Wednesday

July 21, 2021

Dhul Hijjah 11, 1442
Vol.14 no. 5316 QR 2

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World 6 Business 7 Sports 10

Merkel promises financial aid to $100 bn wiped off crypto market as ‘Tokyo Olympics will give
flood-hit areas in Germany bitcoin drops below $30K mark humanity faith in the future’

Amir performs Eid Al Adha prayer

QNA
Doha
His Highness the Amir of State of
Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al
Thani performed Eid Al Adha prayer
at Al Wajba praying area on Tuesday
morning.
HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa
Al Thani, HH Sheikh Mohammed
bin Khalifa Al Thani, HE Sheikh Jas-
sim bin Khalifa Al Thani, a number of
sheikhs, ministers, members of the
Shura Council also performed the
prayer besides a number of ambassa-
dors and heads of missions accredited
by the state, as well as citizens.
Sheikh Dr Thaqeel Sayer Al
Shammari, who is a judge of the
Court of Cassation and Supreme
Judiciary Council member, led the
prayer and delivered the Eid ser-
I congratulate you on the blessed
Eid Al Adha, asking God Almighty
to bring it back to us and the Arab
and Islamic nations peace and
happiness.
mon in which he highlighted that
Amir exchanges Eid Al Eid day is one of the rituals Allah the
Adha greetings with Almighty mentions in the Quran.
He added that it was one of the
Somali president greatest days with Allah. He also ex-
His Highness the Amir of State of plained the virtues of Takbir, the sac-
Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad rifice and its purpose in being closer
Al Thani exchanged greetings with to Allah on the day of sacrifice, a day
President of Somalia Mohamed the feelings of Muslims were united
Abdullahi Farmajo on the occasion with happiness and Takbir. He also
of Eid Al Adha, in a telephone call called for keeping hearts pure and
HH received on Tuesday. (QNA) strengthening ties between members
of the society. page 12

Greek president awards Dazzling fireworks wow Billionaire Bezos makes

‘Order of the Phoenix’ visitors at Katara
historic trip to space
to Qatar’s ambassador
The Cultural Village Foundation – Katara surprised visitors with
display of fireworks that filled the sky with joy on the first day of
Eid Al Adha on Tuesday. page 2 DPA
New York

Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos

President of the Hellenic
Republic Katerina Sakellaropou-
lou awarded the Order of the
Phoenix to Ambassador of Qatar
to Greece HE Abdulaziz Ali Al
Naama, on the occasion of the
end of his tenure.
The Order of the Phoenix
is one of the highest honours
was the first to step out of his freshly landed
capsule on Tuesday with a cowboy hat and
thumb’s up after successfully reaching space
on the New Shepard spacecraft developed by
his company Blue Origin.
“My expectations were high and they were
dramatically exceeded,” Bezos said at a press con-
ference afterwards. Bezos, 57, was joined by his
brother Mark as well as the oldest person to ever
go to space, 82-year-old former pilot Wally Funk,
and the youngest, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen.
The New Shepard went over 100 kilome-
tres above the Earth, over the Karman Line
space boundary. This is considerably higher
than the Virgin Galactic flight that took Branson
into space nine days ago. The reusable booster
granted by the Greek presidency rocket that propelled the passengers to the edge
to heads of friendly diplomatic of space detached and landed safely back down
missions. Minister of Foreign Over 4,500 needy on the ground. After detaching and reaching its
Affairs of Greece Nikos Dendias
bestowed the Order upon the families in Sudan top altitude, the New Shepard sank back down
with a parachute and landed on the ground min-
ambassador during his meeting
with His Excellency at the head-
benefit from QRCS utes later. In total, the trip took about 10 min-
utes. “Capsule, touchdown! Welcome home to
quarters of the Greek Ministry of project (PG 2 ) NewShepard’s first astronaut crew,” Blue Ori-
Foreign Affairs. (QNA) page 3 gin tweeted.
02 Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Contact US: Qatar Tribune ı EDITORIAL ı Phone: 40002222 ı ADMINISTRATION & MARKETING ı Phone: 40002155, 40002122, Fax: 40002235 P.O. Box: 23493, Doha.

Emergency department at HGH, PECs Serbian President Meets Qatar’s Ambassador

receive 1,065 cases on first day of Eid

CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
Hamad General Hospital
(HGH) emergency departments
(ED) and Paediatric Emergency
Centres (PEC) across the coun-
try received a total of 1,065 pa-
tients from Monday evening
to the first day of Eid Al-Adha
on Tuesday. None of the cases,
however, were critical. While
the HGH ED handled 362 cases,
the PECs handled 703 cases.
Dr. Abdulnasir Howaidi,
senior consultant at the Emer-
gency Department, said the
cases were related to road acci-
dents, gastrointestinal ailments,
and chronic conditions such as
cardiac difficulties, diabetes,
and trauma.
“The number of cases was
similar to normal days although
we had 16 cases due to abdomi-
nal problems. Only six road
accidents were reported and
among them two had moderate
condition and were admitted to
hospital.”
It was a good sign, he said,
to see fewer people visiting the
emergency room. “This could be
due to increased public aware-
ness of healthy eating habits and
safety precautions.”
He urged everyone to stay
safe and to follow all safety pre-
cautions.
Dr Mohamed Al Amri, act-
ing chairman of Paediatrics and
director of Paediatric Centres,
said that in the last 24 hours,
PEC Al Sadd received 369 cases,
with satellites including PEC
Al Rayyan received 206 cases,
PEC Airport received 80 cases,
and PEC Al Daayen received
80 cases. “All of the cases were
simple. A majority of them had
upper respiratory tract infec-
tions, acute gastroenteritis, and
mild fever. All the patients are
in good health. There were no
critical cases. There has been no
admission to Hamad from PEC
in the last 24 hours,” he said.
According to him, the num-
ber of cases on Tuesday was low-
er than the period before Eid.
“The number is lower than in
recent days. The number of cas-
es is nearly half at all centers,”
he said, adding that the PEC Al
Sadd, for example, attended to
around 600 people two days ago.
The other centres had dou-
ble the number of people as on
Tuesday. “We suspect that on
the first day of Eid, many people
are busy visiting relatives and
treating children, particularly
those with mild fevers, at home.”
He added that the lower
number of patients on first day Belgrade: President of the Republic of Serbia HE Aleksandar Vucic received Ambas-
of Eid could be attributed to sador of the State of Qatar to Serbia Sheikh Mubarak bin Fahad Al-Thani, on Thursday, on
many people traveling abroad the occasion of the end of his tenure. The bilateral cooperation relations between the two
over the summer and Eid holi- countries were reviewed during the meeting.
days.

Indonesian Embassy steps up its QRCS project benefits nearly

support to nationals amid Covid 4,500 needy families in Sudan
Ailyn Agonia
DOHA
The Indonesian Embassy in Doha
has reiterated its commitment to
assisting Indonesian nationals in
the country in coping with the chal-
lenges brought on by the pandemic
through a task force it has formed
since early last year, according to an
Embassy statement on Tuesday,
The Covid-19 Task Force of the
Embassy is made up of Embassy
officials as well as members of the
Indonesian communities in Qa-
tar. The Task Force, among other
things, works to record Indonesian
citizens infected with Covid-19,
disseminates the most recent Cov-
id-19 regulations, including those
related to the Qatar government’s
vaccination program, and provides
social assistance to affected Indo-
nesian citizens.
“The Indonesian Embassy in
Doha, in collaboration with Qa-
tari authorities, continues to work
to prevent and control the spread
of Covid-19 in Qatar, particularly
among Indonesian citizens. As a re-
sult, we express our gratitude and
appreciation to the government
of Qatar for assisting Indonesian
citizens in dealing with this difficult
situation,” said Indonesian Ambas-
sador to Qatar HE Ridwan Hassan.
He said that from the start of
the pandemic in Qatar last year to
Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar HE Ridwan Hassan leads the distribution of as-
sistance to Indonesian nationals in Al Wakra recently.
July 16, there were approximately
400 Indonesian citizens infected
with Covid-19, of which 394 recov-
ered, three died, and three are being
treated in hospitals.
The Embassy recently conduct-
ed a vaccination program and the
most recent Qatar travel and return
policy dissemination. The envoy
also emphasised the importance of
the Task Force’s presence in effec-
tively assisting Indonesian citizens
in dealing with pandemic challeng-
es.
On the occasion of Eid al Adha,
Ambassador Hassan also urged In-
donesian citizens to follow all rel-
evant health protocols. “Eid al-Adha
is traditionally a good time for In-
donesians to gather,” he said. This
time, however, the situation is dif-
ferent. Now is the time to put into
practice the values of self-sacrifice
taught by Prophet Ibrahim and Is-
mael. “In Islam, there is a rule that
says don’t harm yourself and don’t
harm others.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic,
almost all Indonesian Embassy ac-
tivities take place virtually. Activi-
ties will be held to commemorate
Indonesia’s National Day, which
will be held next month. If an activ-
ity requires it to be carried out in a
face-to-face format, strict protocols
will be followed. On August 17, In-
donesia will commemorate its 76th
anniversary of independence.
QNA
Khartoum
Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS)
announced the implementation of the
sacrifice project in collaboration with
Widam Food Company on the first
day of Eid Al-Adha 1442 AH.
In this regard, Awadallah Ham-
dan Al-Siddiq, director of Qatar Red
Crescent Society’s Representative Of-
fice in Sudan, said the project’s bene-
ficiaries this year totaled 4,500 needy
families, totaling more than 23,000
people.
According to Al-Siddiq, the sacri-
fices are supplied from local Sudanese
markets, where Widam Food Com-
pany slaughters and prepares them,
provided that the distribution process
occurs during the days of sacrifice, as
per Islamic Sharia teachings.
Qatar Red Crescent Society began
humanitarian operations in Sudan
in 2003, and it currently funds and
implements numerous humanitarian
projects in various Sudanese states.
Established in 1978, Qatar Red
Crescent Society (QRCS) is a humani-
tarian volunteering organistion that
aims to assist and empower vulner-
able individuals and communities
without partiality or discrimination. mittee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and (ARCO). In this legally recognized
QRCS is a member of the Inter- 191 National Societies. QRCS is also capacity, QRCS has access to disas-
national Red Cross and Red Cres- a member of several GCC, Arab, and ter and conflict zones, thus serving
cent Movement, which consists of Islamic organisations. such as the as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar
the International Federation of the Islamic Committee of International in its humanitarian efforts — a role
Red Cross and Red Crescent Socie- Crescent and the Arab Red Cres- that distinguishes it from other local
ties (IFRC), the International Com- cent and Red Cross Organization charities and NGOs.

Katara celebrates Eid Al-Adha with special events

Tribune News Network
Doha
The Cultural Village Foun-
dation (Katara) welcomed
the blessed Eid Al-Adha
with a series of events and
competitions on its social
media accounts. It surprised
visitors with fireworks dis-
plays that filled the Katara
sky with joy.
Katara Beach receives vis-
itors from 3pm to 10pm.Kata-
ra offers a range of free water
games for children in addi-
tion to the already existing
water games, and the floating
café receives visitors through-
out the days of Eid until 11
pm. Two beaches (3 and 4)
are designated for families,
and a beach 5 for youth.
It is worth noting that
Katara seeks to provide ac-
tivities and events that are
commensurate with all the
precautionary policies fol-
lowed by the state to limit the
spread of the coronavirus.
 Nation Wednesday, July 21, 2021 03

Qatar Airways named GREEK PRESIDENT AWARDS ORDER President of the Hellenic Re-
OF THE PHOENIX TO QATAR ENVOY public HE Katerina Sakellaro-
poulou awarded the Order of

as ‘Airline of the Year’

the Phoenix to Ambassador of
Qatar to Greece HE Abdulaziz
Ali Al Naama, on the occasion
of the end of his tenure. The
Order of the Phoenix is one

by AirlineRatings.Com
of the highest honors granted
by the Greek presidency to
heads of friendly diplomatic
missions. Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Greece HE Nikos
Dendias bestowed the Order
QA was also upon the ambassador during
his meeting with him. Dur-
awarded for Best ing the meeting, the Greek
Business Class foreign minister stressed
that awarding this high order
and Best Cater- to the ambassador is in
appreciation of his efforts
ing service in strengthening relations
between the State of Qatar
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK and the Hellenic Republic in
DOHA all fields. (QNA)

Qatar Airways has won the
prestigious AirlineRatings.com
2021 Airline of the Year award
in its Airline Excellence Awards
for its commitment to keeping
the world’s air routes open dur-
ing COVID-19, as well as for its
innovation, new products, and
world-class in-flight service.
AirlineRatings.com founder
and Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey
Thomas said, “Airline Ratings
Excellence Awards are aptly
named, for, at every touchpoint,
excellence is the goal at Qatar
Airways led by its inspirational
Group Chief Executive, Akbar
Al Baker.”
“Al Baker’s drive for perfec-
tion has led to many improve-
ments in both Airbus and Boe-
ing aircraft and travelers across
the world are better off because
of the passion and the pursuit
of excellence of Qatar Airways,”
Thomas said.
Al Baker said: “On behalf of
all of us at Qatar Airways, thank
you for this distinguished recog-
nition as Airline of the Year for
2021.
“Over the past 16 months,
we have witnessed some of the
darkest days ever seen by the
aviation industry. Yet, when so
many other airlines stopped fly-
Qatar Business Class Qsuites
ing, Qatar Airways continued to
operate and stand by our pas-
sengers.
“Despite the health crisis,
we continued to reach new
heights and set industry stand-
ards that deliver a passenger
experience unmatched by any
other airline in the world.
“So, it goes without saying
that receiving Airline Ratings’
Airline of the Year award for
2021 is an honour that all of us
at Qatar Airways will treasure
as we find ourselves emerging
from the global health crisis and
progressing forward to new ho-
rizons and clearer skies ahead,”
Al Baker said.
The airline has a host of in-
dustry firsts. First to complete
IATA’s important IOSA safety
audit, first to be fully COVID
audited and compliant by both
AirlineRatings and Skytrax, and
amongst the first to trial IATA’s
COVID Safe Travel Pass.
Qatar Airways is no stran-
Qatar Airways Group Chief Execu-
tive Akbar Al Baker
ger to the winner’s circle having
picked up many awards for its
service and cabin seating over
the past ten years including a
host of awards from AirlineR-
atings.com for its catering and
business class Qsuite.
The airline is at the fore-
front of developing and intro-
ducing new aircraft types such
as the 787, A350, and 777X and
it has one of the world’s young-
est fleets.
It is spending millions to re-
vamp aircraft cabins with new
cabin product that includes the
stunning business class Qsuites.
“In our objective analysis
Qatar Airways came out num-
ber one in many of our audit
criteria, which is a great per-
formance at this very difficult
time,” Thomas added.
“For years Qatar Airways
has been the gold standard, and
it just keeps getting better with
new passenger innovations and
new state-of-the-art aircraft
models.”
Qatar Airways was also
awarded Best Business Class,
Best Catering, and Best Middle
East Airline.
‘Nigerians must remain hopeful for desired change’
During a message to a cross-
section of members of the com-
munity on Tuesday, Nigerians
in Diaspora Organization Presi-
dent Victor Ikoli has urged Ni-
gerians to be hopeful for a better
country despite the challenging
situations that have befallen
the country.
“I congratulate our Mus-
lim brothers and sisters in
the community, as well as
our host country Qatar, on
Eid Al-Adha this year. We
must maintain hope that the rians must see themselves as host a webinar titled “Dias-
change we deserve will come one united people, especially pora Integration for Nation-
to pass at some point.” abroad, and that the great- al Peace and Development”
He said the Eid celebra- ness of a community is most on July 25 to commemorate
tion is based on peaceful accurately measured by the National Diaspora Day. Dr.
coexistence, mutual respect, compassionate actions of its Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Di-
and tolerance, and that these members. rector General of the World
are the virtues that Nigerians Ikoli reminded the au- Trade Organization, and Dr.
must imbibe as they work to dience that the Nigerians Amina Mohammed, Deputy
rid the country of all forms of in Diaspora Commission Secretary General of the Unit-
deep distrust. (NIDCOM), the agency es- ed Nations, will be in attend-
Ikoli, who attended an tablished by the Nigerian ance, as will Hon. Abike Da-
Eid celebration with some government to manage the biri-Erewa, CEO of NIDCOM.
Nigerians, added that Nige- affairs of Diasporas, will (TNN)

