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Philippines reports first virus death outside China: WHO 6WORLD

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Djokovic seals eighth Australian Open Novak Djokovic admitted he was on the brink of defeat with dizziness and dehydration before coming through a five-set thriller against Dominic Thiem to clinch a record eighth Australian Open crown and return to world number one on Sunday. P16

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02BIAS 2020 ground handling service sponsorship deal signed

03Lawmaker seeks temporary ban on Chinese citizens entering Kingdom

04GCC national who attempted to kill son-in-law ‘mentally unfit’

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Huge demand for face masks across Bahrain

TDT | Manama

Face masks were out of stock at many pharma stores across the Kingdom as peo-

ple began buying them in large numbers over coronavirus fear.

The shortage is attributed to declining supply and increasing demand in the Kingdom.

Speaking to Tribune, a pharma store manager, who doesn’t want to be named, said: “We have a huge shortage of face masks as we sold out our stocks in the last two days.

“Though no cases are reported in the Kingdom, people here are taking special caution and a good number of them are wearing face masks, which is one of the ways to prevent being infected.”

He said masks were being im-ported from China and the sup-plies have declined owing to huge

demand in that country. “If you see, the Chinese au-

thorities have asked everyone at risk to wear face masks. The demand is vast as China is the largest populated country in the world,” he added.

However, on the contrary, there were also many reports on media, which states there are not enough evidences to suggest that wearing a face mask has any benefit for the general public.

The Wuhan coronavirus out-break continues its deadly spread. The novel illness, provisionally known as 2019-nCov, has infected almost 14,500 people according to the latest data. There have been over 300 deaths, with cas-es springing up in 27 countries. Chinese authorities have im-plemented wide-ranging travel restrictions to control the out-break. See Pages 3, 6

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, yesterday arrived in the Italian Republic on an official visit. During the visit, HRH the Crown Prince will meet with senior Italian government officials to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. A number of Italian officials and HRH the Crown Prince’s official delegation welcomed HRH upon arrival to Rome Ciampino Giovan Battista Pastine Airport.

HRH Crown Prince arrives in Italy

There is a huge demand for face masks across the Kingdom.

We have a huge shortage of face masks

as we sold out our stocks in the last two

days. PHARMA STORE MANAGER

‘End protests’ call Leading cleric Moqtada Al Sadr calls for action against Iraq protests

• Hundreds of men in the blue caps worn to show allegiance to Mr Al Sadr entered Tahrir Square.

• Protesters said Mr Al Sadr’s latest statement had created a tense atmosphere in the square.

Baghdad

Populist Iraqi cleric Mo-qtada Al Sadr yesterday ordered his followers to

help security troops clear roads blocked by protesters.

Mr Al Sadr withdrew support for months-long anti-govern-ment demonstrations after the appointment of a new prime minister.

He also urged his support-ers to work with authorities to ensure schools and businesses

could operate normally again.“I advise the security forc-

es to stop anyone from cutting off roads and the ministry of education should punish those who obstruct regular working hours, be they students, teachers or others,” Mr Al Sadr said on

Twitter.His supporters swarmed

into the main protest site in Baghdad soon after President Barham Salih nominated the politician Mohammed Allawi as Prime Minister on Saturday evening.

Hundreds of men in the blue caps worn to show allegiance to Mr Al Sadr entered Tahrir Square and the abandoned building on its edge known as the Turkish Restaurant.

The building had become a symbol of the popular uprising against Iraq’s political class since it began in early October.

The protesters accuse the leaders of corruption and fail-ing to deliver basic services, and are demanding elections un-der a new electoral law and an end to foreign influence in Iraqi politics, which is dominated by Iran-backed groups.

Protesters said the Sadrists’ seizure of the building was to prevent them from expressing their rejection of Mr Allawi, a former communications min-ister and two-time member of Parliament.

“The fact is that Mohammed Allawi is supported by Al Sadr and the rest of the parties,” said Ali Al Mikdam, 21, who has been taking part in the protests since they began.

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada Al Sadr take part in a protest at the Al Tahrir Square in Central Baghdad.

How can you trust someone who changes his mind all the time?

MR AL MIKDAM

‘Only income in India will be taxed’New Delhi

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman yes-

terday said that there is no in-tention to tax global income of NRIs and only income gen-erated in India will be taxed.

Following the Budget an-nouncement on Saturday, there was confusion about the tax liability of Non-Resi-dent Indians (NRIs) on their global income.

“What we are doing now is that the in-come of an NRI generated in India will be taxed here. If he’s earning something in a jurisdiction where there is no tax, why will I include that into mine that has been generated there,” Ms Sitharaman said.

“Whereas if you have a property here and you have a rent out of it, but because you are living there, you carry this rent into your income there and pay no tax there, pay no tax here ... since the prop-erty is in India, I have got a sovereign right to tax,” she further said in a post Budget interaction with media.

Nirmala Sitharaman

02MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa yesterday arrived in the region of Al Dhafra on a private visit to the United Arab Emirates. HM the King was received on arrival by the Ruler’s Representative in the region of Al Dhafra His Highness Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan. HM the King was also received by UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain Shaikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Mohammed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sultan Khalfan Al Romaithi, court undersecretary of the Ruler’s Representative in the region of Al Dhafra, UAE Red Crescent President’s Advisor Isa Hamad Boushehab, Ahmed Matar Al Dhaheri, office director of the Ruler’s Representative in the region of Al Dhafra, Bahrain’s Ambassador to the UAE Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla bin Ali bin Hamad Al Khalifa and other senior officials. HM the King is accompanied by HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, HH Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and other members of the accompanying delegation.

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received here yesterday the outgoing Secretary-General of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani. HM the King expressed thanks and appreciation to Dr Al Zayani for the tremendous efforts he has exerted throughout his tenure as GCC Secretary-General, lauding his enduring and commendable endeavours to develop the GCC system and achieve its goals, as well as to push joint GCC action further to meet the aspirations of brotherly GCC peoples and strengthen the pillars of security, peace and stability at the regional and global levels. HM King Hamad lauded the pivotal achievements that the GCC has attained since its establishment at all levels, wishing Dr Al Zayani every success in his future assignments.

A tree plantation drive was held at the Indian School Riffa Campus on Saturday. ISB Chairman Prince S Natarajan, Secretary Saji Antony, EC Members Mohammad Khursheed Alam, Mohammed Nayaz Ullah, Adv Binu Mannil Varughese, Rajesh Nambiar, Principal V R Palaniswamy, Principal - Riffa Campus Pamela Xavier, Staff Representative, Johnson Devassy, Lions Club President Debashis Banerjea and S Inayadullah (Crown Electro and Mechanical Services), staff and Lion’s Club members attended. As part of their on-going green campaign, the Lion’s Club of Riffa donated a spectrum of flowering and medicinal trees to adorn the school’s front boundary walls. The pits for the tree planting were prepared by Crown Electro and Mechanical Services. The tree planting event was a crisp and meaningful one involving the student council of the school. Eco-Ambassador Meenakshi Deepak encouraged her peers with the message: “We aren’t just planting trees, we can proudly say, we’re are on a path towards changing lives.” Pamela Xavier welcomed the gathering and thanked the Lion’s Club and Crown Electro and Mechanical Services for partnering in the green mission.

The science educational trip organised by Science India Forum (SIF) Bahrain for the benefit of the toppers of Sastra Pratibha Contest popularly known as ‘SASTRAYAAN - 2020’ led by Mr Anilal has returned to Bahrain after a three day trip to Bengaluru, India. The 30-member team included 17 Sastra Pratibhas, their parents, SIF Bahrain volunteers, and SIF Middle East co-ordinator. The team visited Defence Research and Development Organisation, Aeronautical Development Establishment, Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, National Aerospace Laboratories as well as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Aerospace Museum. The students got a rare opportunity to interact with senior scientists.

BIAS 2020 ground handling service sponsorship deal signed

Manama

Transportation and Tele-communication Minis-ter Kamal Ahmed said

that Bahrain International Air-show 2020 (BIAS 2020) marks a decade of success.

This is an evidence of the success of Bahrain’s econom-ic vision in making Bahrain a centre of investment in various economic sectors, the minister who is also the deputy chair-man of the Supreme Organising Committee for the organisation of the biennial event, the min-ister said as he and Salman Al Mahmeed, the Chief Executive officer of Bahrain Airport Ser-vices (BAS), signed an official ground handling service spon-sorship deal.

“We are proud of the partic-ipation of Bahraini companies operating in the sector and of their continuous support for the exhibition,” he said.

Mr Al Mahmeed said that BAS was proud to be the official

sponsor of the ground handling services for BIAS 2020.

“The company is always keen to highlight the bright image that the Kingdom of Bahrain deserves,” he said.

“Supporting BIAS is part of the company’s commitments to a set of initiatives and annual action programs to make the Kingdom of Bahrain an attrac-tive centre for investments in

the aviation sector.”BIAS 2020 will be held at the

Sakhir airbase on November 18-20 under the auspices of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the supervi-sion of HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Personal Representative of His Majes-ty the King and Chairman of the BIAS Supreme Organising Committee.

Mr Ahmed, Mr Al Mahmeed sign the agreement.

Spiritual guru to offer discourse TDT | Manama

Swami Amrita Swaru-pananda Puri, the first disciple of Mata Am-

ritanandamayi Devi, will offer a spiritual talk between 7.00 pm and 9.30 pm at the Indian Club

Auditorium today. Swami Amrita Swarupanan-

da Puri is the vice-chairman of Mata Amritanandamayi Math located in the Indian state of Kerala. Bramacha-ri Amit will also attend the session. Swami Amrita Swarupananda Puri


Lawmaker seeks temporary ban on Chinese citizens entering Kingdom

Coronavirus screening is being carried out at Bahrain Airport to identify infected individuals

• A number of measures has already been taken to prevent an outbreak, according to the Health Ministry.

• The virus was first reported to the World Health Organisation on Dec 31 and has been under investigation since then.

TDT | Manama

An urgent proposal was submitted by a parlia-mentarian yesterday to

temporarily ban Chinese citizens from entering the Kingdom.

MP Adel Al Asoomi urged the government to ban Chinese na-tionals from coming to Bahrain following the recent outbreak of coronavirus in China.

He said the outbreak of coro-navirus is a cause of concern and that allowing people from China to visit Bahrain could lead to a risk in spreading the disease in the Kingdom.

He said that a temporary ban should be in place until the situ-ation settles down.

The Bahrain International Air-port is now doing a thorough

check on passengers coming to Bahrain amidst coronavirus fears.

In co-operation with the Min-istry of Health, the Bahrain In-ternational Airport is conducting thorough checks to make sure patients infected with coronavi-rus does not enter Bahrain other than the airport.

Bahrainis, were assisted by the Bahraini Embassy in China to return to the Kingdom to escape the country amidst the corona-virus scare.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is taking measures to pre-vent an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.

A number of measures has al-ready been taken to prevent an outbreak, according to a state-ment issued by the ministry.

“The ministry is taking all precautionary measures for this purpose. The situation is being monitored closely. Co-ordina-tion is ongoing with relevant authorities and the Bahrain In-ternational Airport.”

The ministry has urged the public to take precautionary measures after travel. It said that it is communicating directly with the World Health Organisation.

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Friday that a new case of coro-navirus had been diagnosed in the country yesterday.

The person, the fifth to be identified as having the virus in the country, arrived from Wu-

han, the centre of the virus’ out-break in China.

All five patients are in a stable

condition and the ministry called on all citizens and residents to adhere to guidelines that it has provided.

China is facing deepening iso-lation over the epidemic as the death toll soared to 259 on Sat-urday, with the US and Australia leading a growing list of nations to impose Chinese travel bans.

With the UK, Russia and Swe-den among the countries con-firming their first infections, the virus has now spread to more than two dozen nations, sending governments scurrying to limit their exposure.

In light of the current break-through of the deadly Corona-virus across China and its de-tection in several countries of the world, the Embassy of the Kingdom in Beijing has request-ed universities and education-al institutions in China, where Bahraini students are enrolled, to extend the students’ holiday, sources confirmed.

Sources also told that the Embassy has requested these institutions to allow Bahraini students and trainees to return to Bahrain considering their safety.

Additionally, Tribune learnt that the students there are on holiday until February 17, 2020, on the occasion of the New Chi-nese Year.

The virus was first reported to the World Health Organisation on Dec 31 and has been under investigation since then.

Chinese scientists have linked the disease to a family of virus-es known as coronaviruses, the same family as the deadly SARS and MERS viruses.

Scientists have yet to fully un-derstand how destructive the new virus, known as 2019-nCoV, might be.

Researchers and investigators are just beginning to under-stand where it originated, how it’s transmitted, how far it has spread and what its symptoms look like.

Allowing Chinese citizens visit the Kingdom amidst corona fear could lead to a risky situation. MR AL ASOOMI

Bahrain delegation at the GCC meeting on tackling coronavirus threat, held in Riyadh.

ASRY in deal with NOGA for marine services base Manama

The Arab Ship Building and Repair Yard Compa-

ny (ASRY), the Arabian Gulf’s leading maritime repair and fabrication facility, has signed a contract with Bahrain’s Na-tional Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) to provide a dedicated marine services area in the yard, from which NOGA pro-jects can be supported.

The ‘NOGA Zone’ will pro-vide berth facilities, storage, crew facilities, and more, within ASRY’s premises, for NOGA-related projects. The Bahrain LNG Terminal project will soon be using the NOGA Zone for some of its maritime operations, as required.

“We’re honoured to sup-port NOGA and their projects in bringing added value and growth to the Kingdom of Bahrain,” commented ASRY Business Development Man-ager Arran Dall at the signing.

“For a major Bahrain firm like ASRY to contribute to other nationally important projects, such as the new Bahrain LNG Terminal, not only makes commercial sense, but also national sense for the mutual development of the Kingdom.”

“Working together with Bahrain corporate partners is a win-win situation,” con-firmed NOGA General Manag-er Oil and Gas Affairs Jassim Al Shirawi at the signing.

Flames destroy classroom

at Hidd schoolTDT | Manama

A classroom at a public school in Muharraq Governorate was completely destroyed

following a fire breakout yesterday. Public Relations and Information

Directorate within the Education Ministry explained in a press state-ment yesterday that the fire accident occurred in the early morning before the school gates were opened to re-

ceive students. According to the directorate, no

injuries were reported after the in-cident at Hidd Primary Boys’ School.

“No injuries were reported and the incident was reported to the Civil Defence Directorate, which swiftly doused the fire,” the statement read.

No further details on the causes of the fire were available. The Ministry of Education has launched a probe into the incident.

Alternative punishment for psychiatrist convicted of defamation, spreading false news TDT | Manama

The High Court of Appeal has decided to substitute the one-year imprison-

ment previously issued against a Bahraini female psychiatrist to one year of community service, Tribune has learnt.

This came after the woman appealed against the verdict, which also obliged her to pay a BD200 fine, after being convict-ed of defamation and spreading false news.

As reported earlier, the psy-chiatrist stirred a countrywide debate last year on alleged drugs abuse and sexual activities in public girls’ school.

She made headlines and be-came the most trending discus-sion online, after she broadcast an interview with a seventh grad-er who was allegedly expelled from Hamad Town Intermediate School for consuming and ped-dling prescription pills in school.

The doctor’s 50-minute re-cording included serious reve-lations, accusations and claims of organised drug peddling and immoral activities among teen-age girls in the school, alerting the highest authorities in the Kingdom to the case.

