THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAITEstablished in 1977 / www.arabtimesonline.com

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020 / RABEE’A AL-THANI 30, 1442 AH emergency number 112 NO. 17562 16 PAGES 150 FILS

soccer

marketsPage 16Page 9

Cabinet lineup set

Amir pins hope ... hope on new govt

Cases jump by 231

Cabinet notes drop in COVID cases

MP-elect finds fault with Cabinet picksBy Saeed Mahmoud Saleh

Arab Times Staff

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: The opening session of the 16th term of the National Assembly, which will be held on Tues-day, consists of two parts first is the inauguration ceremony which includes the recitation of Holy Quran verses as well as the speeches of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Min-ister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, while the second part will focus on the items in the agenda.

The MPs-elect will take the Constitutional oath; followed by the election of the Speaker, deputy Speaker, secretary-general and observer, in addition to the chairpersons, rappor-teurs and members of permanent committees and the panel in charge of responding to the Amiri speech.

MP-elect Hamad Saif Al-Harshani, the oldest among the newly elected lawmakers, will preside over the opening ses-sion until the new Speaker is elected.

Meanwhile, MP-elect Muhammad Barrak Al-Mutair described several members of the new government as “crisis-makers.” He pointed out the new government structure is not in line with constitutional stipulation that the executive authority must match the parliamentary election results. He disclosed that a number of MPs-elect discussed the issue Monday evening, indicating a similar situation occurred in 1963 when HH the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah issued a directive to reform the government.

Agreeing with Al-Mutair, MP-elect Mehalhal Al-Mudaf asserted the new government does not meet the requirements for overcoming economic, political and security challenges that the country is currently facing.

Electors formally chooseBiden as next president

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14, (KUNA): His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Ha-mad Al-Sabah on Monday took the oath in front of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as the head of the new cabinet.

His Highness the Amir, addressed the assigned prime minis-ter during the ceremonial audience, wishing him heavenly sup-port and guidance for performing the great task, noting that the people of Kuwait “have great ambitions for fulfilling the aspired objectives” by the new government.

Thanking members of the former government who had worked amid very complex circumstances, His Highness the Amir noted that the new government would deal with a new phase marked with challenges and tasks of equal weight that warrant extraordinary efforts, diligent and faithful work in coordination with the parliament.

His Highness the Amir hoped to see actions intended to attain the aspired national goals, stressing on necessity of solidarity, coordina-tion among the apparatuses to enhance public services and tackle basis issues.

He further hoped for action aimed at boosting the state of law, in-stitutions, “placing Kuwait’s interest above any other consideration.”

In his advises to the freshly assigned executives, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf noted that running state affairs warrants serious and or-ganized action, field follow-up, commitment to the application of law on all, “embodiment of justice and equality,” sensible selection of lead-ers who are capable to promote the homeland and attain its progress and prosperity.

His Highness the Amir, in conclusion, affirmed that he was certain that the ministers would be able to face the enormous challenges, con-tinue to push forward the national action for reforms and development and attain the aspired national objectives.

Lineup Earlier His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber

Al-Sabah signed a decree Monday approving the new cabinet line-up, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

The government 15-member line-up is:1: Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister: Hamad Jaber Al-

Ali Al-Sabah.2: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs:

Anas Khaled Al-Saleh.3: Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of Awqaf and Islamid Af-

fairs: Essa Ahmad Al-Kandari.4: Minister of Oil and Minister of Electricity and Water: Dr Moham-

mad Abdullatif Al-Fares.5: Minister of Health: Dr Basel Hmoud Al-Sabah.6: Minister of Foreign Affairs: Dr Ahmad Nasser Mohammad Al-

Sabah.7: Minister of Public Works and Minsiter of State for Municipal Af-

fairs: Dr Rana Abdullah Al-Fares.8: Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs: Mubarak Salem

Al-Harees.9: Minister of Interior: Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.10: Minister of Finance: Khalifa Musa’ad Hamada11: Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs:

Abdulrahman Badah Al-Mutairi.12: Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Minister of State for

Services: Dr. Abdullah Abdulsamad Marafi.13: Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education: Dr. Ali

Fahad Al-Mudhaf.14: Minister of Commerce and Industry: Faisal Abdulrahman Al-

Medlej.15: Minister of Justice: Dr Nawaf Saud Al-Yassin.The National Assembly will kickstart on Tuesday its 16th legislative

term, the first in the era of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Several legislative terms had come to pass since the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah approved the constitution on November 11th, 1962, a document which regulated the relation among the execu-tive, legislative and judiciary authorities.

On January 29th, 1963, the first legislative term took effect until it ended in on January third, 1967.

The second legislative term began on February seventh, 1967 and lasted until December 30th, 1970.

The opening session of the third legislative term began on February 10th, 1971 and concluded on January 8th, 1975.

The first session of the fourth legislative term began on February 11th, 1975 and continued until August 29th, 1976 while the fifth term kickstarted on March ninth, 1981 and ended on January 19, 1985.

The sixth legislative term began on March 9th, 1985, but the parlia-ment was dissolved on July 3rd, 1986.

On April 22nd, 1990, the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Ja-ber Al-Sabah formed the national council which ended its first term in August of 1990, the year of the Iraqi invasion of the State of Kuwait.

The council resumed operation and its second term by July 9th, 1991 and concluded the term on August 1st, 1992.

The National Assembly resumed its role on October 20th, 1992 with the seventh legislative term, concluding on October 5th of 1996.

The eight legislative term began on October 20th, 1996, but parlia-ment was dissolved by May 4th, 1999. The ninth legislative term began on July 17th, 1999 and ended on May 31, 2003.

The 10th legislative term began on May 19th, 2003; however, it did not last and was dissolved on May 21st, 2006.

Then came the 11th legislative term, which met the same fate of the last beginning on July 12th of 2006 and dissolving on March 19th, 2008.

The 12th legislative term followed the previous incarnations of par-liament with dissolvement, kickstarting on June first, 2008 and ending on March 18, 2009.

The 13th legislative term began on May 31st, 2009 and did not end the cycle of dissolvement, suspending the term on December 6th, 2011.

KUNA photoHH the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah poses with members of the new Cabinet headed by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Day by Day

IN Kuwait the absence of stability among ministers when it comes to performance is terrifying and despite this, ministers are still chosen either due to love for ‘kissing the nose’ or ‘parachute appointments’. Al-though competence is absent the quotas play a major role.

In other countries, the choice of minis-ters is subject to strict criteria, research and investigation, but in our country names pop up from nowhere and they are assigned ministerial positions.

Even the prime minister in countries all over the world is recommended by his par-ty after studying his capabilities and suit-ability for the position and the surrounding circumstances.

… Tomorrow is another day.

Zahed Matar

Newswatch

WASHINGTON, Dec 14, (AP): Joe Biden has cleared the 270-electoral-vote mark to formalize his presidential victory with California’s 55 votes which gave him a total of 302 votes.

The voting milestone came late Monday when California electors affirmed Biden’s massive 5 million-vote win last month in the nation’s largest state.

The Electoral College took on added importance this year because of Presi-dent Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost his race for reelection.

Presidential electors in key battleground states cast the votes Monday that will affirm Joe Biden as the nation’s next president, a formality that took on added importance this year because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede he lost his race for reelection.

Heightened security was in place in some states as electors in Arizona, Geor-gia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the six battleground states that Biden won and Trump contested — gave Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris their votes Monday in low-key proceedings. Nevada’s electors met via Zoom because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Monday was the day set by law for the meeting of the Electoral College. Electors were casting paper ballots in gatherings that were taking place in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with masks, social distancing and other virus precautions the order of the day. The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside.

California electors voted Monday afternoon, and their 55 votes gave Biden an Electoral College majority.

When all the votes are in, Biden is expected to have 306 electoral votes to 232 for Trump. It takes 270 to be elected. In the popular vote count, Biden topped Trump by more than 7 million votes nationwide.

“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden said in remarks prepared for an evening speech. “We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.”

Biden renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, and said the country has hard work ahead on the virus and economy.

Former Maryland state Sen. Gloria Lawlah, in a state Biden won easily, said the votes for the Democratic ticket were “a repudiation of hate, a repudiation of divisiveness.”

But not everyone was ready to say the election was over, even with the cast-ing of electoral votes. Trump has refused to concede and continues to make unsupported allegations of fraud.

There have been concerns about safety for the electors, virtually unheard of in previous years. In Michigan, lawmakers from both parties reported receiving threats, and legislative offices were closed over threats of violence. Biden won the state by 154,000 votes, or 2.8 percentage points, over Trump.