DFC invites Qatar residents to join its

month-long ‘Bon Appetit’ food festival
The festival will give visitors the opportunity to discover the mall’s diverse
culinary offering from all across the globe
Tribune News Network
Doha

Doha Festival City (DFC), ‘Qa-

tar’s one and only choice for shop-
ping, dining and entertainment’,
has announced a month-long ‘Bon
Appetit’ food festival, the largest in-
ternational in-mall event to be held
in Doha. It will take visitors on an
exclusive culinary journey, offering
them memorable moments through
unique photo opportunities avail-
able across the mall.
Celebrating gastronomic cul-
tures of different countries, the
food event will run until July 25.
Customers who wish to participate
in the raffle draw can still register
online to get their digital passports.
Every QR50 spent in any of the food
outlets will earn participants a digi-
tal stamp, and with every 6 stamps,
customers will receive a digital raf-
fle draw ticket. Receipts dated be-
tween June 20 and July 25 must be
scanned and sent to the dedicated
WhatsApp number which can be ac-
cessed via the special links and QR
codes.
Customers participating in the
‘Bon Appetit’ raffle draw will have
the chance to win gift cards worth up
to QR500, QR1000 and QR5,000
as well as trips for two to Turkey, Customers who enter the ‘Bon Appetit’ raffle draw will have the opportunity to
France, Italy, the UK and the US, win gift cards worth up to QR500, QR1000, and QR5,000, as well as trips for
or a Volvo S90 Momentum 2020 two to Turkey, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, or the
as the grand prize. Winners will be grand prize, a Volvo S90 Momentum 2020.
announced on July 27 during a digi-
tal ceremony to be held under the largest in-mall food event in Doha visitors. This includes a thorough
supervision of representatives from introducing our community to the mall disinfection treatment on a
the Ministry of Commerce and In- diverse culinary offering at Festi- weekly basis, robust cleaning, and
dustry (MoCI). val City. This event would not have sanitisation operations during mall
The month-long food event is been possible without the support trading hours, 225 hand-sanitising
a great opportunity for visitors to of our esteemed partners and spon- stations installed in the areas that
also explore the cultural heritage of sors, who have significantly con- have commonly touched surfaces.
the participating countries through tributed to producing such a unique At the entrance to the mall and
the exciting line-up of interactive gastronomic celebration.” all shops, visitors must show their
photo opportunities and 3D dis- DFC trading hours are from green Ehteraz QR code, and should
plays available across the mall. The 10:00 to 00:00, with an option to wear a face mask during their whole
campaign booths, paying tribute to trade until 01:00 for all retailers, time in the mall. Following the lat-
each participating country every and 02:00 for F&B outlets operat- est government restrictions, kids
week, will be available on weekdays ing for takeaway and delivery. The below 12 years old are not allowed
from 2pm to 10pm, and from 2pm Hypermarket will be open continu- to enter the mall, and the mall con-
to 11 pm from Thursday to Satur- ously from 09:00 to 00:00. tinues to operate with overall capac-
day. In line with the preventative ity and parking spaces reduced to
Robert Hall, DFC general man- measures set out by the authori- 30 percent.
ager, said: “Home to over 100 in- ties, DFC has introduced strin- For more details on the Raffle
ternational food & beverage out- gent health and safety measures draw, visit http://www.dohafesti-
lets, we are honoured to host the throughout the mall for its staff and valcity.com
04 Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Reports by L N Mallick

Pakistan Prism For events and press releases email

qatar.editor@qatar-tribune.com or
call (974) 4000 2222

‘Life is a story and the best stories

are told when written on a page’
Shahida Ahmed, a third-generation British-Asian who currently divides her time between the UK and Qatar, where
she lives and works, believes that art and creativity are diverse forms of dialogue that bring communities together
orn in Lancashire, by her comfortably off parents,

B the UK, Shahida

Ahmed is a third-
generation British-
Asian. A multimedia
artist, creative director, educator
and art consultant, she has long
loved entertaining her friends by
telling them stories. On the insist-
ence of her friends, Shahida has
brought out her maiden novel ti-
tled ‘Through Brown Eyes’. The
book revolves around the story
of 19-year-old British-born Paki-
stani girl. The 234-page novel has
been published by Austin Macau-
ley Publishers, one of the fastest
growing hybrid publishers in the
UK, having branches in New York
and Sharjah.
Shahida is very excited to
write a novel because her Eng-
lish teacher once told her she was
dyslexic and cannot write. She
hopes the novel will encourage
readers to believe in themselves
and achieve their goals. Although
English is Shahida’s second lan-
guage, she followed her passion
and wrote secretly, following her
heart. Having the right people
around her enabled her to be-
lieve that nothing is impossible.
Shahida is also an award-winning
modern and contemporary British
visual artist and sculptor.
She is among the few lucky
British Muslim female artists who
not only achieved international
recognition but was also feted on
different platforms. Shahida’s re-
cent works were sold at the Alba-
hie Auction House in Qatar which
is the first one in the Middle East.
She also has the honour of being
the first UK-born female Muslim
ceramic artist. She has been ex-
hibiting her works regularly since
1996. She recently showcased her
creations at a group exhibition
with Alhosh at Msheireb Down-
town Doha.
The art works were a selection
of cubes from a collection called
Shahida Ahmed
Shahida has brought out her maiden novel titled ‘Through Brown
Eyes’. The book revolves around the story of 19-year-old British-
born Pakistani girl. The 234-page novel has been published by
Austin Macauley Publishers, one of the fastest growing hybrid
publishers in the UK, having branches in New York and Sharjah
‘Earth’ with more than 150 art
pieces, all made in Qatar. Shahida
holds a BA in Visual Arts from
the University of Leeds and a BA
(Hons) in Art and Design from the
University of Bradford. She gained
a scholarship for an MA in Tradi-
tional Islamic Arts from the Royal
College of Art, London; MA in
Community Leadership from the
University of Central Lancashire;
and an MA in Visual Arts from
the University of Bradford, along
with several other professional
qualifications. Shahida currently
divides her time between the UK
and Qatar, where she lives and
works. Throughout her career she
has believed that art and creativ-
ity are diverse forms of dialogue
that bring communities together.
In an interview, Shahida spoke
about her novel. Excerpts:
What inspired you to write
the novel?
The book’s cover
For many years, I have en-
joyed telling stories and actually
sharing experiences from differ-
ent people and their circumstanc-
es and cultures. My friends were
always encouraging me to write a
book and, in the end, I decided to
take them up on their dare. Life
is a story and the best stories are
told when written on a page. It’s
important to give back and em-
power communities.
What are the subjects that
have been discussed in the
novel?
The book is about a British-
born Pakistani girl who experi-
ences her becoming a mother,
daughter and sister. Nineteen-
year-old Shama lives something
of a charmed existence, indulged
who are second-generation Pa-
kistani immigrants, and enjoy-
ing university life. Balancing the
lifestyle of her Western friends
with the strict cultural traditions
upheld by her parents is rarely a
challenge, as she flits between her
weekdays on campus and week-
ends at home. However, her world
is turned upside down when she is
invited to accompany her mother
on a trip to Pakistan and intro-
duced to the handsome Saleem, a
charming, educated acquaintance
of her extended family. Caught
up in a whirlwind romance thou-
sands of miles from home, Shama
suddenly finds herself facing a
very different future from the one
she anticipated – a future that
when contemplated, triggers a
rollercoaster of emotions in the
naive teenager, ranging from ex-
citement to fear, and puts her very
survival at risk.
Is this a true story or a fic-
tion?
It’s not a true story. All the
characters in the book are imagi-
nary.
What inspired you to se-
lect the topic of the book?
Experiences of friends around
me and the environment and cul-
ture I grew up and lived in helped
me write and create the charac-
ter of Shama. As a British female
Muslim, I could share a story be-
cause certain things I could relate
to and understand.
How do you feel on bring-
ing out your first novel?
I never thought I could write
as my English teacher told me I
was dyslexic and cannot write. My
endeavour will support women
and will help them believe and
encourage they can achieve their
goals. The book is hoping to em-
power women and the world.

Shaheen Restaurant brings culinary

delight to Msheireb, Mughalina
Besides their signature fish fry dish, the new outlet surrounded by Indian and Pakistani restaurants at
Msheireb has added dishes like chicken karahi, mutton karahi, haleem and a variety of BBQs

B
uoyed up by the successful run of Shaheen
Restaurant at Al Asmakh street for five dec-
ades, well-known Pakistani entrepreneur,
Zulfiqar Mir, opened two branches of the
restaurant in Msheireb and Mughalina areas
recently.
“With the blessings of Allah the Almighty, we
have the honour to inaugurate two more branches
of Shaheen Restaurant which will cater to the culi-
nary needs of residents of Msheireb and Mughalina
areas,” said Fahad
Mir, the restau-
rant’s manager, in
an interview with
Qatar Tribune. Shaheen Restaurant’s new outlet at Amiri Diwan Road,
Zulfiqar Mir opposite to Msheireb Downtown
launched Shaheen
Restaurant in
1971 at Al Asmakh
Street, which is
still operational
at the same venue
and run by him.
“Our outlets at
Al Asmakh Street
The restaurant’s manager Fahad and Mughalina are Shaheen Restaurant’s most sought-after signature fried
Mir, who is the son of Zulfiqar Mir serving authentic fish dish
Pakistani cuisine
and are meant for bachelors while our new branch Msheireb has introduced a revamped menu by add-
located at Amiri Diwan Road, opposite to Msheireb ing new dishes like chicken karahi, mutton karahi,
Downtown, has fine dining arrangements for fami- haleem and a wide-variety of BBQs.
lies. We are offering the best and authentic Paki- “Besides our popular mutton and chicken dish- menu,” remarked Mir.
stani and North Indian cuisine to our customers at es, a large variety of distinctive vegies, curries and Besides dine-in, delivery and take away services
the most affordable rates,” said Fahad Mir, the son rice dishes are also available to suit every palate. are also available.
of Zulfiqar Mir. We guarantee same authentic taste which we have Shaheen Restaurant has joined hands with Tala-
Fahad Mir said that besides their signature fish been offering to our guests for the last five decades. bat and Wishbox for online delivery services. One
fry dish, the tastefully decorated new outlet sur- Here at Msheireb, we are offering foodies an excit- can call on 44681623 and 66299175 for further de-
rounded by Indian and Pakistani restaurants at ing range of flavours to explore from our revamped tails.
 World Wednesday, July 21, 2021 05

Coronavirus pandemic overshadows

reduced Muslim Hajj, Eid Al-Adha
This year just 60,000 Saudis and foreigners resident in the oil-rich kingdom have been permitted to take part in the Hajj due to pandemic
dpa
Cairo