This included the formation of a high-level committee, as per the directives of the Prime Minister HRH Prince Khalifa bin

Salman Al Khalifa, to probe the claimed incident.

Several authorities also com-

mented on the matter, includ-ing Education Ministry, Interior Ministry, the Public Prosecution and a number of lawmakers.

A statement issued by the Public Prosecution earlier men-tioned: “The use of social media to address this issue and discuss it in this way without resorting to the competent authorities to verify the authenticity of what has been raised, is in fact an act of abuse and contrary to the law, especially that it affected peo-ple’s reputation.

“What the main accused (the psychiatrist) has committed by broadcasting the video and the dialogues included in it through her personal channel on social

media networks is an action that’s contrary to the nature, traditions and values of her pro-fession.”

During the conversation be-tween the psychiatric, the ex-pelled student and her family, several names of students ac-cused of peddling drugs in the school and carrying out sexual activities in its restrooms, were mentioned, an act that’s consid-ered as defamation as per the Bahraini laws.

In a different development, the same psychiatrist is facing charg-es in a different case, where she is accused of not reporting a rape crime to the authorities, instead she attempted to solve it herself.

The classroom was totally destroyed by flames.

The use of social media to address serious issues without resorting to the

competent authorities to verify the authenticity

of what has been raised, is in fact an act of abuse and contrary to the law,

especially if it affects other individual’s

reputation. PROSECUTORS


GCC national who attempted to kill son-in-law ‘mentally unfit’

Court orders defendant’s deportation after receiving medical report TDT | Manama

The Fourth High Crimi-nal Court has acquitted a GCC man who’s accused

of premeditated murder after medical reports proved he was mentally ill. However, the court ordered his deportation.

As reported earlier on Trib-une, the GCC national attempted to murder his son-in-law using a kitchen knife and attacked his wife.

He reportedly took the boy by surprise and he stabbed him several times before assaulting his wife.

The man attributed his ac-tions to receiving a call from a third party who allegedly in-formed him that his wife was dating another man.

However, investigations un-covered that the man didn’t re-ceive any calls at the time he alleged he was tipped off about his wife’s alleged affair.

It was also found that he had issues with his wife, as a result of which he carried out his attack.

A medical report attached to the court files revealed that the defendant stabbed his son-in-law in the neck and caused a cut in his ear.

“There are so many problems between us and several ongoing cases filed against each other,” the wife said in her statement before the Public Prosecution.

“At that night, I was sitting

with my child in my apartment. Suddenly he broke in and at-tacked us,” she added.

Based on the medical report, which proved the man was mentally ill and has no control over certain actions, the court announced its verdict, that is in accordance with Article 31 of the Kingdom’s Penal Code, which states: “A person who has un-knowingly or without an option committed an act constituting a crime shall not be held liable.”

Shura stresses BDF’s patriotic achievements Manama

The Shura Council has ex-tended deepest congrat-

ulations to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Sal-man bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, as well as to the Command-er-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, and all BDF affiliates, marking the BDF’s 52nd Anniversary, celebrated in Bahrain every February 5.

In a statement marking the occasion, the Shura Council expressed pride in the land-mark achievements of the BDF since its establishment more than five decades ago.

T h e S h u r a C o u n c i l stressed that the BDF is a for-tified shield and a bulwark that has preserved the king-dom’s sovereignty, defended its interest and protected its territorial integrity, noting that over the past decades, the BDF has proved its high military capability to deal with various challenges and circumstances.

The Council saluted the BDF’s officers and service-men, praising their sacrifices, patriotism, dedication in de-fending the nation, constant readiness to fend off threats to the kingdom’s unity and people’s cohesion, as well as rallying behind His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khal-ifa’s leadership.

T h e S h u r a C o u n c i l pledged continuous support for the BDF through legisla-tion that would enhance its distinguished status and en-able it to continue attaining more achievements during HM the King’s prosperous era.

There are many problems between

us and several cases were filed against each other. He attacked us

when I was sitting along with my child in our

apartment. DEFENDANT’S WIFE

Bahrain’s first integrated medical appointments platform launchedTDT | Manama

Making a breakthrough in the field of enhancing medical services in the

Kingdom, Invent ITS, a leading Bahraini company in the field of Information Technology, has launched the ‘Medical.BH’ smart-phone app; the first electronic integrated platform in Bahrain allocated for booking medical appointments.

The platform, which is pow-ered by AWS (Amazon Web Ser-vices) was launched in an event supported by Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the platform grants users the abil-ity to book appointments with doctors of any speciality within a specific user-selected loca-tion, date and time, in addition to tracking their appointments’ request status.

Moreover, ‘Medical.BH’ allows users full accessibility through smart devices and computers, without any human interac-tion and within a simple click. Through the app, users also have access to thousands of medical videos, images and healthcare

professionals’ advices. It is ful-ly integrated with the medical EMR systems of all medical firms, giving users the opportunity to know their doctors before book-ing the appointment online.

A special inauguration cere-mony was held yesterday, at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain, in the pres-ence of Investment Promotion Senior Advisor at EDB Dr Simon Galpin, Senior Systems Manager and Solutions Architect at Ama-

zon Mr Ahmed El Haw, Invent ITS CEO Mr Ali Al Halwachi, In-vent ITS marketing lead Hussain Al Jishi and a number of repre-sentatives of public and private medical institutions in Bahrain.

On the occasion, Dr Galpin praised ‘Medical.BH’; the first 100 per cent Bahrain-developed medical appointments electronic platform. Reaffirming on EDB’s keenness on supporting entre-preneurs, micro businesses and

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Dr Galpin said: “We are excited to see how young entre-preneurs are getting involved in this ever-evolving field.”

On his part, Mr El Haw com-mented: “Amazon took an im-portant step to run its operations from here in Bahrain. Today, we are looking at one of the objec-tives why Amazon chose to be here. The launch of such inno-vative technologies that would

surely assist in making people’s lives easier. We are glad to be part of the launch event of such a promising platform that rep-resents a leading example in the region.”

During his speech, Mr Al Halwachi expressed thanks and appreciation to all the attendees and supportive parties, spear-headed by EDB and AWS, NHRA, valuing their endless support to the project.

Dr Galpin speaking at the event. Mr Al Halwachi briefs the session on ‘Medical.BH’ platform.

‘Wound Care and Diabetic Foot’ Conference set TDT | Manama

Bahrain Medical Associ-ation will organise the Fifth Middle East Con-

ference on ‘Wound Care and Diabetic Foot’ from March 6 to 8.

This was announced during a meeting by a delegation of doc-tors association with the Min-ister of Health, Faeqa Al Saleh.

The conference will be held in association with govern-ment and private hospitals in Bahrain, the Bahrain Diabetes Society, in addition to the Uni-versity of Toledo American and Innovation Organisation events.

Association head Dr Ghada Qassim explained that this con-ference aims to enhance the lev-el of the necessary awareness of how to diagnose and treat diabetes and provide better op-portunities to improve life for patients, as well as give stake-holders and specialists in Bah-rain opportunities to exchange experiences and learn about the latest developments related to the field of their work.

Dr Qassim added that the con-ference comes within the framework comes under the se-ries of conferences and major events in order to enhance Bahrain’s status and visibility at the global level. Ms Al Saleh with BMA delegation.

‘Mideast peace must be based on rights of Palestinians’ Manama

The Shura Council has stressed the significance of adopting a unified Arab position to implement the

decisions made by the international le-gitimacy regarding the Palestinian issue.

The Shura Council renews Bahrain’s firm and steady position on the Palestin-ian cause and its support for all efforts aimed at reaching a just and compre-hensive solution, leading to the resto-ration of all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people established in the

relevant United Nations resolutions, the Shura said in a statement during its regular session.

“The Palestinian cause in the collec-tive conscience of all Arabs and talking about peace in the Middle East must be based on the full rights of the Palestinian

brothers, ending the occupation, and establishing a Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusa-lem as its capital, in accordance with the principle of a two-state solution and based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant resolutions of international

legitimacy,” the Shura said.The Shura stressed “its support for

all efforts aimed at reaching a just and comprehensive solution to this issue that will lead to the restoration of all the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people”.

05

world

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020

Drunk driver slams into group of kids, kills 4 in Australia

• Three girls aged 8 to 12 and a 13-year-old boy died at the scene

Sydney

A drunk driver slammed his pickup truck into a group

of children in Sydney, killing two sisters, their brother and a cousin and seriously injuring three others, police alleged on Sunday.

The 29-year-old driver was charged with manslaughter and high-range drink driving following the incident late Sat-urday in the Oatlands suburb of western Sydney.

The children were on a footpath when the four-wheel drive jumped the curb and rammed into them, police al-leged.

Three girls aged 8 to 12 and a 13-year-old boy died at the scene and two other girls and a boy were injured and taken to hospital, where they were in a stable condition Sunday, police said.

The dead included two sis-ters and their brother, three of

the six children of Daniel and Leila Abdallah.

“Yesterday I lost three of my children. I had a cousin, Bridget, she lost her daughter as well,” Daniel Abdallah told reporters Sunday morning.

“I’m numb, probably that’s how I feel at the moment,” he said.

“All I just want to say is, please, drivers be careful. These kids were just walking innocently, enjoying each oth-ers’ company and this morning I woke up, I have lost three kids.”

A makeshift memorial was later put up where the acci-dent occurred, with people coming to place flowers, teddy bears and candles as well as pay their respects.

The driver, whose name has not been released, was due in court Sunday facing 20 charg-es.

A makeshift memorial was put up where the accident occurred, with people coming to place flowers and pay their respects

Twenty killed in Tanzanian church stampede: official

AFP | Dar es Salaam

Twenty people in Tanzania were trampled to death at an open-air evangeli-

cal Christian church service in the north of the country, offi-cials said on Sunday.

Kippi Warioba, district Com-missioner in the northern town of Moshi, said he feared the number of dead could still rise from the accident which took place on Saturday.

“So far, 20 people have died, but the death toll could increase as there were also wounded,” Warioba told AFP.

At least 16 others were injured in the crush, he said.

The tragedy happened when a crowd of worshippers was attending a prayer ceremony on Saturday led by the popular preacher, Boniface Mwamposa, who heads the Arise and Shine Ministry Tanzania.

The stampede occurred when Mwamposa, who calls himself the “Apostle”, poured what he said was holy oil on the ground and the crowd surged toward to touch it in the hope of be-ing cured of sickness, witnesses said.

“ T h e Ap o s t l e B o n i f a c e Mwamposa poured sacred anointing oil on the ground,”

one witness, Jennifer Temu, told AFP.

“Dozens of people immedi-ately fell being jostled and tram-pled, and some died. We have counted 20 people killed -- but there are also wounded.”

Police question preacher“It was horrible, people tram-

pled on mercilessly, jostling each other with elbows,” said another witness, Peter Kilewo.

“It was like the preacher had thrown bundles of dollars about... and there were all these deaths!”

Mwamposa, the preacher, fled the scene after the stampede, and police appealed in a broad-cast on national television for him to hand himself in.

The preacher was arrested in the port city of Dar es Salaam later on Sunday.

“Boniface Mwamposa tried to flee after this incident, but as I speak, he is in the hands of the police,” Interior Minister George Simbachawene told a press conference.

Simbachawene said that the preacher had started the stamped by calling on the packed crowd to place their foot on the spot where he had poured the oil.

“These are the words that led to these deaths,” said Sim-bachawene. “He must answer for it.”

Tanzanian police chief Simon Sirro, who confirmed the toll of 20 dead, said investigations

were ongoing into the incident.Seven other people were

arrested in Moshi, where the stampede took place,in connec-tion with the incident.

Sirro also said police would also look into how church or-ganisations handle such large-scale crowd events in general.

“We pray for them, but I must say that some churches are trou-blesome -- and we will see how to handle them,” Sirro said.

President John Magufuli also issued a statement mourning the death of 20 people in Moshi, as well as 20 others killed by floods in Tanzania’s southern Lindi region this week.

“I’m very sorry for these deaths of these Tanzanians in the two events,” Magufuli said.

The stampede occurred when preacher Boniface Mwamposa poured what he said was holy oil on the ground and the crowd surged to touch it

Three killed in shooting at a Toronto Airbnb

Montreal

Three people were killed and two others wounded

in a shooting in an apartment rented on Airbnb in Toronto, police said Saturday.

Three people were shot dead late Friday and a fourth in-jured, police in Canada’s big-gest city said in a tweet.

A fifth person was stabbed but the victim’s life was not in danger, police said.

Police by Saturday still had not given any information on the victims’ identities or a pos-sible motive, only saying that the violence happened in an Airbnb online rental down-town.

A spokesperson has said the dead were young men aged 22, 20 and 19.

On October 31, a gunman opened fire at a house party in Orinda, California that was an Airbnb rental. Four men and a woman were killed.

The children were on a footpath when the four-wheel drive jumped the curb and rammed into them,

police alleged

Japan destroyer heads to Middle EastTokyo

Japan sent a naval destroy-er to the Middle East on

Sunday for a rare overseas mission to ensure the safe-ty of its ships amid lingering tension between Iran and the US.

The vessel left the Yokosu-ka naval base, south of Tokyo, for an information gathering mission in the Gulf of Oman, northern parts of the Arabian Sea and parts of the Gulf of Aden.

Japan earlier decided not to take part in the US-led Opera-tion Sentinel to protect shipping routes in the region.

“Securing safety of vessels related to Japan is an impor-tant duty of the government,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the crew members of the 4,650-ton ship -- the Takanami -- as it readied to leave port.

Abe has held a series of meet-ings with Middle Eastern lead-ers over the last year, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatol-

lah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, in an attempt to calm the soaring tension be-

tween Washington and Tehran.The naval destroyer will join

two Japanese surveillance pa-

trol airplanes that have been operating in the region as part of the same mission.

Japan’s Takanami naval destroyer was sent on an information gathering mission to the Middle East on Sunday

Toronto police vehicles are parked outside the condo where the shooting occurred on Friday night

India reports second case of coronavirus in Kerala

Reuters | Mumbai

A second case of the new coronavirus has been

detected in Kerala, the gov-ernment said in a news re-lease yesterday, days after the first case was reported in the state last week.

“Second positive case of Novel Coronavirus patient has been reported in Ker-ala. The patient has a trav-el history from China,” the government statement said.

The patient has tested positive for the virus and has been kept in isolation in a hospital. The person is stable and is being closely monitored, the statement said.

Last week India reported that a student who had returned from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, had tested positive and was being treated in isolation.

India evacuated 324 people from Wuhan on Saturday and have kept them under observation in the outskirts of New Delhi, a government statement said on Saturday.

India’s national carrier, Air India, has cancelled its Mum-bai-Delhi-Shanghai flight until Feb. 14.

“Earlier positive case found in Kerala is being monitored and is stable,” the government said on Saturday.


Philippines reports first virus death outside China: WHOToll tops 300 in China as infection jumps to above 14,000

• The number of countries reporting infections rose to 24

• Most of the infections overseas have been in people who had travelled from Wuhan

• The man who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan

• World Health Organization has declared the epidemic a global health emergency

Reuters | Beijing/Manila

China imposed a lockdown yesterday on a major city far from the epicentre

of a coronavirus epidemic, as its death toll from the disease soared to 304 and the first fa-tality outside the country was reported in the Philippines.

