia to their first Test win in SouthAfrica. Kohli gave a batting master-class when he made 119 and 96 in ahigh-scoring draw in 2013/14 to

enable India to set the hosts a seem-ingly impossible target of 458 runs towin. In that match, though, SouthAfrica came close to beating India forthe only time in Johannesburg, making450 for eight in a dramatic draw.

Kohli then led India to victory on asub-standard pitch four seasons ago,a win he has highlighted as a “mile-stone” which gave the side the beliefto follow up with a series win inAustralia last January. They also leadEngland 2-1 with the final Test - calledoff last year due to covid in the Indiancamp - to be played later in 2022.Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and AjinkyaRahane all made crucial runs on apitch which was halted at one stagebecause conditions were regarded asdangerous, while Mohammed Shami,one of the heroes of the win inCenturion, took five for 28 in the sec-ond innings.

‘Several headaches’A series win in South Africa

remains a final frontier for India, whonow have the opportunity to wrap upan historic triumph with a match tospare. India were superior in alldepartments at Centurion, althoughSouth Africa’s fast bowlers came backstrongly after a poor first day. Thehome side’s batting was inadequateagainst a well-disciplined Indian

bowling attack. The middle order is vulnerable in

the absence of the now-retiredQuinton de Kock, while the openingbatsmen, captain Dean Elgar andAiden Markram, have failed to staytogether beyond the second over ofan innings in South Africa’s last threeTests. The scale of the defeat in thefirst Test has presented the homecamp with several headaches. Elgarhinted at a change in the batting orderand there are several permutationswhich are likely to be discussed.

Kyle Verreynne is expected to be

De Kock’s successor as a wicketkeep-er-batsman but South Africa willdebate whether to add another spe-cialist batsman in place of all-rounderWiaan Mulder. As is often the case atthe Wanderers, South Africa couldconsider picking an all-pace attack,with left-arm spinner Keshav Maharajhaving only played in two of a possi-ble six Tests at the ground, in one ofwhich - against Sri Lanka last season- he was not called on to bowl. India,meanwhile, have the luxury of consid-ering whether to tamper with a win-ning team. — AFP

India’s Virat Kohli

Kohli eyes historic series victory for India over S Africa

Kilde in the hunt for more Norwegian Olympic ski goldPARIS: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has a huge taskto follow in the ski tracks of an illustrious trio of fel-low Norwegians but he hopes to emulate theirOlympic success in Beijing in February. The 29-year-old is one half of alpine skiing’s golden couplewith his girlfriend, US star Mikaela Shiffrin. WhileShiffrin has two Olympic titles to her name, Kildehas a bare medals cupboard, though with threesuccessive super-G wins on the World Cup circuitthis season he is in the perfect form to set that right.

If he needs motivation he need look no furtherthan the now-retired Kjetil Andre Aamodt, whodominated at the Olympics, winning the event aremarkable three times in 1992, 2002 and 2006.Kilde’s form - he also has a downhill victory thisseason - is all the more creditable given he torecruciate ligaments in his right knee last January.

The 2020 overall World Cup champion is relax-ing back in Innsbruck before the season resumesand has had time to contemplate if his thirdOlympics will indeed be lucky for him. “It’s bigshoes to fill though,” he told AFP in a phone inter-view, referring to Aamodt, 2010 Olympic super-Gchampion Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud,who won the event at the 2014 Sochi Games.“When you mention these names it’s crazy to thinkabout it. “It’s incredible how they managed to dothat. “Of course I want to try to keep that aNorwegian thing, but it’s easier said than done.”

‘Not on the same page’ Kilde also competed in the 2018 downhill in

PyeongChang, won by Svindal with Jansrud takingthe silver medal, but despite finishing 15th he said it

remained the most inspiring sporting moment forhim because of his country’s success. “Aksel andKjetil being one and two... that was a little bit unex-pected because the preparation for that race didnot go well,” Kilde said. “The video and analysis foreverything was kind of a question. But they foundtheir rhythm. “I remember this being such an amaz-ing day for the team.”

Kilde says he will avoid challenging Shiffrin to anOlympic medals contest in Beijing - and not justbecause it might be tempting fate. “I am smartenough to say I don’t think I want to have any com-petition with her when it comes to performance!”he said with a laugh. “If you look at her statisticsI’m not on the same page.” However, Kilde - who isthree years older than Shiffrin - said he has learnedfrom the American’s Olympic success. “Yes we talk

about it,” he said. “For sure these Olympics aregoing to be different. “But we try to look at it as anew experience, stay positive and give each othersome confidence.”