Georgia state police were out in force at the state Capitol in Atlanta before Democratic electors pledged to Biden met. There were no protesters seen.

Even with the Electoral College’s confirmation of Biden’s victory, some Re-publicans continued to refuse to acknowledge that reality. Yet their opposition to Biden had no practical effect on the electoral process, with the Democrat to be sworn in on Jan 20.

Despite Biden’s wins in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Republicans who would have been Trump electors met anyway. Pennsylvania Republicans said they cast a “procedural vote” for Trump and Pence in case courts that have repeatedly rejected challenges to Biden’s victory were to some-how still determine that Trump had won.

In North Carolina, Utah and other states across the country where Trump won, his electors turned out to duly cast their ballots for him. Electors in North Carolina had their temperatures checked before being allowed to enter the Cap-itol to vote. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes withdrew as a Trump elector and was in quarantine because he was exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated four years ago, were among New York’s 29 electors for Biden and Harris.

In New Hampshire, before the state’s four electors voted for Biden at the State House in Concord, 13-year-old Brayden Harrington led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. He had delivered a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention in August about the struggle with stuttering he shares with Biden.

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14, (KUNA): The Cabinet held a meeting at Seif Palace Monday headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, after taking the constitutional oath in front of His High-ness the Amir in Bayan Palace earlier in the day.

After the meeting, Deputy Prime Min-ister and Minister of State for Cabinet Af-fairs Anas Khaled Nasser Al-Saleh said the following:

His Highness the Prime Minister opened the meeting with a speech in which he welcomed the ministers, ex-pressing his appreciation for accepting responsibility and participating in the ministerial work at this important and delicate time, wishing them success in their work with determination and effort to implement the directives of His High-ness the Amir.

The premier also expressed his thanks and appreciation to his fellow ministers who participated in carrying ministe-rial responsibility in the past and exerted their best efforts for the sake of the State of Kuwait in exceptional and difficult circumstances, wishing them continued success in serving Kuwait from various locations.

Al-Saleh also responded to the pre-mier’s speech in which he expressed on behalf of the ministers, his appreciation for the precious trust placed in them by His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Crown Prince, pledging keenness to make every effort to devote serious work to achieving national goals and the as-pirations of citizens, and for everything that involves achieving the thrive of the nation.

On another front, the Cabinet listened to a briefing provided by Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basil Hamoud Al-Sa-bah about the latest developments on the pandemic of Coronavirus at the global and regional levels.

The Cabinet also were briefed on the developments of the country’s health situation, which is witnessing, accord-ing to recent statistics, a clear decline in the number of infections and deaths, whether those receiving treatment in in-tensive care, or the increase in recovery cases.

The Council also took note of the ef-forts made to start a vaccination cam-paign against the coronavirus in the State of Kuwait, especially after the license to use the (Pfizer-Biontech) vaccine against corona (COVID-19).

The Cabinet expressed its deep sat-isfaction with these positive steps that confirm that the tremendous efforts made by the Ministry of Health and the resolute measures that have been taken to confront the pandemic.

Then the Council of Ministers also discussed political affairs and the latest current developments on the Arab and in-ternational arenas, and in this regard, the Council of Ministers expressed sincere congratulations and congratulations to Bahrain King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa on the occasion of the imminent arrival of the national day.

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has welcomed the US recent recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its entire territo-ries.

“This step aims to help reach a fair and lasting solution to the dispute over the Mo-roccan desert,” the ministry said in a press statement on Sunday.

It argued that the Kuwaiti move comes in line with its support to Morocco’s sover-eignty and territorial integrity. (KUNA)

❑ ❑ ❑

KUWAIT CITY: The US Ambassador to Kuwait HE Alina Romanowski said the fourth strategic dialogue between the Unit-ed States and Kuwait brought the two coun-tries closer, during which several agree-ments were signed to develop healthcare coordination, law enforcement cooperation, and humanitarian aid around the world, and “we also adopted additional cultural and educational exchange programs.”

She said, last Thanksgiving Day – a day to refl ect on the blessings in our lives that deserve thanks and gratitude – she spent time with her family in Washington.

She added, while “I was contemplating what I am grateful for, there was nothing better than that I was celebrating this holi-day in conjunction with the conclusion of the fourth strategic dialogue between the US and Kuwait – a dialogue in which six work-ing groups were involved and culminated in a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the United States and Kuwait in Washing-ton.

❑ ❑ ❑

KUWAIT CITY: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah extended his condolences to neigh-boring Bahrain on Sunday over the passing of Sheikh Adel bin Rashid Al-Khalifa.

In a cable he sent to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa, His Highness the Amir expressed his sympathies over the loss, wishing that the deceased’s fam-ily would fi nd solace in this time of grief. (KUNA)

❑ ❑ ❑

KUWAIT CITY: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sa-bah congratulated Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Issa Al-Khalifa on Monday on the oc-casion of the 21st anniversary of accession to the throne.

In the cable, His Highness the Amir praised achievements accomplished during his reign in all fi elds, wishing him good health and wellbeing, and the brotherly Bahraini people success and prosperity. (KUNA)

❑ ❑ ❑

KUWAIT CITY: Director of Air Transport Department at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Abdullah Al-Rajhi con-fi rmed the continuation of inspection tours in the air transport market, leading to the regis-tration of 23 violations, reports Al-Anba daily.

Al-Rajhi disclosed these violations were committed by people in the air transport market including the tourism and travel of-fi ces. He affi rmed that legal measures will be taken against these people as their vio-lations were referred to the Complaints and Arbitration Committee for action. (AP)

2ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020

editor’s choice

A legacy that stands by the people

Monarchy: A dedication to nation building, development

Main picture: Workers move a coffi n with the body of a victim of COVID-19 as other coffi ns are stored waiting for burial or cremation at the Collserola morgue in Barcelona, Spain on April 2, 2020. Inset: A woman waves from a bus carrying passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship as they are transported from the port in Yokohama,

near Tokyo on Feb 20, 2020. The passengers had been quarantined on the cruise ship to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (AP)

By Don PramudwinaiDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the

Kingdom of Thailand

As we approach the end of this very challenging year of COV-ID-19, Thais around the world are commemorating our National Day on 5th December, which is also the birthday of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, Thai Father’s Day, and World Soil Day. All these occasions remind us of how our nation has evolved this far and what institutional forces have kept such progress moving.

Old friends of Thailand might be familiar with stories about the monarchy, whose dedication to nation-building and development are intrinsically interwoven into every chapter of our history. The royal family’s cherished commitment towards the welfare of her people was particularly recognised after the Second World War when Thai-land had to gather all its strength and resources to combat poverty and maintain security. The kingdom was then blessed with the will power to steer itself through those troubles when His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, whose name coincidentally means “Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power,” acceded to the throne in 1946 at the age of eighteen.

As a constitutional monarchy, the sovereign does not wield any power beyond ceremonial duties. But the King and members of the royal family have the liberty to initiate any charitable activities and development projects and complement government efforts. Through-out the 70-year reign of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great, around 4,877 royal projects in various fi elds were initiated to reduce development gaps nationwide. While most projects were fi nancially supported by the government, many of them were fully fi nanced by His Majesty’s personal funds.

When I started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the 1970s, these development projects were just being crystallised. I re-call how Thai people keenly followed the televised reports of the King’s visits upcountry every evening. Thais valued and became fa-miliar with images of the King holding a wrinkled, well-used map in his hands and a camera hanging from his neck, sweat dripping from his brow, interacting attentively with locals to understand their concerns and environment.

Likewise, the monarchy and the people have always had close and intimate contact, enabling both sides to develop a kinship type of relationship, rather than one of an authoritative nature. Hence, des-ignating 5th December as Father’s Day actually originated from the genuine sentiment of the people, who cherished their beloved King as a father fi gure — a pillar of strength one could always rely upon when in need. Indeed, it was during the turbulent Cold War years that His Majesty led his people through some of Thailand’s most

challenging times.An important point worth noting is that it has been customary for

the monarchy to stand with the people and to improve their wellbe-ing. For instance, I remember that it was also in the 1970s that Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra, the grandmother of His Maj-esty the present King, established two foundations for community development.

The fi rst is the Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patron-age, initially founded as the Thai Hill Crafts Foundation to create livelihoods and generate income for ethnic minorities in Northern Thailand. The second is the Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer Foundation, established in 1974, the year I joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Princess paid frequent trips to remote villages, taking with her a medical team to treat any sick or injured persons during her visit. This is important because in certain remote areas of the country, access to public health services was quite limited. Stateless people living along the border areas were given treatment just the same. The Foundation is a living testament to her community spirit and non-discriminatory community service in public health which has carried on until today.