The events added to deepen-ing concern about the potential for the virus to spread further and more rapidly, as govern-ments around the world closed their borders to people from China.

Struggling to contain the vi-rus, authorities virtually shut down the eastern city of Wen-zhou on Sunday -- some 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Wuhan, the metropolis at the heart of the health emergency -- closing roads and confining people to their homes.

Since emerging out of Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has

infected nearly 14,500 people across China and reached 24 countries.

Most of the infections over-seas have been in people who had travelled from Wuhan, an industrial hub of 11 million peo-ple, or surrounding areas of Hu-bei province.

The man who died in the Phil-ippines was a 44-year-old from Wuhan, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the epidemic a global health emergency.

China has embarked on un-precedented efforts to contain the virus, which is believed to have jumped to humans from a Wuhan animal market, and can be transmitted among people in a similar fashion to the flu.

LockdownsThose efforts have included

extraordinary quarantines in Wuhan and surrounding cities, with all transport out banned, effectively sealing-off more than 50 million people.

But 10 days after locking down Wuhan, authorities imposed similar draconian measures on Wenzhou, a coastal city of nine million people in Zhejiang prov-ince, part of the eastern indus-trial heartland that has powered China’s economic rise over re-cent decades.

Only one resident per house-hold is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, and 46 highway toll stations have been closed, authorities an-nounced.

The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums, and suspended public transport.

Zhejiang has 661 confirmed infections, with 265 of those in

Wenzhou, according to the gov-ernment.

This is the highest tally for any province in China after ground-zero Hubei.

Closing bordersInternationally, the United

States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel have banned foreign nationals from visiting if they have been in China recently, and they have also warned their own citizens against travelling there.

Mongolia, Russia and Nepal have closed their land borders.

The number of countries re-porting infections rose to 24 af-ter Britain, Russia and Sweden confirmed their first cases this weekend.

The death toll in China climbed to 304 on Sunday after authorities reporting 45 new deaths.

There were 2,590 new con-firmed cases in China, bringing the total to nearly 14,500.

The number of confirmed in-fections in China is far higher than the Severe Acute Respira-tory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03.

SARS, caused by a pathogen similar to the new coronavirus and also originated in China, killed 774 people worldwide -- most of them in mainland China and Hong Kong.

With hospitals in Wuhan over-whelmed, China will Monday open a military-led field hospital that was built in just 10 days to treat people stricken by the virus.

And with the Chinese econ-omy suffering, the central bank announced it would release 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 billion) Monday to maintain liquidity in the banking system -- the day

markets re-open after the long holiday break.

Holiday endingThe emergence of the virus

coincided with the Lunar New Year, when hundreds of mil-lions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions.

The holiday, which was sched-uled to end on Friday, was ex-tended by three days to give au-thorities more time to try and deal with the crisis.

With many due back at work on Monday, people were starting to return on planes and trains over the weekend, with almost everyone wearing face masks.

Custom authorities had or-dered temperature checks at all exit-entry points in Beijing, ac-cording to state media.

Returning travellers were be-ing checked and registered at residential compounds, while fe-ver checks were in place in sub-way stations, offices and cafes.

One 22-year-old arriving at a Beijing train station from north-eastern China said her family had urged her to delay her re-turn.

“But I was worried it would affect my job,” she said.

Security guard Du Guiliang, 47, said he would be starting back at work in Beijing on Sun-day, after returning from north-east Liaoning province.

“Many colleagues (from Hu-bei) couldn’t come back. Now, those who work the day shift at our company have to do the night shift as well,” he said.

Many businesses were to re-main closed for at least another week, however, while some ma-jor cities -- including Shanghai -- had also extended the holiday.

A health desk is set up to screen travellers for signs of coronavirus at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala, India

Corona won’t turn you into a ‘zombie’Kuala Lumpur

The deadly coronavirus will not cause victims to act

like zombies, Malaysia’s gov-ernment said on social media, as officials act to correct the spread of misinformation sur-rounding the outbreak.

As medical authorities seek to contain the virus, some so-cial media users in Malaysia made a connection between the disease and the walking dead.

Malaysia’s health ministry dismissed the rumour in a tweet, however, saying: “The claim that individuals infected with this virus will behave like zombies is not true... Patients

can recover.”A number of posts in Ma-

laysia on social media have wrongly claimed the number of deaths or infected people in the country.

Police have arrested six peo-ple for spreading misinfor-mation about the virus, a Ma-laysian Communications and Multimedia statement said.

In the latest arrest, last Thursday, a 28-year-old wom-an was investigated for “im-proper use of network facil-ities”.

If convicted, she can be fined up to 50,000 ringgit or be jailed for a year, or both.

A man wears a mask walks near the Grand Palace at Bangkok

A woman wearing a face mask holds a child near a shopping mall in Beijing, China

A woman wears a face mask in a market alley in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China

A woman wears a protective mask in light of the coronavirus outbreak in China

KNOW WHAT

For every 50 people that were infected, MERS killed 17 people, SARS killed five people and the new coronavirus killed one

Coronavirus infections can range from mild cold-like symptoms to severe cases that cause pneumonia, acute respiratory illness and death.

For the first 1,000 people to be infected, MERS took 903 days or 2.5 years, SARS took 130 days and the new coronavirus took 48 days

The latest statistics indicate a fatality rate of about 2.2%, but disease experts say the actual rate may be higher or lower as there are likely more unconfirmed cases. The SARS virus killed about 10pc of all infected individuals, while the MERS outbreak identified in 2012 had a fatality rate of around 35pc.

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In people, human coronaviruses cause respiratory infections, including the common cold. But some strains, such as the newly identified coronavirus in Wuhan, China, and the ones that cause Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), can be deadly.

There is good evidence to show the new coronavirus can now be transmitted from person-to-person. A virus survives by finding a host and using its living cells in which to replicate, or to have itself reproduced. When a virus invades a host, it enters its cells and hijacks the cell’s natural production systems to make new copies of itself. The replication process can result in tiny mistakes or changes in the new viruses produced, leading to the virus mutating.

FATALITY RATE

VELOCITY OF THE VIRUS

Transmission

The

new

vir

us

RNA replicatedand packagedRNA released

Binding and cell entry

Virus

Cell receptors

Replicated virus

Release

Small changes

Assembly

Courtesy of Reuters


US Democrats make final push ahead of Iowa votesIowa City | United States

Democratic candidates raced across Iowa yes-terday in a last-minute

flurry of rallies and hand-shakes ahead of the state’s nominating vote that marks the official start of the US presidential election season

Iowa has traditionally served as a vital launching point -- or burial ground -- for presidential hopefuls. But Monday’s caucus-es have created an air of sus-pense, with no clear frontrunner.

Leftist senator Bernie Sanders holds only a narrow lead over former vice president Joe Biden, among the field of several candi-dates feverishly criss-crossing the rural Midwestern state of three million people.

Three of the leading candi-dates seized on a brief break from their duties as jurors in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington to rush to Iowa be-fore Monday’s caucuses.

The senators -- the self-styled democratic socialist Sanders, progressive Elizabeth Warren and moderate Amy Klobuchar -- each had meet and greets and other events planned for Sunday after a Saturday that was just as hectic.

The impeachment trial -- only the third in history of a US president -- created an unprec-edented situation by limiting the senators’ ability to campaign in Iowa in the closing days before the state’s presidential caucuses.

Sanders, Warren and Klobu-char have to return to Wash-ington on Monday, along with Senator Michael Bennet who trails badly in the polls, for the trial’s resumption.

Senate leaders have sched-uled a vote for Wednesday that appears virtually certain to end in Trump’s acquittal on the im-peachment charges of abuse of power and contempt of Con-gress.

‘It all begins’Sanders, at 78 the oldest of the

Democratic hopefuls, says the stakes could not be higher in the November vote.

“We must defeat the most dan-gerous president in the modern history of America,” the Vermont senator told a crowd of several thousand in Cedar Rapids.

“Monday night in Iowa it all begins” he said.

Today evening, at 7:00 pm (01H00 GMT Tuesday), the state’s more than 600,000 reg-istered Democrats are invited to take part in caucuses at about 1,700 venues -- schools, theaters, churches -- to publicly express their choice by standing under one candidate’s banner.

As Democrats made their final pitches, Trump attacked

the appearance of one of them, former New York mayor Mi-chael Bloomberg, on what the president sees as his diminutive stature. Bloomberg is five foot eight inches (1.73 meters).

He said Bloomberg was push-ing to be able to stand on a box during Democratic debates.

“Why should he be entitled to that? Really? Does that mean everybody else gets a box?” Trump said in a Fox News in-

terview due to air just before the Super Bowl later Sunday.

At this late date, nearly one Iowa voter in two claimed to still be undecided.

In a home in Iowa City that Warren supporters were using as a base, people streamed in and out, looking for more posters to put up on lamp posts or in yards, or for lists of doors that still needed to be knocked on.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a

marine biologist, traveled all the way from New York to go to door for Warren.

“Having a good showing in Iowa is so important to build momentum,” Johnson said.

Biden leads in nationwide sur-veys but trails Sanders in the latest Iowa polling.

New facesIowans take their politics

seriously. They take their role as first-in-the-nation voters to heart, and often, even in the smallest cities, have the chance to meet candidates in person.

Their pick has a recent his-torical track record of going on to become the Democratic Party nominee.

Like Biden, 38-year-old Pete

Buttigieg took advantage of the absence of rivals stuck in the Senate to lay on a heavy schedule of campaigning.

A former consultant, army re-servist and onetime mayor of a small Indiana city, “Mayor Pete” portrays his youth as a reason voters should prefer him over the graying Biden.

In an interview aired Sunday on ABC, Buttigieg said Trump is referring to the wealthy -- not everyday people -- when he in-sists Americans are well off eco-nomically under him.

“I get that if you have a build-ing with your name on it not far from Wall Street, maybe the Dow Jones and the economy seem like one in the same,” Butt-igieg said.

Supporters cheer as Democratic presidential candidate Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks at a town hall in Davenport, Iowa, on February 1, 2020

Former mayor Pete Buttigieg portrays his youth as an asset

Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders cheer during a campaign event in Clive, IA, on January 31, 2020.

Police shoot man dead after London stabbing incident described as terrorismReuters | London

Police shot dead a man in south London yesterday af-

ter several people were believed to have been stabbed in what po-lice described as a terrorism-re-lated incident.

“A man has been shot by armed officers in Streatham (south London). At this stage it is believed a number of people have been stabbed. The circum-stances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related,” the police said on Twitter.

Police said later the man they had shot had been pronounced dead.

Sky News cited security sourc-es as saying the incident was related to Islamist militancy.

Armed police cordoned off the area, on the main shopping street in Streatham, a busy resi-dential district south of the Riv-er Thames. Police said people

should avoid the area.Several videos of the scene

were posted on Twitter, but not verified by Reuters. In one,

filmed from inside a shop across the road, a man can be seen lying on the street while at least two armed police officers point their

guns from behind an unmarked car with its blue lights flashing.

Helicopters flew overhead and police cars were in surrounding

streets, with the area blocked off by tape.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter: “Thank you to all emergency services respond-ing to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now de-clared as terrorism-related”.

“My thoughts are with the in-jured and all those affected,” he added.

The last such incident in Lon-

don was in November, when po-lice shot dead a man wearing a fake suicide vest who stabbed two people to death and wound-ed three more before being wrestled to the ground by by-standers. Authorities called that a terrorist attack.

Officers raced to the scene outside a supermarket on High Road in Streatham at around 2pm yesterday following reports of gunfire (Courtesy of Daily Mail)

Police were filmed standing behind an unmarked police car and pointing their guns towards a suspect who appeared to be lying on the pavement outside the Boots store on the high street (Daily Mail)

An armed police officer stands guards in Streatham after the scene has been fully contained by officers(Daily Mail)


Hon. Chairman Najeb Yacob Alhamer | Editor-in-Chief Mahmood AI Mahmood | Chairman & Managing Director P Unnikrishnan | Advertisement: Update Media W.L.L | Tel: 38444692, Email: [email protected] | Newsroom: Tel: 38444680, Email: [email protected] & circulation: Tel: 36458394 | Email:[email protected] | Website: www.newsofbahrain.com | Printed and published by Al Ayam Publishing

SIMON WALDMAN

For months, Iraq has been gripped by regular protests calling for the end of foreign

influence in the country. For some, this means Iranian meddling, while others want a withdrawal of US forces.

Such demands gained momen-tum after last month’s assassi-nation of Qassem Suleimani, the Iranian commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Fol-lowing his death, Iraq’s parliament – without the presence of Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers – passed a non-binding resolution calling for the expulsion of US forces. Last week, pro-Iranian groups staged a large-scale rally calling for US troops to leave.

Despite Washington’s insistence that its forces will stay put, one should not discount the possibil-ity of a withdrawal, especially as the US is in an election year. It is conceivable that President Donald Trump could seek to bolster his popularity by withdrawing, citing his pledge to disengage from costly overseas adventures.

However, such a move would be detrimental to US strategic inter-ests in the region and run counter to the wishes of many Iraqis who fear Iranian domination or the resurgence of ISIS.

A US withdrawal would also

amount to a second betrayal by the Trump administration of the Kurds. The first was in October 2019 when, after a telephone con-versation with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mr Trump essentially gave Ankara the green light to invade the Kurdish-held parts of Syria.

There are many Iraqis who fear the consequences of a US with-drawal, not least the Kurds, most of whom – but certainly not all – live within the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is administered from Erbil by the Kurdistan Region Government.

The US enjoys considerable goodwill among Iraqi Kurds who are still grateful for Washington’s overthrowing of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Together with his Baathist henchmen, Hussein perpetrated a genocide against the Kurds during the 1980s. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were murdered and thousands of villages were de-stroyed.

Today, Iraqi Kurdistan faces many internal challenges, not least corruption and the factional na-ture of Kurdish politics that often undermines democratic institu-tions. However, Iraqi Kurdistan has proved itself to be one of the most productive, dynamic and sta-ble areas of not just Iraq but the broader region as well.

The KRG though remains locked

in a struggle with Baghdad. Ac-cording to the Iraqi constitution, Erbil should receive 17 per cent of the national budget. Howev-er, Baghdad often resists handing over the funds in an attempt to stymie the growth of the Kurdish region. Erbil responded by strik-

ing its own energy deals, making Baghdad even more reluctant to hand over the money.

What is more, there remains uncertainty about Iraq’s disputed territories that include the oil-rich and ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, which has historical sig-

nificance for the Kurds. In 2014, ISIS took over vast territory to the north of Iraq including Kirkuk and Mosul. However, after mounting a defence of Erbil, Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, went on the offensive and captured Kirkuk as well as other areas within the

MEN AND WOMEN MUST BE EDUCATED, IN A GREAT DE-GREE, BY THE OPINIONS AND MANNERS OF THE SOCIETY THEY LIVE IN.MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT

QUOTE OF THE DAY


Troop presence prevents

Iran from dominating

the region and ISIS from

resurfacing, but it also

secures goodwill from

its partners on the ground

JACK DUTTON

The European Union lost one of its stars on Friday night as Britain left the

bloc to strike out as a sovereign, independent state.

This spurred the British an-ti-Brexit campaign group Led by Donkeys to laser-display one of the 12 gold stars of the EU flag on the cliffs of the southern coastal town of Dover with a message to keep the symbol safe until Britain one day returns to the continental grouping. On the prospect of this happening, no one can predict the future; the economist John Ken-neth Galbraith once quipped that the only point of forecasting was to make astrology look reliable.