Kilde says the injury has forced him to change hispost-race routine as his knee is sore and he cannotindulge in as tough a program as he did before. “Ithink it’s not going to be like that for the rest of mycareer but for this season at least it is going to be dif-ferent.” Kilde says the four wins have been “amazing”and he never expected to return with such a bang,which has given him the confidence he so badly need-ed ahead of the Games. “I want to keep that confi-dence all the way through the Olympics and throughthe season,” he said. “Trying to focus on the rightthings. “It’s going to be an Olympics where things arenew for everyone, no one has tried the slope.”— AFP

BORMIO: Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde competes in the men’s FIS Ski World Cup Super G event inBormio, Italy. — AFP

Raducanu caps stunning year with New Year honorLONDON: Emma Raducanu has been named inBritain’s New Year Honors list - alongside a clutch ofOlympic stars - in recognition of her stunning break-through victory at the US Open. Cyclists Jason andLaura Kenny - who have won 12 Olympic gold medalsbetween them - received a knighthood and damehoodand there was recognition for Tokyo gold medalistsTom Daley, Adam Peaty and Max Whitlock.

The honors list recognizes outstanding achievementsin various fields including showbusiness, sport and poli-tics, as well as the contributions of people across socie-ty. A number of medical chiefs leading Britain’s battleagainst coronavirus have also been given awards in thelatest list. Raducanu, who became the first Britishwoman to win a Grand Slam since Virginia Wade in1977, has been made a Member of the Order of theBritish Empire (MBE).

“It makes me immensely proud and grateful to belisted to receive an MBE from Her Majesty the Queen,”said the now 19-year-old Raducanu, who did not drop aset at Flushing Meadows on her run to the title. “Thisyear has been full of amazing surprises for me so to end2021 with this appointment is very special.” JasonKenny has received a knighthood after becomingBritain’s most decorated Olympian of all time at theTokyo Games, winning his ninth medal - and seventhgold - on the final day.

His wife, Laura Kenny, Britain’s most successfulfemale Olympian, has been given a damehood - thefemale equivalent of a knighthood. British Cycling’s per-formance director, Stephen Park, who himself becomesa CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire),praised the Kennys for their achievements. — AFP

Monday, January 3, 2022

15S p o r t s

Established 1961

Cavani will stay at Man United, insists RangnickMANCHESTER: Manchester United inter-im manager Ralf Rangnick has ruled outthe possibility of losing Edinson Cavanithis month. The Uruguayan has scored 19goals in 49 appearances for the Red Devilssince joining on a free transfer in October2020. However, the 34-year-old’s time inEngland has also been beset by injuryproblems and a controversial ban last sea-son for using what the English FootballAssociation deemed racist language in asocial media post.

Cavani, whose contract expires at the endof the season, has been linked with a moveto Barcelona, but Rangnick highlighted hisimportance despite having a wealth ofattacking options to choose from. “Wespoke about Edi and he knows that I willdefinitely not let him go,” said Rangnickahead of United’s Premier League clashwith Wolves today.

“For me, he is a highly important playerfor the rest of the season, still playing inthree competitions, so we will definitelyneed Edi. “I would rather have another Edion top of that but for me it’s clear that Edihas to stay.” Cavani started for the first timeunder Rangnick in Thursday’s 3-1 win overBurnley. And the German believes he andCristiano Ronaldo can form a potent part-nership despite having a combined age of70. “He is probably the only one who canplay as a striker back to goal and face togoal,” added Rangnick on Cavani.

“His professionalism, his work ethic isjust amazing and I told him that I desper-ately want him to stay until the end of theseason. He knows that. “He also knowshow highly I rate him and how highly Irespect him, and that was also the reasonwhy I played him (against Burnley) fromthe beginning together with Cristiano.”Anthony Martial is one of United’s for-ward options who looks set to leave inJanuary with Sevilla reportedly close toagreeing a loan deal for the French inter-national.