With their numbers mas-

sively pared down for the
second year in a row due
to the ongoing coronavirus
pandemic, thousands of vac-
cinated Muslim pilgrims be-
gan a stoning ritual as part of
the annual Hajj pilgrimage in
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
While normally some 2.5
million Muslims from all over
the world would be converg-
ing on the Muslim holy city of
Mecca for the five-day Hajj,
this year just 60,000 Saudis Muslim worshippers gather at the Huntington Bank Stadium during Eid
and foreigners resident in the prayers and festivities in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday. (AFP)
oil-rich kingdom have been
permitted to take part.
The pilgrims, wearing
protective face masks and
queuing  in groups, waited
their turn on Tuesday to
throw stones at a row of pil-
lars symbolizing the devil, be-
fore chanting “God is great,”
inside a multi-level structure
in the desert valley of Mina,
around 7 kilometres north- Worshippers circumambulate the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand mosque in the holy Saudi city of Mecca, on the first day of the Eid
east of Mecca. Al-Adha fest celebrated by Muslims worldwide on Tuesday. (AFP)
According to tradition,
the rite is an emulation of the The Saudi authorities last involvement in managing During the Hajj, which
prophet Abraham’s stoning month announced that only [pilgrim] crowds and organ- started this year on Sunday,
the devil for trying to tempt fully vaccinated people aged izing the Hajj to ensure their pilgrims perform the same
him into disobeying God. between 18 and 65 would be safety and health,” he said in rituals in a demonstration of
Upon finishing the stone- permitted to undertake the a televised address. religious unity, equality and
throwing ritual, male pil-
grims traditionally change
pilgrimage this year.
This is the second year
Stoning the Saudi Arabia stakes its
credibility on providing ser-
pursuit of spiritual renewal.
The pilgrimage annually
out of their robes, shave their
heads and slaughter a sacrifi-
in a row that pilgrims from
abroad have been unable to
‘devil’ at Mina vices that allow the pilgrims
to perform the gruelling
takes place from the eighth to
the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, A man chooses sheep at a market during the Eid Al-Adha celebrations
cial animal. join the Hajj due to the global The pilgrims, wearing rituals as comfortably and the last month of the Islamic in Istanbul on Tuesday. (afp)
Women cut a lock of their pandemic. protective face masks and smoothly as possible. lunar calendar.
hair. The practices mark spir- Authorities have also de- queuing in groups, waited their In recent years, the mon- Tuesday also marked the shadowed by the pandemic sacrifice his son to prove his
itual rejuvenation. ployed robots in the Grand turn on Tuesday to throw archy has spent lavishly to start of Eid al-Adha, a major too. The faithful were seen faith. His son was eventually
Male and female pilgrims Mosque to hand bottles of stones at a row of pillars boost Hajj safety standards Islamic festival. in several Muslim countries, spared and a sheep was sacri-
then go to Mecca to encircle holy water to pilgrims and symbolizing the devil, before and expand facilities at the Millions of Muslims including Saudi Arabia, of- ficed instead.
the Kaaba, Islam’s most sa- sterilize the sprawling site. chanting “God is great,” inside holy sites. around the world tradition- fering the prayers while ob- Sheep are commonly cho-
cred site housed in the Grand Saudi King Salman said One of the five pillars of ally celebrate the occasion by serving distancing, wearing sen as the sacrificial animal
Mosque. on Tuesday the steps seek to
a multi-level structure in the Islam, the Hajj is a manda- performing special prayers protective masks and using for the festival’s ritual slaugh-
Later in the day, they re- protect pilgrims’ health. desert valley of Mina, tory duty for all Muslims to early in the morning on the personal prayer rugs. ter. However, other livestock
turn to Mina to stay overnight “[Saudi] agencies con- complete once in a lifetime, first day of the four-day holi- During Eid al-Adha, Mus- may also be slaughtered for
and throw pebbles for two cerned with serving pilgrims system aimed to focus on if they have the financial and day. lims honour the willingness sacrifice.  Part of the sacrifi-
more days. have applied a digital Hajj technology and limit humans’ physical means to do so. This year’s Eid was over- of the prophet Abraham to cial meat is given to the poor.

IS claims Kabul rockets that landed near president Ghani
dpa
Kabul
The Islamic State claimed a
rocket attack in the Afghan
capital, Kabul, on Tuesday that
wounded at least six people.
At least three rockets land-
ed in Kabul city on Tuesday
morning as Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani and other high-
ranking officials performed
prayers for the Eid al-Adha fes-
tival, the Afghan Interior Min-
istry said.
One of the rockets landed
on a government building only
a few metres from the presi-
dential palace, where Ghani
was attending the prayers,
ministry spokesperson Mir-
wais Stanakzai said.
Minutes after the incident,
the charity hospital Emergency
received six wounded, said the
programme coordinator for Af-
ghanistan, Marco Puntin.
The Islamic State said in a
statement that at least seven
rockets had targeted the Af-
ghan presidential palace.
In an apparent reaction to
the rockets, Ghani had blamed
Afghan security personnel stand guard near a charred vehicle from the militant Taliban for the in-
which rockets were fired that landed near the Afghan presidential cident and said in a speech af-
palace in Kabul on Tuesday. (AFP) ter the prayers that the Taliban
would not win over the country
by rockets, but only through
winning the hearts of the peo-
ple.
He said that the Taliban
neither have the will nor the
intention to settle the conflict
politically.
The Islamic State has re-
cently lost territories, fighters
and leaders in Afghanistan. In
addition to the Afghan gov-
ernment, the Taliban are also
fighting the extremists.
According to a UN report,
however, the Islamic State is
still able to carry out attacks in
various parts of the country.
News
in brief
Afghans who aided US to be housed at
Virginia military base
Washington: Around 2,500 Afghans who worked with US
forces will be temporarily housed along with their family
members at a military base in the state of Virginia, the US
State Department said on Monday.
These are Afghans who have already undergone spe-
cial security screening and are advanced in the application
process for a US visa, department spokesperson Ned Price
said.
The first resettlements from Afghanistan to the base in
Fort Lee, Virginia are to begin at the end of July.
They will stay in housing at the Fort Lee military base
while the visas to allow them to stay in the United States are
processed and issued, Price said. (dpa)
Search under way for South Korean
climber missing on Pakistan peak

India’s COVID-19 deaths could Mali president unharmed Islamabad: Army helicopters and fellow mountaineers on
Tuesday were searching an over 8,000-metre high peak in

be 10 times official toll: Study in knife attack at mosque

dpa
New Delhi
The number of excess deaths in India during
the coronavirus pandemic could be 10 times
higher than the official toll from the disease,
research published on Tuesday said.
The study by the US-based Center for
Global Development estimates that between 3
million and 4.9 million more people died than
would be expected between January 2020 and
June 2021.
Excess deaths is defined as the difference
between recorded number of deaths and ex-
pected number of deaths in the same time
period. It is a more accurate measure than
confirmed Covid-19 deaths alone, according
to WHO.
“India’s official death count as of end-June
is 400,000. The reality is, of course, cata-
strophically worse,” the study said.
“True deaths are likely to be in several mil-
lions not hundreds of thousands, making this
arguably India’s worst human tragedy since
partition and independence,” it said.
The 1947 partition which marked the inde-
pendence of India and Pakistan from Britain
led to killings of 1 million people in sectarian
violence between Hindus and Muslims.
The study examined three different data
sources - including extrapolating death reg-
istrations from seven states, where half of
A health worker prepares to inoculate a student
with a dose of the Covishield coronavirus vaccine
in Amritsar recently. (AFP)
India’s population lives and applying interna-
tional estimates of age-specific infection fatal-
ity rates to nationwide antibody tests.
The authors also used consumer surveys
of 177,000 households across India that re-
cord recent deaths.
Many epidemiologists have previously
said the actual death toll could be several
times higher than the official toll but the gov-
ernment has rejected this as misleading and
exaggerated.
Over the past few weeks, some major Indi-
an states have raised Covid-19 fatality figures,
adding what they called “backlog deaths.”
dpa
Bamako
Mali’s interim president As-
simi Goita has survived a knife
attack unharmed.
Goita appeared on state
television in the West African
country on Tuesday afternoon
after an assailant tried to at-
tack him with a knife.
The attack occurred after
prayers as part of the Eid al-
Security personnel escort an alleged attacker (centre) from The Grand
Fayçal Mosque in Bamako on Tuesday. (afp)
Adha celebrations at the Grand
Mosque in the capital Bamako.
The would-be assailant
was overpowered by security
guards, the president’s office
announced via Twitter.
Nothing was initially
known about the identity
or motive of the attacker,
and the president himself
spoke on television of the at-
tempt on his life as being an
isolated act.
northern Pakistan after a South Korean climber went missing
during his descent, officials said.
Kim Hong Bin, 57-year-old mountaineering veteran, fell
in a crevasse on Sunday after he completed the summit of
8,047-metre high Broad Peak in Karakoram Range, said Karrar
Haidri, the secretary of the Pakistan Alpine Club.
“We are trying our best to find him,” said Haidri, whose
club arranges expeditions for mountaineers in Pakistan.
Kim, who has scaled all of the world’s peaks over 8 kilome-
tres high, is the first climber with a disability to do so, Haidri
said. An Irish, a Chilean and a Pakistani climber went missing
while making a daring attempt to summit the K-2 peak during
winter this year. (dpa)
Aung San Suu Kyi’s close friend Nyan
Win dies in prison from COVID
Yangon: A close colleague and trusted friend of Myanmar’s
one-time de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has died in prison
of complications from Covid-19.
Nyan Win, who was 78, was a prominent politician and the
former spokesman for Suu Kyi’s National League for Democ-
racy (NLD). He was transferred from the notorious Insein
Prison to Yangon General Hospital, a doctor at the hospital
told dpa on Tuesday. By then, she said, he was already in a
critical condition.
“The Covid-19 situation in Yangon is very bad. It is espe-
cially bad for old people in prison. We are very sorry for him,”
she said. A relative told the Myanmar Now news agency that
Nyan Win had suffered a great deal before his death. “The
military is responsible for everything that happened.”
The politician had been in prison since his arrest along-
side many other NLD members a few weeks after a military
coup in February this year. (dpa)
06 Wednesday, July 21, 2021 World

Marxist Pedro Castillo wins presidential election in Peru

dpa
Buenos Aires
Marxist village school-
teacher Pedro Castillo has won
Peru’s presidential election,
the National Election Board
(JNE) said on Monday.
The candidate of the Marx-
ist-Leninist Peru Libre party
received 50.12 per cent of the
vote to right-wing populist
Keiko Fujimori’s 49.87 per
cent in the June 6 election, ac-
cording to the country’s elec-
toral body ONPE.
The country’s supreme
electoral body proclaimed Cas-
tillo winner of the close run off
race after weeks of complaints
and appeals, mostly from the
Fujimori camp. Castillo won
by just over 44,000 ballots,
according to ONPE.
Fujimori, 46, was initially
leading, but the tide turned
when the votes from rural ar-
eas, where Castillo has strong
support, were counted.
She alleged “irregularities”
in the counting and “signs
of fraud,” in allegations dis-
missed by ONPE. Election
observers of the Organization
of American States (OAS) also
declared that the election had
taken place without any major
irregularities.
On Monday, Fujimori said
in a televised address that she
would “accept the results be-
cause that’s what the law and
the constitution that she has
sworn to defend prescribe.”
More than 25 million Peruvi-
ans were called on to cast their
ballots in the election. The
turnout topped 18 million.
“Thank you to the Peruvi-
an people for this historic tri-
umph,” Castillo, 51, tweeted.
“The time has come to call
on all parts of society to build
together, in this Bicentennial,
considered an absolute out-
sider and before the start of
his campaign he did not even
have a Twitter account.
The 51-year-old wants to
build a socialist state, tighten
control of the media and abol-
ish the constitutional court.
The markets took a hit
after the first signs of his vic-
tory, with observers concerned
that foreign investors will pull
capital. Up until now Peru was
considered a financially liberal
Leftist school teacher Pedro Castillo in Lima on Monday. (AFP) country for the area.
Fujimori, who had planned
an inclusive Peru, a just Peru, is a resounding blow to the if she won to pardon her fa-
a Free Peru.” Castillo’s victory political elite in Lima. He was ther, former authoritarian
president Alberto Fujimori,
stood for a neoliberal econom-
ic policy and a hard-line secu-
rity strategy.
In recent years, she has
been remanded in custody
several times and could face a
long prison sentence in an on-
going corruption trial.
Although Castillo and
Fujimori represent oppo-
site extremes on the political
scale, they are not far apart
in their socio-political views:
Both represent a conserva-
tive image of the family and
are against same-sex marriage
and abortion.

GERMANY GRAPPLES WITH FLOOD AFTERMATH

COVID-19 weekly deaths
Merkel promises financial aid in England and Wales
highest since April

to flood-hit areas in Germany

Nearly a week after the disaster, 122 bodies have been recovered and 170 people are still missing in Ahrweiler
dpa
Dortmund, Germany
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel promised emergency fi-
nancial aid, distributed quickly
and without bureaucratic hur-
dles, on Tuesday during her
second trip to flood-hit areas in
the country’s west.
“Together we will do every-
thing we can to ensure that the
money gets quickly to the peo-
ple, who often have nothing left
besides what they’re wearing,”
said Merkel in badly damaged
Bad Muenstereifel in the state
of North Rhine Westphalia.
Merkel was there on Tues-
day with Armin Laschet, the
state’s premier and her possible
successor as chancellor after
September elections.
“The forms and the appli-
cations must be very simple,
very straightforward. And they
should be ready this week, so
that the disbursement of the
first funds can start quite soon,”
said Laschet.
The chancellor said she as-
sumed that the reconstruction
of the destroyed infrastructure
such as roads and railway lines
as well as the rebuilding of the
city would take longer than a
few months. It was very clear
“that we need to take a very long
breath,” she said.
The federal cabinet is set to
take up the issue at its weekly
meeting on Wednesday. It is ex-
pected it will approve a 400-mil-
lion-euro (476.2-million-dollar)
assistance programme, with the
costs to be split between the na-
tional and state governments.
The plans also call for the crea-
tion of a recovery fund.
Paris prosecutors to probe Biden emphasises relationship with
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a press conference after visiting the flood-ravaged spa town
Bad Munstereifel, North Rhine-Westphalia state, western Germany, on Tuesday. (AFP)
Another part of the plan
would absolve the states from
having to repay the federal gov-
ernment for the rescue work
conducted in recent days by
federal agencies. EU funds are
also to be tapped for the recov-
ery effort.
Merkel had previously vis-
ited affected areas in the state of
Rhineland-Palatinate.
Nearly a week after the dis-
aster, 122 bodies have been re-
covered and 170 people are still
missing in Ahrweiler, where the
Ahr tributary turned into a tor-
rent after heavy rains, inundat-
ing whole communities.
The number of people re-
ported injured stands at 763,
according to police.
An estimated 40,000 peo-
ple are feeling the consequences
of the flood.
It is a “tremendously large
number of people” in a “tremen-
dously large area,” said the head
of the state’s crisis management
team, Thomas Linnertz.
Infrastructure providing
basic utilities such as electric-
ity, water and sewage have been
destroyed, and waste is starting
to pile up.
In North Rhine Westphalia,
the death toll was at 48. About
16 people are still reported as
missing across the state.
Merkel was first briefed
on the situation in Bad Muen-
stereifel by Euskirchen district
administrator Markus Ram-
ers and Mayor Sabine Preiser-
Marian.
The organization of disaster
control in Germany has been
criticized for reaching people
too slowly, despite warnings
from meteorologists.
Merkel said the next stage
would be looking at what
worked and what didn’t in
terms of disaster control and
early warning systems. “Maybe
the good old siren is more use-
ful than people thought,” she
said.
Another part of Wednes-
day’s Cabinet meeting will fo-
cus on creating a new system
for responding to and organiz-
ing in the wake of natural disas-
ters and health emergencies. It
would include a push for more
coordination in emergency re-
sponse centres.
Laschet said that the flood
made everyone realize “how
vulnerable society is when the
power is suddenly no longer
available” and added that ana-
logue means will become nec-
essary again in the future.
There are also fears that the
coronavirus could spread dur-
ing the clean-up work in the af-
fected areas.
“At the moment, many
people are coming together in
a very small space to deal with
the crisis,” David Freichel, who
is part of the the coronavirus
communications staff of the
state chancellery in Rhineland-
Palatinate, told the Redaktion-
snetzwerk Deutschland media
group on Tuesday. “We must
now be careful that coping with
the disaster does not become
a super-spreader event,” he
added.
Many rescue workers, how-
ever, have already been fully
vaccinated.
The heavy rains and floods
also killed over 30 people
across the border in Belgium.
dpa on Monday, Britain’s chief
London scientific adviser, Sir Patrick
Vallance, warned that the
The number of deaths in- easing of coronavirus rules in
volving coronavirus regis- England is likely to lead to an
tered each week in England increase in Covid-19 deaths.
and Wales has climbed to its Referring to documents
highest level since the end of earlier in the year which
April. modelled the effects of loos-
A total of 183 deaths reg- ening restrictions, he said: “I
istered in the week ending think it’s laid out very clearly
July 9 mentioned Covid-19 in the papers as to what the
on the death certificate, ac- risks are associated with
cording to the Office for Na- opening up... it will lead to a
tional Statistics (ONS). further increase. I think that’s
This is up 68 percent on very clear.” The total number
the previous week, and is the of deaths registered in Eng-
highest number since 205 land and Wales in the week to
deaths were registered in the July 9 was 6.2 percent above
week to April 30. the pre-pandemic five-year
Deaths had dipped as low average, the ONS said.
as 84 in the week to June 11. The number has not been
The latest figures are like- this far above the average
ly to reflect the impact of the since the week to February
third wave of Covid-19, which 26.
began in Britain in May and Some 20 care home
has led to a sharp increase resident deaths involving
in the number of new cases coronavirus in England and
of coronavirus as well as a Wales were registered in the
smaller but steady rise in week to July 9, up from 11
hospital patients. deaths in the previous week.
The number of deaths is In total, 42,587 care
still well below the level seen home residents in England
at the peak of the second and Wales have had Covid-19
wave, however. recorded on their death cer-
Some 8,433 deaths in- tificate since the pandemic
volving Covid-19 were regis- began.
tered in England and Wales The ONS figures cover
in the week to January 29. deaths of care home resi-
Speaking at the Down- dents in all settings, not just
ing Street press conference in care homes.
News
in brief
Russia unveils new fighter jet Checkmate
Moscow Accompanied by hopes of new orders worth billions
from abroad, Russia has unveiled a new fighter jet from the
Sukhoi corporation.
The aircraft, named “Checkmate,” was unveiled on Tuesday
at an aerospace fair outside Moscow. According to the Interfax
agency, President Vladimir Putin said that there was nothing
comparable to the fighter jet in Russia yet.
The fifth-generation stealth jet was announced as a “funda-
mentally new military aircraft” and is to go into series produc-
tion in the next few years. It is more difficult to track on radar
and has a high flight performance, Putin said.
According to experts, the “Checkmate” was designed as