Meanwhile, the government in London is looking to shape the country’s destiny from a much different perspective.

From its viewpoint, the new autonomy enjoyed by the UK will mean securing trade deals that are better suited to the structure of the country’s economy. It will mean faster, more clear-cut pol-icymaking. It will grant more scope for independent, effective diplomacy.

Importantly, the UK will no longer operate under the shadow of encroachment on its national strategic interests. This means the behemoth that is the financial

centre in the City of London will offer its traditional advantages unfettered by excessive regula-tion.

It is tempting to see, as the crit-ics of Brexit do, this decision as a leap into a dark place where the forces of nationalism are stirring. But that would be to disregard the assurances coming from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s govern-ment that a modernisation project is in the works to make the coun-try work better for all its citizens.

So what are the prospects of remoulding Britain as a best-in-class international player?

A key test will be a forthcoming overhaul of the country’s sanc-tions policy. While the transition period of leaving the EU is in place until the end of 2020, this will be a gradualist endeavour. According to a notice issued by the UK treas-ury, British companies and other entities will continue to comply with the EU’s sanctions policies throughout the year. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab used a speech to foreign correspondents in London last week to touch on this point. Lawyers specialising in this area expect human rights-re-lated sanctions to be unilaterally imposed under what is called the “Magnitsky amendment” to Brit-ain’s most recent sanctions act as soon as March.

Compliance with the British

sanctions regime will be distinct from that of the EU, which could affect licences to operate in one place but not in another. But sanc-tions policy is an important is-sue because it will measure how closely aligned Britain is with its European neighbours. Brussels,

Paris and Berlin can hug Britain tight and ensure London has little incentive to drift further away. A more nimble national deci-sion-making process should be faster at imposing sanctions and tweaking its policies for strategic effect. And Europe could end up

following the British lead in many instances.

Last week, Mr Raab was at pains to showcase how the coun-try had remained close to France and Germany with regard to its Iran policy. While the British For-eign Office maintains that keeping

Post-Brexit UK should be more pragmatic in dealing with the world

Boris Johnson’s

government can align

itself with either the US

or the EU – or even go it

alone – based on policy



SIMON WALDMAN

For months, Iraq has been gripped by regular protests calling for the end of foreign

influence in the country. For some, this means Iranian meddling, while others want a withdrawal of US forces.

Such demands gained momen-tum after last month’s assassi-nation of Qassem Suleimani, the Iranian commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Fol-lowing his death, Iraq’s parliament – without the presence of Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers – passed a non-binding resolution calling for the expulsion of US forces. Last week, pro-Iranian groups staged a large-scale rally calling for US troops to leave.

Despite Washington’s insistence that its forces will stay put, one should not discount the possibil-ity of a withdrawal, especially as the US is in an election year. It is conceivable that President Donald Trump could seek to bolster his popularity by withdrawing, citing his pledge to disengage from costly overseas adventures.

However, such a move would be detrimental to US strategic inter-ests in the region and run counter to the wishes of many Iraqis who fear Iranian domination or the resurgence of ISIS.

A US withdrawal would also

amount to a second betrayal by the Trump administration of the Kurds. The first was in October 2019 when, after a telephone con-versation with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mr Trump essentially gave Ankara the green light to invade the Kurdish-held parts of Syria.

There are many Iraqis who fear the consequences of a US with-drawal, not least the Kurds, most of whom – but certainly not all – live within the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which is administered from Erbil by the Kurdistan Region Government.

The US enjoys considerable goodwill among Iraqi Kurds who are still grateful for Washington’s overthrowing of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Together with his Baathist henchmen, Hussein perpetrated a genocide against the Kurds during the 1980s. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were murdered and thousands of villages were de-stroyed.

Today, Iraqi Kurdistan faces many internal challenges, not least corruption and the factional na-ture of Kurdish politics that often undermines democratic institu-tions. However, Iraqi Kurdistan has proved itself to be one of the most productive, dynamic and sta-ble areas of not just Iraq but the broader region as well.

The KRG though remains locked

in a struggle with Baghdad. Ac-cording to the Iraqi constitution, Erbil should receive 17 per cent of the national budget. Howev-er, Baghdad often resists handing over the funds in an attempt to stymie the growth of the Kurdish region. Erbil responded by strik-

ing its own energy deals, making Baghdad even more reluctant to hand over the money.

What is more, there remains uncertainty about Iraq’s disputed territories that include the oil-rich and ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, which has historical sig-

nificance for the Kurds. In 2014, ISIS took over vast territory to the north of Iraq including Kirkuk and Mosul. However, after mounting a defence of Erbil, Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, went on the offensive and captured Kirkuk as well as other areas within the

MEN AND WOMEN MUST BE EDUCATED, IN A GREAT DE-GREE, BY THE OPINIONS AND MANNERS OF THE SOCIETY THEY LIVE IN.MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT

QUOTE OF THE DAY


Troop presence prevents

Iran from dominating

the region and ISIS from

resurfacing, but it also

secures goodwill from

its partners on the ground

JACK DUTTON

The European Union lost one of its stars on Friday night as Britain left the

bloc to strike out as a sovereign, independent state.

This spurred the British an-ti-Brexit campaign group Led by Donkeys to laser-display one of the 12 gold stars of the EU flag on the cliffs of the southern coastal town of Dover with a message to keep the symbol safe until Britain one day returns to the continental grouping. On the prospect of this happening, no one can predict the future; the economist John Ken-neth Galbraith once quipped that the only point of forecasting was to make astrology look reliable.

Meanwhile, the government in London is looking to shape the country’s destiny from a much different perspective.

From its viewpoint, the new autonomy enjoyed by the UK will mean securing trade deals that are better suited to the structure of the country’s economy. It will mean faster, more clear-cut pol-icymaking. It will grant more scope for independent, effective diplomacy.

Importantly, the UK will no longer operate under the shadow of encroachment on its national strategic interests. This means the behemoth that is the financial

centre in the City of London will offer its traditional advantages unfettered by excessive regula-tion.

It is tempting to see, as the crit-ics of Brexit do, this decision as a leap into a dark place where the forces of nationalism are stirring. But that would be to disregard the assurances coming from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s govern-ment that a modernisation project is in the works to make the coun-try work better for all its citizens.

So what are the prospects of remoulding Britain as a best-in-class international player?

A key test will be a forthcoming overhaul of the country’s sanc-tions policy. While the transition period of leaving the EU is in place until the end of 2020, this will be a gradualist endeavour. According to a notice issued by the UK treas-ury, British companies and other entities will continue to comply with the EU’s sanctions policies throughout the year. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab used a speech to foreign correspondents in London last week to touch on this point. Lawyers specialising in this area expect human rights-re-lated sanctions to be unilaterally imposed under what is called the “Magnitsky amendment” to Brit-ain’s most recent sanctions act as soon as March.

Compliance with the British

sanctions regime will be distinct from that of the EU, which could affect licences to operate in one place but not in another. But sanc-tions policy is an important is-sue because it will measure how closely aligned Britain is with its European neighbours. Brussels,

Paris and Berlin can hug Britain tight and ensure London has little incentive to drift further away. A more nimble national deci-sion-making process should be faster at imposing sanctions and tweaking its policies for strategic effect. And Europe could end up

following the British lead in many instances.

Last week, Mr Raab was at pains to showcase how the coun-try had remained close to France and Germany with regard to its Iran policy. While the British For-eign Office maintains that keeping

Post-Brexit UK should be more pragmatic in dealing with the world

Boris Johnson’s

government can align

itself with either the US

or the EU – or even go it

alone – based on policy

The US enjoys considerable goodwill among Iraqi Kurds

who are still grateful for Washington’s overthrowing of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Together with his Baathist henchmen, Hussein perpe-trated a genocide against

the Kurds during the 1980s. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were murdered

and thousands of villages were destroyed.


TOP

4TWEETS

01

Whatever univer-sality people find

in Yoga rests upon the universality of Sanatana Dharma. Veda is our natu-ral universal Dharma and Yoga is its integral prac-tice. If we return to the unity of Veda and Yoga, there will be wisdom, peace and bliss for all.

@davidfrawleyved

03

I assume the Republican senators in the “it was

inappropriate (though he shouldn’t be removed from office)” camp will introduce a resolution censuring the president for his inappropriate con-duct, and warning him, since he’ll still be in office, about doing anything like it again.

@BillKristol

Mini Mike is now negotiating both

to get on the Democrat Primary debate stage, and to have the right to stand on boxes, or a lift, during the debates. This is sometimes done, but really not fair!

@realDonaldTrump

04

02

Pictures of construction workers sleeping on-

site at Huoshenshan Hos-pital. From nothing to be-ing able to receive patients, the makeshift hospital for #coronavirus patients in #Wuhan completed on Sunday within only 10 days! Salute to the hardworking people behind this miracle!

@PDChina

Disclaimer: (Views expressed by columnists are personal and need not necessarily reflect our

editorial stances)

disputed territories.In 2017, the KRG held a ref-

erendum on whether or not to declare independence from Iraq. This was despite opposition from the international community, and most vehemently by Turkey, Iran and Baghdad. In response to

the referendum – which Kurds overwhelmingly voted in favour of independence – Turkey made common cause with Tehran and Baghdad, handing over border controls to Iraqi forces. The KRG soon found itself isolated, with Turkey and Iran ceasing com-mercial flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan and shutting off their airspace. To make matters worse for Erbil, Iraqi forces – backed by pro-Iranian militias – seized control of Kirkuk and other parts of the disputed zones.

A US withdrawal from Iraq would significantly weaken the Kurds’ hands against Baghdad. Not only would the ethnically mixed disputed zones be permanently controlled by pro-Iranian forces,

but Baghdad might also use the opportunity to permanently stop giving the KRG its share of the na-tional budget. Although less likely, it is still conceivable that with the support of Turkey and Iran – both of which view Kurdish autonomy with suspicion – Baghdad might want to assert its dominance over the entire Kurdish region.

When thinking about withdraw-ing forces, Washington should consider that it risks losing the goodwill of the KRG, which offers the US important strategic ben-efits. The KRG co-operates with Washington in matters pertaining to counterterrorism. The Kurds are a willing partner to fight ISIS if the terror group were to resur-face. The US also uses Kurdish bases, and the continued access to them could become increasingly important as they offer the US a potential alternative to those in Turkey whose government seems determined to pivot from its tradi-tional allies in the West.

At least for now, the Trump ad-ministration should resist with-drawing forces from Iraq. Not only do they prevent Iran from dominating the region or ISIS from resurfacing, but there are many Iraqis – Kurds and Arabs alike – who do not want the US to leave just yet, and the importance of their goodwill should not be overlooked.

1929President Herbert Hoover delivers his first State of the Union message to Congress. It was presented in the form of a written message rather than a speech.

1944Greek Civil War: Fighting breaks out in Athens between the ELAS and government forces supported by the British Army.

1959The current flag of Singapore is adopted, six months afterSingapore became self-governing within the British Empire.

1960The musical Camelot debuts at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. It will become associated with the Kennedy administration.

TODAY DAY IN

HISTORY


On Saturday, I had the privilege of participating in a lecture delivered by Professor Jeffrey David Sachs, at the Shaikh Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa

Centre for Culture and Research in Muharraq. Jeffrey D Sachs, as we know is a Professor of Sustainable

Development and Professor of Health Policy and Manage-ment at Columbia University, is Director of Columbia’s Center for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustain-able Development Solutions Network.

A well-known personality among the academia, Pro-fessor Sachs was a keynote speaker at the Bahrain Visions Forum (BVF), a sideline meeting that took place last year on Sep 26, 2019 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The BVF is an annual forum organized by the govern-ment of Bahrain that aims to bring leaders and ministers from around the world to shed light on their plans and visions focusing on cooperation for peace, stability and sustainable development.

During the Saturday gathering, Professor Sachs men-tioned that the modern world has the potential, knowledge and resources to manage sustainable development and address climate change ranging from eliminating poverty to reducing carbon dioxide emission to fair health and educational services to all.

However, these days, he said, people do not seem to have the will power and initiative to deal with them. We failed to use our good mind to curb greediness and extreme exploitation of natural resources. Above all, sustaina-

ble development takes into consideration guaranteeing of enough natural resources for the next generation.

This brings us to His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa’s proposal of promoting conscience, an im-portant psychosocial factor that enables us to use our mind to curb greediness and think for the future generation’s needs. Professor Sachs appreciated the Premier for the proposal, and conscience remains at the centre of promoting sustainable de-velopment and addressing climate change.

Another point raised by Professor Sachs was the use of solar power as an alternative source of green energy. He urged the Gulf countries to exploit this God -given gift of solar energy, where they have the world’s largest solar radiation. Unfortunately, GCC countries seem far behind other countries when it comes into exploiting solar power into use. Bahrain is working hard to exploit

the solar power, yet Professor Sachs said, needs to be ac-celerated to bring results in the near future. Good to know that we are on the right track.

The world is witnessing frequent an oil price decline at different times for different reasons, sometimes geo-political, at other times social factors like the one that is happening in China. The recent corona virus outbreak in China gave a staggering blow to its economy and with the shutting down of dozens of heavy industries; China is importing near zero oil that lowered oil price. In economic terms that means the supply has exceeded the demand. Nobody expects these oil glut to happen which will affect countries that depend on revenues generated from oil to plan their annual budget.

Recently, a huge reserve of oil is discovered off the coast of Bahrain, which is a multimillion dollar project, expected to generate millions of dollars in the coming few years. Unlike previous times, nowadays many countries have discovered oil and some advanced countries like the US are producing and exporting oil, hitherto nonexistent scenario, where it used to import its oil demands from Saudi Arabia.

The net result is that oil is becoming expensive to produce and cheap to sell, not to mention its negative ecological impact. Add to this scenario the introduction of electric cars, leaving petrol far cheaper due to poor demand to run vehicles.

Solar energy on the other hand is relatively cheaper to produce. So does it give sense for Bahrain to give priority to developing solar energy than to the exploration of oil? This is of course a journalistic comment but let us hear what our professionals have to say as to which project be given a priority based on its cost effectiveness and impact on the environment.

YENUS S

The net result is that oil is becoming

expensive to produce and

cheap to sell, not to mention its

negative ecological impact. Add to

this scenario the introduction

of electric cars, leaving petrol far

cheaper due to poor demand to

run vehicles.

the 2015 deal restricting Iran’s nu-clear programme is a must, there has already been some political divergence. Britain has not joined the policy of maximum pressure on Iran. However, Mr Johnson has thrown his weight behind a “Trump deal” with Iran that ad-

dresses the gamut of international concerns over Tehran’s policies.

Key questions are now crowd-ing in on the British government machine.

Mr Raab was also on stage dur-ing the week with the US Secre-tary of State Mike Pompeo. As I watched the two men in close proximity, it was clear that the US and UK still have the rela-tionship where they can finish each others sentences. Howev-er, the content changes between the first speaker and the second. The US has the superpower sway and is capable of maintaining its principles-based lines on Iran’s role as the “biggest state-sponsor of global terror”. So far London chooses to take a more manage-

rial approach. The 2015 deal is the only game in town, according to Mr Raab. As long as the hard-liners hold sway in Tehran, Mr Raab judges that the Trump deal is only a one-sided offer.