Not long after in 1976, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother set up the SUPPORT Foundation to preserve traditional handicraft techniques and promote them as supplementary sources of income for farmers who have spare time after harvest.

Fast forward to my ambassadorial postings in the 1990s through to the 2000s and beyond, I had many opportunities to celebrate royal contributions to national development. One of the most memorable occasions was the UNGA’s resolution to declare 5th December as World Soil Day, to highlight the importance of healthy soil for sus-tainable development and commemorate His Majesty King Bhumi-bol Adulyadej The Great’s advocacy in this fi eld. Agriculture was a favourite subject for him since it is so vital for our people’s liveli-hood.

Thailand nowadays has changed immensely from the time when I was a junior diplomat. Economic growth in the last three decades has elevated the country to the upper middle income echelon, and has urbanised the lifestyle of most Thais and the way they perceive the world. State mechanisms have matured, becoming more effec-tive in addressing the grievances of the people. Thai people are more self-dependent, better educated, and have access to opportunities for better prospects in life.

In the fast-changing world where human touch seems to be domi-nated by virtual interactions, many people have forgotten how the monarchy has stood up for Thai people through thick and thin, and now often take the monarchy for granted. Some, including the more confi dent and expressive younger generations, are not even certain how to relate the institution to their daily lives, as they did not grow

up, like my generation, to experience how the monarchy was directly involved in improving the livelihood of Thai people and Thailand’s status in the international arena.

Nevertheless, in such times, the monarchy has always remained steadfast in its conviction and has never stepped back from assisting the people, often quietly, while expecting nothing in return.

Last year the world saw the ceremonial grandeur of the Corona-tion of King Rama X, or His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua. In his Oath of Accession, he pledged “to treasure, preserve and build on our heritage…..for the great enduring good of the people.” His Majesty has never forgotten the solemn commitment of continuing the royal practice to help and empower the Thai people to be self-reliant.

His Majesty has supported the royal initiatives of his royal par-ents and other members of the royal family in numerous endeavours. Many are focused on promoting sustainable development, therefore contributing to Thailand’s achievements in the UN Sustainable De-velopment Goals (SDGs). For example, since 1978, His Majesty has strategically inaugurated 21 Somdej Phrayuparaj Hospitals in the most remote areas of the country, where they were most needed. More currently, His Majesty made signifi cant donations of medical equipment during COVID-19, supporting SDG 3 on good health and well-being. On education, His Majesty set up the Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn Scholarship Foundation, which has provided scholarships for 1,764 students to receive proper education from high school to bachelor’s degree. This corresponds to SDG 4 on quality education.

His Majesty’s projects are a refl ection that sustainable develop-ment can only be attained through a community-wide team spirit and concerted efforts to improve society. To transform this vision into action, he launched the Royal Initiative Volunteer Project to engage the people in public service activities. Such activities strengthen the bond within communities and remind us of how Thai communities throughout history and around the world have always come together to overcome hardships.

The monarchy has been a guiding beacon and stabilising force in Thailand for eight centuries. As some critics have stated, monarchies hold institutional memories of tradition and continuity in ever chang-ing times. They undeniably remind a country of its unique traits and identity, facts that can often be forgotten in the swiftly changing cur-rents of politics. In a volatile and complex world, we are in con-stant need of inspirational strength of stability to keep our feet on the ground, so that we will not be too easily blown away by the winds of uncertainty. The monarchy is, of course, one of these invaluable institutions that has stood the test of time and serves as an enduring link between our inspirational past, our dynamic present, and our promising future.

LOCALARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020

3

‘Wait till vaccine’

Stress on paper testsKUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: A number of lecturers of Kuwait University announced their intention to hold paper-based semester exams in univer-sity buildings, despite a letter sent to the univer-sity from the Ministry of Health, refusing to hold paper-based exams and insisting on holding all exams via online for all academic levels and in various educational institutions until the avail-ability of COVID-19 vaccine, reports Al-Qabas daily.

This announcement coincided with the begin-ning of the fi rst semester of the 2020/2021 aca-demic year last Sunday.

The university had presented its letter to the Ministry of Health at its last council meeting last Tuesday, agreeing to abide by its distance education regulations.

The regulations stipulate that the quarterly and fi nal exams will be held on campus unless the college boards decide otherwise.

However, the paradox was that the lecturers in this regard are raising questions about whether the announcement came from the university’s council or not.

Other Voices

A start that does not bode well“WE were so happy with the results of the National As-sembly elections due to the success of an unprecedented number of new faces, which refl ects the people’s desire and thirst for change,” columnist Dr Balqis Al-Najjar wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“Despite the shock we received because none of the female candidates won a seat in the Parliament in spite of their distinguished qualifi cations and capabilities, we must admit it was expected, especially since in our soci-ety has become a patriarchal.

“Unfortunately, the joy of the election results was short-lived not more than a day or perhaps a few hours. I say this because the drums of ‘political war’ can be heard from a distance as some of the MPs-elect have already begun maneuvers and deals and some even have issued threats to grill ministers even before the forma-tion of a government.

“MPs take pride in something other than the homeland. We heard about the consultative and coordina-tion meetings of MPs that are sup-posed to pave or draw up an action plan and a parliamentary agenda to start dealing with issues of corruption and set priorities for the homeland to join the ranks of advanced countries. However, we were surprised that these groups have only one item on their agenda - fi ght-ing for the post of Speaker of Parliament, and preventing the former Speaker from regaining this position.

“The members came out with a statement to the me-dia and the people about their decision with pride and joy. We have not heard about an action plan or an agreed agenda that concerns the nation and the citizens. Here, as citizens, we have the right to wonder whether this agree-ment was just an act of revenge on a specifi c person, or whether there is a plan that might take shape later. If this is done for them and they consider it a victory, what is the benefi t to us as citizens of that? Will things change for the better by changing the National Assem-bly’s Speaker?

“We hope there is hidden benefi t, such as addressing issues which concern ordinary citizens and issues related to the country’s security, growth and stability. We hope that their agreement is not only to pass populist laws and legislation to increase their electoral base.

“In line with the prevailing atmosphere, statistics have also spread on social media, as part of the cover-age and explanation of the election results showing the number of winning representatives from tribes, sects, and other divisions in a strange way to Kuwaiti society.

“When I saw this post, I was upset and ashamed of the situation we have come to. The worst of all is that I, as well as many others like me, did not fi nd myself among the categories of this seditious statistic.

“I describe myself as a Kuwaiti fi rst and I am sure that a vast majority of citizens have this feeling, but when the voices of pride in family and sects rise, some may be forced to bow and go along with the loud voices.

“We hope the members of the National Assembly will remember that they represent the entire Kuwaiti people who gave them this confi dence, and that this people is counting on them to protect the future of their children at this critical stage, and they must address the important and haunting issues that determine the fate of future gen-erations and work to elevate the country to assume its true place among the civilized countries.”

Also:“We witnessed a strong turnout on December 5, 2020,

accompanied by torrential rains that coincided with a political storm which rained a record number of votes. The rain fl ooded the ground and the ballots the boxes. After the storm, the results were seen on two different fronts – the ground and vote counting. In the area of the ballot boxes, some won some lost in 2020 new parlia-ment, and Kuwait entered a new era of renewal, with new faces that marked the good of the country and its people,” columnist Mohammad Al-Roumi wrote for Al-Jarida daily

“Since the previous Parliament was not at the level of the Kuwaiti people’s aspirations in terms of perfor-mance and production, and received many criticism and discontent, the hope was that a new group would come to occupy the seats in the new National Assembly.

“Therefore, all members should be aware of the im-portance of the next stage of Kuwaiti domestic and for-eign policy, and that the members agree to participate in the Assembly’s committees, for example, each in his fi eld of specialization.

“It is unreasonable for the Legislative Committee, which is an important committee, to have members far from the fi eld of law and legislation, and the same also applies to other committees such as fi nance, economic, education, health, the interior, the foreign affairs and other important committees.

“The other thing that is required of the new parlia-ment members is that they should be aware and make good use of time, because time is valuable. It must be invested in what is benefi cial to the people to present draft laws and discuss them in a high spirit of cooper-ation, and not draft laws to tickle the emotions of the electorate.

“Moreover, the level of discussion should be civi-lized. We must avoid quarrels or verbal abuse because this will harm the prestige of the Assembly and distract the people instead of pursuing the activities.