Israeli spyware; Amazon Jordan during King Abdullah visit a cheaper variant of the Russian Su-57 fighter jet to make it
easier to sell. (dpa)

cuts ties to NSO dpa

dpa
Paris
Prosecutors in Paris have
begun an investigation prompt-
ed by allegations that Pegasus,
a programme created by Israeli
cybersecurity firm  NSO, has
been used to spy on the phones
of activists and journalists.
The investigation was
prompted by a complaint filed
by two journalists with the on-
line news platform Mediapart,
as well as the company’s pub-
lisher, prosecutor Remy Heitz
said on Tuesday.
A consortium of news or-
ganizations, cooperating with
Forbidden Stories, a non-
media organization, released
reports this week alleging that
Pegasus was being used to
scour the phones of journalists
and activists.
The exact number of peo-
ple affected remains unclear.
Reports range from 37 phones
affected to more than 100. It is
also not clear who would have
benefited from the information.
Some reports raised concerns
that the Israeli government
would have also had access to
the information.
The French investigation is
to be led by a special police unit
for information and commu-
nication technology crimes. It
plans to investigate whether
data was accessed illegally and
whether privacy guidelines
were violated.
Mediapart reported that
the mobile phones of two jour-
nalists had been infected with
Pegasus in 2019 and 2020 and
said Moroccan secret services
were behind the attack. The
media company has vowed to
press charges. Prosecutors did
not comment on the allegations
against Morocco. Le Monde
reported that 30 journalists
and media organization bosses
were targeted in France alone.
Pegasus takes advantage
of security gaps in smartphone
software to access data. But
NSO has denied the allegations
against it and has disputed de-
tails of some of the reports.
The allegations prompted
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
to disconnect NSO’s access to
the US company’s cloud ser-
vices, AWS said on Tuesday,
noting that hacking activities
are not allowed with the cloud
service’s usage guidelines.
Washington
President Joe Biden on
Monday emphasised the Unit-
ed States’ close partnership
with Jordan at a meeting with
King Abdullah II in Washing-
ton.
Biden thanked the Jordani-
an king for “your enduring and
strategic relationship” with the
US, according to a transcript of
remarks made before a bilater-
al meeting at the White House.
“You’ve always been there,
and we will always be there for
Jordan.” Biden also highlight-
ed Jordan’s “vital leadership”
in the Middle East, saying “you
live in a tough neighborhood.”
Jordan, a mostly desert king-
dom, is a major regional US
ally.
“We have, as you said,
many challenges in our part of
the world. I think many of us
leaders from our part of the
world will do the heavy lifting,
which is what we need to do,
on behalf of the United States,”
King Abdullah II responded.
“But you can always count
on me, my country, and many
of our colleagues in the region.
A lot to do, sir, but with your
US President Joe Biden (right) and Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Wash-
ington on Monday. (AFP)
leadership, we will prevail.”
During the meeting, the lead-
ers discussed the Israeli-Pal-
The US-Jordan defence
relationship and the
‘enormous challenges in
Syria’ were also discussed
in the meeting
estinian conflict, with Biden
expressing “his strong sup-
port for a two-state solution,”
according to a White House
readout.
Biden also expressed sup-
port “for engagement between
Jordan and the new Israeli
government ... to improve Jor-
dan’s access to fresh water and
increase Jordan’s exports to
the West Bank.”
During the meeting, the US
leader also announced the “de-
livery of over 500,000 COV-
ID-19 vaccines to Jordan,” the
White House said.
The US-Jordan defence re-
lationship, the two countries’
infrastructure plans and the
“enormous challenges in Syr-
ia” were also discussed in the
meeting.
N Cyprus reopening town emptied in
1974 clash, sparking controversy
Istanbul Northern Cyprus is pushing ahead with a plan to open
up a resort area that has remained mostly shuttered since the
1974 conflict that divided the island in two, prompting worries
that the government there could destabilize a tense calm.
The disputed area - the town of Varosha in Famagusta - has
been unoccupied since the conflict, which left it in a military
no-go zone.
Forcing the reopening of the city raises issues because it
could require Greek Cypriots to either move back to a city under
the control of Northern Cyprus or to negotiate with the govern-
ment there for reparations. Cyprus has been divided between
a Turkish north and Greek south since 1974 after a Greek
coup and Turkish military intervention. The Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey, while the Republic
of Cyprus has been an EU member since 2004. (dpa)
EU regulator starts sped-up review
process for Sanofi Pasteur jab
Amsterdam The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has initi-
ated a sped-up review procedure for the coronavirus vaccine
produced by French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, the regulator
said on Tuesday.
Based on data available so far from laboratory studies and
clinical trials, the preparation Vidprevtyn could protect against
Covid-19, the EMA said. It is unclear when the procedure will
be completed. Under the accelerated rolling review procedure,
experts evaluate data as it becomes available and before an
official application for marketing authorization has been submit-
ted by Sanofi Pasteur.
The procedure lasts until there is enough data for a formal
marketing authorization application in the European Union. (dpa)
 Bezos blasts into space
on own rocket: ‘Best
day ever!’ page 9

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

34,540.30 10,696.30 52198.51 1,809.40

US drug distributors pay $1.18 bn to settle Dow +578.26 pts QE -79.67 pts sensex -354.89 pts Gold +0.01 %

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$100 bn wiped off crypto WB deploys

over $157 bn to
market as bitcoin drops fight COVID-19
below $30,000 mark Agencies
New York

The World Bank (WB) Group

World’s biggest cryptocurrency loses 5.8% of its value on Tuesday
Agencies
London
Bitcoin plunged below $30,000
on Tuesday for the first time since
June, dragging other digital curren-
cies down and wiping $100 billion
from the crypto market even as eq-
uity markets recovered.
The world’s largest cryptocurren-
cy lost 5.8 percent of its value, trading
at $29,654.54 on the Luxembourg-
based Bitstamp exchang. The last
time the digital currency fell below
the $30,000 mark was on June 22.
Ether, the second-biggest crypto-
currency, traded 7.2 per cent lower at
$1,793.93 and XRP fell 8.8 percent
to $0.52733.
“The digital asset has broken
through its key support level of
$30,000. It is critical that the digi-
tal coin regains ground above the
$30,000 level, as a significant breach
could result in a massive technical
sell-off,” a market expert said.
“Having said that, crypto traders
are well aware that the price action
of cryptocurrencies is highly volatile,
and the decline in prices should not
come as a surprise given that simi-
lar price fluctuations have occurred
in the past.”
The fall comes after Wall Street
was hit hard Monday by anxiety over
the recent spread of COVID-19 and
the threat it poses to the economic
recovery. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average plummeted about 725 points,
a drop of 2.1 per cent. The S&P 500
ended the day down 1.6 percent and
the Nasdaq was 1.1 percent lower.
Asian markets followed the skid on
Tuesday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 fall-
ing nearly 1.0 percent. Hong Kong’s
Hang Seng Index tumbled 0.8 per
cent. South Korea’s Kospi slumped
Bitcoin has more than trebled in price from $9,175 a year ago, but has more than halved since hitting an all-time high of
$63,729.50 in mid-April.
0.4 per cent, while China’s Shanghai
Composite was flat.
“Bitcoin is the ultimate risky asset
right now and it could see intense sell-
ing pressure if Wall Street enters into
panic selling mode,” wrote Edward
Moya, senior market analyst for the
Americas at Oanda, in a research note.
“All signals are red as BTC (bit-
coin) continues to be weighed down
by China’s ultimate crypto ban and
worsening macro-economic condi-
tions from a surge in Covid variants,”
said Jehan Chu, founder of crypto-
currency-focused venture capital and
trading firm Kenetic Capital.
Bitcoin has more than trebled in
price from $9,175 a year ago, but has
more than halved since hitting an all-
time high of $63,729.50 in mid-April.
It is now only 2.3 per cent higher than
it was at the beginning of this year.
Cryptocurrency afficionados ar-
gued during its recent run-up in
prices that Bitcoin is being much
more widely adopted by institutional
investors, with the likes of Fidel-
ity investing in the Grayscale Bitcoin
Trust, which has more than $20bn of
assets under management.
The latest Digital Asset Fund Flows
report by digital asset investment
manager CoinShares reported $2.9
million of net inflows into cryptocur-
rency funds last week, bringing the
total so far this year to $5.7bn. About
73 per cent of this has been invested
in Bitcoin.
However, cryptocurrency funds
have witnessed outflows in seven of
the last 10 weeks as investors become
more nervous about the threat of regu-
lation.
In China, authorities have closed
down Bitcoin mining operations in
Sichuan due to concerns about the
amount of power it consumes and
instructed banks not to provide cryp-
tocurrency-related services such as
clearing or trading. There have also
been crackdowns on illegal miners in
the UK and Malaysia.
In the US, Treasury Secretary Ja-
net Yellen has urged financial regula-
tors to ‘act quickly’ to instigate new
rules governing stablecoins, a type of
cryptocurrency whose value is fixed to
a national currency or commodity, but
are considered a risk as they remain
unsupervised.
has deployed over $157 bil-
lion, its largest-ever crisis re-
sponse yet, to fight the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic
on health, economic and so-
cial fronts during the past 15
months.
This unprecedented level
of support represents an in-
crease of more than 60 per
cent over the 15-month period
prior to the pandemic, the
bank said.
The World Bank’s Group’s
announcement of its critical
financial support came a few
days after a similar decision
taken by the executive board
of the International Monetary
Fund for a $650 billion ex-
pansion in resources to sup-
port economically vulnerable
nations in their fight against
COVID-19.
World Bank Group Presi-
dent David Malpass said the
Washington-based institu-
tion has committed or mobi-
lised a record $157 billion in
new financing since the start
of the pandemic, an unprec-
edented level of support for an
unprecedented crisis.
“We will continue to pro-
vide critical assistance to de-
veloping countries through
this ongoing pandemic to help
achieve a more broad-based
economic recovery,” he said.
Malpass said the World
Bank Group has proven to be a
rapid, innovative, and effective
platform to support develop-
ing countries as they respond
to the pandemic and strength-
en resilience for future shocks.
“But we must still do
more,” he said, adding that
he remains deeply concerned
about the limited availability
of vaccines, which are critical
60% rise
● This unprecedented level
of support represents an
increase of more than 60
percent over the 15-month
period prior to the
pandemic. WB will
continue to provide critical
assistance to developing
countries through this
ongoing pandemic
to saving lives and livelihoods,
for developing countries.
According to a bank state-
ment, support to countries
from the International Bank
for Reconstruction and De-
velopment totalled $45.6 bil-
lion, including drawing down
IBRD’s $10 billion crisis buff-
er in addition to the board-
approved sustainable annual
lending limits.
Grants and zero or low-
interest loans to the world’s
poorest countries from the
International Development
Association (IDA) amounted
to $53.3 billion. To meet in-
creased financing needs, the
World Bank fully used all the
remaining IDA18 resources in
fiscal 2020 and frontloaded
about half of all the three-year
envelope of IDA19 resources in
FY21, it said.