Officials have in the meantime announced a raft of negotiations with the UK’s biggest trade part-ners. But the same vivid dilemma will confront the country: does it have the heft to impose its nego-tiating lines?

The UK must be pragmatic in its dealings with the world. Finance, for example, is an area where it can be more cavalier, elsewhere not so much. Aligning with Eu-rope in matters of sanctions and security will be a no-brainer. The US meanwhile could be boosted by importing British fin-tech ex-pertise. As for services, they are so ill-defined within the frame-work of world trade that both a good and a bad deal could be on the table. Manufacturing exports should be tariff-free. Much else is essentially bald men fighting over a comb.

There is much uncertainty to come in the weeks and months after Brexit. Trade talks are likely to hog the headlines and the coun-try’s diplomatic positions are up for grabs. In all this, what is now visible is the US charm offensive. The UK should take advantage of it.

Post-Brexit UK should be more pragmatic in dealing with the worldThe US meanwhile could be boosted by importing

British fin-tech expertise. As for services, they are so ill-defined within the

framework of world trade that both a good and a bad deal could be on the table.

Manufacturing exports should be tariff-free. Much else is essentially bald men

fighting over a comb.

Which resource requires priority?

10

business


BAC, Batelco sign key concession agreementTDT | Manama

Batelco will operate a re-tail outlet at Bahrain International Airport’s

(BIA) new Passenger Terminal Building, offering internation-al visitors a range of products and services to keep them con-nected in the Kingdom, BIA’s operator and managing body Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) announced.

BAC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah signed the five-year concession agreement alongside Batelco’s Enterprise General Manager, Abderrahmane Mounir, in the presence of the Minister of Transportation & Telecommuni-cations and BAC Chairman, Ka-mal Ahmed and Batelco Chair-man Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.

Al Binfalah said: “At BAC, we understand how important it is for international visitors to stay connected to their work and loved ones while away from home. By partnering with Batel-co at the new terminal, we aim to ensure this process is as quick and convenient as possible. We

look forward to working with Batelco and ensuring that visi-

tors enjoy a hassle-free airport experience replete with comfort,

connections, and character.”Upon landing, the first thing

many passengers do is turn on their mobiles phones, which can

result in costly roaming charges. Passengers can avoid such fees by purchasing a local pre-paid SIM card at the Arrivals Area, enabling them to enjoy swift and seamless coverage from the moment they arrive in the King-dom.

Batelco Enterprise Gener-al Manager, Abderrahmane Mounir said: “Batelco is de-lighted to enter into this agree-ment with BAC to deliver our retail services at the new ter-minal and is ready to serve air-port tenants and passengers around the clock, 7 days a week. We look forward to supporting the efforts of BAC in providing high- quality services to up-grade all aspects of the travel experience in the new facility. Additionally, Batelco is proud to provide high-speed Wi-Fi con-nectivity and superior quality services for all visitors to the airport.”

Alongside Batelco, Zain Bah-rain and STC will also operate retail outlets and offer their services at the new terminal, ensuring broader and faster mo-bile coverage for travellers and tenants.

BAC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah signed the five-year concession agreement alongside Batelco’s Enterprise General Manager, Abderrahmane Mounir, in the presence of the Minister of Transportation & Telecommunications and BAC Chairman, Kamal Ahmed and Batelco Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.

Dr Maha Al Kawari yesterday inaugurated the new services of Al Amal hospital on behalf of Dr Mariam Al-Jalahma the CEO of NHRA and her team members in the presence of members of the Parliament, Dr Anwar Yusuf Abdulla Alabdulla, the Bahraini Ambassador to China and other dignitaries. Al Amal hospital started 13 years ago under the directorship of Dr Mohammed Ali, M.K.Sivadasan and Nirmala Sivadasan

France targets UK fish exports as bargaining chip for talks

• British PM has said that “taking back control” of fishing was one of the prizes of ending EU membership

AFP | Paris

France reminded Britain yesterday that the UK ex-

ports most of its fish produc-tion to European Union coun-tries, highlighting a potential bargaining chip in coming post-Brexit talks about fishing rights that promise to be thorny.

“This discussion will be pret-ty balanced because while it is true that we need access to British waters, the British need access to the European market,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le

Drian told French media.Britain, a major fish produc-

er, has “extremely fish-rich wa-ters in which many Europeans fish, starting with French peo-ple from Brittany, Normandy and the northern region”, he said.

“It so happens that the Unit-ed Kingdom exports 75 percent of its fishing production to the European Union,” he said.

Britain leaves the Common Fisheries Policy, which gives all EU fleets equal access to EU fishing grounds, after a post-Brexit transition period ends on December 31.

Both sides will try to agree on a trade deal by that date that would include fishing rights, a high-stakes area for France in particular.

Le Drian also warned that Britain could not access the

EU’s common market in future unless it respected anti-dump-ing rules.

“If the United Kingdom wants to establish a kind of Singapore-on-Thames outside the European Union we won’t agree because if you want ac-cess to our internal market, you need to respect our rules,” he said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that “taking back control” of fishing was one of the prizes of ending Britain’s 47-year EU membership.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, whose country also has a strong interest in secur-ing a good deal on fishing, this week told Britain: “You may have to make concessions in areas like fishing in order to get concessions from us in areas like financial services”.

Talks about fishing rights are unlikely to be smooth sailing

Australian minister resigns over funding scandalSydney

Australia’s agriculture min-ister has been forced to

resign after she was found to have steered public money to sports clubs in seats the con-servative government was tar-geting ahead of an election.

Prime Minister Scott Morri-son said Bridget McKenzie -- a former sports minister -- had resigned for failing to reveal she was a member of one of the shooting clubs that received taxpayer cash.

Morrison, who is already facing heavy criticism for his handling of Australia’s months-long bushfire crisis, insisted he had dealt with the week-long grants scandal in a “stable, calm and careful” manner.

McKenzie had reportedly ignored recommendations from Sports Australia about who should get the money, instead funnelling it to are-as that would help the ruling

coalition.The issue was politically

fraught for Morrison, with McKenzie also acting as the deputy leader of his vital co-alition partner, the Nationals.

Morrison claimed she “ob-viously did not stand to realise any pecuniary or any direct personal benefit”.

Some of the projects in-cluded thousands of dollars to build female changing rooms at a rugby club that did not have any female players, in the marginal seat of Sturt.

Australian Agriculture Minister senator Bridget McKenzie, pictured at an oath-taking ceremony om 2019, has been forced to resign

Kosovo parties reach deal to form a governmentPristina

Kosovo’s two biggest par-ties reached a deal on

Sunday to form a new gov-ernment four months after a snap election, avoiding a potential political crisis, one of their leaders said.

The left-wing Veteven-dosje (Self-Determination) and centre-right Democrat-ic League of Kosovo (LDK) won most of the seats in the October election.

“Now we have agree-ments. We will govern to-gether,” Vetevendosje head and prime minister-desig-nate Albin Kurti posted on Facebook.

The snap election was called after Ramush Ha-radinaj resigned as prime minister in July as he was summoned to be questioned at a war crimes court in The Hague.

In October, Vetevendos-je and LDK won 29 and 28 seats respectively in the 120-member assembly.

They inflicted a historic defeat on the PDK party, led by ex-guerrilla commanders who have dominated Koso-vo since it declared inde-pendence.

But the election was fol-lowed by months of bargain-ing between the two camps over government posts rath-er than ideological differ-ences.

The deal is to be formal-ly approved later Sunday by the two parties deci-sion-making bodies, which is an almost certain out-come.

Parliament is to vote on Kurti’s cabinet on Monday.


A US dairy farmer works to cut backAncramdale | United States

Jim Davenport’s alarm clock rings at 2:45 am every morn-

ing. That’s when he climbs out of bed for the day’s first milking of his 64 cows.

It’s not the long hours that scares this longtime dairy farm-er, it’s the string of lean years that has him weighing whether to just pack it in.

If things aren’t any better at the end this year than they were last year, Davenport promised himself “it’s time to consider.”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever said that, but that was my New Year’s resolution,” he says, standing in his barn in Ancramdale, a hamlet about two hours north of New York City.

On a windy and glacially cold January day, his milk cows -- Holsteins and Ayrshires -- stay inside the barn. They calmly chew their constantly replen-ished feed or lounge next to the 20 cats who keep the rodent population under control.

Heavily bundled up and sport-ing a green baseball cap branded with the logo of his dairy coop-erative, Davenport walks from one animal to another, calling them by name and occasional-ly mentioning their birthdays. The mustachioed farmer with cheerful eyes will tend later to his calves and heifers, housed in outdoor sheds.

At almost 60 years old, Daven-port could see himself working another 20 years -- he loves his work and the idea of feeding people.

“But I’d like to at least make some money doing it, or at least come out of it debt free,” he says.

He rents his farm, where he lives with his wife -- a retired teacher -- and where they raised

their two daughters.

‘Last man standing’After an exceptional year in

2014, the price of milk plummet-ed, not really picking up again until the end of 2019.

The main problem, according to Davenport, is that Americans are “very efficient at making milk.”

Between genetic and nutri-tional advancements, cows pro-duce twice as much milk as they did in 1980. The consumption of dairy products has gradually increased every year, but over-production is a chronic issue.

The costs of food production -- in fuel, in labor -- do not stop increasing. Davenport is par-ticularly worried about a new state law that requires him to pay workers overtime if they

work m o r e t h a n 6 0 hours a week.

At the end of the day, “it ’s the last man standing,” said Davenport, without bitterness. The larg-er farms have more chance of success, while the smaller ones will suffer.

The reasons may vary -- in too much debt, or at retirement age with no successor, or because the land is worth more than it can yield as a farm -- many farm-ers have thrown in the towel.

The number of dairy farms in the US dropped 20 percent over five years, ending up at 37,468 at

t h e end of

2018.“ I n m y

town here in 1987, there were 27

producing dairy farms,” Daven-port said. “Now there are three.”

The small rebound in milk prices at the end of 2019 has allowed for a little hope, but the situation is still tenuous.

Quality premiumIf Davenport makes it through,

it will be due to the quality of his milk, for which he has won numerous awards.

Everything comes down to cleanliness, he said. In the sta-

ble, the cow dung is regular-ly removed with a scraper. At milking time, the cows’ teats are carefully disinfected and then cleaned before they are hooked up to the milking machines.

The farmer receives a quality premium from Agri-Mark, the company to which he sells most of his products.

He also sells milk, yogurts and cream -- at a slightly elevated price -- under the brand name Hudson Valley Fresh, which he started with 10 other farmers in the region, to high-end stores in New York or to coffee shops that want to know their suppliers.

Involved in local life, Daven-port admits that he is not the best manager. But the goal, he said is to be “financially suc-cessful enough to cut back on the hours.”

“I originally said I’d like to be down to 60 hours a week when I was 60. That’s not going to happen,” he said.

“So now I’m shooting for down to 70 hours a week by the time I’m 70.”

The number of dairy farms in the US, such as Jim Davenport’s which is seen here, has dropped 20

percent over five years

After a string of lean years, Jim Davenport, seen at his farm in Ancramdale, New York, is weighing whether to just pack it in

It’s not the long hours that scares this longtime dairy farmer, it’s the string of lean years that has him weighing whether to just pack it in.

Brexit’s new chapter: the ‘impossible’ trade dealAFP | Brussels

Britain has left the Euro-pean Union after 47 years of membership and on

Monday chief negotiator Michel Barnier will lay out the EU’s strategy for the next phase: ne-gotiations to hammer out a new future with the UK.

Prime Minister Boris John-son is expected to also swiftly reveal Britain’s game plan for talks where both sides will “have to rebuild everything”, in the words of Barnier.

Here are the main battle lines for the coming weeks:

No extensionThroughout his campaign,

Johnson said he would seal a trade deal by December 31, the deadline set by the EU-UK di-vorce agreement.

London could request an ex-tension of one or two more years, but it would have to do so by July 1. Johnson insists he will not.

That leaves only eight months, from late February to October, to reach an agreement and al-low time for ratification, which could require the approval of roughly 30 national and regional parliaments, depending on the final scope of the deal.

“It ’s an impossible task,” warned one European diplomat.

“By the end of the year, we could get the skeleton of a trade agreement plus something on internal and foreign security,

but there is no guarantee,” the diplomat added.

Negotiations cannot official-ly begin before EU ministers approve Barnier’s mandate on February 25.

‘Negotiation tables’Months of intense discussions,

to alternate between London and Brussels, will be coordinat-

ed by Barnier and his UK coun-terpart, probably David Frost.

The tight deadline allows “about 40 days of pure negoti-ation” in eight to ten-week ses-sions, an official warned.

This is a far cry from the years devoted to trade deals with Can-ada, Japan or South Korea.

Barnier said negotiators would open about ten “negoti-

ating tables” in parallel.“We will give each subject two

or three weeks and see what is possible. If the divisions are too great, we drop it and move on,” a diplomat said.

An EU-UK summit is planned for June to gauge where talks stand.

New ‘no deal’Johnson has scrapped his pre-

decessor’s goal of close ties with Europe that would minimise disruption to the cross-Channel economy.

Pushed by big business, The-resa May’s government had pro-posed a “dynamic alignment”, where London would find a way to match EU rules on the en-vironment, state aid and other standards to guarantee UK com-panies easy access to Europe.

Instead, Johnson wants to pursue a far more minimal trade deal, sometimes called a hard Brexit, that will seek zero tar-iffs and quotas on goods, but make no binding commitment on maintaining standards.

“The prime minister has been clear that he wants a Cana-da-style free trade agreement with no alignment,” a UK official told AFP.

This refers to the EU’s trade deal with Canada that Europe-ans consider too narrow for an important neighbour like Brit-ain.

Given London’s stance, Barni-er said that some items will be

a priority “otherwise we will create a fracture”.

He wants handshakes on fish-eries, internal and external secu-rity and above all trade in goods.

If there is no deal by Decem-ber 31, when the unextended transition closes, ties would de-volve at a stroke into the most rudimentary relationship, with high tariffs, grave disruptions and major aftershocks to Brit-ain’s and Europe’s economy.

Threat to unityMany in Brussels fear that

Johnson’s low-bar strategy could split the Europeans.

“It will be difficult to main-tain European unity,” said an EU diplomat with eastern European countries attaching greater im-portance to auto construction and others pushing financial services.

In any case, a trade deal on goods only means no alignment on EU standards, which means custom checks, paperwork and all sorts of new limits to com-merce and that will most affect Britain’s closest neighbours such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Those countries are also un-der pressure to keep access to British waters for local fisher-men; Britain and the EU have pledged to agree that touchy issue by July 1.

‘Zero-dumping’Referred to as keeping a level

playing field, the EU wants to en-sure that British companies gain no unfair advantage after Brexit.

When British goods and ser-vices come knocking on Europe’s door, Brussels will insist that UK goods are subject to checks like those from any other non-EU country.

“It won’t be the same as the relationship we have had for several decades. You cannot be both in and out,” warned French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

Diplomats warn there are no airtight ways to enforce fair exchange in a simple trade deal.

The EU 27 have begun to draw up an elaborate arbitration pro-cess that could mean fines or the suspension of the eventual EU-UK accord if either side fell out of line.

Big deal?One question nagging Europe-

ans, notably France, is the future structure of the EU’s relationship with Britain.

Will it be something formal, with clearly set joint institu-tions, or a looser arrangement structured by separate deals on trade, security and other topics as necessary?