“There should also be serious cooperation between the three legislative, executive and judicial authorities for the interest of the country and the comfort of the people.

“The members must agree to give importance to laws, including those related to the dangers surrounding Ku-

wait, as well as laws that enhance freedoms and demo-cratic gains, and focus and fi nd solutions to economic is-sues, show interest in education and encourage scientifi c research, solve the housing problem and demographics, and pursue thieves of public money and prosecute them.

“They must hold a national conference that includes all spectrums of society and specialists in addition to members of the National Assembly in order to draw a road map for a better future for Kuwait, based primarily on human resources.

“The conference must discuss economic conditions, how to invest the economic wealth and pay attention to the basic demands of citizens, focus on education and its development, as well as healthcare, demographics, fi nd-ing solutions to the problem of illegal residents, and re-solving pending issues. As for populist laws, they should not be discussed because they only benefi t one segment.

“The coming days will prove the extent to which these issues have been achieved, and that there will be review and accountability by the voters who supported the members to reach the green seats of the National As-sembly. The loss of the female candidates must be com-pensated by the upcoming ministerial formation, so that Kuwaiti women fi nd their prominent place as a member in the National Assembly in their ministerial capacity.

“Here I address a message to the next Speaker of the National Assembly, congratulating him fi rst and wishing him success in performing his duties based on the consti-tution and the internal regulations, and he must not allow the verbal battles that reached the lower gendarmerie in the previous Assembly and the application of the inter-nal regulations on all members.

“I congratulate the members of the Assembly for ob-taining the honor of representing the Kuwaiti people, who gave you their confi dence, and I say to them: Your electoral slogans were love of the homeland, loyalty and defense of the constitutional gains of the Kuwaiti peo-ple, so translate your into actions. God bless you!”

❑ ❑ ❑

“The recent decision of the Council of Ministers to renew the Central State for Remedying Status of Ille-gal Residents (CSRSIR) had a bad effect on the souls of many citizens, as it was expected to end the tragedy and suffering for this segment by canceling this apparatus,” Mubarak Fahad Al-Duwailah wrote for Al-Qabas daily.

“This trend was present, according to our knowledge, among state offi cials due to the heartbreaking suffering they saw in this segment. However, it seems that in the last moments a change occurred in the situation. This changed the decision to temporary renewal for a period of one year only, and then after that CSRSIR will be attached to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers!

“Everyone has noticed that the number of Bedoun residents has doubled since the liberation of Kuwait until this day! Their living conditions worsened as many of them became unemployed because they were forbidden to work. The hopes and aspirations of the creative minds among them were dashed because of the conditions of CSRSIR for the renewal of the security card. The head of CSRSIR retracted the statements he made upon his arrival to manage this agency that those entitled to nationality among the Bedoun residents were up to 30,000 people, as today the number being mentioned is 3,000!

“Then we started hearing from time to time about sui-cides being committed by some desperate ones among them because of their living conditions that resulted from the unfair and inhumane decisions of CSRSIR. The order reached CSRSIR to pursue them in their live-lihood and subsistence. He sent directives to cooperative societies, private sector companies, Zakat committees and charities not to appoint them or help them from the Zakat funds and donations of the righteous unless they present a renewed security card!

“We all know the problem in renewing these cards, as they created inventive security restrictions for many of them, and required their owners to obtain passports from other countries, the location of which on the map they do not even know, if they wanted to renew the security card and benefi t from the services!”

❑ ❑ ❑

“Road accidents (traffi c accidents or incidents) are considered one of the most frequent accidents that the world witnesses on a daily basis. They cause huge mate-rial losses, human injuries and deaths depending on the severity and type of the accident including trampling and collision either with an object, animal or a car,” Dr. Hind Al-Shomar wrote for Al-Anba daily.

“The United Nations General Assembly has taken a decision to designate the third Sunday of November each year as the day for awareness of road accidents and injuries resulting from them and how to prevent them. This day falls on November 15 .

“About 1.25 million people in the world die per year due to traffi c accidents. Between 20 and 50 million peo-ple suffer from non-fatal injuries, and many of them are disabled as a result.

“Traffi c accidents are very costly ... they cost three percent of the GDP of most countries. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set an ambitious goal to reduce by half the number of deaths and injuries due to traffi c accidents in the world by the end of this year. It has been observed that half of the people who die on the roads are usually pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Low and middle-income countries witness 90 percent of traffi c-related deaths in the world, although they have only 45 percent of the vehicles in the world. Also, 48 percent of the deaths due to traffi c accidents in the world occur among people aged between 15 and 44 years.”

— Compiled by Ahmad Al-Shazli

Dr Al-Najjar

PAM to launch many online services from January 2021

‘Physical visit made redundant’

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: Director General of Public Authority for Man-power (PAM) Ahmad Al-Mousa re-cently inaugurated a training course for the employees of the authority on an easier service platform, which will

be launched with multiple electronic services by the beginning of the next year 2021, reports Al-Anba daily.

This comes in the framework of the directives to establish the foundations of e-government, de-velop the electronic services provided by PAM, and ensure they are in line with the approved

technical standards for the comfort of us-ers when using PAM’s electronic portal with high levels of effi cien-cy, performance and multiplicity of services available on the “As-hal” portal.

In a press statement, Al-Mousa said the servic-es added to the “As-hal” portal allow employers to complete procedures and attach online copies of documents related to var-ious transactions offered by PAM such as (external academic qualifi cations, passport copy, etc), and the QR code will appear which needs to be pre-sented to the reception at PAM headquarters along with the original civil ID of the applicant.

He said, “All proce-dures of the labor de-partments will be sub-mitted electronically without the need for the applicant to make a physical visit.

This represents a quali-tative leap in the work of the authority in a way that achieves transparency in performance and ensures speed of completion of transactions”.

Al-Mousa explained that PAM will review submissions that require electronic signature forms through the ap-pointment reservation system.

The work fi le numbers currently registered with PAM will be changed ac-cording to the developed automated system.

Employers will be able to inquire about the new fi le numbers through the “As-hal” portal.

The automated system will be completely sus-pended during the period from January 1, 2021 to January 11, 2021.

New services will be launched on “As-hal” portal on January 12, 2021, and the employers’ requests will be received again on January 17, 2021.

Al-Mousa stressed the need to ensure that the licenses’ data from the is-suing bodies are updated, as well as the numbers of the civil entity registered with the Public Author-ity for Civil Information (PACI).

By Ahmad alsarraf

Friend Al-Hamad says he watched on the French channel a program about a Swiss couple who went to Cambodia and established two schools there, one for boys and the other for girls to provide vocational education for homeless children who worked at landfi lls to sort out materials.

The couple chose the school program to be vocational with a bit of a clas-sic education, so their goal was to prepare children to quickly enter into demanding and income-generating professions, such as shaving, serv-ers in restaurants, hotels, plumbing, repairing cars, etc, instead of teaching them where Af-ghanistan is located, or who won the Korean War.

Al-Hamad said the documentary showed how the couple’s efforts changed the lives of these children in a positive manner, and in a relatively short period of time.

* * *If anyone browses the websites of

charity societies, especially in the Gulf countries to see what has been happening for half a century and until now, one will fi nd that most of their activities are in the poorest countries of Africa and Asia – Muslim coun-tries in particular. The activities in-clude caring for preachers, opening schools for teaching religion, drilling wells, and other simple charity activi-ties.

Some of them also extended their arms to the Muslims in European countries, especially the poor such as

Bosnia, Albania and Kosovo, away from the eyes of censorship at home.

* * *Christianity entered Africa in more

than one way and through more than one portal, the most infl uential of which was what was done by the missionaries, who in the early last century went to remote areas in Africa to provide treat-ment and education to the inhabitants of African villages and lived with them in the most diffi cult circumstances.

These missionaries succeeded with patience and effort in evangelizing millions in the easiest and most effec-tive manner without costing their soci-eties and churches much money, and without deducting any money in favor of those in charge of them.

Some of them also converted the languages of the African tribes from spoken to written using Latin charac-ters, and made the Bible the fi rst book printed and read in their language, and so the Bible’s words entered their hearts without much trouble. This is the real and effective evangelization, not the miserable means and methods we see from our community.

Our charity societies, which have provided activities, are required to modernize their methods, focus on creating jobs for the unemployed in the countries in which they reside, and abandon their outdated traditional methods.

I know very well that what I am proposing here will be ignored, in ad-dition to its diffi culty, and therefore no one will pay attention to it.