Nasdaq set to create

new platform for trading
stocks of unlisted firms
Agencies
New York
Nasdaq said on Tuesday it
will spin out its Private Market
to form a new platform for trad-
ing unlisted company shares
through a joint venture with a
number of major banks.
The exchange said the new
company, in which Citi, Gold-
man Sachs, Morgan Stanley
and SVB Financial Group
(owner of the Silicon Valley
Bank) are investing, will es-
tablish “an institutional-grade,
centralised secondary trading
venue” for companies, brokers
and investors to trade in private
company shares.
“Using the scale and dis-
tribution of our joint venture
partners alongside our market
leading technology and mar-
kets experience, Nasdaq Pri-
vate Market will become the
go-to marketplace that con-
nects and manages the need
of the entire private ecosystem
through one platform,” said
Nasdaq Private Market presi-
dent Eric Folkemer.
The Nasdaq Private Market
was first set up in 2014 to pro-
vide a way to allow private com-
panies to trade shares ahead of
a stock market listing.
The ever-greater sums of
funding allocated to private
equity – more than $4.95 tril-
lion in the five years between
2016 and 2020 – mean that
fast-growing companies often
stay private for much longer.
Equity-linked
● The new platform will
allow companies to
better manage changes
to equity structures and
equity-linked pay as well
as allowing
continuous trading
“As a result, they need the
ability to offer their employees
a safe and easy way to generate
liquidity while they are build-
ing their businesses,” said
Greg Becker, chief executive of
SVB Financial Group.
“Together with Nasdaq
and this impressive consor-
tium of leading banks, we are
establishing a secondary trad-
ing venue for private company
stock that will offer our clients
a path to employee retention in
an environment where access
to talent is one of the biggest
challenges.”
IMF’s Okamoto urges countries to shift
from economic rescue to reforms
Reuters
Washington
The International Monetary
Fund’s No. 2 official on Tues-
day called on countries to
pivot from saving their econ-
omies from collapse to reviv-
ing growth-oriented policy
reforms to boost their recov-
ery prospects and make them
more sustainable.
IMF First Deputy Manag-
ing Director Geoffrey Okamoto
said in a blog posting on the
IMF website that the COV-
ID-19 pandemic delayed and
reversed some pro-growth re-
forms and restoring these can
help make up for output lost
during the pandemic.
Reforms that allow for
faster restructurings and
resolution of unviable busi-
nesses and labor policies to
help retrain workers and line
them up with job openings
can help shift workers and
capital to more promising,
dynamic parts of the econo-
my, Okamoto said. Improved
competition policy frameworks
such as those being debated in
Europe and the United States
can reduce the concentration
of market power among a few
The IMF headquarters in Washington.
firms and create more dynamic
competition and innovation.
“Using this moment for
some of these difficult reforms
means that the monetary and
fiscal stimulus still flowing
will serve as a springboard
to a brighter and more sus-
tainable future rather than a
crutch to a weaker version of
the pre-COVID-19 economy,”
Okamoto said. “Seizing the
opportunity could deliver
years of solid post-COVID-19
growth and progress in living
standards.”
The call for a renewed fo-
cus on reforms comes as the
IMF is shifting from non-con-
ditional emergency COVID-19
pandemic financing toward
the negotiation of more tradi-
tional IMF loan programmes,
which require recipient coun-
tries to meet policy reform
benchmarks.
The Fund last week ap-
proved a new, $1.5 billion,
three-year Extended Credit
Facility arrangement for
the Democratic Republic of
Congo, which includes re-
forms to boost revenue col-
lections, improve natural
resource management gov-
ernance and strengthen the
country’s monetary policy
framework to ensure central
bank independence.
The IMF is also negotiat-
ing a new Extended Fund Fa-
cility with Argentina, which
has struggled under a $57
billion IMF loan, arranged in
2018, the Fund’s largest-ever.
The IMF estimates that
comprehensive growth-en-
hancing reforms in product,
labour and financial markets
could lift annual GDP per cap-
ita growth by over 1 percent-
age point in emerging market
and developing economies in
the next decade.
Countries taking such
steps would be able to double
their speed of convergence
with advanced economies’
living standards relative to
pre-pandemic years, Okamo-
to said. For advanced econo-
mies, pro-growth reforms
that target the supply side
could guard against persis-
tent inflationary risks caused
by excess demand pressures.
These reforms can boost
investor confidence in emerg-
ing market countries that have
been able to maintain access to
global capital markets during
the pandemic and help these
countries cope with any tight-
ening of financial conditions,
especially if inflation per-
sists in advanced economies,
prompting interest rate hikes.
The higher growth by
reforms can help poorer
countries avoid harsh fiscal
austerity, allowing them to
maintain social and health
spending while investing in
the future, Okamoto said.
08 Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Economy & Business

Ben & Jerry’s will stop selling ice cream in Palestinian territories
Agencies
Ben & Jerry’s will no longer
sell ice cream in occupied Pal-
estinian territories, saying it’s
inconsistent with the values of
the socially conscious brand.
The ice cream company,
which is owned by Unilever,
has been doing business in Is-
rael since 1987.
But the brand has come
under scrutiny for its relation-
ships in Israel in recent years
as tensions in the region have
flared up.
The Vermont-based com-
pany has aligned itself with
liberal causes, including di-
verting some funds destined
for police departments and
investing “that money in
community-driven solutions
that foster real health, peace-
keeping, and safety,” it said
in a statement in June 2020.
The company has called on
the United States to end white
supremacy and launched a
podcast on racism in America
last year. In December 2020,
Ben & Jerry’s unveiled a Colin
Kaepernick-inspired non-
dairy ice cream flavor called
“Change the Whirled.”
Fans have taken the com-
pany to task for doing business
in Israel — especially in West
— arguing it doesn’t align with
Israel warns of ‘serious consequences’ Ben & Jerry’s liberal image.
The company has been
Israel’s new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned Unilever mostly silent on the topic. In
that it faced “serious consequences” after the Ben & Jerry’s 2015, Ben & Jerry’s posted on
ice cream brand it owns said it is pulling out of the occupied its website that it was “keenly
Palestinian territories. Bennett said he had spoken to aware of how complex the lo-
Unilever’s chief executive Alan Jope about the “glaring cal market can be,” and it be-
lieved it could affect positive
anti-Israel measure” taken by the ice cream maker. “From change by maintaining a pres-
Israel’s standpoint, this action has severe consequences, ence in the region.
legal and otherwise, and it will move aggressively against any But Monday, Ben & Jerry’s
boycott measure targeting civilians,” Bennett told Unilever’s had a change of heart, saying it
boss, according to a statement from his office sent to the heard and recognized the con-
Reuters news agency. In a tweet on Monday evening, cerns shared by its fans and
Bennett described Ben & Jerry’s decision as morally wrong. partners.
Ben & Jerry’s said it in-
formed its licensee in Israel
Bank settlements, considered illegal under international law that its agreement will not be
renewed when it expires at the
end of 2022. After then, Ben &
Jerry’s will no longer be sold
in the Palestinian territories.
The company’s ice cream will,
however, continue to be sold
in Israel, “through a different
arrangement,” Ben & Jerry’s
said, noting it will update cus-
tomers on those details in the
future.
Israeli politicians blasted
the decision by the ice cream
brand. The country’s new
prime minister, Naftali Ben-
nett, said that Ben & Jerry’s
has decided to brand itself as
the”anti-Israel ice cream.”
Ayelet Shaked, Israel’s
minister of interior, tweeted
her disdain for Ben & Jerry’s
decision Monday.
“Your ice cream is not in
line with our taste,” she said.
“We will manage without you.”
The Israeli-Palestinian re-
lationship is fraught with con-
flict, with some of the disagree-
ments stemming from who
settled in the land thousands
of years ago. International law
considers East Jerusalem, the
West Bank, the Golan Heights,
and Gaza as occupied territory
under United Nations Security
Council Resolutions, though
that characterization is dis-
puted by Israel.

UBS shares rise US drug distributors pay $1.18 bn to

after surge in fee
income lifts profit
Agencies
UBS Group posted better-
than-expected profit in the
second quarter after Swit-
zerland’s largest bank ben-
efited from surging new
assets and fee income, driv-
ing the shares to their big-
gest gain in more than eight
months.
More than a year after
the onset of the pandemic,
the firm is seeing large in-
creases in both recurring fee
income – which the bank
typically receives for helping
manage client assets – and
transaction-based earn-
ings as clients boost trad-
ing. Those dynamics helped
drive net income about 63
per cent higher compared
with a year earlier to $2 bil-
lion, beating analyst esti-
mates.
Chief executive Ralph
Hamers is benefiting from
buoyant markets and client
demand after UBS pivoted
away from more volatile in-
vestment banking to help-
ing the rich manage their
fortunes. Nine months in,
he’s announced jobs cuts
and indicated he wants to
use artificial intelligence to
lower costs as competition
for wealthy clients increases.
But with competition for tal-
ent heating up and uncer-
tainty about the recovery,
he’ll have to look beyond
trimming expenses to main-
tain the bank’s edge.
UBS rose as much as 4.8
per cent in Zurich trading,
the most since November,
and was 4.5 per cent higher
as of 12.11pm local time.
The wealth manage-
ment business saw $25bn
of inflows of net new fee-
generating assets across all
regions and also made $7bn
in net new loans to rich cli-
ents in the quarter as it seeks
to deepen relationships with
wealthy families. The bank
said it’s focusing on growth
in the largest and fastest
growing markets of the US
and Asia Pacific region,
while warning activity is set
to moderate.
“We expect our revenues
in the third quarter of 2021
to be influenced by seasonal
factors, such as lower cli-
ent activity levels compared
with the second quarter,”
the bank said. “Higher asset
prices should have a positive
effect on recurring fee in-
come in our asset gathering
business,” it said.
JPMorgan Chase and
Goldman Sachs said borrow-
ing by rich clients boomed
during the second quarter
even as loans to less-wealthy
customers continued to
stagnate amid government
stimulus. JPMorgan’s loans
to wealthy clients increased
21 per cent from a year ear-
lier, while Goldman Sachs
saw a jump of 43 per cent.
UBS may also benefit as
its cross-town rival Credit
Suisse struggles with defec-
tions in the wake of twin
hits from Archegos and the
collapse of a $10bn group of
funds that it ran with now-
defunct Greensill Capital.
Credit Suisse is scheduled to
report second-quarter earn-
ings on July 29.
At the investment bank,
UBS benefited from its fo-
cus on equities in the sec-
ond quarter, which partially
compensated for lower rev-
enues in foreign exchange,
rates and credit. Results
included an $87 million hit
from the collapse of Arche-
gos Capital Management
that the bank had already
flagged in the first quarter,
when it booked a surprise
$774m hit from Archegos.
Chairman Axel Weber later
apologized for the loss.
Hamers said on a con-
ference call on Tuesday the
bank plans to give investors
a strategic update in the
fourth quarter, including
the setting of new financial
targets.
settle opioids claim with NY state
McKesson,
Cardinal Health and
AmerisourceBer-
gen say outcome is
‘an important step’
towards finalising a
nationwide
agreement
Agencies
The three largest US drug
distributors agreed during a
trial to pay up to $1.18 billion
to settle claims by New York
state and two of its biggest
counties over their role in the
nationwide opioid epidemic,
the state’s attorney general
said on Tuesday.
McKesson Corporation,
Cardinal Health and Ameri-
sourceBergen settled as state
attorneys general prepare to
announce as soon as this week
a landmark $26bn deal with
the distributors and drug- The three biggest US drug distribution companies settled a lawsuit with the state of New York which alleged they ignored warnings that opioids
maker Johnson & Johnson to were being diverted for illegal use.
resolve cases nationwide.
The deal with New York distributors called the set- tors from the case, without Payments will start in two next week.
Attorney General Letitia tlement “an important step discussing the terms of the months and will continue New York’s deal, worth
James and the populous Long toward finalising a broad set- deal. over the next 17 years, Ms more than $1 billion, is the
Island counties of Nassau and tlement with states, counties The New York trial will James said. share of the national deal it
Suffolk came three weeks into and political subdivisions”. continue against three drug More than 3,300 cases will receive from distributors
the first jury trial accusing About 500,000 people companies accused of decep- have been filed largely by if the national deal is final-
companies of profiting from a died from opioid overdoses in tively marketing their pain- states and local governments ized. New York also reached
flood of addictive painkillers the United States from 1999 killers – Endo International, alleging drugmakers falsely a similar deal last month with
that devastated communities. to 2019, according to the US Teva Pharmaceutical Indus- marketed opioid painkillers Johnson & Johnson worth
“While no amount of Centres for Disease Control tries and AbbVie’s Allergan as safe, and distributors and $230 million.
money will ever compensate and Prevention. And the cri- unit. pharmacies of ignoring red “Today, we’re holding
for the millions of addictions, sis appeared to have wors- Before the trial, Johnson flags that they were being di- them accountable delivering
the hundreds of thousands of ened during the coronavirus & Johnson agreed to pay $263 verted to illegal channels. more than $1 billion more
deaths, or the countless com- pandemic. million to resolve the claims The companies have de- into New York communities
munities decimated by opi- The CDC said last week by the state and counties. nied wrongdoing, with drug ravaged by opioids for treat-
oids, this money will be vital in that provisional data showed Pharmacy operators Wal- distributors saying they ment, recovery, and preven-
preventing any future devasta- 2020 was a record year for greens Boots Alliance, CVS maintained anti-diversion tion efforts,” New York At-
tion,” James said. drug overdose deaths with Health, Rite Aid and Walmart programmes and drugmakers torney General Letitia James
Hunter Shkolnik, a lawyer 93,331, up 29 per cent from agreed to settle with the coun- noting their pain medicines said in a statement Tuesday.
for Nassau County at the law a year earlier. Opioids were ties for a combined $26m. had US approval and labels The trial is expected to
firm Napoli Shkolnik, said in involved in 74.7 per cent, or James’s office said that that warned of the known continue, but the settlement
a statement that unlike the 69,710, of those fatalities. of the nearly $1.18bn the dis- risks of opioids. leaves only three drug manu-
proposed national settlement, Justice Jerry Garguilo, tributors agreed to pay, more Two other opioid cases are facturers as defendants.
the New York deal “is not who is presiding over the trial than $1bn will go towards ad- also on trial in West Virginia Other manufacturers, re-
contingent on the rest of the in Central Islip, on Tuesday dressing the epidemic. The and California. Those cases gional distribution companies
country or other states join- morning granted a request counties have said the money will be decided by judges, and pharmacies will remain
ing”. by lawyers for the state and will be used for mental health with closing arguments in the in the New York and other
In a joint statement, the counties to drop the distribu- and addiction programmes. West Virginia case expected cases for now.