Many European capitals abhor the latter, spooked by the EU’s confused ties with Switzerland, which are governed by over 100 deals that cause never-ending squabbles.

Get ready for months of intense discussions between London and Brussels


Gulf tracks global declines on economic fears over China virus• All Saudi Arabian banks tumble

• Aramco hits its lowest since IPO

• Alinma drops on poor FY earnings

• Telecom Egypt climbs to five-month high

Reuters

Most Middle Eastern bourses were pres-sured yesterday, mir-

roring Friday’s slide in glob-al shares and oil prices due to growing concern about the eco-nomic impact of a new coro-navirus outbreak, while Saudi Arabia was hit by slew of poor corporate earnings.

China ramped up measures to contain the epidemic and shore up an economy hit by travel curbs and business shut-downs on Sunday as the first death from the illness was reported outside the country.

Some 304 people have died in China, the country’s Nation-al Health Commission said on Sunday, with the number of in-fections jumping to 14,380 as of Saturday.

Saudi Arabia’s index declined 1.3 per cent, dragged lower by banking share losses. Al Rajhi Bank fell 1.1pc, while Alinma

Bank retreated 3.7pc following an 11.3pc decline in its annual net profit.

Saudi Arabian Mining de-creased 3.3pc. On Thursday, the miner posted an annual net loss of 739.5 million riyals ($197.14m) from year-ago profit of 1.85 bil-lion riyals.

State-owned Saudi Aram-co dipped 0.6pc to 33.95 riyals ($9.05), hitting its lowest point since it began trading on Dec. 11.

The Dubai index ended 0.9pc down led by a 1.5pc fall in Emir-ates NBD Bank and a 0.9pc drop in Dubai Islamic Bank.

In Abu Dhabi, the index lost 0.8pc. First Abu Dhabi Bank, the

country’s largest lender, eased 1pc, while telecoms firm Etisalat was down 0.7pc.

The Qatari index was also

down 0.8pc with Qatar Fuel and Qatar Islamic Bank shedding 4.2pc and 1.4pc.

Outside the Gulf, Egypt’s blue-chip index slipped 0.2pc, with El Sewedy Electric and Juhayna Food losing 2.8pc and 4.6pc, respectively.

The index saw some support from Telecom Egypt, which soared 10pc, reaching its high-est since August.

The stock was up for a third session, helped by Vodafone Group’s deal to sell its 55pc stake in Vodafone Egypt.

Last week, the firm said it had no intention of selling its 45pc stake in Vodafone Egypt.

Closing Bell SAUDI 1.1pc to 8,158 pts

ABU DHABI 0.8pc to 5,116 pts

DUBAI 0.9pc to 2,766 pts

QATAR 0.8pc at 10,362 pts

EGYPT 0.2pc to 13,889 pts

BAHRAIN 0.1pc to 1,660 pts

OMAN 0.3pc to 4,093 pts

KUWAIT 0.5pc at 7,002 pts

Traders on the floor of Saudi Stock exchange

China to inject $174 billion of liquidity as markets reopen

Reuters | Shanghai

China’s central bank said it will inject 1.2 trillion

yuan ($174 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations today as its stock markets prepare to reopen amid an outbreak of a new coronavirus.

Chinese authorities have pledged to use various mon-etary policy tools to ensure liquidity remains reasonably ample and to support firms affected by the virus epidemic, which has so far claimed 305 lives, all but one in China.

The People’s Bank of China made the announcement in a statement yesterday, adding the total liquidity in the bank-ing system will be 900 billion yuan higher than the same pe-riod in 2019 after the injection.

According to Reuters calcu-lations based on official central bank data, 1.05 trillion yuan worth of reverse repos are set to mature on Monday, mean-ing that 150 billion yuan in net cash will be injected.

Investors are bracing for a volatile session in Chinese markets when onshore trades resume on Monday after a break for the Lunar New Year which was extended by the government.

China’s stock, currency and bond markets have all been closed since Jan. 23 and had been due to re-open last Fri-day.

There will be no further de-lays to the reopening, the se-curities market regulator said in an interview in the People’s Daily newspaper on Sunday.

The China Securities Regu-latory Commission (CSRC) said it had taken the decision after balancing various factors, and believed the outbreak’s impact on the market would be short term.

To support firms affected by the epidemic, the CSRC said companies that had expiring

stock pledge agreements could apply for extensions with se-curities firms, and it would urge corporate bond investors to extend the maturity dates of debt.

The CSRC is also consider-ing launching hedging tools for the A-share market to help alleviate market panic and will suspend evening sessions of futures trading starting from Monday, it said.

“We believe that the succes-sive introduction and imple-mentation of policy measures will play a better role in im-proving market expectations and preventing irrational be-haviour,” it told the People’s Daily.

China is facing mounting isolation as other countries introduce travel curbs, airlines suspend flights and govern-ments evacuate their citizens, risking worsening a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.

State news agency Xinhua said yesterday that China’s economy was resilient enough to counter the shock caused by the virus, and said remarks made by a US federal official - whom it did not name - that the virus could bring jobs back to the United States were “self-centered, unprofessional and unethical”.

US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said last week that the virus could force compa-nies to re-evaluate their sup-ply chains, potentially return-ing some jobs to the United States.

“The remarks only served to taint the U.S. image as a major global player,” Xinhua said in the commentary.

“An outbreak of a disease like this could not be the basis for multinational companies to make serious and long-term investment decisions in Chi-na...If the Chinese economy slows drastically, the U.S. econ-omy will also suffer.”

U.S. Dollar and China Yuan notes are seen in this picture illustration

OPEC+ technical panel to meet Feb 4-5 to discuss coronavirus impactReuters

OPEC and non-OPEC’s Joint Technical Committee

(JTC) has scheduled a meeting over Feb. 4-5 in Vienna to as-sess the impact of China’s new coronavirus on oil demand, OPEC+ sources said.

The technical panel is likely to make a recommendation on

whether to extend current oil supply curbs beyond March or to implement deeper output cuts, the sources said.

OPEC officials are consider-ing their options on how best to deal with the potential im-pact from the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 300 people and caused oil prices to slide.

Uber suspends 240 users accounts over possible virus contactMexico City

Uber has suspended the accounts of 240 users in

Mexico who may have been in contact with drivers that ferried a person suspected of having the deadly coronavirus.

More than 300 people have died from the novel corona-virus in mainland China and although more than 100 people have been infected outside the country, Mexico has not re-ported a confirmed case.

The ride-hailing app said Mexico City health authori-ties requested information in January on a possible carrier of coronavirus, with Uber finding two drivers who transport-ed the suspected individual before driving a further 240 people.

“We have proceeded to send information to these two driv-ers and the 240 users regard-ing the temporary deactivation of their accounts,” the compa-ny said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Mexico’s Ministry of Health said it continues to monitor people who may have had con-tact with the possible coro-navirus carrier -- identified

as a tourist of Chinese origin -- who subsequently left the country.

“Of the contacts identified so far, none have developed symptoms of the disease more than 10 days after exposure, which exceeds the average in-cubation time,” the authorities said in a report.

Also on Saturday, Mexico said it had evacuated 10 peo-ple from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.

Facebook’s settlement puts spotlight on ‘biometric privacy’Washington

Facebook’s massive settle-ment in a class action case

over violating a state law on how it uses facial recognition is being hailed as a watershed moment for “biometric pri-vacy.”

The leading social network said Wednesday it agreed to the $550 million payout after failing to win dismissal of the case alleging it illegally col-lected biometric information for “face tagging” in violation of a 2008 Illinois privacy law.

The settlement could have wide-ranging implications for Facebook and other tech firms using facial recognition technology, and highlights the potential for state laws to force changes in privacy practices.

Plaintiff attorney Jay Edel-son said the case helps estab-lish the principle of biometric privacy, or the right of users of tech services and products to control access to their data used for facial recognition.

“Biometrics is one of the two primary battlegrounds, along with geolocation, that will de-fine our privacy rights for the next generation,” Edelson said in a statement.

“We hope and expect that other companies will follow Facebook’s lead and pay sig-nificant attention to the im-

portance of our biometric in-formation.”

Attorney Nathan Wessler of the American Civil Liber-ties Union, which backed the plaintiffs’ legal arguments, said the settlement could mark a turning point for consumers and biometrics.

“Companies are going to have to take this seriously,” Wessler said.

“Hopefully a settlement of this size will be a deterrent.”

The deal is one of the larg-est settlements in a US priva-cy case, topped only by Face-book’s $5 billion deal with the Federal Trade Commission on its data practices. Both are awaiting court approval.

Facial recognition may be used in law enforcement and border security, as well for unlocking devices and for identifying or “tagging” people on social networks like Facebook

THE GENTLEMEN (15+)(CRIME/ACTION) OASIS JUFFAIR: 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PMOASIS JUFFAIR (VIP): 12.30 + 5.45 + 11.00 PMCITY CENTRE: 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 + 12.00 MN + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI)CITY CENTRE (VIP I) : 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PMSEEF (I): 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PMSEEF (II): (12.30 MN THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL: 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PM

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, CHARLIE HUNNAM, HENRY GOLDING

THE TURNING (15+)(HORROR/THRILLER)OASIS JUFFAIR: 1.45 + 6.45 + 11.45 PMCITY CENTRE:10.30 AM + 12.45 + 3.00 + 5.15 + 7.30 + 9.45 + 12.00 MN + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI)SEEF (II):11.30 AM + 1.45 + 4.00 + 6.15 + 8.30 + 10.45 PM + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL:10.30 AM + 3.00 + 7.30 + 12.00 MN

MACKENZIE DAVIS, FINN WOLFHARD, BROOKLYNN PRINCE

JUST MERCY (PG-13)(DRAMA)CITY CENTRE: 11.30 AM +2.30 + 5.30 + 8.30 + 11.30 PMSEEF (II): 12.15 + 5.45 + 11.15 PMWADI AL SAIL: 2.30 + 8.00 PM

BRIE LARSON, MICHAEL B. JORDAN, JAMIE FOXX

THE LAST FULL MEASURE (PG-15)(DRAMA/WAR) CITY CENTRE: 12.30 + 3.00 + 5.30 + 8.00 + 10.30 PMSEEF (II): 3.15 + 8.45 PMWADI AL SAIL:12.00 + 5.30 + 11.00 PM

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, SEBASTIAN STAN

PANGA (PG-13)(HINDI/ROMANTIC/DRAMA/SPORT) From Thursday 23rd 7.00 PM onwardsOASIS JUFFAIR: 12.00 + 2.45 + 5.30 + 8.15 + 11.00 PMCITY CENTRE: 11.45 AM + 2.45 + 5.45 + 8.45 + 11.45 PMSEEF (II): 12.15 + 3.00 + 5.45 + 8.30 + 11.15 PMWADI AL SAIL: 12.00 + 5.45 + 11.30 PM

KANGANA RANAUT, JASSIE GILL, RICHA CHADHA

STREET DANCER 3 (PG-15)(HINDI/DANCE/MUSIC/COMEDY) OASIS JUFFAIR:11.00 AM + 2.00 + 5.00 + 8.00 + 11.00 PMCITY CENTRE:11.15 AM + 2.15 + 5.15 + 8.15 + 11.15 PMSEEF (II): 11.30 AM + 2.30 + 5.30 + 8.30 + 11.30 PMWADI AL SAIL: 2.45 + 8.30 PM

VARUN DHAWAN, SHRADDHA KAPOOR, RAGHAV JUYAL

TOY GUARDIANS (G)(ANIMATION/ACTION/ADVENTURE) CITY CENTRE: 11.00 AM + 1.00 + 3.00 + 5.00 PMSEEF (II): 10.30 AM + 12.30 + 2.30 + 4.30 PM

MITCH SANDRINGHAM,JULIA NOBLES,CATIA NATHANSON

AL NIHAYA (PG)(KUWAITI/ACTION/COMEDY) SEEF (II): 6.30 + 8.30 + 10.30 PM

EBRAHIM AL-SHEAKHLI, MESHAAL ALFARHAN, MOHAMMED ALHMLY

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (PG-15)(ACTION/COMEDY/CRIME)OASIS JUFFAIR: 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PMOASIS JUFFAIR (VIP): 3.00 + 8.15 PMCITY CENTRE (IMAX 2D): 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PMCITY CENTRE: 11.15 AM + 2.00 + 4.45 + 7.30 + 10.15 PM + (1.00 AM THURS/FRI) CITY CENTRE (ATMOS): 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 + 12.00 MN CITY CENTRE (VIP II) : 12.00 + 2.45 + 5.30 + 8.15 + 11.00 PMSEEF (II): 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.45 + 6.30 + 9.15 + 12.00 MN + (12.30 MN THURS/FRI)WADI AL SAIL: 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 PM

WILL SMITH, MARTIN LAWRENCE, VANESSA HUDGENS

DOLITTLE (PG)(ADVENTURE/COMEDY/FAMILY) OASIS JUFFAIR (KIDS CINEMA): 10.45 AM + 1.00 + 5.30 + 7.45 + 10.00 PMCITY CENTRE (IMAX 2D) :11.00 AM + 1.00 PMCITY CENTRE: 12.00 + 2.15 + 4.30 + 6.45 + 9.00 + 11.15 PMSEEF (II): 11.45 AM + 2.00 + 4.15 + 6.30 + 8.45 + 11.00 PMWADI AL SAIL: 12.45 + 5.15 + 9.45 PM

ROBERT DOWNEY JR., ANTONIO BANDERAS, MICHAEL SHEEN

1917 (PG-15)(WAR/ACTION/DRAMA) 1917 CITY CENTRE:11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PMSEEF (II): 10.30 AM + 1.00 + 3.30 + 6.00 + 8.30 + 11.00 PM

GEORGE MACKAY, DEAN-CHARLES CHAPMAN, MARK STRONG

JUMANJI THE NEXT LEVEL (PG-15)CITY CENTRE: 12.45 + 3.30 + 6.15 + 9.00 + 11.45 PM + (12.45 MN THURS/FRI)SEEF (II): 12.30 + 3.15 + 6.00 + 8.45 + 11.30 PM

DWAYNE JOHNSON, JACK BLACK, KEVIN HART

AL FELOUS (THE MONEY) (PG-15)CITY CENTRE: 11.15 AM + 1.45 + 4.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PMSEEF (I):10.45 AM + 1.15 + 3.45 + 6.15 + 8.45 + 11.15 PM

TAMER HOSNY, ZEINA, KHALID EL-SAWI

FROZEN 2 (PG)(ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY) CITY CENTRE: 11.30 AM + 1.45 + 4.00 + 6.15 + 8.30 + 10.45 PMSEEF (II): 11.00 AM + 3.30 + 8.00 PM

KRISTEN BELL, IDINA MENZEL, JOSH GAD

SPIES IN DISGUISE (PG)OASIS JUFFAIR (KIDS CINEMA):3.15 PMCITY CENTRE: 11.15 AM + 1.30 + 3.45 + 6.00 + 8.15 + 10.30 PMSEEF (II): 1.15 + 5.45 + 10.15 PM