Note: We appreciate the Central Bank’s decision to prevent charity societies from sending money to their branches abroad, as there has been a lot of clamor over such an issue and it is time to stop such laxity.

❑ ❑ ❑

e-mail: a.alsarraf@alqabas.com.kw

Other Voices

Learn how to uplift the poor

alsarraf

Al-Mousa

MoE faces delay in teachers evaluationKUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: Despite the Ministry of Education’s keenness to complete the performance evaluation of employees assigned in the educational and administrative sectors, it continues to witness de-lays in the evaluation of teachers, reports Al-Jarida daily quoting sources.

Earlier, the ministry al-located a special hall for principals, who are facing technical problems in the evaluation process, in a bid to speed up the completion of relevant procedures.

Sources revealed that the performance of more than 3,000 teachers has yet to be evaluated under the Integrated Systems Pro-gram. Sources said some principals are neglecting their duty to present the evaluation of teachers and administrative workers in their schools.

Sources added this de-prives the teachers and administrative workers of the right to receive excel-lent performance bonus, promotion and other privi-leges; until their assess-

‘COVID-19’ rewards list incompleteKUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: According to government sources, there are government agencies that have not yet provided the Civil Service Commission (CSC) with the lists of their employees who are entitled to the COVID-19 bonus. There are some bodies that have sent a part of the list and are preparing to send the rest soon. Therefore, the estimated budget for these re-wards has not yet been approved, reports Al-Rai daily.

The sources said experts in CSC are working on reviewing the lists of government agencies before ap-proval, as those bodies are reviewed for some of the names contained in the lists and the extent of their en-titlement to the reward or the category to which they are placed.

They expressed surprise over the delay of some agencies in submitting their lists so far despite the long period since the announcement of the Cabinet’s deci-sion regarding the COVID-19 rewards.

ments are entered into the program.

Sources pointed out the ministry has been suffer-ing from this problem for years, as some managers are neglecting their duty to input the performance evaluation of employees into the program; either intentionally or uninten-tionally. Sources said this causes problems for the

employees, especially since the ministry has nev-er punished managers who caused delays in the evalu-ation of employees. Sourc-es added the problems are exacerbated, because the managers ensure that no penalties are imposed on them; thus, these issues can be used as motives for re-taliation against disobedi-ent employees.

LOCALARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020

4

Arab woman mugged by gang of fi ve,cash withdrawn from bank snatched

Son reported dead by mom found doing drugs with friends

had withdrawn.She also said she had put the

money in her handbag and when the suspects tried to snatch it, she tried in vain to resist them and ended up getting injured in the hand.

She has also submitted to the police a medical report issued by a hospital showing injuries on her hand.

Police investigations revealed one of the suspects was inside the bank and was monitoring the peo-ple who were withdrawing money and one of them happened to be the Lebanese victim.

They have been referred to the Public Prosecution.

Meanwhile, the security author-ities are looking for two groups of young men who assaulted each other and escaped from the site before police arrived.

According to police sources, the incident happened along the Arabian Gulf Street in front of the Kuwait Towers

What was more annoying is that the suspects had allegedly blocked the road with their vehicles which allowed them to get into their ve-hicles and escape before police arrived.

❑ ❑ ❑

Dead man alive: When an uniden-tifi ed Kuwaiti woman sought the help of police to fi nd her missing ‘dead’ son, securitymen found him consuming drugs in the com-pany of other addicts, reports Al-Rai daily.

This happened when someone sent an SMS to the mother from an unidentifi ed number inform her son of the death of her son.

She told police her son, who is a heroin addict, was angry and left the house after a quarrel with her and did not return for four days.

Police exerted all efforts to trace the son and found him under the infl uence of drugs in the company of his friends.

The friends and the ‘son’ have been arrested and handed over to the concerned authorities.

❑ ❑ ❑

Fake cops rob Indian: Police are looking for two persons for im-personating police and robbing an Indian, reports Al-Rai daily.

The Asian said the suspects as-saulted him before robbing him as a result of which he could not pick up the car plate number of the sus-pects’ vehicle.

A complaint has been fi led at the Farwaniya Police Station.

By Munif NayefAl-Seyassah Staff and Agencies

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: Personnel from the Crimi-nal Investigation Department (CID) have arrested fi ve young men of different nationalities for assault-ing and robbing an unidentifi ed Lebanese woman af-

ter she withdrew money from a local bank branch in Hawalli.

The suspects, who have been arrested by the police after the woman fi led a complaint with the area police station, have been identifi ed by the victim during a police lineup.

In her complaint the woman said after she withdrew the money, the suspects attacked her outside the bank and stole 1,000 dinars which she

Firemen tackling the blaze.

Caution urged as damaged road under repairKUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: The Minis-try of Public Works has called on the motorists to exercise caution while driving on King Fahd Motorway op-posite the suburb of Fahd Al-Ahmad in the direction of Kuwait City be-cause the part of the motorway is damaged and it is being repaired, re-ports Al-Anba daily.

The Ministry of Interior has post-ed a video clip as part of awareness campaign calling on motorists to be cautious for the safety of road users.

Meanwhile, the bomb disposal experts have detonated explosives which were found off the Seventh Ring Road and Salmi, reports Al-Anba daily.

The daily added, the explosives are believed to be remnants of ordnance planted by the retreating Iraqi forces after the defeat in the Liberation war in February 1991 and reportedly sur-faced following the rains which fell on many parts of Kuwait.

The explosives included a land-mine and two shells (found in Salmi).

Bag had rent collected by caretaker

Teacher returns cash to ownerKUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: The phone of the Egyptian teacher, identified as Tamer Mahrous, did not stop ring-ing after he published a video clip in the social me-dia that he had found a bag containing money near the Egyptian consulate, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

In the clip he disclosed his phone number and said he had gone to the consulate to complete some official work and called on the rightful owner to collect the bag of money from him after iden-tifying it.

Mahrous told the daily he received hundreds of calls and that bothered him because most of the calls were from false claimants.

However, he went on to say, one of them, a compa-triot caretaker of a building called and informed him of the exact amount that was in the bag, which he said the rent money he had collected from tenants.

He added, the guard then visited him and took his mon-ey and thanked him. The bag was handed over to the claim-ant in front of Salam Police Station offi cers.

The guard, who had re-gained his breath, thanked the teacher who handed him the money in front of the peace district police station, thanking him for his hones-ty, which indicates the exist-ence of good in this gener-ous country.

Nepali dies in mishap: A 39-year-old Nepali was crushed to death by a car which had a mechan-ical failure and was being loaded on a tow-truck, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The incident happened in Hitteen and a report has been fi led at the Al Salam Police Station.

The corpse of the victim has been referred to Forensics.

❑ ❑ ❑

Probe cause of death: The Gen-eral Administration for Security Relations and Information at the Ministry of Interior has ordered the formation of an investigation com-mittee to look into the suicide of a young bedoun who was detained at the Wafra Police Station – and allegedly hanged himself in the bathroom of the police station – to determine the circumstances of the death and fi nd out if there was any foul play.

The 32-year-old was allegedly arrested for pelting stones at pass-ing cars and 48 hours later alleg-edly committed suicide using the blanket which he made it into a rope and hanged from the bathroom ceiling.

In the meantime, the Al-Anba daily said the head of the Com-plaints and Grievances Committee at the National Offi ce for Human Rights, Attorney Ali Al-Baghli, said that the committee followed with interest the suicide of a young man at the Wafra district police station two days ago, and said the offi ce has contacted the Undersec-retary of the Ministry of Interior in this regard.

Al-Baghli said that the commit-tee, in an offi cial correspondence, has requested the Ministry of Inte-rior, to provide it with information about this incident, its circumstanc-es, and the results of the Ministry’s investigation as soon as possible so that the National Offi ce for Human Rights can do what is necessary in this regard.

❑ ❑ ❑

11 motorists jailed: The General Traffi c Department has referred 11 reckless motorists to the traffi c prison after they were caught for reckless driving and holding illegal

races.Two juveniles have also been re-

ferred to the Juvenile Prosecution. They were caught for driving with-out licence.

The vehicles have also been seized and towed to the Interior Ministry garage.

❑ ❑ ❑

2 hurt in accident: A Kuwaiti born in 1998 and a 34-year-old Egyptian have been admitted to the Jahra Hospital for treatment, re-ports Al-Anba daily.

The daily added, the men were injured following a traffi c accident in Subbiya.

The Kuwaiti blamed the Egyp-tian, who was driving a truck, for causing the accident. He told police the Egyptian suddenly swerved to the left causing the accident.