Dean Henderson, Jesse Lingard, JuanMata and Donny van de Beek could alsomove on in search of more f i rs t- teamaction. But having just got over a coron-avirus outbreak among the United squad,Rangnick said he may have to retain a larg-er pool of players for the second half of theseason due to COVID considerations. “Oursquad is maybe a little bit too big withregards to numbers,” said Rangnick. “Butwe still have COVID, we have three com-petitions, as I said, and I think we could dowith a bigger squad than maybe in timeswithout COVID.” —AFP

LONDON: Manchester City took another giantstride towards retaining the Premier League titlewith a controversial 2-1 win at 10-man Arsenal, asWest Ham and Tottenham took advantage to closethe gap to the top four. City are now 11 points clearof Chelsea and 12 ahead of Liverpool, who face offon Sunday with precious little more room for errorif they are to mount a title challenge despite havinggames in hand.

Liverpool will have to cope without managerJurgen Klopp at Stamford Bridge after he returned asuspected positive test for coronavirus. The Redshave also suffered three other positive cases amongKlopp’s backroom staff and will be missing threeunnamed players due tothe virus. A total of 18 top-flight games in Englandhave been called off inrecent weeks due to therising numbers of Covid-19cases, but only two of the10 Premier League gamesscheduled for this weekendhave been postponed.

Arsenal manager MikelArteta was also absent fromthe dugout after testingpositive for Covid-19 for the second time earlier thisweek. But that had little impact on his side’s perform-ance as the Gunners’ continued their impressive formby pinning the champions back for the first 45 minutes.Arsenal took the lead when Bukayo Saka swept homeKieran Tierney’s pass, but felt they should have hadmore of a half-time advantage as Martin Odegaardwas denied a penalty for a trip by Ederson.

The home side’s frustration at the officials boiledover after half-time as City were awarded a penalty

after a VAR review for Granit Xhaka’s pull onBernardo Silva, which Riyad Mahrez converted.Gabriel Martinelli then missed an open goal with thechance to restore Arsenal’s lead and seconds laterGabriel Magalhaes was sent-off for two rapid yel-low cards. The 10 men nearly held out for a preciouspoint, but City grabbed an 11th consecutive leaguewin deep into stoppage time when Rodri pokedhome from close range. “We saw our championspersonality to go again,” said Rodri. “You have topush always no matter what happens. We didn’t doa great game, but we push, we never drop and wealways thought it was possible.”

Sanchez saves SpursArsenal’s lead over the

chasing pack for a placein next season’sChampions League isdown to one point asWest Ham’s return to formcontinued with a 3-2 winat Crystal Palace. TheHammers had fai led towin in five games prior totheir 4-1 win at Watfordon Tuesday. David Moyes’

men were seemingly cruising by half-time. MichailAntonio’s effort squirmed beyond Vicente Guaitato open the scoring before Manuel Lanzini firedhome a spectacular second.

Lanzini then grabbed his second of the gamefrom the penalty spot after Luka Milivojevic waspunished for handball. Odsonne Edouard andMichael Olise pulled late goals back for Palace, butthe Eagles were left to rue missing a host of earlierchances to get back into the game. Spurs are just

one point further back on Arsenal with two gamesin hand thanks to Davinson Sanchez’s 96th minutewinner at Watford.

The Hornets have now lost their last six gamesstretching back to November, but looked like hold-ing out for a first clean sheet in the league this sea-son till the Colombian flicked in Son Heung-min’s

free-kick in the 96th minute. “I think at the end itwas good to find a way to get three points,” said arelieved Tottenham manager Antonio Conte. “I thinkthat during the game when you create thesechances to score you have to try to destroy thesechances, especially in this type of game and againstthis type of opponent.”—AFP

Sanchez strikes late as Spurs sink Watford

Man City move 11 points clear, West Ham, Spurs eye top four

LONDON: Arsenal’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Martinelli (left) jumps over Manchester City’s Brazilian goal-keeper Ederson after the keeper cleared the ball during the English Premier League football match betweenArsenal and Manchester City on January 1, 2022. —AFP

Captain Neuer among 5 Bayern COVID casesBERLIN: Four Bayern Munich play-ers including captain Manuel Neuer,as well as a coach have tested posi-tive for COVID-19, the Bundesligachampions said. Goalkeeper Neuerwill miss the first training session ofthe year, which has been movedfrom yesterday to today “in light ofthe current pandemic situation,”Bayern said. “Manuel Neuer,Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolissoand Omar Richards have testedpositive for coronavirus. “They are

all doing well, as is assistant coachDino Toppmoeller, who has alsotested positive for the virus. Theyare all isolating at home,” the clubsaid in a statement.