WILL SMITH, TOM HOLLAND, KAREN GILLAN

UNDERWATER (PG-15)CITY CENTRE:7.00 + 9.15 + 11.30 PM

KRISTEN STEWART, T.J. MILLER, JESSICA HENWICK

MASAMEER: THE MOVIE (PG)(ANIMATION/COMEDY) CITY CENTRE: 10.45 AM + 3.45 + 8.45 PM

ABDULAZIZ AL-MUZAINI, ABDULAZIZ AL-SHEHRI, MAZROA AL-MAZROA

MALEFICENT 2: MISTRESS OF EVIL CITY CENTRE: 1.15 + 6.15 + 11.15 PM

ANGELINA JOLIE, TERESA MAHONEY, MICHELLE PFEIFFER

CHHAPAAK (PG-15)(HINDI/DRAMA) SEEF (I): 10.45 AM + 1.15 + 6.45 + 9.15 + 11.45 PM

DEEPIKA PADUKONE, VIKRANT MASSEY, MADHURJEET SARGHI

TANHAJI:THE UNSUNG WARRIOR OASIS JUFFAIR : 11.00 AM + 4.00 + 9.00 PMSEEF (I): 3.00 + 8.30 PM

AJAY DEVGN, SAIF ALI KHAN, KAJOL

BIG BROTHER (PG-15)(MALAYALAM) OASIS JUFFAIR:10.45 AM + 4.45 + 10.45 PM

MOHANLAL, ARBAAZ KHAN, ANOOP MENON, SARJANO KHALID, HONEY ROSE, SIDDIQUE

ALA VAIKUNTHAPURRAMLOO (PG-15)(TELUGU) OASIS JUFFAIR: 1.45 + 7.45 PMSEEF (I):12.00 + 5.30 + 11.00 PM

ALLU ARAVIND,S. RADHA KRISHNA, ALLU ARJUN, POOJA HEGDE, TABU, NIVETHA PETHURAJ

DISCO RAJA ()(TELUGU) From Friday 24th SEEF (I): 3.45 PM

RAVI TEJA, PAYAL RAJPUT, SATYA

ANJAAM PATHIRA (PG-15 )(MALAYALAM) OASIS JUFFAIR:12.00 + 2.45 + 5.30 + 8.15 + 11.00 PMSEEF (I) : 12.15 + 3.00 + 5.45 + 8.30 + 11.15 PMWADI AL SAIL: 3.15 + 8.30 PMAL HAMRA : 12.00 + 6.00 + (12.00 MN THURS/FRI)

KUNCHACKO BOBAN, SHARAFUDHEEN, INDRANS

SHYLOCK (PG-15)(MALAYALAM)OASIS JUFFAIR: 11.00 AM + 1.30 + 4.00 + 6.30 + 9.00 + 11.30 PMSEEF (I): 11.30 AM + 2.00 + 4.30 + 7.00 + 9.30 + 12.00 MNWADI AL SAIL: 12.45 + 6.00 + 11.15 PMAL HAMRA : 3.00 + 9.00 PM

MAMMOOTTY,MEENA,SIDDQUE,RAJKIRANA

13 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 202014 TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

C R O S S W O R DAcross1- Exclamation to express sorrow; 5- Bear up there; 9- Western Native Americans; 13- “Goldberg Variations” composer; 14- Freedom from war; 16- Swabbies; 17- Reflected sound; 18- Appropriate; 19- Split; 20- Antlered animal; 21- Single unit; 22- Brings out; 24- Furniture wood; 26- Faucet problem; 27- Like some bears and icecaps; 29- Unselfish; 33- Lustful deity; 34- “David Copperfield” wife; 35- Neighbor of Sask.; 36- Singer Garfunkel; 37- Experiment; 38- Skid row woe; 39- Will of “The Waltons”; 41- ___ She Sweet; 42- Weeps; 44- Incoming; 46- Less outgoing; 47- Tyler’s successor; 48- Pass the breaking point; 49- Ring combo; 52- Loss leader?; 53- Portfolio; 57- Actress Moore; 58- Summarize; 60- Minerals; 61- “Ars Amatoria” poet; 62- Brazilian ballroom dance; 63- Tears; 64- Network of nerves; 65- Exam used to measure aptitude or intelligence; 66- Go out with;Down1- In the sack; 2- Ornamental fabric; 3- Dull pain, often in the head or back; 4- Soon; 5- Turmoil; 6- Freshen, as a stamp pad; 7- Saltimbocca seasoning; 8- Essen exclamation; 9- As above; 10- Baby powder; 11- HOMES part; 12- Fast fliers; 15- Endless; 23- Decease; 25- Musical ability; 26- Clear of vermin; 27- Kitchen gadget; 28- Sleek swimmer; 29- Departing; 30- Blast from the past; 31- Say; 32- Cheek; 33- Narrative of heroic exploits; 34- Imbibe; 37- Suit makers; 40- Swimmer’s fear; 42- Chinese tea; 43- It opens your parachute; 45- Pledge; 46- Be short with; 48- Runs through; 49- Scent; 50- Campbell of “Scream”; 51- Send forth; 52- Pinnacle; 54- La Scala solo; 55- Equinox mo.; 56- “___ quam videri” (North Carolina’s motto); 59- Absorb, as a cost;

Yesterday’s solution

How to playPlace a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Yesterday’s solution

S U D O K UAcross1- Woodstock singer Joan; 5- Gymnast Korbut; 9- Trading center; 13- Put ___ to (halt); 15- Get as a result; 16- To ___ (perfectly); 17- Pandemonium; 18- Clanton foe; 19- Hwys.; 20- Riled (up); 21- Quick sharp bark; 23- Edible root; 25- Plays are divided up into these; 26- Observe; 27- Excavating machine; 30- Absorb, as a cost; 31- Jibe; 32- Edible snail; 37- Winder for holding flexible material; 38- Disgusting dirt; 40- Enormous; 41- Pursuit of high principles; 43- Gal’s guy; 44- Fashion designer’s monogram; 45- Member of a touring company; 47- Few and far between; 50- Chamber; 51- Surroundings; 52- Big East team; 53- Medicinal amt.; 56- Summer coolers; 57- Classic autos; 59- Group character; 61- Authenticating mark; 62- Formerly, formerly; 63- Sketches; 64- Gorge; 65- Dagger of yore; 66- ___ She Sweet;

Down 1- German composer; 2- Tennis great Arthur; 3- Coup d’___; 4- Animal park; 5- Ultimatum words; 6- Jump; 7- Needlefish; 8- To come nearer to; 9- ___ Gras; 10- Room at the top; 11- Actress Witherspoon; 12- New Ager John; 14- Human mind; 22- DDE’s command; 24- Kofi ___ Annan; 25- Pack leader; 26- Resting place; 27- Adriatic port; 28- Got older; 29- Manitoba Indigenous People; 32- Spreading tree; 33- Head cold; 34- Big swallow; 35- Eyeball; 36- Eye drop; 38- Cracks; 39- Land in water; 42- Harp relative; 43- Having feet; 45- Sad; 46- Decay; 47- Cassette half; 48- Fold; 49- Grocery lane; 51- Aggregate; 52- Prepare to be shot; 53- Pad ___; 54- Planted; 55- Hey, over here!; 58- Directional ending; 60- ___-la-la;

Jawani Jaaneman: Saif steals the show in this quirky comedy

Jawani Janeman narrates the story of Jaz who wants to live a carefree, colorful

life surrounded by women; who does not any woman to hold him back and enjoy his life as a wom-anizer who likes to party hard. But, according to nature’s ulti-mate rule - All good things must come to an end! And Jaz falls in conflict with his ideas of life as he is informed of being a father.

The film kicks in with Saif Ali Khan entering a pub that obvi-ously seems the right place for a middle-aged man who pretends

to be young. With all the vibrant light flooding your vision it Saif rocking entry is boosted with the background score of Jeene Mera Dil Liya… Which clearly hints at Jaz trying to hit on a woman.

While you are taken aback by one more remake of the song (Which is literally a disappoint-ment) the protagonist is already introduced as a womanizer and don’t expect him to show any re-gards for women. But, make sure you don’t judge this happy soul, he might be a hard shell from the outside, but on the inside - he is

just another cat who is ready to be hugged.

The execution of this film is quite unique as the lead charac-ters are instantly exposed and there on Nitin Kakkar plans on playing with the script to film the everyday humor which will definitely bring a parade of claps and keeps you rolling in the aisles.

Jaz is an evolved version of Sameer from Dil Chahta Hai and if you love to see Saif in the 2001 Comedy-drama flick; make sure you watch this film.

Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Alaya F starrer Jawaani Jaaneman seems poised

to score well with the old-in-the-tooth as well

as the young at heart city slickers

M O V I E R E V I E W

DON’T MISS IT

14 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020

22nd February, 2020

Please Call / WhatsApp: +973 38862215, 33784481, 33911860

John Mayer, Lucy Hale could have been a couple

Los Angeles

‘Pretty Little Liars’ star Lucy Hale says she once tried to match with singer John

Mayer on a dating app.She revealed this in an interview with

Cosmopolitan, reports people.com.“I pressed yes for him, but I don’t think he pressed yes for me,” Hale admitted,

adding that she wasn’t worried about his past dating reputation. “I’m so

drawn to musical talent, I don’t care.”

Mayer has had several high profile romantic relation-ships with stars like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Hale has been previously linked to actors Chris Zylka, Graham Rogers, musician

Anthony Kalabretta and her “Life Sentence” co-star Riley

Smith.She shared that she is

happy being single.“When I was younger, I was c o n s t a n t l y wanting to be with or date someone be-

cause I was so deathly afraid of being single or by myself,” the

actress said.

Pamela, Jon Peters split after 12-day wedding

Los Angeles

Actress Pamela Anderson and producer Jon Peters

decided to part ways just 12 days after saying “I do” in Malibu.

A source said the pair hadn’t yet filed the legal paperwork for a marriage certificate fol-lowing their January 20 wed-ding ceremony that was attended by Anderson’s two sons and Pe-ters’ three daughters and ex-wife Christine Forsyth-Peters.

“I have been moved by the warm reception to Jon and my union,” Anderson said in a state-ment to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jay-Z, Kevin Hart honour Kobe BryantMiami

Celebrities like Jay-Z and Kevin Hart paid tribute

to late baskbetball star Kobe Bryant at the Fanatics Super Bowl Party.

On Saturday, several stars attended the party here ahead of the 2020 Super Bowl.

W h i l e p e o p l e seemed to enjoy the an-nual cel-ebration, m a n y took a moment to hon-our the Bryant, who was killed in a heli-copter crash on Janu-ary 26 in California. He

and his 13-year-old daugh-ter, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, were among nine people who passed away that morning.

Bhumi Pednekar: I’ve never consulted dieticianMumbai

Actress Bhumi Ped-nekar says she has never consulted any di-

etician or nutritionist, and she has always followed one rule — “eating homemade food”.

“ I a m ex t re m e l y thrilled to engage in a live cooking session for the first time, as it is known that food makes me happy. I have always been a healthy kid and I per-sonally love cooking and have never

deprived myself from eating ghee, butter, etc, in modera-tion,” said Bhumi.

“I avoid refined sugar and have kept a control on my carbohydrate intake. I have never consulted any dietician or nutritionist. It was always

my mother and I… as we have always followed one thumb rule of ‘eat-

ing homemade food’ which we feel is a masterstroke when

one wants to lose weight and stay

fit,” added the “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”

actress.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, JAIMY NEDUMTHAKIDI, Father of JIYA JAIMY,

holder of Indian passport no. M4526212 dated 22.02.2015, issued at BAHRAIN , having

permanent residence at Nedumthakidi House,

Manalumkal PO, Kottayam, Kerala – 686503. and

presently residing at Flat No. 22, Building No. 186, Road No. 58, Block No. 358, Zinj , Bahrain , do hereby change

my daughter name as (Given name) JIYA (surname)

JAIMY . Objection(s), if and may be forwarded to Embassy

of India, P. O. BOX 26106, Al-Seef, Kingdom Of Bahrain.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, JAIMY NEDUMTHAKIDI ZACHARIAS, S/O Nedumthakidi

Chacko Zacharias , holding Indian Passport No J1746314 dated

14/03/2010 issued at BAHRAIN, having permanent residence at having permanent residence at

Nedumthakidi House, Manalumkal PO, Kottayam, Kerala – 686503.

and presently residing at Flat No. 22, Building No. 186, Road No. 58, Block No. 358, Zinj, Bahrain will henceforth be known as ( Given

Name ) JAIMY NEDUMTHAKIDI, (Surname ) ZACHARIAS, objection

if any may be forwarded to Embassy of India, P.O.Box 26106, Bldg No. 1090, Road No. 2819, Block 428, Al-Seef , Kingdom of Bahrain.

‘Westworld’ season 3 unlike anything we’ve done: Evan

Rachel WoodLos Angeles

“Westworld” star Evan Ra-chel Wood says the fans of the sci-fi Western series

will like its upcoming third season.Wood will reprise her char-

acter of Dolores Abernathy, a sapient android known as a “host”.

“We just finished season three, so I know quite a bit. I don’t know how long they plan on carrying it on for, but I know that this season is unlike an-ything we’ve done,” the 32-year-old actor told IndieWire.

“We have new cast members. We have Aaron Paul, Lena Waithe, Vincent Cassel. It just keeps expanding and growing. I’m really excited for people to see where we’ve taken it,” she added.

Eva Mendes responds to troll who said she is ‘getting old’Los Angeles

Actress Eva Mendes is feeling anything but “bad” after a netizen

said she is “getting old”.The 45-year-old actress and

entrepreneur showed off her new haircut on Instagram on Saturday. However, she ended up defending herself after a troll wrote “she’s getting old” on her post, reports etonline.com.

She replied to the user saying: “Yes your (sic) right. Thank God I’m getting old. That means I’m still here. I’m gonna be 46 soon and grateful everyday [sic] that I’m aging. Was your comment suppose (sic) to make me feel bad? It didn’t. It makes me feel grateful. So thank you for the reminder that I’m still here.”

Another fan also called out the previous comment, writing: “Old?? ‘Old’ is wom-an on woman negativity. This one isn’t out there offending anyone or in some scandal. She’s out here LIVING HER DREAM, huss-a-ling when she proba-bly doesn’t even need to! Bringing us good looks. If Eva’s old, put me in all the senior communities! Be better.”

Mendes replied: “I hear ya on the woman on woman negativity sisi. Let’s make it’s (sic) all about love for 2020. So thanks for the love!!!! Sending it right back!!!!!”

Lady Gaga ‘crazy about’ her new beauMiami

Singer Lady Gaga, who is in Miami, Florida for a show, was spotted get-

ting cozy with her new beau, whom she is “crazy about”.

Page Six has published photos of the singer loung-ing on a hotel balcony, en-joying a low-key weekend with her new flame. The ‘Bad romance’ hitmaker was pic-tured sharing a New Year’s kiss with a man who ap-peared to be the same one recently spotted, identified as Michael, in Las Vegas, Ne-vada, reports eonline.com.

According to a source, the singer “has been dating the same guy for over a month. They’ve been seeing other since before the holidays and she’s crazy about him”.

The source also told eon-line.com that he was the same man she rang in 2020 with, “they had already been seeing each other for weeks”.

The singer has not com-mented on her love life.

The source added: “They’ve been out and about in Los An-geles and spending a lot of time at her house. She’s taking him everywhere she goes and they don’t want to be part.”

Dia Mirza: Taapsee is a

fierce lionessMumbai

Actress Dia Mirza says her “Thappad” co-star Taap-see Pannu is a fierce lioness.