The daily did not give more de-tails.

European type car plateKUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: The General Traffi c Department an-nounced the issuance of small size (European type) plates for cars beginning next Sunday for certain vehicles, reports Al-Anba daily.

The traffi c sector stated the issuance of the small plate measures 32.5 cm by 8.3 cm according to the vehicle’s man-ufacturing specifi cations, pro-vided the person who desires to obtain the plate submits a re-placement request to the stand-ards review section, and collects the new plate from the factory producing the plate after submit-ting the receipt.

News in Brief

Fire destroys aluminium factoryActing on information fi remen from the Shuwaikh Indus-trial Area, Ardhiya, Sulaibikhat, Salmiya, and Al-Isnad fi re centers rushed to an aluminium factory spread over 1,000 square meters in Al-Rai within fi ve minutes and controlled the fi re which has caused severe damage to material, reports Al-Rai daily.

The Public Relations and Media Department of the Directorate-General of Fire Department (DGFD) said in

a statement the DGFD received a report at exactly 6:08 am today (Monday) about the fi re.

The DGFD spokesman said the fi re teams surround-ed the fi re from all directions and put out the fi re be-fore it almost destroyed a nearby clothing factory and a number of workshops and other neighboring buildings.

No human casualties have been reported. The DGFD is investigating the cause of the fi re.

LOCALARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020

5

KUNA photoFM Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser while receiving his Iraqi counterpart.

Al-Khalidi holds the bird during the recent falconry event in Riyadh.

First female falcon trainerThe falconry amateur and falcon train-er, Athari Al-Khalidi with her participa-tion recently in the King Abdulaziz Falcon Festival has proven that women too can join this male-dominated field or rather the field that is restricted to men, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

She is the first female falcon trainer to take part in the festival. With her falcon ‘Ma’aned’, Al-Khalidi says she decided to participate this year in the third edi-tion of the festival, and was the only

Saudi Arabian woman to qualify and participate and turn her dream into a reality. Al-Khalidi said her passion for falcons began 10 years ago and since then she has been developing her skills by hunting birds.

Al-Khalidi indicated, last year she participated in the second festival with her bird, ‘Sattam’ but she had no luck which made her participate for the sec-ond time – a hobby she loves passion-ately since her childhood.

FM receives Iraqi counterpart

Some families ‘suffer’ fromlack of e-education devices

Vast differences cited in computer activities among Gulf states

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: According to an educational source, some fami-lies in Kuwait have been suffering from lack of equipment for the education of their children. This prompted the Mini-stry of Education not to prolong each day of distance lear-ning, and to divide it based on academic stages, in order not to overburden the parents, reports Al-Rai daily.

Commenting on the report of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS) on the reality of education in light of the COVID-19 crisis, the source explained that the Ministry of Education will not back down from the application of distance education, even in light of the declining number of COVID cases.

It will be a supportive fac-tor for regular education in the face of any exceptional circumstances such as rain and others. The educational research sector and curricula will work towards strength-ening this trend, and a spe-cial department may be cre-ated in the sector for e-learn-ing.

The report diagnosed new levels of educational disrup-tion, as the pandemic seri-ously affected education sys-tems around the world. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement was contacted to provide guidance on the best way to continue educa-tion, in light of the main threats of the pandemic.

ReportThe report obtained by the

daily, including the minutes of the office’s meeting in the month of November, explained that, “Through the study of international com-puter literacy and informat-ics, 24 students whose par-ents have a higher profes-sional status reported having fewer than two laptops or desktop computers, com-pared to 41 students whose parents have less profession-al status.

This raises questions about whether the children will have enough devices to use.

There are big differences between countries in this regard, which must be veri-fied within schools. The studies of the international association, including responses to the survey of educational disruption and change, help shed light on the situation in different countries, with the aim of learning from the best prac-tices, and improving educa-tion for all, as some coun-tries and some schools suf-fered a lot from continuing education, while some other countries were well pre-pared.

OrderThe report also explained

that the responses to the Education Disruption and Change Survey aim at col-lecting data at the school level in order to obtain a realistic picture of education and learning during crises.

New waves or other dis-ruptions may occur in the future, and the responses will help policy-makers and education stakeholders to ensure continuity of learn-ing and enhancement of resilience of the education system.

According to the interna-tional report - “Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)”, there are signifi-cant differences in computer activities among the Gulf countries, from 44 percent of students in the UAE to nine percent of students in Oman.

Also, the same diversity in computer use was found among the Gulf countries, in the progress of the “interna-tional reading and writing” study.

The highest is in Qatar with 45 percent, followed by the Emirates with 34 percent, and then Kuwait with 22 per-cent.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah received on Monday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Mohammad Hussein dur-ing his official visit.

During the meeting, the two ministers tackled bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them in many fields, in addi-tion to discussion on various issues in

the region and international arena.The meeting was also attended by

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Khaled Al-Jarallah, Foreign Minister Assistant for Arab Affairs Ambassador Fahad Ahmad Al-Awadhi, Foreign Minister Office Director Ambassador Ayham Al-Omar, and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry. (KUNA)

Market responds with great optimism

Corona vaccines, OPEC+ pact linkedto ‘recovery’ of Kuwaiti crude prices

By Abdullah OthmanAl-Seyassah Staff

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: Oil prices rose to $50.06 a barrel for the first time during the current fiscal year, during which Kuwaiti oil prices witnessed an unprecedented col-lapse, as prices reached their lowest levels last April, just $11.72 a barrel.

Oil expert, Dr Muhammad Al-Shatti, said the news of the corona vaccine and the start of testing it in some countries contrib-uted to supporting the oil market in a clear and noticeable way, and oil prices also increased, taking advantage of the atmo-sphere of optimism after OPEC+ collec-tively agreed on the strategy of equilibrat-ing the markets, which begins next January, where the reduction will continue by about 7.2 million barrels per day.

He pointed out that the monthly average Kuwaiti crude oil prices, which are recover-ing, contributed to improving the price lev-els.

Al-Shatti stressed that the Kuwaiti initia-tive restored consensus to OPEC+ through a gradual increase that starts with 500,000 barrels per day during the month of January 2021, and has the full support of OPEC+.

The market also responded with great optimism. Globally, oil prices retreated upon the settlement of yesterday’s session, with new restrictions imposed to confront the outbreak of corona, but it recorded

The head of the Kuwaiti Olympic Committee Sheikh Fahad Al-Nasser received recently, media man Zaid Al-Sarbel at the KOC temporary headquarters in the district of Jaber Al-Ahmad. Al-Sarbel presented a copy of his latest sports book to Sheikh

Fahad.

weekly gains for the sixth time in a row.On the weekly level, the launch of the

corona virus vaccination programs boosted hopes for a recovery in demand on fuel next year. Upon settlement, the price of US crude futures, “NYMEX” for January delivery, fell by 0.5 percent to $46.57 a barrel, but record-ed weekly gains of 0.7 percent.

The price of futures contracts for Brent crude for February delivery fell 0.4 percent to $50.04 a barrel.

The Indian ambassador (2nd left) with Sheikh Salman Al-Homoud.

Indian envoy calls on DGCA presidentThe Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Sibi George called on the President of Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Sheikh

Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Homoud Al-Sabah. During the meeting both sides discussed wide ranging issues including bilateral relations between

India and Kuwait and ways of boost-ing cooperation especially in the domain of civil aviation and other issues of mutual interest.

Joint campaign held in co-op with KM, PAAAFR

MEW clears 129 sites, issues 584 warningsBy Muhammad Ghanem

Al-Seyassah staff

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 12: The joint campaign which was orga-nized by the Ministry of Electricity and Water in coopera-tion with the Kuwait Municipality (KM) and the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) and the police to clear violations of the electrical network services (infringements beneath the High Voltage Overhead Power Lines) in the Al-Wafra Agricultural Area last Tuesday resulted in the clearing of 9 sites, bringing the total to 129 and also issued 584 warnings since the beginning of the campaigns.

Deputy Head of the Infringements Team at the Ministry of Electricity and Water, Eng Hamad Al-Mansouri

in a memorandum explained this was done with the aim of ensure the power supply with-out interruptions, avoid fires, and protect the components of the power network, because it is considered public money, and must be protect from the encroachments because in a way they are obstacles hamper-ing work and cause multiple damage to the power network in the country.

Al-Mansouri stated that these campaigns come with support and constant follow-up by the Minister of Oil and the Acting Minister of Electricity and Water Dr Khaled Al-Fadhel and the Assistant Undersecretary for the Electricity Distribution Networks Sector at the Ministry Eng Mutlaq Al-Otaibi and the Head of the Infringements Team Engineer Faraj Al-Dossari.