EasyJet’s Europe travel Electric car lithium demand powers mining revival in UK
capacity set to triple
Agencies
British airline easyJet fore-
cast an increase in passenger
numbers to 60 per cent of pre-
pandemic capacity from just
17 per cent in the most recent
quarter as it announced it had
stabilised net debt.
Announcing its third quar-
ter debts, the company said
its cost and cash management
approach had held net debt
broadly flat at £2 billion as it
recorded a headline loss before
tax of £318 million. The figures
were in line with analysts ex-
pectations.
Easyject said the more than
tripling of passenger numbers
it projects will come of the
back of a pivot towards popu-
lar routes where management
sees rising customer demand.
EasyJet’s boss has been
one of the most vocal critics
of Britain’s approach to trav-
el over the last two months,
slamming last-minute changes
which have resulted in booking
surges and mass cancellations.
For now, easyJet said it
had scheduled 60 per cent of
its flying on internal Euro-
pean Union routes. Normally
its business is split evenly be-
tween Britain and the EU.
But the company said it ex-
pected bookings from the UK
to improve in the coming pe-
riod as quarantine is scrapped
for fully vaccinated arrivals
from some European coun-
tries.
The airline’s plan to fly
more capacity in the July- Sep-
tember period, when it tends
to make almost all of its profit,
is being matched by rival low-
cost airlines such Ryanair and
Wizz Air which have also add-
ed more flights.
The company said that it
had improved its cash burn
rate during the period to £34
million per week, better than
the £40 million guidance it
gave earlier in the year.
Agencies
As the global auto sector ac-
celerates production of elec-
tric cars, one British company
is hoping to cash in from min-
ing lithium needed to make
rechargeable batteries that
power the vehicles.
It is five years since former
investment banker Jeremy
Wrathall launched Cornish
Lithium, a company operating
in Cornwall, southwest Eng-
land, which recently hosted
the G7 summit.
And while it may be an-
other four years until it begins
commercial production of the
metal, Wrathall is optimistic
that his punt will pay divi-
dends.
“In 2016, I started to think
about the electric vehicle revo-
lution and what that would
mean for metal demand and
I started to think about lithi-
um,” he told AFP in an inter-
view.
“A friend of mine men-
tioned lithium being identi-
Cornish Lithium is at a testing stage to see if the metal can be produced
commercially to meet growing demand from the electric car sector.
fied in Cornwall and I just
wondered if that was a sort of
an unrecognized thing in the
UK.” In fact lithium was dis-
covered in Cornwall in 1864,
while the area is known for its
historic copper and tin min-
ing, which dates back 4,000
years and ended at the turn of
the century.
“Of course I would like to
revive mining in Cornwall but
this a commercial project,”
insisted Wrathall. “It’s not a
mission that drives me to the
point to be emotional or ro-
mantic.” Cornish Lithium is
at a testing stage to see if the
metal can be produced com-
mercially.
“Initial results are encour-
aging. I’m excited about it,”
Wrathall said, whose com-
pany has revived a former
mine situated away from the
area’s picturesque villages and
beaches.
The mining firm is look-
ing to extract enough lithium
from hot water underground
to meet at least a “significant
proportion” of UK demand,
while at the same time re-
specting the environment.
It is mulling the capture
of heat from underground to
generate clean power, or geo-
thermal energy, that can be
used to extract the lithium.
Wrathall explained that
Cornwall benefited from hav-
ing very clean water.
“It has a lot of lithium and
very little of anything else,”
he explained. “When you’re
looking for needles in a hay-
stack you want as little hay as
possible and more needle and
that’s what we’ve got.” The
project has been far from easy,
from securing drilling rights
from landowners to finding
the technology to bring water
containing the lithium to the
surface.
And the company is fac-
ing competition from British
Lithium, which is looking to
extract the metal from Corn-
wall’s granite.
British demand for lithium
is set to reach 75,000 tonnes
by 2035, five years ahead of
a UK ban on the sale of high-
polluting diesel and petrol ve-
hicles.
Lithium is mined mostly in
Australia and South America,
while China controls the sup-
ply chain.
And while automakers
insist on the environmental
benefits of electric vehicles,
the bulk of current lithium ex-
traction relies on power from
polluting fossil fuels.
In Europe, projects are on-
going for cleaner extraction of
the metal in France and Ger-
many.

Race leads
to record
funding for
space-tech
start-ups
Agencies
Billionaire space en-
trepreneurs like Jeff Be-
zos, Richard Branson and
Elon Musk have raised the
public profile and plausi-
bility of commercial space
travel in recent years. The
hype has helped fuel a
wave of funding into start-
ups building the infra-
structure to bring the new
space race from science
fiction to reality.
Space-related technol-
ogy is a $200-billion mar-
ket that spans companies
building products and ser-
vices to use on Earth, in or-
bit or for space exploration
and colonisation missions.
Venture capital investment
in such companies reached
a record $5.5bn in 2020,
according to market re-
search firm PitchBook. The
industry is on pace to top
that milestone with $3.6bn
raised across 94 deals in
the first six months of this
year.
Last week Branson
completed a suborbital
test flight aboard Virgin
Galactic Holdings’ VSS
Unity and Bezos is making
his own journey to space
on Tuesday, on a rocket
made by his company Blue
Origin. Marketing stunt or
not, the increased atten-
tion around the industry
has helped spur innovation
and a surge of capital for
companies looking to lay
the foundation for space
infrastructure.
“The rising tide lifts all
boats,” said Daniel Ceper-
ley, co-founder and chief
executive of LeoLabs, a
company that provides
radar tracking services for
objects in low Earth orbit.
The majority of capital
has historically been fun-
nelled to companies fo-
cused on technology to use
on Earth, including satel-
lite communications and
imagery, Earth monitor-
ing and geospatial analyt-
ics. However, increasing
ambitions to explore past
our home planet are fuel-
ling what is expected to be
a vibrant “space-for-space
economy,” PitchBook
analyst Ryan Vaswani
wrote in a recent report.
The new interest could
benefit companies like
LeoLabs.
How China transformed into a prime cyber threat to the US
NYT
Nearly a decade ago, the
United States began naming
and shaming China for an on-
slaught of online espionage,
the bulk of it conducted us-
ing low-level phishing emails
against American companies
for intellectual property theft.
On Monday, the United
States again accused China
of cyberattacks. But these at-
tacks were highly aggressive,
and they reveal that China
has transformed into a far
more sophisticated and ma-
ture digital adversary than
the one that flummoxed U.S.
officials a decade ago.
The Biden administra-
tion’s indictment for the cy-
berattacks, along with inter-
views with dozens of current
and former U.S. officials,
shows that China has reor-
ganized its hacking opera-
tions in the intervening years.
While it once conducted rela-
tively unsophisticated hacks
of foreign companies, think
tanks and government agen-
cies, China is now perpetrat-
ing stealthy, decentralized
digital assaults of American
companies and interests
around the world.
Hacks that were conduct-
ed via sloppily worded spear-
phishing emails by units of
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launches carrying passengers Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and space tourism company Blue Origin, brother Mark Bezos, Oliver Daemen and
Wally Funk, from its spaceport near Van Horn, Texas, on Tuesday.
Bezos blasts into space on
own rocket: ‘Best day ever!’
Unlike Branson’s piloted rocket plane, Bezos’ capsule was completely automated and required no official staff
Agencies
Jeff Bezos blasted into space
Tuesday on his rocket com-
pany’s first flight with people
on board, becoming the second
billionaire in just over a week
to ride his own spacecraft.
The Amazon founder
was accompanied by a hand-
picked group: his brother, an
18-year-old from the Neth-
erlands and an 82-year-old
aviation pioneer from Texas
— the youngest and oldest to
ever fly in space.
“Best day ever!” Bezos said
when the capsule touched
down on the desert floor in
remote West Texas after the
10-minute flight.
Named after America’s
first astronaut, Blue Origin’s
New Shepard rocket soared
on the 52nd anniversary of
the Apollo 11 moon landing,
a date chosen by Bezos for
its historical significance. He
held fast to it, even as Virgin
Galactic’s Richard Branson
pushed up his own flight from
New Mexico in the race for
space tourist dollars and beat
the People’s Liberation Army
are now carried out by an elite
satellite network of contrac-
tors at front companies and
universities that work at the
direction of China’s Ministry
of State Security, according to
U.S. officials and the indict-
ment.
While phishing attacks
remain, the espionage cam-
paigns have gone under-
ground and employ sophis-
ticated techniques. Those
include exploiting “zero-
days,” or unknown security
holes in widely used software
like Microsoft’s Exchange
email service and Pulse VPN
security devices, which are
harder to defend against and
allow China’s hackers to op-
erate undetected for longer
periods.
“What we’ve seen over the
past two or three years is an
upleveling” by China, said
George Kurtz, CEO of the cy-
bersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
“They operate more like a
professional intelligence ser-
vice than the smash-and-grab
operators we saw in the past.”
China has long been one of
the biggest digital threats to
the United States. In a 2009
classified National Intelli-
gence Estimate, a document
that represents the consen-
sus of all 16 U.S. intelligence
Economy & Business
him to space by nine days.
Unlike Branson’s piloted
rocket plane, Bezos’ capsule
was completely automated
and required no official staff
on board for the up-and-down
flight.
Blue Origin reached an
altitude of about 66 miles
(106 kilometers), more than
10 miles (16 kilometers)
higher than Branson’s July 11
ride. The 60-foot (18-meter)
booster accelerated to Mach
3 or three times the speed of
sound to get the capsule high
enough, before separating and
landing upright.
During their several min-
utes of weightlessness, vid-
eo from inside the capsule
showed the four floating, do-
ing somersaults, tossing Skit-
tles candies and throwing
balls. Cheering, whooping and
exclamations of “wow” could
be heard. The capsule landed
under parachutes, with Bezos
and his guests briefly expe-
riencing nearly six times the
force of gravity, or 6 G’s, on
the way back.
Led by Bezos, they climbed
(FILE) Anne Neuberger, US deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, addresses a
news conference at the White house on Feb. 17, 2021, about the SolarWinds cyber attack. (NYT)
agencies, China and Russia
topped the list of America’s
online adversaries. But China
was deemed the more imme-
diate threat because of the
volume of its industrial trade
theft.
But that threat is even
more troubling now because
of China’s revamping of its
hacking operations. Further-
more, the Biden administra-
tion has turned cyberattacks
— including ransomware at-
tacks — into a major diplo-
Historic significance
Named after America’s first
astronaut, Blue Origin’s New
Shepard rocket soared on the
52nd anniversary of the Apollo
11 moon landing, a date
chosen by Bezos for its
historical significance. He held
fast to it, even as Virgin
Galactic’s Richard Branson
pushed up his own flight from
New Mexico in the race for
space tourist dollars and beat
him to space by nine days
out of the capsule after touch-
down with wide grins, em-
bracing parents, partners and
children, then popped open
bottles of sparkling wine,
spraying one another.
“My expectations were
high and they were dramati-
cally exceeded,” Bezos said
later. Their flight lasted 10
minutes and 10 seconds — five
matic front with superpowers
like Russia, and U.S. relations
with China have steadily dete-
riorated over issues including
trade and tech supremacy.
In 2015, Obama officials
threatened to greet President
Xi Jinping of China with an
announcement of sanctions
on his first visit to the White
House, after a particularly
aggressive breach of the U.S.
Office of Personnel Manage-
ment. In that attack, Chinese
hackers made off with sensi-
minutes shy of Alan Shep-
ard’s Freedom 7 flight in 1961.
Shepard’s daughters, Laura
and Julie, were introduced
at a press conference a few
hours later. Sharing Bezos’
dream-come-true adventure
was Wally Funk, from the
Dallas area, one of 13 female
pilots who went through the
same tests as NASA’s all-male
astronaut corps in the early
1960s but never made it into
space.
“I’ve been waiting a long
time to finally get it up there,”
Funk said after the flight. I
want to go again — fast,” she
added.
Joining them on the ul-
timate joyride was the com-
pany’s first paying customer,
Oliver Daemen, a last-minute
fill-in for the mystery winner
of a $28 million auction who
opted for a later flight. The
Dutch teen’s father took part
in the auction, and agreed on
a lower undisclosed price last
week when Blue Origin of-
fered his son the vacated seat.
Among the items brought
on the flight: A pair of avia-
tive personal information, in-
cluding more than 20 million
fingerprints, for Americans
who had been granted a secu-
rity clearance.
White House officials
soon struck a deal that China
would cease its hacking of
American companies and in-
terests for its industrial ben-
efit. For 18 months during
the Obama administration,
security researchers and in-
telligence officials observed
a notable drop in Chinese
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
tor Amelia Earhart’s goggles
and a piece of fabric from the
original Wright Flyer.
“I got goose bumps,” said
Angel Herrera of El Paso, who
watched the launch from in-
side Van Horn High School,
about 25 miles (40 kilom-
eters) away. “The hair on the
back of my neck stood up, just
witnessing history.”
Blue Origin — founded
by Bezos in 2000 in Kent,
Washington, near Amazon’s
Seattle headquarters — hasn’t
revealed its price for a ride to
space. Two more passenger
flights are planned by year’s
end, said Blue Origin CEO
Bob Smith.
The recycled rocket and
capsule used Tuesday flew on
the last two space demos, ac-
cording to company officials.
Virgin Galactic already has
more than 600 reservations at
$250,000 apiece. Founded by
Branson in 2004, the com-
pany has sent crew into space
four times and plans two more
test flights from New Mexico
before launching customers
next year.
hacking.
After President Donald
Trump took office and ac-
celerated trade conflicts and
other tensions with China,
the hacking resumed. By
2018, U.S. intelligence offi-
cials had noted a shift: Peo-
ple’s Liberation Army hack-
ers had stood down and been
replaced by operatives work-
ing at the behest of the Min-
istry of State Security, which
handles China’s intelligence,
security and secret police.
Hacks of intellectual
property, that benefited Chi-
na’s economic plans, origi-
nated not from the PLA but
from a looser network of
front companies and con-
tractors, including engineers
who worked for some of the
country’s leading technol-
ogy companies, according to
intelligence officials and re-
searchers.
It was unclear how exact-
ly China worked with these
loosely affiliated hackers.
Some cybersecurity experts
speculated that the engineers
were paid cash to moonlight
for the state, while others
said those in the network had
no choice but to do whatever
the state asked. In 2013, a
classified U.S. National Se-
curity Agency memo said,
“The exact affiliation with
09
Asian shares
fall on virus
variant woes
Agencies
Asian shares fell Tuesday as
worries were growing that a
faster-spreading variant of the
coronavirus could upend the
global economic recovery.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei
225 slipped 0.9% to 27,417.75.
South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.6%
to 3,226.19. Australia’s S&P/
ASX 200 declined 0.5% to
7,252.20. Hong Kong’s Hang
Seng lost 1.1% to 27,189.43,
while the Shanghai Composite
fell 0.2% to 3,531.54.
Worries about the pan-
demic continue in Japan, with
three days to go before the
Tokyo Olympics open. Some
11,000 athletes are taking part
in the Games, and 22,000
other people have arrived
since July 1 to take part in the
Games.
Several athletes and more
than 60 other non-athletes af-
filiated with the Games have
tested positive. Fears are grow-
ing that, despite repeated tests,
infections may spread.
The vaccination rollout has
been slower in Japan than in
other developed nations, with
just 22% of the population fully
vaccinated. Reports that fully
vaccinated people have gotten
infected are another cause for
worry. The Japanese govern-
ment has repeatedly promised
“a safe and secure” Games.
On Wall Street, the S&P
500 fell 1.6% to 4,258.49, af-
ter setting a record just a week
earlier. In another sign of
worry, the yield on the 10-year
Treasury touched its lowest
level in five months as inves-
tors scrambled for safer places
to put their money.
The yield on the 10-year
Treasury was steady at 1.21%
after falling to 1.20% Monday
from 1.29% late Friday. In
March it was at roughly 1.75%.
The Dow Jones Indus-
trial Average slumped 2.1%
to 33,962.04, while the Nas-
daq composite lost 1.1% to
14,274.98.
Airlines and other compa-
nies that would get hurt the
most by potential COVID-19
restrictions took some of the
heaviest losses, similar to the
early days of the pandemic in
February and March 2020.
United Airlines lost 5.5%, mall
owner Simon Property Group
gave up 5.9%, and cruise op-
erator Carnival fell 5.7%.
The World Health Organi-
zation says cases and deaths
are climbing globally after a
period of decline, spurred by
the highly contagious delta
variant. And given how tightly
connected the global economy
is, a hit anywhere can quickly
affect the other side of the
world.
Chinese government enti-
ties is not known, but their
activities indicate a prob-
able intelligence requirement
feed from China’s Ministry of
State Security.” On Monday,
the White House provided
more clarity. In its detailed
indictment, the United States
accused China’s Ministry of
State Security of being be-
hind an aggressive assault on
Microsoft’s Exchange email
systems this year.
The United States also
accused Chinese universities
of playing a critical role, re-
cruiting students to the front
companies and running their
key business operations, like
payroll.
The indictment also
pointed to Chinese “govern-
ment-affiliated” hackers for
conducting ransomware at-
tacks that extort companies
for millions of dollars. Scru-
tiny of ransomware attackers
had previously largely fallen
on Russia, Eastern Europe
and North Korea.
Secretary of State Antony
Blinken said in a statement
Monday that China’s Ministry
of State Security “has fostered
an ecosystem of criminal con-
tract hackers who carry out
both state-sponsored activi-
ties and cybercrime for their
own financial gain.”