“It is my endeavour to be a part of human stories that reflect the truth and

compel us to think and possibly even bring positive change. ‘Thappad’ is one such

film, a very powerful one,” said Dia.Praising Taapsee, she said: “Taapsee is

a fierce lioness and I have always been an ardent admirer of her work. It is a pleasure to be a part of such an incredi-ble cast that stands for something so important collectively.”

After “Dus” and “Cash”, this is Dia’s third movie with director Anubhav Sinha.

The trailer of “Thappad” was unveiled recently. It cap-

tures the journey of a wom-an, a role essayed by Taap-

see, who fights for jus-tice after a domestic

violence attack by her husband.

Jon Peters and Pamela Anderson

Evan Rachel Wood

Kobe Bryant

Eva Mendes

C L A S S I F I E D S

15

sports


India hail ‘winning habit’ in series sweep India create history, seal 5-0 series win as nervous New Zealand implode againAFP | Willington

India hailed their “winning habit” as they rallied to pull off a dramatic seven-run

win over New Zealand in the fifth and final Twenty20 at Mount Maunganui on Sunday to sweep the series.

New Zealand looked on course for a consolation win until India engineered a col-lapse that saw six wickets fall for 25 runs with Jasprit Bumrah finishing with an impressive three for 12 off his four overs.

It was the third consecutive game the tourists had success-fully fought back when New Zealand were in a position of strength.

“It’s a winning habit that we’ve cultivated over the years and all of us, when we step on the park, we want to win,” said KL Rahul who ended up captain-ing India in the final game after Virat Kohli was rested and the original stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma limped from the field with a calf injury.

“It’s good to be standing here 5-0. Every time we were put un-der pressure and every time we felt there were no answers we came up with the answers and somehow squeezed the win.”

With teams building towards the World Cup later in the year, Kohli said India’s philosophy was to never give up.

“The conversation we had in the changing room was always look at finding a way to win and that’s something we have been working on as a team and when it comes together nicely it feels really good,” he said.

After India made 163 for three batting first, New Zealand ap-peared to be cruising towards victory with senior batsman Ross Taylor, celebrating his 100th Twenty20 international, leading the chase after a disas-trous start.

TailspinNew Zealand were three for

17 after 20 deliveries before Tay-lor (53) and Tim Seifert (50) put on 99 for the fourth wicket.

When they smacked 34 off Shivam Dube in the 10th over --

with two sixes and a four each, plus a single for Seifert and an extra run from a no ball -- the momentum was firmly in New Zealand’s favour.

With 45 balls remaining, New Zealand were three for 116, but when Seifert was dismissed the innings went into a tailspin.

By the start of the last over New Zealand had been reduced to nine for 143 and although Ish Sodhi belted two sixes India retained control.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, India lost Sanju Samson for two in the second over.

Sharma put on 88 with Rahul (45) for the second wicket and

had added 42 with Shreyas Iyer before he was injured.

Iyer was unbeaten on 33 at the close with Manish Pandey on 11.

Tim Southee, who led New Zealand with Kane Williamson injured, maintained that the margin between the two sides was not great despite the series outcome.

“I don’t think it’s a massive gap. I know the series scoreline suggests that but the with the games being reasonably close it’s just doing those small things a little bit better,” he said.

The teams start the first of a three-match one-day inter-national series in Hamilton on Wednesday.

India’s Jasprit Bumrah (L) celebrates after taking the wicket of New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell (R)

KNOW WHAT

India became the first-ever team in

men’s T20I cricket to seal a clean sweep in a 5-match T20I series

Drag and Drift Nights set for double-header at BIC

TDT | Manama

Plenty of thrills await mot-orsport fans at Bahrain In-

ternational Circuit (BIC) today as “The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East” hosts the Ebrahim K Kanoo Drag and Drift Nights for a third straight week.

This unique and adrena-line-pumping event offers participants twice the chance to explore the limits of their very own cars or motorbikes within a safe and controlled environment.

Those who take part can ei-ther power their vehicles down BIC’s quarter-mile drag strip or test their oversteering and counter-steering skills while drifting around the circuit’s Vehicle Dynamics Area, or en-joy doing both!

BIC is a member of the pres-tigious National Hot Rod As-sociation (NHRA) Worldwide Network, and its drag strip is where some of the region’s best, World record-breaking drag racers go head to head. The Vehicle Dynamics Area is a specially configured venue at BIC’s car park, surrounded by safety barriers. It is the largest open tarmac area in Bahrain.

Registration on Monday be-gins at 5pm and will be open until 9pm, while the action will be held from 6pm to 11pm.

Both the drag and the drift-ing can be enjoyed for a single fee of BD10.500. Participation in just the drag racing or just the drifting costs BD7.500. Registration can be done on site from 5pm, and the ac-tion will be held from 6pm to 11pm.

Those who would like to ex-perience the drag or drift as a passenger can get into a par-ticipant’s car for an additional BD4. Spectators can purchase tickets for BD2 apiece.

Also as part of the evening’s drag racing programme, BIC is offering the immensely exhil-arating Dragster Xperience. This is one of the circuit’s most unique and ultimate-adrena-line activities, as it gives par-ticipants a taste of pure speed as they are taken from zero to 100kph in just one second while seated in a Top Dragster. The Dragster Experience costs BD42.

Safety standards of the highest level are followed at all times during the evening’s events for both drivers and spectators alike.

A car in action at BIC

Man Utd frustrated by top four blow says ShawAFP | London

Luke Shaw has revealed Man-chester United’s stars were

hugely frustrated by their fail-ure to close the gap to the Pre-mier League’s top four.

Fourth placed Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at Leicester on Saturday gave United a chance to chip away at the six-point difference.

But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men slipped to sixth after a 0-0 draw against Wolves at Old Trafford later in the day.

Even the presence of new signing Bruno Fernandes, who made his debut in midfield,

couldn’t galvanise United.Asked how the mood in the

dressing room was after the match, United defender Shaw said: “To be honest, really, really disappointed, especially with the way the games have been going recently.

“We haven’t been picking up too many points and today was massive for us, especially with Chelsea dropping points.

“It seems to keep happening. Teams around us drop points and we don’t end up closing the gap and we are suffering from that and we needed to win to-day.

Manchester United’s English defender Luke Shaw (L) vies with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Spanish striker Adama Traore (R)

Neymar’s birthday an unwelcome distraction for PSG coach TuchelReuters | Paris

Neymar will celebrate his birthday in a Paris club

on Sunday, a ‘distraction’ two days ahead of a Ligue 1 trip to Nantes, according to Par-is St Germain coach Thomas Tuchel.

French sports daily L’Equipe reported that the event would take place in a western Paris club and that the PSG players and a few members of the staff had been invited by the Bra-zilian, who turns 28 on Wednesday.

“The substitution of Kylian or Ney’s birthday are distractions, it gives the impression that we are not serious,” Tuchel was quoted as saying by L’Equipe on Sunday.

On Saturday, France striker Kylian Mbappe showed his frustration when he was replaced in the 70th minute of a 5-0 win against nine-man

Montpellier.On Neymar ’s birthday,

Tuchel added: “It gives the im-pression that we are not 100% focused and professional.

“But things are not either black or white. They become

important when we talk about them a lot.”

Neymar


Djokovic seals eighth Australian Open

Dizzy, dehydrated Novak Djokovic rallies from brink to beat Dominic Thiem in Melbourne

AFP | Melbourne

Novak Djokovic admitted he was on the brink of defeat with dizziness

and dehydration before com-ing through a five-set thriller against Dominic Thiem to clinch a record eighth Australian Open crown and return to world num-ber one on Sunday.

T h e i n d o m i t a b l e S e r b stretched his unbeaten streak this season to 13 but he had to rally from two sets to one down to beat the courageous fifth-seeded Austrian 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a nearly four-hour marathon.

It was his 17th Grand Slam

title, moving him within two of Rafael Nadal and three of Roger Federer on the all-time list.

“Definitely one of the tough-est finals I have ever had in Australia,” said Djokovic, who pulled alongside Nadal (12 at the French Open) and Federer (eight at Wimbledon) as only the third man ever to win eight or more titles at the same Slam.

“I was on the brink of losing the match, I didn’t feel that good. Dominic was dominat-ing from the baseline... then I regained the strength to pull through in the fourth set, and in the fifth it was anyone’s game.”

Victory ensured Djokovic will once again be world number one when the new rankings are

released on Monday, dis-placing Na-dal. Federer remains third with Thiem

moving up a place to a ca-

reer-high fourth.But it wasn’t easy with the

lethargic Serb looking out for the count in sets two and three before he regained his mojo af-ter a medical timeout to grind down the talented Thiem.

Djokovic said he felt dizzy and sapped of energy, with the trainer telling him he was de-hydrated.

“My energy completely col-lapsed. When I was tossing the ball I started to feel dizzy... I couldn’t believe what was hap-pening,” he said.

Djokovic had never before won a Slam final in seven pre-vious attempts when finding himself two sets to one down.

“If you play a Grand Slam final against him, it’s always going to

be a match where very small details decide it,” said Thiem.

Nerveless startThe Serb, 32, was the over-

whelming favourite, but the su-premely fit and fast Thiem, 26, always had the weapons to trou-ble him, which he deployed suc-cessfully for much of the match, taming his serve and unleashing some explosive groundstrokes.

However, it was a nerveless start from Djokovic, who com-fortably held then put big pres-sure on the Austrian’s serve to

get an immediate break and the psychological edge after some monster rallies.

Thiem, though, is as strong mentally as he is physically and he finally got on the scoreboard after another tough service game.

And against the run of play, with Djokovic seemingly in con-trol, he broke back, unleashing pinpoint groundstrokes.

But the world number two was unrelenting, breaking again on a double fault as Thiem served to stay in the set.

Remarkably, a rare Djokovic double fault handed Thiem a break to go 2-1 up in set two with the Serb getting frustrated, looking at his coaching box and pointing at his head.

He refocused and once again began attacking the Thiem serve, breaking back for 4-4.

But two time warnings on his serve in the next game rattled him and he was broken again, with the Serb patting the um-pire’s foot at the changeover and

telling him sarcastically: “Great job... you made yourself famous.”

‘Tough luck’With Djokovic still looking

distracted, Thiem served out the set -- the first the Serb had dropped in an Australian Open final since 2015.

Djokovic appeared dejected and was broken twice in set three as Thiem raced to a 4-0 lead, having reeled off six games in a row.

The Serb was heard telling a trainer he was tired and after losing the set, he went for a med-ical timeout.

He came back revitalised and the fourth set went with serve until a Thiem double fault hand-ed the Serb two break points and he converted to regain control.

Djokovic drew on all his ex-perience to force another break in the deciding fifth set to take a 2-1 lead, and he kept his foot on the gas to claim an eighth crown from the last 13 Australian Opens.

My energy completely

collapsed. When I was tossing the

ball I started to feel dizzy... I couldn’t believe what was

happeningNOVAK DJOKOVIC

Ronaldo penalty double sends Juve six points clear

AFP | Milan

Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his scoring streak to nine

consecutive league games with a penalty double on Sunday as Juventus bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to Napoli with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina.

The Portuguese striker slot-ted in both his goals from the spot in either half in Turin with Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt heading in a third in injury time.

Maurizio Sarri’s side opened up a six-point lead at the top of the Serie A table on sec-ond-placed Inter Milan, who travel to lowly Udinese later on Sunday.

Juventus had fallen to just their second defeat of the sea-son last weekend at Sarri’s for-mer club Napoli, despite Ronal-

do scoring.“Cristiano Ronaldo continues

to score repeatedly and for him it’s important psychological-ly,” said Sarri of the player who turns 35 years old next Wednes-day.

“Physically he’s good and making a difference. The other forwards are doing well too.”

Fiorentina, in 14th position, have had a resurgence since Giuseppe Iachini took over on December 24, but suffered their first league defeat this year.

Club president Rocco Com-misso was furious at the penalty decisions.

“I am disgusted with what I saw today,” blasted the Ital-ian-born US businessman who bought the Tuscany club last year.

“Juve are very strong, a team

with a wage bill of 350 million doesn’t need help. Referees can-not decide matches.

“Today they gave two penal-ties against us, maybe the first was there but the second cer-tainly wasn’t.”

His side tested Juventus goal-keeper Wojciech Szczesny early with the Pole getting his hand to Federico Chiesa’s back-heel kick and a Pol Lirola effort.

Fellow Pole Bartlomiej Dra-gowski denied Rodrigo Bentan-cur at the other end before a VAR review confirmed Fiorentina’s German Pezzella had handled the ball in the area.

Five-time Ballon d’Or win-ner Ronaldo made no mistake, slotting in five minutes before the break.

His second came 10 minutes from time for a disputed Fed-erico Ceccherini foul on Bent-ancur.

Ronaldo made it 14 goals in nine games to bring his tally to 19 this season, including seven penalties.

The former Real Madrid play-er has now scored 50 goals in 70 games since moving to Juventus in 2018.

He also becomes the first Ju-ventus player to achieve a run of goals in nine consecutive league games since David Trezeguet in December 2005.

De Ligt nodded in a Paulo Dybala cross in stoppage time for his first goal at the Allianz Stadium, as Iachini fell to his first league defeat with the Tus-cany side.

Third-placed Lazio will try to close the gap on Juventus against struggling SPAL later on Sunday.

Roma’s hold on fourth howev-er is now at risk after losing 4-2 to Sassuolo on Saturday.

Atalanta are just a point be-hind in fifth before they play relegation candidates Genoa looking to move into the final Champions League berth.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus shoots the ball

Juventus had fallen to just their second defeat of the season

last weekend at Sarri’s former club Napoli,

despite Ronaldo scor-ing

Ram, Salisbury clinch men’s doubles title in Melbourne

AFP | Melbourne

American Rajeev Ram picked up his first tennis

men’s doubles title at a Grand Slam on Sunday with partner Joe Salisbury of Britain, tam-ing the local wild card pair-ing of Max Purcell and Luke Saville in straight sets at the Australian Open.

The hometown pair’s sur-prise run at Melbourne Park came to a screeching halt against the 11th seeds, who strolled to a 6-4 6-2 victory in 70 minutes on a balmy after-noon at the Rod Laver Arena.

Such was the domination of Salisbury and Ram, who won the Australian Open mixed doubles title with Czech Barb-ora Krejcikova last year, that they did not face a single break point in the match.

The duo converted one of their 10 break point chances in the opening set and marched to a one-sided victory with two more breaks in the second.

The 35-year-old Ram, who turned professional in 2004, switched to playing doubles full-time three years back and

was making his 58th Grand Slam doubles appearance.

“I spent probably until 2016 playing prioritizing singles. I happened to be ranked high enough to get into these slams, but it (doubles) wasn’t really something I worked at, so to speak,” Ram said.

“It feels more like I start-ed my doubles career in 2017 and onward ... I’ve been at it a while for sure. To actually finally get one is great.”

Ram said he was sick during the off-season and took a call to not defend his mixed dou-bles title at Melbourne Park.

Sunday’s win was also emo-tional for the American due to the personal loss he suffered last year.

“My father passed away in April of last year with pan-creatic cancer,” he said. “He was the one that started me in tennis.

“When something like that happens, it shakes you pret-ty good. Yes, it’s been chal-lenging, but sometimes that stuff, when it happens, makes these moments a little bit more sweet.

Rajeev Ram of the US and Britain’s Joe Salisbury (R) celebrate beating Australia’s Max Purcell and Australia’s Luke Saville

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