In December, the Bavarians saidthey would be without Germanymidfielder Joshua Kimmich for upto four weeks after he contractedthe virus. Kimmich sparked a heat-ed debate in October when herevealed he had declined a vaccineagainst COVID due to “personalconcerns” but last month said hewas happy to receive a jab. Bayernrestart their league defense onFriday by hosting BorussiaMoenchengladbach, which will beplayed behind closed doors due tothe coronavirus pandemic. —AFP Bayern Munich’s German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer

Qatar’s Al-Attiyah wins Dakar specialHAIL: Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah won the firstspecial of the Dakar Rally yesterday to extendhis race lead after victory in the prologue. The51-year-old, looking to win the race for thefourth time, finished the stage 12 minutes andseven seconds quicker than nine-time world rallychampion Sebastien Loeb in second place. The333-ki lometre loop around northern SaudiArabia saw several competitors suffer naviga-tional difficulties, resulting in large time gaps.Record 14-t ime Dakar winner StephanePeterhansel, nicknamed “Monsieur Dakar”, lost alot of time after a puncture to his Audi. AustralianDaniel Sanders extended his early lead in thebikes category, beating Chilean Pablo Quintanillaby 3mins and 7secs yesterday. —AFP

HAIL: Toyota’s driver Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar (right) and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel of France com-pete during the Stage 1A of the Dakar Rally 2022 between Jeddah and Hail, in Saudi Arabia. —AFP

COVID-19 rock the

Reds

WASHINGTON: St Louis centerJordan Kyrou scored two goals infrigid cold to lead the Blues overMinnesota 6-4 on Saturday in theNHL’s annual outdoor WinterClassic contest. The 23-year-oldCanadian netted his 11th and 12thgoals of the season and assisted ontwo other tallies in a five-goal sec-ond period that powered the Bluesover the host Wild. “It was just ourteam’s work ethic,” Kyrou said.“Being ultra aggressive is our mind-set. We were getting our chancesand we were burying them.” Kyrou’sfour total points were the most anyplayer has produced in an NHL out-door game.

“It was kind of a dream cometrue,” Kyrou said. “It’s really cool toplay in one.” The New Year’s Dayevent was played at Target Field inMinneapolis, the home ballpark ofMajor League Baseball’s MinnesotaTwins, in a bid to harken memoriesof youth pond hockey contests. Thetemperature when the puck was firstdropped was 8-below zeroFahrenheit (minus-22 C) with windchill readings at 25-below (minus-

31.6). “This is the coldest I’ve everplayed outdoors,” Kyrou said. “But itwas still great.

The old coldest mark of zerodegrees for an NHL game was set inNovember 2003 at Edmonton in thefirst Heritage Classic, the league’sseries of outdoor contests inCanada. Only two games in NFLhistory were played in colder condi-tions, the most recent of those com-ing 40 years ago. The cold was soextreme that the rink was heatedbefore the game to keep the ice sur-face at an optimum temperature. TheWild and Blues were supposed tohave played outdoors exactly oneyear earlier but the contest waspostponed over Covid-19 concerns.

Blues players challenged the coldwhen exiting the team bus, dressedin shorts and T-shirts more suited toa day at the beach. The Bluesimproved to 19-9 with five overtimelosses for 43 points, leading pastNashville for the Central divisionlead with 43 points. The Wild fell to19-10-2. Kyrou’s unassisted goal 27seconds into the second period gaveSt Louis a 2-1 lead. Vladimir

Tarasenko boosted the Blues’ mar-gin 8:55 into the period off a Kyrouassist. Ivan Barbashev followed 5:51later and Kyrou netted his secondgoal off a Tarasenko pass with 2:02to play in the second, giving St.Louis a 5-1 edge.