He also said necessary support is provided by the leaders of this team which plays a vital role. He added, the campaigns will not stop until the last violation on the electrical network is removed in all regions.

He declared the violations have been removed in a number of areas including as a number of areas have been completed and that there are no violations in them, including Sulaibiya, Sala’am and chalets area and work is underway to launch cam-paigns against the rest of the other regions.

Al-Mansouri added that the infringement team was formed in the Ministry of Electricity and Water on April 1, 2020 compris-ing an elite group of Kuwaitis headed by Engineer Faraj Al-Dossari.

Stem-cell transplant operation ‘successful’KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14: A specialized medical team headed by Dr Sundus Al-Shuraidah recently performed a success-ful bone marrow stem-cell transplant from a donor to her sister who suffers from sickle cell anemia, reports Al-Shahid daily.

This new achievement comes a few weeks after the success of the first stem-cell trans-plant in the country, and days after the success of the first liver transplantation performed by an integrated Kuwaiti medical team.

Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah expressed his pride over this achievement and the sincere national medi-cal staff who participated in realizing it. He commended the successful planning of the organ transplantation programs and the concerted efforts to improve the health sys-tem in the country and provide healthcare services in accordance with the highest international quality standards.

Regarding the details of the operation, the ministry explained that it was preceded by a series of preparations over a period of about two months to ensure that the stem cells required to be implanted were a match to the patient. Medical tests were conducted, and the results were identical between the patient and her donor sister, who is 11 years old.

Based on the results of the medical tests and the reports of the patient and the donor, the medical team decided to conduct the operation after completing all preparations,

which took about three hours. It was preceded by the process of collecting cells from the donor, which took about two and a half hours. Both of these processes were successful.

The patient was suffering from acute and chronic sickle cell pain and its severe com-plications, which, according to what was decided by the team treating the case, required transplantation of stem cells from the bone marrow.

The medical team that conducted the operation was headed by Dr Sundus Al-Shuraidah, and included Dr Samar Rifaat from Yaqoub Behbehani Center, Dr Dalal Al-Shammari, and Dr Brigitta Antoine and Dr El-Shazly Abdul-Hafez, in addition to a team of nursing and technical staff with high level of experience and qualification.

The process, during the various prepara-tions and its preparatory stages, witnessed close follow-up by the Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah, the Undersecretary of the ministry Dr Mustafa Reda and the Assistant Undersecretary for Technical Affairs Dr Abdul-Rahman Al-Mutairi, as well as the cooperation of various sectors of the Ministry of Health for providing all kinds of support to the medical team.

The ministry thanked and congratulated the medical team that participated in the operation, wished the sick and the donor child good health, a speedy recovery and a safe return to their families.

LOCAL/GULFARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020

6

Fourth assault targeting Saudi energy infrastructure in a month

‘External source’ causes oil tanker blast off Saudi Arabia: companyDUBAI, Dec 14, (AP): An oil tanker off Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jed-dah suffered an explosion early Mon-day after being hit by “an external source,” a shipping company said, suggesting another vessel has come under attack off the kingdom amid its yearslong war in Yemen.

The attack on the Singapore-fl agged BW Rhine, which had been contracted by the trading arm of the kingdom’s massive Saudi Arabian Oil Co., marks the fourth assault targeting Saudi en-ergy infrastructure in a month.

It also apparently shut down Jeddah port, the most important shipping point for the kingdom, which later said a bomb-laden boat like the remote-con-trolled ones used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels caused the explosion.

The explosion renews concerns about ship safety in the Red Sea, a crucial transit zone for global shipping and energy supplies that largely had avoided the chaos of regional tensions involving the US and Iran last year.

The BW Rhine had berthed at Jed-dah on Saturday, carrying over 60,000 metric tons of unleaded gasoline from an Aramco refi nery at Yanbu for con-sumption in the kingdom, according to the data-analysis fi rm Refi nitiv. It was there that the incident appears to have occured.

The ship was “been hit from an external source whilst discharging,” said Haifna, a tanker company under the BW Group that owns and operates the ship.

The strike caused an explosion and fi re onboard the ship, damaging its hull. All 22 sailors on board es-caped without injury and fi refi ghters later extinguished the blaze, Haifna said. Some oil may have polluted the water alongside the ship, though the company said it was still assessing the damage.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Some 12 hours after the attack be-came public, the state-run Saudi Press Agency ran a statement quoting an anonymous Energy Ministry offi cial blaming the explosion on a bomb-lad-en boat. It did not blame anyone for the attack, despite the Houthis having used drone boats in the past.

Security“These acts of terrorism and van-

dalism, directed against vital installa-tions, go beyond the kingdom and its vital facilities, to the security and sta-bility of energy supplies to the world and the global economy,” the state-ment said.

The United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations, an organization under Britain’s royal navy, urged ships in the area to exercise caution and said investigations were ongoing. It later said Jeddah port had been shut down for a “duration unknown,” without elaborating.

Dryad Global, a maritime intel-ligence fi rm, also reported the blast. The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which pa-

trols the Mideast, did not respond to a request for comment.

The explosion comes after a mine exploded and damaged a ship off Sau-di Arabia last month. Another mys-terious attack targeted a cargo ship off the small port city of Nishtun in Yemen’s far east earlier this month.

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have used sea mines and drone boats before in their long war against a Saudi-led coalition. However, the Houthis have not commented on last month’s attack.

Dryad Global said if it was the Hou-this behind Monday’s blast, it “would represent a fundamental shift in both targeting capabilities and intent.”

Since mid-November, there’s also been what Saudi Arabia described as a bomb-laden drone boat attempted attack at Jazan, as well as a cruise missile attack claimed by the Houthis that struck an Aramco oil facility in Jiddah.

The incidents come after tensions between the US and Iran last year saw a series of escalating incidents in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the nearby Gulf of Oman. While the US has put together a new coali-tion to monitor shipping there after those incidents, it doesn’t operate in the Red Sea.

In recent weeks, an attack in Iran killed a prominent scientist who found-ed Tehran’s military nuclear program two decades ago, an assault suspected to have been carried out by Israel.

Forum supports Kuwaiti youth

HH the PM reaches out to‘future pillars’ of KuwaitKUWAIT CITY, Dec 14, (KUNA): His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sa-bah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah sponsored on Sunday a web platform showcasing youth potential, an annual forum the government has launched in support of the country’s youngsters.

Joining the Amiri Diwan initia-tive via a video link, His Highness the Prime Minister said the forum is a testament to the government’s fi rm belief that the youth represent the “future pillars of our nation.”

The endeavor not only supports “ex-ceptional youth prowess” but also gives “ambitious youngsters” the chance to share their ideas with one another, he added, highlighting plans across state

bodies to connect with the country’s youth.

Always a proponent of the nation’s youth, Kuwait’s late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s belief in the notion that youngsters are capable of building the country’s future, is what set this initiative in motion, according to

Dr Yousef Al-Ibrahim, the event’s chief organizer.

The platform this year, which show-cased some 30 young entrepreneurs, in addition to speakers from the World Bank Group, seeks to give youngsters the chance to hone their skills and bring common aspirations to fruition, he added.

His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad

Al-Sabah.

KUNA photosDr Yousef Al-Ibrahim, the forum’s

chief organizer.

Board of Advisors

Technology Innovation Institutetaps global cryptography leadersABU DHABI, Dec 14: Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the applied research pillar of Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), today announced the formation of a board of advisors at Cryptography Research Centre (CRC). The new board of advisors comprises global experts in the fi eld of cryptography.

The appointments follow a series of rapid announcements at Technology Innovation Institute since the fi rst Advanced Technology Research Council board meeting in August 2020.

CRC is one of the initial seven dedicated centres at TII and it is also one of the few global centres bringing together theoretical and applied cryptographers in a research-oriented setting. The cryptographers collaborate on breakthrough re-search projects that lead to innovative outcomes in cryptog-raphy.