WEDNESday, JULY 21, 2021
‘Tokyo Olympics
will give humanity
faith in the future’
The Olympics stage is now set for the athletes “to shine and inspire the
world,” said Thomas Bach, President, International Olympic Committee
(IOC) , at the start of the 138th Session of IOC in Tokyo on Tuesday. (AFP)
DPA letes and other stakeholders.
Tokyo “In order to arrive at this
day today, we had to give
International Olympic confidence. We had to show a
Committee (IOC) chief Thom- way out of this crisis. We had
as Bach has named the Tokyo to provide stability. We had
Games an important milestone to build trust. We had to give
for mankind amid the corona- hope,” Bach said.
virus pandemic and that can- Bach insisted that “cancel-
cellation was not an option. lation was never an option for
“The Olympic Games To- us” because “the IOC never
kyo 2020 will give humanity abandons the athletes.”
faith in the future,” Bach said “Imagine for a moment
on Tuesday in the Japanese what it would have meant
capital at the start of the 138th if the leader of the Olympic
Session of the IOC. movement, the IOC, would
The Tokyo Games, delayed have added to the already
by a year, are set to open on
Friday despite wide-ranging
many doubts surrounding the
Olympic Games, it would have
coronavirus concerns, and poured fuel on to this fire.
Bach admitted he and the IOC “Our doubts could have
were also unsure if they would become a self-fulfilling proph-
be possible. ecy. The Olympic Games could
“We had doubts every have fallen to pieces. That
day. We deliberated and dis- is why we had to keep these
cussed. There were sleepless doubts to ourselves.”
nights. Like everyone else in The IOC members held a
the world, we did not know, I minute of silence at the start
did not know, what the future of the meeting to honour the
would hold,” Bach said. victims of the pandemic.
The 67-year-old German The Olympics stage is now
said these doubts were not set for the athletes “to shine
shared in order not to upset ath- and inspire the world.”
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito to
attend opening ceremony
to the Olympic Charter.
Citing officials familiar with the
planning, Kyodo news agency
said according arrangements
are being made.
The agency said the emperor
will meet with International
Olympic Committee (IOC)
president Thomas Bach on
Thursday at the Imperial Palace,
and other foreign dignitaries on
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito. Friday ahead of the opening.
The opening ceremony takes
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito will place behind closed doors owing
attend the opening ceremony of to the coronavirus pandemic, and
the Tokyo Olympics, the Impe- most competition at the Games
rial Household Agency said on will also be without fans.
Tuesday. The agency said that Empress
The presence of the emperor Masako would not be at the
at National Stadium on Friday opening ceremony, and Kyodo
should also mean that he will said that imperial family mem-
formally declare the July 23-Au- bers would also not attend
gust 8 Games open, as this Olympic events as part of
honour goes to the host na- measures to counter the spread
tion’s head of state, according of the Sars-CoV-2 virus. (DPA)
Japan’s Prime Minister
Yoshihide Suga, who has been
criticized domestically for his
coronavirus policy, opened the
IOC Session saying that “after
a long tunnel an exit is now in
our sight.”
The significance of the To-
kyo Games will not be “ham-
pered or reduced” by the diffi-
cult circumstances, Suga said.
The prime minister said
the health and safety of the
Japanese people and the
Olympic guests from overseas
will be protected.
Tokyo’s Governor Yuriko
Koike also spoke at the meet-
ing and said she wanted to
make the Olympics and Para-
lympics a success.
The Tokyo region is under a
state of coronavirus emergency
for the duration of the Games
which run until August 8.
Spectators won’t be al-
lowed to attend at most ven-
ues, and strict hygiene pro-
tocols apply for everyone
involved.
There have been more than
70 positive tests within the
Olympic bubble, including sev-
eral athletes, and a majority of
the Japanese people is opposed
to the staging of the Games in
the current conditions.
In decisions on Tuesday,
ski-mountaineering was added
to the programme of the 2026
Winter Games in Milan/Cor-
tina d’Ampezzo, after making
its Games debut at the 2020
Youth Olympics. Two events
each for men and women and
a mixed event are planned.
Former United Nations
Secretary General Ban Ki
Moon was re-elected chair-
man of the IOC ethics com-
mission, and the Session of-
ficially nodded off a change of
the Olympic motto of “faster,
higher, stronger” by adding
the word “together” to high-
light solidarity.
The IOC Session runs until
Wednesday when Australia’s
Brisbane is set to be elected
host of the 2032 Olympics af-
ter being named the preferred
candidate by the IOC execu-
tive board last month.
But IOC spokesman Mark
Adams insisted that “it isn’t
a done deal” because “they
(IOC members) could decide
to put them back into the pot”
among other interested par-
ties” – a highly unlikely sce-
nario though.
Tokyo chief doesn’t rule out cancellation if cases rise
DPA
Berlin
Tokyo Olympics organising
committee chief Toshiro Muto
has not ruled out cancelling
the Games at the last minute
should there be a surge in cor-
onavirus cases.
Officials announced a fur-
ther nine positive cases among
those linked to the Games on
Tuesday, taking the overall
number of people infected
since the start of July to 71.
That total includes South
Africa’s men’s footballers
Thabiso Monyane and Kamo-
helo Mahlatsi testing positive
while inside the athletes’ vil-
lage over the weekend.
A number of other athletes
have been forced to isolate af-
ter coming into close contact
with an individual that has
contracted the disease.
In order to arrive at
this day today, we had to
give confidence. We had
to show a way out of this
crisis. We had to provide
stability. We had to build
trust. We had to give hope.
IOC chief Thomas Bach
QATAR CONTINGENT IN JAPAN CELEBRATES EID AL ADHA
Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Secretary-General HE Jassim Rashid Al Beunain with Qatar athletes and other officials on the occasion of Eid
Al Adha in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Softball action from
today: Athletes can
express themselves
DPA
Berlin
The Tokyo Olympics start in
earnest two days before Fri-
day’s opening ceremony and
could possible see some first
athletes enjoying more free-
dom in expressing themselves.
Three softball and six
women’s football matches are
scheduled for Wednesday.
A softball date between
hosts Japan and Australia
starts the Games at 9am
(0000 GMT) in Fukushima,
the city hit hard by the tsu-
nami-caused meltdown at the
nuclear power station in 2011.
Also in action is the Unit-
ed States women’s football
team who as world champions
seek revenge against Sweden
against whom they lost in the
2016 quarter-finals.
The American women
were on the forefront of a fight
against racial injustice when
they took a knee during nation-
al anthems before games but
have given it up since February.
The gesture, and others,
are now possible for the first
time at the Olympics as a revi-
sion of the according rule 50
of the Olympic Charter allows
athletes to express themselves
ahead of their competitions, in
social media and in interviews.
With just three days to
go until the global sporting
event’s opening ceremony,
and with the first events start-
ing as soon as Wednesday,
director general Muto will
continue monitoring infection
levels in the hope they do not
spiral out of control.
“We can’t predict what will
happen with the number of
coronavirus cases. So we will
continue discussions if there is
a spike in cases,” he said at a
news conference.
“We have agreed that
based on the coronavirus situ-
ation, we will convene five-
party talks again. At this point,
the coronavirus cases may rise
or fall, so we will think about
what we should do when the
situation arises.”
Around 11,000 athletes
from 205 national Olympic
committees are expected to
The softball team were the first Australian Olympic athletes arriving in
Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games.
“When expressing their
Softball returns, women’s football begins
After an extra year of waiting, the
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 are finally
here in 2021. Over 17 days of the
Games – plus two additional days of
competition before the day of the
Opening Ceremony – the world’s best
athletes will get to show off the results
of their last five years of hard training.
21 July 2021
Competition begins two days ahead of
the Opening Ceremony, softball returns to
the Olympic Games. Women’s football
also begins.
Football: 1630-2130: Women’s Group E
(Sapporo Dome): Great Britain vs Chile,
Japan vs Canada; 1700-2200: Women’s
Tokyo Olympics organising
committee chief Toshiro Muto.
stay at the Olympic Village
over the next three weeks.
The 2020 Games, delayed
by a year due to the global
health pandemic, will be held
mostly without spectators due
to a state of emergency being
declared in Tokyo.
The number of new coro-
navirus cases in the Japanese
capital topped 1,000 for five
days running before dropping
to 727 on Monday.
views, athletes are expected
Group F (Miyagi Stadium): China vs Brazil,
Zambia vs Netherlands; 1730-2230:
Women’s Group G (Tokyo Stadium):
Sweden vs USA, Australia vs New Zealand
Softball: 0900-1700: Round robin
(Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium):
Australia v Japan, Italy v USA, Mexico v.
Canada
22 July 2021
Softball continues in Fukushima with
the second round of round-robin match-
es, while men’s football commences
with Japan in action in the capital.
Football: 1630-2130: Men’s Group C
(Sapporo Dome): Egypt vs Spain,
Argentina vs Australia; 1700-2200:
Amid concerns from the
wider population over the
Games going ahead, Japan’s
chef de mission Tsuyoshi
Fukui insisted a number of
safety measures are in place to
stop the virus spreading.
“Under these circum-
stances, we must admit that
COVID-19 is not subsiding,”
Fukui said on Tuesday. “We
have to pay tribute to many
people that enabled us to start
the Games. We will give our
utmost efforts so that the ath-
letes can do their best. We will,
as Team Japan, never forget
the sense of appreciation.
As of Monday night, the
Japanese athletes staying at
the Athletes’ Village is 236.
“We have seen more and
more athletes from other na-
tions enter the Village, but
there are rigorous COVID-19
countermeasures enforced
QatarTribune Qatar_Tribune
QatarTribuneChannel qatar_tribune
to respect the applicable laws,
the Olympic values and their
fellow athletes,” the Interna-
tional Olympic Committee
said earlier this month.
Protests remain forbidden
during ceremonies including
victory ceremonies and in the
Olympic village, and offenders
face sanctions right up to ex-
clusion from the Games.
This means that for in-
stance a raised fist protest on
the podium like at the 200m
medal ceremony in 1968 from
Americans Tommie Smith and
John Carlos remains outlawed.
“I hope the athletes will
respect each other,”  IOC 
athletes commission chair
Kirsty Coventry told reporters
on Tuesday.
Softball: 0900-1700: Round robin
(Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium): USA
v Canada, Mexico v Japan, Italy v Australia
23 July 2021
Both football and softball take a back
seat for a day as competition begins in
rowing and archery. The Opening
Ceremony takes pride of place in the
Men’s Group A (Tokyo Stadium): Mexico
vs France, Japan vs South Africa; Men’s evening.
Group B (Ibaraki Kashima Stadium): Archery: 0900-1100: W individual rank-
New Zealand vs Republic of Korea, ing round; 1300-1500: M individual
ranking round
Honduras vs Romania; 1730-2230:
Rowing: 0830-1210: M/W single, dou-
Men’s Group D (International Stadium
Yokohama): Côte d’Ivoire vs Saudi ble, quadruple sculls heats
Arabia; Brazil vs Germany Opening Ceremony: 2000-2300hrs.
and so far, there has been no
major issues.
“Including myself, athletes
and other members are taking
antigen tests every day, as well
as using an app to monitor our
health situations.
“Every time we enter the
Athletes’ Village, our tempera-
tures are checked, and we dis-
infect our hands.”
He added: “There are vari-
ous opinions  regarding the
Games and we are aware of
that. We would like to earnestly
listen to and take these opinions
into account, but at the same
time the mission of the Japa-
nese delegations is to establish
an environment where an ath-
lete could focus on sports.
“So through sports we
want to deliver hope and brav-
ery and to make sure that each
athlete can do their best in
their performance.”