Rem Pitlick answered 40 sec-onds later for the Wild but theBlues’ Torey Krug responded with41 seconds remaining in the period,lifting St Louis ahead 6-2 after 40

minutes. Minnesota’s Ryan Hartmanand Kevin Fiala scored in the thirdperiod, but the Wild came no clos-er. David Perron opened the scor-ing 5 :31 into the contest butMinnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov bankedin an equalizer off a Blues defender25 seconds later. It was the firstWinter Classic for the Wild. TheBlues won their only prior WinterClassic by 4-1 over Chicago at StLouis in 2017.—AFP

MINNEAPOLIS: Jordan Binnington #50 of the St Louis Blues defends the goal asKevin Fiala #22 of the Minnesota Wild scores a goal in the third period duringthe NHL Winter Classic on January 01, 2022. —AFP

Blues beat Wild in bitter coldat NHL outdoor Classic

SportEstablished 1961

MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022

Real Madrid’s unbeaten run endsReal suffer a shock 1-0 loss at relegation-battling Getafe

MADRID: Real Madrid’s 15-game unbeaten run came to an end yesterday as they suffered a shock 1-0 loss at relegation-battling Getafe in La Liga. Madrid’s surprise defeat gives fresh hope to the beleaguered chasing pack in Spain, after Eder Militao’s early error allowed Enes Unal to score the winner at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Sevilla, Madrid’s closest challengers, will be five points behind the leaders with a game in hand if they win at Cadiz on Sunday. Getafe stay 16th after recording only their fourth league victory of the season.

Madrid have taken command of the Spanish title

race after a superb run of form that included 10 consecutive wins and 15 matches without defeat, their last loss coming at Espanyol on October 3. But Carlo Ancelotti’s side were woefully out of sorts in their first outing of 2022 and, aside from a brief spell in the first half, struggled really even to threat-en the Getafe goal.

Eden Hazard came on at half-time but again failed to shake his team into life while Karim Benzema was unusually quiet up front. Madrid cer-tainly missed the penetration of Vinicius Junior, who was absent after testing positive for COVID-19.

Ancelotti’s mood was summed up in the second half when the deflated Italian on the bench slumped over and dropped his head after a Toni Kroos free-kick drifted harmlessly out of play.

Getafe lost eight games in a row earlier in the season but came in on the back of an upturn in form under Quique Sanchez Flores, having gone five games unbeaten, including a pair of wins over Cadiz and Osasuna. Unal gave them the lead in the ninth minute after the usually dependable Militao was caught napping. The Brazilian went to clear on the edge of his own area but instead took an extra

touch, engaging in a tussle with Unal, who robbed the ball and finished past Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid dominated for 20 minutes, with Luka Modric increasingly influential, but a dogged Getafe preserved their lead for the rest of the first half and were relatively comfortable in the second. Hazard and Marcelo both came on at half-time but neither made much of an impact, with Hazard unable to muster a single attempt on goal. Benzema had a shot blocked, Casemiro saw a half-volley saved and Mariano Diaz headed over, but Getafe deserved their victory. — AFP

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (top- right) catches the ball during the Spanish league football match between Getafe CF and Real Madrid CF yesterday. — AFP

SYDNEY: Daniil Medvedev and Matteo Berrettini both slumped to shock defeats in their opening matches of the season at the ATP Cup yesterday, but there were no mistakes from Alexander Zverev. US Open champion Medvedev is leading a Russian team in Sydney depleted by injuries and Covid-19 as they look to defend the teams title won against Italy last year.

But the world number two, who captured four tour-level crowns in 2021, was stunned by impressive 35th-ranked Frenchman Ugo Humbert despite leading by a set and 3-0. The Frenchman rallied to pull off a big upset 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) in a grueling 2 hours 55 minutes as Medvedev, red-faced from the heat, ran out of steam. “It was very tough today, but I’m very happy,” said Humbert after one of the biggest wins of his career. “I had some opportunities in the first set, and I just tried to stay relaxed, stay focused on what I had to do and it was a great match.”

With fifth-ranked Andrey Rublev missing after contracting coronavirus at an Abu Dhabi exhibition last month, unheralded Roman Safiullin was drafted in as Russia’s second sin-gles player. He saved 15 of 19 break points to earn a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over France’s Arthur Rinderknech to set the stage for Medvedev, who could be the top seed at this month’s Australian Open if defending cham-pion Novak Djokovic fails to show up. Djokovic has refused to confirm if

he has been vaccinated against Covid-19, a requirement at the open-ing Grand Slam of the year, and pulled out of the ATP Cup.