The Board of Advisors includes: Prof Joan Daemen, Pro-fessor of Symmetric Cryptography at Radboud University in The Netherlands, who co-designed the Rijndael cipher that was selected as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and is also one of the co-designers of the Keccak (SHA-3) cryptographic algorithm; Prof Lejla Batina, Pro-fessor of Hardware Cryptography at Radboud University, whose expertise is in applied cryptography and embedded systems security; Dr Guido Bertoni, CEO of Security Pat-tern, Italy, whose research areas include cryptographic algo-rithms, hardware-based cryptography, applied cryptography and embedded systems security. He is also a co-designer of the Keccak (SHA-3) cryptographic algorithm. Prof. Carlos Aguilar, Professor of ISAE SUPAERO in Toulouse Uni-versity, France, a post quantum cryptographer and expert in secure cryptographic implementations and computational theory; Prof. Damien Stehlé, Professor in Computer Science at École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France, whose focus areas are post quantum cryptography, computational theory and complex algebra; and Prof. Tim Güneysu, Professor of Security Engineering at Ruhr-University Bochum, Germa-ny, who is an expert in secure hardware implementations, cloud cryptographic schemes and secure engineering.

LOCAL/MIDEASTARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020

7

KUNA photoKRCS distributing 1,500 bags containing winter clothes in Sabhan Area. The campaign targets workers with limited

income.

KUNA photoKRCS team is seen as a plane carrying 40 tons of relief supplies is set to take off from Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air

base to Sudan.

KRCS distributes winter clothes to cleaners in SabhanKuwait Red Crescent Society sends 40 tons of relief supplies to Sudan

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 14, (KUNA): Kuwait Red Crescent Society distribut-ed Monday 1,500 bags con-taining winter clothes for cleaning workers in Sab-han Area, part of KRCS’s winter campaign.

This campaign targets work-ers with limited income, KRCS’s Secretary-General Maha Al-Barjas

said in a statement to KUNA.The society, she added, was keen on

showing appreciation to workers spe-cially during cold weather.

The distribution of warm clothes, said Al-Barjas, aimed at protecting cleaning workers from cold weather thus preventing health problems.

Maryam Al-Adsani, head of KRCS’s Domestic Assistant Depart-ment, thanked the donors for providing the clothes.

In other news, the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society (KRCS) announced

Monday a plane carrying 40 tons of relief supplies took off from Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air base to Sudan, to be delivered to the Sudanese people.

Director of the Disaster and Emer-gency Department at KRCS, Yousef Al-Miraj, said in a statement to KUNA the plane was in a framework of the humani-tarian aid and efforts provided by Kuwait to the countries in need, especially in Sudan, which was recently exposed to floods as a result of heavy rains.

He mentioned that the relief plane carries on board essential humanitar-

ian needs, various relief materials, wheelchairs, medicines, clothes and blankets.

He thanked the donors for their contributions through KRCS’s Relief Sudan Campaign, explaining that the society is coordinating with the Ku-waiti embassy in Khartoum and the Sudanese Red Crescent to look at the necessary needs.

Al-Miraj also expressed gratitude to Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in helping to deliver the aid to affected people.

A man wearing a mask to help protect against the spread of coronavi-rus, shows a document as a police officer checks IDs during a two-day weekend curfew, in Ankara, Turkey on Dec 13. Turkey imposed a two-day curfew from Friday evening to Monday morning as the total number of CO-VID-19 infections in Turkey tripled to almost 1,750,000 on Thursday after

the government retrospectively corrected its count. (AP)

Charges rejected as ‘politically targeting’ PM post

Lebanon’s PM refuses further questioning over port blastBEIRUT, Dec 14, (AP): Lebanon’s care-taker prime minister will not meet with the prosecutor investigating the Beirut port explosion as requested, persons fa-miliar with the case said Monday, adding the premier has already given the pros-ecutor all the information he has.

Premier Hassan Diab and three for-mer Cabinet ministers were charged last week by Judge Fadi Sawwan with negligence in the massive Aug. 4 blast that killed over 200 people, injured thousands and caused widespread de-struction in the capital.

The explosion was caused by the ig-nition of a large stockpile of explosive material that had been stored at the port for six years with the knowledge of top security offi cials and politicians who did nothing about it. The four are the most senior offi cials to be charged in the inves-tigation and were set to be questioned as defendants this week by Sawwan, start-ing with Diab on Monday.

Diab, however, has rejected the charg-es as “politically targeting” the position of prime minister and accused Sawwan of violating the constitution and bypass-ing parliament. He has also received the support of the country’s former prime ministers, Lebanon’s top Sunni Muslim cleric and the militant Hezbollah group, a strong backer of Diab.

Lebanon’s prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim, according to the country’s sectarian-based power-sharing system.

A person familiar with the case said Diab would not meet with Saw-wan. Another person referred inquiries about Diab’s questioning to a state-ment issued by the prime minister’s of-fi ce last week. That statement said the premier informed Sawwan that “Diab has already provided all the informa-tion he had regarding this fi le, period.”

They spoke on condition of ano-nymity in line with regulations.

Diab had been questioned by Saw-wan as a witness earlier but now he would face questions as a defendant.

BlockThe united front in support of Diab

was seen by many as an attempt to block a precedent that might lead to account-ability on a high level. A culture of im-punity has prevailed in Lebanon for de-cades, including among the entrenched political elites. It has also fostered wide-spread corruption that has helped plunge Lebanon into the worst economic and fi nancial crisis in its history.

Diab, a former university professor who has cast himself as a reformer among Lebanon’s widely corrupt po-litical class, was criticized by some activists for refusing to appear before Sawwan on Monday.

Rights lawyer Nizar Saghieh tweet-ed that Diab, like other politicians, is trying to “escape accountability by hiding behind his sect.”

Former fi nance minister Ali Hassan Khalil and former minister of public works Ghazi Zeiter told the daily Al-Akhbar that they also will not show up for questioning. Both are members of parliament and the legislature will have to remove their parliamentary im-munity. It was not clear if former min-ister of public works Youssef Fenianos will show up at Sawwan’s offi ce.

In a stunning move, Judge Sawwan fi led the charges against Diab and the three former ministers Thursday, ac-cusing them of negligence that led to the death of hundreds of people.

Top security offi cials and politicians had known for years about the ammo-nium nitrate stored at a warehouse at the port and did nothing to remove or destroy it.

Diab, who is supported by Hezbol-lah and its political allies, resigned six days after the blast but remains in his post in a caretaker capacity, as Leba-nese offi cials have failed to agree on a new Cabinet.

An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man lights candles on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah in Jerusalem on Dec 13. (AP)

Iran summons EU envoys for protesting reporter’s hanging

JERUSALEM, Dec 14, (AP): Is-raeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said it would be a mistake “to go back to business as usual with Iran,” signaling Israeli resistance to an expected push by President-elect Joe Biden to revive the interna-tional nuclear deal with Iran.

Netanyahu spoke at a press conference with Robert O’Brien, President Donald Trump’s nation-al security adviser.

But his comments appeared to be aimed at Biden, who has said the U.S. will rejoin the nuclear deal if Iran agrees to strict ad-herence. The deal, which lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, has unraveled since Trump withdrew from it in 2018.

Netanyahu led an unsuccess-ful fi ght against the deal when it was negotiated by then-President Barack Obama in 2015 and wel-comed Trump’s withdrawal three years later. Netanyahu says the deal will not prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and fails to address other belligerent Iranian behavior, such as its sup-port for proxies across the region and its development of a long-range missile program.

“As long as Iran continues to subjugate and threaten its neigh-bors, as long as Iran continues calling for Israel’s destruction, as long as Iran continues to bankroll, equip and train terror-ist organizations throughout the region and the world, and as long as Iran persists in its dangerous quest for nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, we shouldn’t go back to business as usual with Iran,” Netanyahu said Sunday. “We should all unite to prevent this major threat to world peace.”

O’Brien arrived days after the U.S. announced that Israel and

Morocco were establishing full diplomatic relations - making it the fourth such deal between Is-rael and an Arab state brokered by the outgoing Trump adminis-tration.

O’Brien said the Trump ad-ministration’s pressure campaign against Iran has been successful and said the string of agreements between Israel and Arab countries would cement what he called “the legacies of peacemakers” Trump and Netanyahu.

In other news, Iran on Sun-day summoned the German and French envoys to Tehran after the European Union condemned the execution of an Iranian journalist whose work helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017, Iranian state media reported.

SummonedIRNA said an Iranian For-

eign Ministry offi cial summoned the ambassadors because of EU statements on the exiled report-er Ruhollah Zam, 47, who was hanged on Saturday.

Zam had been jailed in Iran af-ter Iranian authorities seized him while he was traveling in neigh-boring Iraq last year. Zam had been living in exile in France be-fore his kidnapping.

The German Foreign Ministry on Saturday expressed its shock about the circumstances of Zam’s sentencing and what it described as his “abduction from abroad” and forced return to Iran.

“This is a barbarous and unac-ceptable act,” the French