Quick read
South Korean
athletes have their
own food service
at the Games
Seoul: South Korean athletes
will have their own food service
at the Tokyo Olympics because
of contamination fears, the
Yonhap news agency reported
on Tuesday. The report said that
the nation’s Olympic Committee
KSOC has set up a makeshift
kitchen in three containers at
a hotel parking lot some 20
minutes away from the athletes
village. Fourteen chefs are
preparing three boxed meals per
day for each team member, with
more than 400 boxes delivered
each day to the athletes and
officials.
Yonhap said the decision to
make their own meals came out
of fear about food from Fuku-
shima, the Japanese region ex-
posed to high levels of radiation
following a tsunami-triggered
meltdown at a nuclear power
plant in March 2011.
The kitchen team is to spend
the entire Games at the hotel
but the operation will have to be
stopped if someone tests posi-
tive for the coronavirus, Yonhap
quoted Jeong Nyeon Goo, head
of operations at the national
training centre, as saying.
South Korean athletes have
been served local meals at
Olympics since the 2008
Games in Beijing, the report
said. (dpa)
Search under way
for South Korean
climber missing
on Pakistan peak
Islamabad: Army helicopters
and fellow mountaineers on
Tuesday were searching an
over 8,000-metre high peak
in northern Pakistan after a
South Korean climber went
missing during his descent,
officials said.
Kim Hong Bin, 57-year-old
mountaineering veteran, fell
in a crevasse on Sunday after
he completed the summit of
8,047-metre high Broad Peak in
Karakoram Range, said Kar-
rar Haidri, the secretary of the
Pakistan Alpine Club.
“We are trying our best to find
him,” said Haidri, whose club
arranges expeditions for moun-
taineers in Pakistan. Kim, who
has scaled all of the world’s
peaks over 8 kilometres high, is
the first climber with a disability
to do so, Haidri said.
An Irish, a Chilean and a Paki-
stani climber went missing while
making a daring attempt to sum-
mit the K-2 peak during winter
this year.
Their bodies were never found.
A Bulgarian and two other climb-
ers also died this year during a
winter expedition at K-2. (dpa)
Chahar’s heroics help India seal series victory
ICC
Colombo
Deepak Chahar’s fine all-
round display with both bat
and ball helped the visitors
gain an unassailable 2-0 lead
in the ODI series in Colombo.
Chasing a target of 276,
openers Prithvi Shaw and Shi-
khar Dhawan went all guns
blazing for India, notching up
26 runs in the first two overs.
But the stand didn’t last long
as the introduction of spin saw
the early dismissal of Shaw
on 13, as Wanindu Hasaranga
celebrated a big scalp.
Ishan Kishan then soon
followed suit as he went for a
booming drive against Kasun
Rajitha, but only managed to
inside-edge the ball onto the
stumps. The onus was now on
India’s two most experienced
campaigners – skipper Dha-
wan and Manish Pandey to get
the visitors through troubled
waters.
Dhawan though, could not
repeat his exploits from the
first match, as he was trapped
in front of his stumps by Hasa-
ranga on 29.
Pandey and Suryakumar
Yadav then established a 50-
run stand, while adapting the
aggressive approach to coun-
ter-attack the Lankan bowlers.
Pandey though was unfortu-
Barty, Osaka lead women’s
entries for tennis in Tokyo
Japan’s Naomi Osaka attends a training session at the Ariake Tennis Park ahead of the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan
on Tuesday. (AFP)
Long jump world champ Mihambo
has 7m in her sights despite doubts
DPA
Frankfurt
World champion Malaika
Mihambo is not free of doubts
but has the 7-metre mark
firmly in her sights as the Ger-
man long jumper makes her
final preparations for the To-
kyo Olympics.
The coronavirus and a
changed approach run have
complicated matters for the
27-year-old who is yet to re-
gain the form of 2019 that
made her untouchable in the
discipline.
Mihambo claimed to world
title that year in Doha with an
impressive 7.30m.
Now her 2021-best is
6.92m in an Olympic season
where six others have already
sailed beyond 7m.
“My personal aim is to do
my best, to show what I am
capable of. Unfortunately it
India’s Deepak Chahar (C) celebrates with his teammates after India defeated Sri Lanka by 3 wickets
in their second One-Day International at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday. (AFP)
nate as he was run-out on the
non-striker’s end as Dasun
Shanaka managed to get his
fingers on the ball before it hit
the stumps from a Suryaku-
mar drive, while he was caught
off-guard outside his crease.
Hardik Pandya was then
dismissed for a duck as In-
dia were left with their backs
against the wall. Suryakumar
and Krunal Pandya’s stand of
44 then kept the game alive for
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo after claiming the long jump title at the
IAAF World Championships in Doha in 2019.
hasn’t worked out yet this
year. But the good thing is that
I know what I am capable of,
that I am in good shape, that I
can and will show it now,” Mi-
hambo told dpa.
“There are many good
jumpers ahead of me in the
rankings but I am not writ-
ing myself off.” Injuries were
the visitors, before the former
was dismissed after bringing
up his half-century.
Pandya was the next bats-
man to be dismissed on 35 af-
ter he got off to a good start.
With seven wickets back in
the shed, Sri Lanka were now
looking confident of over-
turning a nine-match losing
streak against India in home
conditions.
Chahar then took matters
Sports
among the reason the two-
time German Sportswoman of
the Year changed her approach
from 20 to 16 steps, which she
says cost her half a year.
“I never imagined it would
be so hard. There was a lot of
self doubt: can I still do it? Am
I good enough? Can I compete
with the best?” she said.
into his own hands, unleash-
ing a flurry of strokes to put
the pressure back onto the
Lankans.
He was ably supported by
Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the
other end, as he played the an-
chor role to perfection. Chahar
brought up his maiden ODI
half-century, as the match
hung finely in the balance.
Chahar scored an unbeaten
69 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Germany’s Malaika
Mihambo ruled the
long jump in 2019
highlighted by the
world title. Now she is
struggling for results
ahead of the Tokyo
Olympics but remains
confident in difficult
times.
Mihambo added she firmly
believes she can go beyond 7m
again and the last fine-tuning
will come at a team training
camp in Japan.
Qualifying at the Olympics
is on August 1 and the final on
August 3.
Mihambo, who finished
fourth at Rio 2016, said a
medal would be worth even
Scoreboard
Sri Lanka
A. Fernando c K. Pandya b Kumar 
M. Bhanuka c Pandey b Chahal 
B. Rajapaksa c Kishan b Chahal 
D. de Silva c Dhawan b Chahar 
C. Asalanka c sub (D. Padikkal) b Kumar 
D. Shanaka b Chahal 
W. Hasaranga b Chahar 
C. Karunaratne not out 
D. Chameera sub (D Padikkal) b Kumar 
L. Sandakan run out (?Ishan Kishan) 
K. Rajitha not out 
Extras: (lb6, nb2, w13) 
Total: (For 9 wickets, 50 overs) 
Fall of wickets: 1-77 (Bhanuka), 2-77 (Rajapaksa),
3-124 (Fernando), 4-134 (D. de Silva), 5-172
(Shanaka), 6-194 (Hasaranga), 7-244 (Asalanka),
8-264 (Chameera), 6-266 (Sandakan).
Bowling: Kumar 10-0-54-3 (w1, nb1), Chahar 8-0-53-
2 (w3), H. Pandya 4-0-20-0 (w7, nb1), Chahal 10-1-
50-3, Yadav 10-0-55-0 (w1), K. Pandya 8-0-37-0 (w1).
India (Target: 276)
chipped in with a handy 19* as
the Sri Lankan bowlers were
taken aback with the India
fightback. With five deliver-
ies remaining, India sealed a
three-wicket victory and there-
fore gained an unreachable 2-0
lead in the three-match series.
Earlier in the contest, Sri
Lanka got off to a steady if
not spectacular start after a
77-run stand by their openers
Avishka Fernando and Mi-
nod Bhanuka. But they then
started losing wickets in quick
succession as Yuzvendra Cha-
hal’s twin-strikes in the 14th
overturned the match on its
shoulders.
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
WTA
World No.1 Ashleigh Barty
and No.2 Naomi Osaka will be
making their Olympic debuts
at Tokyo 2020 Games. The
ITF has confirmed the final
entry lists for the Tokyo 2020
Olympic Tennis Event.
The finalized entry list in-
cludes the top nine players
on the Porsche Race Lead-
erboard, as well as 15 of the
WTA Top 20. Amongst the
Top 20, only the USA’s Sofia
Kenin and Serena Williams,
Canada’s Bianca Andreescu,
Romania’s Simona Halep, and
Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka
have opted out.
Between the men’s and
women’s fields, a total of 46
nations will be represented
in this year’s Olympic tennis
event, which will take place at
Ariake Tennis Park from Sat-
urday, July 24 until Sunday,
August 1st.
According to the ITF’s
Olympic Qualification Sys-
tem, entries are based on the
WTA rankings on June 14, the
Monday after Roland Garros.
All players must be in good
standing with their national
association and have made
themselves available to repre-
more in Tokyo “because the
conditions are so much more
difficult than in a regular year.
“It would be great to end
these tough times with some-
thing nice,” she said.
Mihambo, whose father
is from Zanzibar, said she
would unlikely take a knee
before or after the competi-
tion because “I can’t get on
friendly terms with big ges-
tures” even though she has
been the target of racism her-
self in the past at school.
But she praised other
athletes who protest against
racial discrimination in this
way, “standing for greater
values that are partly for-
gotten.” There is also a vis-
ible change in Mihambo as
her once black hair are now
blonde.
“Tokyo will determine
whether they are golden
blonde,” she said with a smile.
P. Shaw b Hasaranga 
50 S. Dhawan lbw b Hasaranga 
36 I. Kishan b Rajitha 
0 M. Pandey run out (Shanaka) 
32 S. Yadav lbw b Sandakan 
65 H. Pandya c D. de Silva b Shanaka 
16 K. Pandya b Hasaranga 
8 D. Chahar not out 
44 B. Kumar not out 
2 Extras: (b1, lb4, w16) 
0 Total: (For 7 wickets, 49.1 overs) 
1 Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Shaw), 239 (Kishan), 3-65
21 (Dhawan), 4-115 (Pandey), 5-116 (H. Pandya), 6-160
275 (Sandakan), 7-193 (K. Pandya).
Did not bat: Y. Chahal, K. Yadav
Bowling: Rajitha 7.1-0-53-1 (w6), Chameera 10-0
65-0 (w2), Hasaranga 10-0-37-3, Sandakan 10-0-71-
1 (w7), Karunaratne 6-1-26-0, Shanaka 3-0-10-1
(w1), De Silva 3-0-10-0.
Toss: Sri Lanka
Result: India won by three wickets.
Series: India lead three-match series 2-0.
Soon finding themselves
stuttering around at 134/4, it
was Charith Asalanka’s knock
that injected some much-
needed momentum into the
Lankan innings. His knock of
65 off only 68 deliveries, along
with a quick-fire 33-ball 44
by Chamika Karunanratne al-
lowed the hosts to post a com-
petitive total of 275/9 on the
board.
Avishka Fernando (50)
and Dhananjaya de Silva (32)
made also made vital con-
tributions for the hosts. For
India, Yuzvendra Chahal was
the pick of the bowlers with
figures of 3/50 in his 10 overs.
11
sent their country in the ITF’s
international team competi-
tions. The entry lists are still
subject to change. However,
with the deadline for adding
new players having passed,
any further replacements
would need to be from players
already on-site in Tokyo, e.g.,
a doubles-only player moving
into the singles draw.
In addition to direct quali-
fication of the top 56 players
by ranking - with no more
than four singles players qual-
ifying per nation - the ITF also
reserves eight Final Qualifica-
tion Places. These qualification
spots are held for (1) athletes
based on their performance at
the Pan American Games, the
Asian Games and the African
Games, (2) one previous gold
medalist or Slam champion
who does not qualify by rank-
ing, (3) representatives from
the host nation.
Top women’s entries: 1. Ash-
leigh Barty, Australia; 2. Aryna
Sabalenka, Belarus; 3. Barbora
Krejcikova, Czech Republic; 4.
Iga Swiatek, Poland; 5. Karolina
Pliskova, Czech Republic; 6.
Naomi Osaka, Japan; 7. Garbine
Muguruza, Spain; 8. Anastasia
Pavlyuchenkova, Russia; 9. Ons
Jabeur, Tunisia.
Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal
in action against Zimbabwe at
Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
Tamim ton
powers
Bangladesh
to series win
ICC
Harare
Bangladesh captain
Tamim Iqbal led from the
front, slamming a 97-ball 112
that helped the visitors take
the ODI series 3-0 in Harare
on Tuesday.
Tamim’s stunning knock
comprised of eight fours and
three sixes as he laid the foun-
dation of a five-wicket win in
the third and final ODI.
With another 10 points
in the bag, Bangladesh have
strengthened their position on
13 the ICC Men’s Cricket World
29 Cup Super League table with
1
37 80 points.
53 Chasing 299, Bangladesh
0 got off to a brisk start. The
35 openers Tamim Iqbal and
69
19 Liton Das kept the scoreboard
21 ticking with Tamim being the
277 aggressor in the partnership.
Tamim shared another
half-century stand, combin-
ing with Mohammad Mithun
after Shakib’s wicket. Howev-
er, a double-strike from Don-
ald Tiripano in the 35th over
shifted the momentum slight-
ly in the favour of the hosts.
Tiripano first dismissed a set
Tamim and then snared Mah-
mudullah for a duck on the
next delivery. With still about
90-odd runs to win Zimbabwe
had a good chance of crippling
Bangladesh further.
However, Mithun (30) and
Nurul Hasan (45*) added an-
other fifty for the fifth-wicket
quashing the Zimbabwe fight-
back. Nurul remained un-
beaten to ensure Bangladesh
scaled the target with two
overs to spare.
Scores: Bangladesh 302 for 5
(Iqbal 112, Nurul 45*, Madhe-
vere 2-45) beat Zimbabwe
298 (Chakabva 84, Burl 59,
Raza 57, Rahman 3-57, Saifud-
din 3-87) by five wickets.
12 Wednesday, July 21, 2021 The Last Word
Amir performs Eid Al-Adha prayer

The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani performed Eid Al-Adha prayer at Al Wajba praying area on Tuesday morning. HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al-Thani, HE Sheikh Jassim bin
Khalifa Al-Thani, a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs, ministers, members of the Shura Council, ambassadors and heads of missions accredited by the state, and citizens offered the prayer. Sheikh Dr Thaqeel Sayer Al Shammari, a judge of the
Court of Cassation and Supreme Judiciary Council member, led the prayer and delivered the Eid sermon. (QNA)