The tie went to a deciding doubles rubber with Medvedev backing up with Safiullin to win and seal the points. Russia are in a tough group that also includes hosts Australia and 2021 runner-up Italy, led by world number seven Berrettini, who was also beaten, crashing to 34th-ranked Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-6 (7/4). “I’ve worked really hard to be here, I’m in the best shape of my life and ready to have a big year,” said de Minaur, in front of a noisy home crowd. Earlier, Italian number two Jannik Sinner crushed Australia’s Max Purcell 6-1, 6-3.

Only the winning nations progress to the semi-finals from each of the four groups in the event, which runs until January 9. In the other night match, Zverev’s Germany were up against a British team led by Cameron Norrie, who had a breakout 2021 season that saw him storm through the rankings to end at 12. But he was no match for the world num-ber three, who shook off first set rust to overwhelm the Briton 7-6 (7/2), 6-1. “It’s the first match of the season and it’s never going to be the best match of your life, but I’m happy,” said Zverev, who captured his second ATP Finals title in November - his sixth trophy of the year. Britain’s Dan Evans won the opening singles match against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 6-2. — AFP

Medvedev and Berrettini suffer shock defeats

WASHINGTON: Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Bulls over Indiana 108-106 on Friday, stretching their NBA win streak to six games, while LeBron James scored 43 points to spark a Los Angeles Lakers romp. DeRozan added six assists, three rebounds and three steals while scoring 13 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulls improved to 23-10, matching Brooklyn for the Eastern Conference lead.

“I looked up at the clock, I said, ‘I’ve got to make something happen,’” DeRozan said. “I just tried to get enough space to get it up. As soon as it left my hand it felt good.” DeRozan rated the 28-foot game-winning shot among his best buzzer beat-ers. “I rank it up there,” DeRozan said. “It was one of those games where it felt like nothing was going our way. It felt like we was getting beat up. “But we grinded it out and won it on a big shot. It was a hell of a win to pull out.”

The Bulls, missing coach Billy Donovan due to Covid-19, have thrived despite adversity. “It’s credit to our hard work,” DeRozan said. “For our team to be able to hold all those things off and, at the end of the year, to be on top of our conference speaks volumes to what type of team we are.” In the NBA’s final game of 2021 and the first game for James since turning 37 on Thursday, the four-time NBA champion delivered a season-high point total on 16-of-26 shooting, going 5-of-10 from 3-point range to lead the Lakers over visiting Portland 139-106.

James enjoyed his 67th career game with 40 or more points, with 27 points and 10 rebounds at halftime. He contributed 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two

blocked shots without a turnover in 29 min-utes for the Lakers, seventh in the Western Conference at 18-19. Lakers guard Russell Westbrook delivered his NBA-best ninth triple double of the season, and fourth in a row, with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.

Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each scored 24 points and Robert Williams had a triple double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to power the Celtics over Phoenix 123-108. The visiting Suns fell to 27-8, half a game behind Golden State to stand second in the Western Conference, while the Celtics, whose 46 points off the bench were twice what Phoenix scored, improved to 17-19. Miami’s Jimmy Butler returned from a sprained ankle to score 37 points while Turkish rookie center Omer Yurtseven had 10 points and 13 rebounds to spark the Heat to a 120-110 victory at Houston.

With new Covid-19 regulations in Ontario keeping fans from attending, Toronto got 31 points and nine assists from Fred VanVleet in his return from the virus to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-108. OG Anunoby added 26 points and Pascal

Siakam added 25 and a career-high 19 rebounds plus seven assists for the Raptors.

A video tribute to Spaniard Serge Ibaka, a former Raptor star, played to silence in the empty arena. The Raptors and Clippers each have four players sidelined by COVID-19 while the NBA has about 120 players out in health and safety protocols. Utah’s Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points, Croatian Bojan Bogdanovic added 24 points and 12 rebounds and Frenchman Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 16 rebounds in the Jazz’s 120-108 home victo-ry over Minnesota.

Atlanta’s Trae Young scored 35 points and passed out 11 assists while Clint Capela added 18 points and 23 rebounds to power the Hawks over host Cleveland 121-118. The Cavaliers had 35 points off the bench from Kevin Love. Memphis guard Ja Morant scored 30 points to power the Grizzlies over visiting San Antonio 118-105 while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points to lead Oklahoma City over visiting New York 95-80. Latvian Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Dallas in a 112-96 victory at Sacramento. — AFP

DeRozan buzzer beater lifts Bulls

WASHINGTON: DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls shoots the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on January 1, 2022. — AFP